Chapter 5

The castle has been bustling since last night as preparations for the Urk International Charity Gala has been underway. Five months ago, Mo-Yeon started arranging a charity gala for the benefit of the International Federation (IF), an international organization with a sizable number of member countries, dedicated to helping conflict-stricken countries. The gala that will be held today will be attended by all the key people from Urk, a number of foreign representatives and leaders, and even the Vice Chairman of the International Federation.

Mo-Yeon and Myeong-Joo has been on top of the preparations for the gala for the first months but up until three weeks ago, Myeong-Joo has decided to delegate the task to the capable hands of Pyo Ji-Soo, the events coordinator that has been working on all royal events ever since Mo-Yeon assumed the throne. Mo-Yeon met Pyo Ji-Soo abroad when she was still studying medicine and was surprised to find out that she was an Urk citizen too. Then studying events management and design at a nearby university, Ji-Soo decided to live with Mo-Yeon in the apartment she owned a few blocks from their universities. A couple of months after Mo-Yeon came back to Urk and assumed the crown, Mo-Yeon contacted Ji-Soo to return and practice at Urk.

This morning, Mo-Yeon didn't even need Min-Ji or Shi-Jin to wake her up with all the noise from outside creeping through her windows to bug her. At half past eight, Mo-Yeon gave up trying to ignore all the commotion and started her morning rituals. When Min-Ji came to her room to wake her up, Mo-Yeon was already seated in front of her dresser, combing her hair.

Min-Ji approached Mo-Yeon and continued the task for her. "You're awake early today, Your Highness."

"Couldn't sleep with all the noise. Oh why did I decide to hold the gala at the castle, Min-Ji, tell me?" Mo-Yeon whines, obviously short of a few more hours of sleep.

Min-Ji smiles weakly and finishes combing Mo-Yeon's hair. "The captain, commander, and chief are waiting for you at the dining hall, by the way."

"Alright, thanks Min-Ji. I'll head there by myself."

Min-Ji lifts Mo-Yeon's chair to help her get up and bows as she exit the room. When Mo-Yeon arrives at the dining hall, she notices Shi-Jin absorbed in the morning paper and Myeong-Joo's face already stuffed with food. Dae-Young was sitting beside Shi-Jin but he stands up to greet Mo-Yeon. Mo-Yeon nods at him and heads to her seat between Myeong-Joo and Shi-Jin. "Good morning!"

Myeong-Joo looks up at her for a second, "You're early," she says, and resumes eating. Dae-Young is also getting his fill of the garlic bread and eggs. Shi-Jin's face continues to be hidden behind the paper, the sound of a cup hitting its saucer emanating from inside. Mo-Yeon ignores Shi-Jin just as he was ignoring her and starts on her breakfast. "Myeong-Joo, what time will the Vice President arrive today?"

"I was told he'll be here after lunch. VIPs are such a pain in my ," Myeong-Joo says coolly, failing to acknowledge the glare she received from Mo-Yeon.

"I'm a VIP, for your information, and I'm such a darling to work with!" Mo-Yeon hears a snort from Shi-Jin and continues to pay no attention him. "Anyway, I wouldn't want to meet him until I absolutely have to. Please tell me you'll keep him company for me, Myeong-Joo?"

"Let him be, Mo-Yeon. He's staying at a hotel an hour from the castle anyway so I'm pretty sure he's no intention of dropping by before the gala tonight," Myeong-Joo replies and Mo-Yeon feels a little more assured.

"That's good. He's not the most pleasant to talk to," Mo-Yeon shudders, remembering the last time she was in a conversation with the Federation's Vice President Han Suk-Won. It was last year's IF conference when he made a rude comment towards the not-so-visually-pleasant president of another country. Mo-Yeon's right hand reached for the garlic bread and let her elbow rest on the table, holding it suspended in midair. She pauses with her lips pursed, reluctantly remembering Chariman Han's face.

