Heart of Ice

Hospice

Over a year had passed since she left Solen and went back home to Galacia.

Yewon was now no longer a princess, but her father had let her come back to the palace anyway. This, of course, had triggered some hostility from the Galacian public; the Galacian people had been under the impression that she did not belong there, that she was a traitor to her country.

Despite how hard it was to live among people who thought she was a whore, a witch, a defector, worthless and ugly– it was still better than living in Solen, where the mere walls reminded her of Seungcheol.

Her father had not cared much about what the public said. He had let her come back home and stay in her princess room and live among her princess sisters and eat among her royal family. It was almost like nothing had changed except her hair and the fact she was called "Lady Yewon" instead of "Princess Yewon."

But as time slipped by, he hair grew long again. It was now almost back to its original length, actually, for which she was thankful, because she no longer stuck out among all the other Galacian women anymore.

And just like her hair, Yewon has also slowly adjusted back into Galacian life. Back to putting her left hand on her heart and hailing, back to eating sweet bread, back to wearing loose-fit dresses, back to dressing and bathing herself. Solen became a part of her distant past that people rarely ever brought up. It was almost as if it never happened.

As for Jihoon, Yewon never spoke to him, which was easy, since he was rarely ever around anyways. Whenever she saw him, her blood ran cold; he was the reason Seungcheol was tortured, was the reason Seokmin died, and was the reason she could never ever be able to bear a child for the rest of her life.

She had accepted that no man would ever want to marry her. Not only was she a sterile widow, but she also betrayed the country and her people. To make it all worse, she also had reputation for being promiscuous. That was the way people perceived her, and Yewon did not even try to fight that image. She didn't have the energy for that. She just accepted that she would never marry again.

But she did, however, continue indulging in the fantasy of romance in her novels. It was funny, actually. She was painfully aware of how fake it all was, how it was all fairytales that never took form in real life. Still, she loved and enjoyed the stories they told and how they made her feel. They gave her a sense of fantasy and passion in a dispassionate world, and she needed that. She really, really needed it.

As for the political side of things: the war was over, and it stayed over. Both Galacia and Solen began to thrive again. The relationship between the two countries was developing well. Jihoon had even gone to visit Solen on more than one occasion, which was always a good sign.

Wonwoo and Yulhee had wrote to her for a while when she first arrived at Galacia, but slowly, their communication died and she hadn't heard from them in a long time. She did, however, get to know that Wonwoo married a Chinese princess, and Yewon found herself wondering if he married her because he liked her, or if he married her for politics. Yewon had a feeling it was the latter, but she hoped that the two would eventually fall in love and be happy.

Her father had been a greater support than she had ever known he was capable of. Not only did he let her stay in the palace despite the public pressure against it, but he let no on disrespect her. He was sympathetic to her grieving and gave her the space that she needed.

Yewon remembered something that Haein had told her so long ago: when her father disowned her and stripped her of her princess title, he didn't do it out of his hatred for her or anything. On the contrary, he did it to protect her from being hurt because of her affiliation with Galacia, to stop political associations from putting her in harm's way. It was only after coming back to Galacia that she began to see that. She loved her father.

She also liked that she was no longer a princess. She didn't have to go to banquets, or take etiquette lessons, and no one scolded her when she didn't hail others properly. It was like a whole load was lifted off her shoulders, and she could suddenly be herself beyond what it means to be a "princess."

However, even though she was no longer a princess, she still made an effort for her country. With the support of her father, and inspired by Jeonghan, Yewon led the building and the launch of a hospital in Galacia. Using all the skills she developed from the hospital in Solen, she was able to organize and run a project that was making a positive difference in the community.

"I'm so proud of you," her father had told her when he visited the hospital for the first time. "You really are a fine leader."

Those words made her remember Seungcheol, who had told her that she would make such a fine Queen. She would never become a Queen, but at least she accomplished something. At least she put part of her leadership potential to good use in running and driving a center that was making positive changes in the lives of people. Seungcheol would be proud of her, she thought.

-

One night, Yewon received news that made her feel quite sad.

The King of Solen had passed away from a stroke, and now, the heir, the King's bastard son, would take the throne.

-

Letter #10

Dear Yewon,

I never told you this, but I like and deeply respect your father. He is a good man with a good heart, someone I want to be like when I'm King.

I remember when he threatened me when you first got here, telling me that he'll destroy us if I ever do anything to hurt you, and I remember thinking: wow, this man would really do anything to protect you.

Your father may appear ruthless, but I feel like he has a lot of compassion. Even when I was in Galacia as a prisoner, he showed me kindness I didn't deserve. When your guards or your brother were treating me like a dog, he would ask them to be gentler. And as I told you before, he was the one who stopped your brother from castrating me that one time. I really owe your father so much.

I love my father, but he is very different from yours. He might seem more cheerful, but he certainly doesn't care as much about his family. Look at the number of bastard children he has. And his ever-expanding harem. At least your father is loyal to his wife!

Speaking of that, I know Wonwoo still hates me for dismissing him from that role; it's never been the same between us since then. I feel sorry about what I did to him; I know it was wrong of me to let him go because I was angry, but I will make amends with him. I promise reinstate him and apologize. It would make you happy if I reconciled with Wonwoo, right?

Your happiness is all the incentive I need to do anything.

With love,
Seungcheol

A/N: the longer chapter will be the one after this one~