"I live for the dream that my children will be born free," the princess breathes. "That they will be whoever they want to be, and that they'll never ever have to carry a sword wherever they go."
"I live for you," Jeongguk answers. Simply because, he...
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JEONGGUK DOESN'T EXPECT that he would ever get used to life at the castle, but so far things have been fine for him; other than the fact that people are still walking on eggshells around him. He manages to find comfort in that, though. It's a good way to keep people away from him and he soon finds that he actually enjoys his alone time.
He doesn't wake up to sunshine blaring directly into his face today. It had been raining the whole night and it's only just starting to subside, the heavy downpour slowly turning into soft drizzles.
The sky outside is still a little dark due to the weather so he can't really tell what time it is. But if it's still raining then it must mean training hasn't started yet at least.
Jeongguk stretches his limbs, yawns, and rubs off the final remnants of sleep from his eyes before getting up and preparing himself for the day; just the thought of which already making him want to crawl back under his covers and spend a few more hours in slumber.
He continues on with his usual routine—or rather, the routine he's developed ever since he moved to the castle. He takes his time washing himself, fixing his hair, making sure he smells good mostly for the fact that such acts only require a sort of mindlessness that allows his thoughts to wander elsewhere. He ends up throwing on his usual plain black tunic before deeming himself presentable.
He strides down the halls, heading for the palace kitchens as he usually does for the morning to get his breakfast. A group of court ladies pass by him and stop momentarily to give him a respectful bow.
Jeongguk has lived in the castle long enough to know just how significant ranks are, whether it be inside or outside of the palace walls. Thus, the only people who are below him are servants and court workers, so those are basically the one people he receives warm greetings from in the morning.
He walks a little more until he reaches a large set of doors. As soon as he opens it, a strong waft of aromas hits his senses. The smell of freshly baked bread and boiling broth intermingling in the air is one thing, but seeing the golden brown loaves and rolls on wicker baskets and linen-covered table tops never fails to make his mouth water.
