Amara

Chapter 5

While eating dinner that night Min Joon couldn't help but notice that Amara seemed a bit strange. She was quiet and barely ate her food. She didn't even seem excited when she'd showed them her Identity tag or when he'd told her that the renovations were almost complete and the inn would be open soon.
She didn't even notice that the entrance hall was actually complete and all the tables and chairs were set up. After dinner, everyone went to their rooms. Min Joon's room was actually fixed so he didn't need to sleep in Amara's room anymore but he still couldn't help but think about her downcast demeanor during dinner. After a while of thinking and being unable to sleep, Min Joon left his room to check on Amara. He wasn't surprised to find Amara sitting by herself in the entrance hall, she was sitting at a table and had her chin resting in her hands. She appeared to be deep in thought as she didn't notice Min Joon approaching until he sat down next to her.
"For such a great fighter you make it easy for the enemy to sneak up on you" he said.
Amara sighed "Sneaking up on me is one thing, overpowering me is another. Why aren't you asleep?"
"I could ask you the same thing, you seemed so distant at dinner earlier, did something happen?" Min Joon asked.
Amara cleared her throat and pressed her lips together as she shook her head.
"Amara you didn't even notice that the entrance hall I complete, even if we don't open the inn entirely, mother can start serving food to customers" Min Joon said.
Amara looked around the room and smiled "Oh no I noticed I'm just... I'm really tired" Amara said and laughed nervously.
"You say you're tired yet you're sitting here wide awake. Amara please let me know if something is bothering you"
Amara wondered if he would truly understand what she was going through, what if he thought just like Min Ji's friends? What if everyone thought that way and they were just being polite.
"What were your thoughts when you first saw me? I mean what was your impression?" Amara asked.
"Ah well when I first saw you I was quite shocked because you were almost naked" Min Joon said and chuckled. He watched Amara's expression, why was she suddenly asking him that?
"And now, what's your impression of me now?" she asked.
"Why, is there someone you like?"
" I've only been here for a few days, how could I possibly like someone. I was just asking" Amara said.
Min Joon gently pat her shoulder "If something is bothering you, please tell me or my mother don't keep it to yourself" he said.
Amara decided to change the subject before she embarrassed herself.
"What happened to your father? What was his crime and what does Officer Kim have to do with it?" Amara asked. She noticed Min Joon's mood change immediately. She was actually quite curious about it, whatever happened to them was obviously something serious.
"That, I know I promised I'd tell you but not tonight, some other time. You should get some rest, I'm sure mother wants to start teaching you how to read. Good night" Min Joon said and went back to his room.
Amara stood up and stretched, she wondered if Min Joon's father was actually guilty of the crime he was accused of and if Min Joon was embarrassed to admit that he was the son of a traitor. She went up to her room and crawled into her blankets, she doubted that sleep would come but at least she'd be warm, the nights were getting colder.

