pity those who get cut.

“Oh really?? It would normally take a at least a smile for a girl to agree to do that.”

“Give me a smile and I fear I may faint. My delicate womanly sensibilities might not be able to cope, you know. Although, of course, I would be obliged to blame the weather if that were to happen.”

he kicks his bare feet thoughtfully. “they’d be glad.” jae states with confidence. even if their parents wouldn’t, it certainly felt like they would. “at least, they’d be glad if i was gone. i think they’d miss you.” they state, giving a serious nod. they pluck a flower from the grass, a weed, truly. growing like it belonged. like them. they were a weed in their parents garden. pretty enough, but better off plucked and forgotten. out of place. an annoyance to the other flowers. “and i don’t mind. when all this is over i will run away. before they can marry me off and expect me to settle. i’ll never settle and i’ll never get married, either.”

“you’re an idiot.” nari levelled jae a flat look, tossing a handful of grass at jae’s head. certainly their family would have far less tension if they were just normal, and she herself was guilty of thinking similar thoughts at times but they weren’t normal and the thoughts were still ridiculous. in fact, nari thought, they’d probably hurt their parents if the heard them. “father would’ve had you secretly committed or raised in a foreign court or something long ago if loathed your existence that much. being royal does come with its advantages, like an entire team of staff dedicated to making people disappear.” nari stretched, eyes closed in the bliss of unsupervised freedom. “tell me -- where would you go first, then? i’ve decided i might just live here, in this very garden.”

“A current Queen’s advice to a future Queen.”

“ah, queen -- if only that title didn’t come without the strings attached of a husband. i feel like i’ll need much more than one glass of wine to survive an evening.”

❝And what qualifies you to offer this advice?❞

❝You had me at prince.❞ 

I’m sorry for not being very active! Life just got unexpecetedly busy. I’m keen to start some new threads though so please like this post if you want to plot or want a starter! princess of korea / nari’s intro is here.

“we should run away.” jae rolls onto their stomach to stare at their older sister. from anyone else it might have sounded like a joke, but from the younger sibling it was entirely serious. “you, me, yejin. we should run away and never look back. i doubt they’d even notice we were gone.”  they state, eyes shimmering with excitement. and below that, sadness if one looked. jae didn’t wish ill to their parents, but they weren’t meant to be a prince. they weren’t meant to sit still and look nice and be smart. they were meant to run and talk and laugh. they wanted nothing more than to see the world.

if nari could release jae from the bonds of princehood, she would. the eo siblings were as different from one another as korea was from italy, jae most of all. while nari had issues with the restraints her gender placed on her, she was at home in the royal court in a way that jae, she knew, was not. nari closed her eyes, letting her the silence hang in the air as the siblings lay side by side. it was self-centered and shallow, but nari couldn’t stand the idea of running away and not be missed. "not notice we were gone?” nari said wryly, attempting to lighten the bitter mood. “i’m sure father would find his days suddenly very empty without having to tell you off for putting frogs in the tutor’s tea all the time.” 

“it depends…would that please you, little sister ?” he did his best to hide the smirk that hid in his features, it seemed not even the heat could affect her behavior towards him. “i am sure the whole country would be in mourning before forgetting me entirely. some might say you would be the perfect replacement…yet, i imagine mother would have rope prepared to tie our dearest jae down.” the thought brought forth a light chuckle and the prince shook his head at himself. “would you like to put your indifference aside today and enjoy some fruit with me ?”

"immensely, big brother,” she replied solemnly, suppressing the humour in her voice as if they were talking about some important matters of state and not whether or not nari enjoyed seeing her elder brother suffer. there was barely a year between the eldest of the eo siblings; close to twins really than siblings, yet they’d never been close. not like yejin and jae. but then again, they weren’t the crown prince and the eldest daughter. “no,” she smiled wryly, “who could forget korea’s perfect prince? i’m sure the country would be devastated, having to settle for either a woman or a prince chained to the throne. although, jae is a slippery one so at least they would keep the court on their toes? a good monarch cannot be boring, after all. that aside, fruit does sound rather agreeable in this heat -- i suppose you are capable of making good choices sometimes, brother,” she teased, softening at his olive branch. there were bigger problems to focus on than their bickering, she supposed. 

