Dahyun's POV
Sora and I returned to her cabin to eat after being fed by a series of disasters. I couldn't get the name she had called me earlier today out of my head.
"What's the matter, princess? You seem so silent," the lady inquired, causing me to restore my composure.
"It's nothing, Sora; perhaps I'm simply famished," I replied. Hopefully, that is indeed the situation.
"Well, you're in for a treat today, because I'm going to make the first dish I've learned how to make: vegetable curry."
Once more, vegetables? Since I infiltrated her woodland, Sora had never made a single meat meal.
"Are you a vegetarian or something? How come you never cook anything with meat?" I enquired of Sora.
"I'm not exactly a vegetarian, at least not when it comes to animal meat I can get in the forest; I don't want to kill any of the creatures here just to satisfy my hunger," the guardian replied.
I suppose she has a valid point. She is a forest guardian, not a hunter, and she is here to protect the creatures.
"How about in the village? Presumably you might exchange forest products for meat there as well right?"
"I'm afraid not, princess; I could trade for products and services, but meats aren't permitted to be traded given that they cost more than what I could give," she remarked.
"So you haven't consumed meat since you became the forest's guardian?"
"Precisely," Sora said, looking at me with a dead and expressionless face.
Then there was stillness. To my amazement, it was no awkward silence.
I've realized that Sora and I just had a talk in which she opened up to me regarding an issue personal to her. I grinned at the concept and turned to face her.
Sora must have noticed my glance because she remarked, "Something on your mind yet again, princess?"
"I just realized you told me about your food preferences; that's something about you," I stated.
Sora sighed, as if I'd said something ludicrous "I refuse to say anything about myself, yes, but only I would speak if it's not too important. Food preferences are included, but my personal life is something I am reluctant to share with you."
"Nonetheless, that's a step closer to me getting acquainted with you."
"Whatever you want to say, princess."
---
When Sora and I got back at her cabin, she told me to wait inside while she prepared the food for us, but I insisted on watching her cook.
"Hopefully, you're certain of it. This seems to be a job that a princess isn't obligated to do," Sora scoffs.
"As far as you know, remaining outside the kingdom is equivalent to not having a royal title; after all, what do you consider me? A child?"
"In all honesty, you appear to be one."
Sora's response made me roll my eyes. Despite the fact that I am a young adult, my father regards me as one. And now Sora?
"I apologies I haven't been paying attention to my duties as a royal, and I don't see how I ought to take accountability if my older sibling will inherit the throne before me."
Sora didn't respond for a long since she was building a fire pit in which she would cook our lunch. When she was finished, she turned her head in my direction and responded.
"I'm... curious about how the kingdom's system works in yours; may I ask you to tell me what you do as someone with a royal title?"
"But, let us talk later; I'll finish preparing our meal first."
The abrupt change in tone in her speech surprised me. Sora's voice conveyed a sense of curiosity.
I was smiling at myself. Perhaps this is an opportunity to grow closer to Sora and show her that I am worthy of her trust.
"Gladly," I replied, "let me assist you with our meal so we can pick up the pace."
Although Sora did not respond further, she had allowed me to assist her with the preparation. That's enough for me to realize I could interference with the process.
---
The vegetable curry that Sora and I had been cooking was finished after some time. As well as the rice Sora had prepared ahead of time.
And, yes, I did receive a reprimand from the obnoxious guardian. It's not my fault that practically all of the spices she had on her cabin shelf had the same color scheme.
---
Earlier
This is my third time walking from Sora's cabin to the front of the fire pit because I kept grabbing the incorrect kind of spice for the curry.
This is the first time Sora has ever become annoyed with me, and it is exasperating.
"Curry! The curry powder! That one that you're grasping is turmeric. We're making Vegetable CURRY, not Vegetable TURMERIC!"
The guardian even dared to threaten me with a long, wooden spoon.
"How was I meant to find out, pabo?! They're both yellow! Nearly every of the spices you have are yellow!"
"Pay attention now and allow me to give you an overview of the color of each spice so you obtain the right one," Sora said as she cleared her throat and began telling me how to distinguish each spices' difference.
"Curry powder has a distinctive yellow color. The first one you brought me was ginger powder which a pale yellow, second is coriander powder which has a brownish-yellow green color, and the one you're holding right now is cumin powder which is a brownish-yellow."
All I could hear was the word 'yellow' as my head swirled. This woman had to have been a Michelin-starred cook before becoming a forest guardian. She could tell the difference between the spices based just on their hue, couldn't she?
"I give up, Sora; why weren't these seasoning jars had labeling in the first place?"
"Given that I'd never had difficulty distinguishing each one before," Sora deadpanned, rolling her eyes. "You know what, simply give me the lid for the cauldron from inside the cabin, and I'll take care of the spices."
I returned to the cabin, trailed by Sora.
I took hold of the cauldron's lid and began heading back towards the front of the fire pit, as directed.
Subsequently as expected, I couldn't complete a single chore without making mockery of myself.
