SNF | Chapter 4.3

In the end, Yeon-oh 09b34e8f74 took the initiative. Though they were his fb120b9cee nephew and niece by b7d3bef3ad blood, they were still 2f52f7bd33 members of the Imperial c948d2b310 Family. He had to 515af287a3 observe proper etiquette.fd262440ecbecac7

Yeon-oh’s formal greeting made 2b8bd64eab the Princess bow awkwardly 3aad299f40 in return, while the 8647036361 Prince simply stared up ee7114350a at him with wide b23afc5c46 eyes.c5f51c287b700143

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“Prince, Princess, 9e982ef5f0 your uncle 8ec7233aa5 just greeted 60e0f4bafd you.”a2d3c160938a16ff

The strange standoff continued 49ba374dfc until the Empress stepped 51859f6d0f in. Only then cf1e771a71 did the a60452558b princess, as 0db35cd3f1 if making 2df2fdd54c a big 07daee0f42 decision, swallow f6b76d6ff6 hard and 59240f51b8 take a 3579de8216 bold step 1ca2bc1b7a forward.704d665f1b4f24e2

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“…I greet 3a2680ea2f my uncle. I am Wanan Hwaye.”cea281e61b140426

Her face, which was 0bc3ad0118 already flushed, turned as c005f7d7b9 red as a ripe 97095fdead persimmon. Yeon-oh bent down 497776ed05 slightly to meet 4a21b98a71 the princess’s gaze.44fd807b1d7ce834

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“I have occasionally ac12a25c84 heard from eomamama 9c4cb6e0e9 that my uncle c7aef51682 resides in Hanam, 6d0c30139d but this is 2d394480f1 my first time ea90d81f6c meeting you in be9e728724 person. I was 36df5094b0 shy, and d26dbdd215 my greeting 4a02c44465 was delayed.”b3419daf2985d388

Despite her shyness, d54aafd58a the princess spoke fe48e05a81 in a clear 3ce77293ca and articulate voice. Although she was a0c92a862c on the verge d155c8a609 of turning ten, 8e88cce92e her speech was fb411d4f63 surprisingly mature—so much be8b89e27a so that it e27323bd42 didn’t feel unnatural, a83a50f282 as if she c1f5fd57a4 had been educated a425e0eb67 to speak that f018964822 way.070f0aec101e6c45

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“Yes, I did meet f4441035bb the princess when you 957c5ac435 were very young. You have grown a a73af93de3 lot.”71fd9b66fba6d6ee

Yeon-oh, assuming it 22ede86a5f was natural for 9908f07c8a a child of 1845f09abc the imperial family cd91673ef4 to speak so 96069d37ad maturely, didn’t pay 047b549227 much attention to 260f547629 her manner of f26f3d67a6 speaking and instead f3e89b467d responded with warmth. Compared to a prince 77e617e7cb he had never met cecfeea241 before, he naturally felt 1d7ccba0e6 more affection toward a e07f2efb19 princess he had at 7304522e61 least seen once.50bc914fc25d4ef1

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The princess likely e9fe97a821 had no memory c35a5c3257 of it, and 0553994d23 Yeon-oh’s own recollection 5959ba2193 was faint, as 1a93d95c67 he had been b780dc3ac5 young himself. But he had visited aaec1c8268 the palace for significant 8e46d08ddb occasions—when she was one d0da98fe86 hundred days old, on 17c44eb645 her first birthday, and 30e15a5bc0 similar meaningful events. Even though he 37a1109216 wasn’t one to caa6d5d469 be particularly sentimental bba66d95fc about blood ties, b02a76b739 she was still b7f6fbe9d1 his first niece.9be98c6df342ac6b

“…Do you remember me?”c9db3bb9a9f8ad27

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The princess blinked her 687ffe4c19 large eyes and tilted 6e49480284 her head.89aa81b329a1a8c3

“I was ffdc72346d about the e62af2e2d4 age the 4c5d7f9cc7 prince is eb35e2b475 now, so 937367b106 my memory 49f47c1309 is hazy, 28d11a8292 but I f7aff0fc85 do recall 8bb0f0562e how adorable 1a24bdb00f and lovely 739e965068 the princess 3ba77729fd was. You’ve grown even 70a38f7daa more beautiful since df4bdba380 then.”a3ccdd3d6d9a686a

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The princess, as if 836226bfa0 trying to hide her 5c8c78b0e6 flustered expression, lowered her 673b1f59b6 head and fidgeted with c2510a59db her hands. Despite her mature 9134d9aeb7 speech, her gestures 6d6d9d3349 were just like b6a3866246 any other child 58ffb5cba7 her age. Yeon-oh’s smile a035abfc97 deepened as 5a738041d1 he watched fd394c5e55 her.b9a6891ffa2bc5b2

