[Seppes] Short Story Collection

[Yoon Hong] sMiLe | 01

01.


Always smile. Never lose your smile in front of people. No matter what they say, you must remain calm and appear unshaken.

Even if you're good at something, you must not show it off. Nothing you do must surpass the Crown Prince. You must always be subordinate to him. That is your destiny. The only way for you and me to survive is to humble yourself, to please the Crown Prince, and to act like the tongue in his mouth.

If you surpass the Crown Prince by even one point, you will be talked about, people will compare you to the Crown Prince, and you will fall out of favor with the Empress. His Majesty the Emperor loves the Empress very much, so she will decide how we will be treated, and at that moment, we will be finished.




02.


This is what my mother always says to me.

I am the son of His Majesty the Emperor. And my mother is a concubine. However, before she caught His Majesty's eye, she was a commoner. I am an illegitimate child.

So, there are only two ways for me to survive here, in the palace. One is to start a rebellion and become the emperor. However, I am an illegitimate child, and I was a commoner until His Majesty the Emperor elevated me. Therefore, I have few nobles who support me. This means my chances of a successful rebellion are slim. And I don't want to kill the crown prince, either.

The other one is to follow my mother's words and crawl under the crown prince, showing everyone that I can't do anything.

So I have no choice but to follow my mother's words.



* * *



01.


Second Prince, Jisoo and I have been close since we were little. Ever since, way back when I couldn't even remember.

The adults tried to keep Jisoo and I apart, saying that I, born with noble blood, and Jisoo, whose mother was a commoner but whose father's blood was mine, shouldn't hang out together. But due to my stubbornness, Jisoo continued to hang out with me.


Jisoo was incredibly pretty. I spent all night wondering how a boy could have such beautiful skin.

And it's still pretty now, even more so than it was then.




02.


Today, I had an archery match with Jisoo. I made a bet and won, as always.

I saved my wish, telling Jisoo later. I'll tell her about it someday. When I'm ready. Whether that fragile, timid child will grant it remains to be seen.


 When will I be able to reveal my true feelings to you?