SNF | Chapter 4.3

In the end, 6b281e7632 Yeon-oh took the f2d51fa7cb initiative. Though they 82a95827e4 were his 70edcd3ded nephew and 7d60e8b9b8 niece by d0d30ec08f blood, they 774abc5d98 were still 611bb842cd members of fa266ae724 the Imperial 52d263c1cc Family. He had to 3e34160c34 observe proper etiquette.071898e182c52275

Yeon-oh’s formal greeting made fedf4106f7 the Princess bow awkwardly eb2b1a253d in return, while the 507b0eafb2 Prince simply stared up c90962dc5f at him with wide c02c49d0ee eyes.c84f35130aadad70

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“Prince, Princess, your 3d2fc238e9 uncle just greeted 7c4d556ffc you.”b796ba6b14080100

The strange b823c22729 standoff continued 1f4ecabb02 until the 6d1e67f1ec Empress stepped 1ca4bb43d3 in. Only then c4f4bca762 did the fc14716998 princess, as 8479c11229 if making 72cef65ecc a big cf715a99f6 decision, swallow 7ef24b46fd hard and ff82631cbe take a 0ddcbcb052 bold step c6d6ffbca6 forward.9b5499d272e61fbd

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“…I greet my 5b5efd2b7e uncle. I am Wanan 7625cf69e1 Hwaye.”307c493915a3392e

Her face, ec3a22565e which was 8e11c1c5b2 already flushed, 1090a0bbab turned as 3aedf20c35 red as cf573401f7 a ripe 8579534699 persimmon. Yeon-oh bent down slightly 603a335102 to meet the princess’s c11e844988 gaze.bff1a09866f0aa1a

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“I have occasionally heard 62ad84c863 from eomamama that my 4dcae7f721 uncle resides in Hanam, de84f1eb39 but this is my 6b9505fb18 first time meeting you 015881844e in person. I was shy, and 0af15e51cd my greeting was delayed.”eb096dc688c262d1

Despite her shyness, the de6512b22b princess spoke in a 66e65e5bd5 clear and articulate voice. Although she was on d533f08d34 the verge of turning 12f3c63891 ten, her speech was 24eb15e569 surprisingly mature—so much so 6f5cadff4b that it didn’t feel bbd6360b60 unnatural, as if she 9f2816277e had been educated to 354ba60b08 speak that way.81a6a74951514478

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“Yes, I 2eb61fd58f did meet 240a85821a the princess 04d13156b3 when you e4b13ab70b were very 018f88d259 young. You have edd84808e8 grown a c71de85d18 lot.”af57f21bedd88ee9

Yeon-oh, assuming it c884be9634 was natural for df61f6ec74 a child of 5a035060bf the imperial family bcc5f8f21e to speak so 6596c41d45 maturely, didn’t pay 14261207d1 much attention to 9ee00ae83e her manner of 13180b078b speaking and instead dc2f2a4aa9 responded with warmth. Compared to 2090730b6f a prince be6bc8ae33 he had 688d6c00c3 never met 1acc2d1347 before, he 1c3e7cd691 naturally felt c1f8e8d369 more affection b6184eed87 toward a c10f4c0d43 princess he c4631bc9fd had at 096f0e6d14 least seen 86791413a8 once.07f6570c7ce8d699

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The princess likely 0d2e23720a had no memory 8f8cb11615 of it, and 3f147863e8 Yeon-oh’s own recollection 4920268cd9 was faint, as efd5fd73dd he had been f5b223450a young himself. But he db2168aacb had visited dcdb43db2e the palace 33b49be1b4 for significant 63dc9c2bcb occasions—when she 5265ba9287 was one 56e276b6d6 hundred days 3981244c0c old, on af6b333c40 her first 7772283a4b birthday, and 13adbb6504 similar meaningful 051fda9889 events. Even though he wasn’t 210020f8ff one to be particularly 844bde234d sentimental about blood ties, 06ea3dc300 she was still his 4cbb11a46e first niece.7b076cba04924c91

“…Do you b2bbc25466 remember me?”7bdaf229f08a2153

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The princess blinked d89f8ac9d8 her large eyes 9004b886a8 and tilted her 8836b4f9bb head.598332b2f0563904

“I was 7fcb5b255e about the c8277f7e90 age the f05ec1b786 prince is 618ebbb87f now, so dcc65b1e23 my memory c029e806bc is hazy, 93fcbff7b0 but I 4ef2265030 do recall 058c9d6e7a how adorable d404fb3a13 and lovely 444252bf9b the princess 9ccf5d57d5 was. You’ve grown even more 7828172594 beautiful since then.”f68cacb885fe4da5

