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“Yun, get up!  We have to have Her Highness ready in four hours!”

Yun blinked her eyes open.  Duri was standing above her.

“Four hours- Duri, it’s six am!”

“Doesn’t matter.  You need to go get Her Highness up and I need to start breakfast.”

Yun sat up. “Why on earth do you think it’s going to take four hours to get her ready?”

“Just trust me.  Getting her into her robes is going to take at least a half an hour.  And then she has to eat and we have to do her makeup and hair.  If you don’t get up now, none of us are eating breakfast today.”

“Ok, ok, fine.  I’ll be up in a minute.  Get out of here.  I need to change.”

——————–

Five minutes later, Yun was on her way to the princess’s quarters.  She rapped lightly on the door before pushing it open.  Ahseong was wide awake and reading a book.

“Oh!  Yun!  I didn’t expect you so early!” Ahseong set her book on the nightstand.

“Duri woke me up and insisted I needed to get up quickly.  She said it’s going to take us a while to get you ready.  She went to make breakfast.” Yun motioned to the book on the table. “What are you reading?”

“You read?  I’m reading We Ride at Dawn.”

“Ohhh.  That’s a good one.  Yeah.  My mother taught me to read.  She said her first lover taught her to read, and it was the best gift he ever gave her.  She wanted to pass that gift on to me.  I always wonder what happened to him.  She told me great stories of him.  He was so extraordinary it’s hard to believe he existed.  She told me tales of him being her hero when she was young.  She acted like her youth had been so long ago.  But she was only twenty three when she had me.  I’ve always wondered if her mysterious lover was my father.  She never told me stories about another man.”

“Your life is all just one big mystery, isn’t it?”

Yun sighed. “Yep.  My mother was a mysterious woman.  But now that she’s gone, I’ll never find out who my father was.  Or who her mysterious lover was.  I doubt she would have told me even if I’d asked.”

Ahseong nodded. “Even with how ridiculous your childhood was, I’d imagine it was better than mine was.”

Yun shrugged. “Let’s not ponder it.  It won’t change anything.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

——————–

Ahseong lay in bed that night staring at the ceiling.  She could hear Taehyung’s even breathing next to her.  She wanted to keep hearing that.  Every night for the rest of their lives.  If Kimun really was a threat, she wanted him caught.  But how to catch him…?  She pondered it until she fell asleep.

——————–

“Jungkook?”

“Hmm?”

There was a beat of silence.

“Have things changed between us?”

Jungkook sat up and leaned on his elbow so he could look down at Yun.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…I feel like we haven’t been hanging out as much.”

Jungkook lay back down on the grass. “Well, I mean, we have a new king.  And he just got married today.  Things have been crazy.  Of course we haven’t seen each other a lot.”

Yun took a deep breath and continued to stare at the starry sky above her. “Jungkook-” her voice cracked.

Jungkook glanced over at her, a worried expression on his face.

“Jungkook, do you think I would’ve ever been with Tae?”

Jungkook’s eyes widened.  She hadn’t used that nickname for His Majesty in a while.

“Um…honestly, I have no idea.  It isn’t common for a king to marry someone who isn’t a princess.  I heard once that His Majesty’s father had a lover in his youth.  But because of her rank, he was forbidden from marrying her.  I haven’t a clue if it was true, but I’d imagine you never had a chance with His Majesty.  We should just be thankful that he ended up with a sweetheart.  I can’t even count how many snobs I met the week he was crowned king.  It’s a miracle that he ended up with someone so nice.”

Yun sniffed. “You’re right.  Honestly, she’s become my best friend.  And she’s in such a tough position.  Especially since Kimun is still wandering out in the open.”

“Yun, I’m gonna be honest with you.  I didn’t know His Majesty before all of this, but from the three and a half years I’ve spent here, all I’ve ever seen is him being a jerk to you.  And basically everyone else here.  I mean, he isn’t brutal, but he certainly isn’t nice!  I know he’s king, and as king he needs to be tough to be a good leader, but he could at least be pleasant around his subjects!” Jungkook blew out a puff of air. “Sorry.  I got a bit worked up.  But seeing you break your heart over him is painful.  Especially since I can’t see how he’d ever deserve you.”

Tears were streaming down Yun’s face now. “You’re right.  It’s just-he was my best friend for so long.  He was the first friend I ever had.”

“Yun, I don’t want to be harsh, but you really need to get over him.  He’s the king now, and he’s married.  I know very few people who are still close to their first friend.”

“I know, I know…” Yun mumbled.

“Do you want to turn in for the night?”

“Yes.”