“if trouble is their special talent, then what’s mine? keeping them out of it? i do a terrible job of even that,” yejin joked, flipping onto her back, gaze staring up at the intricate canopy. “he just never saw your true potential, like most of the men in father’s circles. it is unfortunate for them they underestimate you so—imagine what you could if you were given a place there, too!” she frowned. “father would have given jae a lecture and not much else, you know that. instead, he tells you to deal with us. now, the tsar of russia or the king of england…that would be such a great way to begin the talks of an alliance.” try as she might, she couldn’t suppress the giggles that escaped her lips. the image of jae dragging along a sovereign was far too funny despite the serious consequences. “perhaps it’s all grown on the island and that’s how they’ve escaped the famine for the most part? it seems fairly isolated, and it’s far too pretty here to look like it’s been affected like the rest of the world. and i might wear the light blue hanbok? i do adore the color. i guess i could also wear one of the italian gowns—a gesture of acceptance and goodwill, what have you—but do i really have to?” she sat up, lips in a pout. “they’re awfully uncomfortable.”

"imagine being so powerful and busy that you do not even have time to discipline your own child.” the comment was meant to be flippant; a joke. instead, nari heard the trace of bitterness underlying her words. it was the curse of royalty, she knew. for all their power and might and money, time was a luxury. it had bothered nari endlessly growing up -- her father had little use for her until she was old enough to manage her siblings, and her mother spent more time fussing over the crown prince than acknowledging her. being a grown person now though, nari had thought herself past such childish resentments. apparently not. determined to lighten the mood, nari allowed herself to laugh with her little sister at the image of jae dragging a tsar down the corridor. it was funny, she had to admit. also, she wouldn’t put it past jae to do something like that. nari considered her sister. “i don’t quite understand europe’s obsession with corsets -- why on earth would anyone voluntarily choose not to be able to eat or breathe? although, france has some beautiful fabrics. i heard someone say france has the most sought after fashion in all of europe. personally, i think we should show the west the beauty of the hanbok. the west don’t get a monopoly on beauty,” she declared, sitting up on the bed. “your light blue one is stunning. I might wear my dark hanbok with the deep red skirt and flowers on it. i do like making an entrance.”

jae giggled, eyes still focused on the sky. they longed to be a bird. to fly and soar. to never have to come down and deal with rules or countries or borders or marriages. the birds of the air were so free just to exist. how they craved that themself. “i wish we could stay forever.” jae wished. they loved korea. loved the flowering gardens and the clothes and the ease with which they navigated discussions. but here they were freer. here the sun always shone and there were no boundaries save the water.  

“i should like to see the world,” nari admitted, in a whisper so hushed she did not even know if jae heard it. her mother would be aghast at such ambitions. it was bad enough that nari wanted to be in a room with the men, negotiating and plotting and conniving -- it horrified her traditional sensibilities. but to hear that nari wanted to leave home? to leave her family, her tower, her safety net -- while unmarried? it might just kill her poor mother. but the sky was different in every country. no one had ever told nari that there were more stars in the sky than she could ever hope to see from korea, and she wanted to see them all. “i want to go to spain and see its beauty and walk in the waters of the safavid empire and see the stars in norway. i do not think i could bear going home and watching that door close again.”

summer days were both a blessing and curse, for there was always a thin line between being comfortable or uncomfortable. today was paticularly uncomfortable in the stuffy castle, leading the crown prince outside to a veranda and a few staff in tow. he’d requested ice water and fruits, perfect for dining, to cool off in the miserable heat. “is it always this humid here ?” hyunjin mused aloud, in his accented english, while wiping a bit of sweat from his brow. “i feel as though i will melt…weather such as this has me missing joseon.” a hint of laughter was present in his words, he knew full well that returning to his home country would not be possible for quite some time.

“wilting already, brother?” nari glided to where her brother stood, sweltering in the italian heat. nari would’ve loved to say that she was handling the heat better than hyunjin, however even her pride wasn’t immune to the stickiness of summer. particularly when her hanbok had about half a dozen layers of skirts. “what a tragedy it would be for you to melt. i might have to take your place, i can’t see jae sitting on a throne long enough to be crowned.”

“i’m sure your hand is highly sought after.” she tells her, licking her lips and letting forth a laugh. “after all, korea’s isolationism is surely a large portion of why. to lay claim to a woman of beauty and power is much desired, the fact they could bring korea back to the political table even more so.” eser moved closer to her, reaching a hand to brush her hair behind her most recent object of infatuation’s ear.

she studies her face, “you’re smarter than that. beautiful, yes, beyond true comparison. but your eyes hold intellect, and you hold yourself with grace and confidence that come with it.” her eyes are mischievous, “i could court you and allow your ideas to be shared – allow the world to know the brain with the beauty.”

