The Nine Dancing Princesses (TWICE FF)

15. Helpless

Gradually everyone started coming outside of the room, Nayeon and Jihyo being the last. Jihyo looked like she was in a dilemma not knowing what to do.

By that time the others had also returned back and were confused seeing Jihyo. The person who always had her head held high and would speak clearly for everyone else too was for some reason refusing to meet anyone's eyes. The strong voice was quite and her eyes portrayed frustration.

"What happened in there?" Jungyeon asked keeping a hand on her shoulder.

Still as she didn't speak the others turned to Nayeon who wasn't in a very appealing condition either. She just turned her head away refusing to speak.

But before anyone could question anything further Jihyo rushed out of the circle. She stomped away from everyone ignoring her friends calling for her.

Nayeon was about to follow her too. but Momo stopped her. "Atleast you tell us what happened"

"Let me bring Jihyo first, we have been friends for a long time, I need to be with her." She said as she hurried but she stopped after going a bit far, turning around "go wait in the green house" she said finally.

_____

"Jihyo, please open the door." Nayeon said knocking on her door. She stood there patiently waiting for her friend to open the door.

The door opened a little and her maid peeked out to see who it was before opening it wide for her to enter.

Jihyo had a stack of books in her hands. And she was putting it away in a trunk. Her bookshelf was half empty already.

"Jihyo what are you doing?" Nayeon asked. By the looks of it she was packing up.

"I don't want to study here anymore." She said and continued to put the books away. Nayeon reached over to stop her but then Jihyo snapped "I came here to learn how to be a good ruler, what could these people who don't even have a conscience even teach?"

"I know that this isn't right too, but Jihyo if we don't fight... If we run away... What good it would do?" Nayeon explained.

Hearing this Jihyo stopped packing as she acknowledged what Nayeon said. She looked at the books in her hands. Nayeon reached out to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Jihyo, you are angry right now. We should never take decisions when angry. There must be a way... Let's discuss it with our friends." She suggested.

Jihyo hesitated for a moment before looking up. "Will they understand?" She asked to which Nayeon nodded "that's what friends are for."

_____

"Is it just me or the green house is not that hot today" Sana asked playing with a leaf. "Really, you can't think of anything right now? We are worried about Jihyo and you...." Momo let out an exasperated sigh.

"Yeah, where are they it's been a while." Dahyun said looking outside through the glass walls.

"Oh! there they are." Dahyun said as everyone turned to look outside.
"Remember, no one will question her." Tzuyu reminded as everyone nodded. "Yeah and act normal." Mina said.

"Hey Jihyo!" Chaeyoung said as they entered the green house. "Hey! Do you notice the change in weather today. It's not even hot in the green house." Sana stated.

"Why are you so obsessed about the weather today?" Momo whispered to her.

Jihyo chuckled at their efforts to make her feel comfortable. It was good to know that they cared about her.

"Yeah the weather is a bit chilly." She said. And the silence followed. An unbearable silence. An awkward silence.

"Okay so... Sorry for earlier, I shouldn't have ignored you all and run away." Jihyo said putting an end to the silence.

"What is happening outside?" Dahyun asked. Everyone looked at Jihyo and Nayeon for answers. Nothing seemed good and it worried them.

"There's a strange... Disease that has been spread among the inhabitants. Many people are already bed ridden and some people even have... passed away." Jihyo said.

"But why is there a commotion outside the castle walls?" Momo asked.

"And what about the people who were here? Those angry men?" Mina asked as she shuddered thinking about the rage of the man."Yeah, why were they angry?" Chaeyoung added.

"They were asking for help from us" Jihyo said in a small voice.

"What about the ruler of this land?" Jungyeon asked. "There isn't one.... The inhabitants are spread throughout in small villages, they don't have any overall ruler, just... Every village has one head, those two men were the head of the two biggest villages." Nayeon explained.

"Oh..." Everyone nodded in understanding.

"They were angry because... We could not help them" she said barely audible. Nayeon placed a soothing hand on her shoulder as she continued for her. "the authorities said that they could not risk anybody's health as they were responsible for royal people. Further because they were not the rulers so they were not obligated to help."

"What?" Sana exclaimed "this is so not fair." She huffed.

"Yeah, just because they won't profit from it, they won't help? That's so not humanitarian." Tzuyu added.

"Exactly, atleast just for the sake of humanity." Jungyeon remarked.

A sad sigh escaped their mouths. "Be a human before a royal" Jihyo said "be a citizen before a ruler...That's what my mother said to me. This is how an ideal leader is created."

"And yet, where we are supposed to learn how to become a good ruler... We cannot do anything." Nayeon stated sadly.

"Then, how about asking help from other kingdoms?" Chaeyoung asked. "Since this is no man's island... I doubt it will be of any help." Jihyo stated.

"Then... What if we say that we might also be not safe? Maybe then for our sake..." Mina suggested.

"No! Don't do that. Then we will be summoned back." Jihyo warned.

"So we are completely helpless." Jungyeon huffed. "Except for hoping that the situation will solve itself."

Everyone felt silent. Hating the fact that they can do nothing for the people. It was just so unfair that while people were suffering out there the privileged class was acting indifferent.