After the presentation day, they started to focus more on studying. Eunkyung had been constantly at Seungmin's house to study Science – as what she said and he couldn't refuse. The princess wouldn't leave unless they got to learn something that day.
However for today, as in Friday, she couldn't make it to his house. Seungmin somehow felt relief. He tried to avoid her especially after she seemingly got close with Jisung again. Maybe keeping a decent distance between himself and her would be the best choice.
He hated seeing her with Jisung, yet he didn't want to break their friendship. After a few weeks of observing, he knew it's hard for Eunkyung to throw her best friend away just by listening to Seungmin's story. It was not fair. Also, Jisung haven't done anything bad towards the princess.
Seungmin thought he was only trying to break them apart. He hated himself for it.
So he tried not to dwell with the problems too much and just look after her from afar, just like what he had done for years.
༆
They got into the car. The king and the queen, four princesses and a driver.
Eunkyung leaned her head to the window. Eunji was facing her while reading the kingdom's history book (yes, she haven't finished it yet due to procrastinating). Next to the sister was Eunsoo who had a calm face on as she looked out to see the road while Eunhee, who sat next to Eunkyung was revising for her exam.
It was boring. Moreover when she had to see Eunji's face for hours of ride.
The last princess stretched after half an hour cramping in the same position. It almost hit Eunhee's face but the older dodged it without looking up. Her eyes were practically glued on the pages. Pursing her lips at the reaction, this time Eunkyung lightly nudged Eunji with her leg.
She looked up, "What?"
"Speak nicely, Eunji." Eunsoo reminded.
The sister sighed while Eunkyung snickered, "Read what you're reading out loud."
"Do you take me as a story teller?"
"It's been a few weeks and you still haven't finished it! Why not read it for me because I have motion sickness." the last princess tilted her head in attempt to be cute while batting her eyelashes. Eunsoo stifled a laugh at her action.
Eunji threw a disgusted look before raising the book to her face level, not wanting to see Eunkyung's face. The youngest huffed. "Eunsoo eonnie,"
"i AsKeD hEr nIcelY bUt sHe woN't dO iT," Eunji mocked her with a tongue sticking out and an eye roll. "That's what every last child tells their mom."
"I did ask nicely."
"How about me reading it for you?" Eunsoo worked as the peacemaker. Eunji immediately handed her the book, not wanting to read for her youngest sister. The eldest flipped through the pages. "Eunji is still stuck at the economy history."
"I'm trying to understand it."
"That's why you shouldn't drop your economy subject." Eunkyung brought her legs on the seat to make herself comfortable. "You're nearly 22."
Eunji crossed her arms, "At least I replaced it with science subjects."
"Science people are so boring."
Hearing that, Eunhee raised her head with a judging look. The youngest child glanced to her book and spotted some chemical reactions. She chuckled nervously.
"Shouldn't Eunsoo eonnie start?"
"Eonnie, no." Eunhee held a hand in front of the eldest and put her book aside. Eunkyung groaned.
"Aw come on! I don't have anywhere to run– no!" the older literally headlock the youngest and chucked a fist on her head. The girl screamed while Eunji enjoyed the scene in front of her.
"You're saying science people are boring when you go to Seungmin's house everyday to learn science."
"I don't! Stupid, it hurts!" she grabbed Eunhee's arm and bit it. Another screaming echoed in the small space.
The ride went from deafening silence to chaos.
Luckily, that didn't last long. Eunsoo pulled Eunhee away and switched places. "Eunhee, you're 20."
"And she's 18." said girl pointed towards the youngest one who had her hair tangled and sticked out on every directions. Her waterfall braids were loosen, destroyed by the one and only Min Eunhee who was known with her role as the peacemaker between Eunkyung and Eunji. Seems like this time Eunji's soul got into her.
"Exactly, she's younger than you so let her be."
"Correction. She's younger than me so I can bully her."
"Since when you're this mean?!" Eunkyung cried at her destroyed hair. "Why don't you just– I don't know show this side to your Minho so he leaves you– ugh my hair!"
Eunji couldn't stop laughing at the too while Eunsoo remained calm. They had more than three hours to arrive so she knew what to do in the meantime; repairing Eunkyung's hair.
