Chapter 17

[Into the Princes’ Lair]

The next day, Jessica did the thing that probably she should have done for the first time she stepped down to Seoul again after 14 years: visiting her parents’ grave.

Yoona had offered to come with her, but Jessica had politely refused, saying that she needed times alone. The Im girl quickly understood, and besides, she still had lots to explain to her parents –with her having gone for nearly two weeks.

Jessica clutched the bouquets of Magnolia –her mother’s favorite flower, according to her grandmother – as she braved herself to enter the cemetery compound. Her departure to San Francisco years prior was her way to run away from her parents’ death. That time, she had not known the real truth (or paranoia, as Yoona insisted), but her parents’ death had already craved a big wound in her heart. She had been a coward. She wanted to try to stop being one.

Her grandmother’s instruction on the location of her parents’ grave had been clear, and it was easy for Jessica to spot one –two graves under the Plumeria trees. The graves were easy to be spotted, even from a far. But what surprised her as she got closer was the presence of someone else before her parents’ grave.

And someone familiar enough.

“Hwang Tiffany?” Jessica slowly asked.

The girl with long, straight, black hair turned around. Tiffany’s big eyes showed surprise, but they slowly narrowed down into a pleasant eye-smile –her trademark. “Good day, Jessica-sshi!”

Jessica cautiously watched the other girl. “What are you doing in front of my parents’ grave?” She did not intend to sound harsh, really. But her tone and way of speaking had often been misinterpreted even when Jessica had no ill intention.

“Ah, I was just paying a visit to my relative’s grave and I thought it would be impolite if I didn’t visit your parents’ graves too.”

Jessica’s eyes were still piercing Tiffany’s eyes. Tiffany seemed to acknowledge the Jung heiress’ doubts though, as the black-haired girl elaborated again, “My father and I were in great debt to your parents.”

The suspecting glares of Jessica still lingered, but Tiffany only softly smiled. “There’s a café across the street. Perhaps we can talk after you’ve finished paying a visit to your parents?”

The idea seemed better than to bombard the Hwang girl in front of Jessica’s parents’ graves. Tiffany waved and walked away. With a curt nod, Jessica watched as the other girl went to the referred café outside the cemetery compound. It was only a moment later that Jessica focused her attention to her parents’ grave again.

Jessica had lost both her parents since she was little, and she had always been the awkward type of girl. It felt weird not knowing what to talk to her own parents (her parents were dead, but still…). She did not even know what to do in front of their graves.

She put the bouquet of fresh Magnolia at each of her parents’ grave and stared at them, speechless. She wanted to pray for them, but she did not quite know what to wish for either. For them to be happy wherever they were? For them to forgive her if she really was the cause of their deaths?

She did not know.

So in the end, Jessica only stared at her parents’ grave for a long time. She did not shed any tears. Half of her tears had been spilled in front of Im Yoona the night before. Jessica was sure she would still have plenty to shed, but perhaps, not then…

She promised to find out the real truth behind her parents’ death, though.

The thought of it made her mind drifted to Tiffany again, who must have been waiting at the café. Exhaling a sigh, Jessica glanced at her parents’ grave once again, before she turned around and walked away.

Summer might have been nearing to an end, but the afternoon was still hot as hell. The cool air conditioner from the café soothed her sweating skin and Jessica was glad to find a cold ice lemon tea was already placed on the table in front of Tiffany.

“For you,” Tiffany said with a smile.

Jessica would normally refuse such unnecessary hospitality, but the heat forced her to murmur a quick gratitude and she drank nearly half the content of the glass. She let out a relieved sigh afterwards.

Back to business.

“So,” Jessica began. “What relation do you have with my parents?”

Tiffany blinked. Despite Jessica’s infamous straight-to-the-point manner, perhaps Tiffany was still not used to it. “Don’t you… want to order something first? I heard that the opera cake here is really good! A friend of mine actually also recommended the red velvet cake, but I am actually an avid chocolate fan so I’m quite confused with what I have to choose and…”

Blahblahblah. There Hwang Tiffany went again with her chatty mouth. Jessica reminded herself that if it had not been for the hint of her parents, she would have never wanted to spend such a hot day with a patience-tester girl like Tiffany.

“What relation do you have with my parents?” repeated Jessica.

Tiffany’s lips were parted to form an almost perfect o-shape, but she quickly regained her poise back. Apologetically, she murmured, “Sorry… I really have this tendency to blabber on things that are quite unnecessary. Yuri once said that it might have been a disease and…” she paused upon meeting Jessica’s cold glare. “Right, your parents,” she said as she cleared . “I.. might not be directly linked to your parents, but my father…owes your parents a great deal.”

“Your father?” Since Jessica’s parents had passed away, whatever bond Tiffany’s father owed to Jessica’s parents must have been quite an old bond, that was formed perhaps before the two girls were born.

