Heart of Ice

Hospital

The "trial" was a lot more elaborate and serious than Yewon imagined. She stood on large stage, with hundreds and hundreds of common people gathered to watch her. The King and Queen were seated on their thrones beside her, and Seungcheol stood by her side.

A battered Sungyeon appeared before her. She was in tattered dress, her hair was down and frizzy, he once light skin was now covered with layers of dust. And there was no venom in her eyes like Yewon remembered. She looked downtrodden and frightened of what was to come.

"Princess Yewon has decided the fate of her former maid," announced a man at the podium towards the common people, who were watching with interest as if it were a show. "Would her highness please come forth and read the punishment?"

Sungyeon would not make eye contact with Yewon. Her eyes were glued to the ground, and tears rolled down her cheeks, making a clean path across her dirty cheeks. She seemed hopeless, like she knew it was all over for her.

Yewon took the scroll from Seungcheol, who encouraged her with a nod of his head.

"I, former princess of Galacia, and current princess of Solen, have decided to absolve Sungyeon of all punishment..."

It was at that moment that Sungyeon's eyes lifted from the ground to look at Yewon. The crowd reacted in a variety of different ways, ooing and aaing and talking amongst themselves, surprised.

Seungcheol urged Yewon to continue, and so she looked back at the scroll and continued to read: "Prince Seungcheol has asked me to make this decision based on what would serve my interests, and my interest wholly and completely lies in establishing peace between my country and yours. Punishing someone who wronged me is not how to do it, and so I will forgive Sungyeon in hopes that she would forgive Galacia in return. I will work hard as the representative of Galacia in Solen to repair what has been broken between us, and I will do that by making you love and trust me, not hate and fear me."

Members of the crowd started applauding, others started yelling insults, but the vast majority remained silent.

Sungyeon, however, had a light in her eyes as she looked towards Yewon with awe.

"Thank you, your highness," she said, her lower lip quivering as she began to sob. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you..."

Sungyeon got on her knees before Yewon and bowed continuously.

Yewon was a princess. People bowed to her all the time, but for the first time in her life, she felt like this bowing was not just a product of expectation and culture. For the first time, she felt like someone was bowing to her sincerely, showing earnest supplication that she had never really seen from anyone. It made her feel taken aback and overwhelmed with uncertainty as to how to act.

Seungcheol took the scroll from her hand, and motioned for her to say something. Yewon didn't really know what to say as Sungyeon bowed to her and thanked her but, she managed ask her to stop bowing.

Sungyeon obeyed, but she remained seated on the floor looking up towards Yewon as tears kept falling from her eyes.

"Go to your family, and provide for them," Yewon said to Sungyeon loud enough so that only she and Seungcheol could hear. "I hope that the mercy I have shown you will give you reason to believe that Galacia is not as cruel as you believe."

Sungyeon nodded, and that was the end of it. She was released from the shackles and set free into the crowd.

-

The next day at breakfast, Prince Soonyoung sat beside her.

"That was a very admirable thing that you did with the maid," he told her.