"Mom! Mom!" Ha-Yoon called out to her mother, showing a picture that she drew. It was a picture of a tree and clouds on a sunny day, with even flowers and green grass. Ha-Yoon was proud of her latest work and wanted to show her mother.

When her mother turned around, there was blood seeping out from her eyes. With a gurgling voice, her mother said, "why didn't you get help sooner, Ha-Yoon! If I wasn't putting you to bed, I might have seen that monster! If you had run back faster, your father and brother might have lived!" Slowly the face of her mother began to morph into the same monster that had attacked them. "Join us, Ha-Yoon!" It said with her mother's voice as it opened its mouth that had rows of sharp jagged teeth.

"NOOOO!!!! Get back! Mommy!! Daddy!!" She screamed. Looking around, she was no longer inside of her house. Night still covered everything in darkness and stole the heat from the sun, causing her to shiver.

"It was just a dream, Ha-Yoon." She held her precious doll in front of her, pretending that it was comforting her.

"I know. But, it seemed so real." Ha-Yoon answered to her doll. She hugged the doll tightly against her, feeling the soft texture of the doll and feeling a little warmer.

As she held onto the doll, she began to cry, imagining the doll say, "Ha-Yoon, everything is going to be okay! I'll always be with you, no matter what happens."

"You promise? You-you won't leave me behind, like every-everyone else?" She forced herself to ask, her chest hurting.

"We will be together, for-forever!" She held the doll, not wanting to think about how it wasn't alive and just made out of cloth and stuffing.

Her stomach growled, letting her know that it had been a while since the last time she ate any food. She remembered how she had gone to the nearby bakery and asked the woman if she could have any food. The woman looked at her with such an angry face and kicked her away shouting, "you filthy rats! You'll drive away all my customers with your disgusting face!"

The side of her face still hurt from the woman's foot. "Mommy, you told me that people would always help each other, but why do they hate me?" She asked the night, but there was no answer.

She had tried to ask the other children, but they just laughed and pulled her hair. One of them saw the doll that she was carrying and tried to take it. When Ha-Yoon saw the boy reach out for her doll, she quickly yanked her hair out of two of the kid's hands and ran away. Even though her head hurt from some of her hair being yanked out, Ha-Yoon didn't want to imagine what she would do if her doll were taken away. She still remembered her mother's face as she gave Ha-Yoon the wrapped package. Excited to get a present, Ha-Yoon quickly opened it up and saw the cute doll on top of the colorful paper.

"Your father and older siblings went around gathering everything for me to make this. Do you like it?" Her mother asked her.

Ha-Yoon squealed in delight, taking the doll out of the box and hugging it. "I love it, mommy! Thank you so much!"

The doll was all that was left of her family, everyone else being eaten by that monster. Her other brothers and sisters were sleeping during the attack, except for one of her brothers and father who tried to save her.

"Don't worry! We'll find something delicious tomorrow!" Ha-Yoon cheerfully told the doll, convincing herself at the same time. She laid down against the wall of the alley, trying to keep one side of herself warm. As her eyes closed, Ha-Yoon hoped that she would have a happy dream.

-----

Feeling the warmth on her skin, Ha-Yoon opened her eyes. As they were getting nearer to winter, she knew that it wouldn't be just cold at night but also during the day. "What are we going to do?" Ha-Yoon asked her doll, hoping that it would know.

Off in the distance, she could hear people clapping and cheering at something. Thinking that this would be a good way to distract herself from her stomach cramps, she headed towards where the noises were coming from.

There were people on each side of a large road. She could hear the sound of instruments and the marching. The problem was with so many people she couldn't see what was happening. Curiosity made her push into the crowd of people, with the occasional yell from someone telling her to go back to where she belonged. Ignoring the people cursing her, she held her doll tighter not wanting to lose it. Slowly, Ha-Yoon could see the road which made her try and move forward faster.

