“Come on! Don’t be such a baby!”

“But the water is really cold. I can’t take a bath!” Prince Jiho complained while inside his four-meter bathroom without a roof. It is the typical bathroom in ancient times where walls around five feet tall are built to cover the body of the person bathing, but you can still see the head if that person is taller than five feet. Inside will be a large barrel of water and a hole on the floor near a corner for peeing and god-knows-what.

Minhee watched him from outside of the walls as Prince Jiho whined about taking a bath. “You are already there, -, for an hour and fifteen minutes.” She checked her phone for the time.

“That thing is a timer? I thought it’s a picture frame?” Jiho asked in a naïve way as he pointed at Minhee’s phone.

“It can do more than the things you can do!” She said.

“Like what?”

“You were playing with it earlier. You should have found out for yourself.” Minhee turned her back and took the prince’s clothes hanging on a string near a tree.

Prince Jiho followed her with his gaze, thinking about what he did with that rectangular thing earlier. It is just a picture frame that emitted light, right? I even saw her picture that seemed to be drawn by skilled artists using fine paint when I pushed the button. He blushed as he realized that Minhee’s photo was the reason why he was giggling earlier that morning. Did she catch me looking at her picture? But, wait. How does she know about the time while looking at it? Is it a magical thing? If it is, I want to have it! He thought to himself, and then an idea popped in his mind.

“Hey, weird girl!”

“I’m not weird.” Minhee said without looking up at Jiho. She is too busy with playing games on her phone.

“You are.”

“Okay, fine. What do you want?”

“I’ll take a bath, but in one condition!”

“What is it?” Finally, Minhee looked up after pausing her game.

“Give me that rectangular thing!” He pointed at her phone.

“This?” Minhee showed him, and the prince nodded.

“Yes, yes. I want that.” He grinned from ear to ear.

“No way!” Minhee stuck her tongue out. “But…”

“But?” Hope filled Jiho’s expression.

“I can lend you my iPad for five hours. That can be in one-go or cumulative. Your choice. It’s bigger than this one.”

“Only five hours?”

“It’s better than nothing.” Minhee thought for a while and checked her bag. She took out her iPad to show it to Jiho, and the prince’s eyes sparkled upon seeing it. “Well… I can extend it for seven hours if you behave well and listen to everything I’ll say. You’re fortunate; I brought two powerbanks with me.”

“What are powerbanks?” Jiho’s jaw dropped. “Oh, oh. So you really have powers? Like fairies and witches? You are probably a witch, because you are so rude.” The prince pouted, but gasped as soon as he apprehend what was he just stated. “I’m taking that back. But, please don’t cast a spell on me. Please, I’m begging you!”

Minhee smirked and went closer to the four-walled bathroom. She held her phone in front of the prince’s face and took a photo of him.

Click.

“W-What was that?”

Minhee was laughing while looking at the wide-eyed photo of Prince Jiho. “Hahaha! Look! Look! You’re face is so funny!” She showed Jiho the photo and the prince backed away.

“W-What d-did you do to m-me?” He asked like a scared cat.

Minhee looked at his expression and grinned evilly. “I took your soul. Now, you should obey whatever I say, or I will send your soul to Antarctica. Understand?” She tried to frighten him more, while she mentally laughed at the prince.

“B-But where is Antarctica?”

“It’s in the bottom of the Earth, where you would freeze to death. If I were you, I would listen to whatever I say rather than be buried in ice.”

“Y-Yes.” Prince Jiho answered, and then immediately splashed himself with water using the dipper inside the water barrel. “Ah, ah! It’s cold! It’s cold! Cold!”

“I guess you don’t even use soap in the ancient times…” She mumbled, and then turned to Jiho. “Here.”

“What are those?” The prince blinked at the small bottles Minhee was holding.

“Use this one to wash your hair, it’s called shampoo. Just put a little amount on your palm. Then, this is a body wash. You should also put a small amount on your palm to use it while scrubbing your body.”

“Hmm… It smells nice! Where did you get these kinds of stuff? How many gold coins will it cost for me to get one?”

“It’s a basic need from where I come from. We use it every time we take bath. It’s actually cheap however, since you won’t see these in your vast kingdom, it costs more than your soul.”

Jiho jaw dropped again, and continued washing his body. He didn’t say a thing after that; afraid of what might happen to his soul believing that Minhee really got it.

When the prince finished, she handed him some new clothes she got from her bag after he dried himself up.

“What are those cheap fabrics?”