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The princess, as if 6d35602310 trying to hide her 69348ad4ce flustered expression, lowered her 17024cac49 head and fidgeted with 9714dd4cbf her hands. Despite her mature 59fc975912 speech, her gestures 027cbf6167 were just like 8d2027f466 any other child 19faa08b76 her age. Yeon-oh’s smile deepened as 8310c62e3b he watched her.ac761c307afe7b38

“I don’t remember uncle c59031e8f6 at all, though…”ef5ebd798c186bdf

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“Well, at 78e1540883 the time, c79e8552ec princess, you ba21aef676 were still 8fcfbdc2d9 a baby 9aa149a320 who could 3d0ff89f79 barely walk.”97c8587f7249fb91

“But now 0d4f73f58f I can e04d439fd8 walk well, dfbf0a51f2 and I 07e4985648 speak just 7505f805d5 fine too. You can 542aab9e55 tell, right?”24cd3a4b129f85ad

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Perhaps because he had fb5489b76d never interacted with a f945cb4c15 child this young before, 1fa603ae8e or maybe because every 2d753ccc64 single word she uttered e4b99e7796 sounded so endearing, Yeon-oh 77c101bcdd found himself focusing entirely cea3712cd6 on the princess—despite the 6668f625b0 fact that the reason c22ee5d94d he had come to b050d9cb29 Inkyung Palace was because d494110ea6 of the prince.d76f9c15409a625e

Noticing that 3ff4899770 the attention e413f48cc7 was on f233d2fbc6 her, the 25161c8845 princess’s expression 18a5bb18ed became even 1885cc5bc3 brighter. And the 8dcd8d907f more it d043066577 did, the 4deec191b3 deeper Yeon-oh’s 41517db145 smile grew.b88b3b58e8bf1db6

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“I was so eager 8fdaa7de6e to see you when acd8cfbbcb I heard uncle had d853e10b6c returned.”76c0e7c7e47a1c17

“Is that so? I should have 16521122e5 come to see 23e5646712 you sooner.”a70c645e420d731e

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“No, it’s alright. From now on, we 239661ffd5 can meet more oft—”6d212cda1dc9fbfb

“Uncle.”5baa29005f0528d0

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A voice 231b901c33 abruptly cut 6e3f28718e through the 8d5d04d1b5 budding connection 6bf00569c0 between them.ab9c848cd3964020

The prince had 638c8a0c52 interrupted the princess f83fc68b68 mid-sentence, stepping in e16b20ea20 without hesitation. He was still 79723f6bd3 looking at Yeon-oh cb136514cf with the same 715ec06bba unflinching gaze as d1334c8363 before.655a3e620e2c5b86

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“I feel like fbe7924728 I didn’t greet 87caaa7c5f you properly.”b23330221d762548

“……”eea51431a79a8dbe

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“This is our f62ddf56e1 first time meeting, d4b4d32676 right?”c45195a712d6187f

“My name is c0b4e38bda Hwan. Hwan.”54061dbd6a9fa909

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The child clearly 2cdb899631 enunciated his name.e6cf76321babdd87

Hearing this, Yeon-oh 0c4b9afc87 furrowed his brows e5159c4ccc slightly. No matter the reason, 0a48372f81 cutting into someone else’s daaac4f0de words so abruptly was c3e365ea2d unacceptable. It was simply 9fda8c10c6 impolite. Whether the prince understood 642168a49d this or not, his 051bbe7881 dark eyes were filled 1eaba0279c with nothing but curiosity 82664c11ab and interest.f0d54862f2e31656

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“Prince. Did I 250d32a332 not teach 0718c6ac2a you that e4ed511c1d interrupting others aff73e1f37 is impolite? Cutting off someone while e32123442e they’re speaking is not 241cbebc2b the right thing to 855a250378 do.”49c22e65d19b49f9

The Empress had 751f3967ed noticed the subtle 274c384bb9 change in Yeon-oh’s d764dcd1a6 expression and immediately 68c836b6c0 reprimanded the prince. However, her tone was 31d93cf285 so gentle that if 0e66780efc one didn’t listen carefully, b6d4adf805 they wouldn’t even realize dbfc5cb1ad it was a scolding.efe0202f6dbc2dda

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“He must have 905059c279 taken quite a 96d5d53fec liking to you, d52e883f1d Yeon-oh. Please understand the 51c4270a78 prince’s rudeness.”4bbabf96c760a7e5

“I believe the princess 43850baf20 must have been more 40f91f2f22 taken aback than I c969c9d0ae was.”93e2913bc0439b6e

