by Zola Tau
"Your mother was a child to a poor widow, when I met your mother at the lantern festival many years ago she failed to tell me her background, but when she rejected me it was then when her mother came to me and portrayed a servant, she said that she was speaking on behalf of your mother and that she favored me as much as I did her. I easily assumed she was of high status; I didn't question much when I wed her. But now it made sense as to why they were so close. When I found out the gossip of your mother's bloodline, that someone in the palace leaked I tried my best to protect her. If I hadn't done what I did it would have been handled as treason by the palace officials so I sent away her mother and when the child was born I send her away to be with your mother's mother. All in effort to gain time to establish the authenticity of your mother's status or they would have tortured and killed her mother all in effort to find information on her. I couldn't allow her to go through pain even after she was gone. When I wasn't with your mother I was protecting her, keeping away those that may cause harm to her or you, that's why I placed you in the position I did, if I didn't name you Crown Prince do you not know how easily you would've been killed? I didn't give you that position out of guilt I did it so that you may wake up day after day. To the rest, you would've been seen as a bastard child because the thought your mother wasn't born of royalty I never believed it, even when her mother didn't deny it, even in it all I never saw your mother as anything less than the amazing person she was." the king sighed and looked at crown prince after he slowly unraveled the story of his life.
" Later on it came to light that your mother was of status line, I gained relief because then I could claim the second child as own, but the trouble became ruthless when it was revealed that her father was a traitor that died in battle, all because he was helping a fallen warrior from the opposition. Only then I understood why her mother would have rather let it be assumed her daughter was poor rather than daughter to a man branded as a traitor, her life was better reserved that way, so all these years I used to find information, to keep away officials from you and from everyone in relation with your mother, even if it meant never being able to raise my own children." The King finished as he watched his son try to fight his tears.
"It leaves no excuse as to why you couldn't tell me, you would rather me be angered at you and let me think for all these years you were an awful husband rather than just tell me truth? You couldn't have told me that I had a younger sister?" The crown prince asked his voice softened as he walked closer to his father.
"How could I? I did feel guilty for her death I was unable to be there for my own wife to save her, I send my own child away and limited my contact with her, your reasons for anger weren't completely wrong..." the king stopped and looked to his son.
"How did you...do you..." the king fell at lost for words as he questioned his son.
"I found out through this." the crown prince said as he handed a letter to his father. "It's that Nari, isn't it?" He asked.
The king was silent as he read the letter his wife left for her mother.
As he read it his legs became weary and he fell to the ground, the crown prince raced to his father to help him up but the king stayed put.
"I've allowed my own daughter to be a servant, I deny her in front of others and I wonder why it is that she rejects me, I am truly a mindless man." The king ended and both he and his son sat in the middle of the green grass and listened to the call of the birds that called onto one another.
"I wonder why she didn't want her mother to reveal to Nari that she was her granddaughter "The crown prince soon asked.
"It's possible it's for the same I wanted to keep Nari away, if she is found to be the daughter of someone, who was in relation to a person once seen as the daughter of a traitor she wouldn't have seen her few first birthdays, knowing Nari she would have gone night in day in search of her mother, and then find herself in danger. Without knowledge of her mother, Nari would never come to the palace, and would be kept safe at least in her younger days." The king replied.
"How do you know for sure?" The crown prince asked.
"Your mother and I worked well that way, we thought similar that's what allowed our love to be so simple and easy to understand, that's why I have not been able to find another to title wife after your mother, to me there was no use in doing so, no one could take her place." the king said as he looked about.
"I first saw Nari, when I was making a trip to the village to buy lilies for your mother's grave. Because of her love for lilies I place them in the vases in the palace, and I assume that's why she named Nari, Nari; since it means lily." The king chuckled as he got side tracked out of amusement.
"I remember that day because she was playing with a local farmer's son. The young boy pushed her after some sort of altercation, already I was intrigued by the similarities she had to your mother, they truly looked alike even when she was young I felt it was her, ready to go yell at the young boy for pushing her, even before I got off the cart Nari had already punched the young boy bruising his arm at the moment I was sure she was your mother's child. I went to the market often because that was where I was told she spent most of her time during the day. The young boy went over and brought his father to talk to Nari, and I got out of the cart and picked her up introducing myself as her father forgetting for a moment I was a king. The man bowed before me. " You're highness." he said "What a great man he is even claiming the fatherless children as his own." and the rest cheered as Nari cried on my shoulder from embarrassment, from that day on I told myself I would never embarrass her as I did and I have failed to keep that promise to this day."
In the silence both a king and his son sat on the ground and just stared about pondering on the mutual struggles of their hardships.
"Maybe what you need to do was claim her, so she doesn't feel as if she's a stranger working under her own father and older brother. If she didn't love you the least she wouldn't have came to work for you, nor would she have stayed all this time."
The king nodded and looked at his son. "For this moment the least I feel you mother is proud."
