xi. snowflake

We were already in the third week of December and gift giving was just around the corner.

Today I had busied myself in making a pillow out of cotton for Wook. After beautifully wrapping it up, I started to mix black tea with milk to give it to the other princes since they have seemed to like the taste of milk tea. But I became a little biased since I gave Eun a bigger bottle containing more milk tea than the rest of the other princes.

When I was finished with all the gift preparations, I took my gift for Wook and hurriedly made my way to his study room.

🌸 🌸 🌸

I knocked on the door thrice and found him sitting on his table desk.

"What brings you here, Eunha?" Wook asked, showing me a small smile.

"I hope I don't disturb you. But I want to give you something!" I then showed him the pillow I made inside a pretty purple wrap.

"Lady Hae told me to make you a pillow so you could sleep peacefully. So I had made you one! I really gave a lot of effort into making it. I hope you like them!" I smiled at him.

He smiled once more to me. And hid the gift. "Since you gave me a gift, let me give you one too." He opened a drawer from his desk and gave me a piece of wax paper. But it wasn't just a wax paper. It was paper that contained-

"I wrote a poem there. Since I gave you one, you should give me a reply." He spoke with a smile on his face. I nodded my head happily and bowed before I left his study room.

As I opened the folded wax paper to read the poem, I stared at it dumbfoundedly. They were all written in hanja and I was bad at reading and writing it. Maybe Court Lady Oh and Ji-ae could help me in understanding it...

As I was entering back into my chambers, I found Ji-ae holding a tray of tea for me.

"Ji-ae! You came just right on time!" I spoke and unfolded the wax paper.

"Eh...what is it my lady?" Ji-ae asked and stared at the wax paper.

"I kind of forgot how to read this." I lied, nervously chuckling. "Can you read this for me?"

"When the water has run dry, sit and watch by the rising clouds...my lady isn't that a declaration of-" but Ji-ae was suddenly cut off by Baek-Ah.

"Who gave that poem to you, Eunha?" He asked as he took a peek on the writings in the paper.

"Oh, it was Wook who gave this to me!" I must have sounded a little happy that suddenly, Baek-ah's expression suddenly became scary.

"Do you know the meaning of that poem, Eunha?" Baek-ah asked as he continued to eye the poem.

"Umm...no actually. I forgot how to read." I lied.

Baek-ah suddenly stormed off and headed to the direction of Wook's study room.

"My lady, that poem is a declaration of love." Ji-ae said. My heart suddenly started to beat wildly. Wook gave me this poem.

🌸 🌸 🌸

"I'm awaiting for your reply." Wook said as we took a stroll outside the palace. It was already nighttime and it was also snowing at the same time.

I didn't even gave a reply to Wook as I stepped on his foot prints on the snow. I had to raise my skirt up so I could perfectly step on them.

As Wook continued to walk more, I had noticed that his footsteps were growing apart, it was hard for me to catch up already and I slipped on the snow. I was about to fall when suddenly Wook's hand came to grasp mine before I could fall.

I gulped as I looked into his eyes. And all I could see was the reflection of me in his dark brown orbs.

Lady Hae, am I really to be married to this man?