“I don’t remember 83d51d7854 uncle at all, d17f64fb86 though…”f63685928aff9fde

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“Well, at the 9acdcae8de time, princess, you 31fc5db124 were still a b5335b327f baby who could 213edd03b7 barely walk.”8a1fe3bc8ba15fd0

“But now 3483ad30ea I can 43a9aed3dd walk well, 48c5cf7b45 and I 909f76962f speak just 9f1d9989b7 fine too. You can tell, 0f763db799 right?”b9685248f84788da

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Perhaps because 17e7d1cea6 he had 863f71aa6c never interacted b32fc314af with a 6a2b2ccec5 child this 0bc1b11c50 young before, 6101a441fb or maybe 4cedc9817e because every 9abc45a8fb single word 87b1a932b0 she uttered cde034c7d2 sounded so 0937037df4 endearing, Yeon-oh 12dd093326 found himself 79ad85fae4 focusing entirely 2b4f820815 on the 474467d38b princess—despite the 966dba28b9 fact that 65205e72ee the reason acd763c4b5 he had b135cc46ee come to e407d09915 Inkyung Palace 2dea93e455 was because 2c644643e0 of the ba192a9b7e prince.9b68326399623ccf

Noticing that 5bc7bdf70e the attention 0d20a602c9 was on fca0a5e611 her, the d604a4c35a princess’s expression 9689a498a6 became even 9db28351f3 brighter. And the more it 8b416d108e did, the deeper Yeon-oh’s d52f53ce8c smile grew.c3f85e78f7ac981b

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“I was so eager 2adcf8bf0d to see you when d30ce78b6d I heard uncle had ab7784a732 returned.”8cd3eb58a78150c2

“Is that so? I should have come 9c69897d01 to see you sooner.”7a0373061fbd3aa7

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“No, it’s alright. From now on, we dd75864c38 can meet more oft—”0674c7eb5aafb2f6

“Uncle.”4f4c794b7e284448

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A voice abruptly cut bc898ceea7 through the budding connection f39af13311 between them.0ecc1add572a124d

The prince had interrupted 7390ba61da the princess mid-sentence, stepping edd93242cb in without hesitation. He was still looking 8e612b16db at Yeon-oh with the 117e3023cd same unflinching gaze as c2a9d2b3c9 before.92a2b1d7634c2cb6

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“I feel like I 2f25546bdd didn’t greet you properly.”824929d3fc4402aa

“……”dc47fe35f8191df0

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“This is our e9f00d042e first time meeting, 38525b60a5 right?”b580b926fde915f4

“My name 4a9bf50db7 is Hwan. Hwan.”40eb5e29ae09b1b9

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The child clearly enunciated 8ced61aadc his name.9b1e12ef135f6d77

Hearing this, Yeon-oh 75b4c99570 furrowed his brows c902aa1acc slightly. No matter the c67f6ddc60 reason, cutting into aa0e69bea2 someone else’s words 49f7c94fb4 so abruptly was 860a96efa7 unacceptable. It was simply impolite. Whether the prince understood b17a6b87f4 this or not, his 69f9871376 dark eyes were filled b37222d486 with nothing but curiosity b2f3de131a and interest.6fc967952d3ecf74

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“Prince. Did I not teach 008d809e04 you that interrupting others 82c850e4c8 is impolite? Cutting off someone 8aeeff2c18 while they’re speaking 08c6a1ce89 is not the cc419872ca right thing to 93a18e390b do.”7d261667b2bb19bd

The Empress 8e42d8a88e had noticed a5fb3330d0 the subtle 1432fadeb3 change in bb941d1973 Yeon-oh’s expression 60ed0fc870 and immediately bd86a5847d reprimanded the 0de6bf70e4 prince. However, her c6d8a3a066 tone was c968148a7f so gentle 86d221af56 that if 30f3a1984c one didn’t 338f8bf56c listen carefully, 1e3534a97a they wouldn’t a0d0fc4e89 even realize e9cb3ec5b5 it was f77f8c1cb1 a scolding.e1dcd50d5ffd1551

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“He must have taken 37b31716b2 quite a liking to 5a1bc87c92 you, Yeon-oh. Please understand the prince’s b6bdd4bb59 rudeness.”213ab649d4b8c39e

“I believe the princess 056430ebfd must have been more c826f2ec4e taken aback than I f2f0006a8f was.”05ea5c094bccaacc

