I smelled a faint floral scent. The scent seemed to penetrate deep into my body and envelop my entire being.
Swish - swish -
"Eun-ah, Mom can't live without you."
"I can't do it without my mom either!!"
"What kind of adult will our Eun-ah become when she grows up?"
"Of course, she's an adult like my mother!"
"What kind of adult is Mom?"
"You love me. Mom loves me so much!!"
"Haha, of course. Mom loves Eun-ah so much?"
"What a wonderful person! My mom is the coolest person ever!!"
"Our Eun-ah must grow up well too?"
" yes!! "
"Okay, wake up. Should we go to kindergarten?"
Oh, this is me when I was little... My mom... She's so pretty. She's such a beautiful person. Even though she's wrinkled now and nags me all the time, she's still a wonderful adult to me. A truly wonderful person.
"Dad!! I made a bracelet at kindergarten today!!"
"Oh my, is that so? It's so well made~"
"But I could only make one... I was going to give it to Mom and Dad."
"Dad, give it to me~"
"Oh my;; Honey, is that mine?"
"You took the picture frame that Eun-ah made last time!"
"Are that and this the same?"
"You are really greedy -_-"
"Ignore) Eun-ah~ Are you going to give it to your mom?"
"Huh? No, you're going to give it to Dad, right?"
"Huh...huh? Uh...that's..."
Oh, I remember. Mom ended up taking it, right? She even kissed and danced to appease Dad, who was upset... Hehe. Maybe my dancing skills are thanks to Dad... He liked seeing me dance.
My father loved me so much, too. My family. My one and only family...
"Our Sea really likes flowers."
"It's pretty."
"What kind of flower does Sea like the most?"
" rose! "
" why? "
"You look like your mom."
" really? "
"Yeah! Red suits you well, Mom!"
"Se-ah, when dad proposed to mom, he gave her a rose?"
" wow! "
"The meaning of a red rose is desire, passion, joy, but it also means beauty."
"Because Mom is beautiful!"
"Haha~, our Se-ah resembles a pink rose."
" why? "
"Pink roses symbolize a vow, simplicity, and a happy love. Se-ah, you must be happy. You must love happily, right?"
" yes! "
"And be strong. Be the light of the Karna family, unyielding to anyone."
These are Se-ah's memories, Kim Se-ah's. Memories from when Se-ah was young, when Se-ah's mother was still alive...
She was truly a rose, a woman of true beauty. She possessed both beauty and sharpness. She exuded an aura and elegance befitting the empress. She was a strong person. No one could possibly say anything to her.
Because he is a perfect person.
"Father! I got first place in the Imperial Academy exam today!"
" okay. "
"The teachers praised me a lot, saying that I am indeed a daughter of the Karna family...!"
"Okay, then you can go now. I'm busy, so don't bother me."
" ...yes.... "
.
.
.
.
"Nanny..."
"Why is our young lady so depressed?"
"Does my father hate me?"
" yes...? "
"You must hate me. That's why you don't care about me..."
"No, my lady! The Grand Duke...!"
"I'm scared... that my father will abandon me."
The child cried out loud.
"That's absolutely not possible. Don't even think about it..."
.
.
.
.
"Hey, Kim Se-ah;;"
"Taehyung, brother!"
" ...don't come near me;; "
Taehyung frowned.
" ah... "
"Just stay in your room and don't come out. I don't want to see you."
" ... I will do that, brother... haha"
"You're annoying."
Why do you resemble your mother... I keep thinking of you. You're unlucky, Kim Se-ah. Not only did you kill your mother... It's annoying, I really hate you.
.
.
.
.
"Namjoon, brother haha"
" ...what. "
"There's a competition at the Imperial Academy today..."
"Just tell me what's important."
"The teacher said that families can come to cheer..."
"Don't talk nonsense. There's no one here who has enough free time to go with you just because of you."
"Ah...yes...I'm sorry."
"Go out. Please don't bother me."
" ...yes. "
Everyone is so bad. What did Se-ah do wrong? What did Se-ah do so wrong...
That child is still just a child... a child who needs a lot of love and attention to grow up...
It's really miserable.
"Hey, Kim Se-ah!"
" ...? "
"You don't have any friends? And no one to dance with? Hahahahaha"
"...Originally, we didn't dance at balls when we were young."
"Are you stupid? You can go out with your family~ haha"
"What's it to you..."
"Haha, you're an outcast, right? You said no one in your family likes you? Aren't you going to get abandoned then? Hehe."
