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The estate was bustling with activity. Trays of food and drinks were being carried back and forth, decorative ribbons tied to the gate and the animals that usually roamed the courtyard chased back into their respective coops.
The royal family had announced that they would be paying a visit; not for any serious occasion, but rather as a formality.
Nevertheless, Eden had insisted on everything being spotless, which led to Hongjoong’s current task: scrubbing the kitchen floor. He distractedly looked out the window, finding the squirrels in their usual place on the old oak tree. The sight brought a smile to his face, but it was promptly wiped off when Eden hurriedly entered the kitchen, Wooyoung in tow.
“Are the pastries ready? And the cheeses? What about the wine I ordered?!”
Hongjong startled, dropping the bucket he was holding. It clattered to the floor with a loud bang, alerting his step-father and step-brother to his presence.
“You’re such a bumpkin,” Eden scolded while critically inspecting the piles of food on the table. “Is there nothing you’re good at?”
Hongjoong ignored him. Talking back to his step-father rarely did any good, and he had heard it all a thousand times before.
He threw a scathing glance at Wooyoung who chuckled, clearly enjoying the scene.
“Your mother has left me a nice inheritance,” Eden lamented. “Whatever shall I do with you?”
At the mention of his late mother, Hongjoong bristled. “Leave her out of this. She left the whole estate to you.”
Eden stopped in his tracks. “Is this how you talk to me?” He rounded the table, coming to a halt in front of his step-son.
“The times when your mother went out with you to teach you to hunt with the crossbow, and whatever other nonsense, are over. Now I’m the master here and you are a servant, do you understand me?”
Hongjoong bit his tongue, angrily staring holes into the floor.
“Don’t let anyone see you during the visit of the royal family today. And you’re not allowed to go visit that horse of yours again,” Eden continued. “If you have enough time to be lazing around like this, I can always give you more work.”
He retrieved two bowls from the counter, pouring their contents into a bucket.
“Until midday you will separate the peas from the corn. I’m going to drive out that stubborn pride and petulance of yours. Don’t you dare show your face at the parade today!”
Wooyoung appeasingly took Eden’s arm. “But father, there’s no reason to be getting angry over grubbly little Hongjoong,” he smiled saccharinely and started to lead his father out of the room.
Pausing in the doorway, Wooyoung looked back and directed one last haughty glance at Hongjoong, before turning around and sweeping away.
~
With a dejected sigh, Hongjoong emptied the bucket on the floor of his draughty attic room. He knelt down next to it and ran his hands through the pile. This will take hours… he thought to himself. I promised Seonghwa I’d ride out with him this afternoon, but there’s no way I’ll be able to finish this before nightfall.
Concentrating on his task, he almost failed to notice the insistent clacking sound at the window. Hongjoong looked up and was surprised to see the squirrels clamoring outside, climbing over each other and seemingly trying to enter the room. He slowly walked over to the window and opened the latch to let them in.
Immediately, the squirrels began jumping over the window ledge and making their way over to the bucket on the floor. Accompanied by loud squeaking, they started to separate the peas and corn, sorting them into two piles.
“You’ll help me with my work? Thank you,” Hongjoong said in wonder and leaned down to softly pet the small animals.
“Should I go and take Seonghwa for a ride after all?” he mused. The Squirrels responded with affirmative chirps. “Really?” More chirps, louder this time.
~
His work thereby taken over by the scurry of squirrels, Hongjoong made his way over to the stables where his trusty companion Seonghwa was housed. The majestic white horse had been a gift from his mother before her death, and sometimes he felt like it was all he had left of her. Leaning against the horse’s side, he took in Seonghwa’s warmth and breathed in the comforting smell.
“Seonghwa, my dear. I brought you a little treat,” he said, feeding the horse with a baby carrot he had snuck out of the kitchen.
The door to the stables suddenly swung open, startling Hongjoong. He shrunk together, afraid of being scolded by Eden for disobeying his orders, but relaxed when he saw that the man entering was only the estate’s steward, Jongho.
“Hongjoong,” he called out, coming closer. “Why are you not with the others, are you not curious about the prince?”
Hongjoong shook his head, absentmindedly running his fingers through Seonghwa’s soft mane. “I already saw him last year. He seems like an airhead. Besides, Seonghwa is the most handsome one of them all.”
Jongho chuckled at his response, then left again, no doubt to take care of one of the other thousand tasks running the estate required of him.
Looking out at the courtyard cautiously, Hongjoong saw that the preparations had almost concluded. Eden was flitting around, barking orders at anyone moving too slow for his liking and fussing over a nervous-looking Wooyoung’s hair.
It was now or never. Deeming them sufficiently distracted, Hongjoong led Seonghwa out the back door and into the snow-covered fields expanding behind the estate.
After a few minutes of walking through snow, he reached the tiny abandoned farmer’s hut where his old hunting equipment was hidden. Apart from Seonghwa himself, it was his most prized possession: a worn leather saddle and a simple crossbow.
With practiced ease, he saddled Seonghwa and took off towards the woods. It was moments like these when he felt liberated from the constraints of the estate, reminding him of the life he once had. He hummed to himself as they galloped through the shimmering snow, taking in the beautiful untouched landscape. Seonghwa and him moved as one, effortlessly jumping over fallen tree trunks and maneuvering around hanging branches.
The moment was broken when he suddenly caught sight of three figures in the distance. He let Seonghwa slow down and dismounted, carefully creeping closer to observe.
From his hiding spot behind the treeline, he was able to make out three men trudging through the knee-deep snow with their crossbows held at the ready. They were dressed rather opulently, clearly of noble background. Their leader wore a bright red hat and matching tights which Hongjoong thought was a rather stupid choice for a hunt, as any animal would be able to spot him from a mile away.
Just then, a young deer appeared in a clearing, drawing the attention of Hongjoong and the three bumbling idiots alike. The leader raised his crossbow, aiming to shoot.
Acting on a whim, Hongjoong quickly bent down and gathered some snow to compress in his hands. The snowball hit the man square in the face, causing his shot to miss by a wide margin and allowing the deer to flee.
“What happened to your shooting skills, Mingi?” one of his friends quipped, clapping him on the shoulder good-naturedly.
The two companions laughed, helping their leader rearrange his ridiculous head covering. Hongjoong giggled delightedly at the image, revelling in the outcome of his successful prank.
The sound must have carried over to them, because one of them spotted him. “Over there,” Mingi exclaimed, causing the heads of the others to whip in the direction where he was pointing. “After him!”
Adrenaline spiked and Hongjoong spun around, fleeing into the forest. The three fools were hot on his heels, chasing him around the trees. He occasionally threw back glances to check if they had gotten any closer. Just when he thought that he had lost them, he heard one of the men shout.
“There he is!”
Hongjoong quickened his pace, darting through the forest and eventually finding a crevice that seemed as good of a hiding spot as any. He ducked into the roots, hoping his drab, tattered clothes would help him blend right in with nature.
Indeed, the men jumped over the crevice without noticing him. Hongjoong was amused to watch them struggle in the deep snow they had landed in, hiding his laughter behind his fist.
They decided to split up into three directions, trudging away, determined to find the man who had thwarted their hunt so mischievously.
