Futile Love

Because of a big wig twice the size of her small head and the ornaments on it, her neck and waist felt so painful. And she felt so hot like was in the summer because of multiple layers of garments she wore, no matter how thin they were. She felt uncomfortable about the excessive decorations and makeup based on court manners. She found them more troubling and trying than any strict law of the Imperial Palace.

“As Lady Onyu, your nanny said, there are many in the Imperial Palace who are watching you. You have to keep your dignity and elegance in good shape.”

“Even if I adorn myself so much, he never turns his eyes on me. What’s the point of me prettying myself up?”

She kept complaining as if she wanted to vent her pent-up grudges against the Crown Prince but suddenly stopped. At that moment, somebody came to her mind, and she stared into space conjuring up somebody’s face. Startled suddenly, she waved her hands before her face. Her long sleeves fluttered. The golden thread sewn on the end of her sleeves gleamed.

“Like the nanny said, there are many who are watching me in this palace. So, try to adorn me just enough to make me look not too ugly. If you decorate me too much, I feel it’s heavy and uncomfortable. ”

“Yes, I will do.”

The nanny felt she soothed her troubled heart. She took down half the wig she put on, and removed the ornaments on it. She felt much better as the removal of the ornaments released much less strain on her neck and shoulders. She also took off several layers of clothes, and now she felt much lighter when she moved around.

“Whew! I think I can breathe now. Let’s go to the back garden of the outer palace now. ”

She stood up from the chair lightly. With light footsteps, she left the residence without hesitation. The nanny hurriedly followed her.

After Ruhae introduced it to her, Kyosul stopped by the back garden of the outer palace every day. But she didn’t bump into him. There were no people in the back garden, not to mention Ruhae. She felt it regrettable that she didn’t meet him there. However, she was happy to know that court ladies rarely came in and out of the back garden.

“How come there is a place like this in the Imperial Palace where there are many people watching and hearing each other?”

Tired of court ladies who were following her all day long, she felt freedom when she was all alone. While she was at it, she asked the nanny to wait for her outside the back garden. Although she was still in the Imperial Palace, she felt the excitement of the ponies facing the vast pasture. She instinctively felt the nostalgia when she played wildly with her younger brothers back in the Hwa Kingdom. Her footsteps, which were as light as a feather, gradually gave way to running. She was so energetic that it was doubtful whether she was the same person as the woman who sat blankly out of boredom before the mirror a moment ago.

While visiting every nook and corner of the back garden, she suddenly stopped. She looked up. Her eyes grew bigger and nostrils wiggled. Her lips tainted with fresh flower water opened slightly. There was a glow on her cheeks.

“It’s you!”

She finally found a big tree. The tree tempted her when she first saw it. As the back garden was so large, she had to search for it here and there in the whole back garden. And finally, she found it today. As if she had been looking for it on purpose, her eyes shone sharply.

“I’ve been thinking about you from the first time I saw you.”

Her eyes were sparking provocatively. She was getting excited gradually, gasping for breath. And then she declared in a firm voice.

“I’m going to conquer you today by all means.”

She suddenly put out her hand. Touching its long and slender trunk with no hesitation, she approached the tree slowly.

“Finally, today I’ve put on light clothes.”

Is this what they call a golden opportunity?

Today, when she found the tree that she had been longing for, her hair ornaments were reduced by half, and her garments were light. As if she was not content with that, she took off the outer silk robe quickly.

***

Those in line to the throne took over part of the national affairs as part of their succession training. Ruhae, the third in line to the throne, also took care of his daily political affairs. Was it because he was swamped with a heavy workload?

Today, he didn’t have many documents to review. To enjoy the midday sunlight, he went out for a walk first. Usually, he would take a stroll in the late afternoon after he was done for the day.

“It’s been a month of Sundays since I came out at this time.”

The sun was shining on the top of his head. Ruhae headed for a low hill in the center which was his favorite place. He needed shade under a large tree shade in the middle of the hill. As they said, if one was exposed to spring sunshine, one would even forget one’s lover because of its warmth.

“Well, I think it’s difficult to see the woman I am longing for.”

Though he wandered through the back garden slowly, he could not see the woman he was waiting for. He introduced the back garden to her as he wanted to see her often there, but he wondered if he could see her at all, which tormented him.

“It’s just funny for me to think I would like to see her.”

Ruhae shook his head bitterly. It was funny. It was funny that he missed her so much even though he bumped into her only a few times, and it was funny that as a prince, he missed and came to think about the Crown Princess. The more he thought about her, the more he felt it was just funny, so he feigned laughter.

He enjoyed the warm sunshine and a cool breeze for a while and approached the big tree in the central hill. But underneath the tree there was a yellow silk robe. He picked it up.

“How come I see this thing in this place?”

It was a thin robe worn on one’s shoulders. It would fit a petite woman. Tilting his head, he was about to raise his head and look up at the tree.

“No! Don’t look up!”

He heard a clear voice in the air. He flinched and stopped moving. He only heard the voice, but his lips tickled. He was anxious to beam brightly.

“You will see my underskirt, so don’t look up. Never see it. Let me come down. ”

“You don’t have to say that explicitly.”

How could she mention ‘underskirt’? He felt his face blushed at that.

He heard somebody hastily rustling from above. Tree branches swayed and leaves fell down ominously. A few twigs were broken. While she tried to get down from the tree hastily, she lost her balance because her leg was wrapped by her long skirt. The branch she was holding was broken.

“Oops! Oh my…”

With a short scream she felt she would fall down from the tree. She felt that twigs and leaves rustled by her body at the speed of the wind.

She closed his eyes tightly.

I’m falling!

But for some reason, she didn’t feel any pain when she fell. She rather felt somebody’s soft hand supporting her back and legs. When she cautiously opened her eyes, she saw someone smiling a familiar smile.

“You should be careful.”

“You’re Uljin Yu!”

He was Ruhae. She still knew him only by his childhood name because he didn’t reveal his identity yet.

He caught her. Thanks to his broad chest, she could safely land in his arms.

“How come you were up there?”

“Oh, I like to climb a tree, so I did…”

She blushed and continued shyly, “On the first day I saw you, Unjin Yu showed me this place. When I saw this big tree, I really wanted to climb it. When I climb it, I feel the wind is cooler, and I have a better view of the palace, and I feel like all the brilliant edifices of the Imperial Palace are underneath me, which makes me feel hilarious.”

Was it because she was ashamed of the fact that she fell from the tree?

She was making long excuses to him.

Every time he met her, she showed him some funny acts like this.

So, he burst into laughter often, and kept thinking about her.

“Do you want to have this palace under your feet? You’re quite ambitious. ”

“Well, because this place makes me feel so stuffy, so I want to get out of it.”

“Wow, it’s just like you to say that, Your Highness Crown Princess!”