"What are you doing here?"
I don't need to look up to know who invaded my request to be alone. No one can force me to go back to that damn ball.
"What have you done?"
"I have been born with privilege and with that comes specific obligations."
Those words have been spoken couple of times already but it is only now that I can feel the burden of it.
"Bullshit!"
I look up at the Philosopher. "You're out of line, old man."
"YOU are out of line. Do you have any idea what that girl had went through to get here?!"
"She lied to me!"
"She came to tell you the truth and you fed her to the wolves!"
I stood up. "What do you know?! You build these crazy ideas of yours yet you know nothing about life!"
He took a dangerous step towards me. "I know that a life without love is no life at all."
"And love without trust? What about that?"
"She's your match, Jongin."
"I've made my decision. I will not yield!"
Lightning flashes. Thunders rumbling the starless sky. I turn around. Enough of this nonsense.
It's done. Enough's enough.
Game's over.
Bojo Jinul sighed with disappointment behind me. "Then you don't deserve her."
I look over my shoulder as he placed something on top of the stoned wall. He strides back to the palace, shaking his head.
I lifted up the object. It was a shoe.
A glass shoe.
****
Everybody had noticed my huge weight lost but nobody said anything about the life that was sucked out of me. They knew why I'm like this. They knew I was practically dead from the inside.
As the days go by, the wedding approaches.
Couple of days after the scandalous ball, Goryeo and Qin announced the wedding date.
There was no fancy ceremony. No formal gatherings. Just letters. Informing the world of the two kingdoms union.
I haven't even met the bride.
Whoever she is, I feel sorry for her.
I don't think I can love again. I don't see myself enjoying life anymore. I can pretend to be happy but that's all I can give them.
Pretend happiness.
Pretend I'm happy even if I'm dying on the inside.
Jung Krystal.
No. It was Jung Soojung.
You gave me life but it was also you who took it from me.
The wedding started with these loud weepings. At first I thought it was part of the orchestra but as it grows louder I finally found the source.
It was Princess Xiangqin of Qin.
Her face was covered with a lace veil but we don't need to see her face to know it was her who's been crying buckets of tears.
She almost choke on her wailing as we slowly kneel in front of the monk who will perform the ceremony.
The monk had began as the Princess cries grew even louder. It's like she's choking in her death!