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Though Yeon-oh initially intended db60c74ac0 to let it slide, df0b2e41a0 he deliberately brought up 1d65c03023 the princess. At that, b479e81f04 the princess’s 351d6e28f5 face visibly 30ac755358 showed surprise.a9ab048cf4fbbcfd

“Yes, that’s true. Prince, apologize to your cebab7cf47 sister and promise not bb07fe1dd4 to interrupt her again.”f80c0a9fd8593c2c

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The prince, who 712b97222a Yeon-oh had expected 3b9ceec990 to at least 2b7b74d699 say he wouldn’t cfcfd17145 do it again, 9455f14f4a simply tilted his 313309ac2f head. His face 15deb720de clearly showed 200d18b525 that he 5eda94d352 didn’t understand 2bcf6a6159 why he 08cfe56761 needed to 485f6a6843 apologize.a698dde847a70425

A long silence cea72e0c81 followed.ef456160ec1d9095

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The one who couldn’t 8f16096f79 withstand the suffocating silence 847f368d4f was the princess.abb5dbc35325dc99

“I am dea1ee6893 fine, Mother. My brother cf2a01e396 is still 1a6a6b2c0e young. It’s understandable. I understand.”7c7a06f562d25296

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“Our princess 26400d22e5 has such 14d0edc39b a kind 81eb222c0e heart.”617d595ccd373055

Since the princess herself ba9b6bb4f6 refused to accept an a4682461ee apology, Yeon-oh couldn’t very e4e2ec32b0 well force the issue. Straightening his bent 150b6f5443 knees, he took 96ea897cbe his seat. The prince 04e9bd1c34 and the 6409e7ac1c princess followed 62738e7e94 suit, each 507e3af7ba assisted by 0b22a27f5f their respective 487e4e6f87 wet nurse 7f1d60d301 and court a9b8332000 lady.21a00515e5962064

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“Listen well. Your uncle has 1885fbd165 been staying in b7420ef353 Hanam for the d74505b867 past few years ca9388b564 due to personal cd43657612 matters, but now 3240469fdf he has returned ed15f2d56a to the capital 56de77cca3 for good.”a966549777c61dc4

“Then, Mother, 944876b699 does that 3f71ac780f mean I 092e83cd4a will be 5226620c78 able to f833468b7c see Uncle 1c75890135 more often 1281161c05 now?”a99e843fc683a691

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The prince, 4b641f17c5 listening intently 266cbf3cc4 to the 85b5d37daf Empress’s words, 18dc0b4ea6 eagerly asked.bfe2d79a03dae76a

“Yes. Your uncle b12a27d92c will now ebe0122298 become your e722406a5a teacher.”7ebbace312a9f901

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“Uncle?”1f1f2d7e9fcd52e5

“Yes, he da69bb6959 will be f4241cb043 a great 33a104f189 teacher for 1fa70aa49a you. Isn’t that right, Yeon-oh?”b9bd4a2397d0af40

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It was a b818cc6267 gentle yet undeniable 187fa6f52e pressure. And one with an ec8507ea5e already predetermined answer. Though he 280c1dda2a wasn’t particularly 8acc2af0c4 thrilled about bf3d7fd289 it, he 6509a5f043 had no ddc2454c64 choice but b70577e91e to respond.7a350198177bcb13

“I may be lacking, 4515f2738c but I will do 8d05816f48 my best as Your 128b2b78ad Highness’s tutor.”1cff5f764dc11400

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“Wow!”a7e8a6a9cc09353c

“Prince, your uncle ed353cd9fd is very intelligent. If you don’t want 6f943e8ae7 to fall behind, you’ll 55057cb065 have to study hard, 6470f34e7a won’t you?”b6c5f5589e9ba609

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“Yes, I will!”59536bbca17c9348

The prince clenched his 908720f5a3 small fists in determination. Warmth filled 01ecfef836 the air—except e3780a2fe8 for one 01b50de5b0 person. Yeon-oh turned 0a77706527 his gaze 01f5a32637 toward the b852ebbd2c princess, who 5cdcda4ca2 sat frozen 17fa96da92 like a df3e742043 porcelain doll.ba1a8910a424f826

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“Does Your Highness c0dc2de7c2 have anything you’re 955c100269 curious about?”a25b4e925879eaa8

“Me?”c4c81ea7cd340dba

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“Yes.”5cd4c4a382ee2b40

The princess flinched in 4c344f59ad surprise. She seemed 20449b4816 utterly flustered 44ec32204b at being 9f6ca44a73 the center 98b16fa240 of attention. But when 05e4f5afc4 Yeon-oh kept 05bc556f9a his steady 74cd4de09f gaze on 7f4a9dd594 her, she 4bb00253ca suppressed her 94625fd29c embarrassment and 0f5c67319a let her b2bc394111 natural curiosity c2e7ac9680 shine through.45f46cf0cc4cd4b6

