promise ↜ ljn

♕ nineteen

The next few days, the queen felt as if she was going through a heartbreak. She was well aware Jeno was supposedly to depart tomorrow but the young prince seemed to be hiding something else from her.

Haneul wasn't trying to be clingy, she gave him a lot of space as she needed to clear her mind as well. However, even so, he was acting oddly around her.

Jeno stared at the piece of cloth in his hand. The handkerchief with his name and Haneul's written on it. A cloth that held so many memories he would want to remember forever. The prince never brought the handkerchief with him before. He made sure to keep it safe in his chamber.

However, now was different. There was a possibility that he might not return. He was afraid that he might forget so he needed to bring something to remember. Remember her, he thought to himself. He found himself chuckling, how could he forget her?

"What are you hiding from me?" Haneul bursted into the sparring room and found that Jeno was the only one in there. Lucky for her, the two of them could have a proper conversation now. Jeno looked at her, slightly surprised by her sudden outburst as Haneul was known to always keep her composure.

"What is there for me to hide?" Jeno replied with a question, which ticked her off. He kept the handkerchief in his pocket before turning around. "You said you were leaving tomorrow, why are you all dressed up now?" Haneul crossed her arms. She overheard some knights saying the same thing, departure due to sunset.

The young prince looked away for a while. Guilty? She couldn't know. "You're in a rush, why?" The girl continued to ask out of curiosity but it sounded as if she was pushing him. "We haven't spoken in days, you act on your own and now you're leaving so soon. Did I anger you?" The questions kept coming and Haneul didn't even realised she had stepped closer to the male.

"What on earth is going on in your mind?" She braved herself to bring up a hand to touch his cheek. At the warm touch, Jeno's heart melted. The sole reason why he had been avoiding her was because he had a hard time to leave her behind. Jeno needed to straighten up his focus to leave but it seemed impossible now.

"I opposed your departure so many times, but I cannot control you. Please, just stay for a day." Haneul brought up another hand and held his face but the male wasn't looking at her yet. Jeno held both of her hands on each side of his cheeks before he finally made eye contact with her.

This time, he could feel his heart breaking as it would be truly hard for him to leave. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in for a kiss, the last one. It was a whole different scenario, they were supposed to feel different but it was as if nothing changed. The two still shared the same fondness.

The kiss felt like it was their first time, as if nothing changed. As if they were still princess and prince who were foolishly in love. Or rather, the two was doing great at hiding their true worries.

As they pulled away, Jeno planned on leaving immediately but he noticed the gems on her ears. She pierced her ears, just for him to see. Unknowingly, Jeno touched one of the earrings.

"Push forward, leave everything and never look back."

He whispered. Both of them kept quiet afterwards. They knew the words so well, Haneul told him so for him to brave himself and leave. For Jeno to make a change if necessary and now, he was telling her the same thing.

They had words unspoken, both too afraid to know the truth yet the lies they told were not comforting at all. Haneul could already tell that he was planning to do something she would not agree, and he would do it alone. The thought of it brought tears to her eyes, but she dared not to cry.

"I promise we'll never change." He caressed her cheek with his thumb. "I promise." Haneul repeated after him. As they made eye contact, Jeno knew it was his cue to leave and reluctantly, he forced himself to let go.

The queen had quick reflexes, she ended up clutching his jacket, still unprepared to watch him go. However, Jeno didn't look back at her. He lightly pulled her hands away from him and left through the door without another word. Haneul could do nothing but watch him leave.

As his back disappeared from her sight, the tears finally came to her. The queen found herself sobbing on her own. She had never felt such heartbreak, such wreckage in her soul. Haneul thought of crying her heart out, but this was her last chance to see him. Even if Jeno refused to look at her, Haneul wanted to see the last bits of him until the end.

She ran out of the room and arrive to the palace's front doors only to find Jeno walking into a carriage. They only had a brief eye contact, but it felt like an eternity. None of them spoke but it was as if they were communicating. Haneul wished for him the best and he assured her he'd be fine.

The queen tried to hide her tears but she couldn't and as soon as the carriage left, Haneul watched as the love of her life disappeared. Her feet stayed glued to the ground until the carriage wasn't in sight anymore and Haneul finally dropped to the ground.

Lula held onto the queen tightly as the young queen finally cried her heart out into the arms of someone she trusted so well. The court lady wasn't aware of what was happening but she could already guess as she was the one who raised the queen. Like a mother, she felt truly sad for Haneul.

〚 王 〛
🐾 hold on tight people
tissues and tears party is about to begin!