Yetsune reclines in her basket swing, wholly ensnared by the book in her hand, while Erya, her aide, sways the swing.
The pages of the book whisk her through a rollercoaster of emotions—giggling at the sweet romance scenes, laughing at the comedic parts, and sobbing at the sad moments.
"Your Highness, you had better read inside. If word reaches the Queen's ears that you are reading these novels, you will be punished," Erya advises, her vigilant gaze darting toward the courtyard entrance to watch out for anyone coming.
"You nag too much, Erya," Yetsune responds without tearing her eyes from the pages.
To Yetsune, the fictional characters within the pages of her books are more than mere ink and paper. After Erya, her uncle and sister, they are her cherished confidants. Within their world, her own fades, granting her an escape from the stifling reality that binds her.
Born as a Princess of the Asana Kingdom yet titled the Crown Princess of Aushasal from birth, Yetsune despises her life. She loathes the generational alliance marriage between the Asana Kingdom and the Aushasal Empire that has saddled her with so many expectations. In fact, there is no expectation. No one expects anything from her, except she becomes a virtuous Empress in the future and bears many sons to extend the Imperial bloodline.
Her mother wouldn't let her eat enough to keep her full since it is unladylike or read novels, claiming she has better books to be reading. Her clothes, jewellery, cosmetics and hairdo are all selected by her mother, not out of love but according to the standards she must uphold as a future Empress.
For a moment, Yetsune leaves her imagination, her grip on the book tightening with silent resolve. Very soon, all of this will come to an end, at least for a short time. She would escape forever with Erya but there are still things holding her back. She loves her uncle and sister too much to abandon them and Erya might not want to leave her younger twin, Arya, forever.
"Is this your bedchamber?"
Her thoughts are interrupted by a familiar voice that sends her jumping out of the swing, hiding the book behind her while Erya scurries to stand beside her.
"Your Highness," Erya greets, bowing her head.
Yetsune smiles stiffly as she says, "Yettiri."
Yettiri strides forward them with a stern expression on her face, her hands clasped behind her and a whip coiled at her waist. "I let you skip training because you said you are not feeling well and need to rest. Is this how you rest?"
Yetsune's stiff smile grows nervously, a caught expression on her face. She discreetly passes the book to Erya who proceeds to conceal it behind her.
"You are not going to tell Father…are you?" Yetsune goes close to Yettiri, wrapping her arms around hers and looks up at her sister with round, compelling eyes. Yettiri looks at her, pursing her lips with a sigh.
They are identical twin sisters with Yettiri being the eldest of the two and the future heir to the throne of Asana. Although they are identical twins, their personalities are nothing alike. Yettiri is stoic and disciplined, she rarely ever smiles and is a skilled fighter. Yetsune is strong-willed, imaginative and boisterous yet lacks any martial skills.
"Let's go in," Yetsune says with a big smile on her face, knowing she has managed to melt her sister's cold heart. Yettiri remains still, leaving Yetsune no choice but to pull her in and Erya tags along behind them. She pulls Yettiri to a seat around the centre table in her inner chamber and sits beside her.
"You cannot keep evading your training," Yettiri nags, then she turns to Erya. "Not only do you fail to perform your duties in guiding your mistress but you join her in the same act," she chides Erya.
Erya hangs her head. "I apologise, Your Highness."
"You should learn from your sister," Yettiri adds in a berating tone and looks away from her.
"What has Erya got to do with skipping training,? She can't possibly force me to do something I do not want to do," Yetsune speaks on Erya's behalf, displeased with the comparison between the two sisters since she's been compared to Yettiri all her life. Erya shakes her head subtly, signalling Yetsune to let it go.
"Would I reprimand her if she fulfilled her duties?" Yettiri retorts, her temper quickly rising.
"You may leave, Erya," Yetsune instructs her. Despite her reluctance, Erya obliges, bowing her head before exiting the room.
Yetsune exhales deeply before speaking to her sister in an amiable voice. "I know it is for my own good. But Yettiri, it is already difficult that our parents are suffocating me. Can you not do the same?" She takes Yettiri's hands into her own with an appealing look in her eyes.
Yettiri regards Yetsune for a moment in silence, her words draw at her heartstrings but she cannot be too soft with her. Her expression turns frank a as he responds, "How are you going to protect yourself when you are married off to Aushasal?"
Yetsune becomes even more annoyed but tries to speak calmly. "I do not need to protect myself, I have Erya by my side."
"Erya is not enough to protect you, she is not nearly as skilled as her sister!" Yettiri yells at her, exasperated by how Yetsune doesn't see the need to become as strong and independent as she is.
"Goodness, Yettiri!" Yetsune spits in frustration, dropping Yettiri's hand. "I am the Crown Princess of Aushasal, once I marry into Aushasal, there will be many guards and servants at my disposal," She argues.
Yettiri suddenly grabs Yetsune by her shoulders, startling her. "Do you wish to end up like our late Aunt? You cannot entrust your life in anyone's hands, I am saying this because I care for you!"
"I—"
"Our Aunt already lived in Aushasal at your age, even before the current Emperor was made Crown Prince. You won't be any different," Yettiri says in a persuasive voice, her tone softening.
Her annoyance reaches its peak. "Enough!" Yetsune yells, pushing her sister's hand away from her shoulders then she shoots up from her seat. Yettiri stares at her, wide-eyed, hands hanging in shock.
"All you speak of is the darned marriage. If it is as you say then we don't have much time left together, shouldn't we then make better use of the time we have now?" She says, her arms thrashing in frustration.
Yettiri slowly stands to her feet. "I shouldn't have spoken without caution," she says in a surprisingly calm voice. Yetsune exhales in relief, thinking that Yettiri understands she is in the wrong here but her relief is short-lived when Yettiri starts walking away.
"Yetti—" Before she finishes, Yettiri has already flung the doors open and stormed away, gradually disappearing from Yetsune's sight.
Her shoulder slumps and she sinks back into her seat, blaming herself for overreacting. Yettiri's anger takes ages to absolve, from the looks of it, they won't be speaking for a while now. But she hates how the marriage alliance has become the only thing Yettiri ever speaks of these days. She never used to force her to learn to fight and always indulged her misbehavior yet she has become increasingly strict recently.
Erya enters back into the room and closes the doors behind her. "Your Highness shouldn't have argued with the First Princess because of me," Erya asks as she nears Yetsune.
"It is not because of you," Yetsune responds as she rises from her seat. Erya follows Yetsune into the study, where she sits at her desk and opens a compartment, retrieving a rolled-up parchment. Yetsune unrolls, revealing a map with red lines showing the pathway from the ruling clan of the Asana Kingdom, Aisin to Aushasal.
Erya takes a close look at the map, recognizing it to be one that was gifted to Yetsune by Lord Azryn, her uncle, at her request. She had obtained the map after fishing for information about Aushasal from her uncle, to find that the Emperor of Aushasal is currently on a tour around the nation.
A big smile of mischief forms on Yetsune's face as she glances over the map. "Erya," she calls, her voice brimming with excitement. "We are going to Aushasal!"