I was Born as The King’s Daughter

CHAPTER 29_I Don't Get It.

Gihyeon was grumbling, "Why on earth did he go? He has an important promotion test coming up." His friend was undecipherable to him. Jinsu was headed to some bizarre event, it seems like it was his fiancee's Title Conferment Ceremony or family gathering . I don't get it.
 
He couldn't possibly really like his fiancee. The concept of love is nonexistent in this world. The greater and stronger a man was, the less likely he was to succumb to a wasteful emotion such as love. Moreover, Jinsu was not just a great man... he was one of the greatest in the world. How in the world could his friend actually love a 12-yrs old little girl?

"It's so strange!" No matter how much he thinks about it, there's just no plausible explanation. As Gihyeon mutters to himself, he eventually has fallen to sleep.

In the hall, the King welcomed Jinsu, the most brilliant magician of the kingdom. The King was quite pleased to see Jinsu, as he was a personage worthy of the Empire's jealousy. The atmosphere in the party is quite obsolete. Despite Princess Sanghee's inner complaint, it was no doubt that the Scumbag was a good host. 

Princess Sanghee was confused. Just what is he doing? 

What is Jinsu doing here?

She just couldn't understand him at all. The memory of the Jinsu of her past life floods into her mind every time she saw him, causing her to feel heartache and confusion. Even though his appearance and voice is so identical to her Jinsu, he's just not the same person and that seeing him always cause her turmoil.

What is going on?

"I would like a word with you" He said, as he made a request to the King.

The King cupped his chin in his hand and smiled. He felt quite magnanimous. He was ready to reward Jinsu with a drop of Furious too.

"Yes?" 

"I'd like to have a moment with my fiance"

The sudden powerful surge that the King has made caught Jinsu in surprise. No matter how much a genius he was, he still can't match up with the king as the latter's power surged up and hit him like a wall.

"What for?" He asked, seated normally, as if he didn't made a move.

Perhaps... it was just my imagination? As the spell seemed to have lasted only for a moment. 

"I would like a word with my fiancee, please"

"Only the two of you? Alone?"

He inquired with a frown, as if he was displeased at the thought.  Making Jinsu proceed cautiously.

"Does your Majesty forbid it?" 

The King closed his eyes for a bit. After thinking about it, there wasn't really anything wrong with it. In fact, it was actually a good thing. The Empire wanted to have him but it was a good idea and an advantage to the Kingdom if Jinsu becomes closer with Princess Sang-Hee and is groomed to be his son-in-law. It all made sense. However,as if there's something resisting inside him, which is also unfamiliar to him. "No." he said. "Of course I'll allow it" 

As if he couldn't be bothered telling it to the princess, with a flick of his finger, Princess Sang-Hee who was drinking a grape juice at the corner, started shrieking as she was sent flying. 

'At least give me a heads up or something! Scumbag! I almost spilled my drink!' 

Jinsu was shocked to see that there wasn't any drop of juice that spilled. 

The King cast his spells with exquisite precision! I am still far from this level. 

There were three sources of power in this world: One was born with a certain quality and quantity of magical power. That was one source. The second was the control with which one cast spells. The third was the physical strength to wield this magic properly. 

One's magical capacity and quality, or purity, is something inborn. It's either you have it or not and there's nothing much you can do to improve it through effort. While Control was something you could develop through training. Lack of precision meant that you won't be able to properly use your magic reserves, so control is considered to be more important than the quantity of magical power. And of course, physical strength was the result of both innate abilities and training. 

As an example, Hwanseok, the second prince had superior magical control but has low magical reserves and an average physique. While on one hand, the third born son, Prince Hwanseong has quite an amount of magical quantity and superior physique but lacks precision and control. 
The Goryeo Kingdom's royal bloodline is considered as an elite. The King, himself is a brilliant magician. 

"Your Majesty!"

Then Jinsu saw a weird scene, as Princess Sanghee was left suspended in the air, thrashing and waving his arms and legs while her body was covered in a layer of magic. She was under a protection spell, which one could barely detect and something he might not have noticed if he wasn't standing attentively.

A protection spell? A protection spell is considered as an advanced spell, which requires quite a bit of magic reserves when cast without physical contact, yet the King had easily used it on Princess Sanghee. Even Jinsu finds it impressive but he can't quite fathom why? Just why?

Maybe he is worried Princess Sanghee will get hurt. But that was too far fetched. That was insane. Though, he had just witnessed the King's precise control so there could have been no way he made a mistake. In fact to the King, an advanced spell of this level is just a breeze to him or maybe it was just some sort of afterthought for him. 

