With You Again (-너와 다시-)

Apologies ❀

Mae-In

Mae-In tip-toed around the hallway, trying to find the Crown Prince's room. Earlier when she had accidentally come across his quarters, she had lost her way back to the Detached Palace. But that day, when General Hwang had showed her around, she had made sure to remember the route.

But turns out, she was yet to learn all the routes and passageways of this enormous Palace complex which was nothing less than a maze.

A week later, she would be married to the Crown Prince and she was yet to know what had exactly happened, why she was here, and why she was getting married. She had been stressing out the last few days and had been trying to figure out what she would do once she was married.

She was just the outgoing youngest daughter from a not-so-high or respected noble family and often, daughters like her would be married off to some commoner's or a family like theirs. She wasn't the prettiest of pretty girls, neither was she much intelligent for a future Queen. All she knew was to idle around, create a problem and apologise later. She had no grace, no elegance, no beauty, no particular talent, no creative ideas, and no right to become the future Queen. So what was she doing here?

All these thoughts kept swirling around her head as she continued her search for the Crown Prince's room.

Mae-In had created a problem again, but this time someone else was involved.

First, she had to apologise to the Crown Prince for her behaviour that day, the day she had run away without permission and had told the Crown Prince to look after his citizens, which he already does, and she had rattled about that without even knowing anything about him.

Second, a few days ago, she had gifted General Hwang a hairpin for his certain someone because they had made a bet on who could finish the spicy chicken on display in the popular restaurant in the market, faster, and she had managed to cry out of spiciness after one bite.

So gradually, losing the bet, she had to gift him something. But the kind and naïve General Hwang had given the gift to the Crown Prince as a "gift from a friend".

Now, she was on her way to take it back.

She came to a turning point and immediately recognised the place. This was the way to the door of the Crown Prince's room. She hurried up to the door and motioned the guards to open the doors. After the guards looked at her uncertainly, she said she was there by the Crown Prince's orders which was an obvious lie. She quickly went inside, apologising to God for her unfair act of sneaking into someone's room without their consent.

The Crown Prince's room was as huge as the King's room and decorated with beautiful relics, vases, cushions and furniture.

She slowly searched for the wooden box under the cushion and inside the vases. But seeing no improvement, she moved on to his small table, which was quite disorganised as piles of paper, books and brushes were lying around everywhere. There was no sign of the wooden box on the table, so she quietly opened one of the cabinets to search.

And there it was, the little wooden box holding the hairpin. It was lying thereㅡ untouched, along with some old papers.

She slowly picked the box up.

But while she was fleeing, she froze.

Mae-In noticed the person standing there, looking at her with his dark eyes. The Crown Prince had entered the room, and she had been caught red-handed.