~In which Nana's past life is explored~
"Hae...Soo?" Shin Na-geum, affectionately nicknamed Nana by her father, innocently questioned. At the age of 16, she was finally of age, and so, in order to expand his connections, her father was setting up a meeting between the two girls. Before Hae Soo had moved to the palace to live with her aunt, his daughter and her were good childhood friends. Unfortunately, time had moved the two apart, and now they couldn't even remember each other's names.
"Yes, darling. She's your friend from when you were little, remember? You two used to cause so much mischief before she moved away. I think it would be a good idea for you to finally visit her, don't you?" He loved his daughter, but really, women were only good for their marriages and he wanted her to get married to the top family in Goryeo: the royal family.
"Are you sure this is appropriate, father? I can't just go visit her out of nowhere, can I?"
"Not to worry, I've arranged everything already. All you have to do is socialize. Be friendly," he gently explained. "Have I ever done you wrong, Nana?"
"Of course not, father. I will follow exactly as you say," this quality of hers, obedience, was what made her his favorite out of his three daughters.
"Alright, you can go. Be ready for tomorrow," he instructed.
"Yes, father," she bowed and left the room.
Early the next day, she was awoken and prepared for her "casual" meeting with her old friend. She was then rushed into an ornate carriage to be taken to the palace; which sounded like a dream until you remembered that the royal family was the bloodiest family in the country.
As she was on her way, she had time to think and let her imagination run wild. It wasn't often that she had time to herself; she was constantly surrounded by maids, tutors, potential suitors. She saw her siblings little considering the large estate and the unofficial competition between them.
She had known for a long time that her father had been setting her up to marry someone that would increase their rank. All of those suitors had just been a way of increasing her value; showing the world that she was worth so much that men couldn't help but chase her. She was known throughout the capital as one of the most eligible women; beautiful, talented, and intelligent. Not to mention the apple of her powerful father's eye.
The carriage stopped, and she was helped down gently. Turning on her charm, she became radiant and confident, a complete opposite of the submissive, quiet, invisible girl she was in front her family. She was led through the gates and to the 8th prince's household, ready to meet the so-called childhood friend that she was sure her father had only remembered because of her newfound connection to the royal family.
The girl was already waiting for her when she arrived at the courtyard, which was absolutely stunning, and she was sitting at an expensive-looking table demurely, conversing with one of her servants. As Nana approached, Hae Soo looked over and bowed her head slightly in greeting, while Nana bowed deeper, giving respect. They sat across from one another, making pleasantries, although it was a bit difficult, given the awkward nature of Hae Soo. She looked confused constantly, and almost unsure of what to do at any moment. Nana was relieved, as this friendship would be easy to initiate if the girl opposite her was this weak. Despite not being an inherently manipulative person, Nana did what she had to do in order to survive in her family, and if that involved catering to her father's every whim to achieve the status of his favorite and thus granting her a better future, then she wouldn't hesitate. She knew she was already leaps and bounds ahead of her sisters if her father had arranged for such a meeting.
"How has life been since we last met, Hae Soo? It must be interesting living in the household of a prince," she led.
"Ah, it..." Hae Soo trailed off, as if searching for something to say, "it's been uneventful. Even after coming here, life has just been carrying on as usual."
"What do you do all day here? Seems like a beautiful place to live," Nana continued.
"It is very beautiful here, almost like another world. It's very...different from where I used to live," Hae Soo gazed at the flowers surrounding them. "Before, I would never have the opportunity to see such things everyday."
"This courtyard is much more pleasant than my own; the flowers here are rare and the birds are wonderful. I wish I could have this sense of peace often," Nana was honest here, she really did enjoy the calm of this place.
"Ah? You should come over more then. We can admire the flowers together, yes?" Hae Soo offered shyly.
"I would love nothing more," Nana smiled warmly. She had achieved her goal.
~
As the two girls, accompanied by their servants, walked down the halls, they chatted more. They had gotten on very well for two friends who had just been reintroduced for the first time in nearly a decade. Hae Soo had decided to walk with her friend to send her off. They came across an intersection where the hallways connected with each other.
