The Sun sank below the horizon and its best friend the Silver Moon illuminated the skies instead. A good weather remained for the whole day and Wonbeom was happy the late evening had no wind or rain in sight. That was a perfect night for a walk outside the palace, as Wonbeom wrote in his letter to the Queen just an hour ago. He suggested they could spend their date not as the Queen and King but as common people enjoying the remaining warm evenings before the Autumn’s weather becomes too chilly.

Eating under the disapproval gaze of Choi Sanggung¹Choi Sanggung – sanggung is the 5th senior rank court lady, Choi is her last name. Sanggung is the highest rank attainable by a court lady. wasn’t among Soyong’s favorite things. She got used to dealing with constant nagging and corrections on how she sits, walks, and eats, however, Soyong soon realized that her court maid was simply allowing her to disobey sometimes. And then there was the extra strict look Choi Sanggung could give her that Soyong didn’t know how to act around. That look meant only one thing: Choi Sanggung was judging Soyong’s behavior as unworthy of a noble lady. And for the Queen of a nation, it was unacceptable.

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  Choi Sanggung – sanggung is the 5th senior rank court lady, Choi is her last name. Sanggung is the highest rank attainable by a court lady.

The pavilion by the lake was buzzing with preparations for the evening meal. Maids set up the table and cushions while eunuchs lit up and hung lanterns. The dark purple hue of the evening sky signalized that the day was almost over and the lake’s surface shined reflecting the sunset’s beautiful color palette. And once the last rays of the sun disappear, the moon with stars would become visible finalizing a lovely picture of the day.

Soyong methodically put one stitch after another creating a beautiful colorful embroidery. Her hand with the needle raised, pulled the blue string and then moved back, over and over again, shaping the bird’s wing.

The pavilion she had chosen for her embroidery session was in complete silence despite being rather crowded with three concubines joining her each with the company of maids.

A blissful feeling of waking up after a full and healthy sleep was graced upon Wonbeom in the morning. After years and years of suffering from nightmares, it felt like a nice change to slowly come to consciousness instead of feeling restless all of sudden and waking up abruptly sitting in his bed. Nor special Arabic jasmine tea nor the complete tiredness after exhausting training could accomplish this. Nothing felt better than happiness and Wonbeom hadn’t felt that hopeful and joyful in a long time.

The palace was always crowded with countless faces: eunuchs in their emerald-colored robes with black headpieces and maids with braids tied on top of their heads in strictly one hairstyle. There were also various court officials whose attire colors and embroideries differed based on rank.

Those faces could change every day, and Wonbeom didn’t care because the personalities behind them didn’t matter. All of them were someone’s spies. How he slept, what he ate, every book he read, every sideways glance – all were reported to someone.

The morning greeted Soyong with a horrible headache and regrets. Her memories of last night were blurry but she remembered just enough to understand that she made a terrible mistake agreeing to the drinks. She thought she could manage it: leading the King to drink more than her and end the night early. But to her disappointment, the King refused to fall for her tricks.

Wonbeom’s hideout from the heavy rain reminded him of Kim Soyong. Their first meeting could be described as an accidental encounter from a typical romance novel with long stares and a surprising connection formed between the two.

Now Wonbeom was stuck under the same roof however the woman who stood by his side only appeared as Soyong but in fact was someone else entirely. Wonbeom used to be a powerless puppet King, now he reigns in full strength yet he can’t bring Soyong back. Some things even the Kings cannot do. That led him to make a wish at one starry night when the skies looked like falling:

“I wish Soyong could find her way home”

Soyong dreamed of warm summer nights. The paper lanterns were hung around the gazebo with a great view of the mountains against the starry night sky. She sat on the cushion with her gayageum on her lap playing her father’s favorite melody. Her dad as always proudly praised her skills and her orabeoni Kim Byeong-in smiled nodding in agreement. The next melody Soyong has chosen to play is for him, something very difficult so she can impress him even more.