A glare was directed to the youngest princess. Eunhee adjusted her dress and hair before returning to her book, acting as if she didn't create a scene just a few minutes ago. "Leave Minho out of this."
"I don't understand what he sees in you." Eunkyung hissed while turning her back on the for Eunsoo to fix her hair.
"I don't recall having feelings or being in a relationship with him," Eunhee shrugged. "If it's because I hang around him a lot, isn't it the same with you and Seungmin?"
"Right," Eunji, who was quiet all the time, leaned her head on the door to see her sister's face with a teasing smile. "You willingly went to Seungmin's house everyday without complaining. That's new."
"Character development." Eunhee teased.
For some reasons, Eunkyung felt her cheeks heating up. Her eyes were glued to the road outside. She could see her reflection on the window with her now half-fixed hair. "We're just studying for exam." she muttered. "And all of you were the one who insisted him on following me. I couldn't do anything, could I?"
Eunji exchanged glances with Eunhee before shrugging. They noticed the changes in her after the incident where Seungmin was shot. Sighing, Eunji spoke up, "Cho Yunseo was it?"
"Why?"
"I wonder why father let him lives here if his clan dangers us," Eunji sighed as she looked out to the window. "And about Jisung, father knows that kid doesn't have familial relationship with Yunseo. It's obvious that they lived together since Jisung was a kid."
"Maybe father has some reasons. Personal reasons, maybe. Guilt?" Eunsoo suggested. "And Jisung doesn't have a family, does he?"
"He doesn't." Eunkyung muttered. She also noticed how Jisung had never let her into his house, same goes to her. They only hung out outside. None of them had entered each others' houses. "But what does Yunseo want? Why all this are happening only now but not long ago?"
As she expected, her sisters didn't have any answers. Her eyes were glued to the window while Eunsoo still fixing her hair. Eunji already had her eyes closed. Eunhee let out a small groan when she got the equation wrong. Eunkyung could see the struggling sister's reflection on the smooth surface.
"I told you science people are boring."
"Shut your mouth before I make you bald."
༆
After the long five hours ride, they finally reached the destination.
It was a relatively big house for a person to live in. A two storey house. The wall was painted in yellow brick with a faded blue roof. There was a huge lawn where some grass monument were trimmed into horses, rabbits and a few cats. As far as Eunkyung remembered, the cat figures were not there the last time she visited her brother. They walked pass the waist-leveled brick gate and saw a gardener trimming flower bushes.
"Your majesty," the gardener bowed. "Prince Yoongi is inside, he anticipates your visit today."
The king nodded curtly while Eunji sent the gardener a friendly wave. Meanwhile Eunhee, she couldn't wait until the door opened, revealing her brother. The princess immediately threw her arms around him, "Oppa!"
The male stumbled a few steps backwards, surprised at the sudden gesture but then his lips curled up into a smile. He softly pat his sister's back and looked at his parents, "Welcome, father, mother."
"My honey," the woman sighed out before engulfing him and Eunhee into a hug. "I missed you so much."
"How are you doing, mother?" the smile didn't wear off as he looked at his family in adoration. Living here without his family members for years was hard for him. When he turned eighteen and graduated high school, he was transferred here with a few royal workers in order to keep him safe. It seems like the king had already seen this coming; the current situation of what's happening.
"Eunkyung!"
Said girl tilted her head in confusion while Yoongi stifled a laugh, "Jeongin spends the night here."
"Good afternoon, Your majesty." the boy bowed before giving a small hand wave to the last princess. Then he turned to Yoongi, "The room is ready."
"Thanks a lot." the male pat his hair fondly. "We have prepared a room for us to discuss about this matter. This way, father, mother."
Before Eunkyung could follow them, Jeongin held her by the wrist. Her cousin dragged her to the kitchen. The girl could only desperately followed her parents disappearing behind the walls with her brother. "Jeongin!"
"I'm baking cookies. Lend me a hand?"
"Bold of you to assume I touch the kitchen's door ever since I moved there." she huffed and looked around. Her sisters were in the living room, doing whoever knows.
The younger guy put her on a stool, "Watch and learn."
