Secret Story of the Swan: A Jensoo Swan Lake AU

Chapter Three: Royal Duties

"You're up early," Lisa teased from behind me.

Scared shitless, I dropped the book I was holding and it slammed onto the library table. The dark-haired stable hand just giggled as I caught my breath. She was such a mischievous young woman.

"Wow, Jisoo, you're really jittery today." She sat down next to me.

"I'm not jittery," I argued. "Just focused."

"On what, might I ask?" Lisa raised an eyebrow.

"Ce ne sont pas tes affaires," I spat.  [None of your business.]

"Rude," she huffed.

I could feel her eyes on me as I continued reading through the passages. Lisa was many things, but above all else, she was persistent. As sly as a fox, she snatched the book out of my hand and started flipping through the pages.

"Hey!" I fumed. "Give it back!"

"Nuh-uh." She shook her head. "Dark Magic and Evil Doings? Why on Earth would you need to know this?"

"You never know when you might encounter one," I explained. "Plus, princesses are targets to those sorts of things in storybooks. I'm just staying prepared."

"I can tell when you're lying, Chu." She glared at me.

I sighed loudly. "Okay, fine. I-I met someone."

"Met someone?" Her eyes widened. "In the woods?"

I nodded. "A girl. A very pretty girl."

"What did she look like?" she asked.

"She had long, wavy, dark hair and sweet brown eyes and an adorable smile and-"

I realized how long I'd been talking and quickly shut my mouth.

Lisa smirked. "Sounds like you fancy her."

"Fancy her?" I scoffed. "Goodness no! I only just met her. We're barely even friends."

Lisa closed the book. "But what does this mystery girl have to do with your current reading habits?"

"She recommended that book to me," I fibbed.

I didn't think it was my right to tell Lisa about Jennie's curse. Although she had never told me to keep it a secret, I knew Jennie didn't want many people knowing. As much as I hated lying to Lisa, I didn't want to lose Jennie's trust.

"She's a bookworm too? Wow, you've found your perfect girl," Lisa declared.

I rolled my eyes. "There's nothing romantic about it. We're just friends."

"Friends don't talk about each other the way you talk about her, Chu," she said.

Soon enough, Lisa had to leave for her duties. I stayed in the castle library, reading all the books that I could find regarding curses. Shockingly, there were many to choose from, but nothing about the curse that Jennie described. Was she the only person who had a curse like this? No, she couldn't be. That was just illogical.

Something about Lisa's words stuck with me as I continued reading. Had I really been that obvious? I mean, sure, I thought Jennie was pretty, but that didn't mean anything. There are many pretty girls in this world. Yet, she seemed more beautiful than the rest.

Every time I closed my eyes, I pictured her in all her beauty, smiling kindly at me. I pictured her hair blowing in the light breeze. I pictured her beautiful dress that framed her small waist. In my mind, she seemed like an unattainable goddess among women. All I knew was that I wanted to see her again. After all, she did request me to, and I'd never disregard my princess's request.