Samurai ↔ Nishimura Riki

two

"A letter? Seriously?"

She picked up the fancy letter and lifted it to eye level, inspecting the piece of paper that had slid under her own room in the soldiers' dormitory.

The royal seal, a sakura flower, was stamped onto the envelope flap. She opened the envelope and unfolded the parchment paper.

Dear Warrior Cho Hyewon,

You have been invited to the royal dinner for tonight, where you will be meeting Their Majesties and the prince, Prince Nishimura Riki. They would like to meet you regarding the matters on the prince's safety and the terms. You have been given an outfit for this special occasion and it is currently in your new chamber room in the West Wing near the prince's, where you will move into starting tonight by the request of the emperor and the empress.

Be at the royal dining hall at 7 sharp.

Head Mistress Kim Sora

Hyewon scoffed before crumpling the paper with her fist. The paper crinkled loudly. What a waste of paper. What were the purposes of messengers if they were going to send such rubbish to her?

Without another thought, she thrust the paper into the waste bin, although she fantasized burning the paper into the fireplace.

She walked toward the window and stared outside, to the dark, starry night. How she wished that she could stick up a sword into the prince's nose. Perhaps it would teach him a lesson on respect.

A grin twisted its way to her face as an sly idea sparked in her brain. If the royals wanted and expected a dolly, obedient, prissy girl, she'd gladly prove them wrong.

Eyeing her most prized possession, Hyewon snatched it from her desk, examining it in the candlelight. She gripped the hilt tightly. Its silver luster gleamed brightly, her reflection staring back at her on its shiny surface. It was perfectly weighted in her hands. She twirled it around, occasionally tossing it into the air.

After a while, Hyewon tucked it in her pocket, making sure it was concealed from sight. She smirked. Time to get dressed.

-

She swore she was going to punch Yeonjun right in his handsome face.

"The great Cho Hyewon wearing a fancy kimono? In pink of all colors? Hilarious." Yeonjun chortled at this rare sight of Hyewon actually wearing a dress.

Hyewon could only glower at him with her famous killer glare. "Can you cut that out?"

She hated fancy clothing. They were tight, uncomfortable, and restricted her movement. How could she even fight or defend herself in them? She preferred her simplistic tunics and robes that allowed her to move around freely.

To her annoyance, Yeonjun kept laughing, slapping the side of his bed repetitively. "Sorry, continue," he says, wiping tears from his eyes as he gestured for her to go on.

Hyewon rolled her eyes. How was she friends with him again? "Now, if you're finished, I need to tell you something. I will be moving to a different room."

Yeonjun choked on his saliva, all silliness disappearing. "Wait- what? You'll be moving from our dormitory?"

"The emperor and the empress enlisted me as the main guard of the prince. I am required to move into chambers of my own that are closer to his so in case of an emergency like a night assassin or something. Supposedly, I have to attend a dinner with the royals tonight to meet the prince. That's why I'm wearing this," Hyewon explains, smoothing out her dress, staring at it in complete disgust.