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P R I N C E S S
"Where were you from this afternoon until evening? You can no longer lie that you were in your forest garden; I had sent soldiers there, but you were nowhere to be found."
My father questioned me in front of everyone, drawing all attention to me as I continued to dine nonchalantly. Here, even though he is the ruler of the entire realm, Kim Namjoon, to me, he is my father.
"Jiwie, your father has asked you something," my mother Yonne interjected when she noticed her daughter paying no heed to her father speaking. With a stern, low voice, she struck a chord that compelled me to look naturally towards my father, who was already gazing at me, awaiting an answer.
"I was outside."
"Without anyone accompanying you?"
"Yes, so?"
"How many times have I told you not to leave the palace without any protection? Yet today, you've sneaked out twice since arriving in Kimdom without informing anyone."
"So, have I done something wrong?"
"Of course, you have. Not every mistake requires an explanation, but I am your father, and I know what you've done. You are a princess of this realm, where Yara Madam never steps outside, yet you run around wildly. You should learn from your younger sister, who knows how to abide by royal laws."
Hearing such a harsh response from my father, I immediately looked at Yara, my younger cousin sitting across from me, who hid her smile upon receiving such praise from her elder uncle. I gritted my teeth and bowed my head, lacking any response. If I were to elaborate, it would only prompt an investigation into where I had been and what I had done. And if that were to be discovered, it would unleash a storm.
I cannot bear to look at this girl and her father, for I still remember how Yara once tried to humiliate me in front of a crowd at a party, which still embarrasses me, and I had wept that night. And Kim Eunhyung, who could conspire against his elder brothers, surely cannot be a part of this family, which is why these two are thorns in my eyes.
"What's wrong, have you lost your tongue? Answer my question, Jiwie, where were you this afternoon?" Kim Namjoon's firm voice questioned, visibly upset not because his daughter had breached the royal enclosure, but out of a loving concern that she might come to harm, and he was trying to discipline her about the dangers of wandering alone outside.
"I've asked you for an answer."
"I went wandering through some villages," replied in a subdued voice. "Just wandering through villages" I added a lie to convince everyone.
