Min Jun and his sister stayed up the whole night, talking about what misfortunes and mishaps that have fallen on Min Jun. Despite the courage that he gathered he still found himself shedding tears, tears that sometimes blurred his voice making him pause to catch his breath through his heavy sobs and allowing himself to be comforted by his sister.
He filled her in on all the plans that her mother has been plotting for his brother Joon Wo to make him Crown Prince. She was that desperate to make her son a king that she would go to the lengths of killing everyone that stood as an obstacle in the way of full fulling her desires.
But, the most painful part that he talked about is how his mother was forcing him to start his training as an heir behind his brothers back. It killed him inside to hide something from his brothers especially Joon Wo, he always used to take care of him when he was sad from being neglected by his mother, he kept him company and became the one that Min Jun can call a parent.
Starting all of this training and all this none sense felt that he is stabbing his brother in the back as if he wanted to live so bad that he would betray his brother. The very thought that if his brother does indeed become the emperor and kill him and his brothers was sickening him.
'How can you think that he would do such a thing?!' he scolded himself over and over again, his fingers pulling harshly on the hair that's falling to his face.
His sister was sitting beside him during his breakdown, comforting him whenever she could and joined him in crying when she found herself speechless and lost of words, and honestly, that was all he needed at that moment.
"Your brother will be so heartbroken when he knows how much you suffered for him," Jae I said. "you should've more faith in your brother."
He nodded sniffing and wiping away the tears that smudged his pale cheeks. The faith that his sister has in his brother despite all the tension that was between them since they were reunited blew his mind. He couldn't say the same for his brothers but, he knew that they are working on trusting him again. After all, all this bad blood between them was a misunderstanding, or so they all thought.
The truth behind the letters never reaching its destination was a mystery to them, it was all just bad timing, right?
As they were sitting there in the darkness spilling their hearts out, on the other side of the palace at the one and only cherry blossom tree, Nefertari sat on the stone bench that faced the tree directly.
She allowed herself a moment to shut out her mind and her senses and enjoy the night's cool breeze as it blew through the place. The sound of the rattling branches formed a rhythm that eased souls and calmed hearts, with the full move above it spreading its silver rays like curtains surrounding this tree.
It looked like the tree came straight out of heaven, as if it was not affected by the dark aura that roams the place, the plotting, and wickedness that lay in every corner never stopped this spot from losing the magic it had the first time Nefertari saw it.
"This spot never loses its magic right?"
Nefertari turned her head to the side thinking that her mind was now talking on its own. "Oh, Jooni," she said realizing how silly that thought was, it wasn't surprising really, after all, no one knows her as much as Joon Wo does, even more than herself. "I was just thinking the same thing." She said making room for Joon Wo to sit.
"Why are you out here so late?" Joon Wo asked taking a seat beside her.
"I couldn't sleep," she said. "and besides, I've something I've to tell you." She looked at him with the usual joyful smile that never ceased to make Joon Wo's heart skip a beat. Her smile always helped ease his soul, just like this tree, it always made him soften up when he is with her.
He was the old him when he is with her, she brings out the best of him.
"Yoh, from earth to Jooni!" she said waving her hand in front of his duo eyes. "How can you space out when you are looking right at me?" she giggled.
"S-sorry," he said, almost slipping out the truth on why he was spacing out. 'You' he almost said that but decided not to after this whole friend thing that happened the other day. He sighed at how dim-witted she is, she was more ignorant he was.
"What is it that you wanted to tell me?" He asked after he snapped out of his thought.
"Me and the others want to get away from all this tension and hang out like how we used to in the old days," she said looking up ahead of her as the breeze blew through the branches. "we thought that why not go to the lake have a picnic like before?" she turned her head to smile brightly with excitement.
"Are you sure?" he giggled remembering that commotion that circulated around the lake that day because of her fall.
"Don't worry!" she exclaimed. "After we got back the first thing that Papa did, was make me learn how to swim." She chuckled.
"Then I guess it's settled," he said returning a deep warm smile that Tari wasn't expecting him to do which took her aback.
She sat there looking at his dark piercing eyes that gazed right into her soul and found herself lost for words.
'Tari snap out of it!' she shook her head trying to avoid his gaze.
"Are you okay?" Joon Wo asked tilting his head talking a closer look at her.
"I-I'm fine!" she said jolting up. "W-we should go to sleep – you should go to sleep it must have been a long day for you. Good night!" she said and ran away leaving him no time to reply or show a reaction. All he could do was stare in wonder as he saw her runoff.
"G-good night – I guess."
'Damn you Jooni! What are you doing to me!?' she screamed internally as she ran in an attempt to let the breeze cool down her flushed cheeks, which was not working by any means…