4th Prince's Private Compound

The 10th and 13th princes had forgotten all about the real reason that they were out of the palace the day before due to the encounter with the thugs. But when they remembered it the next morning, and after Baek Ah confirmed that they had gained the approval from Hae clan without mentioning the King's decree, Wang Eun got hold of a plate of oil and honey pastries from Damiwon and just ran across the palace to his 4th brother's compound. He wants to be the first person to congratulate his So-Hyungnim. Having heard the good news, the Crown Prince also got a bottle of fine alcohol and went together with his younger brothers to congratulate their soon-to-be-wedded fourth brother.

When they arrived at the residence, they could not find the 4th prince in the courtyard or in his sleeping chamber so Wang Eun decides to run to every room till he find where his brother was hiding. He knew that the 4th prince had not gone out of his compound as they had clearly seen his shoes outside in the courtyard. Eventually the three princes after searching all over the compound, there was only one more door left. Though the 10th prince did not remember this was the door to the room where he had left Jung with his 4th brother last night.

The three princes open the door, and as soon as they step inside they are treated to a humorous sight. There, sleeping on the ground side by side were two princes. Surrounding them were papers that had some drawings on, and many bottles of alcohol. Both Wang So and Wang Jung had a smile on their faces and seemed to be sleeping peacefully on their sides. The younger brother had one of his leg over his older brother's legs, and there was no sign of any discomfort on their sleeping bodies. Both of their muscles were completely relaxed and they were obvious in a deep and peaceful sleep. Sadly for them, the 10th prince in his excitement did not notice the clear evidence of drinking around his sleeping brothers so he decides to shout to wake them up.

"Hyungnin, Congratulations" and his voice was loud enough to startle the two sleeping princes awake and for them to sit up suddenly. But the sudden movement caused both of them to clutch their heads in agony.

"Eun-ah", "Hyungnim" then together "why are you yelling?" Then both princes squeeze their eyes shut and start to rub their forehead. The two other princes standing at the doorway could only look at the scene with an amused smile. No matter how much they did not act like it, this proved that these two were indeed were brothers.

"Oh, Jung-ah you were here too. Hyungnim why are you sleeping on a day like today? Aren't you excited?"

"Hyungnim, chebal, lower your voice. Hyung, what did we do last night?"

"I asked you to accompany me for drinks then after that….uggh why did I drink that much alcohol...I clearly remember thinking of scolding you…but now…...uggh, my head."

"No need for any scolding…..uggh all I remember was thinking something about how you were not a bad Hyung…."

"Chincha….not a bad brother….then Jung-ah, could you do me a favor?"

"What is it Hyung…..uggh...my head.."

"Spar with me sometime….I can't do that with Baek Ah or Eun-ah, I need a challenge…"

"I look forward to the spar then….but wait 'congratulations'? Eunnie-Hyungnim, why the need for congratulations.."

"You really forgot….So-Hyungnim how could you?"

"Right, how could So-ya forget when he was the one that fought so hard for it?"

"Crown Prince, Baek-Ah you are here too, uggh close that door and get soup….uggh"

"Yes, yes I will get a bowl of hangover soup for both of you drunkard brothers. Crown Prince I don't think they will be able to enjoy that fine alcohol today."

"Such a waste, no problem we can drink this alcohol, while those two drink soup."

"Alcohol, So-Hyungnim you drank alcohol last night! But... I thought the doctor told you absolutely no drinking!"

"What, So-ya you went against the orders of the royal doctor? Don't you care about your health?"

"I don't remember such orders…..uggh… Baek Ah-ya, the soup where is it?"

"Yes, yes I am getting it right now...along with the doctor's assistant…" with that the 13th prince exited the room, to get a hangover cure as well as the assistant so that he could check over his reckless 4th brother.

Hae Soo

It was not till early afternoon, that Soo realized that she had forgotten something important. She did not know the answer. Did the Hae clan give their permission for her marriage to the 4th prince? The prince did not mention anything yesterday but he was distracted. Even then he could have at least mentioned something. Now she was nervously pacing in the gardens going back and forth.

