4

Hybe ended up going to the breakfast that Fae was telling her about, though she was a bit late from getting lost. She sat in between two younger-looking girls, eating what seemed to be some sort of meat that she couldn't figure out the name of.

"His highness, prince Xienbe, is going off to the military academy today." The maid to her left says.

"No! I thought the boy would have stayed here and educated like his brother." The maid on the right gasps, placing a hand over her heart.

"No, apparently his royal majesty declared and deemed it necessary that he be sent off to be taught war tactics." The left grumbles.

"Helia, Terra, that's enough. We don't want to scare the poor child now that she's just gotten here." An older voice snaps.

"Sorry, Fae." The two women bow.

Fae winks at Hybe who shyly smiles, grateful to not be hearing gossip anymore.

"You know Hybe, a little birdie told me that you are a princess." The left maid chirps up again.

"Terra! Where on Earth have you heard that?" Fae stands, raising her arm to punish the out-of-line maid.

"Prince Xie told me himself!" She quickly defends herself.

Fae blinks, slowly lowering her arm, and looks at Hybe.

"Is this woman telling the truth?" Fae asks, giving a reassuring smile to the child.

"Y-Yes ma'am," Hybe says.

The entire room falls silent, every maid starting to bow at the small girl.

"I am Hybe, princess of the Northern kingdom of Nagivia. As of now, I have no title here so please do not feel obligated to treat me like royalty. I am one of you and according to the king...a-a concubine." Hybe says.

"The king's concubine? My, they keep getting younger." Fae falls to the floor, fainting from shock.

Other maids surround her and try to get her to wake back up.

"Ah, no, I do not believe I am for the king. I believe I am for Prince Xie." Hybe clarifies once she gets back to her senses.

"That makes me feel so much better. Well, Hybe, you are still a princess and as such, we will treat you like one. Please allow us to teach you and dress you. We will not have you as a maid when the king has already been playing matchmaker for his son." Fae giggles.

Hybe furrows her eyebrows in confusion, wondering why they were talking nonsense.

"Prince Xie said to me that when he's king, he will ensure that everything will be better. And hopefully, by then he will allow me to return home." Hybe says, a sparkle in her eye.

"So you have no intention of staying with us?" Helia from her right asks.

"I didn't say that, I'll take you with me. I'm sure my people would love to have such beautiful and capable women taking care of their princess." Hybe says with a smile.

"Princess you are too kind." Fae smiles warmly.

"Alright ladies, time to get your bottoms in gear, we need to make this Eastern wing fit for a princess!" Helia rejoices.

The room erupts in cheers and the maids disperse in all directions, leaving Hybe to follow Fae out into the courtyard, watching as the women get right to work on the landscaping.

"Let me help," Hybe says, happily starting to walk down the small set of stairs leading to the courtyard.

"Honey, I have something to show you," Fae says, softly pulling her back.

Hybe follows the older woman deeper into the palace wing, going down into a secret room that seemed to no longer be in use. A lantern was lit to reveal dresses upon dresses, chests full of jewelry, and other knick-knacks that seemed to be for a woman. Hybe chuckles when she sees a crib in the corner of the room, wandering over to it to see a diamond-studded mobile above it.

"Do you know why King Hyreon only has sons?" Fae asks.

"He only has sons?" Hybe asks, turning back to the older woman.

"Yes, there's the oldest, Prince Xie. The second child, Prince Xienbe. And the youngest, Prince Biang. It has been, and always been, known that the king only ever had sons. From that crib, you can see that the statement is untrue. The queen, rest her soul, had a baby girl after the firstborn son had been born. After some unknown illness, both the baby girl and his wife passed away two days after childbirth. Soon after, he had started a harem and had another boy, prince Xienbe and with him, a twin sister, who also passed away right after birth. Xienbe's mother passed away as well from a broken heart that her daughter died. King Hyreon then began to push the thought of having daughters out of his mind as he believed that he was cursed. It is believed that the ancestors of this kingdom and the Northern kingdom, your kingdom, were at war long ago and the North had cursed him for being so senseless in times of war. When he heard wind that your father had gotten sick, Hyreon believed that he should pay his respects in order to have one more child, a girl that could hopefully survive." Fae says.

Hybe stays quiet while looking through a trunk of baby clothes, seeing many fine silks and fabrics sewn for small humans. She sighs and stands, feeling sorry for the king that had lost everything he loved because of something that her ancestors had allegedly done. She turns to head back in Fae's direction but stops when she sees the most beautiful dress she has ever come across in her life. The cream-colored bosom was tied with a soft pink ribbon that extended down the corset and stopped just at the waist, a tulle train flowed from underneath the dress, indicating that the dress was facing front.

"Ah, I see you found the queen's favorite dress. She met the king in this dress when she was about your age. Shall we put it on you?" Fae asks, taking a step closer.

"No, I couldn't possibly put it on, what if the king finds out? It's wrong of me to be snooping through private affairs Madame Fae." Hybe says, turning to walk away from the room.

"My king will never know! The dress calls to you, princess. If the queen found her true love with it, surely you will as well." Fae says, smiling warmly.

