“Yi-Joon!” the twins exclaimed in unison, their momentary disappointment completely forgotten in the face of their older brother's arrival.

  “It’s Crown Prince now to you two little brats, Father even placed me in a management position of the Royal Scouting Crew ” he corrected with a theatrical groan, squatting down immediately to meet their seated height. He was dressed in the formal yet practical attire of a high-ranking student and heir, a deep indigo blue robe layered over his inner garments, fastened with a simple silk belt that emphasized his increasingly broad shoulders. He gently flicked his index finger on each of their foreheads. “You both ought to respect the royal titles, you know.” He sighed dramatically, watching the twins merely giggle at his mock severity.

  “Brother Min-Soo, Sister Seo-Yeon, and I will be taking turns keeping a very close eye on you two for this entire week,” he announced, standing back up to his full, impressive height for the two.

  “What! That is completely unfair!” Mi-Reu pouted instantly, crossing her small arms tightly over her chest.

  Gi-Reu quickly jumped in to reinforce her protest. “Yes, entirely unfair!”

  Crown Prince Yi-Joon sighed again, a deeper, more genuine sound this time, and folded his hands across his chest. His handsome, young face settled into an expression of profound concern and exhaustion. “After the sheer antics you pulled today, climbing and jumping from a tree of such height, you dare to speak to me of fairness?” He pinched the bridge of his nose, mimicking an old court official. “What if you had genuinely hurt yourselves?”

  He then leaned closer, his voice dropping to a serious, low tone. “Listen to me carefully: Envoys from the Ming Dynasty are here for the whole week. Father needs the court to be quiet and dignified. He absolutely does not want you two sneaking around and performing your ridiculous stunts anywhere near the diplomatic quarters, so you will stay put this week.”

  “But-” Gi-Reu started to formulate a counter-argument.

  Crown Prince Yi-Joon cut him off smoothly. “No ‘buts.’ The matter is settled. We will be supervising your every move this whole week, but I promise, this terrible vigil will end.” He then squatted down one last time, gently patting Mi-Reu’s dark hair as she giggled up at him. “Perhaps you two can save your truly mischievous antics until after they leave…” he finished in a conspiratorial whisper, a sudden, playful spark entering his eyes. “…At Father’s office, perhaps.”

  Both twins erupted into silent, explosive excitement at the implication of causing trouble in the King's sanctum.

  With a final, knowing wink, Crown Prince Yi-Joon rose and smoothly dusted the fine silk of his robe. “Now then, enough of this distraction. It is time for your evening lessons. Get going, you two.”

  And with that, he made a quick, decisive exit. The diligent Eunuch, who had been patiently waiting, helped the two young royals extricate their legs from the cold water and gently guided them toward their learning area, ensuring the Crown Prince’s command for a smooth departure was obeyed.

  “The resilient Kingdom of Haebang was founded by the legendary First Queen, Barua Nang Chinda,” the elderly scholar spoke, his voice a dry, reedy instrument worn smooth by decades of reciting history. The twins were seated comfortably on soft mats, each before a short, low table set within a graceful, open-air gazebo. The current lesson was the kingdom’s pivotal founding history.

  “During a terrible succession crisis that erupted following her husband’s death, Her Majesty Barua Nang Chinda and her loyal Barua clan were forced to flee the powerful Ahom Empire in the west,” the scholar narrated, his frail hands making slow, deliberate gestures in the air to ensure the young children paid proper, visual attention. “They traveled a great distance, eventually reaching the borders of the mighty Ming Dynasty. There, She and her formidable clan rendered invaluable service, helping a troubled Ming Prince quell widespread unrest and ultimately assisting him in ascending to the Emperor’s glorious throne.”

  The scholar tapped the scroll lightly with a slender finger to redirect Gi-Reu's attention, whose eyes had begun to drift lazily toward the stunning, rugged mountain scenery surrounding the palace. Mi-Reu quickly pinched her twin’s leg beneath the table, ensuring he looked forward immediately.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “For their unwavering loyalty and honorable guidance during that tumultuous period, the grateful newly ascended Emperor of Ming awarded the clan the entirety of this mountainous Haebang peninsula, nestled strategically next to the Joseon peninsula.” The scholar paused, letting the significance of the imperial grant hang in the still air.

