How I found out transmigration was a thing.

Chapter 23 - Don't Panic!!!!!

Bruce waddled quickly to the entrance of the courtyard, honking loudly. The harsh barking noise bounced off the high stone walls and made both Adam and I jump. We looked up in time to see the goose unfurling his wings ready for a fight.

Lady Chun came rushing in a couple of minutes later only to suddenly stop or slam into the angry goose. Bruce hissed at her. She should know better by now what happens if anyone makes a sudden move toward me. Bruce is like a low-tech early warning system. I don't know how he does it but he lets me know someone is around long before I notice them.

He has taken on the role of my protector, possibly grateful I saved him from the chopping block. Now he hunts down anyone who might harm me. Bruce is by far more pleasant than the human guards who lurk about watching me.

Over the last few weeks, the waddling little bully has insinuated himself into my life. Bruce comes along for walks around the perimeter of the palace with me and Adam each evening. He holds onto the hem of my robe and follows like a well-trained puppy. When I spend afternoons in the enclosed courtyard I bring him along and he's content to sit quietly at my feet.

"Bruce don't be rude. Let Lady Chun pass." He let out one last loud hiss, folded his wings, and waddled back to sit beside my chair. He buried his bill under his wing and fell asleep.

It's early morning and Adam and I had only just sat down under the cherry blossom tree. I planned to start teaching him the last line of a short poem, a Haiku. One that I wrote back in my old school days.

Lonely winter night

Vivid memories linger

Of loves perfection

After becoming comfortable with writing his name, Adam wanted a challenge. I thought of different modern quotes but decided a haiku would be a style of poetry Adam could relate to. It's short, emotive and easy to explain. It wasn't as if I was trying to teach him the English. It was a case of recognising a block of letters as a word, knowing what the word meant and memorising it. Pronunciation was a whole different thing. Adam murders the English language.

"Lady Chun, why are you flustered so early in the morning?" I was spreading out sheets of paper in front of us ready to start working on "Of loves perfection".

"Young master I apologise for disturbing you but I've received a missive from Crown Prince Yi. He will be arriving in an hour. I have prepared your best formal clothes and you need to bathe and change immediately." She was almost beside herself with anxiety, most unlike my godmother.

"Why the extra formality?" I tried my hardest to ignore her and started writing "Of loves..."

"The Crown Prince isn't coming alone." She blurted out, her normal perfectly controlled voice cracked harshly. Lady Chun's orderly existence was under attack. "His Highness has a member of the Empress's court coming with him.....to speak with you." The last few words came out in a high-pitched shrill.

"Please Min, I beg you, just this once do as I ask without arguing." Then Lady Chun did a 180 turn and left the courtyard. Over her shoulder, she called out. "Please hurry Min, you have to make a good impression."

Adam and I looked at each other. If the indomitable Lady Chun was in a panic the rest of us were doomed. Her anxiety was contagious. I set aside the quill and my mind started ticking over.  Was this one of those twists in the plot that sends everyone running?

From my understanding of Min's past, no one except the Crown Prince visited him. Outside of Kkoch Palace, only two or three people knew of his existence. He's a nobody, too insignificant to warrant even being called a secret. So a visit from a high-rank courtier was unprecedented, hence Lady Chun's panic. It looks like Imperial Palace machinations have started and we haven't even moved into the Night Sky Pavilion.