A Tiger Called Rapunzel ✓ || TaeGyu || HYBEPride 2021

Gifts from the Castle

Over the next two weeks, Cholongkkoch stayed in her tower while her mother traveled all around the world. She read the new books that she had gotten at the library. And because she had new books, it meant she could try new hobbies. She knitted a scarf, then decided to make another one for Taehyun when he visited next. She made cookies, and the first batch was burnt, but the second batch was perfect, and she shared them with Kai. One book was a how to play baduk book, which both she and Kai read. Kai had to place the baduk pieces on the board using his magic, but they learned together.

There were new adventure novels, as well. She read The Call Of The Wild from start to finish, and loved the entire book. And then she read Captain Blood and Scaramouche. Oh, how she wished she could dress up incognito just like Moreau! Then she could go through Shinkisoku and save the day, swinging her sword and yelling in her commanding voice. Of course, these things could never happen in real life, but Cholongkkoch could certainly imagine.

And when she was all alone, she would imagine that she could work with Taehyun in the palace. Oh, but not as a woman, women were not permitted to do such things, as her mama always told her. She wished she could wave a magic spell, or have Kai perform the magic necessary. But no matter how many secret magic books she checked out from the library, she could never find one that would turn her into a boy. Not even temporarily. She would have to settle for being a girl, then.

A week later, when her mother was out, Taehyun arrived again. He called out to Cholongkkoch, knowing that her mother would be out for three days, and she lowered the rope for him to come up the tower. Kai hid upstairs where Taehyun could not see him, safe and out of reach. "I thought I would bring you some things from the city," Taehyun said as he pulled out a pack. Thankfully these trinkets hadn't cost much of the money he had been stealing; it wasn't anything at all if you were in the city. The rest of the gold went to those who needed it most.

But Taehyun figured he could afford a few pleasantries for Cholongkkoch. She hardly ever left her tower, after all.

He pulled out a couple of beautiful ribbons from a shop that had had them for sale, all emblazoned with the Tiger Festival's logo. "These are for the festival that's happening. They're selling them ahead of time so that you can wear them during the festival."

"I read about the festival," Cholongkkoch said. "I go to Shinkisoku sometimes, and I go to the library. I had never heard of the Lost Prince, though. Such a sad story. Who would steal a prince away from his parents?"

"The King's crazy sister, that's who. Magicians have scoured the land, far and wide, but they have never found her or the baby prince. Most everybody believes he's still alive."

"Do you think he's still alive?" Cholongkkoch asked, batting her eyelashes at Taehyun.

Taehyun was about to go on his normal I think the prince is dead and that's the logical way about it speech, but he couldn't bear to look at Cholongkkoch like this. "I...I don't know. Nobody knows for sure. But if it helps the kingdom to hope that he's still alive somewhere, then that's what we'll do." His mouth felt like acid when the words left his mouth. He knew he was fibbing. He just hoped Cholongkkoch didn't catch on.

"I have more things," he said, pulling out an empty book and a quill pen. "You love reading your books. Have you ever tried writing in one?"

"I wouldn't even know what to write!" Cholongkkoch said with a smile, taking the pen and some ink from the handsome man in front of her. "Thank you."

"In addition..." Taehyun pulled out a small scroll. "You said that you're never allowed to bring certain books home...maps or science books, things like that. I thought I would get you a map of the entire Naeil Kingdom." He unrolled the scroll for her, then showed her. "Right here where this X is? That's where you live, approximately. It's of course not on normal maps, but I thought I would mark it for you. Now you can see how close you live to Shinkisoku, and see that it's a day's journey by foot to the castle and the Tiger Festival. That is...if you ever wanted to go."

Cholongkkoch thought about it. "I'm forbidden from going."

"Yeah, but if your mama left for a few days, you could go and come back and she would never know." Taehyun reached back into his satchel and pulled out a bouquet of flowers, tied with an extra Tiger Festival ribbon. "And these are for you. Don't ask me why I brought them. I just thought you would like them."

Cholongkkoch found herself blushing. "They are beautiful. Thank you."

After Taehyun left, Cholongkkoch cleaned up the tower for the night and then put the lamps out, going upstairs and to bed by herself. She had been used to this since she was a little girl; no matter how much small Cholongkkoch cried out in the night, her mother would not come home if she was out and away. Instead, she had learned how to rely on Kai instead in those moments of need.

"You are really thinking of going to that festival," Kai said to her as he slept at the foot of her bed.

Cholongkkoch moved her hair to the side, afraid she would sleep on it incorrectly. It was always so heavy, and her mother had always forbidden her from getting it cut. She would always be the one to do it, when it got to a certain length and she tripped on it. "I want to go. I want to know more about this Prince Beomgyu, and I want to light a lantern and send it to him. Maybe the reason he hasn't come back yet is because I've never sent him a lantern. Do you think that's so, Kai?"

"I think if the Prince has not come back yet, then maybe you should be the one to travel around the world and look for him instead."

Cholongkkoch turned on her side and looked out the window. "Yeah...I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna see when Mama is leaving next, and if I can get her to leave during the Tiger Festival, I'm gonna go, all by myself. I can go to Shinkisoku with her, and I'm pretty sure I can go to Shinkisoku by myself, too. And if Taehyun can't help me because he's with his family, then I will have Mr. Seokjin from the library help me. I don't know why I have to go. I just...do."