The alliance was secured. Shangwei had sent their gift and Jeontu was preparing to send theirs: Han Aeng.
The seven long months that took to finalize everything seemed to be but a fleeting moment to Prime Minister Han. Time was slipping through his hands and he barely had the chance to see his daughter, from learning the Wein language to its court etiquette she was consistently busy with preparation for her wedding and new life.
On the rare chances she was free, he was busy overseeing the finer details of the alliance: the number of troupe and the weight of the gift given among the other tedious tasks was under his jurisdiction. The King insisted that by being busy he wouldn't have time to be worried about Han Aeng and it'll help make the process of farewelling his daughter easier. Though the distraction didn't work out as the king had hoped, Prime Minister Han appreciated his sincerity.
"Time goes too fast. It was only a year and half ago that our dearest Han Aeng returned to us from her training at Noonan, and she's once again preparing to leave, this time to her husband and to her new life. She's truly been doing her best for our kingdom." King Suk Seokju announced. The royal family and Prime Minister Han and Han Aeng were all gathered together at the palace for a last private farewell party the night before they left for Shangwei.
"Your majesty is too kind to his humble servant. This one was simply fulfilling her duty to the kingdom." Han Aeng's courteous response only made the king smile as he raised his cup to Prime Minister Han.
"I'm trying to appease your father. He must be very upset with me."
Prime Minister Han broke from his train of thought and raised his cup to the King, and in a formal tone replied, "This Minister understands Your Majesty was thinking about the kingdom."
King Suk Seokju pressed his lips together, placing his cup back down on the table. Understanding is not the same as forgiving!
It was only expected that Prime Minister Han was not taking the whole ordeal of sending off Han Aeng well: to some extent the King felt that Prime Minister Han actually blamed him one way or another. Truthfully, the King was upset by the distance Prime Minister Han once again placed between the two of them. However this was all for the greater good, everyone would benefit from this, so he could only continue to walk the path he chose, and wait for Prime Minister Han's forgiveness.
Han Aeng's eyes flickered between her father and the king. She noticed the awkward tension between the two since they announced her as the bride to be, but today the air between them seemed to be more stiff, a bit more remorseful in its essence.
The past few months Han Aeng avoided her father to the best of her ability. She didn't mean to but found herself naturally avoiding him like the plague. She didn't want to own up to the uneasy feeling and most definitely didn't want him to worry with her uncertainties about leaving him behind.
Trying to divert the strain between the king and her father, Han Aeng changed the subject, "It's a shame Chancellor Yi left already, he would have enjoyed the food and wine. But he's had to prepare for the Great Han Aeng's arrival as well as take care of the engagement gift for Shangwei sent by none other than the Battlefield God, Prime Minister Han Seungkyu, my dear father."
"Han Aeng, don't be so cheeky as to boast about yourself." Princess Sunmi reprimanded, her perfect brows drawn together in a light scowl.
Han Aeng who seated opposite her, simply stuck out her tongue at the princess. Childishly retorting, "Don't want to."
"Han Aeng!" Princess Sunmi pressed, her eyebrows scrunched together tighter with worry. If anyone knew of Han Aeng's playful behavior it was the Princess who was often the victim of her very impractical jokes. In all honesty Princess Sunmi was stressed about how Han Aeng would conduct herself in Shangwei. Unlike Jeontu, Shangwei is a foreign country with foreign rules and regulations, if Han Aeng acted out, no one would be there to protect her like they do at home.
"Repeat after me. 'I will not', I repeat, 'will not cause any trouble for Jeontu, Shangwei, and especially my husband.' And please keep to those words."
Han Aeng took one look at the Princess and playfully rolled her eyes. She understood Princess Sunmi's worry but, come on, was she that unconvincing. Nonetheless she entertained Princess Sunmis worry. "Ai, show me a little trust. I may be a tad bit cheeky, but do you think I would risk anything when so many things are at stake?"
Princess sunmi gave her a stern look, making Han Aeng raise her hand in surrender. "Alright! You have my word, if something goes wrong from this alliance... I'll wash my hands clean."
Hear that the King laughed heartily. He was overjoyed for many reasons. Despite his concern with Prime Minister Han -whom he was sure would come around like before- he was very pleased. It took great efforts but the alliance was secured. Han Aeng's departure might be the start of something beyond the scopes he had dreamed of, perhaps.. no, it's too early to think of something so big.
King Suk Seokju pointed his finger at Han Aeng, slightly shaking it in an accusing manner, as he chuckled, "You're still so cheeky, I hope your husband knows how to handle you."
Husband. That word sounded unpleasant to Prime Minister Han, turning his expression even sour. He really was trying to come to terms with Han Aeng's marriage but it was a lot harder than he had anticipated. What made it really hard for him to fully accept reality was most probably the fact they never really had the chance to fully talk it out since they were both so busy.
Either way, he couldn't even imagine his daughter holding hands with a man, let alone have a husband; a man who she would spend the rest of her life with. She was still a little girl in his eyes, so how could she even raise a child when she starts her family. Could she handle her mother-in-law, how would she handle palace schemes, would she have to fight for her husband's favour? The worries of father were running crazy in Prime Minister Han's mind, from her everyday life to the future, everything that could possibly go wrong was stressing him.
In a state of panic, Prime Minister Han turned to face his daughter smiling from ear to ear as she buttered up to the King. "This little one only hopes he has a sense of humor like Your Majesty. Otherwise life would be so boring."
"Such a sweet talker," Princess Sunmi reprimanded, leaving wakes of laughter.
The night passed away with laughter and joy as Prime Minister Han and Han Aeng braced themselves for their departure.