selection

The next few days flew by in frantic worry. Her trunks were being pack and the most exquisite fabrics were being bought. Her father and brother spared no expense on her behalf. Byeol was selected to be her companion and off she went, for a month within the palace, hoping she would not get selected.

With her arrival at the palace gates, precisely 118 girls arrived. She wondered how they would narrow the girls down to 1 in a month. She wore a blue silk dress and stood at the gates along with the other girls waiting for them to open. She secretly wished they never would. All around, she could hear excited whispers. Girls were boasting about their dresses, gossiping about the prince’s looks and betting on who would become queen. She looked around and saw a girl standing apart from the crowd, staring at everything in awe and looking overwhelmed. Her gentle heart took over and she walked towards the girl hoping to make her feel better.

‘Hello, you look a bit lost, are you okay?’ she tapped the girl upon the shoulder.

The girl looked at her and bowed, stuttering her way through.

‘Um..hi..uhhh I’m fine…I’m Daera. Lee Daera.’ The girl looked positively frightened.

‘I’m Song Gaya. Are you nervous?’

‘No..noo. I’m just…worried’ she sighed.

‘About?’ Gaya questioned.

‘Ruining everything’ she sniffed.

‘Why would you ruin everything?’ Gaya was getting increasingly curious.

‘The thing is, I’ve never thought about the palace, much less enter it. I never even dreamed I’d wear such expensive clothes’

‘And why is that?’

‘I’m …. actually adopted. Just a few years ago. So I do not know how to act like a noble. I was just a nobody before. I’m afraid I am going to embarrass myself and the people who adopted me by acting lowly’ Daera looked down in distraught.

Gaya started laughing and Daera looked up, incredulous.

‘You don’t need to act a certain way, I mean there are some rules to follow but that’s it. You just let your true personality shine through in order to reach your happiness. After all if you act a certain way and get liked for that it is as if you are being like for a fake part of yourself.’ Gaya told her.

Daera looked touched. She had never imagined that a lady of such high standing would understand her lowly concerns. She expected all nobles to be obnoxious but this was not the case here and felt genuine happiness at having found a truly wonderful person.

A heavy squeaking sound was heard and both the girls looked upon to see the palace gates finally opening.

Gaya reached out to clasp hands with Daera and whispered at her.

‘We’ll get through this together.’

Upon entering the gates the girls were greeted by an entrouge of palace ladies and eunuchs and were immediately asked to wash up at their chambers and enter the main hall in their undercoat where they would go through the first step of the selection.

Having being led to the chambers, Gaya inspected it. It was a huge hall with rows of large beds with curtains for separation. She wondered whether the beds would be enough while she and Daera selected beds side by side, kept their trunks and proceeded to wash themselves at the bathrooms.

Soon after they were done they dressed in their undercoat which was offshoulder till their ankles and somewhat see through. Other girls were going on about how ashamed they were feeling but Gaya was mentally prepared for such scenarios and so took Daera with her and boldly walked into the main hall where a line of eunuchs and palace ladies waited.

After around 10 minutes when all the girls were assembled a eunuch started reading off a scroll.

‘First step of Selection: we shall examine your bodies for any scars and watch you do basic things so as to deem whether you are physically fit. ‘

All of a sudden whispers erupted and some girls cried out about how they has sustained a scar during an accident.

The head lady loudly asked the ones who knew they had scars to step back. 13 or so girls stepped back and they were asked to leave immediately. Unconciously Gaya was happy she had never sustained any injury that left a scar. She turned to Daera and smiled.

The head lady begin examining the girls one by one searching their body for scars and mouth for uneven teeth and asking them to pour tea, walk 10 steps along a straight line and open a fan taking notes along the way. Gaya easily passed her turn doing everyting slowly so Daera could catch on waited and cheered Daera on her turn. When it was finally over the lady read out the names of who has passed.

‘….Choi Hyunkyung, Yoon Sumi, Song Gaya, Lee Daera, Min Youju….’

Daera leapt and hugged her.

‘Thank you, thank you. Actually I had no idea about the fan. Thanks for showing me.’

Gaya smiled. She suddenly noticed that the name calling had finished and only around 50 of them remained. Astonishingly more than half had been dropped. The hall looked empty and they returned to the chamber hall to sobbing and wailing about how unfair it all was. The beds were enough afterall.

The next day they were given scriptures and asked to memorize them within a week having to write a written test at the end of the week. Being a bookish girl Gaya found it easy. Daera did not and even by the end of the week she was struggling.

Test day came and fortunately for Daera she sat next to Gaya and could copy everything she wrote. After the test she once again thanked Gaya. Gaya being selfless was happy she could help. Again 26 girls were sent home leaving only 24 girls left.

Gaya felt pride at having come so far yet her heart stung to think she could become Queen. The prospect did not appeal to her.

The girls were given the rest of the day free and Gaya being a curious creature wandered in the grounds of the palace and found a pond with tiny goldfish in and unconsciously started talking to them. All about how she never wanted to be here and get selected and was doing it out of obligation.

‘Then why are you not failing on purpose?’

Gaya flinched at the sudden voice and turned to the source of it. A young man stood tall and handsome in an expensive royal garb.

Gaya bowed deeply and wanted to excuse herself.

‘I asked you a question.’ His voice seemed to echo.

Gaya looked up and mustered courage.

‘Pardon my asking but who are you?’ she stammered.

‘Me? I’m the second prince’