A clearer sky than yesterday was looking down at Eunseol. She raised her hand and touched the leftover rain drops on the flowers.
“My lady, what are you thinking?”
At that time, Yeoju, Eunseol’s maid servant, approached Eunseol’s side. Eunseol smiled and shook her head slowly.
“No, nothing.”
“You are not thinking about the rude man you met yesterday, are you?”
Yeoju smiled and asked. Then, Eunseol’s face with a bright smile, hardened.
“Of course not! I don’t want to see him again, that rude man.”
Eunseol got up from her seat and grasped the hem of her dress firmly. At that time, Eunseol’s mother, Yoo Hee, entered the house.
“Mother!”
“Yes, there you are, my child.”
Yoo Hee smiled brightly and approached Eunseol. The two laughed and looked at each other lovingly.
Yoo Hee nodded slowly, gazing happily at Eunseol, who has grown so gracefully and beautifully.
“The petals are scattering beautifully, and I was looking at it for a moment.”
“Ah… like that. The rain drops on pretty flowers.”
At the words of Eunseol, Yoo Hee also smiled as she looked at the petals crossing the air countless times. Then she warmly held Eunseol’s hands, who was still holding her hands together. Yoo Hee’s eyes deepened and she looked down at the jade ring that was worn on the index finger of Eunseol’s right hand.
“My name resembled the white petals, right mother?”
“Yes, Eunseol is a very pretty and noble name.”
As the name implied, Yoo Hee’s heart was in pain as she stared at Eunseol, which grew like a trembling plum.
‘When I matured and married, it was the happiness that I wanted to put in your hands, but I was incompetent and I was a fool, I didn’t think I could.’
Somewhere along the line, the voice of King Seon Yoojun, stained with tears, seemed to be heard in her head.
Yoo Hee’s heart became hot.
‘Please be happy. Please survive safely.’
‘Even if father died and lost his body on this earth. In the end, I will stay by your side, protect you, your mother, and be with you and your mother. I love you, my princess.’
The last image of the King who was dying while vomiting blood was drawn in front of Yoo Hee’s eyes. Yoo Hee hurriedly groped her reddish eyes without knowing it.
“Mother? What are you thinking so hard?”
Eunseol’s voice caught Yoo Hee’s attention, who was immersed in deep sorrow. Yoo Hee touched her chest and looked back at Eunseol.
“No, nothing. Is the game tomorrow?”
“Yes, mother. Maybe you’re worried about my entrance,right?”
“Eunseol.”
“I know how worried mother and father are. I will stick to my brother’s side so you don’t have to worry about it.”
Eunseol smiled brightly and held Yoo Hee’s hands. However, the worries that rose in Yoo Hee’s heart couldn’t be shaken easily.
“You will never face Daewon-gun Lee and other leaders who follow him. You know well that your father is so concerned about the conflict between Daewon-gun and political beliefs, right?
“I will also be on the lookout and be careful, mother”.
The day after tomorrow was the day when a ‘jokgu’ game was held in which Lee Hak Soo would play the game himself in order to break down the royal wall and communicate with the people.
(Editor: Jokgu is a Korean sport that resembles football and volleyball. The players use their feet to kick the ball across the net without letting it fall.)
For that reason, that was the day when people were allowed to enter the palace. Several Kyushu also participated and were willing to receive the King’s money. Even after thousands of nights, the nightmare of that day did not go away, so Byeongpan and Yoo Hee hid even more.
(Editor: Byeongpan is Yoo Hee’s husband.)
So Eunseol did not attend the birthday celebration of Lee Hak Soo or his group, but this time it was inevitable. Since she could no longer act beyond the eyes of Lee Hak Soo anymore. She was willing to participate in this jokgu game.
“Eunseol, make sure you don’t stand out in front of the officials. Okay?”
“Yes, mother. l will keep it in mind.”
However, the tension and anxiety of attending the game grew more and more heavily in Yoo Hee’s heart.
*****
On the day of the Jokgu game, the sky was clearer than ever. Eunseol stood in front of a large palace with her heart fluttering with Min Ju, the hostess of Hojo’s family. After a while, the palace was getting more and more noisy. Each of the finely dressed maiden was entering the palace, decorated like flowers.
Eunseol looked up at the entrance of the magnificent palace and spit out admiration with her mouth slightly open.
“Eunseol, you haven’t seen this palace before, have you?”
“Yes. It’s so gorgeous and grand. Much more than I thought!”
The excitement was obvious in Eunseol’s face. With a smile, Eunseol carefully entered the palace with Min Ju. At that time, Eunseol could hear the noises from a group of maidens while passing by.