If the permission had been given, she knew that soon there will be an official announcement at the court, that meant that her uncles will be arriving in Songak soon along with everything that is needed to accept a wedding proposal from a royal family. If they hadn't obtained their permission, since they had the King's decree, they could still be married, but the relationship of the 4th Prince with his in-laws will be something that could be used against him. Seriously the entire situation was a whole massive web of connections. She didn't remember the wedding of Eunie-nim and his wife being this complicated. But maybe she just didn't notice it because she had been so focused on her work at Damiwon.

"Agassi, Agassi, where are you? You need to come immediately. Seriously where are you, Lady Soo?" She could hear Chae-ryung frantically calling for her, so taking a deep breath and focusing on not showing her anxiety at all, she starts to walk out of the garden.

The moment she steps out of the garden, Chae-ryung finds her instantly and now she was actually pushing her. Pushing her towards the main compound and she did not answer why in the word they were in such a hurry. All Chae-ryung said was it was something that she absolutely had to be there for. Confused, all she could do was let Chae-ryung lead her towards the main tea room in the main compound. "Lady Hae, I have brought Lady Soo."

With no idea in her mind, Soo enters the room, bowing before looking up. There in front of her was the 8th prince, Unni, and the Princess. The Princess's dimples were showing so she must be pleased which did not bode well for her, but she will think about that later. Focusing on the other side of the table, she saw the two Hae clan elders and what was most likely one of the elder of the Hae clan. Bowing to them in greeting, Soo took a seat after Unni asked her to and focus on trying to make sense of what was going on.

"Hae Soo, we have received a marriage proposal for you and we have accepted on your behalf." Those words by the Hae clan elder just shocked her that she froze in her seat and could only look at the men in front of her. Who, who was it? Were they talking about the Prince? Or someone else? "His family is influential and this alliance will be beneficial to the Hae clan. Your future husband insisted on marrying you that he personally made a visit to our clan compound. I am sure there is a reason that it had to be you, but that does not matter. Your uncles and I will officially go to accept the proposal today and plan out the details. We are just here to inform you of your marriage, and to let Myung Hee know to start preparing for your wedding."

"I'm sorry, but may I know to who am I to be wedded to?" Soo asked as respectfully as she could, even though she wanted to yell at them. The Hae members suddenly looked nervous were glancing towards the Prince and the Princess nervously. They wanted to hide the identity of her groom, but why? Eventually one of her uncles seemed to have regain his speech for he spoke.

"Only thing you need to know is that he personally visited us to give his proposal. And to give this letter," as one of the uncles took a letter out of his outer hanbok, Soo raised her hand to accept the letter, "to his bride." Looking at her relatives in confusion, she opened the letter. She had already decided that if it was not the 4th Prince, she will not marry at all. No way was she going to live in a way that she had not chosen to in her third chance at life. But all of that thought flew out of her mind, as she read the words of the paper.

"When the water has run dry, sit and wait for the clouds to rise." She didn't even try to contain her smile. It was her 4th Prince. She truly was going to be married to Prince Wang So. She, Go Ha Jin/ Hae Soo was going to be his wife.

"What has you smiling so widely?" on hearing the Princess's voice, she looked up and saw that everyone at the table was looking at her. Looking at the Princess, she now felt even more better than before. She had beaten this snake. Even if the Princess did not know it, she had gotten back at her. In the future, Hae Soo, the girl that the Princess hated will be her sister-in-law. The wife of her half-brother Wang So, whom she also had eyes on. But she could celebrate it later, there must be a reason that her clan members did not announce the name of her future husband, so she will take their lead for now.

"It's nothing, Princess. The poem on the letter just made me happy that's all." Soo made sure to say this with her brightest smile. This poem will be start of another collection for her. She truly love to look at the beautiful calligraphy of Prince Wang So. She will make sure to get him write out more poems for her. Not just this one, but many others too.

