Chapter Text
the soft clicking of the grandfather clock echoed in her chamber, signaling every second that it was able to function. yunjin had to keep note and watch for the clock, as a sudden pause with no tick of the clock would prompt yunjin to call the clockmaker to mend towards the old piece of wood once more. an audible sigh escaped her lips, her chin resting in between the crevices her knuckles. the smell of sandalwood filled her nostrils, the smell was relaxing, to say the least. her evening was filled with several council meetings, sitting throughout hours of old men discussing what was good for the kingdom and its streets and what wasn't. their discussion later turned into bickering and arguing, something yunjin wasn’t very fond of.
she remained pondering at her desk for quite some time till her eyelids began drooping, having little to no strength to stay awake any longer. yunjin softly called out for her lady-in-waiting, who stood right outside her chamber. “tell the handmaidens to run the bath.” she murmured. “yes, my lady.” hurriedly bowing, she dashed off. the second yunjin took heed of the door clicking shut behind her, she arose from her seat, her legs awakened from lack of movement. the current dress she had on was suffocating, she wished to discard it when she could; besides, it didn’t suit her taste anyway.
after her bath, a thin white gown covered her upper body, it was more light and breathable, just as yunjin liked it. the moonlight kept the halls away from entirely becoming pitch black, light seeped in from the windows, allowing yunjin to make her way down back to her chamber without bumping into someone or something in the process.
the small flame from the candlestick struggled to stay alight, darkness began to engulf the room. it was nearly pitch dark when yunjin returned to her chamber, her eyelids already giving into sleep. the candle was the sole source of light, it wavered once yunjin’s breath hit the little inferno that was on the candlestick. resting on the headboard of her bed, she played with the patterned hem of her white gown, deep in thought. the young princess had spaced out, drowning in her own thoughts, as well as remembering a specific moment from one out of the many council meetings yunjin attended.
“your highness, have you ever considered marriage?”
one of the council members blurted out to yunjin one particular day, and that snapped her back into reality from her spacing out. she jolted upright, having everyone’s eyes now staring at yunjin- including her parents, the king and queen. she felt pressured, as the two men who stood at the end of the table awaited her response, much as everyone else did. “perhaps it has crossed my mind, i wish not to focus on something such as marriage- not until i inherit the throne.” a lie, but to escape the curious eyes of those in the room, yunjin had to quickly form something plausible.
laughter erupted in the room as they turned their heads towards the king. “what a child you have your majesty! such a strong personality she has!” yunjin peered over at her father, the ends at the corners of his lips curved to form a smile, not a friendly, but one to disguise his agitation, possibly from her response of not wanting marriage. her mother, the queen, sat on the other end of the table, remaining quiet and glum.
they proceeded to continue their meeting for quite some time, before being dismissed at sunset. saying her farewells for the day and walking around one last time, she began her walk back to her chamber. however, a familiar male voice rang from behind her, halting yunjin in her place. “your highness.” yunjin turned to see hyun, one of the royal advisors for her father- a charming fellow according to maids. just recently, hyun seemed to have taken an interest in yunjin. he never took his eyes off of her whenever both of them were in the same room, which evidently caused yunjin to keep her distance from him. staring at her evolved into hyun approaching yunjin with apparent intentions of enticing her; this was just one of his antics.
“you seem tired,” the corners of his lips curved, forming a smile. yunjin nodded slowly, she wished not to see anyone at the moment other than her lady-in-waiting, who by then had noticed hyun making small talk with the young princess. “indeed i am, good night, hyun.” and with that, she wasted no time as yunjin turned to reach for the door handle before he called out for her once more. “please wait, your highness!” he cried out, reaching his hand out to take hold of yunjin’s arm.
his firm grip made it apparent that hyun didn’t want yunjin to leave; not without her listening to what he had to say. “i was wondering..if you’d like to join me for brunch tomorrow?” at this rate, yunjin was over this conversation. his continuous attempts of making small talk with yunjin to give himself the confidence to ask her out for brunch only tired her out more than she already was. “if i was not clear enough, hyun, i have much to do in the morning” she lied, yunjin dug her nails into hyun's wrist only to rip his hand off of her arm. “i don’t believe my father would be pleased to see his advisor grabbing his beloved daughter’s arm like this, would he now?”
