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No More PrincessShe doesn't even have to remind herself to sit straight; it comes as naturally to her as breathing. Her shoulders are against the back of the chair as if she were strapped to it with rope. If she moves so much as an inch off the wood, her father will notice and she'll get scolded. She hates being scolded.
Another plate of an egg white omelet is set in front of her, just like every other morning. Jihyun tries her best not to frown at it. She has to be grateful for the meal. It's not like she isn't grateful, anyway. She is. Her only wish is to have another meal, a real breakfast. Pancakes or a crepe, like her nanny used to make. She smiles at the thought.
"Could you pass the pepper, please?" Jihyun grins in thanks when her brother hands her the spice. One twist of the handle, not too much heat on the eggs, and set the pepper back on the table without moving anything but her arms.
Maybe it would be hard for a regular citizen to live the way she does, but Jihyun and her brother were raised like this: as perfect as they could appear. Being royalty, they have to act their best at all times; it's part of their daily life. This is all normal to them.
Jihyun glances at her mother across the table. Strong-willed, confident, all the things Jihyun wishes to be. Wrinkles frame her gentle eyes, but it shows the years she's endured and the many more to come. Those gentle eyes can turn sharp in a second. Another thing Jihyun admires.
Her father is the Great Prince of Alcea, not yet the King; that's her grandfather. However, her father will soon take his place, considering the age her granddad is at, which is one of the reasons she was raised the way she was. A king can't have a misbehaved child.
Everything of his is always done with purpose: his stride, his speech, his posture. He assumes her brother will be the same way, but there's no way Jihyun can see him like that.
Baekhyun is too sweet, too benign to give the harsh orders her father does. He will have to take over someday, though. Everyone's sure of that. Even with his delicacy, Jihyun's sure he'll make a great leader. He has the potential.
Everyone has a role, something to be in charge of. Her father is, obviously, helping the king with managing the government of Alcea, her mother is the head of a special education school board and assists with a charity for the homeless. Baekhyun is the president of Alcea's National Museum and overlooks everything that goes into it. Jihyun founded the local wildlife sanctuary, one of the most popular in the country. Being the founder, she maintains all the animals' habitats, making sure everything is clean, well taken care of and none of the animals are neglected. Her job consists of the hiring and firing of employees, the layout and new additions of the sanctuary, the financial department and she even pipes in with security, healthcare, and maintenance.
She needs some managers.
"I'm planning on looking over some applications and resumes for new employees," Jihyun says when her father asks her plans for the day. "Also, the local highschool's zoology class would like to visit and take a tour. I'll be setting up a date for their field trip."
He nods, satisfied with her answer. His head lifts toward his son. "Baekhyun?"
"I'm still working on adding the new children section, and it's coming along quite nicely so far. Today will be all about the planning and construction dates, deciding when would be the right time to work so it won't disturb the guests."
"Wonderful. I'm confident in your ability to do so."
"Thank you,"
"Everyone should get started, then. It's already late in the day."
7:35 am isn't necessarily late in the day, in Jihyun's opinion, but her father runs on a different schedule than everyone else. Once he leaves the table, his plate is cleared and taken away to be washed, dried, and put away. Then it's her mother's turn to say goodbye, kiss them both on the cheek and leave to do her duties.
"Are you planning to do your work in your pajamas again?" Baekhyun asks, taking a glimpse of his sister's attire.
Jihyun smiles. "If I can get away with it. Why would I get dressed up to spend my day in an office?"
"You're going to have to dress well later. The Prime Minister of Chardon is coming today, remember?"
Jihyun groans. "That completely slipped my mind."
Baekhyun chuckles. "I know how you feel. We both have to go through it."
"I wish we didn't have to be involved."
"So do I, but what can we do? We're the son and daughter of a Prince."
In her office, Jihyun works her way through a stack of applications, perusing each one in intervals of five. Five resumes now, five more resumes after another round at solitare. She has a method, and that method usually works.
"Why are there no more moves left?" She mumbles as she stares at the computer screen and mutters a "Come in," when a knock sounds at her door.
"I brought your tea. You might need the caffeine."
"Thanks, Yoona."
Yoona isn't really an assistant. Not anymore, anyway. She started out as one, but now she's as close to a sister Jihyun can have. It's only been five years since Yoona's been hired, but in those five years, a close relationship had bloomed.
She still brings things to Jihyun, like drinks and orders, but she also stays to listen to anything and everything Jihyun spills out.
"I also have more applicatations." She grins and waves another small stack of papers in her hand before setting them on the To Be Read stack.
"Thanks, again." Jihyun starts a new hand. "It's going to be hard picking the right employees. Do you know how to win this game?"
She eyes the pile of papers, "Don't you think doing all this work is a bit too much?"