"Well, if it is that great of a poem, let me see it too. I truly do wish to know what kind of poem, your future husband sent," and before she could protest, the Princess had tugged the letter out of her reach, and was now reading it. Never mind, this paper will not start her collection, she will get him to write a new one. "Well, it seems at the very least, your future husband have learned to write classical poem." Rather than rising to the snub in Princess's tone, Soo said nothing. She could not wait till she will see the face of this when she realized who exactly she had almost called illiterate and dumb. Soo never known that she had a sneaky side but it was a welcome thing when it will lead to her winning against the Princess.

4th Prince's residence

The sight of two of the most unlikely people nursing a hangover was an amusing sight. Turning away from any light, constantly rubbing their foreheads and taking sip of the hangover cure like it was the best thing on earth, when it had to be one of the strongest smelling soups ever. Eventually, both brothers had recovered enough for them to be able to have a civilized conversation with their half-siblings.

"So-Hyungnim, congratulations on your marriage." Wang Eun said as he hands a list to his 4th brother, So. "That's the list of the best stores in Songak, according to my mother and aunt. I will go shopping with you for gifts soon, so don't worry about trying to find the stores."

"Wait, wait. Hyung, you are getting married? Why is this the first time I am hearing about it?"

"Eun-ah, thank you for the list. Jung-ah, you weren't talking much to any of us over the past week. I just got the permission from her family to marry her yesterday, that's why I was away from the palace for three days."

"The rumours were that you were out on a hunting trip. But anyways, congratulations on your marriage. Do I know the lady?"

"Jung-ah, So-Hyungnim is marrying Hae Soo." Baek Ah was the one to reply to the 14th prince's answer as 4th prince suddenly seemed to be reluctant to answer, perhaps he was shy.

"Hae Soo...Soo….you mean the cousin of Wookie-Hyungnim's wife? The one that put her life on the life for me yesterday?"

"Yes, that lady. Jung-ah, think about it, Soo will soon be living right here and we can come to visit her at anytime. And we all have a sister-in-law that treats us like her brothers."

"When you say it like that Baek Ah-Hyungnim, it is a very good deal for us. We can all hangout with Noonim anytime, and Hyung will have someone that will keep an eye on him. If that's the case, congratulations of your marriage, So-Hyungnim."

"All of my brothers are just using me to have Soo close to them, I see. Just remember that if Soo ever gets hurt, and she will with how much she gets into trouble, it is me that you have to call. Not Wookie. As her husband I should be the one to protect her, rather than her cousin-in-law."

"That's right. We will all gain a cheerful and bright sister-in-law, while our 4th brother gains a wife that could talk back to him, lecture him, and make him take care of his health. Now, So-ya, have one cup of this fine wine from your older brother, then how about we all go pay a visit to our future sister-in-law. But remember all of you, So's marriage is a secret till the official announcement."

Hae Soo

Her family members didn't stay long because they had to hurry to the meeting with her future father-in-law. After they left, Soo received many congratulations from the ladies and male servants. Unni had gave her a warm hug in congratulations and she had hugged her back just as tight. Now she hoped that on her wedding day, Unni will be right next to her. The 8th Prince had stayed silent, but his face was cold. Did he already had feelings for her at this point? She did not remember and it was just a little crush, the 8th prince will get over it.

She left the study as quickly as she could, then start to walk fast as far as she could in the opposite direction of the tea room. When she was near the edge of the property, she look sideways on both sides making sure that no one was around before she left her emotions escape in the form of a high-pitched squeak. She was going to get married. She, the lower middle-class make-up artist from Seoul was going to marry a prince of the 10th century. Prince Wang So of Goryeo. Finally after an entire wasted lifetime, she was getting the chance to be married to the one that she wanted. The giddy feeling was so overwhelming that she let out another squeal. Then she heard it, sounds of rushing feet coming towards her and before she knows it, she was surrounded.

In front of her, grasping her shoulders was the 4th Prince. And on either side of him was 10th and 14th prince then right behind them was the Crown Prince and the 13th Prince. She was very confused as to why they all seemed so stiff and constantly looking over their shoulders and checking their surroundings.