“His Majesty will make a lady who stands out among us his concubine today.”
“Is that true?
“Oh why tell me just now! I would have come dressed up even prettier!”
“Oh, look at her? She thinks she deserves to be a concubine.”
“What? My father sent a request directly to Daewon-gun Lee and asked his Majesty to choose me as a concubine. So today, the concubine’s position is mine.”
Eunseol also quietly looked back at the woman who would be chosen as a concubine. The pointed nose, the pointed chin, and the small, thick lips were truly breathtaking . That must be the characteristics that many men would like, Eunseol thought in her heart and gently grasped the hem of her dress. The gossip continued on.
“But, his Majesty drinks alcohol every night and is rumored to be a vicious tyrant.”
“There are rumors that every night, several concubines are invited into his chambers, don’t you know?”
“What? Oh my gosh!”
Eunseol gently shut her lips and moved away from the maidens. While holding Eunseol’s hand firmly, Min Ju looked back at the crowd, who was moving away, and opened her lips.
“Is it true?”
“What?”
“The rumors related to his Majesty?”
Eunseol curled her lips at the question of Min Ju and stopped walking.
While grasping the hem of her dress which was fluttering in the wind, Eunseol looked back at Min Ju with a deep gaze.
At that time, Doyoon, who was heading toward this side of the palace with a straight face, saw Eunseol and Min Ju standing in a place not far away, and he stopped his steps.
“Why are there so many women in the palace?” Doyoon looked around and frowned annoyingly.
“Because of today’s contest, it seems that the members of the noble families that entered the palace are quite a lot.”
“It smells awful like cigarettes. Somehow, my head hurts more as if a lot of people smoked today.”
“Your Majesty, what do you mean…..?”
“Because these women are the cause of my headache, do I have to remove them to make my headache go away? If I drink a few more bowls of the potion, do you think this damn headache will go away.?”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
At Doyoon’s sharp tone, the palace men closed their mouths and shook their heads as if they were dead. Doyoon stared at Eunseol and Min Ju from a distance with a frowning face.
Going forward and passing the women, suddenly Doyoon turned back around due to a headache that would soon break.
“Let’s go back. l despise them so much that I feel nauseous.”
Suddenly, Eunseol’s sweet voice blew behind Doyoon’s back, making him turn around.
“His Majesty must be smarter than anyone else and a dignified Lord.”
Her soft voice catched Doyoon’s attention. Turning around, Doyoon carefully turned his head and looked at Eunseol who was still a little farther away.
“How do you say that? Have you ever seen His Majesty?”
“No. Never. But…”
“…..”
“Those who said His Majesty is a drunkard and a tyrant. They have never seen His Majesty in person either.”
“……”
“How can I believe such speculations about His Majesty, who has been so powerful? I only believe in the truth.”
Doyoon’s eyes trembled. The clenched fist was releasing strength. That sweet voice was somewhat familiar. Also, he was familiar with the beautiful face of the woman who turned to the side. The woman’s voice tickled him more than the blowing spring breeze, and Doyoon’s gaze was glued to her.
“His Majesty was smarter than anyone else. My father always said that. His Majesty is the best in Joseon.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. The people think that he was sent down from heaven. My father, who had always seen his majesty’s childhood, sometimes tells me of his appearance from the past.”
“……..”
“But if he changed so much, there must be a reason for that. Maybe he is in pain every night.”
Strangely, those words from the woman’s voice seemed to be comforting that he didn’t even know.
The sorrow that had been buried deep in his heart suddenly sprang up.
Doyoon hurriedly turned his head away from the woman. It seemed that tears would pour out of his eyes if he kept looking at her.
“Because no one can alleviate the pain, there is nothing that can heal the wound. Ah. He must be at a loss. I believe so.”
Doyoon staggered as he turned. Strangely grasping his chest and took a slow step to get away from the woman. It was then.
“Eunseol, you have such a beautiful heart. I’m sorry but you really wanted to be the Queen, right?”
Doyoon was forced to stop walking again.
“Do not say that. My brother said that there are many ears in the palace.”
She was called ‘Eunseol’!
At the strange name that tickled Doyoon’s heart, he turned his head and checked the woman’s face again . At that moment, the woman’s pretty face was lodged in his heart. It was the moment when Doyoon recognized who the woman was, an official person rushed toward him.
“Your Majesty.”
The voice of the official person calling for him made him feel helpless. Eunseol’s face was clearly seen as Doyoon had reached closer to her side without knowing. From Eunseol’s beautiful dress that fluttered in the spring breeze to the fine-grained braid hair that gently fluttered behind her back, made him feel strange.
