Chapter 53

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She was lying on her bed. Her one arm was stuck between the back of her head and the stack of soft pillows beneath it, while the other she placed across her stomach. She hadn’t changed her clothes nor was she planning to anytime soon. She didn’t feel like moving at all. She had been staring at the high ceiling with murals depicting a story that she hadn’t decided yet whether she understood or not, for what seemed like hours now or perhaps more. She couldn’t tell exactly, though, because she hadn’t moved ever since she got inside her room. Although, telling from how the silence had now crept in and the fewer sound of marching boots and hooves from the ground outside, she could tell that it was past dinner. She scoffed disdainfully at the thought of the dinner.

The mural she was staring at was a story of some sort which she had been curious about during her first visits in the palace some years ago. But she probably wasn’t curious enough about it back then and until now, that she didn’t even try to find out what it represents or if it ever represents anything significant to the deep roots of her ancestry. But it was beautiful, that much she could tell, and definitely a tedious job to create. The colorful masterpiece in the ceiling, however old it was, was kept on its immaculate state of prestige seeing as there wasn’t any hint of dereliction, same with all the other parts of the palace and that part amused her, somehow. The butler and his staff did a terrific job in keeping the palace impressive all these years. Lek should be rewarded, Pranpriya thought. Despite her annoyance of his persistent invitation earlier by knocking on her door every now and then, calling for her, imploring her to join her parents and the Kims in the hall for dinner. Which she knew was obviously upon the order of her mother, who else, and which she ignored conscientiously every time, of course.

Pranpriya groaned when she finally changed her position. She stretched her limbs and felt her joints protested. What did the Princess Mother think, asking her to come down and join them for dinner after what happened in the drawing room? After what His Majesty had said and embarrassing her in front of Jennie and Mrs Kim. She groaned yet again at the thought of Jennie. She could hear Jennie’s voice repeatedly inside her head, calling out her name as she stormed out from them, which she completely ignored. Idiot, she called herself. Although, at some point back there, she had the urge to retrieve her steps and take Jennie as far away from everyone else in that room as possible. But she didn’t and she just completely ditched Jennie and the “family” dinner. And it was exactly the reason why she refused to come down again for dinner, no matter how persistent Lek’s knocking was and no matter how curious she was about what’s going on downstairs. Because she couldn’t bear to look Jennie in the eye any more than she could actually show herself in front of everyone else after the little drama in the drawing room. Besides, Jennie heard His Majesty, too. There would be no sense pretending that everything was fine and that they would have a lovely family dinner after what happened. Her stomach grumbled but Pranpriya paid it no attention. She was hurt. But she was more angry than hurt.

But if she’d have to be completely honest, though. She probably already knew it was bound to happen. She had expected that. That it was highly possible that she will be barred from returning to South Korea and that her father, her King of a father, will rule her fate, as he had done so from the very beginning. She knew he was more than capable of doing that and she might have accepted her providence already, reluctantly and with so much protest, but yes. She might have did that after her trip down Thammasant Alley earlier, before Jennie showed up in the palace tonight and had they not shared quite an intimate moment in the study. Seeing Jennie again after a few days of her complete detaching from her gave her hope. Which, of course, His Majesty generously crushed in an instant. But what upset her, though, was not how her father had decided without consulting her (because he’s allowed to do that) but with how carelessly he declared it, thinking that she wasn’t around to personally hear it. And really? Did he really have to do that without her? She felt betrayed in front of Jennie and her mom, no less, and like how she had predicted it, it was embarrassing on her part.

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