adorn

prologue

yedam peeked out as the day was really pretty and welcoming. the cooling wind gave one short relief from the high temperature but the sun wasn't a bother for it was securely wrapped with pearly white, thick clouds. with his eyes shrunken, the boy looked up. it was already noon, almost the time the whole royal family eats ceremonial dishes or simply said, lunch. up until two minutes ago yedam has had lessons with private tutors much honored to be chosen to help the second prince in pursuing his talents and skills. yedam had two of them – old, very slow in lecturing, once sat down looked as if it was now impossible for him to stand up again, and a woman carrying everywhere her pince-nez.

the former has always been seen walking around with a cane for support. yedam heard from his eldest brother – hyunsuk – that this man was once a general, leading the whole army in the renowned war of two kingdoms which had come to an end twenty years before the crown prince's birth. hence the man although old and in an obvious need of care and help in daily activities was respected by many, even the king himself ordered his sons to always give deference to the man who "fought for our freedom and wealth". the former soldier shared his abundant knowledge with yedam gladly. a few years ago he taught hyunsuk as well but after reaching the age of twenty-three hyunsuk finished his education. now the sole lessons he had were with their father – the king, who wanted to prepare the crown prince to inherit the throne when the proper time comes.

currently, after giving a lecture to the middle son, the geriatric, knowledgeable man pulled up his stiff body, thanking yedam for handing him the cane, he exited the prince's room. the way from the chair which was aligned in a straight line to the door would normally take a minute, but given that the man's pace was much slower, and every step looked as if he was rolling an enormously heavy stone before him, yedam must have waited to be alone again around ten minutes.

as the guards opened the door, closing consequently, yedam chuckled, thinking that now doyoung, his youngest brother will have to endure the one-hour class, listening about things he found boring and a waste of time – sorts of weapons, theory how to use them, how to prevent dangers, what the first steps are if a soldier next to you gets wounded or elaborations on the magnificence of martial arts. yedam got used to the fact that as the king's sons they had to be versatile, besides it hasn't been that long since the army of the adjacent kingdom left their premises. for more than forty years the authorities managed to maintain peace and relatively good political relations with each other but yedam has never forgotten his father's words.

"these men made a slaughter here. they murdered countless innocent people of the village, abducted them in order to turn them into slaves, they nearly deprived your grandfather of the throne. never trust the silence, my son, for it is the chance for us to prepare, not to let the guard down."

doyoung on the other hand, although younger than yedam only for a year, didn't care much about the past. he was standing right next to his brothers as their father said the important warning but it didn't seem to impact him even the slightest. baby prince's pet thing to do was roaming about in the garden, picking up flowers, gushing over their sweet smell, running to and fro singing cheerfully, sometimes jumping on the spot if spotted butterfly or ladybug. he was the kid loved by everyone, not only the royal family but also by servants, guards. kind, innocent, always ready to help and never looking at anyone with disregard even if his position was almost the highest in the whole country – he was the third in the queue leading to the throne, but the boy seemed to try escaping this consciousness. he was born third, and never really thought that he would end up ruling the inheritance, hyunsuk hyung was the perfect candidate, and not the only one. then it would be yedam's turn so doyoung led a little naive but flawless life.

the second tutor that was seen skilled enough to teach the descendants was a woman in her sixties – and here two of the three remaining students loved spending this one hour a day with her. the princes had no mother, she had lost her life while giving labor, so the youngest never got the chance to see her, yedam was too young to remember her and only hyunsuk could reminisce about the queen with some vague scenes of laughter and frolic.

their mother was like a lily flower – skin purely white, black, velvety hair with the span up to her hips if unbound, full lips most of the time curved into a proud smile and eyes filled with tangible love as she was watching hyunsuk taking his first steps, blabbering first words, trying to grasp the toys with his own hands. she was the same as she was pregnant with yedam, but day by day her body got thinner, the flourishing lily withering away. it was a miracle that doyoung was born as a healthy, light as a feather toddler. the moment he let out his first fit of crying, she gave her last breath, dying with a benign smile for she knew the child was in good hands.

doyoung couldn't love her, yedam tried but found himself unable to grow feelings for her, hyunsuk did his best not to forget her. lastly, the king had her painting in the bedroom once occupied by the queen, coming there at night to relive the memories, talk to her, or just sit and let some stray tears fall on his cheeks.

no wonder the woman that always greeted them with a motherly smile, inadvertently extending her arms as if about to embrace the whole world in a secure hug, became their mother figure. it was impossible to treat her like the actual woman who has given born to three king's sons but yedam and doyoung felt comfortable in her company. 

she never demanded them to keep a straight posture, speak slowly, utter each word mindfully without stuttering. whereas the old teacher lee's reprimands were taken for granted and two princes had them all memorized, the woman never gave lectures but advice on what to change, improve, or swap, no scolding, no furrowed brows and wrinkles on the forehead. she was in charge of more delicate, softer skills – how to effectively read books, which titles are the best to educate oneself, she learned poems by heart and could recite them offhandedly always looking to the front while doing so as if feeling every strophe flanking her mind, soul, and heart. she also could recognize every flower kind, being aware of what steps to take to make plants flourish without obstacles, and here the youngest prince regretted that he could be with her only for an hour a day – the lecture would seem like a minute once she started her speech upon the spring or summer flowers, with doyoung's eyes glued to her, as if making notes in his head, not missing even one word.

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I had to cut the prologue here because it would be a little too long < 3 hence the unexpected ending ! wait upon another chapter to read continuation please, thank you !! stay safe !