Hello everyone! I'm sorry for such a late update but I've been working more during break, and spending time with family while off work. I haven't had much time for writing, but I hope you enjoy this chapter regardless :) Please leave a comment and let me know how you like it; I would greatly appreciate it!

P.S. Is anyone else watching Goblin? The entire cast is just too cute :3

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Shortly after their return to the palace, Soo began her duties serving as a Senior Court Lady. It took a few days to get used to things, and to having a plethora of girls following her lead. However, Court Lady Oh taught her everything she needed to know, and pretty soon she had all of Damiwon in tip-top shape for the royal family.

 

Granted, it was hard the first couple weeks, since the girls didn’t take her seriously due to her status as the 4^th prince’s wife. They all assumed that she had gotten that position because she was in favor with the King. Furthermore, she was of royal status due to marriage, so why would she want to serve as a Court Lady, unless she was only playing around? In addition, there were still some rumors about her involvement with Court Lady Oh’s death floating here and there.

 

In fact, the girls conspired one day to prepare remedies wrong, thinking Soo wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. However, one glance and a quick sniff at the concoctions told Soo exactly where the solution went wrong, and she calmly reprimanded the girls before sending everything back to be prepared again. After that, everyone began to have respect for the new Senior Court Lady, although some of them begrudgingly.

When Soo took her position, Arang and Eun Bi continued to be her ladies in waiting, learning under her as court ladies at Damiwon as well. They both showed great aptitude in beauty and make up, so Soo taught them both everything as Court Lady Oh taught her. Soon, they became ranked just under her, and helped to look over the other Damiwon court ladies.

 

Furthermore, the two became her closest confidents and let her know everything that was going on in the palace. Whether or not they had to deal with Queen Yoo’s mad fits, or if Queen Hwangbo needed more chrysanthemum tea for her migraines. They also made sure the rest of the Damiwon Ladies were kept in check, and reported any misdemeanors to Soo, who would find a way to resolve the conflict peacefully. Although Soo was compassionate, she was also strict when she needed to be, and she thanked Court Lady Oh every day for teaching her how to be careful in the palace.

 

Some days when it was just the three of them reading medicinal texts in Soo’s room, after all the duties had been distributed, Soo was reminded of her previous hand maiden Chae Ryung. Chae Ryung had provided her much comfort and companionship when she first arrived in Goryeo, and she wondered how the girl was doing. Was she still working at Wook’s house? Was she in good health?

 

“Your highness!”

 

Soo was startled out of her reverie by Arang’s voice, and looked up to meet her eyes.

 

“I’m sorry, I was thinking about something. Is there anything you need?”

 

“I just had a question about this page, but if you do not mind me asking…what are you thinking about?”

 

Eun Bi set down her brush, also looking at her superior, wondering what had made her so out of it today. Soo hesitated before closing her book.

 

“I was thinking about a former hand maiden I had. She provided me much comfort before I entered the palace, and I wondered how she was doing. I couldn’t help but think of her because I had you two as my most trusted friends.”

“Do you know if she is still with the same family?” Eun Bi asked.

 

Soo shook her head.

 

“The last time I saw her was at the 8^th prince’s home. I used to live with my 6^th cousin there.”

“Then perhaps you can talk to the 8^th prince about bringing her here. I am sure she would not protest against it, especially if she treasured your friendship as you do,” Arang suggested.

 

Soo balked at the suggestion. Although it may have been a simple one in Arang’s eyes, she did not know how deep Soo's rift was with Wook, and it would be more difficult to do than suggested. Eun Bi seemed to sense her reluctance.

 

“Are you afraid the 8^th prince will not allow it, considering your history with him?”

“Yes, I am…”

“But you never know until you try, right? Is that not what you always tell us, your highness?” Arang added in optimistically. Eun Bi also nodded and smiled.

 

Soo smiled in return, thankful that she had such supportive ladies in waiting. Taking out a fresh sheet of paper and then dipping her brush into ink, she began to compose a letter to the 8^th prince, requesting that he emancipate Chae Ryung, and allow her to enter the palace as a Damiwon court lady. After she finished, she scattered sand on top to soak up the extra ink before disposing it, and then placing the letter in an envelope. She then handed it to Arang.

 

“Arang, please have this delivered to the 8th prince’s residence.”

“Yes, your highness. I will do so right away.”

 

With a bow, Arang left the room. Soo then turned to Eun Bi.

