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The night was brighter than usual. The moon was alive. And so was the people on the Queen Dowager's palace.
The old mother of the current King, wife to the deceased King, grandmother to the Crown Prince. Everyone are afraid of her. They fear her. They say she's cruel and strict. They say she has a connection with the spiritual realm. They say she's a vixen. But despite all those, the aged but beautiful Queen Dowager has always been Hyun Ae's friend.
They first met when the young six year old Hyun Ae stumbled on the woman's palace, afraid and crying. The strict woman took her into her care, asked the child who's daughter she was, then helped her find her mother who was then looking around the whole palace for the six year old.
And just like this night, that night's moon was bright.
Hyun Ae smiled at the aged woman after taking a sip from the tea that the Queen's court ladies prepared.
"How was your day with the other girls?" Asked the woman. Her smile never fading. The Queen Dowager looks so kind and calm, compared to what the palace servants perceive her as. "I heard from the King himself that you were on top than the others." Even at the age of twelve, Hyun-Ae knows what pride sounds like.
Her father spoke of her with such confidence. With such pride.
"I am doing good, Your Royal Highness." Hyun Ae answered, "The other girls are good and kind to me, they can be a bit observant but we are all learning to get along well." She added. Head bowed to show respect.
The woman smile widen, "I know you will not going to have any hard time in this competition." She said, pouring some jasmine tea on her cup. "The Prince has been talking about you lately, even telling his father to just stop the competition and choose you." A laugh came after those words. "He must've like you a lot. Or perhaps even more for him to have such young ambition, such young affection." The woman sighed in content. "Such young love." And the Queen added.
Hyun Ae stopped on those words.
Love.
A foreign word for her. But she knew what that felt like.
It felt like her mother's embrace. Felt like her father's fond smiles. Felt like her brothers' hands on Hyun Ae's head. But she never know what it feel like, like her parent's relationship.
