CHAPTER TWO

Understand.

 

A black space. An empty vase

2nd memory

“Are you kidding me???!”

 

She’s sorry.

 

“Apologizing just won't cut it. You've broken something extremely precious to your mother and now I have to fix it.”

 

She wants to say something.

 

“Are you going to say anything??”

 

She really does.

 

“Nothing at all?!”

 

But the words just won't come out. She opens her mouth and then closes it. The words that she never planned to say come out anyway. And because of that 

She is hit.

 

Even after all that she still can’t say sorry.

 

And he found that quite interesting.

Black fades to gray fades to white and then the wrecked shoji is in view. Blurry but still in view. I simply laid there. My neck is aching. My eyes shifted to the arm that my head was resting on. Still bruised. the color had turned a dark purple and gray green on my pale skin. Black hair sprawled everywhere. The hairpiece that the maid chose for me was broken. Shattered. Pulling myself up I collapse before even trying to stand. my face turned towards the ceiling now.

 

I Can't stand it. I’m so sick of myself. And I don’t know how to fix that but it isn’t my problem is it? I’m not complaining about it am I? I just was. I just wasn’t l.

I glare at the ceiling imagining the whole thing collapsing in on me. Fall, fall, fall, I will it to drop on me. fall, fall, fall, urging it with my thoughts, fall, fall, fall,  fail. It doesn’t move so I don't, it doesn't make a sound so I don’t. It doesn’t need a companion, another ceiling maybe? So I don’t. I don’t need another human to be with me. I’ll just copy inanimate objects. Like I always do.

 

Footsteps once again. Average ones. I shift my gaze to the hallway beyond the broken shoji. A maid steps over the mess into my chambers. 

 

“Your majesty, we must dress you for the meeting with lord fang.”

 

I turn my head towards the maid. Trying to remember who fang is again. And why I was supposed to meet him. The name doesn’t end up jogging a memory and I end up having to ask her.

 

“What?”

 

The maid sighs, seeming to be exasperated.

 

“Lord fang requested an audience.”

 

“Who accepted his request?”

 

I wonder out loud.

 

“You, your majesty.”

 

She says her voice, hardening.

I didn’t. I don’t know a lord named fang. So then my father or the elders accepted. Maybe even my brother.

I decided not to indulge myself further. It didn’t matter anyway. Turning back to the ceiling I blink. Once. Twice.

Three times. I blinked three times and now a man bows on his knee in front of me. I am on a throne. Silk robes comforting my body. Lean black hair pulled back in an extravagant design. How could I see myself? The mirror aimed at me all too cleverly. I slide my hand up against my cheek. Readjusting my arm to be more comfortable while my palm holds my chin up. It was holding my chin up..? What? I sigh and glance over at the man holding his head down.

 

“Lord fang?”

 

“Yes,your majesty?!”

 

“Look up.”

 

A bit taken aback by this he slowly gazes up at me. His face is recognizable. He is someone I know. I was so sure I didn’t know a “fang”.then how do I know this face? Maybe I didn’t know him? Maybe I have seen his face somewhere. I observed him. The man was nervous. His anxious gesture showed as his eyes darted to the guards lining the door and the maids lined up next to me. Reminding me of something. Someone. 

Oh. I understand now. I don’t know a lord fang. But I do know this boy. 

 

“Get out.”

 

The room stirs.

 

“Everyone get out.”

 

The maids and the guards begin to talk amongst themselves and hastily file out of the throne room.

 

“Except for you.”

 

I say before he can make a quick escape. Pointing at “lord fang” he stops moving as the doors close.

 

“You know. I was confused as to how I knew a lord fang.”

 

“You were..?”

 

He says, grinning brightly.

 

“I see you like to travel.”

 

He chuckles under his breath.

 

“You don’t remember my name but remember my dislikes?”

 

“You only dreamed of having fang as a surname. And the mind is complicated..Tao.”

 

He holds his hands behind his back and smiles.

 

“So..you became an empress.”

 

“Is that what I am?”

 

“Sa rang.”

 

He says my name so sternly I forget how cowardly he was when he was a kid.

 

“Tao lim- no Tao fang.”

 

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We spend a moment just staring at each other. Remembering our time as children. Or at least he was. my mind was blank. He suddenly breaks the silence.

 

“The funding for disasters is getting worse.”

 

“..? Why? we have plenty of money.”