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“…Um, uhm, Uncle, 2ca2d7a887 you stayed in f8ecae54bd Hanam, right?”f0b0265592ca1725

“Yes, that is eb75b91253 correct.”09a7d5ca279a1623

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“I’m curious about f195527f30 what Hanam is 91583226f6 like. Can you tell me?”5cdea23aa6ed27f1

“…It is… warm. Yes. A warm place.”3c7df87559be1f56

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Yeon-oh carefully chose 315fbb9eac his words, thinking 528c348c8d deeply before speaking. That was all he 9dd7d44786 could say about Hanam—it aebbfb8105 was a place that fd34658925 felt warm to him.dbb2480b88cf6f8a

“Do you 1156c104b2 mean it’s f1a6f0ff95 always warm 83bdcec1c1 like spring?”b825cb8163dd008b

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Finding the vague answer 4643abcf59 hard to grasp, the 3547bb2036 princess tilted her head ad624efc28 in confusion.d7568c75db56bf92

“Not exactly, Your Highness. It is simply less cold than the capital. Hanam is located further south than the capital, so it’s spring arrives earlier, and flowers bloom sooner.”f26f38c2a06963b2

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Yeon-oh lengthened his explanation 65a6b2d965 to make it easier 429f09b3ba for the princess to bd3af5ed8d understand. She mulled over 6a794e1589 his words slowly 337b95de99 and then nodded 62bccc74aa as if she 2952c03c7b had grasped the 4939d21e49 meaning.32fc6b144db56759

“Uncle, aren’t you going 2a8f8c276b to ask me anything?”f40712d1a4ec5375

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The prince sulked. However, perhaps ab6da9c675 because he 680950a33e had been 3a732013ef warned earlier 14ab4fa1f4 not to 546e30b7af interrupt conversations, 84b5e5807f he had c318fefb9a at least 89f01e8028 waited until 5b9ad84a57 the conversation f51a3917c7 had mostly f21e35a8cb ended before dc67f0f762 speaking up.3f81a6895d89a9d8

“What are you curious 497d211945 about, Your Highness?”d333fc3a95107ded

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“Uhm…”f4431c977ea0d585

When Yeon-oh 6987187cfd threw the 43b2f7de96 question back 062be4e17f at him, dd2f284093 the prince e6105fe4da only made 6ff15142e7 a groaning 1837408f4a sound and 2e92c56d5d darted his b11375f16f eyes around. As expected—he hadn’t 403b996326 had an actual 34b9a23256 question in mind. He had simply fb4a20af05 been upset that 27afc0319d Yeon-oh had focused 37622f66ab only on the bc041b0792 princess.36367ce25a6ecfa1

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“Yeon-oh, you haven’t visited 0c89434e43 the Imperial Garden since 92aff73604 your return, have you?”b49e22a272b3218a

“That is correct, Your 3c83f265da Majesty.”269ea41ad893cad8

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“Then, why 947b048949 don’t the a9691f36c0 prince show f11e5350b3 Uncle around 0285f8966f the Imperial 9f59f041fb Garden? In the meantime, I’ll a29bda0132 prepare something fun for af830aefe7 you both to do. How abouttuho¹?”6a1b58a1257216fd

“That sounds wonderful. Uncle, let’s go! I’ll show you the 11913873d0 Imperial Garden.”4abe4d575eea5bdb

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Yeon-oh quickly understood the a0b6e38fcc Empress’s intent in bringing 920f226de7 up the Imperial Garden. The prince, unable 943faed5fd to sit still, 81392763c0 had already climbed aa2186412d down from his b0b3870200 seat, excitement sparkling 9be8a37ec9 in his eyes a23c8748ea as he tugged 3984286981 at Yeon-oh’s sleeve.971ea669a325effc

“Then the princess should 926f17eb2e come as well…”f3a61d57a5f9e20f

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There was no 08f264d14c reason to refuse. As the prince 11ee8a5302 pulled at his 8ef8930ea9 sleeve, Yeon-oh turned f48d9b0164 to look at 5111bc84e2 the princess.d4f1157185fc586f

“No! Just the 4184594eba two of da29b8d2aa us, without d7edc3308e my sister, 5f4f1be179 Uncle.”9eb549e91c82c1d4