 

“Will you help Chae Ryung when she arrives?”

“Of course, your highness. If she is your friend, then she will become our friend. We will help her as much as possible.”

“Thank you, Eun Bi ya. I am very fortunate to have met you and Arang when I returned to the palace.”

“You are not the only fortunate one. When we entered the palace, all we heard were rumors about royals who did not care about their court ladies, and simply worked them like slaves. Thankfully we were assigned to you, and here we are today.”

 

They both smiled at each other and returned to their reading and writing.

 

A few days later while Soo was inspecting the medicines for the day, Arang walked in with Chae Ryung in tow, whose eyes looked around Damiwon with wonder. Soo briefly murmured some directions to the court lady she was currently with and made her way to Arang and Chae Ryung. When Chae Ryung saw Soo, she immediately bowed and greeted her with a smile on her face.

“Lady Soo! I am so glad to see you.”

 

Soo could see the other court ladies stare at Chae Ryung for addressing their superior so informally, but ignored them and smiled, nodding her head to Arang, who bowed and left to attend to her assigned duties for the day. Soo then focused her attention back to Chae Ryung.

 

“Welcome Chae Ryung ah. Please follow me so we can get your uniform and assign you a room.”

“Yeh, agasshi!”

 

Soo was relieved that Chae Ryung was still the happy girl she used to know. It seemed these past few years had been kind on her. She didn’t even bother to correct Chae Ryung, who kept referring to her as a lady, too happy that she could see her friend in good health after all these years. After situating Chae Ryung, she then ran over the basics of Damiwon with her. Soon after, she had Arang and Eun Bi show her around for some hands-on experience.

Chae Ryung adapted very quickly, and within a few months she was nearly at the level of Arang and Eun Bi. Although this surprised Soo, considering how Chae Ryung couldn’t read or write at first, it made her proud none-the-less. She had started giving reading and writing lessons to Chae Ryung when she arrived, and even though the girl protested, Soo was the one who reminded her that she herself had learned how to read and write when she entered Damiwon as well. After a bit of prodding, Chae Ryung delved into the lessons wholeheartedly. It reminded Soo of how she was back in the day when she first entered Damwon.

 

It was then that Soo decided Chae Ryung could step in to help her prepare King Hyejong’s bath. Normally it was either Arang or Eun Bi who assisted her, but today Soo wanted to give Chae Ryung her chance to demonstrate what she had learned.

 

“So after you place all of these herbs into the pouches, you seal them up like this so they don’t fall out. We will prepare three bags only, since the King does not want his bath water to be overly fragrant. Furthermore, you must make sure these are the only herbs you use.”

“Why can we not use other herbs?”

 

Soo hesitated to tell Chae Ryung the truth. She knew that it was top secret information, and after a bit of thinking, she decided not to tell the real reason. Something told her it wouldn’t be good to reveal that, though she didn’t know why.

 

“That is just how the King prefers it,” she said, hoping Chae Ryung would accept that reasoning. “I do not dare go against his orders.”

 

Chae Ryung nodded silently, letting Soo know she understood. Soo cleared discreetly and continued to talk.

 

“I have made one pouch ahead of time. Now I will prepare one and you will prepare the last one, all right?”

“Yes, Lady S…I mean your highness.”

“You know you don’t have to address me that way when it is just the two of us.”

“I know, but Arang and Eun Bi do it, so I must do it as well. It is only proper! I have not gotten used to it, but I will eventually!”

 

Soo smiled, thankful to have Chae Ryung here. She finished making her pouch and waited for Chae Ryung to finish hers. Although the 8^th prince did not send much response with the arrival of Chae Ryung, she was thankful that he had fulfilled her one request.

 

“All right, bring that tray and follow me.”

 

Soo led her to the bathing pool where King Hyejong was waiting. When the two of them arrived, they both gave a low bow.

 

“Good morning, Paeha. Please allow me to introduce Chae Ryung. Perhaps you have seen her at the 8^th prince’s home in the past?”

“Ah, yes. I have. I was not aware she had entered Damiwon.”

“It was at my request that she did. I missed her friendship and I am thankful the 8th prince agreed to my request.”

“That is good then. I am glad to hear it.”

 

She smiled and stepped forward to remove his outer robe before he stepped into the warm water. Turning to Chae Ryung, she showed her how to soak the pouch so that the herbs would be distributed into the water evenly. After using all three pouches, they withdrew them from the water and Soo sent Chae Ryung away to dispose of them. She stood to the side and waited for the King to call her after he was done with his bath. Once he did, she gave him towels in addition to helping him back into his robe before they went to a separate room, so she could examine his skin and treat any new rashes he developed.

