He Walks Alone in the Moonlight

TO BE A GOOD WIFE

Eunbin knew exactly why she was following Songmin. She also knew that she should not be following him. It was easy to tell which direction the scholar had stormed off in, the snapping of branches and cursing gave him away. The princess touched her cheek gingerly, wincing as she prodded the swollen flesh. No one besides her father had dared to strike her, ever. And she never thought Songmin would, either. But she knew why he'd done it. She'd crossed a boundary that she shouldn't have, that she'd had no right to. They were both prideful people, and just as she didn't want her brother to defend her, Songmin didn't want Eunbin to come to his aide either. She understood it. Why would he want protection from the person being used to ruin his life? And he'd made it abundantly clear where his loyalties lay. Tell the Princess that as of now I am still the Crown Prince's primary advisor and I answer to him. Doyoon was his priority, not her. And that hurt her more than she'd ever admit. Taking a moment to collect herself, the princess fixed her dress, finally noticing the ink staining her hand. She stared at it for a moment, her vision blurring as tears burned her eyes. The black beneath her fingernails and in the creases of her palm reminded her of a precious memory.

~~~~~~~

14 years ago

Eunbin watched her brother from behind one of the pillars lining the crown prince's open-air study hall. Her brother, having just reached his ninth year, would be receiving his tutelage from one of the brightest young scholars attending the state-funded university. Eunbin's studies started 6 years prior, but her learning consisted of needle-point and bookkeeping, not politics or philosophy. So Eunbin had made the decision to spy on her brother's classes in the hopes of gleaning more valuable information. Her focus, however, abruptly shifted when she laid eyes on the young scholar who sat before her brother. Although only one year her senior, the scholar's eyes contained a sharp intelligence that contrasted the remnants of youth visible in his round cheeks. Undeniably, he would grow up to be wickedly handsome. Eunbin had never found herself to be swayed by another's appearance, male or otherwise, valuing internal worth instead. But she could tell this scholar was an intoxicating mixture of knowledge and competence wrapped in the prettiest package. He could be no less than that, to be allowed to study alongside the crown prince of Byulran. Her heartbeat so fiercely she could hear it in her ears, drowning out the words her brother and his tutor exchanged. Her eyes tracked his slender fingers as he traced the pages of an old tome, and a peculiar feeling danced along her spine, causing her to shiver. At some point, Eunbin regained her composure, focusing once again on the lesson. She took mental notes of what books and pages to study, her fingers silently tapping against the pillar in excitement. Just as her legs were becoming numb from standing still for so long, the tutor leaned back, placing the brush down with a soft clack. The lesson had ended, and her brother took off with haste, leaving the tutor to sigh and gather the study materials before chasing after the crown prince. Taking the chance, Eunbin rushed over to the desk, plopping down so fiercely she stirred the loose papers from their rest. Eunbin's hungry eyes scoured the desk, her hands quickly finding a blank sheet of paper to write down her notes on. The princess grabbed the brush the scholar had discarded, her brain trying not to focus on how it was still warm from his hands. Gently biting her bottom lip, Eunbin stared at the paper, wondering where to start. Deciding to first write a list of the texts the scholar had mentioned so she could later find them at the royal library, she reached for the inkpad. It sat at the far end of the table, as her brother had been grinding the stone in boredom during his lesson, so Eunbin had to stretch to reach it, rising to her knees and holding her sleeve back with her free hand. Just as her brush had made contact with the dark liquid, a stern voice sounded behind her.

"What are you doing?" Eunbin yelped, turning so fast she lost her balance, the brush falling to the floor as her hand slammed into the inkstone, splattering ink across the table and up her arm. Eunbin hissed with pain, pulling her stained hand to her chest and cradling it gingerly. Hurried footsteps reminded Eunbin that she had been caught, and she looked up at her witness, mouth open to explain herself. But the words died on her tongue as she saw exactly who had witnessed her rifling through the crown prince's materials. The handsome young scholar looked down at her, and whether his brows were scrunched in confusion or concern, she couldn't quite tell.