"...it's not here."
Hayoung looked at her with dispirit. They arrived at the other side of the hill. The little girl seemed to have known the way very well but to both of their dismay, all they see was white.
There was only snow covering the ground, no sign of lilacs. It wasn't time yet and seeing the girl disappointed made her slightly sad. For one, Seora knew how it felt like to have such hope and ended up with emptiness.
"It's alright, we can come another time." Seora said, trying to reassure her. She was anticipating such flowery field as well although she knew it wasn't time yet.
The two found themselves staring at the avast white scenery in front of them. It wasn't as cold as before, and the weather was soothing somehow. They felt calm at first until the wind started to blow and Seora only realised she was in a plain dress.
It differ from when she was at the palace, they would put on at least double clothing on her, to ensure she would always be warm and comfortable. She never felt a sense of difficulty having to cope with the weather, all thanks to her wealth.
Thud.
She felt sudden coldness against her back. The princess caught a glimpse of snow on her hair, she turned around to find the little girl with another snowball in her small hands. She threw the other one in her direction, and it hit her again.
"Hey!" Seora tried to shield herself, but the little girl was getting competitive. She grabbed a snowball herself and threw it at the younger one. Only then, she realised how cold the snow really was.
Her palm was red, it was freezing but something about it made her enjoy. It was biting, but she liked it somehow. It made her feel alive. Seora ended up having a battle with Hayoung and the two chased each other up the hill.
There were a lot of laughter, something she hadn't done for a while. Seora never felt so carefree. The world felt so different, it was as if she discovered a new part where there was truly nothing to worry about but just be joyous. Something she had been looking for so long.
She noticed Hayoung was slowing down, the girl must've ran out of energy from all the running. Seora thought it'd be the perfect opportunity to catch her, only so the princess could have a taste of victory, even if it were childish.
However, as soon as Seora grabbed onto the little girl, her hand was caught between some twigs, untangling her bracelet and it fell.
Hayoung, who were laughing at first finally realised the shock in the princess' face. She was a smart girl indeed as she followed her gaze and found them both staring at the object shining against the sunlight.
"Oh no..." the little girl said and Seora almost chuckled. She looked at her bracelet, it wasn't far from her reach. It was probably torn from her wrist and landed stuck on the ravine's ground.
She scanned her surrounding, to grab on anything at all so she could reach for it. It wasn't far from her sight, it would be so easy and the only dangerous part of the ravine was how steep it was. The snow wasn't helping at all, it made the slope a lot more slippery than it already seem.
The girl took a deep breath and decided to grab on a branch that was next to her. The branch didn't seem like a good idea, as it was not thick and strong like she hoped but it was the only option she had.
As she tried to reach and balance herself, Hayoung grabbed on her skirt. "Don't do it Eunmi." She said, sounding afraid somehow. "I-If you fall, you'll hurt yourself." The little girl pleaded.
Seora softened at how much she cared, but the bracelet meant everything to her. She couldn't just leave it be. "I'll be fine Hayoung, don't worry." The princess smiled. "Mummy would be angry if you're hurt." She pleaded again.
