Uncharted Affections

Day 3.

More people come to visit the deceased Seja at The Emerald Dragon. The Sapphire personnels work their best along with the main House for the funeral. From every corner, everyone could see them; in their Sapphire attire, walking in and out of the main house.

Athea sat still at the side of her deceased husband. As the Sejabin, her presence was important here. Along with the two little princesses, they were stay put at the main hall of the main house.

Her eyes linger at Lady Jang's empty spot. And the next spot beside her, a silent Ming Bin reside. She had been praying for at least an hour by now. But, her eyes still shut tight, perhaps she wasn't even done yet.

Athea took a glance at her court maid. The girl scoot over immediately, leaning closer to Athea. The crown princess had whispered something that made the court maid nodded in tiny. Slowly, she helped Athea back on her feet.

"Manora jaga, are you leaving?" asked Ming Bin. Her eyes open up as she looked at Athea.

"I need to rest. And eat something. We have a long way to go. Getting sick is something that I want to avoid," Athea replied.

Ming Bin frowned. She glared at her court maid that waited patiently next to her.

"At least, you have to wait for Jang Bin..."

"She's nowhere to be found today. I have enough of waiting. Besides, who did she thinks she is, that makes me wait like a fool here? I am the wife, and she's just a concubine," Athea's sharp response caused a wave in Ming Bin. The lady looked down as she lost her words for that.

Feeling like the conversation had ended, Athea took her leave, but as soon as she was about to walk away, a sight of Jang Bin suddenly appeared behind her. They exchange gaze with each other, before Jang Bin slowly bowed at Athea.

"Are you leaving, manora jaga?" Jang Bin asked.

"Yes. I need to rest and eat before I get ill. Take your position, Jang Bin. You've been missing for a very long time. Stop slacking off. Do your duty well," Athea gave a sharp warn to her.

"Certainly, manora jaga..." Jang Bin bowed down a bit before she scoot over to her place, took her seat and began her praying. Beside her, Ming Bin took a glance before she shoot a bleak look at Athea.

The lady was indeed sharing the same annoying feeling with her!

Athea left the main hall after everything set up according to the schedule. Even though they currently reside at the Emerald Dragon, this funeral was on The Sapphire. When the Head of the House passed away, automatically, everything will falls under the second in command; which is her duty now.

But, Athea, being an outsider for as long as she could ever remember, had no knowledge about the custom of the kingdom. Everything was foreign to her as she never encountered any funeral inside the palace before. Her royal parents-in law were still alive and healthy. The ancestor passed away, way before she married Miju.

So, the Emerald Dragon, not too bad to remark, the royal council, decided that she should delegate her tasks to people around her. Which by means, share the burden to two of Miju's concubines; Ming Bin and Jang Bin. A lot of reasons arise during the discussion; most of the part totally favor Jang Bin over her. They claimed that Jang Bin was indeed the best candidate for this funeral as her family used to work with the Royal Ethics department, which supplied a lot of knowledge about tradition and customs of the kingdom.

Plus, she was older than Athea. So, the seniority played a part of deciding the role, indeed.

Athea sighed while she pushed the door open. The guards care to close them for her, so she didn't bother to look behind the door. Once the plate met in the middle, she dropped on her knees, on the soft mattress, and cried silently.

"You don't love me, even after you're gone..." Athea whispered softly, crying for her luck. She looked outside the window of the room, having a flashback about the beginning of this lonely road journey.

She wasn't born to be Sejabin, at least according to her. But, her powerful family drew the path for her until she was stuck in this situation. When she first attending the test, she put a hope that Miju will not looking at her. She's not as beautiful as the others; her face was foreign, not even reached the beauty standard of the kingdom.

But, that very foreign look was a curse for her.

Athea knew the truth behind this selection. It's not because of her blue eyes or pale white skin, or her ginger hair. It's because her family was the most powerful family from the West. The wealth and the power were the eye candy for everyone, not only this kingdom. Her father never voiced out his concern, but as his favorite child, Athea could felt the worry inside him. Having a princess is like having a gold mine. To protect the mine, they need a batillion for that.

Wang Ki was a trusted friend of him. His soft personality behind the stern and charismatic look was an assurance of a good life. That's why her father let Athea married Miju, not knowing the true color of the Seja, he just put a blind trust on him.

Athea held all the loneliness as a sejabin because of her father. She always thought, maybe he knew the best. But, when he passed away and her eldest brother took the reign, she almost disappeared from the family. The path became rocky for her to walk on.

Sejabin.

The title seemed useless for her.

What kind of sejabin that found no love from her own husband? Estranged from her own family? Walking on the lonely road by herself?

Athea slowly wiped her tears. She had enough of pitying herself. There's no use for that. The future was blurred for her. Even until now, she couldn't grasp any of it. What matter the most was her princesses. They need a mother. And, that's what she will work hard for.

As she was about to stand up, all of the sudden, her body got pinned down. She yelped a bit before something cupped her mouth, making her scream inaudible. She struggled to fight the ruthless move as her fingers claw the soft satin fabric under her. Her legs kick the air aimlessly. She couldn't even move even for an inch.

Athea slowly losing her consciousness. Her sight turned blur, gradually losing it. She tried go regulate her breathing, but it got stuck and uneven that she felt her lungs slowly giving up. The image of her late father and those two little princesses flash upon her.

Athea knew this was the ending of her life.

Might as well as give up now!

Just as she thought about dying, somehow, her lungs pump so hard, filling with the air that caused her to cough. She straddle upfront, her body slowly fell on the mattress. Her blur sights fix at the instant, but what she saw brought a grim inside her.

She was about to scream when the figure in front of her shushed her down.

"Calm down, manora! It's me!"

Her eyes blink as she stared at the person.

It's Sun An.