It was grey the morning of the wedding. Hye-ri had joked that the weather was fitting, but her father had not followed up with laughter. While the sky attempted to hold its tears, Hye-ri began to prepare herself.

Her silk dress was a faded blue and red, its simple details slipping from its once tightly knotted stitches. It was not a perfect fit, as years of field work had thickened her arms and legs. I am not my mother, Hye-ri solemnly reminded herself. We differ in luck as well as size.

She moved herself closer to the hand mirror in order to see her face more clearly through its rusting edges. The sides were a mixture of green and brown that crumbled on her fingertips upon contact. All Hye-ri could see through the dirtied glass was dried fruit staining her lips and a face beaten too white with rice powder.

“They should be arriving shortly.” Her father was calling from the sitting room. Shortly, in his words, meant a few minutes. That was not enough time to let the makeshift ink dry; her lips would simply be a freshly picked plum.

The bedroom door slid open behind her, the pitter of small feet following. At her side, Na-ri’s figure didn’t waste a second to appear. “You look...” There was a battle for words. “I want to say that you look beautiful, but you seem like a ghost. Are you trying to make yourself unattractive?”

Hye-ri’s face half twitched. “You’ve caught onto my grand plan.” Neither of them graced the joke with a laugh. “It does not matter. He has already seen me dance at the palace; I must have bewitched him for him not to have broken the engagement.”

Na-ri sprouted like a mushroom. “Did you see him?”

“No, I did not see him. The mystery man remains a mystery.”

Na-ri’s thumb quickly ran across her sister’s bottom lip, urging the juice to dry. “Father did not notice that you were in the palace last night.”

“Neither did Byung-yeon.”

Her thick brows lifted to the roof. “What was all of the effort for?”

Hye-ri’s head hung with the memory. “I got caught. If it hadn’t been for Yoon-sung, I would likely be dead at the hand of the King.”

The conversation would have required more of an explanation, but the thunder of horse hooves outside was too overpowering to ignore. It meant the groom and his family had arrived, and their conversation was to be ceased.

Na-ri frowned as she adjusted her sister’s flowered hair clip. “It’s time to forget all of that now.” Her nose scrunched up. “You didn’t glue your eyelids.”

Hye-ri’s hand defensively raised to the spot of notice. “I may be getting married, but I do not have to adhere to all of the customs of our country.” She glanced back at the mirror. “After all, today I am doing a service for others. The least they can do is allow me my vision.”

Na-ri said nothing more. She was meant to be welcoming the guests, whose horses were already whinnying in the front yard. Hye-ri could hardly move, and yet she was unaware of her emotions. The world was as still as the stream in summer heat. Her mind whirled with nothing but the whistle of passing wind. No thoughts were carried on its pathway.

“You must come outside,” her father spoke through the door. “They have arrived.” Before exiting, he did a double take. “Your eyes are open.”

Hye-ri puffed through her cheeks. “I will not be gluing them shut. He has seen me; it is now my chance to see him.”

Her father struggled to adapt the idea, but waiting until the last minute worked in Hye-ri’s favour. He quickly ushered her out without so much as a compliment, fearful that her brashness would lose them their only chance at maintaining a solid income.

Do not worry, father, Hye-ri cursed inwardly. You will lose your daughter, but have your precious money.

Upon exiting the house, Hye-ri could not bring herself to meet the eyes that belonged to the three pairs of feet. She knew that they were those of her husband, no doubt the biggest, and his parents beside him. From her downcast head, she could still hear the squawking of the goose. It was a gift to Hye-ri’s family in hope for a son.

The ceremony would be quick. They would first pray for the birth of a baby boy at one another’s side, and after a series of bows the couple would be married. It was simple, brief and unromantic, but weddings were costly and neither family had much else to give than their oldest heir.

Hye-ri followed her husband to the edge of the woods. His face was still a mystery to her as she refused to meet gaze, the length of his legs already enough to capture her attention. He was perhaps two heads taller than her, and she could not decide if that was off-putting or charming. Either way, her heart remained frozen.

Many moons ago, perhaps before her grandmother was wed, a stone was left in the woods in the shape of a man’s proudest body part. It was naturally formed, a gift from the ancestors, for the local villagers to pray upon in return for a son. This tradition was slowly fading with the spread of Confucianism and the dangerous rumours of religions from afar, but many families continued to hold onto this strong practice. Hye-ri and her husband were to kneel beside one another and bow their heads in homage for good birth.