I stumbled and fell on my back as I was about to leave the cabin, dumping the lid right next to me.
When I looked up, I noticed Sora sighing at my antics, her palm on her face.
"What am I going to do with you, princess?"
Flashback Ends
---
Fortunately for me, Sora does not appear to be the type of person who would harbor a grudge against someone. Even if it means causing her a headache.
"I appreciate your efforts to assist, princess, but I beg you not to try again."
Ouch.
"Not that I have any intent of doing so when the opportunity arises; receiving criticism just reminded me of my father," I grumbled.
I didn't mean to be a burden on Sora, but I seem to have forgotten that I was a princess who could just direct a servant to do whatever I wanted rather than exerting any effort.
"Seems like the work was delayed rather than completed quickly," Sora remarked before offering me a wooden bowl filled with curry and rice before saying, "Here's your portion."
Sora had been gathering utensils and containers for our meals ever since I arrived in this wilderness. At the very least, even when I irritate her, she takes great care of me.
Sora sat down right next to me, holding another bowl of food, which I didn't see.
Was she finally going to take off her mask and eat in front of me?
"I thought you did not want me to witness your face while you ate?" I inquired.
"You are correct. As to why I would eat while facing the opposite side of where you have your gaze, you will never leave the forest safely and securely if you try to take a peek."
My spine shivered after I heard Sora's threatening phrases. I made a conscious effort to avoid looking in her direction while we ate.
Is this, in retrospect, an indication that she's gradually coming to trust me? That she knows I'll just listen to whatever she tells me to and do it? Hopefully, yes.
After a couple of consumes of her the meal, Sora started to talk, "Based on what you've experienced as a royalty, how does the system work in your kingdom or just inside the castle alone?"
I'm sure she now wants me to discuss my father's role as monarch of our kingdom.
"My father is the ruler as he is the king. He has reasonable rules and regulations within his kingdom, but he does not treat his children fairly. My older brother and I have been more of his inheritors than his children," I declared.
After I told Sora about my father, there was a little pause. To be honest, this was the first time I had ever told anyone about my apprehensions within the castle.
After a brief pause, Sora answered, "Is there a specific explanation why he had been like that to you and your sibling?"
"I'm not certain," I replied, "but I believe it has something to do with my mother leaving our kingdom."
"The queen left the kingdom?" I could hear the guardian's startled tone in her voice.
"She had for many years now. Before she became the queen, she was a commoner, a village merchant. My father had taken a liking to her when he visited the village one time before both I and my brother were even born, and eventually he had decided to marry her, and that's how my mother became the queen."
"Mhm. Go on."
Sora was paying close attention. For some reason, the thought made my heart skip a beat.
"When my brother and I were young, we overheard a dispute between our mother and father, and it turned out that due to the king's duties as the ruler of the kingdom, he had treated my mother poorly as well. The argument continued until their final one, when my father did not intend to call my mother a 'village peasant,' which led to my mother leaving the kingdom for good."
"Your father is cruel; how could he just treat his family poorly and let the queen leave the kingdom?" Sora asked, her voice tinged with wrath. I'm curious why.
"That is something that I couldn't answer since I also do not have a single idea why," I replied.
"The fact that he hasn't looked for you in days tells me that he didn't care about his own family."
Sora's words cut like a dagger. I'm not sure why she's so moved by what I've told her about our kingdom and my father. Maybe she knew who my father was back then.
I chose not to confront the guardian about it. The time to tell does not appear to be at the moment.
"I'm sure my father had already ordered knights and bodyguards to look for me; they just haven't encountered this forest yet," I assured, which didn't seem like the best idea I'd ever had.
"If they spotted you, would you join them or stay here?" Sora asked solemnly.
"I-"
I was at a loss for words. First and foremost, I wanted to gain Sora's trust so that I could safely depart the forest.
But, given that I've been spending more time with Sora and that I've just told her about my issues at the kingdom, a part of me doesn't want to be away from her, which is a perplexing idea.
Still, I decided to answer Sora's question because I knew she was expecting one: "I would, perhaps, go back with them..."
There was a brief moment of silence before I heard Sora scoff.
"I had expected that response from you, and to be honest, you aren't at fault if you're feeling that way about your situation."
I could sense Sora's abrupt change of mood. Is there something I said that she didn't want to perceive?
Sora straightened up and faced me, her mask remaining on the lower half of her face.
"Finish your meal; I'm going to solely guard the forest for a while," Sora muttered as she walked past me, placing her wooden bowl on the ground.
I couldn't say anything to her. What was this sensation? Why do I have the feeling I said something that offended Sora?
My grip on the wooden bowl I was holding became more firm.
"Just who really are you, Sora?"
***
Want to see Sana/Sora's POV in the next chapter? Comment down below!
Also, the design for Sana's character was inspired by this genderbend Sana fanart made by Tofu_bunny20 on twitter:
Make sure to check their acc if you wanted to see more of their masterpiece. Do give them a follow too if you love their fanarts ✨
That's all and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. We're almost at 800 followers! Thanks so much for the support!