Dae-Young is now behind the newspaper with Shi-Jin and Mo-Yeon hears them sharing sneaky snickers. She tries to ignore them but something in her brain is itching to know what they are giggling about. She snaps out of it as she hears Myeong-Joo talking to her.

"Anyway, don't forget to get ready early. We're expecting a lot of people tonight, you know that, and you should be ready to accept the VIPs," says Myeong-Joo. She reaches for the garlic bread, too, and starts devouring it.

Mo-Yeon nods at her. She starts to turn to Shi-Jin to ask if there were other things she's scheduled to attend to for the day when at the very exact moment she turns her head to face him, she catches him leaning forward, in the middle of taking a bite of the garlic bread on her hand. Her face was inches from his and she felt her body unable to move as she watches him tear half of the garlic bread with his teeth and move away from her hand. Myeong-Joo and Dae-Young are watching them silently and offer no comment.

Mo-Yeon lets out the air she's been holding and immediately drops the bread on her plate. She turns her attention to the cup of coffee beside her and clumsily starts to add cubes of sugar to her drink.

"I didn't recall you taking that much sugar in your coffee, Mo-Yeon," Myeong-Joo drones.

Shi-Jin, his chin now rested on his knuckles, watches Mo-Yeon push her coffee and plate away, and wipe with the napkin on her lap. "I'll be at the ballroom to check on Ji-Soo if you need anything," she says hurriedly and heads for the door.

"I think you should go with her" Dae-Young tries to say this with a poker face.

"I should go with her," Shi-Jin tells Myeong-Joo, dabbing the napkin on his lips, too.

"Yeah, that's what Dae-Young just said," Myeong-Joo gives him a smirk and gets back to her breakfast.

"Yeah, that's what I said!" Shi-Jin scowls at Myeong-Joo and kicks Dae-Young's chair before going after Mo-Yeon.

xxxxx

The main ballroom of the castle of Urk was starting to fill with scattered greetings, conversations, and laughters. Fifty or so round tables were neatly arranged on the ballroom floor, all facing the forty-foot-wide elevated stage at the far side of the ballroom. The biggest business people and government leaders from all of Urk were in attendance, so were a number of names and faces from neighboring and allied countries. And as the line from the castle main doors starts to move into the ballroom, Myeong-Joo starts to get impatient with Mo-Yeon.

Myeong-Joo is stationed at the castle foyer beside the main doors, donning an all-white suit paired with white boots. Talking to Shi-Jin over the radio earpiece, she says quietly but impatiently, "Where is Kang Mo-Yeon? The crowd is starting to build and I need her here in the foyer. Now."

"I'm at the grand staircase now, let me go fetch her from her room." Shi-Jin replies. But before he leaves his spot, he notices Mo-Yeon heading in his direction. It was as if she was gliding towards her in a deep purple gown that skimmed the floor, her upper body encased in a full-lace, high-neck, sleeveless bodice with crystals and sequins. Her hair was tied up in a swept low bun upstyle, and a quaint but glorious golden crown is sitting on top of her head.

Shi-Jin just looked at her, stared at her, as she self-consciously made her way to him. She stops in front of him, her eyes scanning his face for mocking comments. "She's with me now," Shi-Jin radios to Myeong-Joo over the earpiece, his eyes fixed on Mo-Yeon.

"Okay, before you say anything—"

"You look beautiful," Shi-Jin cuts her quietly. "More than usual, that is."

Mo-Yeon rubs the back of her ear, her eyes darting away from Shi-Jin's scrutinizing stare. It was the first time she saw him, too, in a full black suit, neat and polished. "As do you."

Shi-Jin smiles at her. "Commander Yoon has been waiting for you. We should be at the foyer," Shi-Jin says and they make their way to the foyer, Shi-Jin just two steps behind Mo-Yeon. As Mo-Yeon reaches the foyer and approaches Myeong-Joo at the door, Dae-Young takes his place beside Shi-Jin.