When Hongjoong was sure they were out of sight, he crawled out of his hiding spot and set off again. The forest was more dense in this area, not allowing for high visibility.
Tired from running, he leaned against the thick trunk of a tree to catch his breath for a moment.
From the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of something red. He darted around the trunk to hide on the other side, but that was the wrong choice. One of the companions was advancing towards him, a resolute look in his feline eyes.
Hongjoong recoiled in surprise and took a few steps backwards until his back hit the tree. The other men joined from different sides, cornering him against the trunk.
He was trapped.
“That’s it?” the tallest one of them asked.
“As you can see, yes,” the feline-eyed one replied, throwing his crossbow over his shoulder.
“That’s just a little boy, a chicken without feathers,” the leader—Mingi—remarked in wonder and they all snorted with laughter.
Now that he was seeing the three men up close, Hongjoong realised that the leader with the deep voice was actually the prince, as he recognised him from last year’s parade. He wondered what the prince was even doing in the forest at this time—wasn’t he supposed to be visiting the estate with the rest of the royal family right now?
Nevertheless, Hongjoong was pissed. These men were not taking him seriously at all, treating him like a child. He glared at them, hoping to convey his disdain for their words.
The prince dropped his crossbow to the ground and swaggered over to Hongjoong, reaching for his face. Before he could touch him, Hongjoong’s hand darted out and pulled down his silly hat as fast as lightning.
Mingi flinched back in surprise. “San, Yunho, did you see that? He wants to tussle with us.” he said amusedly, a smirk on his face.
“Does he want to get his ass whipped?” Yunho joked.
“Or rather prefer to be thrown in the undergrowth?” San inquired, leaning forward.
They all jeered, elbowing each other.
“You can wait until hell freezes over, dimwits,” Hongjoong spat and used their distraction to escape through an opening.
The three men left behind broke out into incoherent chatter and complaints. They began to chase after him once again, but Hongjoong was determined to not get caught this time. He spotted a horse idling by a bush a few feet in front of him, so richly adorned that he assumed it had to belong to the prince. An idea formed in his head.
He ran over to the horse, fit his foot into the stirrup and swung his leg over to the other side, heaving himself into the saddle. Grabbing the reins, he urged the horse into the other direction. The prince and his friends had almost caught up to him, but Hongjoong felt safe to taunt them from his superior position atop the horse.
“You wouldn’t want to get into a scuffle with a little guy like me, three strong, noble men like you?” he threw at them, laughing.
“Don’t do this, he will buck you off,” Mingi warned.
But Hongjoong did not pay him any mind. As an experienced equestrian, the prince’s horse was nothing he couldn’t handle. He pressed his heels into its flanks, directing it to gallop away from his pursuers.
Seonghwa was exactly where he had left him. After switching horses, he patted the borrowed horse in thanks and sent it back to its owner.
~
Mingi caught his horse by the reins, relieved to have it back after being forced to walk for the last few minutes.
“What a wild brat,” Yunho snorted.
San was less amused and more affronted. “Someone should teach him a lesson,” he pouted.
Meanwhile, Mingi had left the encounter with a completely different takeaway. He was endeared by the fiery attitude of the little prankster and wished they’d been able to find out more about him.
“More like give him a medal, for tricking us so successfully,” Mingi said with a smirk.
It was promptly wiped off his face when he heard the voice of Yeosang, the preceptor.
“Your Majesty, why do you make me undergo such troubles?”
Yeosang was struggling to make his way through the deep snow, his elaborate gown and small pony hindering his progress under such adverse conditions.
“Did you forget we were engaged to continue our debate on the merits of constructivism concerning the integrity of the state? I have been searching for you far and wide!”
Mingi cringed. “Quickly, let’s make a run for it!”
The three young men spurred their horses to a quick canter, making for the opposite direction of their teacher.
~
A short while later, they joined the royal couple who were just returning from the estate with their retinue. Mingi directed his horse to walk next to his father.
“Are you not ashamed to act in such a juvenile manner? Skipping out on official engagements just because you want to dally with your friends? When I was your age, I was already shouldering the burden of government—”
“—burden of government, yes,” Mingi interrupted him, rolling his eyes.
His father was not amused. “You will lose your attitude once I marry you off. That should make you docile enough.”
“I very much appreciate your wisdom, father,” Mingi said sardonically, choosing to end the conversation there.
“Why don’t we talk about this at home, without witnesses,” Mingi’s mother lightly suggested to her husband.
The king grumbled but complied, turning to San and Yunho who were riding along on the other side of the carriage.
“Gentlemen, I had hoped you would rather direct your attention towards the study of diplomacy, refined manners, and courtly etiquette,” he scolded them.
“Your Majesty, we have been pursuing this endeavor with all of our puissance,” Yunho replied deferentially.
San nodded gravely. “This endeavour is undeniably one of the most difficult and extraordinarily arduous,” He looked over to Yunho for confirmation, who nodded emphatically.
The king appeared unimpressed by their drivel, raising his eyebrows. “Where did you leave the Lord Preceptor, hm?”
“He must have gotten lost again,” Yunho answered sanctimoniously, swiveling his head around as if he was trying to spot the lost Yeosang.
“Hopefully nothing bad has befallen him,” San added on, equally serious.
Meanwhile, Mingi had moved to ride beside his mother where he hoped to be met with a warmer reception.
“Was that only an empty threat or is he really planning on marrying me off?” he whispered, genuinely concerned.
“No, this time he’s really serious,” the queen replied.
Anxiety grappled at him at the prospect of being tied down. Marriage had certainly been a topic of discussion before, but it had never appeared as imminent as now. Mingi suddenly felt the walls closing in on him. He could only hope his parents would allow him some more time before he met his inevitable fate.
~
Steeling himself to withstand the ice cold waters of the creek, Hongjoong took a deep breath and plunged the washboard under the surface once more. His fingers were already numb from the freezing temperature, which at least meant he wasn’t able to feel the painful sensation quite as acutely.
He looked up from his work at the sound of bells ringing out through the snowy landscape, and within moments Jongho, sitting in his horse-drawn sled, came into view.
“Hongjoong, you will freeze to death. Did Eden order you to do this?” The steward called out to him.
“Who else,” Hongjoong replied, continuing to aggressively scrub the laundry.
“I’m driving into town to get fabrics and trimmings for Eden's and Wouyoung’s attire for the upcoming royal ball. Do you want anything? Should I bring something from town for you?” he offered.
“Oh, just a saddle encrusted with diamonds for Seonghwa and a matching necklace for me,” Hongjoong replied sarcastically, wringing out the cloth. “I can already see them in my mind, inviting me to the ball.”
Jongho sighed. “If it was up to me, I would bring along anything you wish for.”
Hongjoong deliberated for a moment before smiling slightly. “Then just bring me whatever you encounter on your way there.”
Jongho returned the small smile. “All right, as you wish.”
And with that he was off.
~
Mingi could not endure a minute more of his parents’ discussion about the royal ball that was to take place in a few days.
“And the Countess Kim, will she be in attendance? And will she bring her two children? I do think they’re of appropriate age, but—”
“Can I leave now?” Mingi interrupted his mother, causing her to shoot him an affronted look.
“First you’ll have to listen to what has been on my mind, son,” his father reprimanded him.
