white rose. // jinjoo

last chapter + epilogue: fin

Minjoo looked at the mirror soulessly, eyeing her own reflection without any emotion present on her godly face, just staring at her own self while Hitomi gently combed her long hair— giving her worried looks from time to time on the mirror, but she just ignored it.

It's been four days since the war ended, and four days ever since... Minjoo learned about Yujin's unfortunate death.

The people of Beairterre were in great shock upon learning that a great wolf warrior and Ahn clan's successor and pride, got killed by some filthy rebels. They didn't even get to celebrate their win and mostly mourned. Until now, all of them were still surprised that someone managed to kill Yujin, an Ahn herself. Some townspeople got mad over it, saying that the new generation of the Ahn clan are weak and useless— they expected a lot from Yujin but the warrior died in her first fight in a war, which is the same reason why the Ahn clan got criticism and got shamed a lot.

But the whole Ahn clan don't care about their words anymore, they are still silent and still grieving over their loss. Until now, most of them stayed at their camp, except for the General himself. He still had some duties so he had to go back to the palace sometimes.

Apparently, they didn't get to send Yujin's body home since it fell into the nearby cliff alongside with the other enemies who killed her, she managed to kill the ones who killed her by tugging them with her into the deep ocean before her last breath. They never recovered the body as the sea level is too high and deep, and a lot of dead warriors were thrown there also. It was believed that some big sea creature ate some dead bodies alongside Yujin's and Minjoo couldn't accept it.

Minjoo couldn't even bring herself to go to the Ahn's, she stayed at her room and never once stepped outside again after she stormed out of the palace ground that very day Seungjin broke out the sad news for her. She's too busy weeping and wailing, crying for Yujin's name every minute until she couldn't bring herself to shout and call for her lover anymore.

Minjoo even thought that she doesn't have any tears left anymore. She just kept crying and crying until her body would fail her and put her to sleep. She doesn't have the strength to eat anymore, she only ate once ever since, and that was when General Ahn paid her a visit, trying to comfort her and all. She would eat a spoonful and a piece of fruit but after that, she would just stare at it and just cry instead because everything reminds her of Yujin.

Her heart, it's long gone, it's broken into million pieces and no one could fix it anymore except for Yujin herself and her insanity too. But how? When Yujin is gone now. No one would be able to fix her anymore. No one.

Everyone in the palace knows how broken she is. And they pity and understand the princess. After all, Yujin was a great friend of hers, but behind closed doors, to Minjoo— Yujin was more than a friend, more than a lover. She was her soulmate.

Fortunately, her parents respected and gave her space and time to mourn but obviously, they don't like how Minjoo literally locked herself up, not wanting to talk to anyone. The King and Queen themselves would visit and lecture Minjoo that she should collect herself up and accept Yujin's tragic death because her wedding with Hyunjin will be held soon and she couldn't be in such a state like this.

Those were the times Minjoo wanted to shout at them but she was too tired, too exhausted, too broken to do anything so she let them. She doesn't care anymore. She wouldn't be able to accept that her lover is gone, and won't go back to her anymore. She doesn't care anymore even if her parents and Hyunjin kept pressuring her about the marriage that will happen so soon.

At first, Minjoo had this light ray of small hope— that maybe, maybe— Yujin is still alive and would go back to her. But as each day passes, that small hope starts to vanish slowly. She doesn't know what to do anymore. Her purpose and will to continue to live on also lost.