When the sole heir to the kingdom refused to become King, political conflict within the palace began.
Accusations of slander, treason, bloodshed--all were done to get rid of the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince's plan for survival did not include fa...
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The sun was just showing its glimmer when your group slowed down. As you said before leaving, your group had arrived at the first stop just before sunrise. There is a lake near the area--which beauty cannot be seen yet due to the lack of light. Later, when morning arrives, sunlight will twinkle on the surface of the water.
The four of you let the horses rest near the lake, where the grass is the most lush and so they can get a supply of water from the lake if they want. Then, all of you sat together in a group, leaning against a tree trunk to rest for a bit. Accompanied by the sound of leaves rustling softly in the wind.
"Gosh, my back." Dokyeom groaned in relief when he felt something finally supporting his back.
"It's my eyes for me-- Gahh, so dry." Jisoo blinked several times, then closing his eyes while sitting next to Dokyeom.
"Hang in there. We're not even halfway there yet," You added with a soft chuckle, "It's wise to sleep whenever you have time, even if only for a bit."
"I will definitely fall asleep any second now." Mingyu also let out a small groan as he rest his back against the tree.
"So, where are we heading once morning comes?" Asked Dokyeom while giving his left shoulder a massage.
"We'll pass through Solun, they other gate leads to where the coast is. After that we'll just follow it until we find the village."
"Ocean, huh." Mingyu hummed to himself.
"Is something the matter?" You asked him.
"He likes it." Jisoo added in, "The ocean. Right?" He asked to Mingyu.
Mingyu just smile as he closes his eyes. No words were spoken but from his smile you could tell that Jisoo was right. It seemed like he couldn't wait to see the beauty of the ocean.
Not long after, soft snoring was heard. Looking to the left, the other three men were already fast asleep. Unlike you who are still wide awake. Obviously you're tired too, your eyes feel heavy, but somehow you don't feel relaxed enough to fall asleep. Not to mention the temperature felt colder than usual. Even though you had rubbed your palms for a while, the warm feeling never came. With a sigh, you decided to move away a bit to distract yourself from the cold without disturbing them.
Once in a while, while walking towards the lake, you pick up small pebbles from the ground so that later you can throw them one by one into the lake. You remember being told by the Solun people you met that the name of the lake was the Lake of Reflection--it is said that Solun people often come there if they need time to reflect alone, the water is clear like glass reflecting their faces.
Staring at the face displayed on the surface of the calm water, you see the figure of yourself back when you were just a child. The figure who couldn't do anything when your mother lay sick years ago, when she had to die alone, when she finally left you alone--It all happened while your father was carrying out palace duties. Now, when you look at your grown up self, you don't understand why you chose to follow in your father's footsteps. Even though at that time you really hated it.
