After a long, comatose-like slumber, Rinji finally lifted her torso from her bed, struggling to shake the heaviness of sleep from her body. Her muscles ached with a sore stinging sensation that flowed through her tendons like blood in her veins. She looked around at the room that encased her, almost marveling at the craftsmanship of her bedpost, her nightstand, vanity and sofa. She thought of the people who were hired to make them and how many hours it took to complete them, and the painstaking work that went into it.

She thought about gifts like them making perfect wedding presents for Chindeok and Hancheol.

Rinji called for her maidservants, who immediately rushed to her side to aid her in whatever whim she sought out to satisfy.

"Sooyoung," she asked, looking at her messy hair in the mirror of her vanity. "Please help me with my hair."

Sooyoung was a small, frail girl of Rinji's age who mirrored many of her qualities; her long, dark hair contrasted against her pale face like the moon in a sea of black night freckled with glowing stars, and her eyes shimmered in the candlelight like glass orbs reflecting gleams of light off every side.

She nodded without a word, taking up a comb from the vanity and pulling it through her hair. Rinji smiled, blushing at Sooyoung's delicate touches as she brought her hair back and put it in a simple braid. Rinji watched in the mirror as she put the long braid into a bun with the help of a simple black rod as thick as a piece of cardboard.

"Sooyoung? I'm simply asking out of curiosity...but if you don't mind, why don't you ever speak?"

"When I entered the palace as a worker, I was trained by a stern matron. She believed that children must be seen and not heard. This is why I never speak, Your Highness. I don't mean to be rude or cold towards you."

"That matron must've really been stubborn. I wonder if she ever saw how pretty you are."

It was Sooyoung's turn to blush.

"Y-Your Highness...I don't know if that's a compliment to my beauty, or a compliment to yourself. We look so much alike!"

The two girls laughed as Sooyoung placed a white flower in the center of her hair.

"I'm not joking, Your Highness! Once Lady Chindeok called out to me, asking me why I was wearing a servant's clothes! She thought I was you, Your Highness!"

Rinji broke out in another fit of giggles, placing a hand gently on Sooyoung's as she bent over and chuckled a bit too hard. She began to cough, shaking her head as she looked up at the maidservant wiping her joyful tears away.

Suddenly Rinji was overtaken with a solemn sadness that silenced her.

"Why am I laughing?" she asked, not directing the question towards Sooyoung, but towards herself. "Sooyoung...why are we laughing?"

The girl was silent.

"Hancheol died...he died yesterday. It's been one day since he died and here we are...laughing."

"Y-Your Highness..." she began, kneeling before her and taking both hands into hers. "Hancheol would've wanted us to laugh."

"W-What?"

"Hancheol-sshi was a kind, loving person. He hated seeing those he loved sad. He wouldn't want to see us so unhappy. He'd be happy to see us laughing at a joke together."

Rinji looked into Sooyoung's eyes, letting one tear fall from her own.

"Hancheol-sshi is watching us, Your Highness. He is with us in spirit."

Looking down at her face, Rinji finally managed to catch sight of how pure and ethereal-looking Sooyoung really appeared under the incandescence of the candle; her face was soft and glowing, her nose was pressed cutely against her face like a button. Her lips were full and pink like the bud of a peony ready to bloom, and her cheeks bubbled up happily as the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile.

"He is watching over us..." Rinji whispered, nodding her head.

"Sooyoung, please help me into my mourning gown. I have an important task for you."

Mirin walked down the palace courtyard, looking around at the darkness that surrounded her and listening to the sounds of the night. The entire palace was at the sacred burial grounds that night, just outside the palace and near the lake. They had gathered there to honor Hancheol in death -- Mirin could hear the child's adoptive parents wailing in sorrow over their beloved son.

She couldn't help but laugh at how high-pitched the sounds were.

The woman guarded herself suddenly, aware of a rustling sound in the bushes. Her ear almost twitched at the instant sound, and she turned to her left to see the dark hair and snowy white skin of a young girl. Mirin had to stop herself from smiling; Rinji getting into trouble was exactly what she needed, and there weren't any witnesses to prove her false in any way.

"Kim Rinji!" she called, pulling a forbidding facial expression on her face as she walked towards the girl. She immediately began to run, taking off in the direction of the gardens. Mirin shook her head, taking long strides in fast succession as she chased after the girl. Soon, Mirin was able to grab the girl by the arm and hold her up in an iron grip.

She screamed in pain as Mirin held her by the arm off the ground, refusing to look at the woman's eyes as her veil swayed gently in the cold wind.

"What are you doing here, young lady? What is Princess Rinji of Kim Dynasty doing here, instead of mourning the death of her friend with the rest of the palace?"

The girl shook her head, looking away from Mirin's angry eyes.

"You want to dishonor poor Hancheol-sshi by skipping out on his memorial? How dare you?"

She stayed silent, dismissing Mirin's scowls as she focused more on the excruciating pain being dealt continuously to her arm.

"You're supposed to be virtuous and considerate...but now, it's clear that you aren't. You're nothing but an unfeeling, spoiled brat!"

With her stinging words, the girl was thrown to the ground -- landing right on the bruise Mirin gave her.

"I trust you'll go to your chambers and reflect on what you've done. Expect to have your parents speak to you about this in the morning. Good night, Rinji."

The girl moaned in agony as she writhed on the ground, shaking her head as she tore the black veil from her face. She slowly got up from the ground, cursing the day Mirin was born underneath her breath long after the woman had gone away.

"How could Her Highness live with such a woman..." she sighed, wiping her tears and staring over at the dark violet welts on her arm.

"Your Highness, please be okay..."