Tiffany smiled. “My father is my hero, my role model. He is very smart, a genius, really. Something that’s not inherited to me, obviously. But I really am proud of him.”

Normally, Jessica would glare at Tiffany’s rants again, but the way that Tiffany spoke of her father was actually quite…calming to hear, even for such a rigid person like Jessica. Perhaps because Tiffany seemed to regard her parents in a way that Jessica could never have. Tiffany must have had a pleasant childhood, with a perfect family, unlike Jessica’s.

“Ah, sorry I went out of topic again,” muttered Tiffany in embarrassment. “Well, you see, unlike your family, neither my father nor my mother came from rich or high-class families. But my father is really smart,” she stressed the fact down again, as if afraid Jessica would look down on her father now that she found out the real wealth condition of her family.

Truth be told, Jessica would never feel the need to look down at parents who had raised their child in such a way where the child turned out to idolize her parents that way. In fact, she quite envied Tiffany’s parents and the obvious amount of love they showered to their daughter.

“Your father was the one who first found out about my father’s talent. Mr. Jung later introduced my father towards Der Märchenclub in our parents’ eras. Your father was also the one who gave connection for my father to be able to work in the government. We might not have been as rich as the Jung or the other family, but looking from where we came from, your father really, really contributed a lot.”

Suddenly Jessica remembered of the conversation her grandmother shared with her on the very first night Jessica went back to Seoul. Jung Hyori had spoken of a man, who –borrowing Jung Hyori’s term – came from a hardworking family and made it to Der Märchenclub, which was naturally reserved to the…well…elites families. Jessica also remembered how her grandmother had said that her father had helped this genius friend of him.

And it apparently turned out to be Tiffany’s father.

“We are forever in debt to your father. And my father also often talks how charming and kind-hearted your mother was. Saying that had it not been for his best friend, your father, my father would have snatched your mother away,” Tiffany spoke slowly with twinkles coloring her eyes. Her eyes turned serious second later, “My father was only joking, of course. It was not meant to be an offense…” she said slowly, as if she was afraid Jessica’s wrath would explode.

“None taken,” assured Jessica. Again, she regretted how her tone sounded as if she was saying something sarcastic. She was really not being one. In fact, she was quite sorry for making Tiffany be afraid of her somehow.

“Your parents… it’s such a great loss for good-hearted people like them to pass away that quickly…”

Jessica didn’t know what to say so she only weakly nodded.

Tiffany offered her another smile. “I’m sorry that it turns out I can only tell you these things… I have a feeling you were expecting more from my story, but…”

“No, it’s okay,” said Jessica quickly. Although Tiffany’s story was not the hint Jessica was looking for, but it was actually…pretty heart-warming for her parents to be remembered that way in front of other peoples’ eyes. “…Thank you,” she murmured awkwardly. “Send my gratitude to your father too. I’m sure my parents would be glad to have such a… loyal friend.”

Tiffany’s smile never faltered, even when she spoke her next line. “Oh, I suppose they’re greeting each other happily in heaven right now. So you don’t even need to pass it on me.”

Jessica focused her attention at Tiffany again. “Your father…also passed away?”

Tiffany nodded slowly. “He followed my mother, I suppose.”

Jessica was taken a back upon hearing the fact. “I’m…sorry to hear that.”

The other girl offered her another eye-smile. “Don’t worry. It already happens years and years ago. What is left with me is the happy memory…”

And speaking to Tiffany… somehow made Jessica embarrassed of herself. Tiffany practically shared the same fate as Jessica –having to lose her parents years ago, possibly when she was little too. But Tiffany’s way of perceiving life was…completely different from her.

Sure, Hwang Tiffany often let out an air of idiocy (perhaps it was due to her chatty mouth) and Jessica had previously dubbed her as such a shallow girl who only cared for trivial, hedonistic things. But there was something that ran deeper. There was surely no way that girl was not hurt by her parents’ death. But her way of coping up with her loss was something…admirable.

Again, Jessica was envious of Tiffany, on a completely different level and on a higher level of respect.

“I think I owe you an apology,” Jessica muttered slowly.

Tiffany looked honestly puzzled. “Eh? What for?”

“Nothing,” the Ice Princess quickly mumbled. She did not want having to tell Tiffany she used to think of her as an airhead.

Fortunately Tiffany didn’t decide to press on the subject anymore. She cast another series of smile (sometimes Jessica wondered, didn’t her cheek ever get cramped for smiling that much?) and brought a different topic. “So, how’s your life been going? I saw no bodyguards around you, unlike what the others are doing.”

“I never like the idea of bodyguards. Unnecessary.”

Tiffany looked at her fondly. “Your confidence is admirable.”

“No. It’s not confidence,” Jessica assured. She knew Tiffany’s body language requested her to elaborate more, but Jessica shrugged the topic off her. “What about you? No bodyguards around?”