I watch the entire court dash back and forth across the throne room putting last minute touches to the decor and their attire. A few ladies in waiting rush towards me, straightening my massive gold binyeo and the numerous layers of my hanbok in an attempt to make their queen look somewhat presentable to the Chinese regent, from what I've deducted, is a man whom they worship. The dizzy movement of color stops as soon as a loud thud from the corridor outside the throne room echoes throughout the halls of the palace. A Chinese eunuch waddles into the room with his slippers squeaking against the freshly polished lacquered flooring. He stops in front of my throne and drops to his knees, meeting the floor with his forehead.

"Presenting to Her Majesty, Choi Jun Hee of the Royal Tributary State of Korea--the royal regent from the Chinese Kingdom, Wu Yi Fan!" 

The heavy iron doors split open, revealing a tall and medium set man with a narrow face and a fierce jaw line, approaching me with his guards. His hair is dark, peeking out from underneath his cap while his clothes cling tightly to his slender frame. He stops short of the eunuch and bows before me, meeting the floor with his forehead. 

"We are forever grateful to her majesty who welcomed us into her kingdom with open arms," he announces, his head still touching the ground. I can feel the women in the court swoon internally. 

"You are much too kind," I reply sweetly with a slight cringe. "Come. Show me your face," I order with a flick of my wrist. The first thing I learned as a ruler, is that I must be bold in order to get under people's skin and learn of their true intents. Yi Fan pushes himself off the ground and makes his way towards me. As he closes the distance between us, his sharp features come into focus. His high nose ties in his stony, heavy lidded eyes with his firm lips pursed together rigidly. He bends down to his knees and brings his head to the grown, but I put my hand out, halting him halfway through his bow. He looks up, our gazes locking.

"What brings you here, Wu Yi Fan?"

"Matters of the hearts, your majesty."

The court breaks out in a flurry of whispers. I move my eyes from Yi Fan and silence the court with a threatening glare. 

"Do you think this is a game, Wu Yi Fan?" 

"Of course not your majesty.  As regent, my duty is to relay my king's messages to you and you to him. You must have mistaken my response for attempts at romance, but with all due respect my lady, my king's heart comes before my own."

My insides boil. He's slick alright, all the more reason why he was probably appointed royal regent. I lift my chin, sneering down at him like he is some threat. He is a threat. A threat to my court, to my people, to me.

Why are you really here, Wu Yi Fan?

"Ajumma. Show them to their chambers," my eyes still locked with his. "Get as much rest as possible. Tonight we feast."