Just as she was about to reach the other side, Ha-Yoon bumped into a man and caused the person to drop the food they were eating. Realizing that she was the cause of his misfortune, the man reached out towards her and pulled her hair. "Look what you did you street rat! Do you know how much that was?!" He yelled loudly, making others look at what was happening. A couple of people began to yank on her clothes, as they looked at her with disgust. "Teach that trash a lesson!" and "Take her back to the alleyway!" were some of the things she was able to hear.

Ha-Yoon began to panic as multiple hands began grabbing her. As she backed away, trying to escape from those threatening her, someone pushed her back. Light flooded around her as she flew several feet into the road. Tumbling on the ground, Ha-Yoon finally stopped. Several shadows covered her, and the next thing she knew was being hoisted up and having weapons pointed at her.

"Please! Don't hurt me!" She pleaded at the shadowy figures, likely soldiers.

"Hold!!" A commanding voice called out, preventing the soldiers from striking her down.

As the soldiers moved aside, Ha-Yoon could see an elaborate carriage that had a distinguished older man, alongside what looked like his family. Feeling his eyes on her, Ha-Yoon flinched from his gaze.

"Bring the child over here." The man commanded in a softer and gentler voice.

Compared to when they roughly handled her, the soldiers treated her with more care. Seeing such a sudden change in her circumstances caused her to worry. She wondered if the older man was going to kick her as the woman did. Ha-Yoon tried to understand who this person was, who could order the soldiers as he did.

When she was near the man, he asked her, "Child, what were you doing on the street? Is your mother and father with you?"

Hearing those questions asked in such a soothing voice really struck Ha-Yoon. Before she was able to answer, her vision became hazy as she began to cry. The soldiers around her moved away a little, each on thinking that they had done something to make the girl cry. Each one looked at the other with confusion on their face, silently asking what was happening.

"Bring her up here. The poor thing must have been through a lot. Have some soldiers try to find this girl's parents and bring them to the palace. I am sure that they are worried about where their daughter went and are probably frantically searching for her." He spoke to the soldiers, several of them helping Ha-Yoon onto the carriage.

She felt the hands lift her up into the air, as another pair of hands gently took her into the carriage. In moments, Ha-Yoon felt the comfortable feeling of the cushions. Feeling the way the pillow seemed to embrace her made her happy, which made her cry even harder.

"There. There. Everything will be alright." A woman's voice comforted her, wiping her tears with a soft cloth. It reminded her of what her mother used to do, causing Ha-Yoon to embrace the woman quickly. The smell from the woman was relaxing. On top of the horrible sleep, the excitement from the crowd's abuse, and such a welcoming situation on the carriage made her eyes feel extra heavy. In a matter of moments, she felt herself drifting off to sleep.

-----

Ha-Yoon slowly opened her eyes, looking up at a ceiling instead of the sky or alley wall. There was a feeling of confusion, but slowly the memory of the man and soldiers came back. When she looked down, there were fluffy blankets surrounding her. It felt like she was being hugged by clouds. She grabbed the sheets and placed her face into it, enjoying the warmth and softness.

Ha-Yoon's eyes opened up quickly as she realized that she wasn't holding onto her doll. Frantically, she looked around trying to find what happened to it. She relaxed when she saw that it was placed on a nearby pillow. Reaching out for it, she held it close to her. The fear of having the only thing left from her family slowly receded back into the dark.

A knocking sound surprised her, and when she sat up, she noticed a pretty lady in a uniform come in with a cart. Ha-Yoon stared at the woman's hair and face, thinking how lovely she looked though not as pretty as her mom and sisters. The woman quickly looked around the room and noticed that Ha-Yoon was staring at her. With a warm smile, she pushed the cart towards the bed that Ha-Yoon as sitting in.

"Did you have a good sleep?" The woman asked.

Ha-Yoon felt shy, being asked such a thing from a lady like her. Pulling up the blanket up to her chin, she shyly nodded her head.