It was a strange feeling that he had never felt before.
“There will no longer be a glimpse of the enlistment of the envoys. Also, I am not going to participate in today’s game, so make your way somewhere other than the venue.”
The end of Doyoon’s voice was shaking slightly. Then, he decided to cut off the feeling that had sprung up.
Doyoon wasn’t a person who was faithful to his emotions so much that his whole heart was shaken by the swaying spring and March winds.
No, he probably didn’t know how to be true to his emotions.
His two legs began to move arbitrarily at the unfamiliar feeling he felt for the first time after birth, but Doyoon decided to stop and buried the feeling in his heart.
Even that feeling was a luxury to himself. He isn’t someone who could feel something like that. Moreover, he was a person who shouldn’t feel that way.
It was Doyoon who thought that the person who was sitting on the seat that was obtained by killing someone should not enjoy even the slightest amount of happiness.
“She must be a woman planted by my father to become my concubine. Buy my favor with those sweet words and ask me what to do .. ..”
“Yes?”
“Let’s go.”
Doyoon’s footsteps were heavy when he tried to turn around calmly. Eunseol’s back was still facing him and did not know that Doyoon was right behind her.
“Your Majesty!”
Again, an official person’s voice came from behind and Doyoon turned around. At that moment Eunseol also turned around in surprise. At a distance the king’s face appeared familiar and those unforgettable cold eyes somehow permeated her heart.
As she stared at Doyoon’s face without knowing it, Min Ju was also amazed and grabbed Eunseol’s hands in horror. Only then Eunseol bowed her head deeply until Doyoon moved away.
“I guess he’s the king.”
Then Eunseol raised her head and stared at Doyoon, who was disappearing far away.
“Even though I just looked at him for a while, did you feel his cold energy, Eunseol?”
Min Ju shuddered and stepped closer to Eunseol’s side. For some reason, Eunseol could not take her eyes off of Doyoon, who was now in a far distance. It seemed that the familiar cold air was strangely rising.
The game would start soon, but it got delayed due to the unseen monarch. Daewon-gun Lee Hak Soo and his group, who came first and settled in, were waiting with anxiety for Doyoon, who did not appear.
“What kind of wind was blowing and hiding him tightly? We just ran into him. Didn’t we?
Min Ju looked at the inside of Sook-deok University’s hall with her lips protruding. Eunseol’s heart was also becoming uncomfortable.
“I will take a moment …”
“Shall we go together?”
“No, I’ll be back soon.”
Eunseol, with her shoulders drooping, carefully left the stadium. She decided to go home because of the strangely flowing atmosphere of Gwangju palace.
“I should say hello to my brother first.”
Eunseol wandered around the palace. Since the game waiting area was not far from this place, Eunseol wanted to say hello to her brother, to say that she would retire home first. Then Eunseol, who was looking around to find the waiting area, was lost and just walked around the square.
“Ahhh!”
It was Eunseol, who stumbled backwards after encountering a man in a uniform.
She felt like someone grabbed her ankle and pulled it onto the ground. Eunseol fluttered her arms up in the air with her eyes closed. At that time, something firm supported her back, staggering and falling behind.
Contrary to what she expected, her body plummeted on the ground but Eunseol felt comfortable and warm as something wrapped around her back. Eunseol gently opened her closed eyes. It was a moment when the sky seemed to collapse, before calm.
“Ah.”
The dazzling sunlight poured over her face, and Eunseol frowned. At first glance, a tall man was holding her tightly so Eunseol gave a low sigh and squeezed his arms.
“You are the one who saved me. Oh, thank you.”
Eunseol gently turned her head toward the man.
Then, she used her strength to get out of his arms but a stronger force was holding her back than before. Eunseol looked at the man with a slightly surprised face. However, she still couldn’t open her eyes due to the intense sunlight, so she couldn’t see the man’s face clearly. Eunseol was embarrassed and fluttered in the man’s arm.
“If you stand out one more time I said I won’t let it go.I won’t leave you alone.”
It was then.
A familiar voice blew like the wind into Eunseol’s ears. In a moment, Eunseol’s chest seemed to drop to her feet.
‘Where did I hear it? This cold voice and cold speech?’
Eunseol gently bit her lips and looked at the man’s face, who was still holding her tight. The most sunlight poured out.
“It is a very loud meeting. So it was then and it is still now”
“Yes?!”
“When I said that I was looking forward to seeing you again, it must have been decided.”
“Ah ..! ….That……?!”
“You are more than I expected, Miss Eunseol”.