With You Again (-너와 다시-)

The Marriage Decree ❀

A Month Later

"No yawning Young Lady Jung."

Mae-In's teacher, Shin Ra-Mi snapped her fingers at Mae-In who just opened her mouth to yawn.

Mae-In had been sitting on the wooden floor without moving an inch for an hour now, as a punishment she got from the teacher for breaking the utensils she had brought to test Mae-In's cooking skills.

"But you know what, Lady Shin? You still didn't accept the fact that I can cook better than you," Mae-In said, nodding with a glint of proudness in her eyes.

She was right this time. She could cook way better than her teacher, who put sugar instead of salt and almost burned her sleeve while doing so.

Lady Shin snorted and looked away.

"You knowㅡ"

Mae-In was cut off because she just saw the main gates of her house opening and a brilliant brown horse stepping into the scene. On the brown horse, was her father.

"Father!" she jumped up and ran to him. Her sisters, Kyu-Jin and Yeon-Soo came running too.

"Welcomeㅡ"

"Father! You're back! We missed you!" both of them cut Mae-In off. They had their familiar smile pasted on their faces.

Kyu-Jin and Yeon-Soo were twins, both of age twenty. They did everything together and even confessed that they wouldn't even mind marrying the same guy.

Mae-In frowned at them.

"Do you both even give me a chance as your sister? You both act like you are the only daughters of our parents'!" she said.

Kyu-Jin and Yeon-Soo gasped together. "Look at how you speak with your elder sisters! Is that what you've learned from the classes so far?" they both said in sync.

"The way you both talk annoys me soㅡ"

"That's enough three of you, I need some rest. Please allow me to enter," their father said, without smiling at themㅡ something he did everytime he looked at his daughters.

The three sisters exchanged glances. He looked troubled and stressedㅡ something they didn't see for years.

"Father?"

He left without uttering a word.

***

"And... that's how Mae-In got into this."

Mae-In stopped roaming around the hallway. The stars were out and she was taking her usual evening walk around her whole house. She stopped in front of her parents' room. Though she hated the idea of eavesdropping, but this time, having her name heard, she couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"I know, it isn't bad... But what if she gets into trouble? You know her!" she heard her mother say.

"Like what trouble?"

"Like you know... Assassinated? Or worse, what if she upsets the King and gets into serious trouble?"

"See, we can't possibly reject His Majestyㅡ"

"I am not talking about that, I justㅡ"

"I know, I understand. But, the King says that he found our daughter amusing. Isn't it great? Our daughter marrying the Crown Prince... Did you ever imagine that?"

Mae-In's eyebrows drew together.

My parents are talking about this too?

"Father!" she burst into the room, almost breaking the door.