The woman giggled at Ha-Yoon's reaction. "You stayed asleep the entire time, never waking up. His Highness was thinking you would be hungry when you woke up, so he made sure to have food prepared for you."

Hearing about the food made her realize that there was a delicious smell. Looking at the cart, Ha-Yoon understood that there was food on that tray. A loud growling noise was heard, startling the lady. Ha-Yoon felt her face get hot for letting such a beautiful lady hear such an embarrassing sound.

"Sounds like someone is very hungry." The woman said. "Luckily, I have some delicious food prepared for such a cute little girl." Lifting up the covers on several of the dishes, the woman revealed piles of sausages, eggs, bread, and fruits. "Do you think there is anyone who would be interested in eating all this food?" asked the woman.

Ha-Yoon was mesmerized by the food revealed to her, and quickly nodded her head to indicate that she would be interested in the food. It had been so long since the last time she had eaten, making the items on the plates look irresistible.

The woman pulled out a tray that had legs on it, placing it over Ha-Yoon's lap. One by one, each of the plates was laid on top of the tray, with silverware set next to them. With how close the food was, Ha-Yoon could feel drool coming out of her mouth. Using her forearm, she wiped away the drool not caring how it might look. Reaching with her hands, she grabbed a sausage and ate it. The juices and flavor flooded her mouth, the excess dribbling down her chin.

"Slow down or you are going to make yourself sick," the woman cautioned as she giggled from seeing how happy Ha-Yoon looked.

Grabbing a spoon, she shoveled some eggs and fruits into her mouth. Each of the differing foods felt like nothing she had tried before. After some time had passed, the last item was eaten by Ha-Yoon, who looked sad after seeing her plate was empty of food.

"Do not worry; there will be more food later. We do not want to have you overeat." The lovely lady reassured her. "I am happy that you enjoyed the food."

"It was delicious!" Ha-Yoon spoke out, glad to have the feeling of being full. The food felt warm and comforting in her belly.

The woman placed a hand on top of Ha-Yoon's head, smoothing her hair. "It is good that you enjoyed the food. There is a bath that you can use when you feel like it. Feel free to walk around the palace. Soldiers are still looking for your parents, so do not worry."

Hearing the woman mention her parents caused tears to appear in her eyes.

Seeing her act like that, the woman was surprised. "What is wrong? Do not worry, your parents will be found, and then you can go back home." She tried to cheer up Ha-Yoon.

"My family was eaten by a monster." Ha-Yoon managed to say.

"What?!" The woman was shocked by this revelation. "When did this happen?"

"During the last Overflow." was all she could say, not being able to elaborate further.

"Oh, my child." the lady embraced Ha-Yoon. "So you were the child of that poor family."

----

The warm water felt nice, as the lady poured some on Ha-Yoon, washing away the flowery smelling soap. After Ha-Yoon had cried from thinking about her family, the woman offered to help Ha-Yoon take a hot bath. She said that a hot bath would make Ha-Yoon feel better.

In the other room, there was a large bathtub. After turning something, water began to pour out. Once the tub was filled, the woman helped Ha-Yoon out of her clothes and gently put her into the warm water after making sure that the water wouldn't burn her. Pouring some kind of liquid into the water, Ha-Yoon started to see bubbles forming. The entire room was filled with the smell of a large garden.

She enjoyed the feeling of having the woman lather Ha-Yoon up with the soapy water. Later, she was taken to a second tub that was filled with more hot water. The second tub washed her of all the soap, making her skin look all shiny and smooth.

"See! A bath is a perfect thing after a sad event." The woman chirped.

Ha-Yoon nodded her head, feeling happy from being treated so well after what she had experience in the streets.

After she was clean and feeling refreshed, something she hadn't experienced since the death of her family. The lady used a fluffy towel to dry her off with, and once she was dried off, Ha-Yoon was lead back into the room with the bed. Instead of putting on the same clothes, there was a dress laid out on the bed. Her eyes widen at seeing such a dress. It was pink with lots of lace and ribbons on it.

