3 ❤️🔥 The Lost Princess
Seo Ju left for Joseon Palace to meet with Lee Jae, donning his Crown Prince's attire as he entered the King's Quarters. His posture was rigid, his expression carefully neutral, but the weight of suspicion lingered beneath the surface. He couldn't ignore the growing doubts about Lee Jae's role in the kidnapping case. Seo Ju glared until Lee Jae looked up.
"Have you returned safely without letting me know?" Lee Jae asked with concern in his voice. Seo Ju smirked sharply. Lee Jae froze.
"Were you worried?" Seo Ju asked. Lee Jae paused before placing down the quill with a sigh.
"Seo Ju, why would I not be worried? You're the Crown Prince," Lee Jae replied.
"My father was as well, but he's dead…" Seo Ju snapped coldly. Lee Jae flinched, but Seo Ju didn't give him a moment to talk.
"Seo-"
"I need to report to Royal Grandmother that I have returned. If you have already notified her, I'll help ease her worries," Seo Ju interrupted, devoid of warmth. Lee Jae held back whatever he had meant to say and simply nodded.
"Very well. Go on…" he said, dismissing Seo Ju. Seo Ju bowed briefly and left the room. Lee Jae let out a low groan, the weight of everything that had passed settling around him.
Seo Ju stepped into the hallway while his mind was still churning. He stormed through the corridors. He tossed his gat on the ground, not summoning a servant to assist, as if rejecting the very concept of royal ceremony. His jeongnor to his baji followed in quick succession, each discarded piece a silent defiance against the expectations bearing down on him. He changed into his outing attire and paused. The mere thought of his grandmother and the looming expectations weighed heavily on him, stirring an uncomfortable sense of guilt. Yun Yuhua.
After changing his attire, Seo Ju stepped out of the palace immediately with long, determined strides. Jinji followed closely, as always, behind to ensure his safety. However, instead of heading to the temple, he veered to the inn. Yun Yuhua and her brothers were serving others normally until they saw Seo Ju. Yun Yuhua brightened the moment their eyes met. Seo Ju offered her a small smile and approached. The thought of his grandmother and Yun Yuhua together stirred a need to see if this was the right step.
"You've returned quickly," she said. He nodded and reached out, gently taking her hand. Yun Yuhua met his eyes with a quiet, open affection. He glanced at her hands in his, then lifted his gaze to her face.
"I want to introduce you to someone who means a great deal to me… Would you kindly accompany me?" he asked softly. Yun Yuhua blushed and turned her gaze away, unable to meet the warmth in his eyes.
"What do you mean?" she murmured. Seo Ju chuckled softly and leaned to her ear.
"I want to introduce you to my royal grandmother," he whispered. Her ears began to turn red, and for a moment, she forgot to breathe, and her heart raced. Qian'ai and Tian Ke watched them closely, a quiet amusement flickering in their eyes. Tian Ke stepped forward and patted Yun Yuhua on the shoulder gently.
"Breathe, Yuyu," he said softly, full of warmth. Yun Yuhua turned to him, then to Seo Ju, blushing deepened.
"I am breathing…" she replied, slightly trembling. Seo Ju chuckled lowly, softened with affection, before leaning in and pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek.
"I shall take that as a yes," he whispered warmly as his fingers lingered near her skin.
Seo Ju stayed for the night, and by morning, they decided to depart together. Tian Ke and Qian'ai tagged along to meet Seo Ju's grandmother, but in reality, they were there to protect Yun Yuhua. Once the sun rose, they hopped on their horses and set out on the journey to the temple to meet the Empress Dowager.
A nun approached Seo Ju and bowed.
"Your Highness, Crown Prince…" she greeted respectfully. Seo Ju nodded.
"I've come to visit my royal grandmother. Is she still at the prayer room?" he asked. The nun smiled.
"Yes. I see that you also brought some friends with you," she looked at Yun Yuhua and her brothers. They smiled at her with a gentle nod.
"You're right. These are my friends, and I've brought them here to introduce them to her," he replied. The nun smiled delightfully.
"She'll be glad to hear that Your Highness has made some friends and brought them here," she stated. Seo Ju smiled, slowly fading.
The nun showed them the path to the prayer room. Seo Ju took a deep breath before he turned around and looked at them. The nun bowed and entered the room.
"Empress Dowager, His Highness, Crown Prince has come to visit," she said. An elderly lady prayed in front of the prayer without a flinch. She slowly took a deep breath and placed her hands down. Because of her old age, she turned to the nun slowly.
"Thank you. Leave us," she replied formally. The nun smiled and bowed. After that, she walked to Seo Ju, noticing how uneasy he was.
"She welcomes you inside," the nun said. Seo Ju nodded, but his uneasiness lingered.
"Thank you…" he mumbled. The nun had left the room. Yun Yuhua and her brothers were lost because Seo Ju had been uneasy for a while.
"Seo Ju…" Yun Yuhua softly called. Seo Ju looked at her for a long time, longing with guilt.
"Seo Ju," his grandmother called as she slowly walked to him by the entrance. The moment her eyes looked at Yun Yuhua, her expression froze. Tears ran down her face immediately. She began trembling, either with fear or anxiety. However, it was clear. His grandmother recognized her. "Hae-ju…"
Yun Yuhua and her brothers were at a loss for words. The name "Hae-ju" was on their grandmother's letters. Their bodies froze, and a shock ran through them. Tian Ke trembled as he walked forward.
"How did you know our grandmother's name?" Tian Ke asked, stuttering. Seo Ju gulped as he took a deep breath.
"Royal Grandmother, this is Yun Yuhua… Hae-ju's granddaughter," Seo Ju introduced. His grandmother instantly cried happily and held Yun Yuhua's hands. Her old hands gently rubbed the back of Yun Yuhua's hands.
