Princess Hours (2019) [HIATUS]

CHAPTER #9

After her Chinese lesson, Irene feel a bit exhausted, they sure choose an amazing tutor for her but no matter how good the tutor is, she could not learn Chinese and be fluent in such a short time and right after lunch they continue the lesson of knowing different kind of tea and how to drink them in a proper way and manner.

Taeyeon is the one who teach her this time, all this time Irene thought that tea is just a tea, sometimes you drink it plain, sometimes you drink it with sugar or mix it with milk. But from this lesson, her knowledge about tea increase a lot and she’s been thought how to properly enjoys it and to master it surely take time and not just one lesson.

It is only been a day, but the day feels like an eternity for her, she feel lonely, she feel homesick and all this lesson makes her feel like she is back to cramp study back in high school, which is not a pleasant experience to be remember.

Constant text from her best friend Jennie is only thing that cheer her up, but sadly phone usage is forbidden during the lesson. Really remind her of school days, but without any friends to talk to or friends to grumble together.

Although, Taeyeon, Seulgi and Joy always follows wherever she go and presents whenever she needed, Irene still feel lonely. She ate all her meals alone, because Taeyeon explain that it is unappropriated for them to eat at the same table as her, even though Irene did not mind a bit about that rules.

The day end with some historical lesson taught by the best historian in the country, according to what Taeyeon told her, Irene glad she did not sleep all through history class back in her school years, at least now she did not start from the scratch although there are still plenty of historical moment that she need to learn and memorize.

The next day isn’t so much different from the day before, she start with another Chinese language lesson and follow with a manner lesson. Again, Irene just knew that there is a lesson to behave in such a certain manner, pardon her who have no idea that this certain formal knowledge is exist.

Taeyeon is also the one who teach the lesson, from how to walk, how to dress, how to bow and address some of the royal family and its relative and she even teach Irene how to eat in certain manner, not only that, Taeyeon give her few books that have at least 300 pages each, for Irene to read.

“Taeyeon eonni, how did you learn all this stuff” Irene asked with her eyes still fixed on the books that Taeyeon give her, actually it is inappropriate to call Taeyeon as ‘eonni’ but again Irene excuse herself by saying that she prefer to call her that if they are alone, just to be closer to her.

Taeyeon being more like her subject could not object, Irene has the higher authority here so she must obey what she said unless it could lead to some punishment that could bring disadvantage to both of them.

In Irene defense, she just want to be closer to all her personal assistant, since they are the only people that keep her company while she is in this fancy prison.
“I learn it from school, your highness”

“really?"

“yes, I do to a special school that teach etiquette and all its detail”

“wow, you are amazing eonni. Is that why you work at the palace?” Irene always admire people who put their knowledge into a good use.

“Working at the palace is one of the reason why I choose to study that course, your highness”

“Did you two also go to the same school?” Irene asked Joy and Seulgi who is currently helping Taeyeon to sort out the equipment for Irene’s lesson

“no your highness, but Seulgi and I both go to the same school but on different year” Joy answers represents the two of them adding some information about their background.

The other day, Irene found out that is just Taeyeon who is older than her by age and both Seulgi and Joy are much more younger than herself.

It has been just two days, but Irene feel like she has been on the Palace for a year, she miss her mother, her brother and her best friends,  and she also she miss her job.

Although they fed her a really good food with the best ingredients, she assume, she just miss the taste of her mother’s cooking, and she also miss the tteokpoki that she often goes with her friends.

Her last lesson is English, thankfully she have the basic skill for the language, unlike the Chinese language which she must study from the beginning, English is the only language that she is very familiar of, courtesy of her best friend Park Jinyoung who patiently teach her back in High School.

Speaking of him, she must really miss him to the point where now she start to hallucinate that Jinyoung is standing right in front of her with his big smile and wave at her.

“Irene-ah!” now, he even speak to her,

“yah! Bae Joohyun!” his expression change, his smile turned upside down when Irene did not respond to her.

What she is supposed to do, say hi back to him so people could say that she is crazy. Seeing her unresponsive reaction, Jinyoung start to walk closer to her and when he is close enough he go poke Irene’s cheek.

“yah! Bae Joohyun”
And that touch really wake Irene’s mind that she is not crazy, and Jinyoung is really is here, in her study room, at the palace.

But how? She grabs his finger who is poking her cheek and ask

“are you real?”

“of course! Then what do you think I am?” He smile that he finally have the reaction

“yah! Jinyoung-ah” this time, she is the one who grab his face with both of her hand.

Just to be sure that he is real “you are here!” and that turn into a hug, Jinyoung could not be more glad to see her too then he hug her back

“what are you doing here?”

“well, your highness” He playfully bow to her “from today, I’m officially your English teacher”

“Really? You’re joking right?”

Just when he about to say something, Taeyeon, Seulgi and Joy walk into the room carrying an equipment, drink and snacks for Irene’s lesson for at that moment and when Taeyeon sees Chanyeol, she automatically bow to him “Your gr..”

“it’s teacher Park” Jinyoung hurriedly cut her “call me teacher Park”

“what the.. you know secretary Kim?”

“of course, I’ll be your tutor it is necessary that we know each other” his answer seems reasonable so Irene did not ask any further “so, shall we start the lesson?”

She is glad to see her best friend here, but when Jinyoung mention study her mood is suddenly down,

“why? Don’t you like studying?”

“who in the right mind like to study? I enjoy learning, not studying, those are two different context”

“come” Jinyoung just smile and hold out his hand for her to grab “let’s go”

“where to?”

“to study, of course”

Without any question, she take his hand and follow him like how she always trust him.

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“How did you know this place?” Irene ask Jinyoung after they finish the tutoring lesson, instead of her stuffy study room Jinyoung took her to one of the palace’s garden that she had no idea about its existence. 

It located near a lake inside the palace area, around them grows beautiful buckwheat flower and many kind of lilies with different color.

On the ground full of green grass right under big oak tree they do their tutoring lesson, just like when they are on college where they always study in open space because studying inside the silent library makes her feel suffocated.

She know that there are her secretaries and securities team that always follow her wherever she go, but right this moment she just feel like she is alone with Jinyoung, reminisce about the past where this studying moment feel like a reunion with an old friend because she enjoy every moment of it.

This temporary emotion must be build because of what she feel this couple of few days, being in a foreign place with no one to talk to must mess with her emotion. Good time always feel like passing by so quickly, when the sun is down Jinyoung must bid her a goodbye but with a promise to meet again soon.