Bevenolent God Ares is powerful. Yun believes in him now.
Everyone who was loud that day suddenly vanished from the palace when I woke up.
I asked Mother if she made them swim in the tub till their hearts stopped beating again...but she didn't answer and simply combed my hair, crying over a wound in my forehead.
"It's fine now, my child. It's fine now. It is not your fault... It is simply— the will of the Heavens." Mother muttered, kissing my forehead with shivering hands.
I looked at her, and she was giving me the same smile she makes when Father shouts at her. It was an ugly smile.
Maybe Mother did send them swimming... But I did not hear any screams begging for mercy, so it couldn't be true.
Yun would've known if they went to swim. Because Yun would've heard them.
Truly... Bevenolent God Ares truly is powerful and kind. He was quick to answer Yun's prayer.
Thump.Thump.Thump.
I stopped thinking when a loud heartbeat tickled my ear.
"Mother, your heart is so loud," I mumbled and then patted her pale cheeks. Mother is not as pale as Yun and Father, but today she looks cold.
Her heart was beating too loud but it wasn't hurting Yun's ears. One loud heart is okay. Many are not.
Besides... I stared intently at Mother. Her face is not at all the same as Yun's. Hm... A child needs a mother. Yun needs a mother.
I smiled at her and then leaned to give a hug. My small arms encircled her neck, my face rubbing on her chest. The warmth was Yun's favorite thing with Mother.
If Mother died...
My body suddenly stopped, and then I hurriedly let go of Mother before I stared at her. My eyes were unblinking before I touched my cheeks and forehead.
"What happens if people die?" I asked, making my mother stand up. She pursed her lips, her heart beating loudly. I can hear her bones creaking as she takes a step back with bulging eyes.
"Ah...Uh. They go to Heaven. And then they'll be with the Gods and live happily." She muttered and then went back to sit beside Yun.
I stared at her, her hand gripping my blanket tightly. Her throat was gulping loudly, tickling my ears.
I tilted my head and then mumbled, "Then why haven't you died yet, Mother? You liked Gods right? Why not die now and go to them?"
Mother stopped ruining my blanket. Her heart stopped for a bit before it grew louder, and a faint, fragrant smell suddenly left her body.
Yun doesn't know this smell...but it is very fragrant. Really fragrant. My eyes widened as I unconsciously reached out to her to find where the scent came from.
Giggles echoed. The black smokes that always like to play with Yun surrounded Mother, giggling and bouncing on her hair.
I smiled at them as I smell the fragrance grew stronger.
Mother was still quiet, but soon her loud heart slowly calmed down while she held Yun's hand tightly. So tight that red marks appeared on my skin.
"M-Mother can't leave yet... I like Gods indeed, but Yun matters more. Do you not want Mother anymore?" Mother spoke calmly.
I beamed into a smile. Yun knew that Mother loved him most.
Right, Mothers are best. She is calm and kind...all the time.
The black smokes stopped giggling and then flew towards me. They all lay on my shoulders and head, making me pout and push them off.
"Mother... they're being mean to Yun again." My lips quivered.
Yun hates these black things. They're loud and always giggling. Always copying Yun.
Mother's breathing stopped as I heard the sound of water dripping slowly. I looked at her, and surely enough, Mother was crying again.
She reached out her hand to me and started waving her hand around my body, touching nothing but air.
"How dare you touch my little child? Don't you know what will happen if you make him sad!?" She started nagging, looking at the empty air, making Yun laugh.
Mother is a liar.
I took her hand that was waving in nothing and then put it on my head, wiping the black things away. Black tints appearing on my Mother's hands that only I can see.
"They are here, Mother. Help Yun take them off." I whispered.
The black tints spread on the whole body of my Mother while I watch and chuckle. Whenever anyone else touches them, these black things go for a while and stay with that person.
However, only Yun can see them. And only Mother is willing to touch them for Yun.
"Alright... Alright... Mother will ward them away. Only Mother can, okay? Never tell anyone else." Mother whispered with sad eyes.
I stared at her and then nodded my head gently, letting her cry again while she took all the bad smoke away.
