Reincarnation Of Lost Love (A Vsoo FF)

Chapter 22

Oh, divine heavens, it is already Wednesday, and the day of my departure from the illustrious Arundel is merely three sunsets away. Last eve, as the moon cast its ethereal glow upon my chamber, a visitor by the name of Hyuntae graced my presence."Salutations to Princess Sooji of the mighty Arundel," he uttered with an air of false cordiality, as I unlatched the door. The sheer abundance of insincere pleasantries that emanated from this man was truly astonishing. In that very moment, I must confess, a shiver of trepidation coursed through my veins. Any woman would be filled with fear if a towering figure of 6'3 loomed over her in the dead of night."Oh, um, greetings?" I stammered awkwardly, "Yes? Pray, what brings you to my abode?""Do you desire to embark upon a journey to Korea?" he inquired of me."You are presenting me with a choice?""I shall not coerce you into anything, fair lady. Simply inform me if you do not wish to partake in this endeavor."And just like that, he departed as if naught had occurred. Naturally, I am compelled to go, for the very purpose of the task bestowed upon me by my esteemed Father is to venture to Korea and infiltrate its populace. The commencement of this mission lies in my arrival in Korea. Yet, I cannot help but feel as though my life is spiraling into disarray. It would be futile to beseech Nieje, Annerose, or Isla to forsake their homes and accompany me. I would be dragging them down into the depths of ruin alongside myself.

" Sooji? " it was Isla's voice " Father has requested dining with the Kang couple " 

I frowned, " Kang couple? Isn't that such a cheesy way to refer to me and Hyuntae?" 

" Don't argue Sooji, Father isn't going to wait forever" and she stalked off to meet Prince Jeon. Isla isn't getting too attached to me, she knows my departure will hurt even more if she does. I groaned and called for someone to tidy my appearance.

Within minutes, I found myself being primped and preened like a doll. "It's just a small lunch meeting! I don't need to fancy up this much!" I complained.

"Of course, you do," my old nanny, Miane, insisted as she tugged a heavy red velvet dress over my head. "We need you to look your best," another nanny chimed in as she tightened the strings of my corset, making it difficult to breathe. Annerose appeared with a warm smile, fluffing my waves of long hair for a final touch.

"You look regal," she complimented, but I couldn't help but huff in response. I didn't understand the need for all this grandeur for a simple meal. "Go on now, Princess, you'll be late," Nieje urged, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.

As I entered the dining room, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the luxury, it made me wonder how Father was still able to afford it while blabbering about the destruction of Arundel.

The gate-man gave out a loud call as I entered, " All hail Princess Sooji of the mighty kingdom of Arundel!" 

Everyone ( Yes, Hyuntae too) in the room got up from their chairs except my Father, ( he isn't fond of acknowledging entrances with respect) The seat beside Hyuntae was left empty so I advanced towards it but Hyuntae held up his hand, " Excuse me Princess, but you can only sit when everyone has acknowledged your presence " he looked at Father " Which has not been done" Many gasped and many quivered, I didn't like how the scene was unfolding. 

"Why should I get up?" my father retorted, his voice filled with indifference. It was clear that he didn't care for the formalities and traditions of etiquette. His disregard for such matters often left me feeling embarrassed and frustrated.

"King of Arundel, do you not realize that the Princess is the Queen of Korea?" Hyuntae's voice was low, but it carried a weight that sent a shiver down my spine. The room grew even quieter, and the tension thickened.

My father finally looked up, his eyes narrowing as he locked gazes with Hyuntae. There was a flicker of acknowledgment in his expression as if he understood the implications of what had been said. Slowly, he rose from his seat. I sat down as quickly as I could, flashing smiles at people I knew to ease the tension that had charged around the room.

I noticed Father wasn't announcing the guests to start eating, so I took the responsibility on my own as always, I was about to open my mouth when Hyuntae's hand squeezed mine roughly. " Your Father should know that his pretty little daughter isn't gonna be there every time" he whispered. How did he know what I was going to do? Did he learn so much about me during the time I was in his custody back then? The guests were fidgeting with their cutlery, I saw Father glare at me before he addressed everyone gruffly " Start your meal"

I hoped heartily that no one would take offense due to Father's rudeness and I picked on my meal after a few bites. 

My appetite has been improving and going down nowadays, much to the concern of my nannies. They say it's due to stress, but I didn't even have anything to stress about, I've been making a mountain of things I do even though I haven't been doing anything and procrastinating. My behavior has only been problematic to myself these days. 

As the meal continued, things got awkward, a count had decided that the perfect moment to propose to a baroness was when she was accidentally toppled over by barrels and drenched in different liquors. The silence after he screamed, " Marry me, Baroness Ieri!" at the top of his lungs was so thick. Of course, some good-hearted nobles started laughing and cheering for her to say yes. She did say yes, but I could sense the embarrassment. I concluded that our lunch party wasn't going well.

Hyuntae leaned over to ask if I was done with my meal and I nodded yes, without another word he took my hand, " Thank you for the most er..." he said while glancing over the room "Interesting lunch, me and the Princess shall take our leave " Father looked most vivaciously between me and Hyuntae and he waved his hand as if he was dismissing us. Again, the room cracked with unease between Father and Hyuntae. I felt my hand getting dragged along to outside the room.