The Grand Duke, Taehyung, and Namjoon simply watched from afar. The Grand Duke pondered. How would Sea react? The Karna family never tolerated defeat, no matter what, so he wondered whether Sea would win or lose.
But the opponent is a man. How will Se-ah react?
"Are you done talking?"
" what? "
"How dare you... raise your head so stiffly, knowing what family I come from?"
"ㅋㅋㅋ What are you talking about..."
"Don't leave me alone!!"
"Ahhh!! Don't let go?! "
The ballroom erupted in chaos. Sea rushed in and began to use force. The boy's family was startled and intervened, but Sea's family, far from intervening, simply watched.
Hiss, hiss -
"Do you want to die?!"
The boy's parents separated them, leaving the boy with a split mouth and bruises. He sobbed. Sea had won. It was a victory unbecoming of the Karna family, but still, a victory.
"What's wrong with you! Why are you from the Karna family...! "
"Ugh, it hurts, Mom."
Sea glared at the boy with venomous eyes, and only then did the Grand Duke approach.
"Huh, d... Your Majesty..."
"Is your child okay?"
"N..yes, I'm really sorry..."
"It's okay. But please make sure this never happens again."
The Archduke silenced the surroundings with a short but cold look.
"I'm going to kill you..."
"Kim Se..." Grand Duke
"I will cut off your breath with magic..."
Everyone was taken aback by the young Se-ah's murderous appearance and cruel words. The Grand Duke was also taken aback for a moment, then called Nam-joon and ordered him to take her out.
This was the first time the Grand Duke had seen Se-ah like this. It was completely different from the Kim Se-ah he knew.
Perhaps it was from this point on that Sea became so determined to avoid being hated by her father.
Suddenly -
"Kim Se-ah!"
Park Jimin's body froze at the sight of Se Ah lying still without moving.
"You said nothing happened, that it was nothing. But why...! Why does it look like this..."
Her face was pale, barely able to breathe, and at first glance, she looked like a corpse. Jimin, seeing this sight, was both angry and terrified. He feared Kim Se-ah would really die. He couldn't believe that the world-renowned Kim Se-ah could crumble so easily.
"Wake up. Please... I'll do it. I'll get you out of that corner of the house. You said you wanted to live alone... That wish... I'll grant it..."
But wake up. I'm getting anxious. I'm worried you won't wake up. I don't know why I'm worried about you, but... I've admitted it. I'm worried about you a lot more than you think.
"Captain, today's training..."
"You guys do it among yourselves."
" yes...? "
"You guys should do it among yourselves."
"N...yes!"
All my attention is on Sea. It's been three days since Sea woke up. The Archmage is still searching for a way to wake her up, and His Highness the Crown Prince said he'd go see the saintess.
But that's not the problem. If this continues... Sea will die. Her body can no longer take it and she will die.
I will never let that happen. Poor Se-ah. I swore to protect her. And I will. Because she's the only friend I've ever known. I will protect my people, no matter what.
"No, please!"
"Get out of the way."
"Don't you know better than anyone that I can't meet the saint due to personal reasons?! Why on earth are you doing this??!!"
"I will save you."
" yes...? "
Kim Se-ah... I have to save her.
Min Yoongi had absolutely no interest in women. He clearly viewed all women equally. He didn't hold women in high regard.
But after meeting Sea, everything changed. At first, it was curiosity. When His Majesty asked him to dance with her, anyone would have been thrilled... but Sea refused. In fact, her eyes were filled with disapproval.
That piqued my curiosity. I'd known for a long time that the rumors were quite negative, but the Kim Se-ah I saw was a bold woman. Her aristocratic appearance, perfect manners, and the aura she exuded overwhelmed those around her. However, contrary to her image, she was a fun woman, and there was not a hint of maliciousness in her.
I was curious about why such a dirty rumor had even started. And why Jeon Jungkook was so protective and sensitive towards that woman. What kind of person was he that he could transform Jeon Jungkook, who was already a burden to me, into something completely different...
At first, I was curious. But when we met again, I was interested. I felt emotions I had never felt before.
"That poor kid... I have to save him..."
It was the first time. For a woman like that, and for me like this.
---
Oh... It seems like there's a lot of content today...?
• Question: If I finish this work quickly... will I cry? LOL I'm not sure yet how, when, and how much I'll finish this work... haha
Yes... Not today's cider... A solid story arc? What will the next one be about... Even the author doesn't know... haha^^
If there are few hand-writings, I'll have to write a review in a week... hmm...