"Are you spying on your prince?" Freezing, she whipped her head around so hard her neck popped. Letting out a soft noise of pain, she reached up to grab her neck, only to have Hae's hand shoved against her mouth. The woman pushed her back against the tree.
"Shh. He looks this way." Fear sliced through her and as much as she wanted to see more, she feared if she moved, they would be discovered. She didn't even think there would be anything she could say to explain her being there and watching him.
"Whoever is there make yourself known." His voice had grown hard and cold and his eyes scanned around him. Hae made a quiet noise of approval.
"Oh my. Every part of him is on high alert right now dear friend. Even the rod."
"Hae!" The woman quietly cackled and let her mouth go, watching gleefully as she shyly peeked, hiding all but her eyes. He'd turned his back to her but he held a geom, one that he kept tucked in his boseon.
"His skin is like shiny alabaster."
"Hae, let us go back."
"You desire him."
"N-No! I simply came to tell him dinner-"
"How much longer can you hide it before it consumes you with its hunger?" She blushed but still she hadn't taken her eyes away from him. He slowly placed the geom back on his stack of clothes and grabbed a long roll of fabric. Wiping away the droplets of water that still caused his skin to shimmer and shine, he knelt and washed his dari-sokgot, wringing out the excess water. Slipping into his sok-baji and thicker opaque baji, he lifted his hair and wrung out any remaining water.
"If you don't want him to discover you, we should head back." Hae's teasing tone finally brought her eyes away and she let the woman lead her back to camp.
***
He laughed as he took a bite of the meat Tiye had offered him, eyes dancing with merriment and perhaps even a little mischief. His little one had been acting strange for the past few hours and to say that it bothered him would be an understatement. She seemed uptight, fidgety. Another laugh rumbled in his chest as he watched the two women outstretch their arms and hobble around each other in circles, humorously ugly expressions on their faces.
"Who am I?" Tiye asked, her voice lowered intentionally. The men doubled over with laughter, some obviously intoxicated.
"I know! I know who you are!"
"Who am I?" The woman known as Hae said next, voice just as low as Tiye's.
"The cook Myung-hee! She picks from the plates of the royals before she sends them out. That's why she's so fat!"Both women pointed their arms towards the man with a grin.
"Correct! Eat your fill before I come to steal it away!" They all bust out laughing and he reached up to dabble at the tears that had formed in the corner of his eyes. Reaching down, he intended to take another bite of his meat but a small brown hand came forward and took it from him, biting into it. Lifting an eyebrow, he watched as she lowered herself down beside him, chewing with a grin on her face.
"You intend to steal my meal for real hm?" He asked, grabbing her hand.
"Perhaps." He brought her hand up to his mouth and slowly bit into the meat, eyes never having left hers.
"I wouldn't if I were you." He answered, tone husky and humored. She pulled her hand away from him and took a small piece of linen, lifting it to wipe away the juice that had seeped onto his chin.