It was of the utmost importance that the bride did not speak. Hye-ri knew of the custom. Her mother did not speak to her father even during their wedding night, and it was only during their second week of marriage that he became familiar with her voice. Hye-ri laughed when she heard the story, but now she could feel that laughter turning to bile in .

“Do you think they can hear us?”

The voice shocked her from her memories, so much so that she was forced to look up. Beside her, his forehead pressed against the base of the rock, was her future husband. His face was long and smooth like a stream pebble. It was clear that he was an academic and engineer, his pale face only matching hers in that moment due to the white powder. She wondered how he would react when her makeup came off during the night.

“You should not be talking to me,” her whisper flung out.

“On the contrary. You should not me talking to me, but I knew from the moment I saw you that there was something different about the way your brain worked.” He smiled seemingly to himself. “It was a compliment. I am thankful for that.”

Hye-ri turned away. Her mind did not want to recognize that his smile was handsome for a villager, but she was a girl who had practically grown up in a palace. Handsome men were not a scarcity, and she was not so easily impressed.

With hesitation, she whispered once again. “I expected you to be...”

“Older?”

“Shorter.” She thought about Byung-yeon and how her head rested perfectly in the crook of his neck.

“I am sorry if I have disappointed you.” There was a genuine sadness in his tone. “I suspect you are like me and have your heart locked with someone else.” Hye-ri felt her breath halt. Did he understand her pain? Was he the only one who could? “I have given her up. After I saw you at the palace, I knew that we could be happy together, although I was not happy in the moments before. Tell me; do you know what it’s like?”

Hye-ri could not stop the single tear that flooded out. It danced down the curve of her cheek, just as Byung-yeon’s fingers had done only days before. “Yes,” she whispered. “I understand.”

“Then you still love another.”

Hye-ri now cursed herself for not sealing her eyelids. If she admitted it, he could punish her later. He did not seem like the violent type, but Byung-yeon did not seem like the type who could love. Men always found a way of surprising people.

“You will soon be living with me and my family,” he clarified with another bow. “I hope our home can offer you peace and comfort as you try to forget the life you lived here.”

Hye-ri’s stomach began to tighten with each passing word. They were nearly done with their ‘prayers’, which meant that after a few bows and the stamping of parchment with her inked thumb, they would be wed. Divorce was only acceptable if she was unable to provide him with an heir, but she was born with the gift of communication with the ancestors. If they heard the man beside her praying now, she was certain they would do as he wished. 

Turning her back to him, Hye-ri stood up. She could not face her family, both old and new, standing several feet away. Little did she know that they could not face her either. There was a sadness in the air amongst both parties, but one still held hope while the others were drowning in despair.

“This way to the house.” Her father’s voice was at its softest. “We can conduct the rest of the ceremony there.”

Hye-ri felt a tight squeeze on her wrist, the little fingers unmistakably Na-ri’s.

The walk back to the house was undoubtedly short, but felt like the span of Hye-ri’s childhood. She could see her life, albeit its short course, flashing before her eyes as the open fields finally came into view. This was the moment where they would face one another and bow. She would bend her waist twice, while he took the time to praise her with four bows. Her imagination sprinted off like a horse squarely whipped, into a land where the man across from her wore all black with a tail of black hair thick enough to bury her hands in it. 

Byung-yeon, she weeped in her mind. Why have you foresaken me? 

He stopped walking a few feet ahead of her. Screams began to echo in her head.

No, no, no, no. It’s not supposed to happen like this. It’s not supposed to be him.

Everyone was eyeing her, wondering what the wait was for. If she took any longer, the groom's family would begin to get suspicious. She could practically hear her father’s begging voice in the crackling of oncoming thunder.

Is this punishment for loving the wrong man as a child? Is it destiny because I discovered Byung-yeon too late?

Hye-ri’s waist began to instinctively bend. She knew that waiting any longer would jeopardize her family’s future.

Family was all she had.  

There was only one more bow left on her part, and then it would be up to him. Nobody was coming. Byung-yeon, Yoon-sung and Lee Yeong were nowhere to be seen. She was entirely alone, her pack of warriors abandoning her side once and for all.

