In the garden, located in the palace, where it only grows; the flower of dawn. It can heal any kinds of illness, from the mildest to the most severe sickness there is!
And the only thing you'll do to make this antidote work, is to mix the flower petals on a cup of warm water and drink it at one go for it to be effective.
But the legends says, that the flower of dawn should be consumed before an hour after getting it off from its stem, or else it'll be useless.
Or worse! It may lead to the consumer's death. The flower of dawn is very effective yet very dangerous too, if someone consumed it after the given time, it'll be nothing but poisonous.
"Mother.." Momo uttered as she shaked her body back to life.
"A-am i dead?" She asked and Momo just do not know what to do anymore, until a tear escaped her eyes. She needs to call Mina fast, her mother is almost at the peak. She might not last long.
It's been just days since the diagnosis, but the effect is getting extremely worst faster than she could ever imagine.
Momo sighed, "Stay here mother, I'll call Mina. Don't move a muscle.. drink this first and I'll be back." Momo said as she handed out the bamboo filled with water, and helped her to drink it and after that she immidietly ran to reach the palace.
Momo traveled to reach out to Mina, it wasn't really a long walk.. because just a few minutes, she already arrived at the gates of the palace.
"Can i ask for M-Minho?"
Momo asked one of the guards and she almost utter the name wrong.. good thing she acted fast to correct it. She tsked and grits her teeth, that was surely a close one.
The guard approached her, "Minho? The princess's special guard?" The guard asked and Momo simply nodded.
The guard told their leader and sent the message successfully to Mina. And soon enough, Momo saw the sight of Mina heaidng towards her.
"What brings you here?" Mina asked. While silently paying inside her mind that she only wants to hear good news, and no more about her mother's situation.
Momo sighed deeply, and from there.. Mina had predicted it. "It's mother." She uttered.
With a worried face, Mina's heart started to beat in a bad pattern, it's nothing but pumps of worrying and sadness. She quickly hold onto Momo's hand and dragged her to go to her mother as quick as they can.
She couldn't shake the thought off, and her eyes opened wide with grief. "What happened to her?" Mina asked as they're are both running and running out of air as well.
"She's very weak Mina, she's getting weaker day by day."
Momo's explanation stabbed another piercing truth inside her heart. And Mina is on the brink of crying but decides to hide it, and bury the tears deep in. She doesn't want to show her weak side to anyone, especially to her mother.
Her mother deserves the world, and Mina knows that her mother doesn't deserve to see those embarrassing tears. She needs to be tougher than this.
After a lot of running that made their sweat shred, they reached where her mother is.
It was beyond painful, from sight, ears and everything. Mina witnessed how weak her mother is, and heard her short pants too. And it did damage to her being, it sounds very awful. She just want to make it stop.
Laying on the bed, eyes shut and mouth slightly opened, now heavily breathing and holding for dear life.
"Mother!" Mina shouted as she rushed into her mother's side.
"M-mina?" Her mom stuttered, barely opening her eyes to see her worried daughter.
"Mother, please hold on.. I'll get the flower for you. Please mother.. be strong, i just need more time."
Mina pleads and pleads, as if it'll grant her more days to use for her mission.
She caressed her mother's hand, "I don't think i can hold on longer Mina.. just let me be, maybe it's my time." Her mother stated.
And how bad Mina wants to hug her mother to cure, but she ain't no flower.. she can't take the pain her mother has, and only if she could.. she would've done it sooner.
It made her stubborn tears fell off her eyes, she can't hold it any longer, not like this. Her mother is her everything, and whole lot more, but all she can feel right now is sadness. It's taking over her.
"No, no, mother.. wait for me. Give me two days or so. Please mother, for me Please." Mina pleaded again and again.
But despite that, her mother gave her a assuring smile. Like saying it's okay, it's fine, she'll be fine, and she wishes that Mina should too.
