Sung Hoon was notified by one of the soldiers about Ki Ha's run in with Choi Hun Gon. Sung Hoon was happy that the issue was resolved and that nobody got hurt but he had more important things to think about. Jinwoon had been angry at him for a week now.
~~~~A week ago.
"Jinwoon, we need to get to the ministers to finalise the wedding. They also have to see if the date is still good." In 14 days, he and Jinwoon would be husband and wife. Jinwoon was reading a book in the garden but after Sung Hoon's words, he stood up and put the book down.
"Alright. Where do we have to go?" Sung Hoon held out his hand and waited for Jinwoon to take it. Jinwoon rolled his eyes but took his hand anyway. Jinwoon was shy but he had to admit that he liked holding Sung Hoon's hand.
"We're going to the ceremony room. It's just past the throne room. The wedding and coronation will be held there. It's not really a room but more of a yard. You'll see what I mean when we arrive." Sung Hoon led Jinwoon to a waiting carriage while explaining.
He helped Jinwoon in the carriage and sat next to him. "The ministers and Elder Young will explain everything when we arrive. After that we'll get fitted for our clothes." Jinwoon attentively listens to Sung Hoon's words. "Alright."
After a while they arrived at a large building. It was an open building with no walls or doors, just pillars and a roof. There were 7 steps leading to the entrance. Jinwoon was again in awe, with the grandness of the place.
They walked up the stairs and past the pillars. Young and all the ministers were waiting for them at the end. Young walked towards them and guided them to two seats. "Prince Sung Hoon, Princess Jinwoon." Young and the ministers gave them a bow.
"Today we're here to talk about the proceedings of the coronation and the wedding." Young glanced at Jinwoon and Sung Hoon before continuing. "I've checked your Fate signs and 14 days from now is an auspicious day." The ministers nodded.
"The wedding will be held before the coronation. As the bride has no family, Sung Hoon has omitted the exchange of betrothal gifts and dowry." Jinwoon looked at Sung Hoon in surprise. The ministers frowned but none protested.
"The bride will wear a red dress, while the groom wears a blue robe. Together, the two colors represent the balance of complementary entities." Jinwoon's face fell. 'I don't want to wear a dress! I'll ask Young and Sung Hoon if I can wear a robe too.'
Young started to explain the coronation but Jinwoon wasn't listening anymore. He was thinking about the dress he had to wear. He knew that they had decided to keep Jinwoon's real gender a secret but wearing a dress was not his thing.
"Jinwoon, we're finished." Jinwoon turned to Sung Hoon with a surprised look. "Already?" Sung Hoon grinned. "Yes. We're going to a royal tailor to make your dress." Jinwoon looked at Sung Hoon like he was crazy.
"Then they'll know I'm a man." Sung Hoon smirked. "The tailor has ready-made clothes. They adjust those to make a dress for you." Sung Hoon took his hand, they were ready to leave but one of the ministers stopped them.
"Prince Sung Hoon. I think you should take the princess to the royal physician." Jinwoon and Sung Hoon both looked confused. The ministers gave them a suspicious glance. "The royal baby?" Jinwoon and Sung Hoon felt stupid.
Young jumped in between. "You don't have to worry. Jinwoon is not pregnant. I discovered that he had a stomach flu. It even caused him to pass out." The minister's face turned dark. "It's better this way. People will gossip that a child is born so soon."
Young winked at the ministers. Some turned slightly red. "Elder Young is right. The royals should give a good example. They should wait half a year before producing an heir." Jinwoon secretly let out a deep sigh.
He didn't know the minister's name but he would give him a nice gift. He had no thought of becoming pregnant and this man had given him time to come up with excuses. Jinwoon bowed towards the ministers, earning a smile from some.
"Thank you for your understanding." Sung Hoon also bowed before leaving with Young. Instead of taking the carriage, they walked. "Elder Young, I was wondering if I could have a robe like Sung Hoon. I really don't want to wear a dress." Jinwoon didn't wait to ask.
