yay! the new one's here! i wonder who the young boy is? could it be someone from the real soo jin's kingdom? because eun jung doesn't seem to know him. neither does jiangsu.

the title has been mentioned, and the feelings have been let out to the open... gosh! i think the mysteries are starting to unravel! *i am getting excited!*

thanks for another good one, Jessica!

My guess...the boy came from the orphanage..Eun Jung used to lived...he brought a message for Eun Jung, maybe something happen in the orphanage that will make Eun Jung left Jiang Su?????or maybe I'm wrong hehehehe...I really enjoy guessing in your story jessica...
.....or maybe the boy is Eun Jung's brother????waaah my imagination running wild here....thanks for updating jessica...and waiting for another chapter to know the boy identity

such an interesting chapter Jessicaaron, thanks once again.

learned something new about the fireflies. the title came into play. Prince JiangSu opening up and us learning more about him. Eun Jung's uncomplicated perception of the world rather endearing is so true.

the appearance of the mysterious little boy in the lake. what will be he's part in this. now, can not wait to know what will unfold.
very nice.

hmmmm..who's the boy? could it be? someone from her past, from the orphanage???
i'm curious as to what role this boy will play!

i'm so immersed in your wonderful FF, jessica!!

thank you!!!

When Eun Jung thought that she had sufficiently dried Prince JiangSu’s hair, she retook her seat by his side and asked, “Didn’t you say that only members of the royal family were permitted access to the Hyangwonjeong Pavilion? Could that little boy be one of your royal brothers?” Slightly shifting his body to face Eun Jung, Prince JiangSu replied, “He definitely isn’t one of my royal brothers. The youngest prince is now fourteen; while the little boy in our room appears to be no older than eight or nine. As for the Hyangwonjeong Pavilion, I think that family members of the highest ranking officials are also permitted access to the area. Perhaps, the little boy is the son of a high ranking official in my royal father's court.” Realizing that it was completely fruitless to continue to conjecture as to the young child’s identity; Prince JiangSu said, “Once the royal physician completes his examination, we can ask the little boy who his parents are.” Just as soon as Prince JiangSu had completed his statement; he and Eun Jung saw the royal physician come out of their room, and make his way over to where they sat.

Impatient to hear the results of the examination; Eun Jung eagerly asked the royal physician, “How’s the little boy doing?” With a deep bow, the royal physician quickly replied, “Grand Princess Consort, the little boy will be okay. He was pulled out of the water just in time to prevent any substantial long-term injury from occurring. However, he's understandably frightened by the event, and will require several doses of herbal remedies to calm his nerves.” Prince JiangSu noticed that the prescription for the herbal remedy had already been written, and called out for an attendant to escort the royal physician to the apothecary room. Before the royal physician excused himself, he addressed Prince JiangSu by saying, “It would be best for the child to stay in your room for the remainder of the night. Moving him to another unfamiliar setting will only serve to increase his already high level of anxiety.” Nodding his head to acknowledge the royal physician’s statement; Prince JiangSu observed, “It won’t be a problem for him to stay here for the night.”

Eun Jung recalled that the little boy was now alone in the room, and feared that he would become frightened if he awakened to find that no one was around. With that thought in mind, Eun Jung decided that she would not wait for Prince JiangSu to finish his conversation with the royal physician. Without bothering to excuse herself; Eun Jung hastily made her way into the room, and headed towards the bed where the little boy lay. Surprised that Eun Jung had left without saying anything to him; Prince JiangSu quickly excused the royal physician, and followed her into their bedroom. Once inside, Prince JiangSu saw Eun Jung cradle the young child in her arms in an attempt to comfort him. Taking a seat by the two on the bed; Prince JiangSu watched in silence as Eun Jung endeavored to stop the little boy from crying. Despite her best efforts, Eun Jung found that she was unable to stop the little boy from crying.

Annoyed by the child’s persistent sobs; Prince JiangSu ordered loudly, “Stop crying or else!” Startled by Prince JiangSu’s stern command; the young boy began to cry even louder. Staring at Prince JiangSu in disbelief, Eun Jung asked incredulously, “Why are you yelling at him? He’s just a little boy.” Turning her attention back to the young child, Eun Jung asked calmly, “Do you want me to tell the mean old prince to go away?” Stifling his sobs; the young boy glanced over at Prince JiangSu before he proceeded to nod his head vigorously. Refocusing her gaze onto Prince JiangSu’s face; Eun Jung asked curtly, “Can you leave?” Shocked that he was being asked to leave his own bedroom; Prince JiangSu folded his arms, and replied, “Of course I can’t. This is my room, so why should I leave?” Wondering why Prince JiangSu was behaving so immaturely, Eun Jung replied, “If you won’t leave, then at least go sit over there.” Recognizing that Prince JiangSu had no intention of listening to her; Eun Jung continued to say, “If you don’t go over there, then I'm going to take him to another room.”