The crown prince smiled as he looked about "But father, about princess Ada, if you even think as to getting rid of Princess Ada ever again, next time I won't be so kind to listen to your explanation as I was today. "
The king looked to his son "You can't rest a day without bringing the princess up can you?" The King laughed amused. The crown prince looked away forcing himself to avoid smiling. "I think mother chose her for me personally."
The king nodded remembering when he, himself was in love. "Very well for that I apologize." he said silently. "What was that?" The crown prince asked cupping his ear "Did I just hear the great King apologize?"
The king looked away from his son " you are truly your mother's child your gloat on your success." The king said with a kind laugh as he got up.
The crown prince gave him aid then responded "Only towards those that are usually too prideful to admit defeat." he smiled. He held tightly onto his father helping him as he got into his own cart.
The Prince later raced to his cart and guiding the horse he stopped besides his father.
"For old times' sake do you think you'd be able to race and win like you use to? Or have you grown slightly too old?" The crown prince called our teasing his father.
The king frowned his brows and positioned himself without notice he alerted his horse and away he raced leaving his son behind, shaking his head the prince yelled. "Those that can't win, cheat." And away he raced behind his father towards the palace once more.
From afar when the king came into the palace in the cart, Ada looked about confused as her maiden Nari rushed to bring her inside. "Princess Ada it's not wise to go out in the cold in your condition, when you're not all bundled up. "
The weather though the sunlight still shined and the birds sung about, the cool breeze did not A-line with the physical description. Ada walked towards the gates in her hanbok as it swept the dirt underneath her
feet.
"This crazy woman." Nari spoke to herself, as she followed close behind. From the moment when Ada woke up she didn't sit, nor have anything to consume because of her lack of knowledge of her fiancé's whereabouts.
"Nari where did you say he went off to again?" Before Nari had an opportunity to reply she'd ask another question " Are you sure that he was dressed accordingly, what if he found himself in a midst of a freeze?" She asked Nari as she herself shivered. To a limit Nari became disgruntled at the fact that her advice wasn't being heard.
Like a juvenile she stomped her feet and chased after the princess that sat by the gates awaiting the entrance of the crown prince, while this was all taking place as the king prepared to head towards the palace, princess Ada completely overlooked him. The king watched from afar as his son finally arrived and princess Ada raced towards him, she mistakenly rushed mindfully before she physically took step, meaning she was so happy that he arrived that she stared longer, at him with a smile on her face, than to rush to his side, causing her to tumble onto the ground.
When the prince rushed over to help her he was surprised to see princess Ada in a state of laughter, realizing she had become like her fiancé always in a state of worrying, on her behalf. As the prince observed his fiancé, he shook his head in confusion. "You love to make people worry, is this, a game to you? Is it?" he asked.
Ada silenced herself softly as she lifted her head and looked to the prince. "Why are you speaking as if you have right to be angered when you're the one that made me worried, do you think you obtain that right? I'm the one on the ground, in the cold with nothing on but this thin material." Princess Ada said pointing to her hanbok sleeve.
As the crown prince made effort to avoid snickering he watched as his fiancé continued to rant.
"My hands are freezing and my tears of have created a region of frost like stings on my face because of the cool breeze, and it's not as if you told Nari anything in order for me to even ask or make sure you're safe." Ada frowned and looked to the crown prince as he rested his hand on her cheek and crested Ada's dark brown cheeks and their foreheads met, startled at first, princess Ada considered to refrain from her rant but she was not going to allow the crown prince to be so easily forgiven.
" But clearly you're doing well, therefore I am never to worry about you again." she said ready to leave.
She raised her head as high as she could, and proceeded to walk away and when she did the crown prince held onto her hand and pulled her close into an embrace.
"Now you know how I feel every single time I walk about and you disappear of on those heroine expeditions of yours." The crown prince defended.
As she rested in his embrace she softly kicked his leg, but the Crown prince jumped back. " If this was all to teach me a lesson, I suggest you never do it again because I may not be so kind next time as to even allow you this close to me." she said pinching her fingers together and squinting to display how true limited his ability of touch would be.
"Never let you that close near me, she says...What a laugh" Nari whispered to herself.
The crown prince nobly got onto one knee and placed his hand onto his heart, "I for as long as I should live will be determined never to let my queen worry again."
Embarrassment rained over Princess Ada as she made effort to help the crown prince stand. "Stop that, stop, what's wrong with you?" She whispered as she received confused glances from the workers that walked past the gates.
“ They are really at it again? It’s too early.” Some whispered. Others hugged themselves and awed about how adorable the two were.
"The crown prince isn't feeling well." She'd say to them with a grin of apology. "Honey stand up now." she would instruct to him in a whisper to him. The crown prince in his state of advantage raised his voice " Shall I scream it louder till you say you forgive me?!" He exclaimed.
Ada pulled him up and shook her head childishly. "Yes, yes let's go, stand up you fool." Ada said as she led him back to her room.
For all this Nari stood and watched as she always did. She placed her hand over her face massaging her temple, shaking her head and followed the couple in. She entered the room and bowed.
