Upon Yuna and Eunho’s arrival, Yuna was surrounded by her worried family. Her father was no exception. By the looks of things, it seems that Yuna will hear an earful about her secret adventures outside of her home. She was too focused on surviving the trials ahead, she didn’t consider the people that were most important to her.
She couldn’t look them in the eye when each one of her family members had their own distraught expressions on their faces. Her dad’s expression was especially dark and somber. She could see the shivering shoulders of the many servants that cowered away from her father’s eyes.
Yuna felt guilty after letting down every single one of them. Sun began shouting at her, “How could you just run away like that? We were all worried about you! Why didn’t you think about the dangers of going outside at this time? We almost lost you again!” Yuna could only apologize, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
Sun sulked, “You need to remember that all of us care about you. Don’t do that again. We don’t want anything bad to happen to you.” Both her father and mother nodded their heads in agreement. Yuna burst into tears when she realized how much her family truly loved and cared for her. She didn’t believe that she’d get a family’s love in this life. She had given up on receiving love from her family, but things were different now.
Her mother embraced both Sun and Yuna when she saw the tears in their eyes. Eunho was happy to see Yuna back home. He hoped that she learned her lesson and to rely on her family and friends more. He wanted to be her pillar of strength during difficult situations. He knew that it was too early for her to trust him.
They only met a few days ago. He didn’t expect Yuna to be so familiar with him especially since she didn’t remember him. No matter what obstacles stood in his way, he was determined to protect her.
After Yuna spent her time discussing various things with her family, she returned to her room. Today was a long day for Yuna. She spent the majority of her day walking around the marketplace. All the crying didn’t help her predicament. Once she laid down, she found herself in a deep sleep.
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Yuna woke up to find cuffs around her wrists and ankles. The cuffs reminded her of the time when she was locked up in the prison cell. Her execution awaited her. She frantically struggled to get out of the chains, but the more she struggled the more the chains tightened around her.
She continued to resist and eventually the chains loosened. Once the chain broke open, she leapt out of the cell. The door was unlocked and there were no guards patrolling the area. She ran out of the entrance of the prison to find herself in a different location.
The door led her to the execution grounds. Minho and Haemi stood before the stage. Both of them wore the same expression. They sneered at her and mocked her for being so stupid. Rocks flew out from the pits below. Each rock that hit her left behind purple bruises. Both of her enemies laughed at her struggle. Nothing she did worked. She tried to escape, but there was no where to go. The floor beneath the platform was covered with infinite amounts of lava.
The executioner danced around the stage with his sword. She could remember the exact movements from her past life. The only disadvantage about having picture perfect memory was being able to recall every detail. The memories of her execution kept replaying in her mind. It was torment to recall all the traumatic bits. Once the dancing stopped, the sword rapidly flew through the air towards her.
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Yuna woke up from her nightmare. She looked down to find her bed and clothes soaked with her sweat. She tossed and turned so much that her blanket found its spot on the floor. She got up from her bed and replaced it with new sheets. She didn’t want to bother any of the servants this late at night.
After several failed attempts of trying to go back to sleep, she decided to go out for a short walk to clear her thoughts. She couldn’t go back to sleep with the memories of her execution haunting her. Yuna lit the candle and dug through her dresser for something warm to cover up her nightgown (white silk hanbok used for sleep).
The garden in the Kim Residence was enormous. Her parents were constantly receiving praises from their guests about how beautiful and extravagant the garden was rumored to be. Her parents had guests that frequently visited their residence for business and other purposes. She wasn’t too keen on socializing with them. Her mother would insist that she meet the guests, but she could never get herself to.
It was hard to act like a normal kid. It was too bothersome to try to meet any of them. Especially since she didn’t think that any of them were interested in who she really was. Most of the nobles were only on friendly terms with her mother for the purpose of gaining benefits. It’s easy to gain something when being friends with the most powerful family (excluding the royal family) in their society. Yuna wasn’t particularly fond of socializing with those types of people. She let her mother take care of it.
The garden was filled with various colorful flowers that decorated the path beautifully. The flowers were meshed together to create a harmonious ambience that made Yuna feel peaceful. Yuna was used to seeing the same scenery every time, but it never grew old. She enjoyed taking walks when she had a lot on her mind.
The night was serene, and everyone seemed to be asleep. She knew that she shouldn’t be roaming around at night, but she couldn’t get herself to go back to sleep. She found a comfortable spot next to the pond. She laid down on a bench that faced the pond.
Yuna gazed up at the vast sky. The night sky was extraordinary. She was constantly curious about the stars and planets that decorated the skies. Yuna knew that she wasn’t on earth because the stars were very different from the stars she was seeing now. The constellations of earth’s skies did not exist in this world. Every time she looked at the night sky, she would wonder about the mysteries in this world.
The night sky was mesmerizing. Purple and blue meshed together to create a scenery which seemed like a fantasy. She could gaze at the stars for eternity if she wanted. Yuna was startled when Eunho’s face blocked her view of the stars. His eyebrows were scrunched together in a scowl, “Why aren’t you sleeping?”
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