glass slippers. ʲᵃᵉᵐⁱⁿ

FIFTEENTH.

Third Person's POV

The morning was still early and yet Eunice woke up at that time. She doesn't know why there's so much bothering her but she doesn't know what it really is. She just sat there, unmoved on her windowsill, looking at the palace, still in thought about what's happening inside there.

When would she claim her place? When would she be able to be beside Jaemin? It felt like nights since they saw each other.. or because it has been? He kept on looking at her the whole night during the ball; how could he not recognize her?

Now that she has this in mind, she thinks Jaemin was sort of a fool. Does it really take that long to find her or something is stopping him from going straight to the point? Whatever it was, he is making her wait for so long. She felt like Rapunzel who is awaiting the arrival of a prince to save her.

Eunice roamed her eyes around her bedroom and just noticed the two figures sleeping on their beds. How come she hadn't noticed them earlier? Both of them were in deep slumber and their hairs were evidently messy. She has some interrogating to do to them when they wake up.

When the sun was starting to show up in the sky, radiating warm rays through her window and inside her room, Eunice started to prepare herself. She tied her hair and wore her usual apron. As she was about to leave the room, she paused from grabbing the knob when Yena groaned.

It was just a small sound but it managed to wake up Donghyuck. She approached the other girl and she saw her touching her arm, face twisted because of the pain she is feeling. "Does it still hurt?" The boy asked, half awake. "It's extra swollen, damn it." It's unusual for Yena to curse so Eunice found it really weird.

"God, where did you guys go? You kept on disappearing so suddenly and you won't even tell me where you are going," Hyuck pulled up the long sleeves of Yena's dress and saw the bruise even darker than before. "How and when did you get injured?"

Hyuck pulled her up and replied, "I will answer your questions later. She needs ice on her wound." Eunice nodded and the three of them went to the kitchen. While they were descending down, Yena let out a sarcastic chuckle. "I think I'm going to pass out again."

"I would hit you." Hyuck said in a serious tone and quickly placed her on a stool. While he went to get ice to put it against the swollen bruise, Eunice filled a glass of water then gave it to Yena. She gulped down all the contents and set the glass on the counter.

Donghyuck wrapped the ice around a small towel and brought up Yena's sleeves again to put it on her arm. She bit her lower lip as she felt the stinging pain travel through her veins. "Stop, stop. I'll do it myself." She snatched the towel from Hyuck and pressed it on the bruise on her own.

The boy let her be and pulled away. Eunice folded her arms and gave Hyuck an intimidating stare. "So, can I ask my questions now?" He nodded and sat beside Yena. The two looked down on their feet as if they were being scolded by their mother.

"When and how did Yena get bruised?" She asked and glanced at the girl aiding herself. "We were out trying to get ourselves fruits and she thought it's a good decision to climb up a tree. She won't let me! She is strong but she saw a squirrel—"

"And you know my hatred for squirrels, Eunice." Yena added and Hyuck snapped his fingers. "Hey, I'm talking. But, yes, what she said and then she fell. Her arm hit a rock. It got even worse because she was chasing me for not picking the fruits then her bruise got scraped on a tree trunk. Like how did she not see the trunk..?"

Yena pointed at him then glared. "I was so mad at you that I didn't notice it. You could have gotten the fruits for us, seriously. You're still stable." She retorted and kicked his leg. Eunice rolled her eyes, realizing they are putting up another argument.