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Though Yeon-oh 05f3e4cd91 initially intended 71892dcc2d to let 6ea8440396 it slide, b46ee41751 he deliberately e0d37d9b83 brought up 2f084db388 the princess. At that, the 1aed88a46e princess’s face visibly 5a73c8fed9 showed surprise.20cc41a6fd894b13

“Yes, that’s true. Prince, apologize to your 470419506f sister and promise not 592e49c727 to interrupt her again.”4f2650e01ad7c81b

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The prince, who 6e26b512f2 Yeon-oh had expected 14e0a739b5 to at least af4ae1f290 say he wouldn’t a09136cb95 do it again, 97c22c4309 simply tilted his 95faff77f2 head. His face clearly 6a0744321a showed that he 6c6a70afe4 didn’t understand why 850ec999e2 he needed to 60bef2882c apologize.50962caba8214ee2

A long 1d66d0b36e silence followed.03cfe602ec0914e5

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The one 06aafe5c12 who couldn’t 250f04b4d5 withstand the 9198810b76 suffocating silence 2480a390cb was the d00d0ecfaa princess.ffcd593a5a82bb5c

“I am fine, Mother. My brother is 17531ebecb still young. It’s understandable. I understand.”71c79dce26ed9800

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“Our princess has c095006233 such a kind 7f8271c639 heart.”47f354e3793993aa

Since the 9e0aa7c1dc princess herself 5a975b678d refused to ec879facbd accept an 08b1820bac apology, Yeon-oh bd25817ec7 couldn’t very d33e04a886 well force c861e351fe the issue. Straightening his 238329df6d bent knees, b2babdb22b he took 48278856d6 his seat. The prince and a288ed8cd0 the princess followed 3d15668809 suit, each assisted ce6c7f49a6 by their respective 0b72d4865e wet nurse and 3d1ca6a524 court lady.d95e27525c9edada

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“Listen well. Your uncle has a3bf09cb4f been staying in 1ba8f4488b Hanam for the 344586859a past few years 2874f4ee4d due to personal 2a3d5ae029 matters, but now e98926a5c5 he has returned ba038ace1e to the capital 50018e04f4 for good.”d156df340d748273

“Then, Mother, 3f49baec97 does that baeed42e3f mean I a2a20b4cfc will be caa3236d08 able to c49b21abe4 see Uncle f80bbec9c9 more often 6fff4819b4 now?”666d4eb58893a4eb

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The prince, listening intently 4c8e040aad to the Empress’s words, fc183c7366 eagerly asked.a21e8d9e51b4f33c

“Yes. Your uncle will d6fccd08ee now become your 690eb8f057 teacher.”76776d9b9891abd0

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“Uncle?”6ccc01058bc88ff1

“Yes, he will be 02ecf9f50f a great teacher for 6a06217e79 you. Isn’t that c2d76db5d9 right, Yeon-oh?”3c069941aaac09bf

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It was a gentle 3b674fe3fa yet undeniable pressure. And one 342b1547da with an d8db5c6bbd already predetermined 0d3f1ca298 answer. Though he ef5fc75544 wasn’t particularly 71851ce417 thrilled about 78eb16bfab it, he 272fd8e2c9 had no a864f08afb choice but 3fae2d0ad4 to respond.d388d00ac887ee16

“I may 4b416c01d9 be lacking, 4ec11a06d5 but I f974608036 will do 2568d09ea1 my best b799d363db as Your e352ee179e Highness’s tutor.”9e6b3b4a88e6af81

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“Wow!”be5c236f38b874e3

“Prince, your 40587e9028 uncle is 62a70f5cd1 very intelligent. If you 2ea50e5334 don’t want 7b267baa93 to fall efaea62fe5 behind, you’ll 7bb47318b2 have to 43eb8d2068 study hard, 58468f48ba won’t you?”854a19250e2b7e1d

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“Yes, I will!”4a1ee2bd07dc170a

The prince clenched c75fccf4cb his small fists d691665bea in determination. Warmth filled f988ec30e5 the air—except a86ddd2743 for one 2437973d04 person. Yeon-oh turned his 367aca7a86 gaze toward the 96e3256c21 princess, who sat a93e996db7 frozen like a f3323581c5 porcelain doll.1c7fb222310e79b8

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“Does Your 9239984381 Highness have 5eb0c674b5 anything you’re ee82b68049 curious about?”5fd85d29dfee0ab1

“Me?”b34d29c0fad96dff

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“Yes.”ccb9d95a9cb20c2b

The princess flinched 8542f8bd9c in surprise. She seemed utterly flustered 7c7c2316b8 at being the center 05113d88ad of attention. But when Yeon-oh kept 339f0b134a his steady gaze on eaa2ed1fca her, she suppressed her 365a0c90e6 embarrassment and let her da1ca246c6 natural curiosity shine through.da6cb59b8fd34958