Jihyun shrugs, "I try not to complain. Out loud." At Yoona's chuckle, she smiles. "I guess I should look through another five. "
"Do you want me to stay here?"
"If you want to," Jihyun points to the arm chair near her desk. "I could use your input. You've come to know just as much about this as I do."
"And have grown to love it just as much as you." Yoona says, sinking into the sofa cushion. "I'm hoping to visit there again, with you."
"You'll probably accompany me next time. It won't be hard convincing my dad of it." She flips the page of a resume. "Just throw in a few reasons to be assisted and I've got him."
"That'd be fantastic," Yoona rests her head on the back of the chair. "Which positions are you hiring for?"
"Mostly managers of different departments." Her nose scrunches. "This one's a no." Once the paper hits the Rejected stack, Jihyun picks up another and carefully reads its contents.
"Would you like it if I helped?" Yoona stands, ready to pitch in.
Jihyun considers it, "Do you know what I'm looking for?"
"How long have I known you?" She smiles as she stops at the side of the desk.
Jihyun matches her smile. "Touche. Alright, pick one up. Tell me if you find any possible future workers."
They only have a quarter of the pile left before Jihyun has to get prepared for the dinner meeting. It would have probably been finished if they hadn't taken breaks and joked around. After dinner, Jihyun decides, they will finish reading them all and she can finally set a date for that field trip.
She stares in the mirror at her outfit and smooths down the skirt, smiles at herself. "Good luck," She mutters and leaves toward the dining hall.
She and Baekhyun sit at the small sofa with their mother, waiting for their father to come in with Chardon's Prime Minister. It isn't exhaustion that makes her want to scamper off to bed, but simply having the knowledge of what this dinner meeting will hold. Jihyun and her brother stand at the sight of her father and the older man walking toward them. She gently lays her hand upon his when he greets her, catches herself from sneering when he kisses it, and subtly, unnoticably, wipes it against the back of her skirt as he greets her mother with the same routine.
Baekhyun, knowing his sister's pet peeve about this way of greeting, places a hand on her back and rubs it, giving her a smile when she glances at him with one.
They will get through this dreadful dinner together.
The meal starts off with silent eating, the only noise filling the room are dishes and silverware clattering and the laughter of the two older men. A few uninteresting suggestions followed by polite laughter. A comment or two by Mrs. Byun. Jihyun finally talks when Sir Yu asks about the progression of her "animal care clinic."
"My sanctuary," She calmy corrects. "is doing wonderfully, thank you."
"Care to elaborate?"
Elaborate on what? she thinks. That's a perfectly fine answer; there's no need to explain further. She doesn't want to explain further. Despite the mental rejection, Jihyun smiles and politely answers. "We're seeking new employment and hoping to add another exhibit in the spring. I believe it will draw attention for more of the insect lovers than mammal."
"That's extraordinary." He lifts his wine to his lips. "How are the profits like?"
It's always about the money. "Satisfying."
"That's all that matters, yes?" He chuckles, and so does she, but only with half a heart. Barely.
The server returns and offers champagne, which Jihyun gladly accepts. She can use it right then, she figures. Relaxation is what she needs. Taking a glance at Baekhyun, she realizes he needs it, too. Poor Baek, Jihyun thinks glumly. He'll have to take the place of her father, and he'll have to endure this kind of schedule regularly. He doesn't even wish to be a king, let alone a prince. Much like she doesn't wish to be a princess. However, she never takes her life for granted. She's healthily fed, loved, clothed and covered. Her parents don't give her all the things she may want, but all the things she needs.
After the dinner, after the goodbyes, stay wells and cheek kisses, Jihyun bids her family good night and treads up to her room on the second floor. As she undresses, she thinks about what her future may hold. More countless hours in the office, orders, prim and proper attitude? She sighs and slips on her nightgown. Oh, how she wishes to lose her cool just once, just to see how it feels.
It's different if her temper snaps in front of Baekhyun, like it'd done so many times before when the two were alone. In front of a stranger, however, she'd be terrified.
She wants the experience so badly.
Does she really want to be a princess the rest of her life? she wonders, but already knows the answer, and feels ashamed by it. She'd already been trained all her eighteen years to lead a royal life, and here she is wishing to throw it all away, to saunter off into the world and leave everything behind when she isn't even ready to take on that kind of responsibility.
Jutting her chin out, Jihyun firms her lips. I am ready, she tells herself. I can do it without daddy.
But that can wait to wonder about until tomorrow. Right now, her greatest desire is to drift away, to float away from all her stressing thoughts and duties.
She's almost there when her arms suddenly hit the sides of the bed, a frustrated groan emitting from . That damn field trip's going to have to wait to be scheduled until morning.
I just read this thing that said something about the members finally getting tired of baekhyun's and throwing him in the ocean saying, "kkaebsong" and I think I laughed for a good five minutes.
Please leave your thoughts~~~
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