"If I am ever so bold, may I say something to your highnesses?" She asked. Ada and the crown prince nodded granting her permission and she said " You, two " she exclaimed pointing at them both " Though older than I by many years give me a headache so severe I already fear old age, by the time I am to wed I will already look like a village mother. My hair will grow grey and shed to the floor." Nari went on gesturing hair falling with her hand as she spoke.
Princess Ada turned to the crown prince and faked for Nari's concern. "Honey, what should we do? Should we marry her off before she grows too old?" Ada asked her prince, the crown prince childishly responded "Goodness, I think we should, since she is growing far past her years, we should at least attempt to display compassion. Marrying her off would be a form of apology towards the pain we've caused her. "
Nari shook her head and bowed once more "yes, I am finished, I'm finished, I'm finished, I quit as a maiden. " she mumbled to herself as she left unexcused. The Crown Prince looked after his sister, not calling for her to stop to let her know the news he found, not wanting to address the issue since it seemed Nari was not yet ready to.
“ You can’t do that.” He yelled after her.
When Nari found herself alone, while she was outside, she hummed to herself, with a smile, until there was the sound of someone clearly their throat, behind her. She was startled to see the old king still looking towards the area where the crown prince and Ada were joking about when the crown prince first entered.
She tried to walk silently by and to go without notice. "I can't give myself two headaches today" she mumbled to herself as she walked away. She was in a state trance as she dragged her feet once she felt she was far enough from the king. Unaware of where she was walking she tripped on the rock and fell into a pile of freshly cleaned martial at Princess Ki's doorstep.
The fall created a commotion as the wash maidens raced over. "Goodness Nari, just because that foreign princess allows you freedom does not mean you use it to give us more work to do." one of the wash maidens said as she cleaned up the mess.
Nari knelt down to try and pick up the clothes to go wash but the angered maiden pushed her towards the ground and threw the everything at her.
"Do you think you're a princess because the foreign one treats you as such? You never do a thing, you just go about trying to seduce men and suck up to people." the maiden shouted, she called her friends that joined in on the laughter as she kicked the dirt onto Nari. Nari stood up with a frown and gathered a ball of dirt and threw it to the wash maiden's face.
" It's because of cold wenches like you this dreary place feels suffocating you complain of Princess Ki and her family but you are no better than them!" Nari shouted. There was a silence as the words Nari said settled around. Without warning one of the wash maidens angered, came about and slapped Nari across her face, Nari stood there as the slap stung.
"And you think you're better than us because the one you serve is nice? We are all trying to survive you messing things up and making it harder on us isn't easily forgivable." Are you crazy? Do you see yourself? No matter how much they like you, you are one of us. Act like it, will you?” The wash maiden shouted.
[제 16장]
“ To hear words of acceptance”
To be acknowledged
To be ”
Nari stared in disgust at the sight before her. She looked up,, met the wash maiden’s eyes then returned the slap and said: " Did I intentionally, mess up your things?! Did I?" She yelled as she went on a rant.
"You, persist on senseless accusations and gossip as you expect me to feel sorrow for you, you're worse than this Damned hell of a palace that you and Princess Ki have created. Though you're her servants you allow her to carry on with such evil plans and mischief, how dare you accuse me of being in wrong, ho
w dare you how dare you, you're just as evil and mentally horrid as she is." Nari yelled.
The wash maidens were silence as they looked towards Nari and she curiously wondered as to why they were silenced, one of the maidens pointed behind her, and there stood Princess Ki. Her face was boiled in anger and she lifted her arm "You don't learn do you? I should've punished you last when I had the chance." she said as she directed her hands down to slap Nari she was surprised by a restraint.
Princess Ki turned around to see the king holding onto her hand.
" Father, this servant has got to leave " she shouted pointing at Nari, " she's caused nothing but anger to me, of Princess Ada, cares for her so much they can return in the ship together but she needs to go " she hollered.
" From what I saw all she did was simply fall I don't think she intentionally fell into place of your clothing, and it was your wash maidens that started the altercation, from what I heard Nari was apologizing ." The king said as he finally laid her hand down, as Ki was snatching it from her father's grip.
" You are so lucky you ungrateful servant if it wasn't for my father you would be in the dungeon at this moment." Princess Ki growled.
“ By now I've gotten use to him only greeting me as a servant in the eyes of others but I guess I should be thankful that he makes effort to protect me in moments that he can” Nari said looking down to the ground as she prepared to bow to her father. Before she could she saw the shadow of the king as it knelt before her.
"Father! What are you doing! Where is your dignity?!?" Princess Ki yelled. In distraught, the wash maidens just stared unsure of how to react.
The eldest prince and Ji-Hye rushed out, " what's all this commotion about?!? He heard the crown prince asked as he brought Ada along with him. Coming in behind the crown prince, princess Ada saw the back of Princess Ki and saw Nari was looking down. Princess Ada was ready to rush towards Nari to see if she needed aid but the crown prince held her back, as he saw his father knelt onto the ground.