...
The place was bright. All the paths that Yun walks into are bright. There is green grass at the side, and a big tree on the left. Then a small pond where Yun's fish were swimming on the corner.
Everywhere was bright.
I sighed, sitting on the grass as I plucked them one by one. My small fingers had so much mud and grass sticking into it as I took another handful of the grass and pulled it out.
I heard footsteps from afar. It was light and weak. A long, heavy robe was probably worn by that person because Yun can also hear the hamphamphamp sound it makes whenever a step is made.
The heavy clothing touches the ground and then traps the air, and when a foot is raised, the air is released. Hamp.Hamp.Hamp.
The breathing of the person was familiar to me. I know that breathing. It was like she's always running out of air, and the wind hates her, so there's not much inside her body.
So instead of taking her air through her nose, she also uses her mouth, making haahhaah haah sounds.
The only person that loud without doing anything is my sister.
I pouted and frowned before plucking grasses again. Why is she here? Yun doesn't want her here.
I looked at my servant, who was standing so far away from me. She was a servant that Mother left earlier, saying that my servants all suddenly went home, and I could only have this one for now.
She was an old woman. Her eyebrows are always touching each other, looking ugly. Her mouth always closed, never smiling.
Yun wanted to hate her... but Yun hears her heart. It was calm, quiet, like Mother's.
I pushed my body to stand up and then ran towards her. She immediately nodded and bowed slightly to me, but did not move from her place.
Yun knows why. This old woman was told by Mother not to stay too close to me.
Mother thinks Yun didn't hear... But Yun heard it.
Mother was crying in Father's courtyard at that time after he yelled at her. She was screaming, "No! No! How could you do this to your son!? Why would you blame an innocent child!"
And then Father's breathing stopped before sighing, his hand was waving like... Yun stopped running to the old woman and stopped midway.
I raised my hand and then opened my mouth before mumbling, "Swoosh, swoosh."
While waving my hand, trying to copy the movement Father made that time by listening to the sound.
I smiled and then nodded my head, swooshing my hand while walking towards the old woman whose brain kept on twitching, sending a new kind of sound to Yun's ears.
Yes...Father waved his hand like this. Then Mother was dragged away, her body and feet screeching against the floor of the courtyard.
Mother cried and cried. She always does when Father yells and throws her away.
Then she cried to this old woman who was also crying with her at that time, and she said, "M-Madam Qui... My Son. P-Prince Yun. Can you look after him for now? How poor my child is! How could he be blamed for those deaths!? Surely... Surely it was an evil spirit and not my child!"
Who is Evil Spirit?
Mother is right. How come Yun should be blamed? My hands are small, my legs are short, and I am kind. Yun is a kind child. But Evil Spirit... who might he be?
Surely it wasn't Yun who made trouble. Maybe it was Bevenolent God Ares. Maybe evil spirit is his other name.
Yun doesn't know. Yun just knows he is not Evil Spirit.
I stopped and then looked at the old woman.
Yun remember now why I like her. I remember her answering my mother, "Indeed. This servant will surely take care of the Prince and ensure no harm comes his way, Your Highness."
This old woman likes Yun. So Yun naturally likes her too.
I stopped waving my hand and then smiled at her. Yun even closed my eyes so her heart would make thump thump sounds.
The old woman was taken aback before she smiled and then knelt in front of Yun.
"What is the matter, Your Highness? Do you wish to take a bath now?" She asked softly. Her heartbeat was very calm and quiet.
Yun almost hugged her, but Yun already has a Mother. This old woman can no longer be Yun's mother.
I smiled at her instead, then asked, "Are you a Mother too?"
The old woman paused before her eyes brightened like the sky. Yun knew her answer before she spoke, so I said, "You are. Yun hears your heart and lungs... Mothers breathe like that."
I nodded and then didn't wait for her response before running to the other side of my courtyard. The footsteps of Sister are coming closer, so Yun must flee.
The old woman followed me; her steps were light but fast. But Yun can't wait for her now...
No matter what. Yun must hide from Jin.
Or else Yun might just pray again to Bevenolent God Ares.
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