She was glad for the voyage to be over. As excited as she was, finally being able to visit foreign soil, she'd rather not go through that treacherous sea route ever again. She couldn't even count the number of times over those five days that she bent over to her special bucket to wretch her heart out. 

Choi Jinri, her faithful handmaid, really made a career of ensuring neither her lady Jung's hair or hanbok had not a spot of vomit ruin it.

As she stepped off the great Joseon ship, she turned to look at the waters. For a moment there, her chest burst in triumph, free of being at the mercy of the foul rocking of the ship as it rolled through the waves.

But her triumph was short-lived.

The thought of having to retrace that journey back to Joseon brought the taste of bile back on Jung Soojung's tongue.

At least I have a month or so to recover, she consoled herself.

- - -

The Joseon delegation of nearly a hundred-strong arrived at the ports of Edo a little after daybreak. The shogun had provided transport for his visitors in the form of carriages and carts. Though the Joseon group have carried along some of their own, complete with able coachmen and staff, this additional gesture from the Japanese was very much appreciated.

Soojung and her sister, Sooyeon, were now enjoying the grandness of the Japanese vehicle, the leather seats and wood panels, the thick scarlet curtains and the scent of, what their father pointed out, was Japanese cedar.

The soft gleam in their father's eyes showed his approval of this type of welcome and the girls were not accustomed to it since he was a man who was not easily impressed.

- - -

It being her first time abroad and seeing so many new things, Soojung was just so overcome with everything as they travelled through the city's main roads. Even if there were tales of Edo's population spilling over a million, making it the largest city in the world, Soojung could still not believe the enormity of the crowd, seeing commoners and swordsmen sharing the streets. The shrines, the temples, the shops and stalls… 

So this is Japan!

She took it all in with greedy eyes, planted them deeply in her mind so that the moment she was alone with her ink and brushes, she would let her hands fly and let the colors run, capturing her first impressions of Edo on flimsy rice paper that was a constant in her private journals.

As they went deeper into the heart of the city, they noticed that every house they passed was imposingly grand, both in size and in style.

Jung Jeongjo detected the wonder in his daughter's eyes as they stared at the buildings. "These are the mansions of the shogun's daimyos—the samurai lords of the different provinces.," he explained, pulling the window curtain aside and craning his neck out of the opening to get a better look himself.

“Wait until you girls see the castle.”

- - -

They arrived at the castle and were immediately escorted to the guest quarters. The men were to be separated from the women so they parted with their father with a promise to meet in the evening for their courtesy call with the shogun.

Sooyeon and Soojung followed Lady Dara, the head of the back quarters, to the rooms they were to sleep in. Hwang Miyoung and Choi Jinri walked behind them, carrying their mistresses’ bags.

Once they were presented with the rooms and given clean water and wash basins, the sisters and their maids were left to their own devices.

Sooyeon immediately knelt and blew an unladylike sigh of exhaustion. She kicked her shoes off and laid herself on one of the sleeping mats on the floor. “I thought I’d never get to lie down properly!”

Soojung, upon seeing the horror on Miyoung’s face, scolded her older sister. “Yah! You’ll get all your clothes wrinkled. Father said we are still to see the shogun later.”

Sooyeon’s only reply came in a soft snore.

Soojung just shook her head and looked to Miyoung with sympathy. Some things just can’t be helped.

Miyoung gave Soojung a reassuring smile. “Do not worry, Soojungie. She can change into a fresh hanbok for later and the staff may have a hot press which I can use to fix this one. Now, you go and rest as well. I know the seas have not been so kind with you.”

Soojung bowed to Miyoung gratefully and turned to Jinri so that her lady-in-waiting may help her out of her clothes. Once she was down to her undergarments, she washed her face and Jinri undid her hair for her. She then excused Jinri and Miyoung so that the two girls may also take their well-deserved break.

Since Sooyeon had, without a single moment’s hesitation, plopped herself upon her sleeping mat, she had also, in the process, trapped her own blanket underneath her.

“Silly pabo,” Soojung giggled to herself.

She found an extra blanket in the wooden cabinet and the corner and spread it out over her older sister. She knelt beside Sooyeon and fixed her stray hair before leaning down to kiss her temple.

Soojung laid down herself and hummed at the soft mat on her back and the warm blanket atop her. She was glad for the stillness and for the silence (Unlike poor Miyoung, Soojung had long since learned how to block out Sooyeon’s snoring). For the first time in days, sleep came easy for Jung Soojung.