The next morning Amara woke up earlier than usual, she'd wanted to leave before anyone else woke up but when she went down the stairs, she was surprised to find Seo yoon in the entrance hall, she was actually headed towards the back.
"Amara why are you awake so early?" Seo yoon asked.
"Well I wanted to go see Prince Dong Sun about something but seeing you I've remembered something"
"Is there anything you need?" Seo yoon asked.
Amara rubbed her forearm, she was a little embarrassed.
"Well I'm used to bathing everyday but I haven't taken a bath since I arrived here. Can you show me a stream where I can bath?"
Seo yoon was a little taken by surprise "Why do you want to bath in a stream?" she asked.
"Well that's usually where I take a bath, do you not do that here?" Amara asked.
"We have wooden bathtubs here, there's one in a room in the back. Let me show you" Seo yoon said and led Amara to a room near the back of the inn.
It was a very small room with nothing in it but a large wooden tub.
"Actually this room was recently fixed, I'll let customers who want to bathe. Wait here for me I'll bring you some warm water" Seo yoon said and left the room. Amara quickly ran up to her room and fetched her wash cloth and her jar of cocoa butter returning to the bathing room before Seo yoon did.
Seo yoon returned moments later with a large pail of warm water which she poured into the tub.
There's soap right there next to the tub, when you're done you can use the pail to drain the water from the tub" Seo yoon said and left.
Amara didn't stay too long in the tub because it was a particularly cold morning, she was happy to have taken a bath and apply cocoa butter on her body.
After filling up the pail and pouring the water out in the back yard, Amara returned her things to her room and quickly made her way to Prince Dong Sun's residence.
When she arrived she was greeted by the usual manservant, he led her to the prince's room. He'd just finished eating breakfast and Amara wondered why she hadn't eaten before leaving.
"Amara what a pleasant surprise, I wasn't expecting to see you so soon" Dong Sun said after Amara bowed and greeted him.
Amara smiled as she sat across from him while the manservant removed the table with food and left them alone in the room.
"Actually I came here to thank you for helping me get an identity permit and also to.." Amara stopped talking when she noticed that the prince was moving closer to her. She stood up and the prince stood up too, slowly walking towards her while Amara moved backwards. She walked backwards until she came up against a wall. Prince Dong Sun smirked
"This scent of yours, it's really rare there's nothing like it here. I went to all the perfume shops and I can't find it" Prince Dong Sun said as he got even closer to Amara.
"I also went to the gibang I usually frequent and tried describing the scent to them but they couldn't tell me" Prince Dong Sun said and leaned towards Amara's ear,
"Do you know what this means Amara?" he asked.
Amara shook her head vigorously and tried to move away but the prince placed his hand on her shoulder.
"This means that only you and the person who kissed me that night smell like this, therefore the one that was in my room that night" Dong Sun said and put his hand on the wall beside Amara's head, the other hand he used to stroke her cheek. "Is you" he whispered and smirked at Amara's shocked expression, her brown eyes were widened and her eyes brows raised. She blinked at him and quickly turned her face away.
"I think you're mistaken, it really wasn't me" she said tried to move but the prince wouldn't let her.
"There is one way to prove my theory"
"How?" Amara asked.
Dong Sun put his hand under her chin and made Amara face him "Whenever I kiss a woman I never forget the feeling of her lips, every woman feels different. If I kiss you I'll know it was you in my room that night or not" he whispered and leaned closer.
Amara quickly put her hands on the prince's shoulders and then she lifted her leg up, using her knee to hit the prince in the crotch.
He groaned and took a few steps back.
" I'm sorry but I couldn't let you kiss me. I've never been kissed before" Amara said and covered her mouth. Prince Dong Sun nodded and cleared his throat as he backed away from Amara and sat down, he was convinced that Amara was the one in his room that night he just had to think of how he'd prove it.
Amara slowly moved towards the prince and sat down across from him although she made sure there was enough distance between them.
"There was no need for you to come all the way here just to thank me"
"Well I felt it was necessary but that isn't the only reason why I came" Amara said. She wondered if Prince Dong Sun would really be able to tell her what she wanted to know, he didn't seem like he was close to Min Joon or Dae hyun.
"Do you need help with something else? Is there someone bothering you?" the prince asked.
"I was wondering if you know what happened between officer Kim and Min Joon. Min Joon said something about officer Kim avoiding him and Min Joon's mother mentioned that he was also avoiding his friends. There's something about an incident between their fathers?" Amara said.
"Why didn't you just ask Min Joon?"
"He seems reluctant to talk about it but I can see that both he and Officer Kim have a hidden sadness. Whatever happened must've really hurt them both, I want to know if it's something I can help with" Amara explained.
Prince Dong Sun nodded and sighed.
"Min Joon's father, Choi Min Su was the Prime minister of this country. He was a very good man and was very popular among the people and favoured by the King. At the time Dae hyun's father was the financial minister, he was very jealous of the prime minister and always tried to tarnish his image but it never worked"
Dong Sun said and studied Amara's expression he could see she already knew where this story was going.
"While all this was going on, Min Joon, Daehyun, my older brother and I were very close friends. We did everything together we grew up together. People called us the flowery four" Dong Sun said and smirked.
"Why?"
"We are the most good looking men in Joseon, I don't think you've met my older brother yet. The crown Prince"
"Oh the tall pervert, I met him already" Amara said and folded her arms over her chest.
Dong Sun laughed "Tall pervert?"
"He tried to kiss me without my permission just like you did. I can certainly believe that you're related. No wonder Min Joon warned me to stay away from you" Amara said and shook her head.
"Well it may interest you to know that Min Joon and Dae hyun are the bigger perverts. My brother and I are angels compared to them"
Amara frowned "How could you lie like that? Officer Kim got flustered at the sight of my bare legs, how is he a bigger pervert than you?!"
"Anyway, the financial minister finally succeeded in framing the prime minister for treason. We all know he did it but we don't have any proof. The prime minister was sentenced to death and killed and his family had all their wealth and noble status stripped from them.
Dae hyun blames himself for not being able to stop his father and as for Min Joon he feels ashamed to be around us because he's no longer a noble" Dong Sun said.
"Well does it matter to you, do you care that he's no longer a noble?" Amara asked and stared pointedly at the Prince, an eyebrow raised.
"Of course not! He's my friend we grew up together"
"Have you told him that?"
"He won't even give me a chance to talk to him properly!"
"Then try harder, what he needs the most right now is to know that his friends haven't abandoned him. There's nothing worse than facing something like this alone" Amara said.
"How do you know that?" Dong Sun asked.
"My father was framed for treason too and he was killed, I also lost my mother because of that and then I had to leave my village and I can never go back. I'm alone in this world now, it would've been much easier to face this if I had friends. Talk to Min Joon, show him that he has friends and that he's not alone" Amara said and smiled at the prince, it was the best way to keep away the tears that threatened to fall.
Prince Dong Sun stared at Amara thoughtfully, he could see the tears in her eyes and he knew that there was more to her story than she was telling but he'd leave her be, some things were better left unsaid.