Chapter 12

Junho felt the need to get his daughter, Yuna a personal maid. It was getting dangerous for her as she got older. He had racked up a lot of enemies during the course of his lifetime. He had soldiers under him that were extraordinary with their sword and the majority of them were talented. He had trained them well.

He could initially send his guards to protect her, but he knew that there would be times when the soldiers or guards wouldn’t be present. He wanted to find her a personal maid that was preferably her age or someone that was around her age. He knew that Yuna was a recluse and she didn’t get along with most of the kids her age.

He couldn’t stand watching Yuna live such a lonely life. He was busy as it was, and her mother was also terribly busy taking care of the household finances. He tried his best to spend time with her, but he couldn’t be there at all times. His job was very demanding, and he couldn’t neglect his duties. The Emperor needed him and that wasn’t something he could ignore so lightly.

It was a matter of time before Yuna becomes anti-social and depressed. He always imagined that his daughter would become a happy little girl that enjoyed many things. He didn’t expect to have a daughter that was so brilliant at everything. She was so extraordinary that the majority of her peers couldn’t get along with her.

The only way was for him to help her find a friend to trust and share her secrets with. The secrets that couldn’t be told to her parents. In his opinion, friends were particularly important in life. He had many friends that helped him become what he is today. He couldn’t have made it if it weren’t for his friends and family. The struggles of life weren’t meant for only one person to bare.

He wanted Yuna to meet that person, regardless of how much she enjoyed her alone time. He didn’t want her to become dependent on that sort of lifestyle. It wasn’t healthy and he sure as hell couldn’t let his daughter become unhealthy mentally and physically.

It wasn’t easy for him to find Yuna, a personal maid. He had been observing Yuna for the last couple days, trying to figure out what type of person would get along with her. After observation, he discovered that Yuna didn’t trust anyone around her. She hardly allowed the maids to serve her.

 Junho became frustrated with his daughter’s behavior. Why did she take all the responsibilities by herself when she could just ask the maids? He couldn’t understand her logic. He also didn’t like that Yuna kept to herself most of the time.

He began hiring many different types of maids in order to find at least one that would become friends with her. To his dismay, she remained a recluse for the majority of the time he spent on finding a trustworthy personal maid. He decided it would be best if he could spend more time with her. He had a way to get the Emperor to approve of his one day off. He deserved it, after going to war for him and serving under him for years.

He found his daughter in the library reading an enormous number of books that weren’t normally read by 12-year-olds. He didn’t want to surprise her, so he knocked lightly on the library door. She looked up to find her father standing in the doorway. He wasn’t normally home at this hour. It felt odd for her to see her father in the morning. He was usually out training his soldiers, or he was at the palace appearing in morning court.

She asked, “What brings you here? Don’t you have to be at work?” Her father shook his head while patting her head, “Not today. I wanted to spend some time with you. I feel bad for spending all my time at work. You won’t be mad at dad for choosing to spend time with you this morning, right?”

Yuna smiled sincerely, “No, I don’t mind.” Her father looked at the cover of her book to find that she was reading about the Country of Ezra. He was shocked by the level of the book she was reading. This book was written for literary scholars that were in their 20s. She was just barely 12 years old. He couldn’t help but feel proud of his smart daughter.

“May I ask why you’re reading such a difficult book? It doesn’t seem like the book you should be reading at your age.” Yuna laughed, “It doesn’t matter what age I am, father. If there is any book out there that was too difficult for me, I would like to read it at all cost. If I don’t know something, I could always find out how to read it over time. It’s simple.”

Junho could tell that Yuna didn’t know of her own capabilities. She was such an intelligent girl that had the potential to turn the world upside down. She was outstanding. She was just 12 years old and she could read textbooks that were meant for grown adults. He still couldn’t help but wonder why she was reading about a neighboring country and not their own.

He responded to her slowly after pondering about what she had just said, “I only have one thing to say about that, you are not like any other kid. I’ve never seen a 12-year-old read books this difficult. I couldn’t help but wonder. Why are you reading about the Country of Ezra?”

She stared at her book for a while before deciding on the right response. She didn’t want her father to know that she was living this life over again and that she was already over 100 years old. She didn’t want to freak him out too much. She pointed at the map that was shown on one of the pages of the book.

Yuna answered his question with the best of her ability, “I chose to read about the Country of Ezra because I want to know more about other countries than our own. I find it interesting to learn about the unknown. I’ve grown up in Guwon for all my life and I want to be able to travel the world. I want to visit many different places in the world. Wouldn’t it be fun to visit the beach and experience different cultures?”

Junho felt his eyebrows scrunch up and his lips began twitching at her response. He imagined his daughter running around in a foreign country where there were countless dangers awaiting her. She was such a weak child that couldn’t compare to a grown man that was twice her size.

He hated the idea of her meeting strange people that tried to take advantage of her youth. She still had so much to experience, and he couldn’t allow a child to have these dangerous ideas. What if she decides to run away from home?

He immediately frowned at her and pouted, “If you travel the world, you will leave mother and father. Don’t you feel sad to leave us? I wouldn’t want you to go somewhere dangerous just because you’re curious.” Yuna was awe-struck by her father’s response. He was surprisingly caring and over-protective. She was used to his cold and neglectful behavior from her previous life. She could tell he was vastly different from how he used to be.

She burst out into a fit of laughter, “Dad, you’re freaking out too much. I’m not planning on travelling the world, now. I plan to travel in the future when I’m older. I won’t leave mother and father any time soon. We could spend a very long time together. So, don’t be so sad.” Junho sighed, “I guess its okay to want to see different things. Maybe we should plan a family trip to the sea. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

Yuna doubted her father. He was good at making these empty promises. He would plan to go somewhere with them on occasion and would eventually forget his own promise. He was way too busy to be planning trips. He hardly had the time to spend with her.

She wasn’t a kid despite her appearance. She didn’t need her father to spend time with her. Although they hadn’t spent quality time together, they still had a decent father-daughter relationship. She could see his efforts in trying to spend more time with both her mother and her. She knew how difficult his job was and how much work it took to be both a General and a Prime Minister. So, she didn’t take it to heart.

Yuna sighed, “Dad, I know you’re too busy to be making plans like these. How about we make this trip simple? Maybe a picnic? Or how about we go out to town together?” Her father immediately liked the last option. He approved, “I like the idea of going to town together as a family. I specifically requested a day off to the Emperor. He has approved and it looks like I have enough time to go with you today.”

Yuna jumped with joy. He’s never had the day off. She smiled, “Thanks dad. Will we get to see the performers too?” He nodded while patting her head, “Of course. Anything for my daughter.”