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 t.i.tle 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 succ.u.mb 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 Sc.u.mbag 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! Sc.u.mbag! 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 quant.i.ty 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 quant.i.ty 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 quant.i.ty 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 Sc.u.mbag . 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 embarra.s.sed 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 pa.s.sed 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 b.l.o.o.d.y 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 .