“Well excuse me your majesty, I wasn’t aware the family council would sit for quite so long. It's simply that the preceptor and my friends are waiting for me, should I tell them to go on without me?” Mingi tried to weasel his way out of the cumbersome discussion about the guestlist, which he knew was really just a list of possible marriage partners for him.
The king snorted. “What is it that you and your friends have so urgently planned, hm?” He walked across the parlor, looking out through the window at the courtyard.
“Of course the study of the histories, after that your royal majesty’s genealogy, and subsequently I shall be tormented by an hour of studying courtly etiquette and witty conversation,” Mingi answered, with his best attempt at sincerity.
Outside, the king saw San and Yunho fooling around with their crossbows.
“Study of courtly etiquette and witty conversation…” he repeated disbelievingly, quirking an eyebrow at their hijinks. “Do you take me for a fool?”
“Take you for a fool? Oh I wouldn’t dare,” Mingi tried to charm his way out of the situation, plastering a wide smile onto his face.
His father deflated, turning towards the queen. “Why would he want to marry when he can frolic with his crossbow all day,” he gestured exasperatedly towards the courtyard.
The queen was confused. “Crossbow? Frolic? I’m afraid I do not quite grasp your meaning.”
He led her to the window, instructing her to take a look. “Please.”
In the courtyard below, Yeosang was now loading hefty piles of books into the arms of Yunho and San, causing them to groan under the weight.
“I’m not sure I understand, your Majesty,” she said.
The king shook his head, letting the topic go in favour of another one. “Don’t forget to practice your dance steps! I can’t have you disgracing me at the ball,” he admonished his son.
“Yes, father,” Mingi grumbled.
“When I was your age—
“—I was dancing through three pairs of shoes a night,” Mingi completed his sentence, reciting the words he had heard many times before.
He could only hope that his feet would be spared a similar ordeal.
~
After extricating himself from the meeting, Mingi reunited with his companions downstairs. They managed to shake off Yeosang and set out for the woods, as usual.
The two friends were endlessly entertained hearing about the lecture Mingi had received from his father about dancing and promptly decided to act out their own version of a dancing lesson. Yunho provided the music, humming a jaunty tune while he used a peculiarly shaped twig to pantomime playing the trumpet. Meanwhile, San and Mingi were jumping and hopping around each other, Mingi unleashing some truly dangerous hipswings in a mockery of the courtly dances they’d all been subjected to.
Laughing too hard to continue, Yunho ceased his musical performance.
“And after the dance lesson, some polite conversation!” he exclaimed instead.
Mingi performed an exaggeratedly big curtsey, and Yunho affected the manner of a prissy noble lady, holding out his hand for Mingi to kiss. Mingi bit his finger.
Yunho laughed, drawing his hand back, but continued their charade. “I have chosen you to ask for my hand in marriage. Are we in agreement?” He fluttered his lashes at Mingi.
“Ah… by no means, my beautiful countess. I revere your laudable, ancient family and I am an admirer of your beauty, but I have dedicated my heart to wine and horses forever, therefore you will regrettably have to look for another match.”
Yunho threw his arm over his eyes and pretended to faint, falling into the snow. Mingi followed him down, and they started giggling and rolling around together.
“As my aunt always says, this buck cannot be milked,” San shouted.
“Or as the little brat said, you can wait until hell freezes over,” Mingi wheezed, hurling a snowball at San. It landed in the snow behind him, drawing his eye to a figure at the foot of the hill.
“There!” he alerted his friends, pointing at the approaching man. It was Yeosang who had finally caught up to them, carrying the equipment he had distributed among them earlier.
“My esteemed Lords, please wait,” he gasped, struggling under the weight of his books.
“Quick, run!” Mingi yelled.
They all convulsed with laughter and mounted their horses, fleeing from their teacher once more.
Yeosang tiredly leaned against a tree to catch his breath. “This is not a teaching post, this is a punishment…”
Once Mingi decided that they had gotten enough distance between themselves and Yeosang, he motioned to his friends to slow their horses and dismount.
His ears picked up a faint jingle in the distance. As it approached, he located its origin: a horse-drawn sled, the driver fast asleep and snoring quietly.
In a fit of inspiration, Mingi shushed his companions and pointed at a bird's nest above the road. His companions understood the plan immediately, suppressing their laughter so as not to wake the man.
Mingi aimed his crossbow and fired. His target landed cleanly in the snoring driver’s lap, startling him awake. He stopped the sled to inspect the nest, reaching inside and pulling something out.
“I almost forgot about you,” he muttered, pocketing the object and carrying on with his journey.
~
Back at the estate, Wooyoung was sampling fabrics for his future ball attire with Eden, admiring himself in the mirror. Hongjoong had been relegated to cleaning the fireplace, an unpleasant task that he was regularly subjected to.
Jongho tapped his shoulder, slipping a small object into his palm. “Hongjoong, they were literally right under my nose.”
Realising his step-son had been given a gift without his knowledge, Eden’s head snapped up in indignation. “What did you give to him?” he asked harshly, stalking over to Hongjoong.
Hongjoong reluctantly opened his palm, revealing a cluster of three hazelnuts.
“A pretty gift; perhaps for a squirrel?” Eden mocked, breaking into condescending laughter.
Hongjoong turned away so Eden would not see the contempt on his face. Though it was only something small, he was grateful that Jongho had thought of him enough to remember to bring him a gift. The insignificance of the hazelnuts also meant that Eden would let him keep them, and Hongjoong did not have a lot of things that were truly his, these days.
Eden’s attention shifted from Hongjoong to Wooyoung, who was still preening at himself in the mirror.
“Father. Father! You forgot the lace… and what about the necklace? And the earrings?” Wooyoung whined.
Eden snapped his fingers at the steward impatiently. “Jongho!”
“Yes, what is it?”
Eden was about to bellow a new order, but Wooyoung interrupted him. “Why would we send Jongho into the city to buy laces and jewellery for us?”
“You’re completely right my dear, we will go ourselves! Ready the carriage, Jongho!” Eden said decisively.
Wooyoung laughed delightedly at the prospect of a shopping spree and left the room, presumably to prepare for the trip.
With nothing else left to occupy his attention, Eden focused it on Hongjoong.
“You’re being lazy again, go clean as you’re supposed to.”
With lacklustre motivation, Hongjoong began sweeping ashes into a shovel but was immediately scolded by his demanding step-father. “Thoroughly I said, do you understand?”
Hongjoong scowled. If Eden wanted him to put in more effort, the man would get his wish.
He grabbed a broom and started brushing aggressively. The whole room filled with dust, causing Eden to start coughing.
“Stop that immediately,” the estate master exclaimed, trying to wave the dust away from his face.
Hongjoong smiled. Malicious compliance tasted so sweet.
~
Now that both Eden and Wooyoung were gone, Hongjoong could finally do as he pleased. He made use of this fact by taking Seonghwa out again, stopping by the hut to retrieve his gear.
“Eden is not allowing me to leave the estate anymore,” he vented his frustration. “But I’d like to go out… maybe those three idiots will be there again?”