 

“How are you feeling today, Paeha?”

“I have been feeling fine, just as I did yesterday, and the day before. It is because you have been taking care of my health, Hae Soo. For that I am most thankful.”

“You are too kind, Paeha. Regardless, please let me know if you are feeling unwell.”

“All right. I will do that.”

 

She applied a salve to the old scars he had from previous episodes, and was glad to see that he did not develop any new rashes. After she was finished, he nodded to her before exiting the room. After he left, Soo cleaned up her supplies and walked out of the room as well. However, she did not expect Chae Ryung to be outside and was startled, nearly dropping her tray.

 

“Chae Ryung ah!”

“Yo..your highness!”

“What are you doing here? I thought I told you to go back to your room after you were done?”

“I know you did, but I had a question so I came back.”

“How did you know I would be in this room?”

 

She did not recall telling Chae Ryung where she would be, and was curious to how she figured it out. This room was situated out of the way from the main foyer of Damiwon as well.

 

“Oh! I just saw the Crown Prince exit and just figured it out. Luckily you came out so I would not have to go searching for you.”

 

The girl fiddled with her skirts nervously, and Soo took a note of this. However, she decided to look past it this time. Besides, what reason did she have to doubt Chae Ryung?

 

“All right, that makes sense.”

 

She made her way back to the supply room to return her things, and Chae Ryung followed her.

 

“So what was it that you wanted to ask me?”

“I…I am sorry your highness. It seems I have forgotten,” Chae Ryung said before she laughed nervously.

 

Soo nodded silently as she continued to put away her things.

 

“Since you have forgotten your question, you may head back to your room. Do not forget I will be testing you on Sage of Tea by Lu Yu tomorrow.”

“Ah! That is right! I will take my leave your highness.”

 

With a quick bow, she left the room and Soo was left to herself. As she finished, she couldn’t help the nagging feeling in the back of her mind. Why was it that she could not fully trust Chae Ryung’s words? She felt like this before when Chae Ryung asked about the herbs as well. Shaking her head, she attributed it to her tiredness and she made her way to check on the other court ladies.

 

That night when she made it back to her shared quarters with So, she found that he had not arrived yet. Traditionally, a prince would be granted his own plot of land with a compound after getting married, but it was decided that since Soo would be serving as a Damiwon lady, and So would be serving King Hyejong on a daily basis, it would be more convenient for them to live in the palace. So was probably still working with the King so he couldn’t return yet. A court lady was announced and after entering the open doors, approached her and bowed.

 

“Your highness, would you like for us to set the table?”

 

Soo looked outside to see a few more ladies carrying trays with their dinner. Shaking her head, she turned back to the court lady.

 

“No, my husband has not arrived yet. Please take the food back to the royal kitchens so it will not grow cold. We will send for dinner when he arrives.”

“Yes your highness,” she said before bowing and leaving with her ladies, the door closing after her.

 

Soo decided to wait with a book on medicinal plants, a new one So had gifted her a few days before. An hour passed and So still hadn’t arrived. Staring at the door, Soo sighed and laid her head down on top of her crossed arms resting on the table. Usually So would have arrived by now, but these past few weeks he had been coming back later and later. It was already bad enough that she could not see much of him during the day, but this was seriously making her depressed.

 

Eventually she fell asleep and was awoken by a warm hand caressing her face. She felt the covers on top of her, and heard the rustle of the fabric as she reached up to hold the hand without opening her eyes. So must have carried her from the chair and tucked her into their bed.

 

“You’re late,” she murmured softly

“I apologize Soo ya. The King had pressing matters to attend to and I could not leave.”

“That’s what you said the past two weeks.”

 

She cracked an eye open to see a sheepish looking So, scratching the back of his head.

 

“I have said that every night, haven’t I?”

 

She pulled herself up and yawned, stretching her hands above her head before letting them fall back onto her lap.

 

“But I can’t blame you. I don’t know what goes on in court, but I know you wouldn’t come back late without a reason.”

“I missed you,” he said softly. Soo smiled at his words.

“I missed you too.”