“These are my brother’s T-shirt and basketball shorts. Put it on after wearing your undergarments. Your hanbok has too many layers; it’s trapping the heat in your body.” She handed him the pieces of clothing.

“No. I’m a royalty. I should be wearing royal attire.”

“Trust me, it’s way more comfortable than wearing a hanbok, and besides… did you already forget about your soul?” Minhee smirked as Jiho complied. He wore the shirt and shorts before stepping out of his bathroom.

“Why do you have your brother’s clothes, anyway?” He asked.

“I wear that to sleep. It’s more comfortable than my clothes.” She explained as she grabbed her backpack and held the prince’s dirty clothes on the other hand.

“You wear a man’s clothes?!”

“That’s acceptable in our place.” Minhee shrugged. “We’re not that strict with gender roles.”

The prince looked at her from head to toe. “Seems like it. You are wearing weird attire.”

“Don’t say anything about my appearance if you don’t wanna die!” She stormed inside the prince’s quarters and slumped on the floor. Prince Jiho came running inside as well, fearing that more people would see him in unusual clothing.

“Hey, this is my room!” The prince glared at Minhee.

“Are you feeling better?” She asked.

“No, because you are intruding my privacy.” He crossed his arms.

“Fine. I’ll take a bath as well. No peeking!!!” She went outside again with her backpack, and even a little uncomfortable, she managed to bathe and clean herself. She put on a blue floral dress flowing a bit above her knee after, and brushed her hair. She packed the dress hoping she could spend some time at the beach, and casually walk there as the wind blows. She planned her trip to Nami Island hoping she would enjoy every minute there, but ended up trapped in a Joseon palace with an idiot prince. Letting out a sigh, she kicked a small rock on the pathway. She was about to enter the prince’s quarters again when a servant stopped her.

“Lady Lee, the prince is already eating lunch. Also, the King is asking you to accompany him to eat inside the King’s Chamber. He is already waiting for you there. Shinyoung and Yerim will lead the way.”

“Oh, okay.” She followed the two servants until they reached a bigger version of Prince Jiho’s quarters. She assumed that it is the King’s Chamber given that more soldiers are guiding the entrance, and a lot more servants are standing outside. Gold carvings on the wall are also evident in just a simple glance.

“Lady Lee. The King is already waiting for you inside.” Another servant informed her.

“Okay. Should I just go inside?” She inquired, and the servant nodded. “Thanks!” Minhee smiled at the servant before entering the quarters.

“Minhee!” King Jiseok smiled widely as Minhee entered his chamber. He greeted her happily and motioned for her to sit across him.

What surprised Minhee was the amount of food served on the King’s table. It was a real King’s feast. There are meals made out of chicken, turkey, pork, beef, vegetables, crabs, shrimp, and a lot more she couldn’t name. She was so overwhelmed that she just stared at all of it.

“Minhee?” The King called.

“Oh, yes?” That’s the only moment she looked up at him.

“Shall we eat now?” Asked the King smiling at her.

“Uhmm… y-yeah, sure.” She took her own chopsticks and started choosing what she will eat. “Uhmm… Your Majesty… Isn’t this a lot for two people?”

“Is it?” King Jiseok looked surprised. “Oh… maybe because I told them to serve every single dish they can cook because I don’t know what food you like.” He chuckled.

“Ah. But a simple meal would have been all right.” She smiled sheepishly.

The King nodded. “I see that you changed your clothes and washed your hair.”

“Yeah. I took a bath after Jiho… I mean, Prince Jiho.”

Their conversation went on and on from Jiseok’s life as a king to Minhee’s favorite color. The two finished eating with full and happy stomachs.

“Ah, thank you for the meal!” Minhee beamed at the King.

“My pleasure. We can eat together again if you want to.” King Jiseok smiled with hopes in his eyes.

She nodded, while checking her phone for the time. “Oh!” She bit her lip as she realized something. “I need to check on your brother. I’m assuming he’s done eating as well. He needs some medicine.” She stood up and was about to walk away when Jiseok called her.

“Minhee.”

“Yeah?”

“Can’t you stay a little longer? I mean… you can just tell the palace doctors to the work. You really don’t have to stress yourself. Besides, it is fun when I’m talking to you.” He seemed to blush at the last part, but was good in hiding it from the girl.

“Uhmm… I can go back right after if you want to. Right after a meal is the best time to take the medicine I have with me, so I’ll go now.” She gave him another smile and a hand wave before turning around, taking one of the servants with her. “I’ll borrow her, okay? I might get lost again.” She giggled and started running away, leaving everyone completely astonished, including the King.

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