Kingdom

81.Passion & Duty (7)

As soon as they enter the long hallway that leads to the dining room, the King pushes Nori into one of the side rooms - a closet where small furniture and utensils are stored. The room is long, narrow and furnished with tall shelves along the walls. Its interior it's so packed with stuff, that there is hardly any space for Nori to move. Her dress keeps getting caught in the edges of shelves and chests as she steps further inside. Her eyes struggle to adjust to the twilight, the room being illuminated only by an outside lantern that hangs above its tiny window.

She stumbles a few times, failing to notice the baskets and vases that obstruct her way. Did they try to fit all the Palace's goods in here? It's too overcrowded. Nori gives up trying to enter further into the room and turns around, her dress causing a tornado of napkins swirling around her. Where those fell from, she has no idea...

"This is a splendid place for a meeting." she says, pulling the edge of her dress out of the clutches of a small broom."Much more cramped than the tree house. Will our next meeting take place in a mouse trap?"

"It's not my fault your dress is as big as a house." the King mumbles, busy locking the door. Despite his refined clothes and shining jewelry, he now resembles more a thief in the night than a Royalty.

"Fuck this." he growls at the door, failing to lock it properly, the key being rusty and probably hardly ever used.

"Why is locking the door necessary?" Nori asks, sounding more annoyed than intended. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I am worried about how you will act tonight," the King says, turning to face her after finally managing to lock the door."I want to give you some instructions."

"What instructions?" She squints her eyes, trying to see him better in the low light. Is he going to be annoying again? Trying to tell her what to do and how to behave?

"Do you remember when my magistrates came to greet you at the wedding?" he says, resting his back on the door.

"Not really..." She steps away, feeling way too close to him - his proximity being kind of distracting. "But I know the names of the men in the magistrate council. I have learnt the basics about Daegu's political scene." Her leg hits something and she sways sideways, leaning her hand on the shelves, knocking a whole roll of wooden cups to the ground.

The King glances at the damage she made but remains unbothered.

"What basics?" he asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

Nori clears her throat and assumes her all-knowing expression, the one she used to wear before an exam. "There are nine noble clans in Daegu, which are considered to be the pillars of this Kingdom. The members of those clans are called High Nobility and they are the only ones allowed to assume high-rank political positions. Thus all of the magistrates in your council are coming from those families."

"Besides Hoseok and Seokjin." the King adds.

Nori purses her lips in annoyance. Of course she knew that. Hoseok is a cousin of the King and Jin is the wizard's grandson. Everyone knows that. There was no need for the King to correct her. His condescending and cold expression irritates her enough; she doesn't need his snarky comments on top of that.

"Yes." She crouches down to collect the wooden cups from the ground, her sleeve knocking off a pair of small wooden bowls. They fall over the floor with clutter and roll around until they stop at the King's feet. Nori clenches her teeth to avoid cursing at the bowls; and starts to gather the cups in her hands. She stacks them on top of each other, building a small tower.

"There is a strict class division in this Kingdom." she says. "Rarely anyone from those 9 clans will marry outside their class and if they do, it would be only for General Nobility - families of scholars, government officials, rich merchants and landlords; or if they are lucky - they can marry their children to someone of the Royal Family. Thus, I am sure your magistrates all offered their daughters to you."