Myeong-Joo held a straight face but Mo-Yeon knew she was pissed. "What took you so long?"

Mo-Yeon replies in a quiet voice, "We couldn't find the crown."

"Yes, I can see you're wearing your Princess jewels," Myeong-Joo replies, unable to keep her eyes from rolling. She adds through gritted teeth, "Never mind the crown, we'll look for it later. Good thing the Vice President hasn't arrived yet."

Mo-Yeon nods anxiously. "Okay, I'll be greeting the others. Let Captain Shi-Jin know when the Vice President or other royalty arrive."

Myeong-Joo sighs and Mo-Yeon makes her way to the center of the foyer. Guests start to approach her, greeting or engaging her in polite conversations. A curtsy, a few words, and then another batch comes up to her. A few men reach for her hand and kisses her knuckles, and Dae-Young notices Shi-Jin shifting his weight restlessly from one leg to the other. Shi-Jin keeps his guard up and surveys the surroundings, but couldn't help but let his gaze wander back to Mo-Yeon. Dae-Young catches him sneaking long looks at the Queen.

"Don't I look nice today?" Dae-Young teases Shi-Jin, adjusting his tie. His voice is just enough for the two of them to hear.

Shi-Jin's eyes stay on Mo-Yeon and sighs a small smirk. "Breathtaking."

After two couples from the retail industry exchange pleasantries with Mo-Yeon, General Argus from the Ninth State of Ahop approaches her. He was wearing his own perfectly ironed suit, ready to brush shoulders with some of the biggest guests of the night. Mo-Yeon smiles to see him approach, greeting him with a slight curtsy. Argus replies with a low bow and kisses the back of Mo-Yeon's hand.

"You look terribly majestic, Your Highness," Argus says, his lips just still inches away from Mo-Yeon's hand.

"Thank you, General Argus. You'll be very pleased to know that Chairman Han is coming. I heard you're quite friendly," Mo-Yeon replies, slipping her hand from Argus.

Argus straightens and pretends to fix his cufflinks. He nods at Shi-Jin and Dae-Young just behind Mo-Yeon and they return his gesture. His eyes dart back to Mo-Yeon, which she thought gleamed in the light. "Ah, yes, the Vice President. Very good news indeed. Although from what I have heard, my Queen is not as taken with the Vice President as I."

Mo-Yeon lets out a sigh and beckons Argus a little closer. "As my General, I trust you won't let this piece of information—its certainty unconfirmed—reach the Vice President's ears," she says almost in a hush, her eyes scanning the room for Chairman Han.

"Of course. I have no other intention but to gain my Queen's favor," Argus nods, his smile something in between of a mysterious smirk and a proud grin. "I shall see you inside in a moment, then, Your Highness."

Mo-Yeon nods at him as he takes another bow before making his way into the ballroom. For a moment, Mo-Yeon's eyes followed Argus into the ballroom that when she came to, she realized Chairman Han was already standing in front of her. Startled, she goes into a slightly more awkward curtsy as he does the same. She eyes Shi-Jin, trying to reprimand him with non-verbal cues for not giving her the heads up on the Vice President's arrival.

"Such an honor to have you here tonight, Vice President," Mo-Yeon says, mustering all the sweetness and softness she can fake in her voice.

"Indeed it is," Chairman Han replies, running a hand through his hair. Chairman Han is actually quite handsome for a man, his complexion as fair as most women—although he looks more like he is always up to something very nasty than angelic. If Mo-Yeon hated him because he feels terribly comfortable and proud of his looks and position, she hates it more because his overconfidence actually has some merit to it. "Your gala's not half bad, too, Your Highness, you've got quite a team."

"I have arranged a lot of it myself, Vice President. I'm very glad everything suits your fancy," Mo-Yeon smiles at him, barely.

