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THE CASTLE WAS HUGE, there were just so many rooms that Hinako knew if it wasn't for Soo-Won being next to her she would have surely gotten lost.
Right now the pair were outside, "And this is the royal garden," Soo-Won explained gesturing towards the neatly trimmed garden.
The garden was beautiful but it was just too bare, there were only neatly trimmed grass, grass sculptures and a few flowers somewhere in the middle
Her gaze wandered landed on the rusty gate at the far end corner, "What's that?" She questioned making her way towards it.
Soo-Won looked at her rather surprised that she was interested in a rusty old gate but he followed her non the less.
"That is the garden of Aion," Soo-Won explained pushing open the rusty gate which made a loud creaking noise, "Aion as in eternity...The garden of eternity." Hinako comment before letting out a gasp at the sight in front of her.
The place obviously used to be a garden that was for sure, there were dried plants littered everywhere which had probably been rotting for decades. The soil was sort of dry and there was a fountain in the middle or what used to be a fountain because now it had dirty water in it along with mould growing on it.
"My grandfather, Emperor Joo-Nam loved his wife, my grandmother, Mei very much. So he gifted her the garden of Aion as a token of his love since she loved gardening," Soo-Won explained gesturing to the rotting garden before him.
Hinako listened carefully as he continued, "My grandmother loved this place with all her heart but as she grew older it became difficult of her to take care of the garden and when she died there was no one to take care of her Garden and so it too eventually died."
Soo-Won let out a chuckle, "My father used to tell me how this place used to be so beautiful, filled with exotic flowers and plants, people believed it to be the garden of heavens."
"I can see why," Hinako hummed snapping Soo-Won's gaze towards her to see that she was kneeling down, scooping the soil in her hand before feeling it in between her fingers, "Even with rain water being it's only source of water the soil is well nourished..."
Soo-Won looked at her surprised, "You like gardening?"
"Always have, since I was six," Hinako took the rusty gardening trowel before she started digging in the soil, "Father used to be busy with the clan at the time and Yun-Ho...she wasn't really in the picture then so I use to engage myself in simple gardening."
Hinako laughed a little her brown eyes twinkling, "On my 8th birthday I asked father for gardening tools, he ended up getting me a shovel and rake, I couldn't break it to him that I was actually asking for a trowel and gardening fork."
Soo-Won took in her laughter before cautiously asking her what had been on his mind, "Lady Yun-Ho she...isn't your mother is she?" Hinako's mood dampened a bit but she still had her smile, "No...she couldn't be after all she's only a few years older than me."