"Hwanja-nim, why are you here? Did something happen?" she asked with a truly confused expression on her face. She saw all the princes around her look at her in confusion. Then she felt gentle hands lift her chin till she was staring directly into the eyes of the 4th prince.

"Soo-ya, we heard you scream twice. What happened? Did something scare you? Was someone hiding around you and you notice them?" When she heard that they had heard her screams, which was actually her squeals of happiness, she could feel a blush rising to her cheeks. Not wanting him to dwell upon that fact much longer, she quickly replied back to change the subject.

"No I am fine, Hwangja-nim. Really. By the way, why the visit?"

"You sure, you are alright." Soo once again nodded and made sure to give him a smile. The 4th prince seemed to be satisfied with that as he continued on to answer her question. "Well we all wanted to meet you."

"Why?"

"Noonim, thank you for saving my arm yesterday. Congratulations on your marriage to Hyung, I will make sure to visit you often so you will not be bored in the palace."

"Jungie-nim, thank you so much. Please just be careful from now on, don't get into fights that could come back to hurt you."

"Soo-ya, congratulations on your marriage. Don't worry because I will go over to play with you often, So-Hyungnim already know so there is no problem with it at all."

"Thank you Eunie-nim. You have to show me all the fun places in the palace."

"Congratulations on your marriage, Soo. Just try to keep out of trouble, I cannot handle a worried Hyungnim so often."

"Baek Ah-nim, thank you. It is not truly my fault that troubles and accidents occur near me. It just happens, but I will take good care of my health and will be careful."

"Congratulations on your marriage, Lady Soo. If you need any help, know that I am always there. Please keep So happy, make him smile more if you can."

"Thank you so much for your sincere wishes, Crown Prince," she bowed her head."Now, let's all go have tea." Like that Soo starts to lead the all of the princes back towards the main house. Besides she was in mood for sweets and what better way than to enjoy food surrounded by her favourite people. Her lover and his brothers. Her future husband and brothers-in-laws.

"Crown Prince, what a surprise for you to be here? Did you come to have a talk with my brother?" Of course, the Princess was whom they encounter so close to the tea room, just outside of the main compound. She felt the princes around her tense up at the appearance of their half-sister. She didn't even need to look back to know that 4th prince now had on a cold expression on his face.

"Oh, Yeon Hwa-ya. I met up with Eun-ah and Jung-ah nearby and they were coming over for a visit so I also came along. I hope it was no trouble."

"No problem at all, Crown Prince," well there was that fake wide smile of the Princess, "it is a very happy day for Hae Soo here, and I'm sure she will be honoured at your presence."

"A special day, why Yeon Hwa Noona? Soo, was there something special going on?"

"Eun-ah, your dear friend is getting married soon. Isn't that a great news? Apparently, the groom himself went to her family's main compound to ask for her hand, isn't that a good thing? Though sadly, all Soo knows about him is that he is an influential man that can apparently write a good poem." Soo could feel the uncomfortable air that now surrounds the men around her. The Princess had directly insulted their brother to his face. Soo did not want anything unhappy to ruin her day, so she has to get away from the princess, but not before replying back to her insulting speech. With a polite smile on her face, she replies back to the hidden snake that was dressed like an innocent flower in front of her.

"I know more than that about my future husband, Princess. He must be a great man that my family was sure that they could entrust me to him, I heard even Unni gave him permission. Then if he personally went to visit his future in-laws that means he plans on having a relationship with them and he accepts my background as an orphan. He is also kind, you can tell by his poem that he is telling me that though there may be hardships, he will always be with me. Thank you Princess for caring so much about my happiness. Hwajanim, please make yourself comfortable inside while I get your snacks." Then with a bow to them all, Soo left the scene to make her way towards the kitchen.

Once she was out of sight, she peaked a little at the scene and from the atmosphere, it seems like all the Princes had said their goodbyes to their half-sister and were now talking among themselves as they made their way towards the main study. The Princess's annoyance and irritation wa really intense, but nothing will ruin this day for her. She was going to ignore that , and enjoy sitting down together and eating the many different treats that the cook will surely provide and enjoy her time with her loved ones.