hyun had a troubled look on his face, his gaze now glued to the ground, a clear look of defeat. “good night, hyun.” she said once again through gritted teeth. yunjin turned away from the man, shutting the door, she placed her back on the door, hearing carefully for hyun’s footsteps walking away.
as she heard his faint footsteps, yunjin let out a huge sigh, this man would not stop bothering her even if it meant he would get stripped of his title. this was not the first time a man with a royal title had several persistent attempts to get yunjin’s attention. hyun was just one of the many the princess had to turn down, a common pattern with these stubborn men is that they always tried repeatedly to capture her heart, even if she has verbally rejected and or physically rejected them. they wouldn’t take no for an answer- that was just another thing that caused her headaches.
eyes fluttering open, yunjin awoke to the sound of the birds near her balcony. chirping away as if they were the ones telling her ‘wake up! the sun has risen!’ or of the sort. it seemed that the sun was still rising, no one happened to be awake other than her. taking this chance of peace in the palace, she chose to take a morning stroll, but also getting ready without anyone’s help.
she kept her nightgown on, with the intent to change it later in the day. yunjin trodden lightly through the stone path of the garden, she grazed the tall, green plants with her fingers while she passed by. from a few feet away, she saw the wooden bench, sitting in the middle of the garden. yunjin sat down, breathing in the fresh air emitted from the trees and the sound of the running water from the fountain, a stress reliever from all the hectic events that had transpired the last few days.
the tranquility was short-lived, due to shuffling in the bushes nearby. yunjin snapped her head towards the source of the sound, after a few seconds of ruffling in the bushes, a squirrel appeared, biting on a nut it found on one of the trees. the squirrel noticed yunjin, staring at her as if she were asking for a staring contest. it immediately got frightened and ran as far away as it could.
yunjin was the center of attention when it was announced the king and queen were looking for a suitable partner for their daughter, preferably one with proper royal titles. vexation came over her, not given any chance to object or have a say, as a result, yunjin nearly lashed out at her parents whom she loved so dearly. it’s her life, why must her parents be the ones to control who she marries?
her mind was filled with thoughts of running away in a grass field as the sun shoned brightly and her hand in her partner’s. yunjin’s lips curved at the thought, if it meant yunjin had to abandon her royal life to live with the person she loved she would do it in a heartbeat. being trapped inside palace walls and constantly being set up with men from neighboring kingdoms was exhausting- she just didn’t want to be around them.
a shrieking voice came from afar, hearing her name being called, yunjin recognized the voice the closer it came. “YUNJIN!” she knew that could come from anywhere. hurried footsteps could be heard coming from down the path, yunjin didn’t even need to spare a glance to know who it was. “yunjin!…there you are!..” the woman heaving from the running she just did, her hand patting against her chest.
“goodness you’ve been out for so long we’ve been worried sick!” yunjin turned her head in confusion, was i gone for that long? it didn’t even feel that long, and yet...
“forgive me, mother. yesterday was too eventful that i took a walk to relieve stress, i must have taken longer than i expected.” the woman smiled at her daughter, there was trust between them, not much, but more than compared to her father, who has done more extremely unfavorable things to her, damaging their relationship. “it’s quite alright, fix yourself up and come join us for breakfast.” it seemed like the queen was only looking for yunjin just to tell her that, sighing, yunjin stood up from the bench, dusting herself off before she trudged
the rest of the afternoon was less active than yunjin thought. everything that was scheduled for the princess eventually got pushed back due to an unfortunate circumstance, meaning she really had nothing to do for the next few days.
the long corridor of the west wing of the palace lit up with exquisite chandeliers, yunjin hastily ran down the hall in a hurry. her hands gripping the sides of her dress to avoid tripping, the dress weighing her down. internally cheering as she saw the familiar doors of her chambers, yunjin slammed the door behind her, pushing all of her weight against the door. a soft knocking could be heard from the opposite side only a few seconds later, she clenched her jaw when a voice from the other side of her called out.
