Hello

I realised a lot of readers are really curious about what's happening with

Dara in the 21st century... (Thanks for letting me know!)

Hmm, I'm intentionally not addressing that yet, as its left towards

the end as part of the story's development.

Stay patient and keep a look out~

   "I am happy to announce that my fourth son and the eldest daughter of the great queen of Pyul will be tying their engagement in the next full moon.”

  The Pyul Princess snapped her head up, blinking in confusion at the sudden announcement before turning her head towards the fourth prince of Dal beside her. 

  "Did you know about this?" The Princess asked, and the Ice Lord ignored her with a frozen expression on his face, his mouth going dry. 

  The crowd broke into a deafening applause but it sounded like the sound of a heavy rainfall in the distance. Instead, he hears his own slowed breathing and heartbeat. Someone placed a hand on his wrist and he looked up to see the King smiling upon him, who returned a sharp glare as he pushed his father's hand off him. Jiyong's panic-striken eyes searched the suddenly unfamiliar crowd, looking for that one who seems to be the only person who can calm him down. He felt his own anxiousness mounting, spreading like a plague through his whole body. There's simply too many people gathered in the courtyard. Jiyong swallowed, wincing as he struggled to focus his vision. He's afraid, afraid of her being afraid. 

  Finally, he spots her among the cheering crowd somewhere in the middle of the courtyard, some 30 metres away from the podium where he stood. Dara looked stunned beyond words, her eyes round with the same shock that is coursing through Jiyong himself, her lips slightly parted. She looked exceptionally small and unprotected in the sea of people, and Jiyong balled his fist tightly up, wishing for nothing more than to reach out to her.

  Dara looked at the pair that was standing rigidly on the podium. A full moon would be in 2 weeks. The drumming in her head got louder and louder, until she realised it wasn't drummings at all, but loud waves of ache and pain crashing over and over again. She looked around her with shaky eyes, and sees nothing but people full of well wishes and blessings for the beautiful couple. It's as if she understood something all of a sudden, that perhaps she was the antagonist all along, that she had always known that she isn't the one who has the ability to give him happiness, and being with him will only bring about trouble and disputes to everyone around them,  but she had so strongly believed that they can change it of they tried hard enough.

  Dara turned her gaze towards Jiyong, who swallowed as their eyes meet. Dara's lips stretched into a small smile and slowly, she put her hands together and joined in the crowd who was still excitedly clapping, ignoring Jiyong, who looked at her in dismay, before retreating into the mass of people behind her and disappearing from his view. 

  You look decent today. Don't cry now.

  Dara swallowed down the prickling feeling behind her eyes and squeezed past the crowd of party-goers, lifting up her dress slightly to move faster. This place is too loud and extravagent and its clogging up her mind. She need somewhere to just take a breather for a moment.

  A few strangers catcalled as the girl whom they've never seen before walked past every now and then and she ignored their leerings, keeping her head low until the entire courtyard is far behind. The palace is huge and Dara had no idea where she is, but at least this place is quieter than where it was. She walked along the road between the two marble fences that sealed off the Royal chambers and the Divine Hall, where Seungri said its the place where the King and Empress prayed. The sky is darkening as the sun slowly edges towards a set. It's relatively peaceful around here except for the distance commotion from the party and the sound of her feet shuffling against the gravel.

  Dara pulled open the door to what seems like a greenhouse. There was an entire garden inside. But what's weird is that although the green leaves were real, the roses were made of fine, china porcelain. Nonetheless, this place is free from the muffled noises outside, and that's good enough for the moment.

  He's getting married.

  The silence gives her space, and space gives her the liberty to think again. Her heart pummels painfully inside her chest. Seeing him with the Princess, and allowing every hope she had held onto to slip away feels like every part of her is being sliced by a knife.

  Dara took a small breath and shut her eyes, brushing the tip of her fingers on the smooth, cold flowers as she felt the corners of her eyes becoming moist again.

  There's so many times in life where we are going to meet the right person, but when will we meet them at the right time and at the right place? She knows a future with Jiyong seems illogical and insane. He is not just anybody in town and he has his responsibilities. Without even the fact that he is a prince somewhere 300 years away from when she was born, which parent would let their child be with someone with weird and unexplainable origins?

  But how is she going to fall in love and fall out of love? How can she forget him who had once been beside her? How is she supposed to erase the warmth of his embrace from her memory? How is she going to let go of that urge to protect him and be protected by him? Every frame of him is etched before her eyes; the way he laughs as she struggled to climb hills; the way he when she tries to shoot an arrow; the way he grabs her wrist and the way he kissed her. She is so irreversibly in love with the man who fished her out of the water. She is so in love with Kwon Jiyong.

  A sharp, searing pain prised open her finger and she opened her eyes in surprise, a tear falling on the droplet of blood that has formed on the tip of her finger.

  "You'll want to be careful with these, they have thorns." 

