Heart of Ice

Hamper

Ever since their conversation in the carriage, Yewon felt hopeful that maybe she did have some kind of power over him. Maybe she could knock some sense into him. Maybe she didn't have to marry Soonyoung.

The thought of marrying Soonyoung made her shudder a few times. She did not believe he was a bad person, but she knew he would drag her headfirst into a world she was not familiar with in practice, the world of sensual pleasure.

She remembered when she first knew she would marry Seungcheol. She had told her father that she wouldn't consummate, because she hadn't wanted to offer her body to someone like that. Now, she laughed at herself. The past her had been so naïve and stupid. It was almost laughable how she went from wanting to guard her chastity from her husband to using her sexuality to marry a man who was not her husband. So much had changed since then; she had changed a lot.

Ever since he agreed to marrying her, Soonyoung had tried not to act any differently from usual. But things had changed between them. Apart from how ashamed she was in front of him because of how ridiculous she had appeared that day, he was also bolder in front of her. He would stare at her with more audacity, with this sort of eager light in his eyes. He also spoke to her more than usual, not about the impending marriage, but just regular conversation.

Meanwhile, Seungcheol would not agree to see her at all, no matter how much she tried to speak with him.

She did go to the hospital every day, and fortunately, it was running as usual by her fourth visit. The supplies were in place, and some of the patients were recovering quickly. Unfortunately, however, the hospital had to be supplied for the coming battle, which was sure to bring in more injured men. That meant that the beds had to be cleared

One of the patients who were deemed recovered enough to leave the hospital was Dino.

When Yewon came to speak to him, he looked so distressed about being kicked out.

"I don't want to leave," Dino told her, crying. "I need to stay here. My mom can't afford to take care of me by herself."

Yewon didn't know what to do for him. She sat on his bedside and held his hand, saying that she'll find a solution for him. Dino didn't seem very comforted by that.

Yewon knew that Dino's father died in the war, and that he only had his two sisters and his mother, who was barely making ends meet for her daughters working in a bakery for 12 hours a day. She had no time to take care of Dino, and not enough money to feed all her children, and so to lose the support of the hospital would be devastating for him and his family.

Other patients who were going to be discharged expressed similar sentiments.

Yewon felt she had to do something. Maybe provide the discharged patients with a large sum of money to start them off. Or maybe food security. Or at least something.

But she was just a princess. She had no control over money. She couldn't just start things like this the way Jeonghan did.

She was in the carriage back to the palace with nobleman Arti when she told him about the problem with the patients who would be discharged. She wondered if he would be able to help.

"We can allocate some funds to support them," Arti told her, "but with the approval of the prince. Get approval from your husband, and I will work on it immediately."

"If only he would speak to me," Yewon replied with a sigh. "Can you ask him?"

"He's not speaking to you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

She didn't think it was wise to tell him about the divorce, so instead she came up with another answer: "I think he's angry with me because he asked me not to come to the hospital anymore and I insisted on coming anyways."