"This will look so cute on you," the lady smiled as she helped Ha-Yoon into the dress.

With the dress on, Ha-Yoon looked at a full-size mirror and spun around, watching at the dress rose up and spun a little once she stopped. Looking back at the lady, Ha-Yoon said quietly, "thank you, pretty lady."

"Aww! It is only natural for someone like you to wear such an outfit. I am confident that you will become a beautiful lady and have many men chase after you." She hugged Ha-Yoon, making all the sadness inside of Ha-Yoon disappear. "Now. Before you get to explore the palace, you should go see the Emperor. He was the one that prepared all of this for you, so it would only be proper that you thank him."

Ha-Yoon was amazed that the old man was the Emperor, causing her to feel both nervous and excited. He was very nice to her, bringing her here. She hoped that there was something she could do for him since her mother always taught her that acts of kindness should be given back with even more.

Seeing that Ha-Yoon was looking forward to meeting the Emperor, the lady held out her hand for Ha-Yoon to grasp. Reaching out her hand, Ha-Yoon took the lady's hand, and they walked out of the room.

Outside of the room was even more impressive than the inside, though there were more people. The hallways were sparkling with various pretty stones and what she knew as gold. As she passed by people, they greeted her and asked how she was doing. At first, Ha-Yoon moved towards the lady cause she was worried how the people would treat someone like her. This feeling disappeared quickly as she became more confident.

Eventually, they reached a gilded door that had two rows of soldiers in full armor. Though none of them turned their head, Ha-Yoon felt that they were staring at her. This made her a little less confident as the doors were opened and she saw a majestic room. There was a long red carpet, leading up to a large throne with the old man she knew from before.

Seeing the kind man made everything better and even knowing that he was the Emperor, she didn't mind it that much. As the two of them walked towards the throne, she saw the beautiful lady who was in the carriage standing next to the old man. Both of them had big smiles on their faces.

"My! Who is this beautiful young girl?!" The woman mock exclaimed.

Ha-Yoon blushed at the reaction, feeling that she was like a princess. Holding the doll in her hand, she tried to curtsey as she had seen in the stories her mother used to read to her.

"Wonderfully done!!" The Emperor clapped his hands together. Everyone else joined in with the clapping, making Ha-Yoon smile in joy at how they seemed to appreciate her effort.

"How are you feeling little one?" The emperor asked her, worry on his face. "Did you have a good night sleep? I do hope you enjoyed the food."

Nodding her head vigorously, Ha-Yoon exclaimed, "it was wonderful! I felt like a princess!"

"Hohoho!! I am happy to hear that you had such amazing time!" The Emperor laughed. After laughing for a time, his expression became depressed. "I am sorry that we have yet to find your parents, little one. I have sent numerous soldiers to find them, but they have returned with no success."

"Your Excellency, I have learned that this young lady's family was the victim of the monster attack during the prior Overflow." The lady told the old man.

Everyone's eyes opened wide at hearing such unexpected news. The beautiful lady next to the old man pulled out a long cloth and began dabbing her eyes. She leaned closer to the old man and said something, causing him to look very serious and nodding his head as if in agreement.

There was silence in the room, making Ha-Yoon feel a little self-conscious as she didn't know if there was something wrong. She was scared about being thrown out and back to the streets, especially after such an experience. Clutching her doll, she braced herself for the bad news.

Shaking his head in sorrow, the Emperor finally broke the silence. "This is terrible news. For such a young girl to be without a family and living on the streets. I am sorry that you were left to fend for yourself in my Empire."

Hearing the old man apologize to her made Ha-Yoon tear up. She tried her best not to cry and be strong, especially since she didn't want to ruin such a pretty dress with her tears.