 

She reached out her arms to pull So closer before kissing him. He responded quickly, his own arms pulling her closer and their kiss turned into a heated one. In fact, it would have progressed even further (as it did many nights before) if it wasn’t for Soo’s stomach, which chose the perfect time to growl loudly. They pulled apart and looked down at it before looking up at each other and laughing. With a last chuckle, So pecked Soo on the lips before helping her to her feet.

 

“I believe someone is a little hungry.”

“You mean starving! If you hadn’t distracted me, I would have already sent for dinner.”

“I already sent for that, and last I checked, you weren’t complaining,” he said before pulling her closer, placing another kiss on her lips.

“You’re doing it again,” she said after pulling away.

“Again, you aren’t complaining.”

 

Soo smiled, amused to see that So had picked up some of her modern language here and there. Although it wasn’t a big change in his speech, it showed how she could influence him, even with something like a few modern conjugations of certain words. She was startled at the voice of the eunuch, who announced the arrival of their meal. She pulled away from So, who pulled out a chair for her to sit. After doing so, he took his own seat as the court ladies arrived and set their table.

 

After they left, the couple began eating. Or rather, they began to feed each other. Soo didn’t know when it started, but one day she held out a piece of meat to So. He seemed a bit surprised to see her do that, but he accepted the food anyway. She had prepared to take another bite before a pair of chopsticks holding kimchi appeared in front of her face. Ever since then, they had taken to feeding each other when they could.

 

“How was your day Soo ya?”

“It was normal, just supervised the court ladies and helped the Crown Prince.”

“How is Chae Ryung adjusting? I heard that she helped you prepare the bath today.”

 

Soo perked up at the mention of Chae Ryung.

 

“She’s doing really well! I’m surprised since she originally didn’t know how to read or write. I had to teach her of course but she’s picking everything up very quickly. I’m proud of her,” she said smiling.

“That’s good to hear. I’m glad she can help you instead of staying at Wook’s.”

Her mood dampened slightly when he mentioned the 8^th prince, as it always did. She was actually surprised the 8^th prince had allowed Chae Ryung to come to her so easily.

 

“I was surprised he had allowed her to enter Damiwon so easily, considering…”

“Your history?”

 

She nodded and he smiled, placing a piece of meat in her bowl.

 

“Wook, despite everything he has done, is not a heartless person. I am sure he was aware of your attachment to Chae Ryung, and thought it would be best if she came here to be with you.”

“I suppose so…”

“Is there something else bothering you, Soo ya?”

“I’m not sure what it is, but something in the back of my mind is telling me to be careful. I’m not sure of what either.”

 

She looked at the remainder of her food and suddenly did not feel so hungry anymore. Still, she forced the food down so there was nothing left. It would not do to waste food.

 

“Soo ya, you don’t have to force yourself.”

 

Of course, she couldn't hide anything from So. Even without her saying anything, he knew her change in appetite. She nodded before setting down her utensils and taking a drink of tea to wash everything down.

 

“I know, but I just wanted to finish it. You know how I am,” she said smiling sheepishly.

 

So chuckled and nodded, setting down his utensils as well after finishing. He had the court ladies come in to clear the table, and when they offered to refill their tea, he waved them away, telling them they would not be needed for the rest of the night.

 

It was customary for the royal couple to prepare themselves for bed together, instead of having the assistance of court ladies and eunuchs. Because they were already used to it during their travels, they felt no need to have additional people help them prepare for bed. Besides, the thought of any woman, even a court lady touching her So did not sit well with Soo. She helped him out of his royal robes into lighter ones for sleep, and then sat him down in front of the mirror to wipe away his make-up. Afterwards, she would take his hair down from the sangtu and took her time to brush through the thick strands before tying it back in a low ponytail.

 

He would do the same for her, and he too took his time brushing out her hair. Although he was awkward with it the first couple of days, due to the more elaborate hairstyle of a Senior Court Lady, after few nights he got the hang of it. Tonight he surprised her by putting her hair in a simple braid.

 

“Where did you learn how to braid hair, So ya?”

“I’ve been watching you do it for the past few nights and thought I would try tonight.”

“Ooh, my husband seems like a very capable person,” Soo joked as So tied off her braid with a ribbon.

“And don’t you forget it,” So said as his eyes met hers in the mirror with a heated gaze.

 

The moment she stood up from her seat, So swept her into his arms and their lips met instantly. At some point, they both stumbled into bed, their arms holding each other as close as possible. The rest of the night was spent showing how much they loved each other, and as Soo drifted off to sleep, she thought of how she couldn’t be any happier than she was now.