Morning at Inyeong Palace came far earlier than expected. Back at Seonu Palace, the court ladies had not come to wake him until well past jinsi, but here at the Crown Princess’s palace, the matron was already calling from outside the door at myojeongsi.
“Mama, it is time you rose.”
And yet her voice was so careful and quiet that had he not already been awake, he would never have heard it at all.
“I am up.”
Huian said it briefly. Soon the bedroom door opened and the matron came in.
“Did you sleep well last night?” At the matron’s greeting, Huian nodded. “Yes. Very well.”
It truly had been a long time since he had slept so well. He had gone straight to the wedding ceremony on almost no sleep the night before, and the ceremony itself had been close to hard labor, so the moment he reached Inyeong Palace he had collapsed as if felled and fallen into a dead sleep. After that he had not woken once until morning, sleeping straight through.
“I was worried the changed bedding might trouble you. What a relief.” The matron said it with great relief.
Soon Geum-a and Hwaryeong came into the bedroom carrying washing water. Unlike his days as a guest at Seonu Palace, three court ladies clung to him just to help him wash his face, and four threw themselves at the task of helping him change clothes.
The clothes sent up from the Uisucheong included some cut wide to hide his wings and some with holes for the wings to pass through, and judging by the length of the robes and the width of the skirts, they were certainly not men’s clothes. But seeing that they had specially prepared trousers for him to wear as well–trousers no woman could wear–it seemed the palace had done its best in its own way to accommodate him. Moreover, though he had assumed every garment would be the same color since deep red was the color symbolizing the Crown Princess, while there were indeed many in the red family–deep red, orange-red, light red–there were fortunately also clothes in many colors from navy to jade to white.
Layer upon layer would be uncomfortable, but this much was something to be grateful for. Those navy and white ones especially had such dignified patterns–
He was thinking this when the matron, having picked out the most flamboyant outfit of all, held it to her chest and said, “Today you will wear this long robe.”
“Very well… is this a kirin?”
Huian asked, pointing at the pattern embroidered in gold thread on deep red silk.
“Yes, precisely it is a lin. Like the bonghwang, the kirin has different names for male and female. The male is called gi, the female rin.”
“I see.”
Then Gihyeon Palace and Inyeong must each take their names from the kirin. Huian nodded to himself.
Once dressed and his hair arranged, he left Inyeong Palace with the court ladies. It was to head for the Crown Prince’s palace. First he would pay his morning respects to the Crown Prince, then the two of them would go together to Jagung to greet the Emperor and Empress, and only after partaking of breakfast together would the johyeonrye at last be complete.
“The Crown Princess approaches!”
When they reached the entrance of Gihyeon Palace, a eunuch cried out loudly. At once all the palace people of Gihyeon Palace came running out and knelt before Huian. After greeting the new Crown Princess with full propriety, they soon escorted him inside the palace.
“Mama, the Crown Princess has come.” When the eunuch spoke before the bedroom, the Crown Prince’s voice was heard from within.
“Show him in.”
Huian left the attendants who had accompanied him and entered the Crown Prince’s bedroom alone. The Crown Prince was in the middle of washing, with four attendants in service. Wondering why there was one more than usual, he saw that a eunuch was holding a bronze mirror. Having finished washing, the Crown Prince was shaving with his own knife the beard that had sprouted overnight beneath his chin, his face reflected in the bronze mirror. Huian was startled at the unfamiliar sight for only a moment before he understood. Of course. He was no demigod, so naturally a beard would grow. His looks were so outstanding that he sometimes fell into the illusion–as if the other were the demigod and he himself the ordinary man.
And on such a beautiful face, a beard. How unbecoming.
He was thinking this vaguely when the Crown Prince suddenly spoke.
“Why have you come so early?”
Huian was a little flustered. Early? Was it not right to come at once in the morning after rising and preparing…? His mind in confusion, unable to answer easily, he hesitated, and the Crown Prince asked again.
“When did you rise?”
“Around the end of ogyeong… about myochosi.” At Huian’s answer the Crown Prince looked surprised.
“Do you always rise so early?”
“Yes.”
The Crown Prince sighed, then soon nodded. “Well. Birds are wont to chirp before daybreak.”
“I am not a bird.”
Huian said it calmly. At that the Crown Prince suddenly stopped his shaving hand and looked back.
“You are not my subject but my consort, so why do you call yourself a subject?”
Huian thought for a moment, then said again.
“This lowly consort is not a bird.”
“Good.”
The Crown Prince nodded greatly. With a satisfied face he looked into the mirror again and finished shaving off his beard.
Once the Crown Prince had finished his toilette, the two left the Crown Prince’s palace together.
“By the way, did you sleep well last night?”
At the Crown Prince’s inquiry Huian inwardly exclaimed. He ought to have asked first, but he had missed his chance.
“Thanks to your concern, I slept soundly. Did Your Highness rest well?”
“Could not sleep a wink all night worrying about someone.”
Though he knew it was plainly said in jest, his mouth tasted bitter, for it had weighed on his mind all along that he had at last shown signs of exhaustion during yesterday’s wedding ceremony.
“Forgive me for causing you concern.”
Huian stopped walking and apologized with bowed head. The Crown Prince glanced at such Huian, then moved his feet first as he said,
“If you do not wish to cause concern, first put on some flesh.”
