(970 AD, 21^st year of Gwangjong’s reign)

Ju gave an audible sigh that caught his teacher’s attention just as he had intended it to. The morning meeting at his mother’s chambers had made him late for his lessons leaving him no time to make a pitstop. So he had ended up writing the note during class while feigning interest in the lecture explaining a scientific concept that he knew was already disproved or would soon be disproved. He could never be sure about the timelines though because Ji Mong’s books explained a lot of theories and concepts but were always cryptic about when, where and who proved or disproved it. Since Ji Mong could see the future, Ju was never sure about whether the information in the books that he had found hidden in the library was from the past, the present or the future. In any case, the class had been dragging on forever. Ju became restless as his mind played tricks on him, showing him images of Soel looking worried, searching through book after book in the designated corner of the library, looking for a note that was not there because it was sitting on the desk in front of him, staring back at him. At this very moment, she could be giving up and walking away from the library. Ju clenched his fists into balls and glared as he tried to use his mind power to will his teacher into stopping the rambling and letting him off for the day. His mind power, or maybe it was his glare, seemed to have some effect because in that instant, the teacher concluded his lecture and asked if there were any questions. An elated Ju already had one foot facing the door when Wang Chi piped up with a question. His cousin’s over-enthusiasm in class had always irritated Ju but today it literally made him livid. “Excellent question. I will certainly explain that in more detail.” Even as he said that, the teacher glanced at Ju and noticed the fierce stare aimed at incinerating both him and his star pupil on the spot. Though he didn’t know nearly enough about the concept he was attempting to teach, he was smart enough to know that nothing good would ever come from angering the future King of Goryeo. “But while we do that, if the crown prince has other important appointments to keep, he can go ahead.” Ju bowed low to the teacher and was out the door in a flash.

Ju increased his pace as he made his way towards the astronomy tower. He patted the left side of his chest to confirm that the inside of his shirt still held the note that he planned to place in a particular book in the library. He decided to take a short-cut through the Cheondoekjeon palace to get to the tower faster. One of his first thoughts when he saw Uncle Jung that morning had been that if he was in the capital that meant that she was here too. That thought always brought a smile to his face. “She will not marry the crown prince. I will never allow it.” The words rang in his head again and wiped the smile completely off his face. Ju shook his head to chase away the gloom that descended on him and to get his thoughts in order. Why did his Uncle’s declaration upset him so much? Was it because his pride was hurt at the blanket rejection? His mother would be so disappointed if she saw him now. She always insisted that in politics, there was no place for irrational pride. The thought of his mother brought a wry smile to Ju’s face. Of course, thanks to her intense hatred of the girl, his mother would never allow that marriage either. So, how did it matter whether Uncle Jung was against him marrying Soel or not, when he didn’t want to marry her in the first place? He didn’t, right? There was no reason for him to marry her, especially not after today. Not after his mother had arranged for a different alliance with the Yoo clan. Granted, it would be a bit of a bother if Wang Chi married Yoo Soel and attempted to get the Yoo clan to stand behind him, but with a little help from his future brother-in-law, Ju could easily deal with that. Ju was surprised at how his blood boiled at the thought of Wang Chi marrying Soel. His dislike for his cousin reached new heights that he did not know was possible. Why did it affect him so much? He would need to deal with a lot more than such minor attempts at treason if he wanted to be King.

As he exited the palace through a side door and entered the palace gardens, Ju’s line of thought was disturbed by the sound of squeals and laughter. He turned around to see two of his sisters playing with the Hwangbo girls, running in circles and giggling, their clothes and faces dusty and dirty, the ribbons that once sat prettily on their pigtails now either hanging miraculously at the very edge of what was left of said pigtails or lying forlornly in the grass. His oldest sister was standing a little way off shouting out instructions, trying in vain to bring some order to the proceedings, attempting to look stern and failing miserably. She was older than the other girls by only a couple of years and yet she looked so different – so lady like. Ju noted with pride that his sister looked graceful and beautiful as always, walking with precise movements, not a single wrinkle on her beautiful skirt and every single hair in place. He smiled at her exasperated sigh and realized that even though they hardly spent any time together because they had no common interests, he would still miss her if she were to get married and leave for Chungju. He was torn between the desire to spend some time with his sisters while he could and the urge to get going, when the decision was taken away from him. The younger girls noticed him and shrieked, “Oraboeni”. In an instant they were all around him and Ju was overwhelmed by the racket as they screamed excitedly, grabbing at his shirt and entreating him to join their game.

