✓ the hooded princess • kim seungmin

t h r e e

"You're done?" My mom asked when I got up from the seat. I nodded while showing my empty plate. "You ate so little today."

My sisters glanced at me. They nodded, agreeing with her. "Um, bad day." I replied hesitantly. Immediately the look on my mom softened. "Normal bad day at school, it's nothing much."

I picked up my plate and the cup but a maid stopped me. She looked panicked as she took the utensils from my hands. I shook my head but she insisted. I sighed, smiling a bit at her. She bowed and went to the kitchen.

"I'll be going first." I announced and kissed my parents' cheeks. Both of them wished me goodnight while my three sisters just waved. I waved back and left the dining hall.

As soon as I got out I sighed again. This shouldn't affect me that much but I'm really pissed off with what happened this evening. After talking to my first sister she laughed it off and told me to just ignore him. Oh, I am going to ignore him but in an hour I'll be going to the class and meeting him. For some reason I wanted to turn back time so that Han won't tell me that guy is in the same sword fighting class with me.

I locked the bedroom door to get changed. There's a hidden drawer underneath my bed where I keep my fighting uniforms and sword. If you were wondering how I manage to keep it hidden from the maids it's because I don't allow them to get into my room. Unless if I'm with them then I let them in.

Tightening the black mouth veil, I twisted a wooden hanger that's attached to the wall. The wall moved aside, giving me a way to escape for the night.

Exiting the castle, I jogged to Han's house. We were supposed to walk together because it was a routine for us to do so. He kept insisting on doing it because I'm a princess so he wanted to make sure I'm safe. But the thing is, no one knows I'm a princess if I cover my face like this.

He's being paranoid.

"You're early," he said while slowly shutting the door. "Have you eaten?"

I nodded.

"Also, aren't you cold for not wearing something warm?" he asked, his eyes went from down to up with his eyebrows furrowing. "You'll get sick."

"We have the firewood, Han. It will be enough."

"If you say so." he shrugged. I turned around to leave but suddenly I feel a jacket drapped on my shoulders, instantly giving comfortable warmth. I shot him a weird look as he grabbed another jacket on the table with a small smile. "Let's go."

The walk was silent, again. Since yesterday he's not being himself. It's bugging me. Maybe it has something to do with his family but Han being quiet was really a rare occasion. My mouth itched to ask him.

The class went pretty well. I got to fight with the students other than Han. The teacher had asked us to switch partners because we were always seen together. I didn't pay attention to who I'm fighting with until the teacher called out a name.

Kim Seungmin.

If I remember it well, I've never been into a sword fight with him. I recognized some of the students who had defeated me but he wasn't in the list. He got into the circle. The white shirt with black coat he wore shone under the moon. It looks glistening. And the fact that he had a tie tied around his waist made him stand out more. Also, the black handwrap. Why is he wearing such dark clothes at night?

He launched first. His movements were quite predictable. I could say he had no other tricks than what I've seen from other students. In two minutes I managed to stab my sword into his hole handle and pulled it upwards. His grip loosen. The sword went flying over me but I was quick to catch it with one hand.