White, snowy flakes drifted down to the white ground. The sky was a baby blue, and there was little warmth despite the sun being out.
The youth looked out the open window. He was sitting at his desk with a book in hand. His silver hair was being gently blown by the wintery wind. His nose was a strawberry pink, alongside his cheeks. The youth's nose twitched, irritated by the cold.
"Achoo!"
Yunho sneezed, his slender body jerking forward. He rubbed his nose.
"Geez, does it ever get warmer here? I just wanted to enjoy some fresh air," Yunho said to himself. He got up from his desk and closed the window.
It'd been a month since they'd arrived at the lodge. By now, everybody was settled in and had gotten into the motion of life here.
Yunho holed himself in his room most of the time. The cold would make one feel listless, but it motivated Yunho to finally study the books (more like book because the other one was unspeakable) he brought from the manor.
Yunho sat back down in his chair. He looked about his room. It was roomy with a white rug on the floor and a window on each outside-facing wall. There were a couple of bookshelves, but they were empty right now. He had a cabinet besides one that he stored things in. It had a small mirror kept on it beside a hairbrush and brooches.
It wasn't as large as the bedroom in the estate, but Yunho was more comfortable with it.
The youth adjusted his hair out of his eyes and looked down at the book still in his hand. He had finally started reading the history book he had found in his bedroom back in the estate.
He hadn't finished all of it, but he was about halfway through. The book held information Yunho didn't know before. To the point, that he was getting headaches trying to digest all of the information.
He was also confused. How could the novel world have so much background the author didn't write into the book? Yunho bit his lip in frustration. It was too hard to understand!
He flipped back to the page he was at.
So far, he had learned this:
"The Lucivia kingdom was founded 1200 years ago by Celestine Modum Aeris who named the kingdom after a rare flower native to the lands. The kingdom was experiencing exponential growth in economy and wealth. It was also built off the belief in Baihye, the goddess of light who had a temple built in her name in the capital.
However, about 1100 years ago, calamity struck. A plague spread through the lands, and blight killed off most crops. Famine threatened the lives of many, and demonic and unclean energy festered about. Apocalypse seemed inevitable.
But, one day, a temple boy was gathering water when he suddenly received an oracle from Baihye, herself. She told him that the solution to the kingdom's problem was a young woman whom she had blessed with her powers.
The temple boy told the priests who told the nobles. Soon, a search was held to find this supposed salvation. A young woman was soon found. She was the daughter of a dressmaker and had healed her father of the plague with only her tears.
The woman was taken back to the temple and adorned with the new title of high priestess. She blessed items and was paraded through the kingdom. Soon, the plague waned, and plants started growing again.
Since then, every two centuries, a woman is born with Baihye's powers, and once she awakens them, she will be made high priestess."
Yunho wasn't curious about who would be the next priestess because he already knew who he'd be. And it was partly why Yunho knew that he had to leave back then.
The novel wasn't called The Mistreated High Priestess Is Now a Princess for no reason. Irene was the one who'd awaken these powers, and according to the story, it would be soon too. Her newfound position of high priestess is what attracted the crown prince to her (though love wasn't really the motivation) and what gave her the power to finally get revenge on her abusive family.
Yunho closed the book and rapped his thin fingers on the cover. That thought made him think... Exactly where was he in the story? Yunho sighed. There was no real way to tell. Yunho knew he was in the beginning, but the beginning of the book had no dates to work off of.
He had to put himself in a position of enough advantage so that when Irene did gain power, she wouldn't be able to or hopefully, wouldn't want to exile him like in the original story. But how? Yunho doubted that his apology letter was enough to make up for the years of ridicule that Irene endured. So Yunho now had to play the strategy game.
He had to make a big enough impact to remove the "easy target" sign off his forehead.
Suddenly, a knock came from the door. Yunho jerked off his chair, losing his footing and falling off the floor.
The young man groaned.
He got up and opened the door. There stood a young maid. It was the jittery one from the inn. Yunho had chosen her to be in his select lineup of maids because she seemed like a fine worker.
The maid slowly became more used to her young master over the stay at the lodge and was no longer afraid of him.
"Young master, I was at the market in the nearby town when I received news that there'll be a festival today! It's to celebrate the final stretch before harvest!" The young woman said.
