Heart of Ice

Haven

That night was one that Yewon will always remember. Seungcheol had somehow erased so much of the pain that came with reading her father's letter, and made her feel well enough to stop crying.

And it was not only Seungcheol who helped through the distress of being disowned and exiled. It was in this time of hardship in which Yewon realized that she was not alone; the King, the Queen, Yulhee and Wonwoo all encouraged and supported her in a time she would have otherwise been deeply depressed. She realized that she did indeed have another family here in Solen, one that treasured and loved her as any family should.

She would have never imagined that it would come to this, that her Galacian identity would be diminished to the extent that Solen felt like home, and the people here felt like her family. She felt this sense of ownership for Solen, and part of her identified with and loved this country as if it were her own, as if she were born and bred there.

And although Seungcheol, the King, the Queen, Yulhee and Wonwoo all supported her through this difficult time, no one did it better than her genius maid, Haein.

Haein had told her something about the letter that completely reversed Yewon's sorrow: "Your highness, your father did not disown you," Haein told Yewon after reading the letter. "Nor did he exile you from Galacia. He's protecting you with this letter." Haein explained her theory: Yewon's father only wrote that he disowned her because he was afraid that she would be hurt or used as bait by Solenese officials. He wrote it to potentially stop them from doing more than cut her hair, to prevent them from holding her hostage. If the officials in Solen thought that the King had disowned her, they would have no reason to do that. And releasing the hostages was not an act of kindness on the part of her father; he released the hostages to protect her reputation among the people of Solen.

"Imagine the love the people of Solen will have for you when they find out that you were the only reason their beloved prisoners were returned to them. He wants you to be loved and respected in this country, and by releasing the hostages in your name, you will be."

From then on, Yewon chose to believe Haein's theory, and her father's letter no longer distressed her.

However, something else had begun to do so. With the unstable political situation, the demand for an heir was stronger than ever, and both Yewon and Seungcheol were pressured by palace officials and the King to finally produce an heir. It was a lot of pressure, especially because Yewon now dreaded sleeping with her husband. She felt like it was hopeless to expect it to feel better or less uncomfortable.

Seungcheol told her that he would come to her bed that night, and Yewon felt sulky the entire day and wished it didn't have to happen.

When Haein was preparing her for the night, she noticed that Yewon was not looking forward to it at all. "I take it that you don't enjoy the nights with him," Haein stated.

Yewon had been afraid of talking with Haein about sex with Seungcheol. It didn't seem appropriate, and she guessed that Seungcheol would not want her talking about it either. However, she did really want to confide in someone experienced; maybe Haein's advice would make it better?

"Everything you say to me will be in confidence, your highness," Haein told her when she saw that Yewon was hesitant. "I hope you know that."

That was the push that Yewon needed to come clean, and she told Haein about what happened when they slept together. She included all of the embarrassing details: how she would lay down with her eyes closed, and what Seungcheol would do. She told her that it got worse every time, and that there was almost no pleasure at all.