Chapter 14: Marriage & Secrets

Luckily, by the time King Han, Queen Shim, and Prince Chanwol returned back to the Flower Palace, Yeonhwa was already in her room and reading another one of her stories like nothing happened. But on the inside, she was jumping with happiness and excitement.

Jungseol could finally breathe in relief when she saw Her Majesty entering her room quietly and cautiously. She had been waiting forever for the Princess to return, and before the day ended, she did. All day, the maid was under so much pressure, and now she could finally let all the weight slide off her shoulders.

“King Han enters Princess Yeonhwa’s Quarter!”

Jungseol immediately stood up from the ground and went to stand by Yeonhwa, who finally took her eyes away from the interesting words in her book. The doors opened, and there she saw her amazing, heart-warming father walking in.

Yeonhwa bowed, and so did Jungseol.

“Greetings to you, Father.”

“Greetings to you, Your Highness.”

King Han smiled lightly, then bowed back. “Greetings, Yeonhwa,” he said to his daughter before turning to her maid. “Greetings, Jungseol.” He gracefully took a seat on the ground and faced Yeonhwa. “I apologize for not notifying you about our trip to the Royal Yung family. It was your birthday yesterday, and we didn’t want to make you feel pressured with the celebration going on and the-”

“Father,” Yeonhwa stopped him with a tugging smile. “It’s okay. I understand. You didn’t want to interrupt my special day. It’s alright.”

King Han showed a small smile. “Thanks for understanding.”

“So how were Chanwol and Princess Inhye? Are they excited about the upcoming wedding?”

“I’m sure the two lovebirds are more than excited about the wedding.” King Han chuckled lightly. “Chanwol couldn’t wait to get out of the Main Hall to see Princess Inhye when we got there anyways. That boy had fallen head over heels for her ever since the Royal Reunion we held three months ago.”

Yeonhwa laughed, recalling that day. The Royal Reunion was held every seven years at the Flower Palace, inviting all the Royal families in the country to meet. Everyone was so happy, but Chanwol was so upset because the plans he had to go paint the Chinese monks at the temple were cancelled. He loved painting and art a lot, especially those of portraits. When King Han told him that he couldn’t go, he was furious because he made a promise to the monks that he was going to be there for them before they take off to their mainland again.

But that day, when a beautiful girl walked in through the doors with her parents, it was as if he lost himself. He couldn’t stop staring at her, didn’t say a single a word, nor did he eat or drink anything served to him. As the reunion went on, all he did was stare at her like a creep.

He managed to catch her name to be Yung Inhye and that she was a Princess. After a while, he was finally man enough to go talk to her. Despite all the stuttering and trembling he experienced, the Princess didn’t seem to mind the cute, charming Crown Prince of Joseon, though.

“Speaking of lovebirds,” King Han resumed. “I am yet to ask you if you are maybe at the time interested in anybody?”

His words struck Yeonhwa’s ears, making her look at him with surprised eyes. “Why do you ask, Father?” she questioned.

The King sighed. “I just thought…now that you’re seventeen, maybe you’re wondering what it’s like to have someone be with you. You know, to make you happy.”

Yeonhwa grinned. “I am happy, Father. I have you, Mother, and Chanwol. What’s there to not be happy about?”

“Yeonhwa, I mean as someone who’s willing to love you and be with you for the rest of your life.”

She didn’t know why, but when her father said that, Hwayang was the first person who popped in her head. She could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks again in nervousness. The two only met two times and yet, now that her father is undeliberately asking about her love life, she couldn’t pull herself back from thinking of the farmboy.

“Father, why are you asking me about this?” Yeonhwa asked him.

King Han sighed again. Honestly, he wanted to tell her about how both the Queens spoke of her eligibility to get married now that she was old enough. But he wasn’t going to. He didn’t want to scare her or force her into doing something she didn’t want. In fact, she just turned seventeen. He wanted her to live her youth a while longer. Nevertheless, he also wanted her to choose her own spouse. If not, then he knew she wouldn’t be okay with it.

“I just want you to be happy,” her father said sincerely. Yeonhwa could only gaze at him in awe. “You’ve grown up so much, and now that you’re a fine lady, it’s getting me to think of how one day, I’m going to need to let you go.”

The corners of Yeonhwa’s lips tugged up a bit. “Father, I’m going to keep growing up no matter what,” she said. “And even if in the future, when I find balance in my love life, I will still be with you.” She put on a warm smile. “I will always be your little flower.” To her father, she was always his blooming flower. When she was born, he thought about how the Flower Palace came to be and decided to call her that. It was the nickname he gave her.

King Han smiled back. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Yeonhwa blinked softly at him.

“I also came to tell you something,” he continued, making his daughter falter into a more serious expression. “After Chanwol’s wedding, I’m going to go on a trip to Namwon.”

Yeonhwa furrowed her brows. “Why?” she asked.

“I have a meeting with the other Royal Kings in the country. We need to discuss about the peasants and commoners there and help them a little bit with their difficulties.”

“I thought royalties like us don’t get to interact with commoners. At least that’s what Mother told me.”

A small laugh coughed out of King Han. “Well, your mother isn’t the one taking care of the people, is she?”

Yeonhwa bit her lower lips to hide the lurking smile. Then, she sighed. “How long will you be gone for?”

“Minimum length is three months.”

The Princess widened her eyes. “Three months?” she asked in shock. “Why so long?”

“The maximum is six, by the way. It’s because there lot’s of people who need our help. Not just peasants and commoners, but there are also cases at which they want the King of Joseon to look at and approve.”

Yeonhwa lowered her head, feeling a bit saddened. Hearing that her father, the King of Joseon, will be away for about three months already made her feel like he just left. Their relationship as father and daughter was really strong, so he didn’t blame her for feeling so down.

“Don’t be so sad, alright? I will be back before you know it.”