Although the men had been silly and annoying, Hongjoong looked back at their meeting fondly. The encounter had been a welcome escape from his restrictive everyday life, giving him the opportunity to express parts of himself that were not tolerated back at the estate. And although he wouldn’t admit it to anyone but himself, he actually found them to be quite entertaining. It was certainly fun to poke and prod at them with his pranks and observe the reactions.
“Jongho brought me these hazelnuts from his trip to town,” he continued with a smile. “What should I do with them?”
Seonghwa examined them with his deep black eyes. He gently nudged Hongjoong’s hand with his snout, causing one of the nuts to tumble to the floor.
Hongjoong bent down to pick it up, noticing a crack across its surface. Something seemed to come out of it, but it was not a nut.
He curiously picked at it, pulling until a pile of textiles fell out, way too voluminous to have fit inside the shell of a single hazelnut.
On the floor lay a hunting outfit, complete with a hat and a pouch for his arrows.
Holding the fabric up to his body, he disbelievingly looked over at Seonghwa. The horse stared back with big, intelligent eyes, as if urging him to try it on. He complied, slipping into the clothes and checking his appearance in the mirror.
The outfit consisted of a brown leather doublet that closed in the front with golden buckles, a knee-length fur cape, leather gloves, a belt, and a pair of split tights, one leg burnt orange and the other white with a hazelnut pattern on it. The cherry on top was a fetching felt hat in moss green with a decorative feather. He set it on his curly brown hair, pushing it this and that way until he deemed it perfect.
“Let’s ride out, Seonghwa,” he beamed.
~
In the forest, Mingi and his royal retinue were on the hunt. Their hounds had just discovered a lone fox and were chasing the animal through the trees.
“The first one is for me,” Mingi called out excitedly, aiming his crossbow. The arrow struck the fox’s flank, causing its lifeless body to fall into the snow.
“Hurray!” he exclaimed, celebrating the first shot of the day as his entourage praised and congratulated him. He jumped off his horse to hold up his prize, revelling in the cheers around him.
The huntmaster walked up to him to inspect the quarry. “If your majesty now manages to score a bird of prey, then your majesty will become king of today’s hunt,” he said, clapping Mingi’s shoulder good-naturedly.
He produced a sparkling ring from his pouch, loudly addressing the entire group. “This precious ring from the royal treasury is a gift from the king to he who shoots down a bird of prey first. The hunters, please advance!”
Hongjoong, concealed behind the cover of the trees a short distance from the group, had been listening to the huntsmaster issuing the task. Despite not being part of their group, he felt addressed by the challenge. He observed both San and Yunho taking a shot at a hawk circling high above the trees, but missing.
“It’s your turn, princess,” Yunho said.
Mingi aimed his crossbow and followed the hawk for a few seconds, then lowered it again in defeat. “It’s already flying too high.”
Sensing his chance, Hongjoong chose this moment to fire his crossbow. The bird’s corpse dropped to the ground next to Mingi, startling the prince.
“Huh?! What’s this?” He picked it up and critically inspected the arrow. “Whose arrow is this?” he demanded to know.
Hongjoong laughed into his sleeve. He aimed once again, this time targeting the arrow in the prince’s hand.
A second arrow struck its target clean in the middle, hurling it out of the Mingi’s grasp and propelling it into the bushes behind him.
“Mingi, over there” San alerted him, pointing at Hongjoong emerging from the treeline.
The successful hunter sauntered over and smirked at their baffled faces. “Pardon me, that’s mine,” he explained, not sounding sorry in the least. “I thought you didn’t want to shoot anymore.”
In a show of faux innocence, Hongjoong looked up at Mingi from under his long eyelashes. The prince, clearly affected, stared at him dumbfoundedly.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, he composed himself enough to stammer out “Who are you?” in a slightly undignified way. Due to Hongjoong’s new hunting outfit, the prince did not recognise the cocky hunter as the small man in tattered clothes who’d played a prank on him a few days ago.
Looking down at the slight statue of the mysterious hunter who’d outperformed Mingi so casually at the one thing that he usually exceeded in, Mingi did not feel the embarrassment he perhaps would have expected. Instead, there was an intrigued swoop low in his stomach at the show of skill and the hunter who’d fluttered his eyelashes at him afterwards. What remained was an overwhelming desire to find out everything he could about the mysterious stranger who had shot two perfect arrows.
Trying to appear non-chalant, he gestured for Hongjoong to pass over his crossbow to inspect it. Unimpressed, Hongjoong handed it over.
“Huh, that’s just an ordinary crossbow,” he remarked. Hongjoong raised an eyebrow, offended that the prince had thought his skill could only be attributed to his equipment.
“Shall we continue with the hunt?” the huntmaster chimed in, eager to cut short the interruption.
Caught in the mysterious hunter's spell, Mingi had almost forgotten about the presence of his retinue, all still waiting gathered around watching the interaction between their prince and the other man.
“The best hunter has already demonstrated his capabilities,” he dismissed the suggestion decisively. “The ring,” he demanded, holding out his hand to the huntmaster who promptly handed it over.
Mingi reached for Hongjoong’s hand, but the hunter pulled it back.
“It’s yours,” Mingi insisted, slowly reaching for the hand yet again. This time, Hongjoong reluctantly let the prince hold it in his much bigger palm, sliding the ring onto his ring finger. Despite Hongjoong’s gloves, it was still slightly too wide.
Transfixed, Mingi stared at their entangled hands. He felt his face heat up at seeing the difference in size, his hands nearly dwarfing the tiny hunter’s.
Mingi searched his face, but Hongjoong was still observing the ring critically. Desperate to keep up the conversation, he racked his brain for something to say.
“Or… you could show me more of your technique?” he suggested, praying that Hongjoong would take the bait. He was afraid the captivating man would simply abscond into the woods again, taking the ring and Mingi’s heart with him.
Off to the side, Yunho’s eyebrows had been steadily climbing higher on his face. It was entirely uncharacteristic for Mingi to show this kind of interest in anyone, let alone act on it.
“I’m sorry if I showed you up,” Hongjoong murmured, still not meeting his eyes. Seeing the previously confident hunter so genuinely apologetic, Mingi felt hopeful that he had a good chance at convincing the man to stay a little longer.
“Think you can hit those cones?” he challenged. “Up there on the spruce.”
They all looked up, searching the treetops for the aforementioned cones. The prince pointed at a trio of cones located high up on a tree, at least 150 feet above the ground.
Hongjoong snorted. “Any child could do that.”
As the hunter readied his crossbow, Mingi, San, and Yunho curiously gathered around him to analyse his technique closely. He could feel the prince’s body heat against his back, the long hair at the back of his neck being tickled by Mingi’s breath.
He swallowed, suddenly nervous. When was the last time someone had been this close to him?
Shaking off the strange feeling, he closed one eye to focus on the target and loosened his arrow.
The sound of it hitting the cone perfectly elicited gasps from the men, the cone falling from the tree. San immediately sprinted forward to retrieve it, followed closely by Yunho.
Mingi was still starstruck by what he had just witnessed, his admiring gaze caught on the talented marksman. He ripped it away reluctantly to join his companions and confirm the success of the shot.
While the crowd gathered around San holding up the cone, Hongjoong used the opportunity to slip away unnoticed. Seonghwa, who had been waiting patiently behind the trees, welcomed him back with a nudge of his snout and let him climb up. They disappeared into the depths of the forest, but their escape didn't remain entirely unnoticed.