"i know i --,” nari cut herself off, turning sharply to face eser. it had taken a moment to register that eser hadn’t just called her beautiful, but smart. compliments about her beauty were a dime a dozen, but not even did nari’s parents deign to recognise their child’s intelligence. nevertheless, nari wasn’t going to just fall at someone’s feat because they told nari what she already knew. so she composed her face, lifts her chin and allows eser to brush back her hair. “i really ought to be queen,” she hummed, reaching up to trace eser’s fingers in their hair. “oh? and how would you manage that?” 

“Indeed you have utterly good fortune, which has shined upon you due to meeting me. Many women say that but you have the proof.” Francisco chuckled, taking another drag of his cigar. He held the smoke within his lungs for a brief moment before exhaling, grinning over at Nari a moment later. “My flattery is everything, dear princess. You presence too, that is just as lucky.” He winked at her, taking another draw from the cigar before he continued.“My brother could not fix a broken plate, let alone a broken world. He is…eh…how do I put this…” Francisco scratched his chin as he searched for the word, glancing back up when he had it. “Simple. Estúpido.” He gestured with his hands, shrugging a moment later. His personal feelings with his brother was best kept between himself and his sister. The charming smile returned as if on queue, shining brightly. “I do have the pleasure of such lovely company while he is surrounded by many, many old men. Who appears to be the more favoured by our God?” The question held sarcasm once more, arching his eyebrow as he looked at the princess.

Her lavish performance only caused his lips to quirk up slightly, half an amused smile. “Your Highness then.” He dropped into a slight bow, popping up a moment later. It was all for show, as was most formalities within Sardinia. “Ah you too have had your rightful place snatched away. Inheritance is everything.” He glanced out over the scenery, laughing once more at the mention of his sister. “Catalina is the most favoured of my siblings within reason. The only one I can stand. The others….estupido.” Francisco tilted his head, glancing over the Princess for a long moment. It seemed many people felt quite similar to him about the whole situation. “I choose my company with a grain of salt, your highness. Do enjoy your time, you would not like to be returning home too soon. Not that that will be happening. We may be here for months yet.”

“Ah, siblings.” Nari’s lips curled. She often thought the same about her older brother, but maybe that was the bitterness talking. Although, how you could be a good ruler when you’d literally never had to work for a thing in life was beyond her. Francisco pointedly changed the subject, and Nari took the hint. They weren’t here to badmouth their respective, more important brother’s. Plus, Nari knew, it didn’t do well to badmouth one’s own family to foreigners. 

“I know, my destiny has been denied to me. I ought to be Queen of the world. I have the beauty for it and really, isn’t that all that matters in a woman?” she said, voice heavy with mocking. “Well, I can certainly see why. She is the most beautiful, no offence my Lord.” Nari grinned. She considered herself quite fortunate that she got along with Jae and Yejin as well as she did -- royalty had many perks, but it was isolating and she treasured the company of her younger siblings. It probably helped that they weren’t competing over a throne. The Korean line of secession was more than clear. Nari pursed her lips. “As tragic as the circumstances are that led us here, I admit to being content. Maybe the novelty will wear off in a week or two and I’ll be desperate for the comforts of home but,” she shrugged, “for now I learnt so long as one doesn’t bring up politics, it’s like a holiday.” 

“nope, this is my kingdom now!” jae proclaims, their lips curled into a bright grin. they let go of their older sister, spinning in the center with their arms thrown out around them. finally they stumble and stop, giggling as they fall to the ground, where they stay seated, giggling. jae was happy here. happier here in sardinia than he’d ever been back home. he loved korea – he loved his people, his culture. but he hated the repressiveness of their parents. ‘stay quiet, eo jae.’ they said to them. ‘be more like your brothers, eo jae’ they scolded. 

but jae was no made to be quiet. jae was not made to be like their brothers. jae was made to be … jae. they turn their eyes to look up at their sister, patting the ground beside them as they lay back, staring up at the cloud-filled sky. “i love it here, nari.” they confide, quietly.

nari joined her younger sibling on the ground, a bittersweet gnawing at their heart. for her and her younger siblings, this was their first taste at freedom. it was just a tragedy that it came on the back of famine and murder.

“so do i,” they admitted, closing her eyes. “i know we have tutors who tell us things about other countries but it’s not the same as being able to experience it in person. i love home but i’ve met so many people here and learnt so much about the world. also, we got to try pasta -- i cannot believe we were deprived of this all our lives?”