Futile Love

The nanny of Kyosul was offered the official title of Lady Yuon in the Mok Kingdom.

Though she was from a commoner’s family, she was chosen as the nanny for Woorum when she lived in the Hwa Kingdom, and even in the Mok Kingdom she continued to take care of Kyosul.

“We’re also worried about her. We wouldn’t dare to come into her room without her approval.”

“Oh, I see. Let me go and check out.”

When she nodded, the court ladies opened the sliding door of Kyosul’s room. Once inside, she looked around her room. Her room was dim even though the day broke because she didn’t open the window.

Sunlight was shining through the window, dividing the room in half.

“Your Highness?”

The drinking table had not been touched at all. When she looked at the bed, she saw the blanket pulled up.

“Your Highness, are you sick?”

When she gently approached her and stroked her cheek, Kyosul opened her eyes feebly.

“…Nanny.”

Kyosul’s eyes were welled up with tears again when she called the nanny.

Surprised at her tears, she climbed onto the bed and held her in her arms.

“Your Highness, What’s the matter with you? ”

“Nanny, nanny… ”

Dropping tears, she was hugged into the nanny’s bosom. The nanny was really heartbroken to see her crying. Making a long face, the nanny stroked her slender body gently.

“What did the Crown Prince tell you? Did he really hurt your feelings? Oh, poor Kyosul! What should I do?”

While soothing her, the nanny suddenly looked inside the blanket she lifted to be hugged.

The white bedsheet was clean.

At that moment, the nanny’s face hardened. When the nanny stopped stroking her body, Kyosul looked up at her.

“Your Highness, did the Crown Princess just leave?”

“Nanny, what do you mean?”

“Did you sleep alone here last night?”

When Kyosul found out what the nanny meant, she blushed.

“… ”

As Kyosul didn’t reply, the nanny took it as her answer and let her get up and stand outside the bed. Standing on the floor as instructed by the nanny, she looked at her, touching her lips as if she were nervous.

“No one should know that the Crown Prince just left last night,” the nanny said.

“Nanny, why?”

“Oh my god…I just don’t understand why His Excellency sent this little girl to a faraway country.”

Nanny’s eyes were welled up with tears. What she meant by High Excellency was King Chung of the Hwa Kingdom, namely Kyosul’s father.

“The lords and members of the imperial family here won’t look at you favorably. So, if they find out the Crown Prince didn’t sleep here last night on the wedding night, and if they ever know he treated you coldly, what would happen to you?”

Nanny shook her head and added, “No, never. You should make sure they should never find it out. I’m afraid they’ll hurt you if they do.”

The nanny’s voice trembled. Kyosul seemed to understand her now. Since Kyosul came from a foreign country, she wasn’t on good ground, which meant her position was very dangerous. Only the Crown Prince who got married to her could protect her. If it were publicly revealed that he was neglecting her, she would certainly be attacked by a wicked group even if she held the title of Crown Princess. Especially in the imperial kingdom of the Mok Kingdom, notorious for its intense power struggles, she would be put in great danger.

Wiping her tears, the nanny looked firmly at the white bedspread.

“I’m determined to protect you in this dangerous palace.”

The nanny pulled out a small silver dagger from her bosom. Even before Kyosul understood her behavior, the nanny cut the little finger of her left hand with the dagger and sprinkled the blood on the bedspread.

“Nanny!”

Startled at the scene, Kyosul hugged the nanny. The white bedspread was reddening with the nanny’s blood.

“By nature, the bedsheet is supposed to have a trace of red blood on the wedding night. Rumors in the palace typically spread first from the court ladies doing chores.”

As if she didn’t feel pain, the nanny spoke with a determined look. Shedding tears, Kyosul wrapped her severed finger with her white clothes.

“Let me call the court ladies to change the bedsheet a little later. They will prove that the Crown Prince slept with you on the wedding night,” the nanny said.

“Nanny, nanny… I don’t know why. I don’t want you to be put in danger.”

Listening to her in an absent sort of way, Kyosul wanted only to see the blood stop flowing from her cut little finger. Kyosul’s white cloth turned red like the bedspread.

***

It was very quiet in the morning in Dongchon Palace. Bipaan, who got up at dawn, was doing miscellaneous work in his study at the residence. As the Crown Prince, he was busy every day. He usually did miscellaneous work before he read classical works before the emperor and then continued it after lunch. After that he handled the official duties assigned to him.

Emperor Ohyulje entrusted a part of the national affairs to the princes over four palaces.

In the late afternoon, Bipaan practiced martial arts, archery, and horse riding. When it got dark, he again read classical works before the emperor and handled personal matters or spent free time before going to bed. His daily routine was tightly scheduled, which made him pretty busy every day, but Bipaan took care of the national affairs perfectly every day.

But today he was different. A court official in charge broke his concentration and reported to him silently, “Your Excellency Crown Prince, your wife has just arrived. ”

“Kyosul?”

He put down the paper and brush he was holding. He told the official to bring in the Crown Princess right away. Her visit caused an unusual hiccup in his daily routine which was repeated every day.

“Did you have a good sleep last night?” she asked.

A young woman, clad in several layers of silken clothes, bowed to him politely on a small cushion. Kyosul still felt awkward about her dress and makeup as the crown princess. Asking him with a trembling voice, she sat down on the mat cushion.

“Did you have a sound sleep and have a good breakfast?” she asked.

As if she was well prepared, she spoke confidently but seemed tense as she didn’t fix her gaze at him while talking to him. Bipaan breathed deeply. The reason he didn’t burst into laughter, barely holding his breath, was because he was trained to remain calm for a long time. Bipaan, who made a calm look, was looking at her quietly and finally opened his mouth.

“What are you doing?”

“I am here to do morning greetings to you.”

“Aren’t you scared of me?”

“Pardon?”

Opened her eyes wide, she looked at him. Her eyes that were so clear were also unfamiliar to him.

“Nobody could expect that a bride deserted by a groom on the wedding night would come to do morning greetings to the groom early the next morning.”

“Ah… . ”

Kyosul nodded. She seemed to understand what he meant by.

She puckered her lips. Her lips were circled down. He found her lips small and bashful, to his surprise.

“I’m scared of you.”

Did she not understand what he meant? He was surprised at her quite straightforward answer.

“I was scared because I felt you were angry as you deserted me last night, and I was worried as you might not like me because I’m a little girl from a small country…. ”

Bowing her head, she tried to read his mind while looking at him.

As if what she said was true, she looked like a frightened young animal.

He cleared his throat before he knew. Suddenly, he felt a bit pain in his temple. Only two days after he married Kyosul, he realized that she was the type of woman that he had never met before. Her straightforward replies as well as her open expression of her genuine feelings were embarrassing and unexpected. During his 23 years of life up to now, she was the woman who embarrassed him in the shortest possible time.

What a little bitch she is!

In the end, he turned away his eyes. Looking into her clear eyes, he found it hard to breathe calmly. He was even worried he might fart in her presence. He knew that he cleared his throat in spite of himself.

“If you’re scared, you don’t have to look at me,” he said.

“Isn’t my due manner to come and say good morning to you?”

She said she was scared, but she didn’t fail to respond to his question confidently. Hearing that, Bipaan realized why she came to see him in the morning. One was largely the difference in their laws, and the other was the difference in the royal atmosphere of the two kingdoms.

“It’s only natural that in a small royal family like yours, in the Hwa Kingdom, you say hello to each other face to face, but you are now a member of the imperial family. Here, it will be difficult for the royal family members to pass by each other’s shadow. Even royal couples rarely bump into each other here.”