Maybe It's You (It's You Series #1)

4 ✽ The Minister

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Today was a heart-breaking day for Eun-bi.

It was time for her sister to leave for the palace. Before her departure, the maids were busy scrambling about the mansion in search of the items that Eun-bi had stolen from their baggage and hid them away to prolong them as much as possible.

Much to her dismay, they managed to retrieve everything.

"Silly girl, what's wrong with you!" Her mother chided her. "It's not like you're sending your husband away for war! This is supposed to be a happy occasion for your sister!"

But that only made Eun-bi's mood worse. "That's precisely why I'm crying. War is constant in the palace."

As tears brimmed her eyes, Yoo-jung took a step towards her and enveloped her in a tight hug. "That's not for you to worry about, Eun-bi. I'll be fine, I promise. And you, stop trying to act like you're the older sister. You need to stay out of trouble, you hear me?"

"What did you say? I can't hear you–" But her humour died when she shrivelled under her sister's scary glare. "–Oh wait, my ears are working well now. I promise I'll stay out of trouble, you know, as much as I can."

"If you break that promise, I will write a letter to the son of the Shim family to instruct him to take care of you while I'm away."

The Shim family. Eun-bi's face immediately paled at the mention of the boy's name as awful memories flooded her mind.

It was their neighbour who lived a few houses away – a strange boy who was infatuated with her ever since they were kids. Even though she had made it a point to show her obvious dislike of him, he persisted and often followed her about, doing all sorts of cringeworthy things for her.

To put it simply, he loved to overdo things.

Once, when she had mentioned she loved horses, he ended up buying ten of them for her. When she wanted to go on a boat ride, he had prepared a gigantic ship with food and wine, including several attendants.

She appreciated his efforts to court her, but he tried way too hard despite the numerous times she had politely refused him. He was having the time of his life lavishing her with gifts and his attention simply because she was more 'feisty' than average girls.

For this reason alone, she just couldn't seem to reciprocate his feelings.

What she wanted wasn't material wealth, but someone who would understand her wants and feelings. And he clearly wasn't the one.

She eventually drew the line, by gifting him with some tea cookies that she made with her own hands. It took her a few days to practice and master the art of moulding the cookies into the right shapes. She was proud of them, but she couldn't guarantee the taste. Everybody was aware that she was a terrible cook.

When she presented them to the Shim's son, he was ecstatic beyond words. But little did he know that eating those cookies was his descent to hell. He would spend days afterwards in his bathroom with a bad tummy ache.

And it was all thanks to the extra 'ingredient' she added. Eun-bi was thrilled at the results and she assumed that she had gotten rid of him for good.

Well, hopefully.

In the midst of a staring contest with her sister, Eun-bi tried to maintain her expression. "You wouldn't."

Yoo-jung grinned at her mischievously. "I would."

"If you give him a glimmer of hope, it will motivate him to start pestering me again." Eun-bi sulked before sighing in defeat. "I hate it when people pick on my weakness. You should be glad we're blood-related or you might find my shoe planted right in your face."

Her grumpy expression made her sister laugh. "In that case, I must be truly fortunate."

After exchanging a final hug, the palanquin carrying Yoo-jung left the mansion, accompanied by a few maids and servants. Once they were gone, Eun-bi's elated parents spent the rest of the day discussing her sister's stay in the palace, unaware that their youngest daughter had slipped out of the house at some point. She couldn't share their excitement, because the thought of not seeing her sister only made her feel more depressed than ever.

Taking Bo-mi out for a ride, Eun-bi soon found herself arriving at a small, tranquil river a few miles away from her house. She sat herself down at the wooden dock and dangled her legs over the edge, tossing pebbles into the waters and watching the ripples spread and disappear.

Even when the moon hung high in the night sky and basked the world below in a subtle, blue glow, she couldn't find the strength in her to return home. Not to the place where her sister's absence would be most felt.

She didn't know how long she sat there, until a voice jolted her from her thoughts.

"Pardon my intrusion, little lady, but are you not feeling well?"

Eun-bi jumped and whipped her head to the side so quickly that she almost pulled a muscle in her neck. A dark frown carved on her face when she noticed a nobleman, looking in his late forties, standing behind her. He had a bodyguard standing a distance away, but for some reason, he was watching her in concern.

"You shouldn't be out alone this late," he remarked. "Would you like me or my bodyguard to escort you back home?"

She crossed her arms at him suspiciously. "That, I hope, is not how you're trying to pick up a young girl for whatever dirty deeds you're harbouring in your mind."

"I beg your pardon?" The older man frowned before the full extent of her words sank into his mind. "Oh no, forgive me. That wasn't what I was trying to do. You see, I have children of my own and like every parent, I would worry when my child isn't back home this late. Especially for girls around your age."

She found it hard to believe his words. "I'll be fine, old man. Thank you for your concern," she said quickly, hoping he would just leave her alone.

His silent bodyguard flinched at her lack of mannerism, but the nobleman simply dismissed him with a wave of his fingers. He chuckled at the way she addressed him with amusement glinting in his eyes.

"You're pretty straightforward, aren't you?" he said. "But may I ask what's troubling that heart of yours?"

She cut in curtly. "I apologise, but my mother has taught me never to speak to a stranger."

The nobleman smiled amusedly, once again surprised by her free-spoken attitude. "And she's right. Forgive this nosy man, little lady. I'm a man working for the King and hearing the citizens' worries is part of my job."

She scratched the tip of her nose thoughtfully. "What are you? A minister? If that's the case, I've a kidnapping case to report to you - my sister's been abducted."

"Abducted?" he repeated, dumbfounded. "By who?"

"The King," she answered sourly, barely noticing how he hid his cough behind his hand. "Doesn't he have better things to do than calling maidens to his palace? I'm certain he didn't have to specifically request for their presence, not when many of them are willing to volunteer as candidates."

For some inexplicable reason, he seemed to find her words humorous. "I apologise on His Majesty's behalf. I strongly believe he has his own reasons for his selective choices."

"You mean excuses," she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "An apology from you is not what I seek, it's not even your fault. Honestly, if I were to ever see the King personally, I will hurl my shoes at him."

The minister let out a bark of laughter at her witty remark. "That would certainly be a sight to see. It's not often someone would be brazen enough to stand up to him, much less a girl."

"I'm one of a kind," she answered him in a deadpan voice. "Men would always run at the sight of me. I never knew I'm that great of a woman, perhaps the role of a Queen would fit me."

The corners of the old man's eyes crinkled with amusement. Even though she had blurted out those words as a joke, he seemed to consider them seriously for a moment. The glint in his eyes suggested that he was having absurd ideas in his head.

"Little lady, if I were to recommend you to the King as one of the candidates for the Crown Prince's bride, would you consider it?