"They survived… They lived all these years," she whispered, shaking with disbelief. Yun Yuhua noticed the tenderness in his grandmother's eyes, a mixture of joy and sorrow. She smiled softly at his grandmother.
"Our mother died… but we are Hae-ju's grandchildren," Yun Yuhua replied. His grandmother trembled as she slowly sank to her knees with her eyes shut. Her entire being unraveled in that moment.
"Thank you… Thank you for living. Hae-ju… I found your children…" she cried immensely. Seo Ju supported her, steadying her frail body. Yun Yuhua held her gently with her heart aching, understanding that his grandmother had held so much over the years. The guilt. The silence. Yun Yuhua slowly hugged her.
Seo Ju helped his grandmother to the room. His grandmother couldn't let go of Yun Yuhua's hand, though. Yun Yuhua stayed behind as his grandmother stared at her happily. Seo Ju smiled in relief that his grandmother was doing well despite the revelation. He silently walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. Yun Yuhua smiled at his grandmother and nodded.
"I…"
"Your grandmother was like a sister to me… I loved her so much. I did everything I could to protect her… I. My name is Seo Yeon…" Seo Yeon introduced herself. Yun Yuhua looked at her frail hands and felt the warmth of love coming from her.
"Wha… What really happened to my grandmother? I never got to hear her story," she pried curiously. Seo Yeon smiled gently before it faded into a sad face.
"She… she was a beautiful flower in a royal garden. A lot of noblemen pursued her, including the Crown Prince at the time… However, she was not interested in marriage and a political alliance because my father adopted her. She wanted to live a free life and hoped to be a merchant like her late father." Seo Yeon paused and cried, remembering the old times she had with Hae-ju. Yun Yuhua smiled.
"Was she happy?" she wondered. Seo Yeon nodded with a smile.
"She was… She was happy despite the bad things that had happened… However, she was in danger if she had stayed. I begged my father and Orabeoni to save her," Seo Yeon continued. Yun Yuhua paused.
"Why would she be in danger?" she asked curiously. Seo Yeon stared at her and was delighted to know that she had Hae-ju's innocence.
"The Crown Prince, who was my fiancé, wanted her despite having me already. He…" she paused, remembering the cruelty that occurred the next day of the wedding. She trembled. "He… he poisoned his parents, the King… To take the throne and use that power to have her."
This revelation was treasonous, but Seo Yeon didn't care. Being the eyewitness to this cruelty was too much for her. Yun Yuhua cried at the news. Her chest tightened, and the air in the room suddenly felt too thick to breathe. Her tears were not just falling—they burst forth, as if something long buried had been unearthed and shattered inside her.
"He killed the two beings that brought him to this world… then, he…"
"He found your grandmother eight years later and killed her and her husband…" Seo Yeon revealed. Her eyes glistened with tears, and for the first time, her composure cracked. Her breath hitched as she remembered the horror, and her shoulders trembled as the years of grief rose to the surface.
Yun Yuhua's heart broke into pieces, and she cried endlessly. She clutched her chest as if to hold her heart together. Her knees trembled. Memories she never truly had—only shadows of warmth—rushed into her mind and vanished just as quickly.
"My… my grandparents… why?!" she trembled. The words broke from her like a child's cry, not from innocence, but from the raw wound of betrayal she never saw coming.
Seo Yeon saw the raw sadness inside of Yun Yuhua. Only someone with the biggest heart to love would not understand someone else's cruelty. She got up and consoled Yun Yuhua, her tears flowing freely, staining her old cheeks with the grief of lost years. Yun Yuhua leaned into her without thinking, like a child who had just been told that monsters were real, and they had taken everything.
"Child… I'm terribly sorry. I… I tried protecting them… I really did," she said as guilt also overwhelmed her. Yun Yuhua couldn't say anything anymore. No questions were needed to understand anymore. The apology was clear. The murderer had lost his mind.
Yun Yuhua stayed inside with Seo Yeon to cry along. The story of Hae-ju was a tragedy—one of a life lived in fear under a tyrant's shadow. No one should have had to feel their life was at risk simply because someone craved power. The ruler was meant to protect, not destroy. The story of the Missing Crown Princess was not just one of love lost, but of obsession, greed, and control gone horribly wrong.
Night fell as Seo Yeon slowly closed her eyes to rest peacefully for the first time. Yun Yuhua stepped out of the room. Seo Ju stood nearby, waiting to see Yun Yuhua. Once they locked eyes, he smiled at her puffy eyes from crying. She gave a nervous smile, knowing that he was relieved. The truth that her mother had searched for so long was finally theirs. They stepped away quietly together, the hallway dim and silent, as if holding its breath.
"Was my Royal Grandmother happy?" he asked. Yun Yuhua smiled in relief that he genuinely only thought of Seo Yeon. She nodded.
"She was. She couldn't sleep for a while. However, she was very happy. Did… Did you know about my grandmother?" she forced the words out. Seo Ju gulped, knowing that Yun Yuhua would ask this one day. He nodded, refusing to look at her.
"I didn't know until… Cheng Yi came to find out about the truth… We saw the portrait of your grandmother," he answered. Yun Yuhua understood how much guilt had grown inside him since that day and grabbed his cheeks to turn his head to look at her. The guilt made him human. The reason why he became so different than how she once knew him. The guilt that shaped him to become overly protective of her was clear. His eyes were glimmering, close to crying.
"Thank you… truly, for bringing me here and allowing me to find out the truth about my grandmother. It meant a lot to my family…" she said, tearing up. Seo Ju's tears spilled as he smiled and nodded.
"I'm glad that it helped."
They shared a warm hug to comfort each other before getting ready to sleep.