Unpraising Daisy

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"Sooyun...your birth parents are no longer on this earth."

Your eyes fill with a fresh round of tears before he finishes the sentence. "O-Oh."

He sighs and aims his gaze down at the table. "Your...Your birth father saved your life in a rebellion when you were just a baby, but in the midst of it all, he and his wife were killed."

...

"I used to work for the King before he was murdered, and his only option during the rebellion was to entrust you to me and to keep your identity hidden all these years," he says. "He didn't want you to be bound by the status of a Northerner or an orphaned princess when I brought you here, so he made me promise I'd never tell you the truth...

"Sooyun...I-I'm sorry. I didn't think it would come to all of this, I never thought the deal I made then would ever come around. I...I've failed in protecting you. I've broken my promise with your father."

"No..." you start with watery eyes. "It's not your fault, father, at all. I'd never blame you for this; it's just," you stutter. "I-I just wish that I knew sooner and that this hole in my heart, in my memory...in my timeline didn't exist.

"I can't help but feel incomplete."

You stay silent for a moment, and the King asks your father a question. "Is that it? You saved her from the Rebellion of the Nobles, and she never knew?"

Your father nods. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Did your other children know?" He eyes Hoseok.

"No, Your Majesty. My son was also just a child, he wouldn't have remembered."

"Very well," he says. "That is all I needed to confirm from you. You may stay and continue talking for as long as you please."

He backs up in his seat and gestures for his wife to come with him.

When the door closes behind them, your father looks at you again. "I know an apology will never be enough, Sooyun, but this is the reason we've always been so eager to have you in the Harvest and hoped you could make it as Queen. Your mother may show her excitement in odd ways, but know that it was never her or my desire to become Second Class Royals. We just wanted you to have the chance to become royal again, to reclaim your birthright as future heir to the throne."

Your mother nods with a soft smile. "Truly, sometimes I couldn't contain my excitement thinking that you could win His Highness's favor and become a Queen as you were born to do. I too apologize for making you feel pressured, Sooyun, but..." her eyes wander toward Taehyung. She smiles. "You've come so far."

You sniffle and wipe at your face. "R-Really?" you get out with difficulty.

All this time, while I thought they were so exuberant over the thought of me being Queen just to satisfy their own dreams of becoming Second Class Royals, they merely wanted me to reclaim my rights to the throne?

And I've been so harsh in accusing them of it, too.

"I-I'm sorry," you whisper. "I'm sorry for everything I've said about you wanting to go up in the ranks."

"You didn't know," your father says with a solemn nod. "Admittedly our actions did make it seem as though we wanted ranks for ourselves."

"Still, I shouldn't have..."

"It's all right, my child." Your mother reaches over and caresses your hair in her fingers. "I may not have been the one to birth or nurse you, but I still feel ever the mother to you, and I will try my best to fill that role for you."

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