Upon hearing her threat, Prince JiangSu narrowed his eyes and glared at Eun Jung to show her his displeasure. Ignoring Prince JiangSu’s apparent agitation; Eun Jung mouthed, “Go away. I want to figure out who he is.” After he rolled his eyes at Eun Jung; Prince JiangSu reluctantly stood up, and walked over to take a seat at the dining table. Once Prince JiangSu was far enough away, the young boy smiled at Eun Jung and said, “I don’t like him.” Unable to suppress a laugh, Eun Jung nodded her head and replied, “Sometimes, I don’t like him either.” Still able to hear the conversation between the two, Prince JiangSu shook his head and said to himself, “That little brat.” Intent on figuring out the young child's identity; Eun Jung asked him, “My name is Princess Soo Jin, what’s your name?” Staring at her wide-eyed, the little boy replied hesitantly, “I’m not supposed to tell strangers my name.” Slightly pouting her mouth; Eun Jung asked the little boy, “Don’t you like me enough to be my friend?” After he thought about Eun Jung's question, the little boy finally replied, “I do like you. You’re very pretty, so I guess we can be friends.”

Having heard the little boy compliment Eun Jung's beauty; Prince JiangSu observed dryly, “Well, at least that little brat has good taste.” The little boy noticed that Prince JiangSu had said something, and looked over to observe him. After briefly staring at Prince JiangSu's face, the little boy turned back to Eun Jung and motioned for her to come closer. When she had leaned in close enough, the little boy proceeded to whisper softly to Eun Jung, “He’s mean. If I tell you my name, you have to promise not to tell him.” Eun Jung nodded her head to indicate that she was willing to agree to his request, and replied, “I promise that I won’t tell him.” With a broad smile on his face, the little boy informed Eun Jung happily, “My name is Seok Kwang Sun.” Once she had gotten Kwang Sun to give up his name, Eun Jung found that it was quite easy to obtain additional information about his identity. Since she was unfamiliar with the people in the palace, Eun Jung hoped that Prince JiangSu had been paying attention to Kwang Sun’s answers.

Even though he was very tired, Kwang Sun was having too much fun talking to Eun Jung and fought the urge to go to sleep. Seeing Kwang Sun’s fatigued expression, Eun Jung asked, “Do you want to go somewhere fun with me tomorrow?” Nodding his head happily, Kwang Sun replied, “Yes, I’d like that very much.” With an endearing smile on her face, Eun Jung declared, “Okay, but first you need to go to sleep so that you’ll have enough energy for tomorrow.” Without another word, Kwang Sun plopped down onto the bed and quickly closed his eyes. After she tucked Kwang Sun in under the covers; Eun Jung made sure that he was sleeping before she got up from the bed to join Prince JiangSu at the table. As Eun Jung sat down, Prince JiangSu glanced over to look at her and asked mockingly, “Is your little date over already?” Finding Prince JiangSu’s terse inquiry extremely cute, Eun Jung grabbed a hold of his arm and countered, “Are you seriously jealous of Kwang Sun? You know that he’s only eight, right?”

Despite recognizing that he was being childish, Prince JiangSu could not help but to observe, “That little brat is such a flirt at only eight; I wonder what he’s going to be like when he’s eighteen.” Not wanting to continue to mince words with Prince JiangSu, Eun Jung changed the subject by asking, “Did you hear who he said his father was?” Shaking his head, Prince JiangSu replied, “I didn’t catch the name, do you remember what he said?” Eun Jung nodded to confirm that she did, and replied, “He said that his father’s name was Seok Bae.” Stunned by Eun Jung’s response; Prince JiangSu asked incredulously, “Did you say Seok Bae?” Although, she was slightly confused by Prince JiangSu’s suddenly altered demeanor, Eun Jung quickly replied, “Yes, I did. Do you know him?” Looking over towards Kwang Sun, Prince JiangSu asked in disbelief, “That little brat is General Seok’s son?”

Taking note of the perplexed expression on Eun Jung’s face; Prince JiangSu explained, “Seok Bae is the highest ranking General in our army. That self-important man probably doesn’t even know that his only son is missing. I’ll have someone inform him that Kwang Sun is here.” Sensing that Prince JiangSu did not like General Seok; Eun Jung asked, “Why would you describe Kwang Sun’s father as being self-important? Is he a very disagreeable type of person?” With a slight nod of his head, Prince JiangSu replied, “I definitely think that he's a very disagreeable type of man. When the High Queen Mother suggested that my royal father make me the Crowned Prince, General Seok was the first person to object. He asserted that I wouldn't be a good King due to my lack of empathy. Don't you think that it's completely ridiculous for a man who kills for a living to talk about such lofty ideals like empathy?” Prince JiangSu found that talking about the General was enough to agitate him, and decided to focus his attention on more concrete matters. With that thought in mind, Prince JiangSu called for an attendant to inform General Seok that his son was safe and would remain at the Jaseondang overnight.