"Soo-ah!" Came an excited voice from the conjoined hall. Out came the 10th prince, just as childish as he was rumored to be. The young prince was joined by his half-brothers, 13th and 14th princes. The two were much more calm in comparison, despite their younger ages, but the excitement was clear on their faces when they saw Hae Soo. It was obvious that the girl enjoyed their company as well, judging by the grin on her face.
The two younger brothers, so caught up with the chaotic presence of their older brother (who surely didn't act like it), didn't notice Hae Soo's guest until she was brought to their attention by Hae Soo.
"This is a childhood friend of mine, Shin Na-Geum. She is going to be coming around more often now that we have reestablished contact," she introduced.
"Hello, I am Shin Na-Geum," Nana greeted formally and bowed low. As she looked up, she locked eyes with the 14th prince, who seemed to be quite interested in staring at her. She figured he hadn't had a lot of contact with the outside world and, well, women, considering his royal status and controlling mother.
The 13th elbowed him slyly as Nana pretended not to notice. The 14th coughed to cover up his obvious gaze and looked away, face reddening. The three brothers eventually returned the greeting, leading them all into easy conversation.
"Why don't we walk you two to Miss Na-Geum's carriage?" The 13th, Prince Baek-Ah, volunteered, shooting glances toward his younger 14th, Prince Wang-Jung.
"Oh, you really don't have to do that. I wouldn't want to trouble you," Nana politely declined in a way that made it impossible for them to withdraw their offer.
"It's really no trouble at all," interjected Prince Wang-Jung, louder than intended. Nana smiled at him knowingly as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Alright, then I thank you very much," she bowed slightly and the group made their way down the hall, talking as they walked. They reached their destination fairly quickly, passing the time with jokes and laughter.
Nana, entering her ride, was assisted by none other than Prince Wang-Jung himself, who had hastened to help her up at the ushering of his older brothers.
"Will I get to see you again?" He asked quietly.
"Silly, I'm going to be coming around quite often to visit Hae Soo," she teased him.
"No, I mean-I mean I want to see you."
"I'll be coming even more now that I know you'll be waiting for me," she smiled genuinely and with that, she was off.
~
She was greeted at the door by her brothers. She had seven, three were from her own mother, the other four from two other women that were on good relations with her part of the family.
"So how'd it go?" Asked her concerned Jin.
"Forget that, how was the palace?" Asked her twin Taehyung.
"Was she pretty?" Asked her gentle Hoseok.
She replied to that one, "Yeah, I'll set you guys up." She was met with a lot of "no"s and one tiny "yes!" from the boy in question.
"Wait, wait, wait. I want the real story. Did you meet any of the princes?" Asked her gossip-loving Jimin.
"More like, 'did you meet your future husband?'" Added her too-smart-for-his-own-good Namjoon.
"Future husband?" Asked her calm Yoongi.
"Future husband?" Repeated her youngest brother Jungkook slowly, still thinking about what that entailed.
At this they all looked very intrigued, and by now they had managed to move themselves to the nearest courtyard and sit down around the garden.
She just groaned and tried to ignore them, laying her head in the lap of Taehyung as he stroked her hair.
"Leave me alone. So what if I met my future husband? I'm going to marry eventually," she spoke, eyes closed.
"Not if I can help it," came the reply from each of her brothers, who apparently shared one braincell, at the same time.
"Your use of 'future husband' implies that you have indeed met him. Tell us everything, now," demanded Namjoon.
She rolled her eyes but launched into the story of a long-lost friend, royalty, and whispered flirts, making sure to add every sickening detail, much to the horror of her brothers.
~~~
im so sorry for the long wait, i literally had the worst writer's block ever. i kept opening this and trying to write, and...nothing. i think im back for good this time. i'll even put out another chapter this week to make up for it :)
(P.S. this is my all-time favorite drama so you know i had to write my first au about it)