“Hey! A horse,” Mingi exclaimed, pointing at the moving branches.
Hongjoong shook his head at the prince’s naïveté, endeared despite himself. Mingi must have an extreme case of face blindness, he thought. After all, the only thing that had changed in comparison to their first encounter had been the outfit.
He recalled the feeling of Mingi leaning over him while he took his shot and blushed. His heart was beating fast, skin feeling hot despite the biting cold. Whether this was due to the excitement of the chase or something else, no one had to know.
~
As Mingi straddled his horse to give chase to the hunter, he felt strangely reminded of the last time he’d tried to pursue an intriguing stranger in the woods. He idly wondered if there was any connection between the two men, then shook his head to dispel the thought. It was ridiculous to associate the well-dressed hunter with the scrappy little prankster he’d encountered days earlier.
Nevertheless, this time he was determined not to let the target of his pursuit slip away. This resolve proved to be easier said than done: by the time Mingi was seated securely in the saddle, the hunter had already disappeared out of sight.
“Hey!” Mingi screamed in an attempt to call him back, but it was fruitless. After riding and searching for a good while, he had to admit to himself that he’d well and truly lost the hunter. Not only an excellent shot, but also an exceptionally talented horserider, he mused.
His daydreaming was unceremoniously halted by a snowball thrown from above that hit him straight in the forehead. Mingi looked up to find its origin, but struggled to see much in the mess of branches. He could vaguely make out a head very far up and stared at it questioningly.
“Huh?” the man in the tree said, tilting his head.
“Huh… did you see a young hunter ride past by any chance?” Mingi questioned him, attempting to calm his horse.
“Why are you asking?” the man replied.
Mingi rolled his eyes, exasperated. “So did he ride past?”
“Wherever you look, in this whole forest there is only a greenhorn and a chicken… without feathers,” his vis-a-vis snarked.
Mingi was close to losing his patience. Any moment spent arguing with this brat was a moment not pursuing the hunter.
“Come down here,” he ordered.
“You come up here,” came the reply.
He dismounted and tried again, this time with more authority. “And I’m telling you, come down here.”
It didn’t seem to faze the man above him who simply switched sides and peeked out from the other side of the tree trunk. “And I’m telling you, come up here.”
Mingi squinted his eyes, trying to see his face better. “We’ve met already, haven’t we?” How curious, that he would meet the little prankster again while pursuing the hunter.
“You’d have to remind me of that,” the brat quipped.
“Here in the forest you little squirrel, but this time you won’t escape,” he said confidently.
Circling around the tree, Mingi looked for a good spot to climb. He set his foot on a protruding branch and attempted to heave himself further up, but failed miserably.
Just in that moment, his friends arrived and he quickly straightened up to save himself from embarrassment.
“Where is he?” Yunho asked.
“We’d have to ask him for that,” Mingi complained, pointing at the spot where he had last seen the brat, but the figure was gone.
He stomped his leg in frustration, not able to deal with the disappointment of having the hunter slip through his fingers, and the small prankster getting the better of him once again.
“Whereto did he disappear this time?” he lamented.
San looked at him confusedly. “Who?”
“Well, the little brat who pranked us the other day.”
Meanwhile Hongjoong was hiding in the tree above, chuckling into his sleeve. He had climbed even higher up to where the branches were more dense and he couldn’t be spotted anymore. If the prince wanted to catch the hunter so badly, he would have to come up and get him.
~
In the living room of the estate, Eden and Wooyoung were trying on their attire for the ball that Jongho had just picked up from the tailor. A huge mess of fabrics and trimmings was strewn across the floor, and Hongjoong was flitting around attempting to bring some sort of order to the chaos.
“Hongjoong, hand me the buttons!” Eden barked, holding out his hand impatiently.
Before his step-son could even respond, Wooyoung’s lilting voice issued another demand. “Where did you put the lace, Hongjoong?”
“And the choker, Hongjoong!” his step-father added. Hongjoong picked the aforementioned item off the sidetable, and Eden immediately snatched it from his hand.
“Jongho, place rugs from the door to the carriage! We can’t have the new shoes getting dirty.” Eden ordered the steward.
Sighing, Jongho agreed. “Yes, my lord.”
Wooyoung sauntered over to Hongjoong, who had knelt down next to the fireplace to sweep the floor. “Well, how do I look?” He posed in his fancy red ball outfit, swishing the hem of his coat.
“Beautiful,” Hongjoong answered truthfully, smiling slightly.
“Beautiful? You look absolutely exceptional, my darling Wooyoung! Hongjoong, hand me my hat!” Eden patted Woooyung’s cheek and began to make his way to the door.
“Maybe Hongjoong can join us at the ball?” Wooyoung offered, turning back towards the man in question. “Would you like that?”
Hongjoong was surprised by the suggestion but remained realistic. “I would love to, but I doubt Eden will let me,” he said. “I’m not even allowed to leave the estate, it’s so unfair,” he couldn’t help but express his frustration.
“And who will clean up here? And do the laundry? If you don’t have enough work already, I’ll give you some more.” Eden walked over to the fireplace and grabbed two bowls the kitchen staff had left there. He upended their contents on the floor and drew his foot through the mess, making the dry lentils and peas from the bowls mix with each other even more.
“When I return, I don’t want to see a single crumb on the floor. The peas over here, the lentils over there. You can join us at the ball once you’re done with that,” he laughed condescendingly, knowing very well that there was no way Hongjoong would be able to complete the task in time.
~
Hearing the tell-tale sound of the horses neighing and the carriage creaking from the courtyard, Hongjoong surmised that Eden and Wooyoung had left for the ball. Downcast, he returned to the sad pile of lentils and peas on the floor and began to sort them. Forget about being done in time to go to the ball, it will take a week to finish this… Hongjoong thought, running his hand through the dry produce.
He was torn out of his musings by an insistent squeaking sound that could be heard from the window. The squirrels had once again congregated by the ledge and were tapping against the glass. When Hongjoong let them in, they immediately got to work, easily beginning to separate the lentils and peas into two distinct heaps.
“Thanks again, you’re really a bunch of industrious little guys,” he said fondly. One of the squirrels paused from its work to hop up into his open palm and nudge his thumb, and Hongjoong softly caressed its tiny head in gratitude.
~
Saved by the squirrels yet again, Hongjoong chose to retreat to his hut. It was his comfort place where he could be alone with his thoughts, without anyone to disturb him. He sat down on a rickety stool, the only piece of furniture in the hut, his head buried in his hands.
His mother had always said that he would ride Seonghwa to his first ball like a captain of the royal guard, wearing a suit befitting the occasion. The only thing that had remained of this dream was Seongwha though.
But no, that wasn’t right. He still owned the hazelnuts that Jongho had gifted to him. Smiling fondly, Hongjoong remembered the miraculous hunting outfit that had sprung from the nut, and the encounter with the prince afterwards. What other feats were the magic nuts capable of?
In a sudden fit of inspiration, he got up and opened the basket that stored his meagre belongings. Only two of the three nuts were left now, sitting inconspicuously between his hunting gear.
He picked them up reverently, separating the two and placing one safely back into storage.