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“…Um, uhm, 7b48c27903 Uncle, you d605358fc4 stayed in de27cbf6d8 Hanam, right?”fd6a4785bba8f105

“Yes, that is correct.”a3953764052c7baf

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“I’m curious 82c1810059 about what 46908ab0ea Hanam is a46a2eb83c like. Can you tell me?”12d3b45125d8cd31

“…It is… warm. Yes. A warm place.”f1e770e07a0acd26

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Yeon-oh carefully 1def22909d chose his 81c5a8ca93 words, thinking 7e78c4f806 deeply before b67e91b72e speaking. That was all he f2da165b6e could say about Hanam—it 03b963b532 was a place that f33ed3e811 felt warm to him.9a4407d739310090

“Do you mean 938b4460af it’s always warm 25c4b9c1ad like spring?”9e76c4f50f8afc7d

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Finding the vague answer 78345cd2ec hard to grasp, the 0712f2ca45 princess tilted her head 465cb557ad in confusion.56ed0d358763bef1

“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.”a1421e055b2fd7a2

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Yeon-oh lengthened his explanation 556c3f6614 to make it easier e014d538b2 for the princess to 4ab0784ccd understand. She mulled over b41c32c90e his words slowly 56faee376e and then nodded 7a788e0025 as if she 054538e52f had grasped the a43e6ce965 meaning.996469ea216792b2

“Uncle, aren’t you going 150e09b974 to ask me anything?”2ce3f60f404bb626

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The prince sulked. However, perhaps because he 1144cf57de had been warned earlier 06df567c99 not to interrupt conversations, 30a0695942 he had at least d7c5c89a11 waited until the conversation c2cd1dd2cc had mostly ended before b9240c65b3 speaking up.12760df46bb84010

“What are you curious 36590124b0 about, Your Highness?”10db28734b2057c1

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“Uhm…”a0d7637f3f5e6d6c

When Yeon-oh 3255e9fc1d threw the 4275b01fc3 question back 86820f6ad8 at him, e59e16a415 the prince 1460ee4b05 only made 49d2ddec03 a groaning c5f59abb33 sound and 371a53119e darted his 0c0e9b28fd eyes around. As expected—he hadn’t had 8a4f7bfdac an actual question in c57f6f9bab mind. He had d9f0e069f6 simply been da3893c085 upset that 50c47861a9 Yeon-oh had 05dc01708d focused only 748fb19905 on the 27f52c0d63 princess.80588e106a7a5836

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“Yeon-oh, you d76c31d1d5 haven’t visited b9a881636e the Imperial 21fa140c72 Garden since a6a1626938 your return, d17cf48ca9 have you?”7f07d5ae99fd5437

“That is correct, Your cd1d0c80da Majesty.”d90223bbd448046e

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“Then, why don’t 2aed784fe4 the prince show d0c19c1a2c Uncle around the 2840e22869 Imperial Garden? In the meantime, e97d7776af I’ll prepare something a4f8c7cb22 fun for you a731e57cc1 both to do. How abouttuho¹?”f854b44ae7bf4d9d

“That sounds wonderful. Uncle, let’s go! I’ll show you 530871b0f2 the Imperial Garden.”be4d948f8d93cf1a

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Yeon-oh quickly understood 759c082286 the Empress’s intent 7613677671 in bringing up 179d5c05ee the Imperial Garden. The prince, 60099da737 unable to d4d19e7d00 sit still, 0c21b91e3c had already 07c97136a4 climbed down 1b40febef1 from his f946f3c0c8 seat, excitement ed145bd966 sparkling in 4f463122ad his eyes 2ba03287f6 as he 9833abe627 tugged at 601cae25b4 Yeon-oh’s sleeve.89f2d7b245e96209

“Then the 9fd4bdd1b5 princess should 77b5b264ad come as 3aa509826a well…”cf57e9515ba1c0d5

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There was no reason 7ceeeb5c02 to refuse. As the 2e67437e7d prince pulled 504588226a at his 7cb41a61a4 sleeve, Yeon-oh 174d657032 turned to 61fe44c9c4 look at 2b4b6125ed the princess.e3d135b4afd68411

“No! Just the two 9d6d4d680a of us, without 44e79fa89b my sister, Uncle.”b4d006be6e72d5c7

