Mina had finally managed to convince her handmaiden to let her walk to breakfast alone. When she reached the grand doors, she hesitated, her hand frozen. Mina finally mustered up the courage to enter, and her older sister bounded up to her, before slowing down.
"Good morning, Mitang!" Sana smiled, delicately taking her hand.
"Good morning." Mina echoed and, just for a moment, she saw Sana's grin falter. She knew it was because of her. She did wish that one day she would be able to smile for her sister, just like she used to.
"Come sit down! I'm starving!" Her sister exclaimed, dragging her to a chair. The younger princess caught her mother's eye as she sat down, and ignored her. As Mina ate, she could feel her parents occasionally throwing glances at her, and Sana probably realised as well because when they finished, she began gently rubbing her thumb on Mina's hand.
"Do you want to go to the gardens?" Sana whispered to her sister when they were out of the room. "Momo can come too, if you want."
Momo was Sana's handmaiden. Unlike Mina's maids, Momo had stayed for ages. She grew up in the palace, her parents working as chefs. Her sister used to work in the palace as well, as a private dance instructor. She felt like the style she was made to teach was too boring, so she moved out, much to everyone's protests. Sana and Momo always treated each other like sisters, and despite Mina being three years younger, she still found a way to fit in.
"Don't you have duties?" Mina asked, interested in this proposal. When Sana placed her index finger over her lips, Mina's sensibleness kicked in. "This is a bad idea. We'll be punished. I'll be punished. Sana, you don't understand, I cannot have that happen to me again, I cannot-"
"You'll be with me. I promise that we won't get caught."
Mina didn't know what to say. Up until she was fourteen, two years ago, she had gone through so much pain that she couldn't imagine reliving, all for punishment and discipline. So why was she allowing herself to be dragged into the gardens by both Sana and Momo?
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"Oh yeah, I've talked to Nayeon. She's nice." Momo commented when they were sitting in a secluded area. They always sat there when they were hiding from responsibilities, as nobody ever entered the space. There was a clear lake, and the sun reflecting made it look crystalised. Sana's head whipped round to Momo's direction.
"Really? Are you sure? Did she listen to any rumors? Does she look like a backstabbing bitc-"
"Calm down, Satang! I just said that she's nice!" Momo interrupted her. "And mind your language, young lady."
"You're one month older than me." Sana frowned, rolling her eyes.
"That month makes all the difference!"
"You girls bicker like toddlers." Mina shook her head, before splashing water from the lake into Momo's face, earning a cry of protest. "And I'm pretty sure you're more worried than I am, Satang."
Sana laid back into the grass. "That's because you've given up!" She cried in frustration. The princess turned to her sister and firmly grabbed her hand. "I want you to believe that someone will want to stick around for you." She planted a quick kiss on her cheek, before standing up and smoothing out her dress, beckoning Momo to follow her. "Because I believe that that someone will come."
And with that, Mina was left alone with her thoughts.
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"You know, Princess, you remind me of a penguin." Nayeon smiled as she brushed out Mina's hair.
"I haven't heard that before." Mina replied, looking up at her handmaid through the mirror of her vanity. That was when she realised she'd never seen such beautiful eyes. Without even noticing it at first, she began to examine Nayeon's face. The princess was memorising ever key feature, almost as though she was scared she would lose them. And maybe she was scared, even though she wouldn't admit it to herself. Maybe it would be nice to have someone stick around, she thought.
"Well it's because you're so adorable!" Nayeon blurted out, before clearing her throat awkwardly. "And I noticed the way you walk. You waddle a little."
"I used to do ballet." Mina pursed her lips together as she recalled the memories. "I stopped when the dance instructor left."
Nayeon stopped doing the princess' hair for a moment as she thought. "Isn't there one now?"
"Yes." Mina nodded. "But he isn't Hana."
"Were you really close?"
Once again, Mina nodded. "When my sister was busy, she'd look after me. I was around her a lot." The princess chuckled, but it was dry, fake, and no smile came with it. "Everyone who spends time around me ends up leaving. I might be cursed."
As she looked into the mirror, she saw Nayeon's hand reaching down to touch her shoulder, and as she waited for the flinch to come, she stayed perfectly still. "What?" She murmured, her eyes wide.
"Yes, Princess?" Nayeon asked, looking at Mina's reflection. The princess shook her head, as if to get something out of her mind.
"It's nothing. Are you finished?" Mina questioned, changing she subject swiftly.
"Yes."
"Good. Thank you." Mina stood up and walked to a cabinet filled with books. She took a golden key, unlocked it, and found what she was apparently searching for. The princess took out a book and handed it to Nayeon.
The handmaiden checked the front cover, and saw words that were familiar to practically anyone.
'Snow White'
"Can you read it for me?" Mina asked, before sitting down in a chair. "Please?"
"Of course, Princess." Nayeon nodded, sitting in the seat beside her. "Do you not like to read?"
Mina simply shook her head, her eyes squeezed shut. Honestly, the handmaiden found this quite a peculiar request. She wasn't surprised she had to read the princess a story, rather, she was surprised she had to read the princess that story. She expected something more mature, but she wasn't complaining, as it gave her a chance to relive childhood memories.
"It was the middle of winter, and the snow-flakes were falling like feathers from the sky, and a Queen sat at her window working, and her embroidery-frame was of ebony." Nayeon began, staring down at the script. The handwriting was intricate, marvellous, and it's not that she expected any less from the royal family, but it seemed almost home-made, in a way. "And as she worked, gazing at times out on the snow, she pricked her finger, and there fell from it three drops of blood on the snow."
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"For they had ready red-hot iron shoes, in which she had to dance in until she fell down dead. The End." She closed the book when she finished, letting out a breath. She hadn't remembered it being so gruesome back when she was a kid. Nayeon was usually told that she was far too queasy for her own good. The princess opened her eyes, that had been closed ever since she began the story.
"Thank you." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her handmaiden bowed down slightly.
"Whatever you need, Princess." She raised her head and flicked through the pages again. "Who wrote this? The handwriting is beautiful."
"Thank you." Mina repeated, and Nayeon looked up at her in confusion. "I wrote that."
"Really? That's impressive." She smiled, and if her eyes weren't fixated on the pages, she would have seen blush creeping up on Mina's cheeks.
"I wrote most of these stories I have in here." The princess gestured to her cabinet. "I needed to practice my handwriting, and I wanted to do it in a way I could at least half enjoy..."
"Why do you love tales like this so much?" Nayeon asked as she put the book back onto the shelf. Just as there were many copies of Snow White, there were also many of Cinderella. Mina seemed to be contemplating whether she wanted to answer that or not.
"I see myself in those stories."
Nayeon didn't look back at the princess. She stayed frozen, staring at the books as she listened to the girl continue.
"I know that Mother and Father don't like me. I've known that for a long time. I just hope that some day, even though it sounds silly, I'll be swept away by my true love." Mina sighed. "Someone who will actually love me, and cherish me."
The princess, for a while, failed to find a suitable explanation for why Nayeon was the only person on her mind as she said this. Mina ended up settling with the idea that it was because she was talking to her handmaiden, and it would be the only option that made sense. She refused to admit to herself that there may be another reason.