At the knight's greeting, the princess ignored him and faced her brother instead. Despite his impassive expression,
Mia could tell he was in a bad mood today. It was probably because of that ugly squid. Recently she'd heard that he
poisoned Lady Seolhwa, and the little girl already hated him after learning he previously tried courting the
physician. How dare that ugly ahjussi try courting Lady Seolhwa when she was only her brother's to flirt with!?
"What brings you here, Yeodongsaeng?" Her head snapped up to find her brother staring at her.
Immediately, her formerly assertive posture turned demur, "Oppa....I know you're busy, but..." she bowed her head
and clutched the hem of her dress tightly. When Joonghyuk saw this, he dropped the pen he was holding and got up
from his seat to approach her. Placing a gentle hand on her head, he knelt down to her.
Yoo Mia could see the soft
look in his eyes, making her feel even more guilty, tightening her hold on her dress.
She bit her lower lip; as much as she didn't want to tell him, she knew her brother had a right to know.
"You can tell me anything, Mia," her brother said softly.
"…I lost the necklace," The princess couldn't bear looking at her brother. The necklace was very important to both
of them, it was the last connection they had to their mother. It was one of a kind, no one in the entire empire would
be able to replicate it.
As the most powerful leader in the history of the empire, the current emperor had chosen their mother to become his
empress. However, when their mother had begun having complications while bearing children, the emperor was
quick to throw her away and remarry to the current queen, who had graced him with a son, while his former wife
had been abandoned with almost nothing to her name.
Mia stooped in guilt, ashamed for losing the last memory of her mother, and for failing her brother.
"Oppa... I'm sorry," she said weakly. She closed her eyes to brace herself for his wrath. However, she was surprised
when her brother put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up to meet his gaze. While stern, it did not bear the
outrage she was expecting it to.
"I'm not angry, so don't worry, Yeodongsaeng"
"B-but.."
She wanted to cry when her brother continued, "Mia.... I'm not angry, I can say that I'm disappointed, but I will
never be angry at you." Her brother didn't reprimand her or shout at her. Instead, he reassured her.
"Don't worry, I'll find it, I promise." Blinking away her initial surprise, the girl appeared relieved.
Mia smiled at her
brother while wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes.
"Yes, oppa!" She couldn't help but hug her brother, who returned it after being caught off guard.
Lee Hyunsung couldn't help but smile as he saw the scene. No one would believe that the crown prince could make
such a soft-hearted face. As soon as the two broke their embrace, the princess bid goodbye and exited the room, a
jovial bounce in her step.
But as soon as the doors closed behind her, Hyunsung felt the cold atmosphere of the room return and adjusted his
posture to stand up straighter.
"Find that necklace no matter what."
---
Kim Dokja awoke to the bright sun. He opened the curtains to his windows and went to the balcony, where he could
see the gardeners and knights up and about. As he took in the fresh air and listened to the chirping birds, he recalled
the prior night.
Returning home, his family went from relieved to horrified as they took in his state and listened to his account of the
assassination attempt on him. The duchess, who nearly passed out from shock, ordered the duke to quickly contact
the family physician to come to the mansion.
Fortunately, none of his injuries were fatal, the worst one being the
gash on his hand which would most likely take a few weeks to fully heal.
When his parents questioned him on if he had any idea who'd send the assassins after him, or if he could recognize
any of the assassins themselves, Dokja only shook his head.
Of course, he had a very strong suspicion that he knew
exactly who did it, but he should have seen this coming. Assassination attempts between the two of them weren't
exactly uncommon, he'd just have to make sure to always be on guard, or at the very least have Heewon by his side.
Nevertheless, the duke said he'd start a full investigation into it, with Dokja handing him the knife that he took from
the assassin before.
**Knock Knock**
Before he knew it, it was already noon and he hadn't even gotten the chance to eat breakfast.
"Young master, I brought your lunch, may I come in?"
"Go ahead."
The maid made her way over to the balcony, pushing a food trolley. When she uncovered the dishes, Dokja could
spot steak and the side dishes, but wrinkled his nose as his eyes landed on the tomatoes in the salad. Seeing his face,
the maid asked if he was alright, but he dismissed the question and picked up his fork and knife. As he started
eating, the maid went to his side, rather than leaving as he assumed she would.
"Young master, the duke and the duchess are planning to travel soon, they request that you avoid venturing outside
the manor for the duration of their trip," she said. He nodded; his wounds still needed to heal after all.
"Where are my father and mother planning to go?"
"I'm not sure of the specifics, Young Master, but I'm certain it's somewhere in the countryside."
"The countryside? Are they vacationing?"
The maid shook her head. "Oh no, the duke and the duchess were considering traveling to help the local children. A
large amount of the population there are overlooked by the nobles, leaving the people to suffer from starvation and
poverty. And because of their low class, not many cities allow them in to work…" her expression was sad, it looked
like this was a deeply personal concern for her.
"What's your name?" Dokja inquired. This maid frequently served him, and he always saw her running around the
manor. While her eyes widened, the maid humored him anyway and answered him with a grin.
"Asuka Ren, Young master!"
"Well, thank you for telling me about the countryside, and for always serving me, Asuka".
Dokja was pleased to see the maid interacting so openly with him for once. Usually when he walked the corridors,
they'd either bow before running away or outright try to avoid him.
When Azuka remained strangely silent, Dokja
looked up from his meal to notice her staring intently at the necklace visible above his shirt's collar. Dokja lifted a
hand to touch it delicately. "Is there something wrong with my necklace?" he asked, and the maid looked away.
"Oh, no, I didn't mean to stare at it. It's just…very familiar, like I've seen it somewhere before" Dokja suggested
that she may have seen it in a jewelry store or somewhere in the capital.
"Indeed, it's very beautiful..." she added as she stared at the necklace.
He agreed, "I know, it's very simple but elegant at the same time."
As he ate his meal, Kim Dokja remained blissfully unaware that a certain person was currently sending teams to
scour the entire capital for it, ready to do anything to get it back.