“Why have you grown so gaunt in ten days.” This time it did not sound like jest but like words spoken from true worry.
“Are you eating your meals on time?”
“Of course.”
Fearing the question of whether the food did not suit his mouth might come next, Huian explained the reason himself first.
“Life here differs from Hye in many ways, so I suppose my body needs time to grow accustomed. Once I adjust it will gradually improve, so do not worry.”
“Glad if that is so,” the Crown Prince muttered, then added after a moment.
“If there is anything uncomfortable, whatever it may be, tell someone, anyone.”
“I shall.”
Huian answered as he always did. Looking at such Huian, the Crown Prince thought as he always did. He would do no such thing. Even if someone scattered gravel on his bed and mixed stones into his rice, he was one who would never show it.
Which was a good thing.
Smiling, Igang moved his feet leisurely.
Entering Jaan Palace, he headed for the main hall together with the Crown Princess. As they waited a little, the Empress and Emperor entered side by side.
“Have you come.”
Unlike the Emperor who spoke with even a brief smile, the Empress entered with a cold face and sat without a single word. Even while son and daughter-in-law offered their bows, she sat the whole time with a hard face, and when her turn came to offer words of blessing,
“Live well.”
She tossed it out briefly and that was the end. Normally the Emperor might well say why are your words so short, but seeing him say nothing at all, it seemed he had already endured a rough time inside. Likely the moment she entered the palace this morning she had raised a fuss–had His Majesty known the Crown Prince had been to Giju, making a great to-do, finally even showing tears. Saying the Prime Minister could not sleep peacefully even at night solely from a heart devoted to His Majesty and state affairs, how could the Crown Prince be so eager to devour his own maternal uncle–sure enough, when the morning greetings ended and breakfast began, the Empress, who had kept her mouth tightly shut until then, at last could not bear it and said a word.
“Now, I had thought His Highness the Crown Prince had been to Hyangju, but in truth you went to Giju?”
“Yes, I went to Giju.”
Igang picked up a piece of baekcham and answered in an indifferent tone. The Empress stared at such Igang for a moment, then soon said with a stiff smile,
“Your maternal home is close by, so why did you stay at the relay station?”
“It just turned out that way.”
Igang answered breezily again this time too. The Empress’s gaze turned sharp once more. Just as she was opening her mouth to say something else, the Emperor loudly set down his spoon. And at once he lifted his teacup and rinsed his mouth. It meant the meal was over.
With the Emperor having already laid down his spoon, it would not do for the lower persons to continue their meal. The Empress, the Crown Prince, and the Crown Princess all laid down their spoons. The Empress looked as if her insides were boiling at having her chance to speak snatched away, and the Crown Prince was simply sorry not to have finished his meal. The only one relieved at the unexpectedly early end of breakfast was the Crown Princess.
“At last the johyeonrye is over.”
Leaving Jaan Palace, Igang said it deliberately with relief, hoping Huian might show even a little relief. But the taciturn Crown Princess only moved his feet with a face that gave no hint of his thoughts, as always. Feeling awkward for a moment, Igang soon stopped minding, thinking this was this Crown Princess’s virtue. Where else would you find one who did not utter empty complaints of regret? With a generous heart he kindly told him,
“The johyeonrye is over, but still for three days you must pay morning respects to the two of them every day. After three days you may visit them once in a while at suitable times; there is no need to go too often. Especially His Majesty is so busy a man that he would say he would rather review one more state paper in the time he receives morning greetings, so it would be good to keep that in mind.”
Of course, however busy, there was no father-in-law who would refuse his daughter-in-law’s greeting, but daughters-in-law were daughters-in-law after all. The Emperor still seemed quite unsettled by this male daughter-in-law. In the days of Sinbi and Jebi he had put side dishes on their rice throughout breakfast and praised them unstintingly–eat plenty, your eating is a blessing to behold–but today he could hardly even meet the eyes of the daughter-in-law before him. If only Huian had been small and delicately pretty it might have been understandable, but as luck would have it he was tall and refined-looking, every inch the young scholar, so the Emperor seemed all the more uncomfortable.
“I shall bear it in mind.”
Huian said it briefly. Being quick-witted, he had probably grasped at once the true intent of what had been said. Perhaps he had already noticed it even before it was said.
“Then I must prepare to attend court.”
“Let us part here.” Igang said it standing before the Geonmun Gate that divided the outer court from the inner. Huian bowed his head without a word. His calmly lowered lashes looked especially long today.
Seeing beneath the shadow of those lashes his eyes, clear and cool as autumn water, Igang felt a pointless pang. Wondering if he had spoken too coldly, he deliberately added in a coaxing tone,
“I shall come to Inyeong Palace for the midday meal, so even if you are bored keep it to yourself, and please do not treat me coldly.”
At that Huian, still with bowed head, said,
“I do not find it tedious even inwardly, so do not worry.” Had it been others they would have made a fuss–how could you say such a thing!–but he said it so courteously that it was rather embarrassing. Probably because he knew there was not an inch of falsehood in it. He had meant to tease, but ended up feeling abashed himself, and Igang said with a forced cough,
“Then I shall see you later.” Having said so, Igang turned around.
Huian stood where he was until the Crown Prince’s retreating figure had grown distant, and only then turned himself.
“What am I to do now?”
When he asked the matron, she bowed her head and said,
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