Another Chance, Time & World

Almost There

Wang Yo, 3rd Prince

It was a pure coincidence. He had been walking away from his favoured pavillion, for once without an escort when he had seen an unusual movement near the pond. The pond that he knew to be near that one's residence. He still did not know what but he had made his way towards the pond. And there he had found a small figure who was sending stones into the water.

What was a child during unattended that too in the palace? No matter it was something that was not appropriate for the palace and he will not stand for any disrespect due to lack of proper conduct. So he had made his way, intending to get the child back to the caretaker and then he will let those fools know their wrongdoing.

"What are you doing here?" he had said as he stood behind the girl, dressed in decent green silk hanbok now that he look at it properly unlike cotton like he had initially thought. At his voice, the girl turned around and he had been hit. Not physically but mentally because of those pair of eyes. That pair of eyes that reminded him of another small child who used to look at him like that. A child that he did not want to remember at all.

"Who are you?" Her voice was small and quiet and only reason he did not immediately strike her for speaking to him in such an informal manner was he knew that a child will not know that faces of royals at least not till they were present more frequently on the royal court and the child was clearly young, just a little older than an infant.

"I am Wang Yo" His name will be enough as the names of royal princes would be something that all noble children will know. He could see the moment, his identity registered inside the child as her eyes widen, and she stood up immediately. Good, at least the girl wasn't a fool.

"Greetings, Hwangjanim. It is a pleasure to meet you. I always wanted to meet you after what I heard about you from others."

Well, unintentionally he had gained a source of information it seemed. His mother will want to know just what the nobles were telling their children about them, and this child's family will be in his debt as soon as he escort her to them.

"And what do others say about me?" And he look at the child for the first time, and noticed some thing that he had missed before. A mask on her face. A mask. Another thing besides the child's eyes that reminded him of that other child.

"That you are scary." So his power was known. "But Omma says that you are just hurt and confused."

Hurt? Confused? Him? Just which family was this child from, that a woman had thought of him as someone that was not sure of his mind. Now it was not only the caretakers that he was interested in. He wishes to personally see the face of this woman.

"Why does she say that I am confused?"

"It is too long for me to remember. But, I know that Appa wish that you were..."

"I was what..."

"I don't really remember. I'm sorry, Your Highness."

It was no use asking a child anyway. He will hear it personally. But the child will be able to give him this answer.

"Who are your parents?" And for the first time, there was a change on the child's face. A hint of fear where before she had on a face of childlike innocence. So this child was from a family that will be in trouble if others learnt about their presence on the palace grounds. "Are you refusing to answer me? You know the punishment for refusing to answer a royal prince do you not?"

The child had looked down at the ground briefly and looked up and there he had seen another face merged with her eyes back then. And when she had given an answer to his question, that had he had gained an informant from an household that he had never thought to actually keep an eye on.