Soel backed out of the throne room slowly and stealthily as her father and Uncle So continued discussing land reforms with the ministers. The discussions had been going on for a long time and it did not look like they would ever reach any consensus. Soel suspected that the ministers were creating obstructions and exaggerating the complications because they were too cowardly to actually tell the King that they were opposed to his ideas of how to go about the reform. Reaching the door after what seemed like forever, Soel glanced one last time at the arguing men before turning around and fleeing as fast as her feet could carry her. If she had stayed for a second longer, she’d have noticed the King’s face break into an uncharacteristic smile at her antics before turning back into a scowl at a particularly detrimental suggestion from one of his ministers.

In her hurry, Soel chose the wrong exit and stood facing the palace garden. She was debating whether to forge ahead with the astronomy tower that she saw at a distance as her guide or to turn around and take a route she was more familiar with, when she heard the laughter and the excited voices. She was surprised to see Ju laughing unreservedly, surrounded by a bunch of excited girls. He shook his head, the pony tail swinging from side to side, trying to escape whatever it was the girls wanted him to do. Soel knew that the girls were her cousins even though she had never been officially introduced to any of them. She felt a surge of envy as she saw the girls chattering animatedly, completely at ease with each other and their surroundings. She wondered what it would be like to grow up with other girls her age, learning and playing together, talking about clothes and hairstyles, feeling like she belonged somewhere. Being an only daughter and growing up without a mother had meant that Soel had never felt like she belonged anywhere. She had enjoyed hanging out with the maids in the kitchen as a child but when Lady Munhye (Jung’s wife) found out about that, she put a stop to it immediately. How can a girl from a royal family spend so much time with maids? Lady Munhye also had a lot of rules about how a lady should behave and what hobbies she was allowed to have which left Soel feeling suffocated and lonely in the large mansion. In addition to all that, being the child who was hidden from the world at birth meant that there were rules around who she was allowed to meet and talk to. She felt free only when she was alone with her father or Uncle So, when she was hanging out in Damiwon with Lady Kim and of course, when she was with Ju.

Soel smiled seeing Ju struggle to negotiate with the girls who were pulling him in all directions, when she noticed the beautiful princess who stepped up and distracted the girls by drawing their attention towards some butterflies in a flower patch nearby. As the girls ran after the butterflies, Ju and the princess turned and started walking towards the palace. Seeing them headed straight for her, Soel turned around in a panic and bumped straight into someone. “Ouch”, she said as she stepped back quickly. “Ow, ow, ow…”, she said holding her forehead, hoping to deflect the blame and avoid being taken to task for being a klutz. Getting no response to her act, she sneaked a peek at the person she had bumped into. She was surprised to see her handsome cousin standing tall in front of her, watching her intently, his head tilted to a side, trying hard to contain his laughter. “I do apologize for hurting such a pretty lady”, he finally said, regarding her with an amused smile. “I don’t think we have met before. I’m Wang Chi, and you are?” he asked in a pleasant voice. Soel stood rooted to her spot, eyes and mouth wide open, wondering how to introduce herself, when a voice behind her solved her dilemma by answering for her. “She is Yoo Soel, Uncle Jung’s daughter.” Soel turned around to see Ju and the princess approaching them from the garden. “Ah….. so you are Uncle Jung’s daughter. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Soel.” Wang Chi said with a pleasant smile and a slight bow of the head. “I’m Seol too”, said the youngest of the girls as she hopped and skipped up the stairs to stand next to Wang Chi. “Ha…. there you are. These are my sisters, Hwangbo Su and Hwangbo Seol”, Wang Chi introduced, pointing to two of the girls. “I assume you already know Ju’s sisters.” Soel stared blankly around her, rendered speechless by the sheer number of princes and princesses surrounding her and looking at her expectantly. “Not exactly. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Soel. I’m Princess Mun Deok”, said a soft, gentle voice beside her. Soel bowed to the princess, suddenly feeling more flustered than ever. All of Lady Munhye’s rules came to her mind as she thought to herself, “So this is what being a lady looks like.”