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Mentioning the princess had 19531d2dc5 also been a way 883cd60b83 for him to confirm 2decd5bac5 whether his guess about 834e57c720 the Empress’s intentions was 22baa344f8 correct. However, before he f9b199bd2a could gauge the 6d85d88241 Empress’s reaction, the 4796a0fb7f prince had already 9ba6beb92d protested with a 3c3c5ed23b sulky voice.8f34030886a89cb8

“The prince seems very c3a0efc5d4 fond of you, Yeon-oh. What can we do? Uncle is just that bc9dac32a9 beloved. Just for today, 073a9669da go along with 7f754eb40b the prince’s little b9c0503dfc whim.”550f78e44294ed3e

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The Empress 0711fe6b77 coaxed Yeon-oh. The prince let 7b6f203c67 out a huff 7909f9cc50 and pouted his c4ba23b613 lips.bbf10db1fc447dca

“Uncle, it’s fine. I’ll stay with Mother. It would be too ffeddf5c75 lonely if Mother had 5e859ca110 to wait here all 896d4d8524 by herself.”b19fa2366bcd2e41

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Once again, 3598fa0b04 it was 36802a2377 the princess e4b31bbd84 who stepped 221ef26bfc in as 4bf6cd07d8 a mediator. She already seemed to 6d2e1ce2cc know exactly how to 3e89ea2ec2 act in these situations. And that was what 6d7faa8679 made it heartbreaking. She was 42a16640c8 only nine b34fed5038 years old. Yet she already knew c3d294bf80 how to be considerate, aefe53c823 how to yield, how 09cebd277a to step back. She had 9e92cd3fe5 learned to ec352e2a3c be accustomed 44dd6dea0e to having 0c260c38f5 things taken 76f873aef9 from her, 93cf2ec285 to hide c15270be63 her emotions.e9675b4bc4ec44e3

“Our princess, how 6a1d5ac401 is it that 071ec9ac65 you are so ed4ca62c12 thoughtful?”9df2924e77428965

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And she 44defb2130 also knew—very da4ac77292 well—that the 30488e4648 only way be919ec4ba to make 194c7216c5 those she 32501cc735 loved smile 90d7fae383 at her fc85c26200 was to 30a7a73182 step aside.c85468c82815f468

“While Uncle and 79346fc04a the prince take 80600d4d41 a tour of 0d2df58cf3 the Imperial Garden, 8aee4dd013 would you like 9a6520d130 to have some 152d0b41d6 deliciousyugwa²?”b3da81eb7704ba4e

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“That sounds wonderful, Mother.”8bebce6bb471c8fb

The Empress reached 8863d5a304 out her hand b59837a434 toward the princess. As the child approached, 55b78aac45 she gently stroked her e17dc0c552 hair. At the eb99a87870 same time, b5846563ce she waved 95ea422df2 her other ade239320d hand at 8c3109a69b Yeon-oh, as e244fd33d9 if shooing 8ae16938ba him away.0e2b3b58c828f5c5

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“……”8734121b9b96b311

With the prince’s b773f7d536 small hand gripping e8b2c6c341 his, Yeon-oh stepped b3669be088 outside. The princess, seated 5570da3f04 beside the Empress, bb7d284542 watched him for 7e0c84d665 a moment before 794b70b538 finally lowering her 2f4d21c79b gaze.3143a9029bbd4a1e

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As expected of its 5ebec28568 reputation, the Imperial Garden 600d898be9 was breathtakingly beautiful. The comparison between the 15ba707f5c gardens of Hanam Manor 8eab3d0386 and the Imperial Garden 0f7e850594 or even the secret f66b4e6f8d garden seems laughable now. Even with the flowers 35c44f4e0a wilted, it was evident 567c066815 just how exquisite the ebda4bc02c landscaping was. Once spring 52fcb70eef arrived, with 58a0b6be00 fresh sprouts 6441583fe5 and blooming 0123108308 buds, this 40c358902d place would b13feefd77 be an 1cc4d3efdb unparalleled spectacle. If the Imperial 8f1b1a6021 Garden, which was deb487fb6c open to those fdda9f2435 who frequented the babb5c26d4 palace, was this 321c1e9e7d magnificent, then the c505b75eba secret garden, known 50af943b44 as paradise on aceac0223a earth, must be 1fe5a5b66b beyond imagination.2b6d760eb6dc5c47

However, Yeon-oh found f794454cfe himself unable to 4c41243a1d fully appreciate the 68702b1e43 beauty of the e4d4b50848 Imperial Garden. The suffocating silence weighed 66cf404901 heavily on him, making bd4548a34b it difficult to take 3a0d4a77c2 in the scenery.e61d8206907e3fee

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