“your highness..” the man cooed out, knocking once more. “..please open this door.” he sighed, knocking more and more the longer she didn’t respond. “and why should i do that?” yunjin was visibly agitated, these men were all the same, all like dogs chasing after a bone. “how many times must i tell you i have never once liked you? i don't even know who you are." she huffed out. “you're lying.. you're just making it more difficult for me!” spine-chilling laughter erupted from the hallway, yunjin's eyebrows furrowed as she questioned what she had done to deserve such a lifestyle.
in the nick of time, yunjin heard running from down the hall, later followed by a loud grunt and verbal struggling. she swung the door open to see one of the maids on top of him, his hands behind his back while she firmly kept him in that position with her knee. without missing a beat, she sighed, “take him away, and tell my father about everything, make sure he gets thrown into prison.” yunjin took one good look at him, she could see the obsession in his eyes slowly dying away, he struggled once more as the maid hoisted him to stand and took him away. but not without shouting one last time towards the princess. “this isn’t over yunjin! i will make you mine! mark my words!” his words boomed down the hall.
yunjin stared at the ceiling for god who knows how long, pulling her sheets up closer to her face. all she could think about is his words. "i will make you mine! mark my words!" knowing that he could possibly escape from his cell and make his way back to her chamber, and attempt again to take her far from the palace. she felt worry and fear, and she struggled hard to even rest her eyes once that night.
the sun was now arising from its slumber, awakening those who have a clear sight of it, one of them being kazuha. groaning, she lifted herself up off her bed. seeing the sun slowly yet surely, rise even high up in the sky. today was her first day; her first day as the gardener for the royal family. it seemed like a strange job at first, however, when the offer arose one day during her job at the orphanage, she chose to take it. kazuha was very fond of plants and nature in general. she had fair knowledge about the subject and believed this would help her out in the future, alongside that, the pay was fair. she didn't hesitate on taking the offer.
kazuha was born into rather a middle-class family, and although strict, her parents only wanted what was best for her. while she couldn't understand that until she turned older, she could not blame them for wanting kazuha to avoid poverty and other things.
her soft brown hair flowed down past her shoulders, kazuha grabbed her small bag, linking it over her shoulder. taking one good look at herself, she noticed her expression, seemingly dull and more on the gloomy side. kazuha immediately fixed her expression, practicing a bright smile till the corners of her lips felt odd. when she was finally satisfied, the young girl dashed out of her home. greeting her neighbors with a warm smile, she ran down the streets. feeling the warm breeze push back her hair, kazuha made her way toward the tall and lofty palace towards her, her brown eyes lighting up at the sight.
“you must be the newly appointed gardener, correct?” a maid approached kazuha, a very small smile on her face, not very welcoming to say the least. she looked at kazuha up and down, clearing her throat. “let’s get you into something more..appropriate, shall we? you’ll see the royal family when passing down the halls or the garden.” tugging kazuha by the arm, the maid dragged her towards a mysterious room, a rather spacious one in-fact. “here,” the older woman shoved an outfit towards kazuha with urgency. she figured there would be some sort of dress involved when in reality, it seemed like she was becoming a newspaper boy by the looks of it.
it was more relieving to see that kazuha wouldn’t have to wear a long, poofy dress and work outside for hours at a time in the summer heat.
minutes later, with a brown hat on her head, kazuha grinned once she stepped out to reveal her outfit. she felt very comfortable in it to say the most, it wasn’t too revealing and she could roll up her sleeves if they came in her way of work. the maid sighed out of relief, “i’m glad it fits you. now, let’s head to the garden.” she motioned kazuha to follow, which she did so with a smile plastered on her face.