Young frowned. "That might be difficult. Even if the ministers are not giving you and the Prince any hard time, it can all change." Jinwoon pouted. "Let's go see the dresses. We might find something that is not too girly."
They quickly arrived at the tailor. The slender man with slick black hair had already put out all the dresses that he had made. Jinwoon started at the dresses with a black face. They were different shades of red.
While looking through the dresses he discovered that tailor a weird sense of taste. The clothes were from one extreme to the other. The first few looked like burlap sacks and the others looked like strips of fabric. Even Sung Hoon and Young were shocked.
"W... What are those?" Sung Hoon knew damn well what it was but he needed to check. The tailor looked bewildered. "Princess Jinwoon's wedding dresses." The three of them looked at the tailor with different emotions.
"The... The queen... S... She told..." The tailor eyes grew wide before he turned bright red. The others finally understood what was going on. "Can you fix this before the wedding?" The tailor was glad that they were angry. "Of course."
"I'll show you the original drawings. The Princess can choose from them." The tailor walked to a bookcase and pulled out a large red book. He opened it and showed Jinwoon some of the drawings. Jinwoon didn't like any of them.
"There are more." The tailor started to flip the pages. "That one!" Jinwoon pointed at a red pantsuit with flowing pants. It gave off the image of a dress and Jinwoon loved it. It looked simple with soft cloud pattern embroidery.
The tailor looked ecstatic. "That's also my favorite. I wanted to show that the princess was from a simple class." Jinwoon didn't care about the idea behind it. He liked it because it was simple and it had pants.
Sung Hoon looked at the drawing and frowned. "I don't know if the ministers will agree." Jinwoon was confused. "It looks like a dress. What is the problem?" Sung Hoon didn't want to say anything with the tailor in front of him.
"Make this and this. We'll come by tomorrow to try them." Sung Hoon pointed at 2 dresses instead. Jinwoon glared at him. "Make this also." Sung Hoon frowned at Jinwoon. The tailor looked smug. "I've got them already cut. All I need to do is sew them and add some of the embroidery."
Sung Hoon thanked the tailor. He tried to hold Jinwoon's hand but the latter refused. Jinwoon didn't say a word until they we're back at the house. They hadn't crossed the threshold when Jinwoon angrily turned to Sung Hoon. "What is wrong with you?!"
"Why do you want to emphasize that you are a woman who likes to dress as a man?!" Sung Hoon closed his eyes. That was not what he wanted to say. Jinwoon was dumbfounded. "Because I'm not a woman! If you want a woman, then ask the girls from the selection!"
Jinwoon was pissed. He walked towards the stairs. When he reached the top he turned. "I'm sure Ye Sul still wants to be your woman!" Jinwoon yelled before walking away. Young and Sung Hoon heard his door slam. "What is wrong with you?!"
Young stared at Sung Hoon. "Why are you forcing him to do something that he doesn't want to do?" Sung Hoon shook his head. "I just don't want the court to gossip. Didn't you see the look on their faces when we said that we're not exchanging gifts?"
"Since when have you cared about that?" Sung Hoon sat down. "I don't care but I'm worried for Jinwoon. He might have a hard time." Young giggled. "Then why not tell him that?" Sung Hoon put his head in his hands. "I don't know!"
Young patted his back. "Give him time to calm down. Then talk it over. I'm going to be busy, so unless it's an emergency, don't disturbed me." Young patted his back once more before leaving Sung Hoon alone with his thoughts.
That evening Jinwoon refused to have dinner with him, opting to have his food in his room. The next day, he gave Sung Hoon the cold shoulder. Sung Hoon tried to explain. "Listen, I was wrong. I just don't want the court to look down on you or get suspicions."
Jinwoon didn't say a word. They arrived at the tailor and Jinwoon still chose the pantsuit. Despite understanding Jinwoon, Sung Hoon became angry. "Didn't you hear what I told you?" Jinwoon glared at Sung Hoon. "You know what. Just tell me when to arrive at the wedding."
Jinwoon stood up and left the tailor. Sung Hoon crossed his arms and yelled. "Let's do that!"