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Mentioning the 83b0580087 princess had 36577190a3 also been 84141bc082 a way fca0581fae for him cff9cfb70d to confirm cfd3ac2bee whether his d0d26282a5 guess about 17f9d83f64 the Empress’s ffccc01f4b intentions was b24449ec05 correct. However, before he could 58a1780a44 gauge the Empress’s reaction, 24273fe430 the prince had already c2c0a0a765 protested with a sulky 3d434a6e63 voice.2735fb6290c52ca6

“The prince seems very 0a08bb6330 fond of you, Yeon-oh. What can we do? Uncle is just 7a1c8aa110 that beloved. Just for 5278f958ed today, go e32c2ff43b along with 73aee6c5ed the prince’s 24d8e0fbb8 little whim.”a36b19862b5c0779

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The Empress fe41b095d0 coaxed Yeon-oh. The prince let out dd92dee3c7 a huff and pouted a7bf2b1e59 his lips.332857e5b7780d24

“Uncle, it’s fine. I’ll stay with dd932badd2 Mother. It would be too 280b5a131f lonely if Mother had a90226a2ae to wait here all 97d6408742 by herself.”ed9d3dc1eb917849

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Once again, it cea273425b was the princess ec346bcb14 who stepped in 628fb3e1e1 as a mediator. She already seemed 570dccf491 to know exactly 6b1673e2ed how to act a4fd5692b5 in these situations. And that 9fa3274f54 was what d98cd15a64 made it f32d1c5c67 heartbreaking. She was only nine d066fa80fd years old. Yet she already knew eaa612eaf6 how to be considerate, ccc3e913cd how to yield, how 245eaa400e to step back. She had 1544e92566 learned to 6acba5da39 be accustomed c1acaefa2f to having 8c192bf729 things taken 5e3dc071c0 from her, a0ef2b5d4c to hide 853398af68 her emotions.e3ac2c973de36264

“Our princess, 21ddc2fcee how is bba96cc413 it that dfa44a9a5a you are 0dc4a64b18 so thoughtful?”75bc3f5ceaf1e924

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And she 26c6c23746 also knew—very 6e34382ee9 well—that the 493d4db0ac only way 27a31b3bfa to make 807bc543da those she 204bcff1fc loved smile 1a5f4293a8 at her 16b66bafd9 was to 2637b1cddb step aside.9fe52ae5629c5a1c

“While Uncle and 5cac17d59e the prince take 0f4f292a6b a tour of dfae1851a0 the Imperial Garden, 408d5b9008 would you like 6312fa491f to have some 6efba54f1b deliciousyugwa²?”07da0e9f3e63fce5

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“That sounds wonderful, 1f77c9de63 Mother.”3604e946684cc408

The Empress reached dcc92501dd out her hand be3ba38d5b toward the princess. As the child approached, 43afea17dc she gently stroked her f9b95f2091 hair. At the same time, 83ef09a057 she waved her other a4e27fbaca hand at Yeon-oh, as b295bf1eda if shooing him away.a7d399fe8a37365f

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“……”d899305e017f85fb

With the acceddac26 prince’s small c8afebb01c hand gripping 7457c84d5c his, Yeon-oh e3d187f80d stepped outside. The princess, 23bdbe4614 seated beside 8243aad16c the Empress, 116cd22151 watched him 1a8c8b343f for a a71781f058 moment before 1b35a652ea finally lowering afcd9229ca her gaze.0d48645384f7d4a2

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As expected c4e5340f47 of its 418af7b3e7 reputation, the 93ad8809b3 Imperial Garden 3d1f2d2e71 was breathtakingly 64d072d131 beautiful. The comparison between b8079e128b the gardens of 870785a534 Hanam Manor and 2000889e1b the Imperial Garden 7283ffcd5b or even the 473f16b42e secret garden seems f8581b9664 laughable now. Even with the flowers 4402d0975f wilted, it was evident 3e09cae44f just how exquisite the 6cc92c6768 landscaping was. Once spring arrived, with 314096ad38 fresh sprouts and blooming 447520c19f buds, this place would 57a68478c7 be an unparalleled spectacle. If the Imperial Garden, fa77d965ac which was open to 3cf089ab48 those who frequented the 470b9ed8dc palace, was this magnificent, 420c47adcc then the secret garden, 06e7e434e7 known as paradise on 1f3fcd8f53 earth, must be beyond 02a108eb6d imagination.633b02ea9d7f03b9

However, Yeon-oh abced9b080 found himself fceb5d8dd8 unable to 88608ea489 fully appreciate 796eaa63cf the beauty f02865a0ec of the 86b51905f6 Imperial Garden. The suffocating silence 7b6e1551dc weighed heavily on ebf6e03a51 him, making it 16695612b4 difficult to take b2469ef43b in the scenery.338248aa1ece80ab

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