The Princess' Handmaiden

Chapter 12

"Are you serious? That's amazing!" Mina exclaimed, her voice trembling as Sana was literally shaking her backwards and forwards.

"YES!"

Sana had received the news that 'unfortunately' the prince originally betrothed to her changed his mind. It was what the worker had tried to tell her the night before.

"And now I can find someone new, and elope far away where no one can judge me..." Sana looked dreamily up at her ceiling, and Mina spoke up.

"Why would people judge you? Do you have someone in mind?"

Sana hesitated. 

"Nayeon talks with Chaeyoung's friends, right?" She asked, and Mina nodded. "Does she perhaps...You know, tell you about any of their conversations?"

Mina hummed in interest. "Since when were you so into gossip?"

"N-no, it's not like that! I-it's just..." 

"Alright, enough with the stuttering. It doesn't suit you. Which one is it?" Mina made an 'ooh' sound as she eyed the makeup sitting on Sana's vanity. "Can I pinch some?"

"The tall one. Long hair, big, pretty eyes...Kissable lips-" Sana began, trailing off when Mina shushed her.

"Okay, okay, I got it at tall. I don't need to hear about your fantasies." The younger princess raised her eyebrow in amusement when Sana blushed violently.

"Why do you make it sound like that?"

"I said what I said. You're the one making it weird, Satang." Mina replied simply, and Sana was preparing to attack her sister who was helping herself to some eyeshadow. They had a back-and-forth quarrel before Nayeon and Momo entered.

As Mina was leaving, obviously not after smuggling makeup with her, she looked back at Sana.

"Offer her a job position." She said, leaving Momo to give the older princess a questioning look.

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"So you're setting your sister up with Tzuyu?" Nayeon asked, picking up a comb.

"No. I'm just giving her a push. Who would have guessed that Sana would be the type to shy away from love?" Mina rolled her eyes. "So dramatic."

"Come on. I'm sure everyone's done that at least once." Nayeon smiled, and Mina turned to her suddenly.

"You're in love with someone!?"

"Uh, well, quite a sudden way of finding out, but yes. I have had my eye on someone for a while." The handmaiden looked down, her smile frozen. 

"Oh. Alright.." Mina replied, downcast.

"I think they might like me back."

"Then why don't you court them?" The princess questioned, and Nayeon's gaze softened even more than it already was. She studied Mina's reflection for a little, before answering.

"I'm waiting for the correct time. I don't think they're aware of my feelings."

"They must be so oblivious!" Mina crossed her arms. "You're really expressive."

"Yep," Nayeon chuckled lightly. "You're really oblivious." She mumbled under her breath, so the princess wouldn't hear.

"Seriously!? I made up a whole story about us and she still doesn't get it!?" The handmaiden's thoughts certainly didn't mirror her expression.

"How could I be so foolish as to think that she would love me?" Mina wondered. She was definitely oblivious.

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"My dreams are becoming a reality!" Tzuyu grinned, and the others turned to her in curiosity. "Princess Sana has hired me to teach her how to play the Guzheng! She says it sounds elegant."

"Good for you, Tzu." Dahyun congratulated her, but Chaeyoung groaned.

"This had better not mean that she'll bother me more!"

"How's Princess Mina, by the way?" Jeongyeon asked, turning to Nayeon. Jihyo's face immediately fell.

"It's going well. I don't think you should hate her so much, Jihyo." Nayeon replied, and this time it was Jihyo's turn to groan.

"She just gets on my nerves!"

"Give me every reason you can think of, and I'll explain it."

"She never goes outside, imagine how unaware of the world she must be!" Jihyo complained, and Nayeon huffed.

"She doesn't have a choice. She's forced to stay locked up."

"Well, she never smiles! How gloomy can a princess be?"

"She was put through years of trauma and lost her spark." Nayeon said fluently, recalling her conversation with Sana.

They went on like this for a little while until Jihyo gave up.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, fine. Maybe she isn't so bad, but what did you mean by trauma?" Jihyo asked, and the others nodded. They too wanted to know. 

"Well, I'm not sure. Princess Sana just told me that she would get bruised up a lot, but she doesn't know what happened."

"That's odd." Chaeyoung frowned.

"It is...I really want to find out more, but I don't think that's possible at the moment." Nayeon agreed, pursing her lips together.

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"What do you think would happen if someone walked into my room while I'm having one of my...Episodes?" Mina questioned, squinting her eyes as she sat down on a chair in her room. Nayeon barely noticed it, but she was sure the princess was showing signs of discomfort. Almost like she was struggling.

"I don't know. You might turn your attention to them and attack them. Or you might just go into a worse panic. There are many possible outcomes." Nayeon raised her eyebrow. "Why?"

"No reason." Mina looked down, fidgeting with her fingers. The handmaiden felt sorry for the princess, as it was clear what Mina meant. She wanted someone to not be scared of her, she wanted someone to try and help her. "One day, do you think we could return to the village?" 

"If that's what you want, of course." Nayeon smiled. "Anything for you."