Yunho paused. He did remember reading something like that in the novel. It was common to celebrate a few months before harvest time in the hope of a successful harvest and prayer to Baihye. Then when it was harvest time, families would thank Baihye for the crop yield.
But something was nagging at Yunho. He felt like there was something he was forgetting. He shook the thought away. He could figure out what later.
"A pre-harvest festival? I mean you're right. I haven't really gone anywhere since we came here..." Yunho replied.
"Yes, and I heard there'll be many market stands with foods and crafts. There'll even be fireworks later!" The girl said with an excited expression.
Yunho was starting to wonder if she was just trying to convince him so she'd have more of an excuse to attend the festival herself. The young woman seemed ecstatic at the prospect of going to the festival. Yunho already wanted to go, but even if he didn't, it would make him feel bad to disappoint.
"Sure, it sounds interesting," Yunho said.
The girl nodded with vigor.
"Yes, it does! And don't worry, young master! Me and Nym will accompany you to ensure safety in numbers," The young woman said, placing a hand to her chest in solidarity.
Yunho was sure now that he was just a cover for them to go to the festival without looking like they were slacking on their servant duties.
Yunho didn't mind it though. He couldn't blame them for wanting a little fun. He had chosen the five servants (excluding the butler) he'd taken with him carefully.
He chose only people he noticed didn't partake in malicious gossip and worked hard, and Aris, the young maid in front of him, and Nym, the only servant boy among the five, were around his age and, of course, would want to have fun.
Aris eventually left, and Yunho closed the door, leaving him alone again. He gazed at the book he had left on his desk and sighed. The sky was still an enviable soft blue, and white tufts of clouds drifted by.
"Guess it's back to reading…"
---
The reds of evening were starting to fade and turn into a rich blue. Yunho was downstairs and musing to himself on a chair. He had just finished eating the supper that Marella and another maid had made for him and was trying to think up some answers to his current predicament. He looked out the window. The snow had waned a little but still was falling quite steadily.
"Young master! Are you ready to go to the festival?" Said an excited, youthful voice behind him.
Yunho was startled out of his thoughts when he heard the voice. Finally, the words clicked in his mind, and he understood. He turned around.
"Ah, so it's already time to go?" Yunho said. He looked down at his outfit. It consisted of a white blouse-like shirt and cotton-lined Navy pants that, even with padding, hugged his slender legs.
"Well, we don't have to go now, but if we come late, the shops may run out of all the good stuff," Aris replied, slightly rocking on her feet.
Yunho nodded in agreement. It was also obvious that she was anxious to go but didn't want to say it outright.
"You're right. I'll get a coat then we can go," Yunho replied. Aris's lips turned up in a smile.
"Great, young master! I'll tell Nym now. We'll wait for you down here," Aris said.
Yunho embarked up the stairs and quickly got a fuzzy coat from his closet. It enclosed him in heat as he slipped it on. When he came back down the stairs, he saw both Aris and Nym standing near the front door. They were chatting excitedly among themselves.
Aris spotted him.
"Young master, you're down! I usually walk to the town, but since the young master is here, we should probably get a carriage," Aris said to him as he made it to the duo.
"It's fine. I can also walk. I don't want to bother the coachmen unnecessarily. It'll add to the experience anyway," Yunho replied. He knew it would be smarter to go by carriage, but he felt a little bad bothering the coachmen just so they could have their fun.
Nym and Aris shared a surprised look before chuckling. The servant boy spoke up.
"Alright! We'll make sure to protect the young master!" Nym said, placing a closed fist on his chest.
"Yeah, we'll keep young master safe!" Aris echoed the sentiment, mimicking the gesture.
Yunho smiled in amusement as he nodded.
"Thank you. I'm glad to have such loyal servants."
They left the lodge and began walking in the snow. Yunho was warm with his coat on but his nose still reddened in the cold. Snowflakes fell all around, and a few barren trees were scattered on the trail.
It felt like some time had passed when Yunho could see the town ahead. There was already a small crowd of people, and Yunho could see soft light cast on the town's stone paths by some stands' lanterns. It was already a bustling festival, and he could hear the sound of faraway music probably from a nearby club or musician.
Aris's and Nym's eyes sparkled at this sight, and this time, Yunho shared their excitement.
"Let's go!"
—
End of Chapter 12