Hye-ri completed her final bow and let her eyes close. It was likely disrespectful not to watch her husband offer his loyalty to her, but she had always been the strong one. She did not want her family to see her cry, nor did she want her new family to assume she was weak. At any rate, she knew how many bows had passed just by the sound of his robes folding.

After the third bow, Hye-ri could feel her breath stop on the edge of her lips. If she held it long enough, she wondered how long it would take to faint. Would that mean they were not yet married? There was only one bow left to feign an illness.

Except, she found that she did not have to.

From the front of the house, another round of hooves could be heard. All family members turned to see the commotion, but they could see nothing. A worried glance was shared between her and her father, but Hye-ri was the only one who knew what had passed at the palace the night before. Had they come to arrest her? Death was not a life more desirable than an unwanted marriage. Even she was sensible enough to admit that.

A regal figure the side of the house. Due to the grey skies overhead, it was difficult to comprehend the brightly clad gentleman now making his way towards the blushing bride. When she finally locked her vision, all breath was set free.

“Your Highness.” She fell to the ground in a heap. There was no concern for the dress.

It appeared that the groom’s family were unfamiliar with Lee Yeong’s face, and so the newcomers were forced to hesitate with their bow.

“Please, stand.” Lee Yeong’s words were hard-pressed with a smile. “Perhaps you do not recognize me.”

“He is the Crown Prince of Joseon,” Na-ri spat out, her love too strong to be hidden behind honorific speech.

“Your Highness!” It was Hye-ri’s husband. Was he her husband yet? “I am sorry to not have known you, but we were not expecting such an... important guest.” There was a long silence dripping over the stale air. It gave Hye-ri enough time to note the grin tucked in the corner of Lee Yeong’s mouth. “To what do we owe the pleasure, my Prince?”

He flung back a sleeve of his dripping robe. “Unfortunately, this case is not a pleasure.” His eyes rolled over Hye-ri’s father with a smirk. “I’m sorry to say that your daughter is being requested by the King of Joseon himself.”

Even if her youth was spent alongside a Prince, a Lord and a Warrior, news of the King was never slow to shock. Particularly after yesterday’s events, Hye-ri was not sure she ever wanted to return to those red and green rooves. If laying her eyes on the pink and yellow lotus flowers meant death, Hye-ri was happy with staring at wheat for the rest of her life.

“I’m afraid it’s rather urgent.” Lee Yeong spoke up amidst the stunned silence. “If this wedding has not yet been stamped for, then I would like to ask once again that you allow me to take the bride with me back to the royal palace.” It was not a request. “Forgive me once more for interrupting.”

Outstretching his hand, Lee Yeong suddenly forgot his place. Hye-ri was unsure if it was a gesture to apologise for the night before, or if he was simply growing tired of hiding their friendship. Either way, Hye-ri could not bring herself to accept his bare palm, the touch of his skin entirely unknown to her.

“I will follow you,” she whispered with a tucked chin. Turning to the others, she lifted her voice with a choke. “I do apologise, but I must follow the order of the King. Please wait here until I return with more news.” Unsure of why she did so, she locked eyes with her groom. There was no trace of understanding upon his face, but she hoped that he could sense the confusion in hers as well.

Upon leaving the backyard, Hye-ri glanced at the Prince without a word. He knew her well enough to read the meaning in her stare.

“He’s not going to kill you.”

“Then why are you here?”

Lee Yeong patted the rump of his horse. “Get on, hold my waist, and all shall be explained very soon.” Another white grin broke his face in two. “Unless of course, you have changed your mind about not getting married upon seeing your handsome groom?”

Hye-ri thought her eyes might permanently locked in the back of her head. “Stop talking.”

“That’s no way to talk to a Prince.”

“Stop talking, your Highness.”

Lee Yeong scrunched his nose with joy, playfully brushing the powder from her cheek. “There’s the Hye-ri I know.”

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Lee Yeong smiling at the edge of the throne did nothing to calm the nerves pumping through Hye-ri’s veins. Where was Byung-yeon? Did anyone except Lee Yeong know what was going on? Even the King himself, who stared at her slouched body on the floor, did little to ease the tension in the air.

“I suppose you already know why my son has brought you here.” The King’s voice was less harsh as it echoed off of the high ceilings.