Closing his eyes, he held up the other hazelnut and breathed in deeply before dropping it. Please, he thought, I just want to go to the ball. And maybe meet the prince again.
When he opened his eyes again, the nut was gone. In its place laid another pile of fabrics, this time much more luxurious than the hunter’s outfit.
His eyes went wide as he picked up the garment. It was a beautiful white uniform with golden embroidery, a shimmering golden sash draped across the chest. The front closure of the short jacket was asymmetrical, golden metal buttons running down the left side of it.
A sudden neigh coming from outside startled him and his head whipped to the small window. “Seonghwa? What are you doing here,” he exclaimed in bewilderment. His eyes went even wider when he took in the horse’s getup. “And who saddled you?!”
Seonghwa was decked out in a pristine white brocade saddle with golden detailing and a bridle of the same design. It perfectly matched Hongjoong’s outfit, sparkling in the last remaining light of the day.
A uniform fit for a ball, no doubt.
~
The sound of a wooden staff hitting the floor echoed through the palace’s ballroom, followed by noble guests in shining robes being introduced one after the other.
Mingi was bored to death but caught between his parents, with no way out of the gruelling ordeal. He acknowledged the guests with polite nods for the sake of keeping up appearances, his father’s side eye a constant warning.
He knew what was expected of him: Show an interest in the guests, get to know them and ultimately select one of them to become his bride. A shudder went down his back at the thought of it.
”Father, I’m begging you, let us postpone this to next year,” he pleaded quietly, leaning over to reinforce the urgency of his words.
His father looked at his mother in disbelief. “Are you hearing this? And this is supposed to be my successor one day,” he tutted.
The corner of her mouth twitched dangerously. “You couldn’t have found a better timing for your bickering,” she whispered, barely suppressing her displeasure.
Their conversation was disrupted by more announcements of guests and they all composed themselves quickly, giving their greetings to another family.
The king continued when the next opportunity presented itself. ”Did I ever make such a fuss about getting married?”
“You married mother back then, yet I am presented with a horde of strangers,” Mingi retorted.
“Wouldn’t it be better to channel your spirit through dancing?” The queen interrupted.
“I don’t care, show me someone and I'll dance with them,” Mingi snapped. He immediately regretted his choice of words, but it was already too late.
The king gestured towards Yeosang - today’s master of ceremonies - for the music to start and shortly after, the room was filled with the sound of woodwind instruments.
“Go on, just pick anyone. Making them wait is impolite,” Mingi’s father nudged him towards the hopefuls waiting to be chosen for a dance. “The one in the pink dress, maybe?”
“Or how about the young man in the blue suit, over there?” his mother suggested to him in a low voice.
“What does it matter who I choose? I’ll just close my eyes and pick someone at random.” Mingi snarked, just wishing for the ball to be over.
He stepped forward and walked along the line of hopefuls, keeping his eyes closed and stopped in front of a random one. The young woman he’d arrived in front of smiled brightly at having been chosen by the prince, and enthusiastically swept him out onto the dance floor.
Strangely, even when presented with all of these beautiful women and men, his thoughts kept straying back to the encounter with the vexing hunter. If he had been at the ball today, Mingi would not have had any trouble choosing a partner.
Even though his partner was pretty and a talented dancer, she could not keep Mingi’s attention. Instead, he wondered what it would be like to guide the hunter around the room, Mingi’s hand settled securely on his lithe waist. But the man was not in attendance, leaving Mingi to fend on his own.
~
Meanwhile, Hongjoong and Seonghwa had just arrived at the palace. It towered intimidatingly above them, a grand stairway leading up to the forecourt.
Hongjoong hurried across it, stepping up to one of the large windows and peeking inside. Naturally the ball was long underway, many people dancing in rows while others mingled on the sidelines sipping drinks and chatting amongst each other.
He spotted the prince dancing in a throng of people, leading his handsome dance partner through a series of complicated figures. Mingi was wearing a blue and silver doublet over a billowy white silk shirt. His cap, which would have surely been ridiculous on anyone else, only reinforced the prince’s boyish charm. Hongjoong had to admit that he made quite an attractive figure, certainly someone he would like to dance with.
Jealousy stabbed through his heart. He knew he had no right to be feeling this way, but couldn’t suppress his emotional reaction regardless.
On top of that, doubts gnawed at him. Who was he to intrude on this high-class event? These days, Hongjoong was nothing but a simple servant, a lowly country bumpkin without any family apart from a step-father that hated him and a half-brother who was too busy with his own life to care. He would not fit in with the gentlefolk indoors, sticking out like a sore thumb.
Coming here was a mistake, he thought, turning on his heel and walking back down the stairs.
At the foot of it, Seonghwa stood and looked at him accusingly.
Hongjoong petted the horse's neck to soothe himself. “What do you think, should I go back?”
Seonghwa nodded enthusiastically, nudging him forwards. Hongjoong sighed deeply, reluctant to follow through. In an attempt to give himself an out, he began counting down the columns of the stairs’ railing like daisy leaves.
”I’ll do it, I won’t. I’ll do it, I won’t. I’ll do it—“ His hand ended on the last column, sealing his fate. He was about to ignore the outcome, but Seonghwa neighed scoldingly before he could turn around.
Hongjoong hung his head, steeling his nerves. When he looked up again, Seonghwa stared back firmly.
“Don’t be mad, I am going.”
~
Mingi had lost track of how many people he’d danced with during the span of the evening. At some point everything had blurred together into a whirlwind of fabrics and faces, none of which he cared about.
From the corner of his vision he saw San and Yunho dancing with an unknown man in red, looking besotted. At least these two seemed to be having fun.
He excused himself from his current dance partner and returned to his parents, determined not to follow their orders anymore. His father eyed him disapprovingly as he let himself fall into his chair with a huff.
“You’re not out of breath already, are you? I’ll let them play faster if need be—”
“You can play what you want, I am not dancing anymore,” Mingi interrupted, shaking his head.
“Go return,” the king implored him.
“I’d rather chop down trees,” Mingi grumbled, sinking deeper into his chair.
Enraged, his father gestured towards the exit. “I’ll take you by your word. You can start immediately!”
“There you go,” the prince retorted indignantly and began walking towards the door with quick strides. He pushed through the throng of guests on his way out, disrupting dance formations and causing people to stop and stare. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the music stopped playing and a concerned murmur went through the room.
“Good evening, your majesty,” someone behind him said and he whirled around to see who had disturbed him on his way out.
The view of a young man in a white and golden uniform stopped him in his tracks. He stared confusedly at his vis-a-vis, trying to identify the man, but his face was hidden behind a semi-sheer piece of fabric hanging from his tiara like a veil.
He must have just arrived, because Mingi couldn’t recall seeing his outfit earlier.
“Thank you for the friendly greeting,” the stranger continued when Mingi said nothing.
“Well why I did not—” he started, then remembered his manners. “P—Pardon me, you surprised me.”
The stranger tucked a strand of brown hair behind his ear. “And I thought you were walking towards me.”
“On the contrary, I was just about to leave,” Mingi babbled, still on autopilot.
The stranger turned away, something like disappointment slipping into his voice. “Then I probably shouldn’t stop you.”