"Oh, I wouldn't go as far as saying "everything," but overall, it's rather charming," He snaps back in that misleading silky smooth voice of his, something Mo-Yeon finds too sweet it can give you a stomachache if exposed to large quantities. Mo-Yeon counts to ten in her head before mustering the courage to come up with a reply.

"Well not everything's tailored to fit your preferences, Chairman Han, so please extend me a bit of consideration as I have a lot of guests to please tonight," Mo-Yeon replies and makes the move to end their conversation and step away from him.

Chairman Han, however, grabs Mo-Yeon by the wrist as she was about to leave. Shi-Jin and Dae-Young were quick to their reflexes before Mo-Yeon signals them to stand down. "This is a very lovely night, Your Highness, and I would very much enjoy it later with your company. Please tell me you'll consider sharing a few glasses with me?" he his head slightly, Mo-Yeon's wrist still firmly enclosed in his hand.

Shi-Jin musters all his strength to stop himself from pulling the man forcibly from Mo-Yeon and focuses on Mo-Yeon's rather calm demeanor. If she was boiling inside, boy, was she hiding it very, very well.

"I'm afraid I would have to pass on your most gracious offer. It's just that this aging lady prefers clinking cups to toasting goblets," Mo-Yeon says, almost through gritted teeth. "Excuse me," she adds, and yanks her hand from him. She offers a nod and hurries to increase her distance from him.

The Vice President watches her scramble to get away from him, her two bodyguards on her side, and keeps his dissatisfaction to himself as he walks towards the ballroom.

xxxxx

"My Lords and Ladies, honorable leaders, women and gentlemen. My people and government humbly extend our welcome to you to the Kingdom of Urk. For years we have been a small albeit prosperous and peaceful nation, all because of the guidance and support of our constituents and allied countries. If the late Queen Her Majesty Ah-In, my mother, would have been blessed to witness this day, her heart would have been filled with immense jubilation and pride looking at how far this country has come. You have helped build and keep the foundation of peace where this Kingdom stands and I am truly grateful for that.

"But despite the bounty of peace and prosper the Kingdom of Urk and its people have enjoyed, still, many countries in proximity to our borders continue to experience unrest; unrest that has been brought by naturally occurring calamities, economic distress, political instability, and most devastatingly, man-made conflicts. How can my nation, how can I, bask in the blessedness of our lands if only at our doorsteps lay children growing without their parents, homes destroyed and ruined to mere shelters, people working not to feed themselves but their despots, and lands rich not with vegetation but of gunpowder and soot?

"The International Federation has brought our countries and people closer to each other and through the organization that we all endeavored to build, we are able to support each other through abundance and crisis. My kingdom, alone, has sent twenty battalions to the International Federation, to lend a hand to ill nations. Member countries have all extended a hand in monetary and military kind throughout the years, and thus we have been able to bring, just recently, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea back on their feet.

"Tonight, as we toast our glasses to the myriad triumphs and assistance the Federation has accomplished on our behalf, let us keep in our sentiments and thoughts those we have helped hack another chance at a better home, a better life, and a better self. Let us extend, once more, and never ceasing, our comfort to those who aspire for a better tomorrow. That with every child we feed, every home we rebuild, every country we offer ourselves to, we are infinitely more blessed. Please enjoy this good evening."

The crowd goes into applause as Mo-Yeon finishes her opening remarks and steps down from her podium to take her seat in the table set up just below the stage. Shi-Jin's eyes follow Mo-Yeon until she finally plopped down beside him, a deep sigh escaping her lips. Behind him, he hears but vaguely what the emcee starts saying and who he starts introducing.

Mo-Yeon looks to him for assurance and he nods at her. "Not half bad," Shi-Jin grins at her.

Mo-Yeon pouts and hits him slightly on the arm despite herself. "Sheesh, you just couldn't give me this one?"

Shi-Jin props an arm on the table and rests his chin on closed knuckles. He is looking straight on Mo-Yeon, saying nothing for a while.

