**A/N**

Back in ancient China, when the Emperor gives a concubine a white cloth, it meant that the Emperor wanted the concubine to suicide either by choking or hanging herself to death with the white cloth. So basically, the emperor is telling the concubine to go kill herself. I don't know if this applies to ancient Korea as well, but i was sort of inspired off this information and as i said in the foreword, everything i write is probably unhistorically true so just bear with me :)

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My name is Kim Soyoung.

It means beautiful flower.

My parents gave me this name in hope that I will become a beautiful flower, the prettiest amongst the concubines and possibly even surpassing the queen.

So beautiful, that my lord would fall head over heels in love with me, bringing me and my parents fame and pride.

But in the end, I am only a flower.

~~~

I sat on the chair and glanced outside the window as I let the crisp air flow inside the humid pavilion that had kept me prisoner for the past year. My nose wrinkled slightly as the pavilion stunk with the dusty smell of loneliness and abandoned hope.

Sighing softly, I rested my head against the wall as I watched the cherry blossoms outside sway gently with the wind, and a few petals floated into my pavilion as I caught them, closing my fingers around their soft body as my lips twitched upwards into a small smile.

“My lady!”

I blinked, and forcing my head off the wall, I used all my energy to turn around and look at my servant girl, who was standing at the side of the door, her eyes shining bright with excitement and her cheeks flushed red from running.

“What is it, Yuna?” I asked gently.

“My lady, the king is sending his men here to greet you!” Yuna exclaimed as she rushed over to me, giving me a rushed bow before hurrying over to the wardrobe and ornament boxes, picking out the best hanbok and shiniest ornaments for me the wear. “We must quickly get you dressed!”

I blinked.

Then my heart soared as the news sank in, and feeling my own heart beat against my fragile body, I raised a hand at Yuna, ordering her to stop.

“Yuna, stop.” I spoke softly, “I did not order you to dress me.”

Yuna froze in her actions, then her face flushed red with embarrassment as she quickly dropped to knees and stuck her whole body to the floor.

“Forgive me, my lady!” Yuna was near to tears as she bowed down to me repeatedly, “I did not mean to be rude and act on my own without having you to give me an order first.”

“Stand up, Yuna.” I sighed softly as I heaved myself off chair and knelt down beside her, “I am not angry at you.”

Yuna’s eyes widened as she saw me kneeling down beside her, and her face going pale, Yuna quickly stood up, helping me to stand also in the process.

“My lady!” Yuna burst into tears, “You must not kneel down with me ever again, your body is so weak, what if you die?”

“I won’t die,” I smiled with amusement as I wiped Yuna’s tears away with my sleeve, “Yuna, stop crying and get me the light blue hanbok, won’t you?”

Yuna sniffed. “That plain one? But my lady, the king’s men are finally coming here after the king gave orders to sent you into exile-“

“-Yuna!” I interrupted Yuna’s words sharply, “Do I need to repeat my words again?”

Yuna’s face flushed a bright colour of scarlet as she bowed her head in shame, and apologizing to me, Yuna quickly went and got out the blue hanbok.

Helping me out of my nightgown, Yuna started dressing me up in the blue hanbok as her hands expertly wrapped it around my body.

“My lady,” Yuna said softly as she moved the cloth around my waist, “You’ve gotten so skinny.”

I smiled bitterly as I stared straight, unwilling to look at my malnourished figure caused by my depression, and I raised my arms as Yuna finished tying the knot and secured the Hanbok to my body.

“What ornaments would you like to wear today, my lady?” Yuna got out the ornament box and opened it for me to choose, “How about this hairpin, it’s the most exquisite one out of all the ornaments the king had ever given you.”

I glanced at the hairpin that Yuna had held up, and reaching my hand out, I took it in my hands as I the smooth jade surface of the hairpin.

“Yes,” I said softly as I handed the hairpin to Yuna, “This one will be appropriate.”

Her lips stretching into a wide smile, Yuna complied happily as she carefully braided my hair and fastened the hairpin into my hair whilst I stared at myself in the mirror, my fists clenched beneath the long sleeve of the hanbok.

*My lord,* I thought as Yuna finished with my hair, *It’s been a year already, did you miss me, is that why you’re coming see me?*

~~~

“Make way for the king’s men!”

My heart fluttered as I heard the loud call in the distance, and straightening my back, I folded my hands neatly on my lap as I sat poised on the wooden chair.

“Yuna,” I said softly as footsteps could be heard, “Is my lord coming?”

Yuna scratched her head. “I don’t know, my lady.”

Hope surged in my heart when Yuna didn’t say no, and I heaved a small, shaky breath as I heard footsteps arriving at the front door.

“Greetings to you, concubine Soyoung.” The head eunuch bowed to me as he entered my pavilion, and I gave him a half-hearted nod as I craned my neck slightly to look behind him to see if my lord is there.

But to my disappointment, behind him was only other servants and eunuchs and I bit my lower lip slightly as the head eunuch rose up from the bow.

“What is it?” I asked softly as the head eunuch stood up, “Why did my lord sent you here?”

The head eunuch gave me a strange smile, and something uneasy stirred inside me as I watched the head eunuch turn to a servant who handed him an object wrapped up in fine red silk.

“