If Mina hates for her mother to see her cry like a kid, well it's not that different from her mother. Mother's never wanted theort kids to cry, they would take all the pain just to not see them shed a single tear.
But in this situation, it's the other way around.
Her mother puts her hand on her cheek wiping her tears off, "I'll try Mina.. I'll try." It got delivered like a whisper. And it breaks Mina's heart more, it only proves that her mother is becoming weaker.
"What is your plan now mina?" Momo asked who's just watching two of them from a distance.
"I shall do what's best for mother, I'll take that flower no matter what." Mina said as she clenched her fists, devoted from her plan.
She thought about it many times but this time she's sure of it, she'll make the princess fall for her or at least be close enough to her, just to get access to the flower, so she can heal her mother's fatal sickness.
This is the only plan she could ever think of, her mother is slowly losing its strength and she will not wait any longer for her to lose it all. She needs to do it.
And she will make sure that she'll succeed no matter what, whatever it costs.
She tucked her mother with a blanket and slowly caressed its hair, making the woman fall deeply in sleep.
"Don't you worry mother, I'll give you the flower.. I'll do whatever it takes. Even if i'll have to make the princess fall for me to get it." Mina whispered but loud enough for Momo to hear.
With a frown, Momo shouts "What?!" Mina looked at her immidietly and telling her to shush.
"Mother is sleeping, lower your voice down." Mina said as she stood up and walk towards Momo.
She sensed that she should be explaining this to Momo.
"What do you mean by letting the princess fall for you? Are you insane?" Momo asked and Mina just looked at her straight in her eyes with seriousness.
"If that's the only thing that will cure mother. I'll do it"
"You're crazy! It's the princess we're talking about. How will you make her fall for you? Mina! She's a girl!" Momo shouted again to wake Mina up from her day dreaming.
The idea come up on Mina's head that made her jolted from her slumber. Her mother's condition just wouldn't let her sleep that day. she's thinks it's a bad idea or more like a dumb one, but she'll give it a shot. She's a man in Chaeyoung's eyes afterl all, but she still has her doubts, since Chaeyoung might've prefer a girl over a boy.
"Might as well try, I'll try to make princess Chaeyoung fall in love with me, in that way i can gain access to the garden." Mina whispered, motivating and convincing herself.
No matter the risks or the percentage of it being successful is really low, she'll try it, she wouldn't know if it'll work if she doesn't give it a shot anyways.
Mina sighed, "You don't understand Momo. Not now, but I'll tell you soon." Mina said and went outside.
"Where are you going?" Momo asked and Mina just ignored her and walked away, returning to the palace.
Mina is devastated and will surely do anything just get her mother cured. She couldn't tell Momo about the princess's condition yet. Because first! she promised, and second she doesn't break her promises. Never.
She has a blood of kindness running through her veins. Once she gave her golden promise, she won't ever break it. But now, the situation is different and totally difficult. She needs to get out of her comfort zone and take that flower.
Suddenly she remembered the old days, because she once stole when she was a kid. She stole a bread for her mother and her to eat.
Her mother saw it and gave the bread back to its owner. Her mother punished her for what cruelty she had done. And after that she never stole anything ever again, but not until now.. she'll definitely steal something, and it's more important than just a piece of bread. It's far more valuable.
Mina did arrived at the palace and went straight in, she went to her room and stripped her clothes off and took a warm shower.. and if she could she'll just let all the problem get washed out of her system.
But she can't. It's not that easy.
Honestly, she doesn't know what to do anymore. A second ago she's so sure of making the princess to fall in love with her, but she's fighting with her own thoughts again. It's getting harder as she thinks.
What if the princess finds out what i really am?
What if she despise me after this?
What if the king saw me taking the flower?
A never ending questions circling inside Mina's mind and not planning to stop.
She punched the wall as the water flows down her naked body, she's running out of options, and she knows that this decision is a risky one.
It's a life or death situation.
After minutes, she finally settled down and calmed herself.