- - -

After having somewhat regained their energy from their long journey, the sisters freshened up and did their hair, putting it up in elaborate but still elegant styles. Miyoung and Jinri prepared new hanboks for them, their finer sets. Sooyeon’s skirt was a deep crimson while her top was white with small flowers embroidered at the collar and at the crest on her chest. The sharp contrast of her top with her lower half complemented the dark rouge of her lips against her snow-powdered face.

She was breath-taking.

Quite different from the snoring, drooling, and absolutely knocked-out Sooyeon of two hours ago.

Soojung’s hanbok was a homage to her apprenticeship days while she was still at the Dohwaseo. Her chima skirt was the same dark blue of their pants. Her jeogori blouse was the same cream color of their tops and she had the jeogori’s cuffs the same maroon as the border on her apprentice clothes. Even if she was the only girl at the Dohwaseo, she was made to wear the uniform so as to be at one with the rest of her apprentices. She pieced out for herself later on that she wore it so as to not serve as more of a distraction to the male students than she already was.

It was somewhat of a miracle actually, that Soojung was allowed to join the prestigious school for aspiring Joseon painters. In their country, girls and women were made to stay as far away from these artistic and academic institutions as possible.

What happened was this.

Their mother, one of the more well-known pharmacists in the palace, saved the king of Joseon from death. If it weren’t for her, the king would have been undone by wolfsbane poisoning and for this, she was asked to be the Royal Doctor. Their mother refused and instead, humbly requested that her daughters be allowed to be schooled in what they have been showing a natural aptitude in. Sooyeon: in writing and documentation, and Soojung: in painting.

Jinri held up a mirror to Soojung after her makeup was applied. Soojung studied herself and was pleased with what she saw, dewy lips painted pink and a light blush on her cheeks, her dark brown hair braided and twisted into an elegant bun. There, a natural look. Simple but effective. She was never one to try and outdo her older sister. Sooyeon always pointed out in jest that Soojung was more concerned with the beauty of her surroundings that she completely abandoned trying to improve her own. Now, Soojung wasn’t in any way unattractive (maybe except for her forehead, she wished it were smaller) but still, Sooyeon was frustrated with her disinterest in making herself up. Soojung mostly left this task in Jinri’s more-than-able hands.

Soojung gave an approving nod at Jinri and the lady-in-waiting broke into a grin, happy her efforts in making Soojung presentable paid off.

“We should be going,” Sooyeon said, fixing her butterfly hairpiece in place. It was Sooyeon’s little charm for good fortune. Her way of acknowledging the significance of this meeting with the Japanese government’s head official.

- - -

“Seohyun, at your service.”

A tall, young girl - about Sooyeon’s age - greeted them outside their quarters. They were surprised this Seohyun girl spoke to them in smooth Korean. “Pleased to meet you, both,” she bowed to them.

“Likewise,” Sooyeon replied, bowing low as well. “I am Sooyeon and this is my sister, Soojung.”  Soojung smiled at their new acquaintance.

Seohyun’s polite manner and the light air about her made the sisters at ease and pleased to discover that she would be their official guide for their entire stay in Edo. “We are so excited to have you here! It’s been a while since we’ve had visitors from nearby. It’s usually Westerners we see here at the castle,” she relayed, as she led them to the main hall. “Come along now. We mustn’t keep the shogun waiting.”

- - -

They did not expect for the shogun and his wife to be so… young.

Tokugawa Hae-jin, despite having a serious air about him, looked frail and tired. It was as if he was barely holding up. But still, his smile turned kind when he came face to face with his visitors from Joseon. Princess Sunmi, the shogun’s wife, stood beside him.

Jung Jeongjo, as Joseon’s Minister of Rites, headed their delegation. He bowed deeply and so did the rest of their party. Their father was a high ranking government official in charge of rituals, culture, and of course, diplomacy. Well-versed in foreign customs and decorum, he introduced the key Joseon delegates and to everyone’s surprise, Sooyeon and Soojung as well. It just proved how much Jung Jeongjo valued and respected his daughters. The shogun acknowledged them with a curt bow himself, his wife following suit.

The princess, although far from meaning to, demanded attention. Fierce and regal, she reminded Soojung of a tigr