 

“That’s not the problem..the elders suspect that there is a rat. Someone who is embezzling money. Not for themselves but for the enemy.”

 

“Oh.” 

 

Is all I can really say. How did I not know that? No, the Elders must’ve not thought of informing their own empress to help them. Or even letting them know they suspect that the enemy had infiltrated our trusted advisors.. Advisors were the others besides the empress that looked over funds for the country.

 

“Did you..not know?”

 

“No I did not. Why would you tell me if you suspect I did..?”

 

He hesitates. Hesitating means he doesn’t know if he wants to tell me. That he doesn’t know if it’s the best option to tell me. There were other options. Such as lying. He was considering lying to me.

 

“Spit it out Tao Li- Tao fang.”

 

“Mae gun told me that you had gotten brazen and that the Elders didn’t trust you anymore.”

 

“Mae gun?”

 

My voice sounded high pitched as I tried to remember who Mae gun was.

 

“Mae gun.…Min Ho's best friend?.…do..-do you really not remember anything?”

 

“Ah, Mae gun.….right..”

 

The man who watches me get beaten every 3 months. 

 

“He said that?”

 

“Yes..yes he did, he's very worried about you.”

 

“Bullshit.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

Has Tao gotten stupider over time? Or was Mae gun secretly a great actor?

 

“What did he say?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“What did he say to you?”

 

“Uh..’watch out for Min-Ho’s fiancée. That girl had gone crazy.’..”

 

I gaze at my reflection and then something in me snaps.

 

“..get out.”

 

“What..?”

 

“Leave now Tao.”

 

I warn. He jumps back at my tone And eyes me warily.

 

“Ok Unnie.”

 

People have a way of making you feel bad. Making you feel like you need to fix something. Like you just ruined something. And that there will be a problem next time we come in contact. Or maybe /it’s me./ It's you. Maybe you’re so confident that you have nothing to apologize for until you see what you’ve done. And regret it. So maybe it is my fault. Then what should I do? I should apologize. Right? Say sorry. Then all is fixed…right..? I open my mouth and.

 

“Tao.”

 

He glances back over at me, his face lighting up.

 

I need to say sorry.

 

He gazes at me, expecting something.

 

I should say sorry.

 

“Do you still like art?”

 

But I can't.

 

He looks momentarily confused. I raise my hand up once again.

 

“I’ll give you whatever catches your eye.”

 

He looks at me. An odd expression on his face. but then he looks back down, his mood changing. A fleeting expression on his face. But I caught it. Disappointment.

 

“It’s ok your majesty… I have no need for that anymore.”

 

He looked at me wistfully and then bowed.

 

“I will take my leave now.”

 

He leaves without looking back. Making me feel bad. As always. I’m always the one to blame. You're victimizing yourself again. It was your fault. Why can’t you just say two words? Two simple words Sa rang. What was that anyway? You tell him to leave but then ask him if he still likes art?? Ridiculous. Shut up. I cradle my head in my hands and collapse off my throne.

 

I glance back over at my reflection. Was…was I smiling? stagger over to the mirror. The mirror I had been looking at the entire time I was talking to Tao. I hadn't been smiling, so I tried to reassure myself. That It had been smiling back at me. Like that makes things any better. Maybe Mae gun really was right. I was going crazy. 

 

Stumbling, I grasp the mirror and stare at it. My reflection looked haggard. I didn’t recognize myself. I don't know this face. I know most faces. I know a lot of faces. I don’t forget. I won't forget. I can’t forget. I know everyone's face. Everyone's face but my own. I can’t forget faces. But I forgot my own. My reflection had looked haggard And then it didn’t. It looked lovely. And then it didn’t. Like a lily, My reflection was rippling. As if the mirror was water.

 

Rippling..? Unconsciously I slowly raise my hand. Pulling it back. And strike down hard.

A noise that could only be described as mind-rattling rings throughout the room. A type of sound that wouldn't occur when smashing a mirror. My hand was still balled in a fist as I pulled my hand back. A sharp pain caused me to stop moving. Shards of glass fall from my bloodied hand.  

The mirror was in ruins. But I felt better, maybe being violent really does help your mood. 

 

Raising my hand to the ceiling I eyed the damage and then sighed. I peered back at the mirror. It was completely shattered. Just like that time. The only difference being that it wasn’t fine porcelain. Turning around I take out all the pins and hair pieces and let them fall to the ground. I open the door and slam it behind me.

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