Secret of the Red Lotus Flower (빨간 연꽃의 비밀)

Chapter 42

Ha-neul was pulled from their slumber by the knocking at their chamber door. For a brief moment, they thought it might be Soo-yun before dismissing that was wishful thinking. It had been two days since the two of them had been together and their wife had spent all of that time hiding on her side of Donggung.

Things had become complicated since the kiss in ways that Ha-neul had not anticipated. They normally didn't do things rashly or without careful thought about all possible outcomes. While the kiss had been blissful in the moment, Soo-yun's reaction afterward told Ha-neul that it had been a mistake. One that they swore would not be made again.

"Your Royal Highness, I have come to help you get ready for your return to court," said Yeong-ja from the other side of the door. Considering how formal she sounded, Ha-neul assumed that there were other servants nearby. It was one of many ways the two of them used to tell the other that it wasn't completely safe to talk freely.

The Crown Prince groaned as they sat up and swung their feet off of the bed. Their side was still stiff from the arrow wound despite it being mostly healed. Once Dr. Jun had removed the stitches, he had recommended that Ha-neul keep active to prevent the scar from hardening too much. All Ha-neul could do for now was practice the most basic of sword maneuvers in their room but it was helping.

"Come in," Ha-neul commanded. The door slid open and the sanggung quickly entered. The guards that the king had commanded to stand guard outside closed it behind her. Ha-neul had thought that it was bad enough having two nurses hovering outside in case medical assistance was needed, but, once Dr. Jun confirmed that they were no longer needed, their father insisted that armed soldiers be placed there instead. The Crown Prince knew the danger had passed, at least temporarily, and that their father was going through another one of his phases, so they tolerated the men for now.

Ha-neul attempted to remove their pajamas, but their movements were still limited by the injury. Yeong-ja wordlessly took over the task when it was obvious that the Crown Prince couldn't do it alone. Ha-neul wanted to ask her if she had talked to Soo-yun but bit their tongue. Their wife had made it quite clear that she didn't want anything to do with them after what happened. Instead, Ha-neul held up their arms to allow Yeong-ja to tightly wrap the bindings around their chest, crushing their breasts underneath the cloth.

After nearly twenty years, Yeong-ja had become quite proficient at dressing Ha-neul in the blue gonryongpo robes of the Crown Prince for court and tying their hair back in a sangtu topknot. It was a familiar ritual that tied the two together in ways that few understood. The court believed the two of them were lovers but Ha-neul would probably have viewed the relationship as something similar to that of a sister if not for the knowledge that Yeong-ja's allegiance was ultimately tied to the queen.

After placing the black ikseongwan crown upon Ha-neul's head, Yeong-ja took a step back to double-check her handiwork. Ha-neul had no doubt that they cut quite the regal figure but things had to be perfect today and Yeong-ja knew that.

"Are you certain you are ready for this, your Royal Highness," Yeong-ja asked. "Dr. Jun said that another week of bed rest wouldn't hurt."

"No, I need to get back to the court," Ha-neul replied. "The longer that I am away, the more Lord Min will have time to undermine me there. Besides, I need to start investigating those 'bandits' before their trail goes cold. They were too organized to be common rabble and I have a feeling that if I don't discover who is behind them now the trail will go cold."

"I understand," said Yeong-ja as she made one final adjustment to the Crown Prince's collar. "I know you have your men already investigating, but let me know if I can be of any assistance."