thanks Jessica! wang suk hyun is such a cutie!!!

so kwang sun is the general's son. i don't think any of us guessed that. and his father was so adamant in not making jiang su the crown prince huh? why, i wonder?

even with this recent turn of events, you have not forgotten to include those sweet, "just-the-two-of-them" moments between eun jung and jiang su, and i must say they're perfectly situated at the beginning and towards the end.

the plot thickens! can hardly wait for the next one, Jessica!

u sure know who to pick lovables for ur characters Jessicaaron, love the cute Kwang Sun

my pick too @chocolate, our Prince JiangSu is funny and possessive towards our Eun Jung, even fireflies he took notice.
so the young lad is only 8 and son of the General Seok, there so much anxiousness on my part of what the little boy's father will make of this encounter. Hope it will be to our sweet couple's benefit. maybe with Eun Jung personality, she could win him over too.... only that since the General Seok may have ventured out and vast, wonder if he may know her family.

'em on the edge of my seat, can''t wait to continue. Thanks for this story Jessica!

Exhausted from the overly eventful night, Prince JiangSu’s fatigue manifested itself into the form of an uncomfortable knot at the base of his neck. Seeing the look of discomfort on Prince JiangSu’s face; Eun Jung nudged him to turn around, and proceeded to gently massage his shoulders. As Eun Jung’s small hands relieved the tension from his neck and shoulders, Prince JiangSu said to her, “Let’s go to the spare room, and try to get a few hours of sleep before Kwang Sun wakes up.” Glancing over towards the sleeping child’s face, Eun Jung replied, “Kwang Sun might be scared if he wakes up and doesn’t see me. Why don’t you go to the spare room, and I’ll stay here with him.” When she heard Prince JiangSu let out a subtle “huh” sound; Eun Jung quickly reconsidered her previous suggestion, and asked, “Why don’t we both just sleep in here with him? I’m sure that we can all fit onto the bed.” Surprised by how rapidly Eun Jung had become attached to Kwang Sun; Prince JiangSu turned to her and said, “I didn’t know that you liked children this much.”

Thinking of the children who she had helped to raise at the orphanage; Eun Jung smiled and replied, “I really do love children. There’s a wonderful sense of fulfillment, which I received from taking care of them.” Slightly confused by Eun Jung response, Prince JiangSu asked, “Whose children were you taking care of?” With a nervous laugh, Eun Jung scrambled for an answer, and finally replied, “I was taking care of my younger brothers and sisters back home.” As he nodded his head to acknowledge her response, Prince JiangSu said, “Ah, I see.” Desperate to move away from the current topic, Eun Jung asked, “So, can we sleep in here with him?” To which, Prince JiangSu replied, “If you want to stay here with him, then we’ll stay.” Having decided to remain in the room; Prince JiangSu and Eun Jung made their way over to the bed. Upon arriving at their intended destination, the couple was amused to see that Kwang Sun had rolled over to sprawl his entire body out onto the center of the bed.

Careful not to wake him; Prince JiangSu cautiously picked Kwang Sun up in his arms, and placed him closer to the inner edge near the wall. As he turned around to tell Eun Jung to get into bed; Prince JiangSu noticed that a broad smile had overtaken her face, and asked, “Why are you smiling?” In response to Prince JiangSu’s inquiry, Eun Jung leaned in and kissed him lightly on the cheek before she declared, “You’ll make a really good father one day.” Wrapping his arms around her waist; Prince JiangSu proceeded to move in for a kiss, only to be rebuffed when Eun Jung pulled away to say, “Stop it, Kwang Sun’s right there.” With a slight pout of his mouth, Prince JiangSu replied, “You’re the one who started it.” Too tired to argue with him, Eun Jung simply nodded her head to indicate that she agreed with his assessment. Once she had removed Prince JiangSu’s arms from her waist, Eun Jung proceeded to crawl into bed, and ordered gruffly, “Stop talking and go to sleep.” Unable to ignore Eun Jung’s authoritative tone; Prince JiangSu did as he was asked, and took his place by her side.

Despite his exhaustion, Prince JiangSu was incapable of disregarding the sudden assault made by a small hand to his face. Slowly removing the assailant’s hand; Prince JiangSu groggily opened his eyes, and glanced over to see that Kwang Sun had somehow managed to wedge in between himself and Eun Jung. Although, he was not too happy to have been struck; Prince JiangSu could not suppress a smile, upon seeing a line of drool materialize from the side of Kwang Sun’s mouth. Without giving it much thought; Prince JiangSu reached out, and wiped away the dribble from Kwang Sun’s face. Surprised by his own actions; Prince JiangSu thought to himself that, a few weeks ago, it would have been completely out of the question for him to have carried out such an unsanitary act. Having silently watched the entire incident; Eun Jung nudged Prince JiangSu’s leg with her foot to get his attention. When he realized that she was awake, Prince JiangSu sat up in the bed and looked at Eun Jung before he mouthed, “What?” With a look of adoration in her eyes, Eun Jung asked in a barely audible whisper, “Can you get any cuter?”

