Secret of the Red Lotus Flower (빨간 연꽃의 비밀)

Chapter 12

Queen Ae-ri fumed as she sat alone in her quarters, waiting for Ha-neul to arrive. She had left word for the Crown Prince to come to Gyotaejeon immediately after the Binjohyeon. Her child should have been there waiting for her while she bid farewell to the king and made her wait back to her chambers. Instead, the halls outside had been empty and she was forced to wait over a quarter hour.

She had not changed out of the wonsam made of heavy winter silk and sweat had begun to run down her back. Her head and neck ached from wood, gold, and hair headdress. If she had known that she would be forced to endure the heat in this infernal ceremonial outfit for this long, she would have worn something more appropriate for the summer temperatures. However, she had wanted to wear her most intimidating ensemble to make certain that her new daughter-in-law was properly cowed.

Finally, having waited long enough, Queen Ae-ri stood to go hunt down her insolent offspring. At that moment, she heard Court Lady Kim announce that arrival of Crown Prince Ha-neul. The sanggung had served the queen for twenty-five years since replacing Min-yeong as the queen's personal lady-in-waiting. Court Lady Kim had been a lot more unwavering in her dedication as Ae-ri's confidante compared to her previous aji.

As the Crown Prince strode into the chambers, Queen Ae-ri couldn't help but feel a surge of pride in her creation. Ha-neul looked every inch the perfect Crown Prince. Someday, all of her plans would come to fruition and her child would be King. There were only a few obstacles left in her path.

"What took you so long?" Queen Ae-ri demanded. "You were supposed to come here directly."

"I thought it best to make certain that the Crown Princess's procession left safely," Ha-neul replied. "You have always talked about how important appearances can be."

The queen grit her teeth in annoyance. Ha-neul had gotten better at using her own words against her to justify any acts of disobedience. Ae-ri blamed Princess Chae-yeong for this infuriating personality trait. She should never had agreed to allow the Crown Prince to visit her so frequently.

"Never mind," Queen Ae-ri said, waving away the Crown Prince's excuses. "How did last night go? Everything proceed according as planned?"

"That is why you called for me, Mother? I thought Yeong-ja would have already informed you of everything about last night right away."

"Of course, but I wanted to hear it from your own lips as well. I waited all morning for you to come to visit me and put any concerns I might have to rest."

"I had to go to Chunbang to speak with the scholars about Father's upcoming meeting with the ministers. There has been a shortage of rice for the people and I wanted to check if-"

"I don't care," Queen Ae-ri interrupted. The Crown Prince's incessant talk about the concerns of the peasantry was another annoying character quirk that she placed at the feet of her sister-in-law. "None of that matters if our plan-"

"Your plan," Ha-neul interjected.

"-failed to discourage the princess consort," Ae-ri finished. "Tell me everything."

"There isn't much to tell, Mother," the Crown Prince calmly stated. "She came to my bedchambers as expected. Yeong-ja and I staged our scene and then I rebuffed her. After that, she went back to her chambers."

"Do you think she suspects anything?" the queen asked.

"No. I am certain she believed that I had chosen to spend the night with someone other than her," Ha-neul replied. "However, she is smarter than you give her credit for, Mother, and you would do well to not underestimate her."