Minsun found herself thinking about what she should do as she got ready for the day. Her real parents were in the castle, staying not too far from where her room was.
Should I tell them? Minsun wondered to herself. What would I even say? Hi mom?
A soft knock sounded from the door and Minsun went to open it. She wasn't expecting to see Grace there, holding a long black dress.
Grace gave her a soft smile, a soft and comforting one. "Can I come in?"
Minsun nodded, widening the door for her. "Is that dress yours?"
"One of my old ones." Grace said, before passing the dress to her. "But I wanted you to wear it to Haesoo's wedding. Try it on, see if it fits."
Minsun took the dress from Grace's hands, feeling the soft fabric beneath her fingers. She gave Grace a smile before going to try it on, quickly changing into it.
It surprisingly fit perfectly and when Minsun came out, she saw Grace's eyes lit up. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you." Minsun said softly, looking into her mirror. She couldn't help but smile as she saw her reflection, beaming as Grace helped her adjust the dress.
There was still some sort of tension between them though, and Minsun wondered if she should address the fact that she knew about her true parents.
Grace must have been reading her mind, as she gently placed her hand on Minsun's shoulder, staring at both their reflections. "Minsun, can we talk for a bit?"
Minsun nodded her head, guiding Grace to her bed. They each took a seat, Minsun carefully adjusting her dress so she wouldn't ruin it.
"Jungwoo told me that you know." Grace started. "You know who my child is."
"I do." Minsun confirmed quietly, nodding her head. "It's me. I'm your daughter."
Grace hesitantly reached out, testing the waters. When Minsun didn't back away, giving her the silent signal, she opened up her arms, taking Minsun between them as the two of them hugged.
"Minsun, I'm so sorry, I never expected it to come to this." Grace mumbled. Minsun didn't know what to do, sitting there, completely frozen. Should I hug her back?
Before she could, Grace removed herself from Minsun taking deep breaths as she blinked back tears, taking Minsun's hand and holding it between hers.
"Minsun, don't think for a moment that Jungwoo and I don't care about you, alright? I cared for you and wanted the best for you, that's why I gave you to Jisun and Mark. So you could grow into the beautiful young woman you've now become. I could have never provided the fraction of love they gave you, especially not alone and in that frail state." Grace blurted out.
"Is there more?" That was all Minsun could say, looking through her eyelashes. She watched as Grace slowly let go of Minsun's hand, sliding her own two back.
"I feel terrible." Grace whispered, looking down at the floor in front of her. "For keeping it a secret. But this shouldn't have happened. I'm not supposed to be alive right now and Jungwoo shouldn't be either. You should still be happy, never knowing that you weren't theirs."
"That's not what happened though." Minsun said before letting out a deep sigh. I guess I might as well just let it out. "Honestly, I don't know how to feel. I've looked up to you so much, especially growing up with the stories about your life. I've always been compared to you and aspired to be you in every way. Now, hearing that I'm your daughter, I'm just so lost. I don't know if you want me or not since you gave me away but-"
"Oh Minsun, of course I would want you, I always wanted to keep you." Grace exclaimed, turning towards Minsun and staring at her adoringly. "I even considered running away and hiding in Dealain."
"You did?" Grace nodded.
Grace reached out, gently smoothing Minsun's hair. "I've always wanted a child, wanted to give it all my love. I wanted to watch my child grow and find their vare, and spend evenings laughing as they learned to harness their powers for the first time."
"Then why didn't you?" Minsun asked, her voice coming out weak and frail. "Why didn't you run away?"
"Because I had a duty." Grace answered. "To serve Orenda. Look at Mark, he's the great king that united the eight realms. That wouldn't have happened if it were me, I couldn't have done it. Not without Jungwoo."
"You really love him, don't you?" Minsun said, making Grace leave her mouth open. She soon closed it, giggling at the thought.
"I do, it's a little ridiculous. He means so much to me." Grace said before turning towards Minsun. "But you do as well. You're my daughter, that will never change. I will protect you no matter what, that's why I contacted you when I saw your world in danger."
"You did this for me?" Minsun asked, motioning to the room around them. Grace shrugged her shoulders.
"And for the good of Orenda. But mark my words, if anyone lays a finger on you, I can get quite nasty."
It was supposed to be threatening but Minsun found it funny, unable to contain her laugh. Grace only gave her a look of confusion before grinning, and Minsun could tell there was something going on in her head.
"Did you know that your laugh sounds like Jungwoo's?" Grace said once Minsun had calmed down. "You always get compared to me but you resemble your father more than you think."
"I do?" Grace nodded, pulling Minsun up and back to the mirror.
"We have the same passion behind our eyes but your nose and lips are definitely Jungwoo's. You also have his long proportions and not to mention his voluminous hair." Minsun giggled as Grace gently ruffled her hair. "You have no idea how much pride Jungwoo has in his hair."
"I can only imagine." Minsun smiled, guilty of catching Jungwoo fixing his hair more than once. "Are you going to marry him?"
Grace was clearly caught off guard by the question, but hid it quite well. There was little change in her exterior, but when she spoke again, her voice had become lower. "Did you know that we were arguing about that?"
Minsun turned towards her mother, nodding her head. She took Grace's hands, squeezing them. "I think everyone does. Is there a reason you're holding back?"
"Don't get me wrong, I know I want to be with him for the rest of my life, but marriages are a happy thing. I don't want to get married in the middle of trying to find Chanyoung, the future of Orenda is more important than my own personal happiness." Grace told her.
"I see." Minsun said, nodding her head. Even though it was a tough pill to swallow, she did understand the need to make sacrifices for the greater good, and it was clear that Grace was no stranger to this concept.
"I actually came because I had something else to ask you, aside from giving you my dress for the wedding." Grace said, capturing Minsun's attention again. Grace gently placed her hand over Minsun's, taking a deep breath. "If you wouldn't mind, Jungwoo and I would love for the three of us to spend some time together, as a family. I know we haven't been present in your life and nothing could possibly make up for the lost time but we still want to try and do everything that we can."
A small smile spread on Minsun's lips as she nodded her head, wondering the same thought not too long ago.
"I would love that."
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Wholesomeeee~