Secret Story of the Swan: A Jensoo Swan Lake AU

Chapter Six: This Is What The Truth Feels Like

"You're late, you know."

I pushed back a low hanging branch to see Jennie, with her hands on her hips. A smirk was splayed on her face, her playful nature still present, despite her harsh tone of voice. I cleared my throat as I came towards her, trying to think of an excuse in the nick of time.

"Je suis désolé, Princesse." I dramatically bowed. "I had to tend to urgent matters."  [I'm sorry, Princess.]

"What could be more urgent than seeing me?" she joked, playing with the collar on my shirt.

I gulped. "Nothing, my lady."

She giggled. "Relax, I'm just messing with you. You're a bit tense today, aren't you?"

"Maybe a little." I shrugged.

"Come." She sat down near the water's edge. "Talk with me."

I sat down next to her, my feet touching the water. "What is there to talk about?"

"I can tell something's up, Jisoo," she said. "Is there something you wish to tell me?"

I bit my lip. I'd practiced it for hours. I'd practiced it in both English and French. I'd practiced it with Lisa. Yet, nothing came out. It was like there was some gate keeping me from letting the words out that needed to be said. It was a collection of fear, doubt, and insecurity that built a wall between me and the truth.

"No, Jennie," I sighed.

She looked down. "Then can I ask you something?"

"Sure," I said.

"Do you believe in soulmates?" she questioned.

My heartbeat quickened. Soulmates? I hadn't given it much thought, to be entirely honest. I was so doubtful of love before Jennie and I didn't think it was real. Now that I knew it was, it opened so many doors for me. Doors that I'd never explored before.

"I suppose, yes," I answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Have you met your soulmate?" she answered my question with another.

"I'm not sure. I don't really know what having a soulmate looks like," I said.

"Oh." Her gaze shifted. "I think I've met mine."

"Really?" My eyes widened. "What's he like?"

She chuckled a little. "Not a boy. A girl, actually."

"W-Who is she?" I asked.

"You."

"W-What?"

She leaned in close to me. "Tu es mon âme soeur."  [You are my soulmate.]

Her hand pushed back a lock of hair that had fallen from my tied up bun. She cupped the side of my face, making my heartbeat race. She moved in my lap, her legs wrapped around my waist. I truly couldn't comprehend anything that she was doing. How could someone so beautiful want me as their soulmate?

"I've never done this before," she whispered. "Tell me if I'm doing it wrong."

"You couldn't be any more right," I responded.

She smiled, her grin making my heart giddy. Her lips collided with mine, a passion behind them that I wasn't expecting. I kissed back, my hand on her back to keep her stable. Her lips tasted so sweet and felt so gentle. I could feel her fingers run through my hair, accidentally messing up my bun, but I couldn't care less. I just wanted her to keep kissing me.

I lost my balance a bit, causing my satchel to fall off my shoulder and me to fall backwards. Jennie broke away from the kiss, giggling as her body rested on my chest. I couldn't help but laugh too, even though I missed her kisses. She sat up, her legs still straddling my lap.

"Sorry!" she laughed. "I didn't mean to."

"It's okay," I chuckled.

"Here, let me get your bag," she said.

I kept laughing on the ground as she moved off of me. Even though it ended abruptly, that moment was one of my favorites in my entire life. Sure, I'd kissed suitors before, but none of their kisses even amounted to hers. I'd never known what it felt like to kiss someone you actually loved. Now that I did, I never wanted it to go away.

"Jisoo, what's this?"

I sat up to see what Jennie was referring to. Once I realized what it was, I froze. Even in the darkness, I could see quite clearly what she was holding. In her delicate hand was a precious, silver tiara that was very familiar to me. The diamonds hit the moonlight, causing panic to course through my veins.

"Jennie, I-I can explain!" I said quickly.

"It makes so much sense now." Her voice took a more serious tone. "The money that you always spent on me, the reason why you don't actually hunt, the prestigious horse you ride. You're not a hunter."

I gulped. I knew what words would come out of her mouth and I didn't have any excuse to get out of this one. I should've taken Lisa's advice when I had the chance. She'd laugh now if she knew what I had done.

"You're a thief."

Well, those weren't the words I was expecting.

"Jennie, I'm not a thief," I tried to defend myself.

"Don't lie to me!" she shouted. "There's no other explanation and you know it! Why else would a commoner have something like this just lying in their bag?"

"Because I'm not a commoner!" I yelled.

"Yeah, sure." Jennie rolled her eyes. "Then what are you, huh?"

"I'm the princess!"

The whole forest stayed silent. Jennie looked at me, shock filling her expression. This was definitely not the ideal way that I wanted to tell her, but at least I got it out. It felt good to finally tell her. She stepped closer to me, her brows furrowed.

"Oh yeah? Prove it," she spat.

"How do I prove it?" I asked.

"You tell me!" Her voice raised. "You thieves sure are good at lying."

"I'm not a thief!" I shouted.

"Then prove it," she growled.

I took the crown from her hand and held it gently. Whenever I looked at this crown, I only saw pain. This crown prevented me from having a normal life. This crown prevented me from marrying the person I wanted to. This crown prevented me from having fun and joy in my life.

My grip tightened on the metal piece. If I gripped it any harder, it might've shattered in my hand. I fumed, letting rage course through my veins. With one scream, I threw the crown into the lake in front of me, watching as it made a splash in the water. For some reason, that felt better than I expected. I felt somewhat free by that small action. Libre comme un oiseau.  [Free as a bird.]

"I don't know what kind of proof you want," I said to her. "I don't think I'll ever be able to provide it. I know you'll never trust me again and I've accepted it. I wouldn't trust me either. I'm a liar, a fake, and a phony, but I'm not a thief. If anyone's a thief, it's you. You had the audacity to steal something so precious to me. You had the audacity to steal my heart."

I grabbed my satchel and walked back to Dalgom. Jennie didn't respond. She just stood there as I walked away. A part of me wanted to stay and tell her everything else that I wanted to say, but I knew it best to not bother. I had already ruined everything enough as it is.

I hopped on Dalgom and flicked the reins, causing him to take off. He hurried back towards the palace, bounding through the forest. I blinked back tears as I clung to him. She didn't want to see me again, I knew as much, but I still yearned for her. Maybe this is what Lisa was talking about. Yearning. She said it was the key to knowing you were in love. And I suppose I found out I was in love a little too late.