[Wang Chi and Crown Prince Ju couldn’t be more amazed when they saw Seol’s talented swordsmanship, thanks to Jung’s teachings. Gyeonghwagung was very ill and Seol decided to serve her temporarily. She heard that Crown Prince was already married to daughter of Silla’s fifty-sixth king and princess Nak-Rang.]

In the quiet throne room, Seol stood silently as her head looked down, fully aware of the king’s eyes on her. A day after the spirit ritual, the king asked for her and she was a bit nervous if she was in trouble.

“G—greetings to your majesty…” Seol spoke awkwardly, feeling as if she was scolded.

Unlike her uneasy feelings, the king kept glancing at the child he wanted to see for several years. He looked at her face when she slightly look up. His half-lidded eyes glimmered wistfully, out of nostalgia even. Her face, eyes, mouth, her every behavior. Seol, the girl who was standing in front of him, was grown up. She looked just like her mother.

“A—are you mad at me?” She asked shyly.

At her question, he only laughed heartily.

“Why would I be angry at you?”

She perked up, hopeful and surprised.

“On the contrary, I’m actually glad to see my—…favorite niece.” He stopped briefly at his mid-sentence bitterly, ‘No…who am I to take her freedom away…Jung is her father.’

“Lady Gyeonghwagung asked me if I could be her temporary lady-in-waiting. And I want to help her until she gets new servant since her former one had passed away.”

The king contemplated for a while.

“Alright, then. Lady Hunsook heard your talents with creating cosmetics. Perhaps, you can make one for her.”

Seol tilted her head on the side. ‘Lady Hunsook?’ Noticing her confusion, the king presumed Jung didn’t tell her what happened in the palace.

“She’s from Silla royalty, as a daughter of King Gyeongsoon and Princess Nak-Rang, who’s my sister. Lady Hunsook will soon to be married to the Crown Prince.” He replied with smile.

She blinked her eyes twice. She never heard of Ju got married. Then again, her father or uncle Baek-Ah must have forgot to tell her. Ignoring the unknown emotions she had, she only nodded her head in understanding.

“Oh…I see.”

After she excused herself, she went to her room. Silla, uncle Baek-Ah’s home country. She heard that Baek-Ah’s home-place was called Sacheon-su*, where his mother still lives. Seol didn’t noticed the princesses and Hwangbo sisters entered until they called her name.

“Seol!”

She looked up and bowed.

“Greetings to the princess.”

“No need to when we’re alone. What’s wrong? You seemed off today.” A-Ran asked, concerned.

“Can you…tell me about Lady Hunsook?” Seol asked curiously.

The princesses looked at each other and so did Hwangbo Su and her sister.

“She’s a daughter of Princess Nak-Rang, the king’s sister.” Bo-Hwa replied.

“Lady Hunsook is a rather quiet, but polite lady.” Moon-Duk added.

Speaking of, they heard the door opened, revealing a rather beautiful lady with her hair tied in buns, decorated with jades and silver. Her hanbok had teal upper chŏgori*, white undergarments, black transparent skirt with silver underneath. Her smile was small, but Seol could see the elegance within.

“Greetings to the princess.” Her sweet, mature voice called out.

Then the woman noticed Seol. With a smile, she approached.

“You must be General Jung’s daughter, Seol. I’m Hunsook. I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

Seol was stunned at her appearance. She wondered if this is what a true lady looked like. She had a serene smile that could remind her of Lady Munhye, her step-mother.

“Please to meet you, too.” Seol carefully greeted back.

“I’ve heard you had a gifted skills with makeups. I wonder if you could do for me.”

Seol vigorously nodded her head.

“Oh, of course. Anytime, my lady.”

And she led the way to the chair as Seol bring the makeups. Lady Hunsook seemed interested with many cosmetics she created. The fragrance was nice and flowery. Seol began the makeups on the lady with much delicacy. The princesses and Hwangbo sisters could only look, impressed. With couple of minutes passed, Seol completed and handed Lady Hunsook a mirror.

“It’s my first time, but I hope you like them.”

Lady Hunsook looked at the mirror, eyes widened. Her pale skin become rosy, lips became a beautiful shades of pink. Her eyes become more appealing.

“Oh my…” Lady Hunsook gasped in awe, “you are truly talented!”

Seeing the lady’s smile, Seol was glad she liked her work.

“See? She’s very skilled.” A-Ran said with smile.

After long friendly discussion, Seol brewed the tea for the girls and luckily, they enjoyed their teas and snacks. As the time goes on, the princesses and Hwangbo sisters excused themselves, leaving Seol and Hunsook alone.

“I’ve never had such enjoyment for a long time,” Lady Hunsook said, “if I had a little sister, she would have been just like you.”

With a smile, the lady stood up to take her leave. With two hours of talking with her, Seol had a thought that it was an arranged marriage set by the king. And as a wife of Crown Prince, it was highly possible she might have to carry such burden from her parents. To survive, the lady must stay composed. 

“Sometimes though, my lady, do you have any thoughts on getting along with other princesses and want to do something you want for once?” Seol asked.

“You may not know how challenging—dangerous, even—to live as a princess or as a prince’s consort. I didn’t even know how hard it was before.” Lady Hunsook said, solemnly.

As if she decided, Seol made an expression of optimism and determination.

“Still, if you are very stressed you can come find me. I cannot be the great support, but you can tell me anything that troubles you. I could be the ears to listen and kept it shut for you.”

By seeing a single tear from her eyes, Seol could see how stressed the lady had felt. Because she was a woman, because she had suffered a great pressure she could understand. From Chungju, the elders and ladies sometimes held some expectations on Seol as an heiress. Yoo Seol, as a first-born, must held responsibilities to teach her brothers and to become a lady they expect her to be. Seol didn’t say anything of sort to her father, or her uncles. She was a bit afraid, concerned that uncle So might harshly blame the elders.

Lady Hunsook left as Seol bid her goodbye, and cleaned up the makeup sets. Even though she still have complicated emotions of imagining Ju with Lady Hunsook, she brushed it off.

“Perhaps, getting to know her wasn’t so bad.”

Note:
Lady Hunsook* is Ju’s wife, who becomes his first queen as Queen Hunsook. I wanted to portray as Lady Hae, Hae Soo’s deceased cousin and Wook’s wife.
Sacheon-Su*: The land that was part of Silla. It is also named as Sacheon-Si in modern times.
Chŏgori*: The Korean word means jacket, especially for hanbok.