.eight.
Minji returned to the general's home with the moon already up above, illuminating the sky. She was soaking wet and shivering from the cold as she walked up the dirt path to the already familiar house, where she had been spending the last couple of days since her accident. She hadn't even bothered to search for the nobles' bathing area and had forgotten to bring her clean clothes to change into. Now she regretted not thinking things through, since she could almost feel a cold sneaking up on her.
The guards let her into the house and greeted her with a friendly, yet confused nod as she passed them. She entered the house, into the living room area to find her sister Soon Deok with one of the princes. He was the one who had pulled Minji off Prince Eun during their fight at the eighth prince's home.
Just as she did earlier, Soon Deok gasped in surprise when she saw her younger sister drenched from head to toe. She got up from her seat, as did the prince, and both walked over to her.
"What happened to you?" She asked with concern.
Minji quickly gave a shake of her head, and raised a hand to stop her sister who took a step towards her. "Don't worry about me, unnie. I'll just change into something warm and I'll be okay."
The prince who was visited, opened his mouth to speak, his expression was one full of amusement as he recalled the events of that day. "You didn't tell your sister about your fight with my hyung?" He chuckled after he spoke, but his words had the opposite effect on Soon Deok.
Her eyes widened in horror, while Minji shot Prince Wang Han a glare.
"You're such a gossip." She blew him a raspberry angrily, causing him to chuckle once again.
He didn't find her to be threatening at all.
"I should go so you two can talk." The prince suggested, gesturing from one of the sisters to the other. He bowed respectfully to excuse himself and Soon Deok saw him off with a friendly wave goodbye of her hand.
The moment he was out the door, her sister turned back towards her. "What was that he said about you fighting Prince Eun?"
"He started it." Minji defended herself with a huff. "He was peeping at one of the servants while she was changing. He needed to be taught a lesson." To this moment, Minji still didn't regret beating him up. She knew that if she had the opportunity to do it once more, she would have taken it.
"Now you've done it, Hak Soon." Soon Deok whined, stomping her foot on the ground in a tantrum.
Minji scoffed at the fact that her sister was so hung up on a guy who acted like a five year old. "You're better off without a guy like him, trust me, unnie."
"But I really like him." Soon Deok argued.
There was a silence in between the two girls. Soon Deok wore a frown on her face and stood there with her shoulders slumped, sulking at her now diminished possibilities with Prince Eun. He never gave her the time of day before, but knowing that she was Hak Soon's sister, there was likely no way that he would pay any attention to her now. All of her hopes and efforts had gone down the drain.
Upon seeing her sister like that, Minji's expression softened. She had only known Soon Deok for a few days, but she already felt that sisterly connection with her. Heaving a sigh, the fourteen year old finally gave in. "Unnie, tell you what. I'll apologize to Prince Shrim--I mean, Prince Eun--and I'll help you get his attention. Just keep him away from me when you guys get married." Minji joked at the last part, although part of her wasn't entirely lying. In the same amount of time that she had known Wang Eun, the two had grown to become sworn enemies of each other.