"What, is there something on my face?" Mo-Yeon points at her face.

"Yes," Shi-Jin replies, still looking seriously at Mo-Yeon. "Something beautiful. Like how you handled your speech."

Mo-Yeon smiles back at him in relief and focuses her attention back to the stage.

Shi-Jin almost did not notice what went on the stage as he kept his attention on Mo-Yeon and the nearby tables throughout the night. Dae-Young and his team were stationed equally throughout the ballroom anyway so surveying the adjacent tables was enough work for one man. Two, three, and a few more entertainers and musicians were called to the stage while dinner was served to the guests. Every now and then, someone would approach their table and sit beside Mo-Yeon, talking about what she thinks of this new ruling they are implementing in their country, or this new trend that's starting to catch on in that industry. Shi-Jin made sure to watch everyone brought by Dae-Young to the table, where their hands go and where their eyes darted to. Every flinch, every little movement, he took note of. He couldn't just let one quick sleight of hand fool and mislead him when Mo-Yeon's security is priority.

After dessert, more people were on their feet, visiting acquaintances or making new ones at another table. Mo-Yeon, too, started doing her rounds, visiting people she wasn't able to greet throughout the night. Shi-Jin and Dae-Young stayed close to her as she hopped from table to table. Shi-Jin noted that while Mo-Yeon was obviously going for tables where Chairman Han couldn't be seen, he hasn't seen his shadow since the quartet started playing on stage. Good riddance, then, he thought to himself.

A large beefy man has now taken the stage, ready to belt out a Pavarotti, when the whole ballroom was shaken by a man running breathlessly into the ballroom, crying out with every breath he could muster, "Help! The Vice President! The Vice President is dead!"

xxxxx

Shi-Jin knew that it's been roughly a month since the Crown Princess has arrived in Urk so Dae-Young and Myeong-Joo are even infinitely more busy, what with all the commotion she has stirred in the castle. In Dae-Young's last e-mail, which he sent last week, he told him that Mo-Yeon has announced that contrary to what has been originally planned, she's extending her stay in Urk for an indefinite period. Dae-Young has been very suspicious why Mo-Yeon decided to stay but he writes that Myeong-Joo still has not told him anything.

Shi-Jin was starting to become very comfortable in Great Britain, too, and has been accompanying the royal family in various appearances throughout the country. He's also heard from a royal guard that a cousin of the royal family has taken a liking to him. Apparently, during that cousin's visit last week, he made quite an impression so she's refusing to leave Great Britain in the meantime. She has not, anyhow, made any advances or any inappropriate actions towards Shi-Jin so he's not really going out of his way to avoid her, too. While she's pretty pleasant to the eyes, it's just that there's nothing else that attracted Shi-Jin to this woman. And he certainly did not want to cause any discomfort or inappropriateness in the family he's currently assigned to, so he's still very cautious as to how he acted around her so as not to lead her on.

Shi-Jin was currently on break and was watching a local cable show on how beer is made when a breaking news report interrupted the program. A female British anchor was delivering the news.

World breaking news: Al Qaeda and Algerian soldiers clash in the eastern Al Qaeda stronghold in the Greater Maghreb, and take the lives of 120 Algerian soldiers. Some 530 soldiers are wounded from the conflict. Two soldiers known to be from the Kingdom of Urk were also included in the mortal casualty and they have been identified to be former Urk Royal Armed Forces Commander-in-chief Yoon, known for his call sign Yellow Tiger, and former Third State of Set General Suh. We have yet to receive a statement from the Algerian government and the Queen of Urk regarding the casualties.

The breaking news segment ended with the faces of Commander Yoon and General Suh, and Shi-Jin fell helplessly back on his seat. His felt his hands turn cold and clammy, and all blood has gone from his face. Regaining his composure, but not completely, he quickly fished his phone from his pocket and dialed a long distance call to Commander Yoon Myeong-Joo.