Hybe debates with herself, knowing that if the blood king found out she was trying on his queen's clothing, she would be a goner for sure. Though it was a beautiful dress, she couldn't possibly even think about getting it dirty, much less ruining it by putting it onto her dirty skin.

"Your silence speaks a thousand words, my lady," Fae says, snatching the dress before Hybe could even utter an answer.

Before she could begin to understand what exactly was going on, she sees the two other maids from before coming into the room and starts undressing her, making her feel a bit embarrassed. She felt the fine fabric grace her skin and felt more like a princess than she ever did in her home country, smiling a bit at how it felt against her body. She hated to admit that she liked that Fae went ahead and put the dress on her but she still didn't want to be seen by the king. After a moment, the three older women step away from the child so she can fully admire the feeling of the silk, seeing herself in the mirror and standing up a bit straighter. She never knew that beauty existed within her until she put the dress on.

"Come, my lady, I'm sure the rest of the maids want to see how lovely you look." Terra beams down at the small girl.

"You knew I would wear it," Hybe states, looking to Fae.

"I did, now come, let's show you off." Fae smiles.

She didn't like how the sentence was worded and knew that if she set foot out in the open, the king would surely find out. She felt the maids tug on her arms and hesitantly allowed them to lead her up the stairs, gradually being filled with regret with each one she climbed. She began to see daybreak and licked her lips, stopping herself at the very top step. She looks out to the courtyard to see that the maids were instructing palace guards to haul off the dead trees to the far side of the palace, going through a gate that leads out into the woods. She stares at the now breathtaking gazebo over the water, the cloudy skies giving it an amazing reflection over the still river. She feels the hands of the maids once again, guiding her toward the light and down the small steps to the gazebo. As they reach the wooden resting area, she feels a soft breeze, reminding her of her father once again. She knew that he would have approved of her dress and felt more at ease, happy that she could finally begin to settle in her new home.

"You are absolutely stunning, princess," Terra says, giving her arm a small squeeze.

Hybe feels a small blush creep up to her cheeks, appreciating the compliment. She wasn't a very girly girl but in the dress, she felt like the princess she was meant to be. If the king was going to find out about her, she might as well make a spectacle where he would force his hand in having to execute her for not only keeping quiet about her whereabouts but also wearing his queen's clothes. Though she was scared, she wanted to sing so badly that her throat yearned for the feeling of her vocal cords making a sweet melody. As if she was acting out of impulse and almost as if her body gave into her wants, her eyes closed as she sucked in a deep breath to finally sing.

"Here I am, out in the open. Why don't you come and look? Here I am, out in the open. I am here for you to gaze upon. My king, you are strong, my king you are mighty, your people are healthy and wealthy all because of you my king. I know where I should be and I praise you for taking care of me. I hope that your kingdom shall prosper and your citizens are good and free. I pray for fortune and I pray for good tidings and rain for your crops. I know where I belong and I am grateful to you, my king, for taking care of me. Here I am, out in the open, ready for the challenges you present to me. I thank you, my king."

Her voice echoes through the Eastern palace and through the woods, surely making its way to the villagers outside. She opens her eyes to see the maids around her were bowing but they seemed to be facing behind her and she slowly turns around to see the blood king staring at her with a blank expression. She feels chills go through her spine and she immediately bows as well, waiting for him to punish her.

"I don't know why the maids dressed you in this dress but they've done a good job with how they've treated you. I appreciate the song, it was beautiful. You needn't be afraid of me, little bird, you are a guest in my castle after all. This entire Eastern wing is yours. If you leave, however, you will experience my mean side." He pats her head, trying not to show too much emotion in front of the maids.

Hybe slowly stands and looks up at the larger man, giving him a small smile. Hyreon's heart melts as she looks exactly as his wife did when they were younger and his eyes flick to Fae who was still bowing at him. He was lucky that he was near enough to hear the song, her voice drawing him closer just to hear it closer and see her. He felt his chest swell with pride as if she was his own daughter. After what had happened with his previous children and lovers, he felt as though it was best to keep his distance, though he could say the same for his son, who was still hiding behind the wall.

"Xie, stop hiding." He calls out.

Xie jumps in surprise and gathers his confidence before entering the wing, almost stumbling over a rock after catching sight of Hybe in the dress. He didn't know how someone of her age could look so stunning and have a beautiful voice, but here she was, standing before him. He looks up at his father who seemed to have the ghost of a smile playing on his lips as he looks at the small girl in front of him.

"Well, princess, you certainly look the part. Thank you for allowing us to hear your beautiful song. My son and I will be going now, please enjoy yourself in the Eastern wing." Hyreon says, bowing slightly, Xie hurrying to follow his lead.

"Thank you, your highness, you are most kind," Hybe says, still shocked that she didn't get into trouble.

The king swiftly turns around and leaves, Xie still bowing awkwardly. Hybe hides a chuckle and he stands, rubbing the back of his neck with a smile on his face.

"Do you care for a walk?" He asks.

"I think it's best if I stay in the Eastern wing," Hybe says, looking to see if the king was still walking away.

"Who said anything about telling my father?" He asks quietly, taking a step toward her.