Princess Sang-Hee landed unhurt, due to the protection spell. 

"Your Majesty!" she said. "I was absolutely terrified! Did I do something to make you angry?" 

"9 o'clock, That is your curfew" 

A nine o'clock curfew? Huh? I was soon to learn that Jinsu requested some time alone with me, that's why now I am currently strolling in the palace gardens, the katydids singing in my ears. There was full moon tonight, and the stars were twinkling and here I am wishing Jinsu could break this unbearable silence. 

'Don't you know I can't start speaking? Just because I'm a girl. Why did you bring me out of here if you weren't going to say anything?'

Looking at him, I couldn't help but find myself at war to myself again. Yearning to be with him and at the same time telling myself he's not the same Jinsu, no matter how they resemble each other. 

He started to say something, and I looked up. He was taller that me, and waited a good while before he continued talking. What did he want say? Then I just heard him say something unbelievable. 

"I cooked soybean stew" 

I was dumbfounded.

With a stern faced, he asked. "So do you know what this means?"

I was unable to speak. I felt as if someone had knocked me down with a hammer. Soybean stew doesn't even exist in this world!

How was this even possible? 

Furthermore. those words were the same thing Jinsu had told me on the night I died. Those same words...

And as if lost in thought, he murmured, "Come home soon." 

"I've cooked soybean paste stew. Come home soon." 

Jinsu's final words to me were now being spoken by the genius magician who has the same voice and face as him. 

I felt myself shake.  It was too unreal for it to be a coincidence.

'What should I say' 

I had to say something. But can I tell him? Tell him that I had died in another world and have been reborn in this word with my previous memory intact? No. Never. I could never say something so far-fetched. 

I felt like I have to say something but no words came out. My throat felt stuck. I had never once told Jinsu that I loved him and felt a huge wave of grief strike me once again. 

Jinsu used a spell to suspend me midair just like Scumbag. I did not shriek. My mined went blank. 

"Is something in your eye?" 

"I-I,"I stammered. I could not even speak. It felt all too much. His face and voice were the same. How he was even saying the same thing Jinsu had said to me before and this was the second time. He had complained to me to dress warmly, like how Jinsu used to do so, and now he had repeated Jinsu's last words to me. 

If you are going to act like Jinsu, don't be so cold to me. Please. I'm begging you. 

I tried to fought back the tears. I had to. I do not want to cry before Jinsu. At least not this Jinsu. Something inside me resisted. I just stared dumbly at him as he stared back at me. The silver moonlight shone and the singing of the katydids seemed to have died down. 

And at that moment it felt like the world were standing still. 

"Don't cry" He said, as he wiped away a tear with his right thumb. Despite my struggle, a tear had escaped and Jinsu became serious. 

"What have you done to me?" 

I did not answer

Jinsu asked me, "Why do I feel sad when you cry?"

Suddenly, the water from the fountain illuminated in the moonlight sprayed in all directions as the cold water hit my cheeks. 

And a foreboding feeling rose inside me. Afterall I was accustomed to this feeling after so many years. It was a bad feeling and then the door opened on its own. 

I waited for the dreaded words. 

"Fetch!"

My instinct is correct but I was proven wrong. It sure was my third-born brother, Prince Hwan-Seong. Who was now a commander of the brigade of knights. I could see that something is wrong, he was typically aloof but not today. In fact, he seemed quite serious. 

"This seriousness doesn't suit you!" I wanted to say. But the change within his demeanor  made the alarms inside my head go off. 

"What time is it?"

My eyes darted towards the nearest clock I could find and said "8:58"

"When was your curfew?"

"9 o'cklok" 

I gulped. I knew that I was quite liked, but I'm still in a precarious situation. I knew Hwan-Seong is capable of deciding that he hated me one day and have me executed. I felt extremely worried.

The tension that had been so thick suddenly disappeared, "Oh I thought it was eight" 

He said while grinning. 

I could see he was quite embarrassed and later on I learned from Sujin that he had thought that my curfew was at 8 o'clock and has been waiting in my room ever since and has been too afraid to go up to him. And when the clock was passed 8:30, a fierce angry look appeared. 

He was quite strange as he left us with, "Don't stay out too late. Understood?" 

Perhaps you should follow your own advice. Don't come looking for me past ten. I studied hard, but I tried to turn in early to get my rest, so that I would grow tall and preserve a healthy complexion. But Hwanseong is oblivious to any of this and would always seek me out at all hours, 24/7 to play this bloody game of fetch. 

This hypocrite! Was he making sure I was keeping my curfew?

At this very moment, a major scandal of which I was the main character of has been brewing and spreading somewhere in the palace.