The prince did a double-take. Had he heard that right? He was suddenly intrigued.
“Um. Actually… why not?” Mingi offered, switching back to his charming persona and curtseying. “Would you like to dance?”
The stranger giggled lightly. “Wouldn’t it be better with music?”
Mingi was so enamoured by the sound that he almost forgot to reply. He looked around him, scrambling to locate Yeosang, and raised his voice. “Huh… why is the music not playing?”
The master of ceremonies gestured towards the musicians and they struck up a new tune. A slow song started playing, the dancers rearranging themselves in pairs.
They curtseyed to each other and Mingi extended his hand for the stranger to take. As they danced, he tried to catch a glimpse of the man’s face, but to no avail. He could only roughly make out facial features under the veil covering his face. Every time it fluttered even slightly from their dancing, the man gracefully held it in place to prevent it from moving too far.
“Who are you?” Mingi asked. He spun the stranger around, delighting in how easily they adapted to each other’s steps.
“Do you want to dance or interrogate me?” The man chuckled, the delightful sound making Mingi’s heart skip a beat.
They swayed with the music for a while, Mingi leading the stranger around him and guiding him into dance figures. He searched the face of his dance partner for clues, seeing only the vague contours of a smile.
“Won’t you finally tell me who you are?”
“Can you not tell?” The stranger twirled around him as if further ensnaring him in his net.
Mingi shook his head, letting his partner sway from side to side. “Out of everyone at this ball, you are the only one who has caught my attention. I want to get to know you and I don’t even know your name.”
“It perplexes me that you would show your interest in someone without even knowing their identity.”
“Then tell me,” Mingi pleaded. “I’m begging you, please, tell me who you are. If you doubt my sincerity, I will do whatever is needed to convince you.”
The stranger halted his steps, hesitating.
Sensing his chance, Mingi pressed on. “Or take off your veil. Isn’t it unfair that you can see my face, yet I can’t see yours?”
There was a lull in conversation when the man turned away slightly. “You are right, your highness, I was unfair to you.” He seemed to be fighting with himself, an inner battle no one but himself was privy to.
Then, the stranger slowly raised his arms. A slight tremble shook his form, a physical symptom of his inner turmoil. His hands grasped the tiara, taking it off his forehead and with it the veil.
The prince gasped when the hunter’s face was revealed.
He recognised him instantly. Ever since the hunt, the man had been a permanent fixture in Mingi’s brain, a character who regularly occupied his thoughts.
There was no way he’d let himself lose the hunter again; not now, when he was right in front of him at the royal ball, which existed for the sole purpose of selecting a match.
“I think I just found my bride,” he blurted out, starstruck. His eyes were fixated on his vis-a-vis, half expecting him to disappear into thin air at any given moment.
“Quiet my prince, they can hear us,” the hunter warned.
“They may all hear it. I want to scream it out into the world, that my head is spinning from joy, that I have fallen in love,” Mingi smiled dopily.
“Did you forget anything by any chance?”
“What do you mean?” Mingi inquired, questioningly furrowing his eyebrows.
“To ask if your feelings are reciprocated.”
Mingi froze, mind whirring at the implication. He hadn’t even considered the interest might not be mutual, but now that the possibility had been pointed out to him, it was suddenly very real.
“You would turn me down?” he asked, genuinely afraid of the answer.
“That would probably be an egregious insolence,” the hunter said, his lips quirking up at the thought.
Mingi couldn’t bear it anymore. “Please answer me. Do you want to marry me?”
“First, I will give you a riddle to solve.” The hunter resumed his movements, pacing around him with deliberate strides as he recited the riddle.
He held up one finger. “The cheeks are stained with ashes but it’s not a chimney sweep.” Another finger was added. “A little hat with feathers, crossbow over the shoulder, but it’s not a hunter.” Finally, he ended with three raised fingers. “Third, a white and golden embroidered uniform for the ball but it’s not a prince, my lord.”
Having completely given up on dancing at this point, Mingi shook his head without a clue. Put on the spot like this, he wasn't able to come up with a satisfactory answer.
“Well… what a pity, as long as you cannot answer my riddle, I will have to take my leave.” And with that the hunter turned around on his heel and ran out.
A confused murmur erupted from the guests. Mingi was rooted to the spot, trying to grasp what had just happened. What on earth was this riddle about?
San and Yunho appeared next to him, almost falling over in their urgency.
“Why is he gone?” San gasped for air, looking thoroughly baffled.
“What happened?” Yunho heaved.
Mingi couldn't even form words to explain the situation to his friends. Without further ado, he spontaneously ran after the hunter, his companions on his coat-tails.
They skittered through the slippery hallways and out into the snowy night, eyes directed ahead in search of the fleeing hunter.
Mingi caught flashes of a cape disappearing around the corner of the stairway.
“Quick, get the horses,” he instructed his friends and made for the stairs.
The hunter was already galloping off on his white stallion, cape fluttering in the wind behind him.
Mingi crouched down to catch his breath. He would not go to sleep tonight until he had found the mysterious man again.
~
Hongjoong arrived back at the hut in a hurry. The three idiots had chased him and Seonghwa through the forest quite persistently before he had managed to finally shake them off.
He collapsed on the stool, heart beating in his throat.
Despite his previously confident attitude, he felt out of his depth. The amount of people at the ball, revealing his identity, and the subsequent confession from the prince had made him panic.
And finally, the proposal! It was all going too fast.
That's why he had come up with the riddle on the spot: to buy himself time. While the prince was pondering over what it could possibly mean, Hongjoong would have time to think.
But now that he sat alone in the little hut, he only felt lost. What should he do?
His eyes caught on the last remaining hazelnut in the basket.
Should he ask the nut for guidance again? Even though it wasn't capable of speech, the messages conveyed by the magic hazelnuts had been very clear the last two times.
He slowly made his way over to the basket, holding up the nut in consideration.
It was the last one. After that, no more gifts would be given, no more clothes provided, and no more fun to be had.
Hongjoong pictured himself going back to his normal life scrubbing kitchen floors, polishing furniture and cleaning windows. Eden would continue to torment him with chores while Wooyoung stood off to the side without a care and received everything that had once been meant for Hongjoong.
Please, magic hazelnut, he thought, tell me what to do.
In a repetition of the last two times, the hazelnut tumbled to the floor, cracking open upon hitting the battered hardwood.
Again, a pile of textiles came out.
He was shocked to discover that the nut had given him two separate suits: white like the uniform, but this time beautifully detailed with subtle silver beading and white trimmings. One of them came with a short jacket that was obviously his size, the other one with a long coat for someone much taller. They looked like something one might wear to a wedding.
At least the nut seemingly had a clear course for Hongjoong’s future in mind.
Sighing, he picked up the jacket to pick at the embroidery. Is that what he should do, just don another elaborate outfit and come running back into Mingi’s waiting arms? If they were even still open for him, after making the prince chase after him again and again.
Would Mingi embrace him, marry him on the spot? Not Hongjoong, but the beautiful mysterious stranger he had played at being. The one who was able to join the royal hunt and attend the grand ball, seduced the prince. The real Hongjoong, the one that scrubbed the floors and swept the chimneys clothed in rags, was no match for his ravishing persona.
