In a kingdom torn by power struggles and political intrigue, Jieun, the rightful heir to the throne of the East, finds herself sidelined as her brother, Jungwon, takes control. Determined to reclaim her birthright, Jieun seeks alliances and forms a...
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IN THE KITCHEN, THE COOKS BUSTLED AND WORKED AS JIHO LED HIS SISTER DOWN THE PASSAGEWAY. To him, the dark, narrow walk through the Firegarden was something normal he'd done countless times, but to his sister, it was a new world to explore ━ a world of shadow and mystery.
'This is quite scary, Jiho,' Jieun admitted, holding a tight grip around his hand.
Jiho squeezed back reassuringly. 'But quite fun, isn't it? Like an adventure?' he asked as the passageway opened into the kitchens below. The scent of sweetbreads and baked fruits immediately filled the air, making his mouth water a bit. 'Don't we deserve the spoils of our successful endeavour?' he asked, smiling slightly as he saw just how well-stocked the kitchen seemed to be.
'But what if mother or father sees us?'
'They might scold us,' he admitted, 'but they won't punish us severely. They'll just. . . tell us how bad we are for sneaking around the kitchen, and how I need to be a better brother for my little sister. Perhaps we ought to be a little more careful, don't we?'
She nodded in agreement as they slowly entered the kitchen, making sure to stay hidden. Jiho was already looking around the room, thinking of all the goodies he could try and snag to bring back to his personal quarters, while keeping watch to make sure no cooks noticed them. His attention soon settled on a tray of pastries that were left close to the edge of a workbench, and in a moment of daring and slight mischievousness he snatched one ━ a glazed tart with a creamy centre ━ and slid it into his pocket. He made a silent gesture behind him, motioning for his sister to follow and make her own selection.
The cooks had not noticed the two siblings' intrusion into the kitchen, but Jiho had clearly overstayed his welcome when he decided to swipe the tart. As he was sliding the tart into his pocket and signalling his sister to take something from the counter, a cook noticed and ran over angrily.
Jiho could already feel the familiar feeling of shame and embarrassment and embarrassment growing in him, and he was caught in two minds ━ run, or confess?
'Oh, the three Gods be good,' Jiho muttered to himself, realising he could not run away, for his own honour's sake. He turned to face the cook. Jieun, who had been about to take one herself quickly hid behind his legs, she was about half his length, using his body as a shield.