  “Thus, the Kingdom of Haebang was born!” the elderly scholar finished with a flourish. Mi-Reu, noted with a sharp, appreciative clarity that he was deliberately keeping the story simple and straightforward, carefully avoiding the multitude of names of secondary but important historical figures. This simplification allowed the young children to easily grasp the fundamental narrative of the kingdom’s origin and unique legitimacy.

  Gi-Reu let out a sudden, loud yawn.

  A heavy silence followed, broken only by the chirping of cicadas. Both twins braced themselves internally, anticipating their master’s inevitable, lengthy scolding for the rude interruption.

  To their surprise, the scholar simply smiled, a rare, gentle expression wrinkling the corners of his eyes. “ Take the book of geography to memorize in your down time.” he paused for a second then finished with

  “With that, today's lesson, I believe, ends here. Your Highnesses are free to return to your quarters.”

  Though the early dismissal was highly unusual and unexpected, the twins were certainly not going to let such a precious chance to escape studying slip by. With a final, well-mannered greeting to their tutor, both of them rose and exited the gazebo, with the diligent Eunuch maintaining his position a respectful, watchful distance behind them.

  “Well, I will see you tomorrow,” Gi-Reu said, letting out a satisfied yawn that stretched his small face. He turned and started walking toward his own palace wing, his personal Lady-in-Waiting immediately falling into step behind him.

  Mi-Reu continued walking toward her own residence. As she traversed the palace grounds, she noticed an unusual sight: a long line of common farmers and peasants was snaking through the outer main courtyard, waiting patiently for relief supplies. It was a stark visual reminder of the economic pressures Haebang faced, a contrast to the calm of the inner court. The golden sun was beginning its dramatic descent, painting the mountainous peaks in fiery hues. She quickly turned, walking purposefully toward her own palace doors and into the quiet solitude of her room.

  After being bathed, changed into soft nightclothes, and prepared for bed by her attendant, she waited until the room was quiet. She then crept silently to a carved secret drawer nestled within her dressing table and retrieved a length of aged parchment. Along with it, she took a fine-tipped calligraphy brush. She unrolled the scroll, which was already covered in words written in a language that should have been utterly foreign to the kingdom: English.

  Mi-Reu began to write, her brow furrowed in concentration as she muttered under her breath, “I am almost entirely certain there never existed another peninsula located right next to the Korean one… not back on Earth.”

  She dipped the brush and continued, forming awkward, slightly clumsy English letters on the scroll. “My initial hypothesis that I was simply in one of the historical Korean Kingdoms seems fundamentally flawed. Looking at the map, the Haebang peninsula simply did not exist back on my world.”

  Her handwriting was naturally unsteady, resembling the scrawl of a young child, yet the sophisticated content betrayed the consciousness within. She was attempting to draw a rough geographical map.

  She paused the drawing, moving to write down dates. “I was certainly not a big history or geography person in my past life, so precise recall is tough, but since both the Joseon Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty exist and have been established for a while, that means the year is definitely situated somewhere around the 1500s or 1600s.”

  She finished making a rough timeline that she believed represented the sequence of major historical events she was approaching. “So much for being a world that ‘closely resembles’ Earth,” she murmured, a trace of wistful irony in her tone. “Not only is it hundreds of years in the past, but the geography is fundamentally different.”

  She sighed, but then a genuine smile softened her features. “But…” Mi-Reu finished, looking down at the scroll where she had drawn crude family stick figures. “I have a loving, kind family here.”

  “Your Highness! You must put that down and go to bed immediately, you have to wake up very early tomorrow!” The firm, hushed voice of her Lady-in-Waiting came from just outside the sliding door.

  “Eh!” In sudden haste, Mi-Reu quickly rolled the scroll, thrusting it and the brush deep into the secret compartment. She then padded across the floor with her small, swift legs and slid the door open. “Early? Why must I wake up earlier than usual?” she asked, feigning innocence.

  “His Majesty, the King, has requested that all members of the Royal Family be present at the formal welcoming ceremony for the important Ming Envoys,” the Lady-in-Waiting explained patiently. “Therefore, please ensure you sleep soundly and deeply tonight without reading or writing late into the night, Your Highness.”

  With a final, resigned nod and a soft sigh, Mi-Reu closed the door and reluctantly climbed into her large, comfortable bed.