𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗥 𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗦, Go Won

𝟬𝟱𝟬. 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗶𝗿

Dang-gu and Cho-yeon's wedding would be in a few days from now. The leader and Maidservant Kim had gone out to look for a house for the couple. Da-hye wondered if the leader would do that for her wedding as well. He probably would.

Da-hye could not stop thinking about the kiss she shared with the Crown Prince earlier. Although, he had kissed her before, it was different this time.

The leader came back to Songrim looking very sad and depressed. Da-hye was curious as to what had happened.

"Uncle, what happened? Why do you look like that?" Da-hye asked. "Did you fight with Maidservant Kim?"

"Something worse happened." The leader said sadly. 

"What happened? Tell me!" Da-hye said. "What did you do?"

The leader explained how he had told Maidservant Kim what he would gift her on her wedding day with Master Lee. Not knowing that Maidservant Kim wanted to marry him and not Master Lee.

"How can you be so slow, Uncle?" Da-hye asked. "It is so obvious that she is in love with you and not Master Lee!" Da-hye shouted.

"What should I do...." The leader said.

"Well, what can you do?" Da-hye shook her head disapprovingly. "You ruined everything. And it is all because you are slow." Da-hye said. "What you should do is stop being slow-witted. You should apologize on your knees."

"To Maidservant Kim?" The leader asked.

"No, to me!" Da-hye said sarcastically. "You have annoyed me far too much." Da-hye walked out of the leader's room.

A while later, Da-hye went to check on the leader to see if he was still drowning in his own sorrow.

"I just cannot forget those words that she has said to me." The leader said as he leaned his head on one of the pillars in his room. The leader started to bang his head on the pillar.

He even had Da-hye stressing about this. Da-hye put her hand on her forehead. "You should apologize for being slow and breaking Maidservant Kim's heart." Da-hye shook her head.

"My lord." Uk said. Da-hye had not heard him come in here. It was so creepy how Uk's footsteps were almost always quiet.

The leader turned around surprised to see Uk. "Uk. When did you get here?" The leader asked.

"I was here for a while." Uk responded. "I had something to tell you. What were you thinking about so intensely?" Uk asked.

"Something terrible...."The leader swallowed hard. "Has been bothering me."

"He broke Maidservant Kim's heart!" Da-hye said disapprovingly. "Can you believe?"

The leader dismissed Da-hye. "What do you need to tell me?" The leader asked Uk.

"You see I am planning to leave the capital for some time after Dang-gu's wedding." Uk explained.

"I see." The leader nodded his head. "Then....What about Maidservant Kim?"

"Goodness... If no one wants her to stay here, then I will have to bring her with me." Uk said. "We do not know when we will return. It could be one year or ten years. Or we may just never return." Uk explained. 

 The leader looked at him with a shocked expression on his face. The leader leaned on his desk for support. "I have done something unforgivable to her." The leader said. Uk looked at him with an understanding pout. While Da-hye looked at the leader with a disappointed look.

"Oh, dear." Uk said.

"If I hold on to her, do you think she will stay?" The leader asked Uk.

"Uh....She.....shed some tears." Uk said.

The leader went back to banging his head on the pillar.

"She will cry even harder if you do not stop her from leaving." Da-hye said as Uk put his hand on the leader's shoulder. "You better hurry and stop her."

• • •

 After dealing with the leader and Maidservant Kim, Da-hye had to deal with wedding preparations. The leader had suggested that Dang-gu and Cho-yeon should not be bothered righrt before their wedding. So, Da-hye had to do everything.

"It is not that I do not want to help with the wedding." Da-hye said. "I do, of course. It has to be perfect. But, I have to do everything." Da-hye complained. "And I am not even going to be getting paid in any type of way for this. This is absurd!" Da-hye shook her head.

"But, it is always nice to help someone when they need it." Young Lady Heo said. She had come to visit Da-hye and see how she was doing. During their time stuck in the barrier, Young Lady Heo had basically become one of Da-hye's best friends. 

"I do understand that." Da-hye said. "But still! It is their wedding they should be planning it! Not me." Da-hye complained. Young Lady Heo chuckled at Da-hye's complaining.

Da-hye smiled. "But I am glad that we were stuck in Jeongjingak together." Da-hye said. "After Dang-gu's wedding, I will be all alone, can you believe?  Dang-gu will be so busy with Cho-yeon. And Uk is planning to leave to somewhere, I do not know where. And Yul is going back to Seoho Fortress." Da-hye complained. "I will be all alone." Da-hye said as she drank water, her throat was getting dry from complaining a lot.

"Well, you have the Crown Prince as well." Young Lady Heo chuckled.

Da-hye almost spit out her water. "We do not talk about that." Da-hye said still trying to deny her feelings for the Crown Prince. "I do not like him like that anymore."

"Ah, then I should not tell you." Young Lady Heo said.

"Tell me what?" Da-hye asked. Had the Crown Prince said something about her. "Did he say something about me?"

"No, he is here in Songrim today." Young Lady Heo said. "The leader requested his help in finding soul shifters. But I think he is leaving soon." 

"What?" Da-hye got up.  "Why did you not tell me before?" Da-hye ran out of the room hoping to see the Crown Prince.

"But I thought you did not like him anymore!" Young Lady Heo shouted as Da-hye left.

Da-hye searched around Songrim but she could not find him. She even asked a few mages if they had seen him. Had he already left Songrim? But why had he left without seeing Da-hye?

As Da-hye was looking, she ended up bumping hard onto someone's back.

"Ah." Da-hye said.

The person turned around and it turned out to be the Crown Prince.

"Da-hye." The Crown Prince said. "I was just looking for you. Wait...." The Crown Prince smiled. "Were you looking for me as well?"

Da-hye scoffed. "No, what reason would I have to do that?" Da-hye asked. "I was going to speak with my uncle."

"Are you sure?" The Crown Prince said. "Are you sure you did not bump into me on purpose?"

Da-hye rolled her eyes. "When will you stop?"

"What is wrong with me loving you?" The Crown Prince asked. "Never. I will never stop loving you."

Da-hye started smiling and blushing. Why did he have to say it like that? The Crown Prince noticed that Da-hye started blushing. He lifted her face up by placing his hand on her chin.

"That is all it took? Did I win your heart just like that?" The Crown Prince asked. "Can any man do that?"

"No, it seems like only you can do it that fast, Your Royal Highness." Da-hye smiled.

"Da-hye!" A voice called. "My Da-hye! Where are you?" It was Dang-gu's voice.  "Da-hye."  Dang-gu said as he saw her with the Crown Prince.  Da-hye pushed the Crown Prince away immediately earning an offended look from him.

"What is.....What is going on?" Dang-gu stuttered. He was shocked from seeing how close his sister was with the Crown Prince. "Should I leave you two alone...? or....." Dang-gu said.

"No." Da-hye stuttered. "No, it's okay." She said as looked back at the Crown Prince as she walked to her brother. "What do you need?" Da-hye asked her twin brother.