I check Fern and Red’s reins, saluting the driver on his seat before mounting the carriage.  I wipe my sweaty palms on my black suit pants, scruffing the collar of my shirt and ing my suit, leaning back with a sigh.

“I really don’t know what to say,” I mutter to myself.

Mother had given me a letter, written by herself, that states the purpose of my visit.  It says that I was sent to carry out proper examination and observation of the herbs we are to take in to the castle as the form of cooperation we had agreed from before.  It’s reasonable, and it’s the best the three of us can come up with. 

“Don’t worry, Kyungsoo,” Kai jumps in after me, taking the seat across from me.  “I’ve got you and you’ve got me,”

I shake my head at him.  “I would definitely be walking with Yookyung when I look around, but where will you be? Why are you coming anyways?”

“A prince never goes anywhere unguarded,” Kai shrugs.  “I’ll be, I don’t know, preoccupying her parents?” He lifts up a letter of his own and I snatch it, taking in its contents.

“Ah,” I nod.

It says that he is there as my brother, so he has the exact same rights as I do.

“This is good,” I nod again.  “I hope this goes well,”

“Yeah,”

“But what do I say?”

“Just,” Kai frowns in thought and heaves out a sigh.  “Go with the flow,” He covers up his obvious loss of answers.

And the rest of the ride, we stay quiet, hoping for the best.

After around two hours, we both hear the familiar grate of heavy castle gates, the carriage slowing down and making its way into the Sons’ mansion.  I catch the famliar figure of the  Sons’ husband and wife by the mansion’s doors waiting with a row of keepers for our arrival.  Yookyung stands by the mother’s side and her eyes gaze expectantly at my carriage.  Hana wasn’t there.

“Here goes,” I mutter, handshaking Kai before dismounting the carriage, replying sincerely to the keepers’ bows as we both approach the family standing in front of us.

“Good morning, dear prince,” Son Heejun says, offering his hand for me to shake.

“Good morning, Heejun-ssi,” I shake his hand and smile at him and his wife.  “Lovely weather to start the day, isn’t it?”

“It surely is pleasant, more so by gracing us with your presence in our humble home,” Son Eunbi smiles, her facial features shining under the sun.  “Come in, please, we will talk in the halls,”

The mansion is large, but not as sizeable as the castle.  It is adorned with the Sons family symbol of herbs, plants turning the place green and peaceful somehow, with the touch I don’t fail to recognize to notice as Yookyung’s.

“Yookyung-ssi did a good job with the interior design, especially those flowers and those vases,” I look at her and throw her a smile, which she returns.

“You have very observant eyes as usual, Your Majesty, I thank you for the compliment,” She walks beside me and sits beside me in the hall her parents meant.

“What business are you here for, My Prince?” Son Heejun asks.

I pull out the roll of parchment from my suit and Kai does too, setting it in front of both of the Son leaders.

They take their time reading the contents and they lift their heads up with respect at me and at Kai.

“Yookyung, will you please lead our Prince to the plant?” Son Eunbi speaks to her daughter and she nods, standing up from her seat.

“And Kai-ssi, This way with me and my wife, please,” Son Heejun stands up as well.

We all step out the hall and go our separate ways.  I exit the building with Yookyung and go around it to the back, walking down a path that had fields of herbs on either side.

“I’m guessing that you’re not here for these?” Yookyung squats politely by the herbs and lets a butterfly land on her finger, standing up to face me.  The butterfly flies away quickly and Yookyung stares into my eyes.

“No, I’m not,” I answer clearly.  “I’m sorry, I did not mean to lie,”

“That is fine, Prince,” She nods.  “I understand,” She walks ahead and gestures for me to come along. 

I stride behind her and walk down the long path by her side, wordlessly.  I could see that she was thinking, at a loss of what she understood.  Is she doing this because I’m the Prince? Or is she doing this for something else?

“My sister doesn’t know that I know she’s here,” Yookyung says.  “I saw her when she came but she didn’t see me.  I told our private maids to inform me of her activities and whereabouts.  But I can’t find myself to see her personally,” Her voice fades out and she stops at her tracks just by a small house at the middle of one of the herbs fields.  “She stays there alone.  I can only lead you up to here, Prince, forgive me,” She bows politely and turns at her heels.

I grab her wrist to stop her and speak quietly.  “Yookyung, you did not steal your sister’s place from her,” I frown in worry as she turns rigid, her fists clenched.  “You don’t have to be ashamed of yourself,”

“Excuse me, please,” She says, barely more than a whisper, and I watch her trot away, hitching up her skirt slightly as she distances herself from myself and her sister, who is in the house just steps away.

I run a hand through my hair and knock at the door of the house.

Steps approach and I brace myself for the woman who is opening the door.

“Yes?”

And our eyes meet.