"Leaving you to live in the streets is not something I can allow." The Emperor told her. Smiling at her, he asked, "If you want, would you like to stay in the palace? We will give you food and shelter and also train you to be a fine woman."

Hearing the Emperor offer, such a thing was something Ha-Yoon wasn't expecting. Being able to live in the palace and not on the streets sounded fantastic. Without a moment's hesitation, Ha-Yoon answered, "I would love that, your Excellency!"

After agreeing to the deal, Ha-Yoon heard the door to the throne room open. Looking back, she saw two women, one of them holding a young boy in her arms. Both of the women didn't have any emotions on their face, each one having a scar on their face. The young boy looked delighted especially being carried.

"Excellent timing! Young lady, I would like to introduce you to the person you will be looking after. This is my son, Eric, the 4th Prince.

-------

Ha-Yoon looked at the ashen face belonging to Han as he was placed in a chair. To make sure his body didn't fall over, there were straps holding him up. Seeing him like that made her heart hurt, but it was something she had no choice in doing.

"HAHAHAHA!!!! The person who had dared stand up against me is dead!" Eric laughed while celebrating with a glass of wine. "I can only imagine what his face looked like once he realized the woman he trusted had betrayed him!" Walking up to Han, Eric pulled back his hand and slapped his face, causing the chair to tip over nearly.

"How do you like that?! It is nothing compared to how my wrist was hurting from your grip, while you were humiliating me!" He screamed at Han. He tilted his head back and finished the wine in the glass, some of it dripping down his neck.

When Eric looked back at her, she only saw madness in his eyes. It seemed like the power he had gained was affecting him. Swaggering up to her, he looked at her and asked, "how does it feel to kill him? I saw the way you acted towards him. The way he looked at you with disgust was great. I wonder how he would have reacted if he knew how much you enjoyed getting fucked by me, how you would beg me to bend you over!" He laughed at the image. Without any warning, his hand shot out and he grabbed a fist full of her hair. "YOU ARE JUST A WHORE! What did you think was going to happen? Did you think this weak piece of shit was going to save you from me?!" He grinned at seeing her pained expression.

Ha-Yoon struggled not to fall over and not move, to minimize the pain Eric was inflicting on her.

He moved his head closer to her and whispered, "did you love him?"

She looked at him, terror in her chest, worried at what he was going to do. Ha-Yoon tried to deny having any feelings for Yi.

Seeing her deny having any feelings for Yi, his eyes opened wide. "How about I fuck you in front of his corpse. I will ride you like the animal you are, and you can watch his decaying face. Just like a slut, you will cum as you see the only person who cared about you sit there."

Eric looked back at Yi's body, giving Ha-Yoon the chance she was waiting for. From a hidden sleeve, she pulled out a dagger and aimed for his heart. With a sad smile, she saw the dagger get closer and closer to her target. She thought about how she had betrayed Yi, and how he would never forgive her. It didn't matter to her, because Ha-Yoon knew that it was unlikely that she was going to make it out of this situation alive. She knew that killing the Prince would cause her eventual death.

"Did you really think I was ignorant of what you were plotting?" Eric's voice asked, while his face was still turned away from her. With inhuman speed, Eric turned his head and used his free hand to yank the dagger from her grip.

Ha-Yoon yelped from the pain.

"I know everything about you. You belong to me, yet you thought you could hide the fact that you cared for that bastard? I know that you only killed him to gain an opportunity to kill me, knowing that brat wouldn't be able to." Eric spat. His expression changed to curiosity as he thought out loud, "I was not expecting the drug that I have been administering to you would lose its effect after all this time." There was some level of admiration in his eyes. "It seems like there was some fight in you, and you were biding your time until you could be confident of killing me." He laughed at the idea as if it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. "Holding the knife in his hand, he reversed it and then slammed the pommel into her temple.

The world darkened by the blow, though it slowly came back. Everything was spinning as she tried to fight off the dizziness. A blow struck her abdomen, causing her to bow over. Coughing up blood, only being able to stay up because her hair was still being held in Eric's fist.