Now surrounded on three sides, Soel hastily bowed to all the people around her with a murmured, “I’ll be on my way now. Nice meeting you” and turned around, hurrying along the path that ran around the building. “Wait, you were headed this way”, Wang Chi called after her, pointing to the palace door behind him. “Umm…. yes”, Soel made a U-turn with her head bent as low as it could possibly get, her cheeks flushed red, wanting to disappear into thin air. She hurried to make her get away into the palace but bumped straight into something instead. She glanced up with an exasperated sigh to see Wang Chi standing before her with his tilted head and a wide smile, looking like he was having the time of his life. She was sure that this time, it was not her fault. He had placed himself in her path. She was about to squabble when she saw the twinkle in his eye and held her tongue realizing that it was exactly what he wanted. What she did not notice was that, behind her, Ju’s face looked like thunder and his fists were clenched. His sister noticed with interest that it was taking her brother all his will power to keep his composure and not sock his cousin on the jaw. “Are you planning to go to the market to see the festivities?” The question threw Soel off and she went wide eyed, just managing an “Eh?” “The festivities….. for the Double ninth festival…. Weren’t you planning on going? It’s more fun in the market than inside the palace walls”, Wang Chi clarified. Yes, the festivities in the market. The memories of running around the market incognito with Uncle So, years ago, made Soel smile, forgetting her current awkward situation. “I don’t think I can”, she said sadly. Soel knew that she couldn’t ask Uncle So to take her to the market any more. For one, Uncle So is always very busy and for another, her father had warned her that it is too dangerous for the King to walk around the market without his bodyguards. “My sisters and I are on our way there right now. You could come with us, if you like.” Soel’s face shot up in surprise. She was sorely tempted by the offer but unsure about whether she was allowed to socialize with her royal cousins let alone run around town with them. “I’ll….. I’ll have to ask my father”, she stammered. “Of course. We’ll wait for you here. Hurry back”, Wang Chi said, his smile widening. Soel hurried off into the palace, feeling perplexed and completely unsure about what she was doing.

“I thought you were dropping by the marketplace on your way home. Isn’t it inappropriate for you to offer to take someone along when you can’t bring them back?”, Ju spit out, his eyes narrowed at his cousin. “Oh, I will be sure to walk Soel back to the palace. Though it’d be long, I’m sure it would be a pleasant walk”, Chi responded with his characteristic disarming smile, acting as though he was completely unaware of the hatred aimed at him. Ju’s face darkened further. He turned around and stormed off, not wanting to give his cousin the satisfaction of seeing him lose his cool “What? What did I do now to upset your highness”, Wang Chi called after him with mock servility, his eyes dancing with pleasure. “You shouldn’t be so spiteful.” Wang Chi turned to face Princess Mun Deok, all the happiness draining off his face in an instant. “Why not? Haven’t I been denied enough? I should at least be allowed some spite.” Despite the harsh words, when she looked into his eyes, the princess saw more sadness there than resentment or accusation. Having no answer to his question, she bowed to him and hurried after her brother. They had always been very competitive - her brother and her cousin. She knew better than either of them that their hatred for each other stemmed from jealousy, of wanting what the other had. Wang Chi would give an arm and a leg to have the privilege of being the next in line for the crown and being able to claim the throne as a birthright. On the other hand, Ju had always been envious of how Wang Chi could enjoy all the privileges of being a prince without the weight of a country’s future resting on his shoulders. Ju wrongly assumed that Chi was free to do whatever he wanted with his life. She sighed as she wondered whether Wang Chi’s interest in Soel had triggered her brother’s reaction or it had been the other way round. Thinking about the interesting spectacle that had unfolded before her eyes, the princess took a moment to feel sorry for the poor girl who had the misfortune of getting entangled in the rivalry between the cousins and wondered if there was anything she could do to untangle it just a little bit.