Hye-ri dropped her head closer to the cool stone floor. “I’m afraid I do not, your Majesty.”

Lee Yeong and his father exchanged glances. Their relationship had fallen over the past several months, but Hye-ri was certain there was something unspoken in their exchanged look. “It appears that I alone was not the only one impressed by your talent. Yoon-sung, your patron yesterday, not only saved your life, but put in a good word for you afterwards... along with my son.” There was no ending clear enough for the King’s trail. “With the Queen’s pregnancy and the state of my sleep, we feel that it would be comfortable to have someone in touch with the spirits nearby.”

No more words followed. The King suspected his implication was clear, but judging by the blank stare on the poor girl’s face, he had to sigh with a reminder that not all villagers had been educated like him.

“I am requesting for your placement at the palace.” He raised a brow. “Indefinitely.”

Hye-ri’s waist snapped upwards like a stick under a boot. She was well aware of her height, but could not find the means to shrivel herself. “You want me to live in the palace.” She barely had the air to speak such words, let alone the heart. 

Lee Yeong finally set free his grin. “You would need to be on call at all hours, and would be of service to anyone in the palace that the King feels your talents may be shared with.”

“Although you deliberately snuck your way into my home past the hour of midnight, and for this I cannot understand truly comprehend why, I feel that your place here should become more permanent.” He shifted uncomfortably. It was not often that he had to compliment others; even the Queen herself heard such words several in the passing years. “Everything you do here will remain confidential. Leave to the village will be minimal, and pay will be sent to your family on the first of every month. It will not be much, but perhaps as much as you would be making with your marriage.”

Lee Yeong winked and his voice was clear. I told him everything.

Hye-ri could feel the seams of her heart about to burst. The man waiting for one more bow in her backyard was no doubt kind, but she did not know him. Her heart could never fully be his, and the single thought of Byung-yeon propelled her heart into a speed fast enough to fetch a doctor. “I will not reject your offer, your Highness.” Hye-ri would have laid on the floor if it meant the lowest bow she could possibly perform. “I cannot reject your offer, for there are no words to describe the kindness of the opportunity you have given me.” She could feel her nails beating against the stones as her hands shook uncontrollably. “I will not disappoint you, your Highness.”

“If you accept the position, then you will have your private quarters near the handmaidens.” Lee Yeong explained with an additional message. “It is also not far from the archery field.”

The King shot his son a look no softer than an arrow. “Although you will not be receiving any lessons. Do not be mistaken by my son’s rambling.” Hye-ri felt her head nod repeatedly. She wasn’t even aware that she was moving it. "In that case, let my son show you to your quarters. Your personal items will be sent for tomorrow and one of the maidens will give you a tour of which parts you may call home.”

Hye-ri coughed softly. “Thank you, your Majesty, but not all will be necessary.” Both men turned to her. “I do not have any personal items, but I would like to say goodbye to my family if I may do so, your Highness.”

He blinked once, as if unable to understand such a sentimental request. "Then so be it, but I expect you to be back before nightfall." 

Hye-ri bowed for the final time. There was little more she could say to him that was not a stream of gratitude. Her hands would become soft. Her skin would grow white. Her hair could be decorated with the alloted time to do so. It was not only that she would be closer to Byung-yeon, but her entire life was set to change course. 

"You do understand what this position also means, do you not?" Lee Yeong's glossy eyes narrowed cautiously. "You are not to be wed today." 

She was standing at full height, but tucked in like a child. "Yes, your Highness." 

"Is that a sacrifice you are willing to make?" 

If she was near enough, she could have slapped him. What did his question mean? Did it mean she could never marry throughout the course of her life? There was nobody married in the palace except for the royal family and the upper elites; this was well-known. If Lee Yeong came to power, that rule could be shifted, but all were well aware of the risks he held in becoming King. No matter what her options were, if it were a way to be closer to the life she loved and the man she believed she felt the same sentiment for, then so be it. 

"I am aware of that commitment," Hye-ri whispered. "I readily accept the pathway that you are offering me, my Prince." 

Lee Yeong clasped his hands together, slightly too friendly for the regal atmosphere. Ignoring his father's look of warning, he waved her towards the entrance of the main hall. "We should be getting along then." His voice was like a bird song. "There's much to see, and little time to do it."