“i assume you know your way towards the garden by now?” the maid ask, her hands resting at her stomach. “i do now.” kazuha peered out the windows, the plants that appear to have been there longer than kazuha has been, towered over her, the sight of it made her scoff, she had tons of work to do. any lingering thoughts were dismissed once there was a faint click, the door unlocked to reveal the garden, a stone path leading around the center, and the faint sound of water from the fountain that stood in the center.
“any tools you may need are in the upper right corner of the garden. and- if i may mention,” kazuha tore her eyes away from the plants to look at the maid, who by then had a serious manner on her face. “her highness is very fond of this garden, she visits the garden more than her own chamber. not even his or her majesty knows the reason why her highness is here so often.” the older woman admitted, “if you ever encounter her highness, treat her with the utmost respect, understood?” kazuha nodded, thanking the woman as she sauntered off.
“this is the garden, huh?” kazuha muttered under her breath, lightly touching one of the tall plants that were desperately in need of trimming. trudging down, she became aware of a tall tree that stood off to the side. it seemed to be slowly dying, the leaves on the ground were all brown and drained of color, with each step, kazuha heard the crunch of the leaves. something reeled her in about the tree, she wanted to take care of it even in its final moments, if not, kazuha would be more than happy to replant a new tree for the royals to see.
although she could not keep her eyes off of the decaying tree, kazuha had to get started with her work, but she wished to stay near the tree to take occasional glances at it once in a while.
kazuha spent the rest of the afternoon trimming and getting rid of weeds that were unfit around the beautiful flowers and other flora. the clouds shifted around the sky, often covering the sun, giving kazuha a moment to work without the sun burning her skin. kazuha quickly put away her tools in her bag, wishing to inspect the tree further. everything she had done, she would finish the next day.
she ran her hand through one of the leaves, it still hung on one of the branches, desperate to stay on another second. it was by then kazuha realized the tree wasn’t actually decaying, the lack of care for it caused its leaves to slowly fall and turn brown. stroking the leaf that hung on the tree, she noticed it’s curl around the edges and thick skin. kazuha’s eyes widened with a recognition dawning on her face.
“it’s a beautiful tree, isn’t it?” a voice called out behind her. kazuha swiftly turned around to see yunjin, standing behind her with a charming smile on her lips. “your highness,” kazuha bowed, returning her eyes towards the tree. “it is…. magnolia trees are hard to find around the kingdom nowadays.” she stroked the bark of the tree, a gentle wind brushing past the two. “you’re the new gardener, am i correct?” yunjin stood next to kazuha, peering over at her.
nodding, kazuha gazed over at her. her beautiful features were hard not to stare at, from her pink lips to her almond-colored eyes and her sun-kissed skin, she found herself staring at the princess longer than she should have. “kazuha?” she cleared her throat, “forgive me, i must have spaced out.” kazuha rubbed the nape of her neck, avoiding yunjin’s eyes. the silence in the air turned awkward, only for kazuha at least,
“may i ask you for a favor?..” the princess began, staring at the magnolia tree. “of course.” kazuha responded, at least it wasn’t awkward for her. “if you can..please take care of the tree.” yunjin tugged at one of the brown leaves off the branch. “ever since my grandmother passed away years ago, no one has ever taken care of it since then.” her tone was filled with regret, fiddling with a leaf in her hand. “i haven’t had the chance to take care of it, and even if i did, my mother wouldn't be very pleased about it.” recalling the scowl on her mother's face when she saw yunjin dirtying her attire to tend to the tree.
kazuha listened carefully, hearing how yunjin’s voice was filled with sorrow, unable to take care of something beloved by her grandmother. “i will, if it makes her highness happy, i would be more than happy to take care of the tree.” she reassured yunjin, seeing the princess’ eyes glisten. “i thank you. i’ll see you around then, kazuha.” she watched as yunjin shuffled away, looking over her shoulder, they exchanged glances. kazuha watched yunjin walk back into the palace until she was out of her sight.
the sky started to fade into pink with a mixture of purple, signaling nightfall. kazuha stayed near the magnolia tree for a little longer, up until she felt it was appropriate to leave, peering at it one last time.