༆
"Cho Yunseo appeared in front of Eunkyung awhile ago," the king informed his son who calmly listened to the news. "There must be a reason why he appears to face our family now when all this time he had the chance to. There must be something holding him back."
Yoongi merely nodded, "He lives with Han Jisung. Maybe that kid is the reason why," he assumed. "Do you want me to return to look after Eunkyung, father?"
The king shook his head, "Don't return until I told you so. The guy is on his move yet he is nowhere to be found. I don't want him to find about your whereabouts."
His son took a breath as he leaned his back on the chair. His eyes travelled to the crowns on both his parents' head. "I am confused as to why you don't execute Cho Yunseo yet."
"We cannot do that if he has not done anything, honey." the mother softly told him.
"Is it not obvious of who killed the villagers?"
"You know that too?" the woman's eyebrows furrowed.
He nodded, "Father, mother, you clearly haven't been taking serious attention to them. They are under your kingdom, your ruling. What difference do they have with the people up there that you have to abandon them and live without worries when Yunseo is not attacking you?"
"Don't speak like that, son. You don't live there." the man narrowed his eyes. "There is no solid proof of Yunseo murdering the villagers."
"Again, is it not obvious?"
"Yoongi," the queen tried to stop him but he kept on talking.
"That's why I need to return there, not living in shadows here as if I'm not a royal, or I am a royal but have not done anything that benefits this kingdom. This is not fair, father."
"Cho Yunseo is the original clan of the kingdom, he could do anything to reclaim."
"That's why I say send him away!"
The king slammed his hand against the table when the crowned prince raised his voice. "We don't tolerate with the action of killing without proofs."
"If you were not ignorant, father, you would have knew what the villagers had to face with Yunseo's hands." he opposed, "Or there is something holding you back to from taking his life away."
The king went silent at the assumption. His wife stared at him with concern written all over her face. They exchanged unreadable glances that just confirmed Yoongi's thoughts.
"I'm right, aren't I?"
"Don't speak nonsense." the king interjected with a glare. His attempt to remain calm failed, making Yoongi want to scoff but he still respects his father.
He had the feel he should apologise, but he didn't. The male just kept his mouth shut as his father said, "Return only if I asked. We cannot risk you going there."
Only if he had more power than his father, he would object. For now he could only agree with them and tell his closest sisters without them knowing.
As if something had completely zipped their mouth shut, Eunsoo and Eunhee looked at their brother in confusion and disbelief until Eunhee asked, "So there's something more that we don't know?"
The three of them were in the garden while the others enjoyed the cookies Jeongin baked. All of them knew how close Yoongi is with the two sisters before he left the castle, so there's no suspicion when he asked them to have the evening tea outside. He could just join his family in the house but he needed to share the news with his sisters.
"I need someone to find out," he stated. "If not I'd be here all the time until I'll get crowned and Yunseo would do anything to harm our family when I'm on the way there during the coronation day."
"What Eunsoo eonnie said in the car earlier was true, then. Maybe father doesn't want to do it because of guilt." Eunhee said.
"There's no way to find out." Eunsoo told them.
They let out a sigh of frustration. It was partially true. There's no way their parents will tell them as they had been keeping it for a long time.
Silence engulfed the siblings as they devoured the cookies.
"I can help."
Yoongi almost spilled his tea when hearing a familiar and recognizable voice. Both Eunsoo and Eunhee mentally facepalmed their faces as Eunkyung skipped her way to them with a grin. "What can I do?"
"Were you listening?" her brother asked.
The youngest shrugged, "I just happened to see the butterflies and they brought me here."
"Eunkyung–"
"Maybe if we stop hiding secrets from each other then this can be solved." she interjected Eunhee. When none of them speaks up, the girl slumped her shoulders in disappointment as he took a place next to Yoongi. "Why is everyone hiding secrets from me?"
Again, the wind answered her. It's as if there were some cages plastered on their mouth, refraining from them talking. Eunkyung turned her head to the right, watching as there were birds perching on top of the monuments. The chirping was their company at the moment as if the creatures knew how to cool down the sibling's current not-so-tensed situation.
This will never have an end, would it?
༆
in case if you forgot, the siblings from eldest to youngest are yoongi, eunsoo, eunji, eunhee and eunkyung :)