Before he could respond to Eun Jung’s rhetorical question, Prince JiangSu saw that Kwang Sun was beginning to rouse from his slumber. Fully aware that Kwang Sun was not fond of him; Prince JiangSu quickly got up from the bed and walked away. Just as Prince JiangSu took his seat at the table; Kwang Sun opened his eyes, and looked around for Eun Jung. Happy to see her lying by his side, Kwang Sun asked eagerly, “Where are we going today?” Recalling that she had promised to take Kwang Sun somewhere fun; Eun Jung concentrated on coming up with an acceptable response to answer his question. Knowing that she was unfamiliar with the layout of the Palace, Prince JiangSu interjected into the conversation by asking Eun Jung, “Soo Jin, were you planning on taking him to the Gwanghwamun to go kite flying with us today?” Delighted by Prince JiangSu’s ingenious idea; Eun Jung re-focused her attention onto Kwang Sun and asked, “Do you want to go kite flying with me and Prince JiangSu?”

Noticing the apprehensive expression on Kwang Sun’s face, Prince JiangSu observed nonchalantly, “Well, if he doesn’t want to go kite flying with us, then we can take him home before we go.” Alarmed by the prospect of missing out on such a fun activity, Kwang Sun declared loudly, “I do want to go with you!” Slightly nodding his head to acknowledge Kwang Sun’s wishes, Prince JiangSu replied, “Okay, then let’s get ready to go.” Overjoyed to hear Prince JiangSu’s response; Kwang Sun leapt off of the bed and jumped up and down all the while repeatedly cheering, “Yay!” After all of the preparations for their outing had been made; Prince JiangSu called for an attendant to inform General Seok of their newly devised plans. Accompanied by a small group of maids and attendants; Prince JiangSu, Eun Jung and Kwang Sun made their way to the garden near the Gwanghwamun.

Once they arrived at their intended destination; Kwang Sun pulled on Eun Jung’s sleeve, and asked her excitedly, “Where’s my kite?” Shaking her head to indicate that she didn’t know; Eun Jung replied, “I’m not sure. Why don’t you ask Prince JiangSu?” Slowly turning his body to face Prince JiangSu; Kwang Sun frowned before he reluctantly asked, “Prince JiangSu, where is my kite?” Pointing towards one of the maids; Prince JiangSu replied, “She has the materials that you’ll need to build your kite.” Staring wide-eyed at Prince JiangSu, Kwang Sun quickly said, “But I don’t know how to build a kite.” Wanting to have a better rapport with Kwang Sun for Eun Jung’s sake, Prince JiangSu asked, “Well, do you want me to teach you how?” Nodding his head happily, Kwang Sun replied, “Yes, please!” Mirroring Kwang Sun’s head nod, Prince JiangSu observed, “I’d be happy to teach you. But…” Anxious to hear what Prince JiangSu was going to say next, Kwang Sun stopped dead in his tracks and asked, “But what?” After a deliberate pause, Prince JiangSu finally replied, “But if we aren’t friends, then I can’t possibly teach you.”

Observing that tears were beginning to form in Kwang Sun’s eyes, Prince JiangSu quickly asked, “But we are friends, right?” Hastily clearing away the tears from his eyes, Kwang Sun smiled broadly and replied, “We’re best friends!” Upon hearing Kwang Sun’s change of heart, Prince JiangSu extended his hand out to the little boy and said, “Then let’s go build ourselves some kites.” Happily taking Prince JiangSu’s hand; Kwang Sun replied, “Let’s go!” Seeing that Prince JiangSu and Kwang Sun were leaving her behind; Eun Jung asked loudly, “Hey, are you two forgetting about me?” Realizing that she was being ignored; Eun Jung quickened her pace to catch up to the pair, and noticed that Prince JiangSu had whispered something into Kwang Sun’s ear. Before Eun Jung could figure out what her husband was up to, she saw that Kwang Sun was running back towards her. When he reached her, Kwang Sun grabbed a hold of Eun Jung’s hand and said, “Prince JiangSu said that since you’re pretty; he’ll teach you how to build a kite too.” Lifting her eyes to look at Prince JiangSu’s face; Eun Jung smiled at him and called out, “I guess that means that we can be friends too.”

I love this jessica...and always make just scream n laugh..very nice..

Thank u..^^