Mingi had proposed to that person, the hunter, the dancer at the ball. He still had not recognised that the dirty little prankster he’d met in the forest was the same person. Would Mingi still want him after finding out the truth?
Then again, it was not as if the prince had fallen for something that didn’t exist at all. Hongjoong was the hunter, he’d been the one conversing with Mingi at the ball. They were a part of him; if Hongjoong was honest with himself, Mingi had seemed more impressed with his skill with a crossbow than with any fancy outfit, and had been interested in Hongjoong’s words even when he had not been able to see his face.
Determined, Hongjoong set down the jacket again. Mingi would have to accept him as Hongjoong, with all his facets, or not at all.
~
“Open the gate!”
The sound of three loud hits shook the courtyard of Eden’s estate, ripping the sleeping inhabitants from their slumber.
“Open!”
When Mingi didn’t receive a reply, he banged against the gate of the estate yet again, this time more aggressively. The old wood gave in under the pressure, opening into the courtyard with a crack and letting him and his companions enter. They hurriedly rode inside and jumped off their horses, taking in the place.
People in nightdresses filtered into the courtyard one after another, blinking their eyes in an attempt to focus on the three intruders before them. At the front was a sullen looking man holding a simple lantern to light his path.
“What do you want,” he snapped, threateningly raising a stick.
“We—we came with good intentions,” Mingi assured him, suddenly floundering. He hadn’t actually thought much further ahead than investigating the place that was closest to where they had last seen the hunter before losing him. Now that he was confronted with the consequences of his own actions, it dawned on him that he had no idea on how to actually locate the object of his interest.
“And why?”
Mingi composed himself, putting on what he thought would be the most princely demeanor in this situation. “Who is the master of this house?”
“You’ll find him and his son at the royal ball, they haven’t returned yet,” the man deadpanned. “I’m Jongho, the steward here. What are you looking for?”
“The—the little prince?” The stuttered answer ended up sounding more like a question. Mingi didn’t know what better words to use; If the estate master’s son had not returned from the ball yet, it couldn’t be him.
“Here?!” Jongho snorted disbelievingly.
The assembled crowd laughed among themselves, amused at the thought of a prince living in their midst.
“He was riding towards this estate,” Mingi said indignantly, receiving more laughs from the crowd. “I don’t know if he is a prince but he is little. And I lost him around here.”
“Well, you can certainly have a look at everyone here and see if there is someone who fits your description,” Jongho gestured at the people behind him, causing more laughter.
Mingi seethed with frustration and was about to snap at the steward, but Yunho calmingly put a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s wait until morning. We won’t find him tonight.”
“I need to find him now,” Mingi insisted. “He has disappeared too many times, I can’t take it anymore.”
He turned towards the crowd and addressed them loudly. “I immediately want to see all inhabitants of this estate,” he ordered decidedly.
Jongho raised his eyebrows. “You’re quite entitled, what gives you the right?”
Mingi raised himself up to his full height. “I am your prince! And I demand to be shown everyone who resides here.”
The man he had been talking to visibly suppressed a snort. “I am well aware, your majesty.” Addressing the gathered residents, he said: “You heard the man, he wants to find his little prince! Get everyone up and into the yard.”
“Yes, Jongho,” the crowd chorused and dispersed to find anyone who had not yet been roused from their sleep.
A short while later, Mingi paced down the row of stablemen, laundry maids, and cooks. He checked each face intently in search of a familiar one, but couldn’t recognise anyone. “Is there no one else living here?”
Jongho thought about it for a moment. “Well, there’s also Hongjoong.”
A flicker of hope rekindled in Mingi’s chest. “Hongjoong?”
“Yes of course, Hongjoong,” someone in the crowd exclaimed. “Where has he gone?”
“I haven’t seen him all evening,” another added.
Jongho clapped his hands. “Then go and search for him,” he ordered. “We need him back before Eden returns home, otherwise he’ll get in trouble.”
Mingi briefly wondered what that meant, but the thought was quickly discarded in favour of more urgent matters. At the moment, his best bet was to rely on the steward who knew the estate much better than he did.
“Lead the way.”
They looked everywhere: the kitchen, the stables, and the main house, but there was no trace of Hongjoong. The sun was already rising and Mingi, tired and cranky after a long night, was certainly not in the best condition to continue the search.
Yunho once again proved to be a voice of reason. “We should return home. They must be worried back at the palace.”
Mingi sadly gazed at the floor, all hope lost. But then, a ripple of murmurs went through the crowd. He looked up, following their gazes to the far end of the courtyard.
In the distance, a single figure emerged from the early morning fog. It was a short man dressed in rags, ashes staining his cheeks and hair. As he came closer, Mingi was able to make out his facial features.
“That’s him!” He exclaimed, grabbing San’s arm in excitement. He almost vibrated out of his skin, disbelievingly looking at the man approaching him.
Hongjoong reciprocated the look in a more composed manner, a slight smile playing on his lips. “Did you come to find me?”
Mingi nodded, dumbstruck.
“And can you answer my riddle now?” Hongjoong asked, reciting it anew. “The cheeks are stained with ashes but it’s not a chimney sweep.”
“That—that was you, the brat in the forest.”
Hongjoong nodded and continued. “A little hat with feathers, crossbow over the shoulder, but it’s not a hunter.”
“You are a hunter,” Mingi insisted. “You won the ring, and deservedly so.”
Hongjoong nodded once again, bashful. “Hmhm. A white and golden uniform for the ball, but it’s not a prince, my lord. Who is it?”
“They’re all you!” Mingi couldn’t believe his luck. He got on one knee before Hongjoong, eliciting gasps from the observers who were shocked at seeing the prince lower himself before a scruffy servant. Dirt soiled his pristine clothes, but he didn’t care.
“Will you be mine?” he asked, looking up at the object of his infatuation hopefully. Remembering the words from the ball, he quietly added “If you want me to be yours too.”
To his delight, Hongjoong smiled widely and fell forward to embrace him.
Mingi was overcome with joy, encircling his waist with his hands and lifting him up to twirl him around. The crowd erupted into cheers, throwing their nightcaps into the air and celebrating the new couple.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Mingi beamed. Hongjoong blushed and nodded, then buried his head in Mingi’s coat, embarrassed by the public display of affection.
The prince only pulled him in tighter, gently laying his cheek on Hongjoong’s head.
There were many things they still had to talk about, but in this moment he simply allowed himself to bask in the happiness he felt at finally having found his bridegroom.
~
Hongjoong carefully pulled out of the embrace, meeting his new lover’s eyes. They shone with pure adoration, the display of affection so strong that he almost hid his face in Mingi’s chest again.
Instead, he reached up to cradle the prince’s jaw in his hands. Seeing only blind trust, he decided to disregard the onlookers, getting up on his tiptoes and sealing their lips together in a kiss.
In his mind, he could already imagine them together, leaving the estate behind them. His imagination procured a vision of their future, the two of them riding on Seonghwa in the matching suits the magic hazelnut had gifted to him.
Hongjoong was sitting in front, holding the reins. He felt small and snug in Mingi’s arms, held securely by his husband and free to do whatever he wished.
The morning sun rose above the landscape, lighting the snowy fields beneath with a golden glow. Their future would be bright, he was sure of it.