Her warm bath finished, and she shrugged all the thoughts off and focused, she knows that she won't complete anything if she just over thinks things.
From all the intense thinking, a knock suddenly bothered her.
"Minho?" She heard after the knock.
"Oh no, now what?" She asked herself as she panicked, her clothes are outside and only a towel is what she got with her. What a stupid move.
"M-my lady? Why?" She stuttered not knowing what to do.
She's already gone crazy, but then.. her heart beats twice as fast whem she heard the door squeek open.
"God, why??" She whispered as she knows that she's in deep deep trouble.
"Are you taking a bath?"
Unaware of the chaos behind the bathroom door, the princess asked very casually. She sat on Mina's bed wandering her eyes around the room.
"Y-yes i am.. my lady." Mina's words became incoherent once again.
She don't know if the princess will wait for her or just leave, but it's better if the princess just leave. Because she will totally get caught if not.
"What do you need my lady?" Mina asked hoping that the princess will go after she gets what she needs.
"I just want to see you, you left me earlier." the princess stated and that is when Mina remembered how she left the princess while they're talking at the garden.
Momo called her, that's why she left. She forgot to tell the princess the reason why she left her behind. And it looks like it's the reason why she's here now.
"It's a friend my lady- My friend called me my lady. It was kind of an emergency.. i apologize for not telling you." Mina said still wearing her deep voice.
"I see, no need to apologize. I understand.. but the thing i don't understand is why are you talking to me while you're inside the bathroom? Aren't you done yet? Because I don't hear any water droplets anymore."
And oh boy.
Mina start trembling due to nervousness, she knows that once she step a foot outside the bathroom.. the princess will know her secret.
And she couldn't let that happen, no, she needs the cure first.
"I-i uhh.. my clothes are outside." Mina stated as she still stuttered with her words.
"Come on, it's not like you haven't saw me butt naked." Chaeyoung said and chuckled between her words.
It was a fun joke, but Mina isn't laughing at that. Her identity is at stake, for God's sake!
"It's not that my lady, i-i uhmm.. I'm shy." Mina burries her teeth on her lower lip.
"I also have what you have Minho, stop being shy. Go and wear your clothes already." Chaeyoung said, eagerly.
Mina has no chance of escaping now. She could feel that the princess is not going away until she goes out of the damn bathroom.
Mina hesitated, but she must get dressed or else the princess might get suspicious of her.
So she wrapped the towel around her whole body making it as tight as she can to not let her chest be too obvious.
She sighed multiple times.
As she open the door she saw Chaeyoung on her bed, sitting. Her back is facing her so she moved quickly to reach her clothes, but before she could even drag them to take it with her inside the bathroom.. Chaeyoung grabbed her arm.
There eyes met, Mina gasps. Chaeyoung intently stare.
It was so fast, Chaeyoung was so fast. Mina was so sure that she grabbed the clothes quickly but Chaeyoung was faster than her.
Mina shook her head furiously, waking herself up, she's being dazed without knowing it.
"M-my lady i need to wear it." Mina grits her teeth as she tried to take her arm off Chaeyoung's grip.
"Why are you so afraid of me? Huh Minho?"
"I'm not afraid my lady, i just need to get dressed." Mina said as she keeps tugging the clothes from the bed, but Chaeyoung's grip is just too strong for her, it's no joke.
"Is that really the reason?" Chaeyoung suspiciously looks at hee from head to toe, still not giving up the clothes.
Those words instantly widened Mina's eyes.
"What do you mean?" She asked and Chaeyoung finally let go of her arm.
Chaeyoung then grabbed a particular clothing beside her.
"Then what's this?"
Chaeyoung showed Mina the cloth that's for hiding her breasts.
Chaeyoung's eyes went dark, it scared the crap out of Mina.
"Why do you have this? Explain." Chaeyoung said with a poker face, Mina can't deny it anymore, she got caught red handed. She should've been more careful.
There was silence, until Chaeyoung asked again.
"Are you a girl?"