Faceless King, Hidden Princess (COMPLETED)

Episode 1

My brother has taught me everything I know since we were little. He was the only one who truly cared for me after I was taken in by his family. After the King at the time passed away, which is 11 years ago now, I was practically left by myself with him. The Queen hid him after her father died, in fear of assassination attempts against him. As for me, well, I don't even exist in her eyes. Not since I was brought home by her father all those years ago. Her daughter, Sookmyung, a princess,  also didn't like me. The Queen had a problem with her dad's kind heart, trying to bring me into their already perfect family. That led me practically being raised by my older adoptive brother, Jinheung. We've been by each other's sides our entire lives, I don't even feel like I was adopted anymore. Not by him anyway. He treats me like a biological sister. We lean on each other for any kind of support the other needs. We're both so different in our stories and how we got to where we are now, but are both resented by the Queen, so much that she has to keep us from the entire world. The Kingdom of Silla has no idea what their future king looks like, and have no idea that I even exist. So, we are the Faceless King and Hidden Princess of Silla. 

And I learned to be okay with that until one day, Jinheung landed something on me.

We were sparring with practice swords made of wood. "I'm going to the Capital tomorrow." He spoke up as our swords clashed. He aimed it at my left him but I blocked it, and our swords clashed again. "Okay, but why are you telling me this?" I asked, neither of us stopped with the swords to talk, a skill the two of us had acquired by practicing everyday. We could practically do it with our eyes closed.

"I'm going to the Palace for the first time but...I want you to come with me." I suddenly stopped at the words that came out of his mouth. Jinheung was about to aim for me with the wooden sword but noticed I had stopped and then he saw my face and his hands dropped to his side, mirroring me.

"You told me you would never make me go back there. You know I was never welcome in that Palace from the start. Your Mother had more respect for a cockroach than she did for me, a 3 year old." I fired at him, I felt a little bad but the mention of the palace again after all these years just triggered something that I didn't like. I turned around to go to our small house that we lived in. I didn't talk to him as I ate and washed up, and got ready for bed, and he didn't talk to me either. He knew when to give me space.

I went back outside for air before I went to sleep. Thinking about going back to the Palace made me sick to my stomach. I heard shuffling behind me and knew it was Jinheung. You spend your entire life with someone, you recognise everything about them. Even their footsteps.

He sat beside me and was silent for a bit before he spoke up. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have sprung it on you like that. If it is that hard for you to go back there after all these years, I won't make you. Your situation is a lot different than mine and sometimes I forget that. I'll ask someone to protect you while I go with Pa-Oh. I just thought you might want to. That's why I asked." He said, quietly. "But I understand that it scares you. You were treated like crap by Mother. Especially after Grandfather passed. I don't blame you. So don't feel bad about getting upset. I'm not mad." He added.

"You were treated badly too. The catchphrase "over my dead body" has never described a situation so accurately." I pointed out, playing with the only thing I had left of my family, a bracelet that I've kept close to my heart my entire life. I've had it since I was born. But I keep it hidden, I can't let anyone know I have this. It could be dangerous. The assassination on my family was vicious, and if the ones who did it find out I got out, I could be in serious danger.