How I found out transmigration was a thing.

Chapter 19 - Big day out.

The Crown Prince left the Kkoch Palace at dawn without a word. Lady Chun was furious, mostly because of the lack of courtesy, but also because she'd spent half the night preparing a lavish breakfast to impress him and wasted so much of our precious store of food for nothing.

I heard about his quick exit when she called us all to the main hall. Personally, I was pleased not to have to set eyes on him again. The man is arrogance personified. In my time he would have been diagnosed as a narcissist, here he was royalty. I suspected he ran off, tail between his legs, so he didn't have to face us after dropping the bombshell that we were being dragged back to the Imperial Palace.

We all hurried to join Lady Chun, not wishing to upset her any further.  I heard from Adam that she was on a rampage.

Adding insult to injury, the Prince left a list of instructions and I got the impression, by the way, she tightly gripped the sheet of paper, its contents infuriated her even more. Once my godmothers and I were settled, Lady Chun moved to the front of the hall.  Her face looked like thunder. Her eyes had a glint of steel I hadn't seen before. Grace....Lady Jiah who was sitting close by whispered she'd never seen her friend so vexed.

Lady Chun opened the letter and in a tight voice began to read. First came the news that we had two new residents at Kkoch Palace. I looked sheepishly over my shoulder, just as my godmothers turned as one to look at the two Imperial Guards standing behind me. The men stood at attention, straight-backed, staring forward and ignoring the glares that were aimed at them. They were to be my bodyguards until we entered the Imperial Palace.

If my godmothers were unimpressed at the idea of sharing Kkoch Palace with two men, the guards looked even less so. The surly one kept muttering something under his breath. To go from household guard to the Crown Prince to babysitting a nobody, was a massive demotion. They had the job of protecting me when they would have preferred to murder me themselves.

They were to live in the main building. The larger bedroom would be re-purposed to accommodate them.  This bit of news fell heavily from Lady Chun's lips.  I know how her mind works, for her everything revolved around rank, social order, and the prestige it garnered.  The idea the bedchamber fit for a Prince was going to be turned into a makeshift barracks went against the grain.

Luckily, before there was a revolt of angry Court Ladies, the news got better from this point.  Considering there were more mouths to feed, twice a week the Imperial Palace is supplying fresh meat, vegetables, and wine to supplement our food store.  The unhappy muttering subsided.

Lady Chun stopped and for the first time that day, she smiled.  After a hearty sigh, she told us that the gates of Kkoch Palace were to be opened.  We were free to once again join the world outside.

....

That was three days ago and since then the Palace and its inhabitants have come to life. A little freedom goes a long way. With the knowledge that shortly we will enter the Imperial Palace,  my godmothers and I intend to make the most of every precious moment. The energy around us reminds me of a candle burning brightest before it dies.

....

I couldn't sleep last night and my heart has been pounding all morning.  I am leaving the palace to explore the village.  I'm going SHOPPING.  This will be the first time since the awful day I died that I will be a normal person, doing something ordinary.

I'm excited and I'm not the only one.  I thought I gave Court Lady Jiah a simple brief, I want to look nice, for my big day out.  It turned into a couple of hours of her fussing over my hair, eventually tying it back in a half a ponytail, and rolling the short ends into a small bun.  The rest she meticulously combed, and oiled until it was smooth and shiny.   By the time she was finished, it hung elegantly over my shoulders and down my back.