Secret of the Red Lotus Flower (빨간 연꽃의 비밀)

Chapter 5

"Honestly? He's ecstatic. If he had had it his way, I would have been married 10 years ago," Ha-neul explained. "He has been getting pressure from the Uijeongbu about making certain the family line continued and was getting annoyed with my mother's constant interference and delays to the Royal Selection Process."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't," Soo-yun confessed. "Otherwise, I might not have had the opportunity to be selected."

"Ah, so you are saying this is destiny," the Crown Prince joked. "My mother's meddling and you stumbling upon my archery practice was Fate stepping in to bring us together."

"I would never suggest that. However, you can't deny that end result," Soo-yun countered. "We are engaged to be married and are here alone on this empty field, getting to know each other. Two months from now, we will be married and will know more about each other than our parents did on their wedding days."

"That is very true," Crown Prince Ha-neul chuckled. "I will stop thinking of this as some greater force guiding us together and start viewing this as a proper courtship between two people that will someday be married. Does that sound better, Soo-yun?"

"I think I would like that." Soo-yun felt her cheeks grow warm at his suggestion and the intimacy of him using her given name like that. "I should return to the Detached Palace now, your Royal Highn- Ha-neul, before my maid gets worried enough to check on me."

"Of course. I look forward to seeing you again next week so that we can continue our... courtship," the Crown Prince said as he escorted her back to the archery field entrance. He bowed to her one final time. "Until we meet again."

Yeo-jin and Kwang-sun stood up from the grassy hill they had be resting on when they saw their mistress approach. Soo-yun tried her best to hide her euphoria from the time she spent with the Crown Prince. However, it was so obvious that her maid was still able to pick up on it.

"You seem in a better mood, mistress," Yeo-jin noted. "It looks like the fresh air did a world of good for you."

"Yes. Yes, it did," Soo-yun replied. "I think I rather enjoy coming here to get... fresh air. I think I am going to make it a regular thing." Giggling, she grabbed her maid's arm and pulled her onward back to the Detached Palace. There was a lot of things to do to get ready for the wedding and, for first time in her life, Soo-yun couldn't wait to get started.

* * *

As the Crown Prince watched Soo-yun and her servants walk away, a tall figure dressed in a simple blue dopo overcoat and turquoise baji trousers stepped out from the shadow of the wall to stand next to Ha-neul. The handsome young man was much taller than the Crown Prince with a broader face and a neatly trimmed goatee. Despite those differences, the two had enough common features that any casual observer would immediately guess that they were related.

"You are playing a dangerous game, Little Brother," the taller man said.

"I am well aware, Bon-hwa," the Crown Prince responded. "The Left State Councilor has been consolidating his power for years. If I am to be king, I will need to figure out his plans and neutralize them quickly. She could be the key to that."

"I wasn't referring to that, Little Brother. For someone born only six months after me, people would think you were mere child considering how truly ignorant you are of some of the simplest things. I am referring about the game you are playing with that poor girl's heart," Bon-hwa clarified. "It is obvious that she is starting to have feelings for you."

"Don't be naïve," Ha-neul replied, exasperated both with Bon-hwa's statement and his constant use of the childish nickname. "Min Won-shik has devoted his life to carefully spreading his influence to every corner of Joseon. He has probably spent the better part of two decades training his daughter to act as his game piece for this very day. If you honestly believe her act of being some starry-eyed innocent with no knowledge of how court intrigue works, then it shows how dangerous she is.

"However, if I can make her believe that I have fallen for her subterfuge by acting like some lovesick puppy, then I may finally have the means to flip one of his assets to my side," the Crown Prince explained to the older prince. "This is the first opportunity I have had in years to gain control of the game."

"Whatever you say, Little Brother." Bon-hwa rolled his eyes at how cynical the Crown Prince was. "If you don't want to believe my observations or take my advice, I'll be off to the kisaeng house. Should I hire an extra one for you?"

"I don't have time for courtesans, Bon-hwa," Ha-neul answered. "I have a big day tomorrow. Father wants to see me in the morning and I will need a good night's rest in order to deal with him."

"Well, I will hire two anyway, just in case you change your mind. Although, you never do," Bon-hwa muttered under his breath. "If you don't come, well, that's just an extra one for me."

Bon-hwa began to whistle a jaunty tune as he left his sibling behind at the archery field. The Crown Prince may be completely focused on one day ruling the country but Prince Bon-hwa was more interested in having an eventful night with some good music, fine wine and beautiful women by his side. Bon-hwa liked to think that he got the better end of the deal.

Ha-neul watched the retreating form of the future Crown Princess until she turned a corner and disappeared from view. It was obvious to the Crown Prince that vigilance was needed with any dealings with the young woman. Her acting was so good that, given the opportunity, she would plant doubts about how genuine her feelings were and Ha-neul knew that such thoughts could lead to the end of any attempt to oust her father from power.

Chapter 5 Glossary

Daenggi Meori – This hairstyle was very popular with young single women. The hair was parted forward and braided towards the back. At the end of the braid, it was tied with a long red braid loop called a daenggi.

Dwikkoji – A Korean traditional ornament used to decorate ladies' chignons, and it has a sharp end. When ladies stick the dwikkoji in their chignon, it functions as jewelry adorning their hair.

Jeogori – The upper jacket part of the hanbok

Jaju Jeogori – Literally means plum-colored jacket

Jangot – An oversized jacket that was typically used as a headdress to cover a woman's body with only their face revealed unless the woman decided to use it as a form of a veil instead

Kisaeng – A courtesan