Secret of the Red Lotus Flower (빨간 연꽃의 비밀)

Chapter 13

Normally, it was Yeo-jin coming to her room to deliver breakfast and help her mistress with her morning ministrations that woke Soo-yun. This morning, however, Soo-yun woke early, feeling strangely energized. Tonight was the Baekgwan Hweui banquet where the entire royal court would get to see their future queen for the first time.

With Ha-neul by her side, she would be meeting the Ministers, ambassadors, and yangban nobles that visited Gyeongbokgung Palace regularly. Having resigned herself to the fact that this marriage wasn't the love match that she had once thought it had become, she decided that she wouldn't let bitterness overwhelm her life and at least attempt to be a supportive wife by making a good impression on the high-level officials that would be there.

Soo-yun opted to start finding an outfit on her own and went over to the unpacked chests to find a decent dangui topcoat to go with her hanbok that day. She pulled out a half dozen different dangui of different shades and designs, yet none of them felt right. Reaching in one more time, her fingers brushed against some paper. Confused, she pulled it out of the chest.

Any positivity she may have been attempting to project disappeared as soon as she saw the envelope in her hand. It was the list of names that her father wanted her to convince the Crown Prince to promote. She could still hear his vile insinuations echoing in her head and wondered what her father would think if he ever found out that the marriage was still unconsummated.

Despite Ha-neul's betrayal, some small part of Soo-yun still cared for the Crown Prince. Her life would be so much easier if all of her lingering affection for her husband had died that night when she saw Kang Yeong-ja in Ha-neul's arms. The urge to rip it up into tiny pieces and throw them into a lit brazier came over her, yet she thought once again about what her father would do to her mother and Yeo-jin. Instead, Soo-yun went over to her calligraphy supplies and hid it among her papers where it was less likely to be discovered.

No longer caring about finding the perfect outfit, Soo-yun merely grabbed a baby-blue dangui and white chima skirt. By the time she finished dressing herself, she started to wonder where Yeo-jin was and did her best to tie her hair back in a crude jjokjin meori bun with the red jade bongjam. It was far from the best she had done but would do until her servant arrived.

"Your Royal Highness," Soo-yun heard Yeo-jin suddenly call out from the other side of her door to her chambers. Before Soo-yun could wonder why her servant sounded so formal, Yeo-jin continued. "Court Lady Kang is here to see you."

Her? Now? Soo-yun thought as she rushed over to her sitting desk, stubbing her toe in the process. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. She sat down at the desk and did her best to smooth her skirt and hair.

"She may enter," Soo-yun replied, trying to sound as royal as possible and hiding how nervous she felt.

The door to her chambers slid open and Court Lady Kang strode into the room with Yeo-jin following closely behind. The woman carried herself with a poise that many noblewomen would have been envious of. As the sanggung bowed and knelt down on the silk cushion, Soo-yun was once again struck by the woman's beauty. She became self-conscious about the fact that she hadn't washed her face yet and her hair was probably a mess.

"My apologies for visiting you so early, your Royal Highness," Yeong-ja said. "You must have a lot to do with the banquet tonight. However, I thought we could straighten out a few matters before the day got underway."

"I understand, Court Lady Kang. I am sure you have many duties to perform and I would hate to keep you from them," Soo-yun politely replied. She looked up to see that Yeo-jin was still standing in the room, glaring at the back of Yeon-ja's head. "You can leave us, Yeo-jin."