  Dara heard another voice and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand hastily before turning around. Lady Kim, the lady whom Dara and Seungri have saw at the courtyard was behind her. She looked well maintained and classy, and it isn't hard to decipher that she must've been a beauty in her prime.

  "Thank you." Dara muttered, bowing her head a little.

  "I've heard about you." Lady Kim said eloquently, knotting her fingers together. In fact, she really has. From her sources, this girl is supposedly closer to the Ice Lord than anyone has been, but she is unable to get any information about her past or friends or family no matter how hard she tried. "It's Dara, isn't it?"

  Dara nodded, adverting the royalty's overpowering gaze and smile. She remembers what Seungri had said about avoiding this lady, and she has her guards up.

  "You came with Seungri?" Lady Kim asked pleasantly.

  "Yes." 

  "Why?"

  Dara looked up, confunded by the direct question. While the Lady still sounded pleasant and poliet and she was still smiling upon her, there was a tone of authority and demand laced in her voice.

  "I.. uh-" Dara stammered hesistantly,

  "That must've shocked you. I apologise." The Lady laughed a little, covering with her silk hankerchief, "I mean, I've heard many things about you and Jiyong. Why isn't he your partner tonight?"

  "Erm.. He has a partner already." Dara swallowed, feeling more and more disturbed with every nerve-wracking question she asked. She knows she isn't supposed to divulge anything about the two princes here, but usually people don't dig into them like that too. Why is she asking like this?

  "Oh I see. Is that why you are weeping by yourself here?" 

  Dara gaped at her as she dropped another uncomfortable question. The Lady stared at her, a sweet smile still hanging on her lips as she expected the girl to give her an answer. Dara opened , and closed it again, not knowing how to answer her.

  A hand clasped around her wrist and Dara looked up, expecting to see Seungri but it was Jiyong. She inhaled sharply, directing her eyes to the floor.

  "Ask me if you have any questions related to me." The Ice Lord said coldly, and the older woman kept the same smile on her lips. "Let's go." He murmured to Dara, before pulling her out of the greenhouse.

  The sky was already dark outside and Dara has no idea where Jiyong is leading her to. They have been walking for a minute and it seems like the greenhouse has been left far behind them. Dara stopped in her tracks, and Jiyong looked back before slowly down too. With her uninjured hand, Dara shakily prised Jiyong's hand off hers.

  A stoney silence engulfed them and they stood with the boy staring straight at the girl and the girl staring right at the ground. In the distance, the party sounded to be still continuing in full swing. 

  "She said you were crying?" Jiyong spoke first.

  No response.

  "Dara."

  She looked up and held his gaze. That's when he realised she doesn't want to have this conversation at all. The red rims around her eyes are so raw, it stings his heart.

  "I didn't know." He said softly, reaching out a hand to her cheek. Dara stumbled two steps back, away from his reach and Jiyong stared, his arm limply hanging in the air before he puts it back down.

  "I've thought about it, Jiyong." Dara whispered, willing herself not to cry. Not until she has finished what she wanted to say. "It should have ended, it should have stopped when I congratulated you for your engagement. I don't want to feel like a third party."

  "What are you talking about?" Jiyong said angrily, advancing on her. "I-"

  Dara held her ground and waited, but Jiyong shut his mouth again.

  Ofcourse, what is she expecting? He has never said that he liked her.

  Dara turned to go back to the party and Jiyong followed her with his gaze, not knowing what exactly is stopping him from stopping her, from telling her that he doesn't ing love the Pyul Princess and he isn't ing going to marry someone he doesn't love. Before she turned and disappeared behind the corner, he thought he heard a soft sob.

  "." Jiyong kicked the brick wall, before cupping his forehead in his hand.

  Dara walked back into the ball in a daze. Most of the people are either drunk or busy waltzing on the dance floor. Among the crowd, she easily spots Seungri, who is anxiously looking around for her too. As if she's in a trance, Dara dragged herself towards Seungri, the snow white dress fluttering weakly against her ankles. Seungri looked behind him and sees the girl with an exhausted face, and immediately let out a sigh of relief.

  "Where did you go?" He chided at once, and uponseeing her swollen eyes, he got it immediately. Honestly, he was shocked by the sudden announcement too. There is no way that hyung would've hid something like this from him.

  "You okay?" Seungri asked, softening his tone, and Dara nodded blankly. Seungri was about to say something again when a horse galloped through the courtyard, ignoring the screams of shock and outrage of the crowd.

  "WHERE IS THE ICE LORD?" The soldier on the horse, his face dripping with blood and sweat screamed. Somewhere at the edge of the courtyard, Jiyong, who had just re-entered the ball with a tired expression on his face, looked up and immediately recognised that the soldier is one of his men.

  "THE FIRE CITY IS UNDER ATTACK! THE TAEYANGS ARE IN THE CITY!" The soldier yelled hoarsely.