MIN JAEYOUNG。

"mother!" i can see my self yell out loud as i see mrs kang walk into the house. mrs kang chuckles and reaches to lift me up.

"i told you not to wait for me."

"but i want you to read me my favorite story!"

"that's why i taught you how to read, jaeyoung-ah" she said and touched the tip of my nose. mrs kang carried me all the way to my room and laid me down.

she sat beside me and grabbed the story book, i always loved that tale.

it began with a little village girl who always ventures out to the forest. that village girl loved to run in the wind as the sun shone on her.

she was always by the field, alone, but she considers herself not lonely as she was with a field of flowers.

everyday she would sit somewhere in the flower field and read a book.

the village girl never had an friends, until one day. she met the princes of the royal family.

they were all handsome, nice, and friendly to the village girl. the village girl and the princes would meet often by the flower fields.

whenever they meet up, they would read stories to each other, eat cookies that the princes brought, play with each other, and run against the fresh breeze.

they were all happy, until one day.

"the end."

i looked at her confused, "huh?"

it would always be like that. mrs kang would always leave it as they were all happy, but i wanted to know more.

"are you sure, mother?" i frowned and sat up, i saw her grip tightly onto the story book.

the end has yet to come.

mrs kang patted my head, "i told you to stop calling me mother, jaeyoung. i'm not your real mother."

i pouted, "but–"

"your mother loved you, i'm sure of that."

i sighed and fell back onto the pillows, "but... then she wouldn't have left me."

"it's okay, jaeyoung. you'll meet your family some day."

"would i?" i sighed and stared at the story book in my hands.

i slowly opened it and re-read every single word. then i came to where mrs kang had stopped.

my heart dropped as i read every single paragraph.

the village girl was lured. they trapped her in the dungeons.

they left her alone with no light even.

i gulped and closed the book, throwing it away. "what the heck?" i could feel a thumping sensation as my breathing hitched, "no wonder mrs kang didn't continue reading it for me."

"what a cruel ending." i spat and put on my necktie.

"jaeyoung! you're gonna be late if you don't hurry up!" i flinched at hyori's loud voice and immediately headed out my room.

"finally, what took you so long?" hyori mutters and hands me my lunch. "i'm going to pick you up from school later, okay?"

her sentence made me confused, "what do you mean?"

"we're going to the pala—"

before she could even finish her words, a loud shriek left my mouth, "what!?"

hyori flinched and glared at me, both of her hands rested on her waist, "don't scare me like that." she grunts and leans back, "what's wrong anyways? you've been acting like that for two days now."

i frowned, "nothing." i said and wore my shoes.

"you do know you're a bad liar right?" she yelled out as i left the house.

school didn't help at all. my mind was all over the place and all i wanted to do was to sleep and go home quick, but no, luck wasn't on my side today.

a hand tapped on my desk, catching my attention. i diverted my gaze from the book i was reading, looking up at the person, "what?"

"what's gotten you so grumpy?"

i sighed, "we're going to the palace today."

miyeon's eyes widened, "what!?"

"exactly what i said." i mumbled and flipped over another page.

miyeon took a seat in front of me, pulling her chair close as she rested her hands on my desk, "are you serious?"

i pouted and faced her, "do i look like i'm not serious?!"

miyeon chuckled and patted my head, "you do know this is great news for me."

i sighed and grabbed her hand, pulling it away from my hair, "what if–"

"you're full of 'what ifs'! nothing bad will happen in the palace, i mean, it's not like they hate you or anything." miyeon sent me a smug grin, smirking a bit as she raised her chin high, "this is such a great opportunity! gosh, thank hera you're a baker."

i deadpanned, staring at her i figured that she really wants me to enter the palace or whatever does she?

i even doubt good things would happen once i enter. glancing over at the windows, i caught a glimpse of the high towers of the palace. seeing them made my stomach churn for some odd reason, i felt uneasy.

i'll probably just pray for the best.

fixing my stuff in the locker didn't take up much time as there weren't really a lot of homework given to us today. i trudged my way out if the gates, seeing hyori next to a familiar black car.

my heart beat quickened, "since when did you have a car." i mutter, though it was obvious that she came with royal guards.

hyori chuckled and placed an arm over my shoulder, "stop playing around. we have to go."

"the queen was actually looking for you." hyori stated as we entered the car.

bewildered, my brows furrowed, "she knows me?"

"mrs kang wouldn't stop talking about how great of a baker you are."

a red tint covered my cheeks as i felt heat rushing up to my face, "no way."

hyori hummed, "it's true. your recipes were chosen."

knowing that my recipes were actually appreciated by higher titled people made me happy, but then, i couldn't help but get more nervous at the thought that even the queen knows about me. just what the heck is going on inside the palace?

"we're entering the gates!" she taps my shoulder excitedly, pointing out the tinted windows.

i bit my lip and looked out the windows, seeing the huge metal gate open before us, letting the car pass by.

my nerves began kicking in again as the car slowly parked somewhere. the door opens and we were escorted inside.

everything was so grand inside the walls that separated the villagers from the royals. neatly cut bushes, decorative flowers, the huge white pillars, long massive paths, and a grand staircase to the main door.

i curled my fingers tightly into a fist as the knights welcomed us in the palace. taking a step in, we were greeted by two maids. i greeted them back as they lead us to the kitchen.

once i stepped in, i was met with a huge kitchen area. my eyes marveled at how huge their cooking space was. everything in the room caught my attention; from the stoves, to the ovens, to the ingredients, and even the kitchen supplies.

it was heaven for someone who enjoyed cooking that is.

"jaeyoung! you're here!" mrs kang exclaimed and jogged towards me, giving me a hug.

"did you hear? they want to taste your recipes for the grand ball."

i hummed in response, nodding as i said, "yes. i heard." with a faint smile i looked at her.

mrs kang held my face as she smiled back, "this is your chance, jaeyoung. let's get cooking?"

i nodded slowly, looking towards the door, "let's start cooking."

—