Lady Eun-hye walked on the terrace languidly. Umm... It's now Princess Eun-hye. She has come to know __ being a prince's wife, especially that of a crowned one is cumbersome. The layers of heavy cloths decked on her has been troubling her but custom demands she must be presentable, always.
At a crossroads overlooking an artificial lake, she sat down on the iron railings acting as a barricade on the lake. Her silk skirt slipped a little nearly throwing her into the water but she held on tightly on the rails and steadied herself.
The crown prince who was on the verge of collapse walked into the area, a haggard expression on his face. His untouched works piled up leaving no space on his desk due to his momentarily lackadaisical attitude. The search for his woman, the circumventing of his mother's schemes and the latest tedious activities of the palace left him empty and forgetful.
Wrapping up of everything had left him a little bit of time to work, but the upcoming wedding is a national celebration that will take him away from his work again. The search of some respites and solace brought him out to his favorite place in the whole wide world, the artificial lake, which is why he's here.
A soft fragrance of rose reached his nose together with the visage of his new bride. A guilty sigh left his mouth and settled on the air. A political marriage is always like a trade but he's happy they share same sentiments__ They do not have any love interest in each other.
Betrayal of one woman is enough to last him for a lifetime, rather than betray another, he would rob the royal treasury and give it to the poor. Doing such a deed the second time is not in him.
Princess Eun-hye sat quietly while admiring the fading sunset. The rigors of the day has ended, her palace maids were sent away especially her clingy palace maid that served her on her second day of selection , her teachers has retired and are already preparing in readiness of tomorrow's lesson.
Etiquette class is her least favorite. She's to learn how to speak... again... well more like a royal. The wedding bows were the most tedious but she's good to go on it. Still, bowing before a candlelight while making sure the light doesn't flick is cumbersome. Tomorrow's lesson should be on the knowledge of palace rules and regulations. She hopes her high IQ will come to her aid.
The face of her soon-to-be husband appeared on her mind. The well-chiseled face and body build formed a picture making her blush. She had been sceptical over love, she had seen so much of what was false and unworthy to pass by that name, but she knew what was happiness. She knew she has fallen in love with him, she knew that the glamour falling over her, the light that made the world so fair, so tender, the strange happiness that filled her heart and soul was LOVE. She has fallen deeply in love with him. If it were before, she would have laughed incredulously at the idea.
The fact that her heart and soul has awoken into love that was almost pitiful from it's intensity, steeped into her senses cutting her off from the rest of the world.
The crown prince noticed her dreamy languor and edged closer. He looked at her in wonder. The very character of her face seemed changed; the child-like simplicity had gone out of it; deep undying passion shone there now, and filled the beautiful eyes with sunshine. He seemed to understand that in her soul, something with great depth had awakened which he wouldn't dare penetrate.
She caught him staring at her but thought it was an illusion. "Maybe because I'm missing him so much, I'm imagining things".
They last saw each other on the selection day which has been a week ago, the matrons whisked her away to a private quarter in the palace where she is currently being taught, and ever since , she hadn't seen him again much to her chagrin. She dared to look unabashedly at him since it was just an illusion, but the clearing of throat proved her otherwise.
In the shock of the moment, she lost her firm footing and slipped down into the lake with her silky skirt acting as a sort of life jacket, leaving her float. "Se... Seja!", she stammered making the mortified prince burst into a fit of laughter.
"Bingu, you are such a cute dummy", a hot flush found it's place on her face at her embarrassing situation. The worst part is that her skirt puffed out , making her leg hang upwards. The crown prince dived in, and fished out his princess who is unable to move due to embarrassment.
"You sure is a breath of fresh air", he said, a smile dancing on his lips.
"Your highness suddenly appeared out of thin air!", she whined , obviously aggrieved that she was startled.
"Are you sure?... for I know I saw your dreamy expression undressing me... Did I turn more handsome you can't turn your face away?". Her heart skipped a beat for it's true he's become more handsome. The guilt of being caught gnawed at her heart.
"You deceive yourself, your highness". If he had knew the pain in her heart as she denied the allegation, he wouldn't have made such a careless remark.
"Bingu, you should rest now lest you catch a cold". Gratefully, she stood up abruptly, relief washing over her. On her way out, she stopped, then turned to look at him with a questioning gaze.
"How did you know it was me?".
A short smile passed through his face as he drew nearer, the aura and elegance of an emperor oozed from him partly suppressing her a little. 'God damn it! this is my husband but it seems he's a sky I can't touch, a mountain I can't cross and a river I can't swim'. She shrugged off the thought as his hands enveloped hers, caressing her fingers before letting his hands fall to his side. Every gesture of his elicited strange emotions in her and stirred her heart.
"This mole... how can I forget this mole?".
On Eun-hye's index finger lies a black mole, slightly hairy and visible. As a child, she felt it was ugly and always covered it with a flower ring made from vines. As she got older, her obsession with it lessened hence she didn't pay much attention to it until that day at the inn, where she shared a jug of wine with him...
He got up from his seat and leaned closer making her heart beat faster. The next word from his lips startled her, leaving her confused. 'The mole on your hand could pass for a ring'. A sudden realization hit her as her face broke into a happy smile.
"So it was the mole?", she confirmed making him nod his head.
"There is another thing", he said, "The soft fragrance of a rose. It was unique from all other ladies', and distinctly familiar as I have been with you a couple of times to recognize it".
The two confirmations marked her as unique in her mind. Caressing the mole on her finger, she kissed it slightly and thanked her mother who always emphasized that the mole made her different from the world.
Her heart brimming with joy, she bade her last goodbye and left him all alone. Secretly, she vowed to somehow enhance the visibility of the mole and wear 'his' favorite rose perfume __ every single day.