"I was hoping to enjoy your body for one last time, but it seems as if you are no longer of any use to me." Eric ended the sentence with a kick to her side. She felt her body lose its strength and attempt to fall over, her lot of her hair being yanked out from being held in such a rough manner and the sudden increase in weight from her unable to keep standing up. A fist continuously slammed into her face, as Eric continued to say, "you were given a purpose thanks to me, and you reward me with your betrayal?! Do I look like some peasant, who you can do whatever you wish to?!"

A part of the world disappeared, likely due to her eye being swollen shut. While Eric was beating her, she tried to keep looking at Yi. She still remembered the look of confusion on his face, when he turned around and met her eyes before collapsing to the ground. A tear streamed down the side of her face, as she thought about what she did to the only person that actually cared about her. There was a sudden sharp pain in her belly, and when she looked down the dagger she used against Eric was sticking out of her.

"I would watch you die, but Father has several tasks for me to complete soon. If I do not hurry, I may have to deal with him lecturing me. Enjoy the few moments you have before you die like an animal on the floor. A fitting end for someone Father picked off the street." He laughed loudly and started walking away from her. She could hear his footsteps walk out the door. The silence was all that replaced the violence in the room.

Laying on the ground, Ha-Yoon could feel the life draining out of her. Her body was already beginning to feel heavy. With the last of her strength, she reached out and dug her fingernails into the floorboards. Pain flooded her body as she dragged herself forward, the feeling of several nails being ripped off and the pommel of the dagger dragging against the floor as it dug around in her body. Keeping her only eye focused on Yi, she pushed through the pain as her vision began to blur. All she wanted in this world was to be next to him when she died. She wanted to hold his hand in hers one last time, just like they did in that city on that magical journey where she felt like an ordinary woman with a man that held feelings for someone like her.

The blood loss became faster with the amount of effort she was putting in. Soon, Ha-Yoon couldn't feel enough strength, reaching only a couple of feet away from Yi's body. With her bloody hand, Ha-Yoon reached out to him, wishing she could feel his warmth for one last time. "Yi. I am sorry." She coughed up blood but ignored it. "I thought that I could kill him, so I used a poison that would make it seem like you had died. Seeing you dead, Eric would have had no reason to go after you if I failed." Teardrops fell onto the floor, mixing with the pooling blood. "I just wanted you to be safe, though I know that you are incredibly strong. There are powers that are even stronger than you, and I just wanted you to be away from them. Seeing you back in your city, where you would live in safety was my dream." Holding back the anguished screams, Ha-Yoon continued, "I knew that someone like me, who had been treated like a sex slave was not someone you deserved to have around."

She smiled bitterly, "did you know that I had a dream about us?" Thinking about the dream, Ha-Yoon smiled as her eyes were already beginning to lose focus. "We were in another world, the two of us are happy and raising a family. You looked so handsome holding your son and daughter in both of your arms." Ha-Yoon laughed between her weeping, "I know. It sounds crazy especially coming from garbage like me." Yi's face filled her eye. though his image was mainly how she imagined he looked when he smiled since her vision was deteriorating. She tried to continue telling him everything. "I love you, Yi. I wish we had met someplace else, where I would take care of you, and you would have filled my days with joy." A cold feeling began creeping up on her as if Death had its hand on her shoulder, letting her know her time was near. "If we are ever reborn, would you wait for me? If you saw me, would you still love me? If you see me, again, would you be able to forgive me?" As the strength of her body faded away, her outstretched hand slowly lowered along with her head both resting on the floor. On Ha-Yoon's face, a final tear rolled across her face and dropped down to the floor. The life in Ha-Yoon's slowly faded away and her last breath escaped her bloodied lips. The room was silent, with Ha-Yoon's body lay on the floor, as if the world was mourning along with Ha-Yoon, sharing her grief.