After her mission to 'beg' the King was a success, Concubine Leena was floating in the clouds. She returned to her palace to prepare for the day she would see the Prince again. Her thoughts went astray as she began to imagine what to wear. With the King's promise, she could finally host a get together with the other wives to show off her precious son. Who would dare say she was an abandoned wife now?
Since her period of recuperation, the concubine hadn't gone to any social events. Although many women sent gifts, few rarely come to visit. Her palace was purged at the beginning of the year, dismissing many of those whom she had grown accustomed to. Even her head maid was returned to her hometown. Now, the new staff were rigorously selected and strictly professional. No matter how much the concubine wished to joke and laugh along with them, they all kept a fine line of etiquette. What's worse was that Lady Vallerie, the only bosom friend the concubine had made since entering the palace, had locked herself away, refusing to see anyone.
Leena understood the reason and she knew there was nothing she could do to ease her friend's pain. So, day after day, month after month, the concubine's loneliness grew.
On the first day of the seventh month, the Prince was changed into a thin white tunic with intricate details sewed in silver thread on the sleeves. Since he was reborn, Ulfstead had to let go of any and all fashion sense he may have previously had, not that he had any in the first place. Most of the clothes he wore were donations, hand-me-downs, or things found from thrift stores. Although he always tried to dress neatly, he couldn't help it if his jeans were frayed, shirt was ripped, or socks had a small hole in it. He didn't have the means or energy to care about his looks.
However, there were trends from his old time and space the Prince missed dearly. Such as a cotton t-shirt, sweatpants, and plain old underwear. The common style of clothing here was tunics and robes. The only people he saw wearing pants were the servants and guardsmen who needed mobility during the cold months.
Once it became warmer, the young prince was surprised to find that some shameless men didn't even wear loincloths! Their men's summer tunics were shorter than the women's, so if the wind was particularly strong that day, the prince would have to close his eyes lest he wanted to go blind.
Going a little further off topic, the prince didn't want to start on the pain he had been experiencing since he began practicing how to roll over. Each time he kicked his feet in the air, why was his diaper exposed? He had never felt so ashamed before! He couldn't wait until he was old enough to do business by himself. It was a disgusting having to sit in his own excrement even for a second.
Back to the real matter, in his past life, he was just an average joe with an average name and had a negative account balance because he was a poor college student with no rich aunts or uncles to support his ailing health. In short, he was broke! He never had the means to even buy a secondhand watch. Now, he was less than a year old and already forced to bear a pound of jewelry when going out. The Prince heaved a sigh while toying with the obsidian pendant on his neck. 'The difference is really ridiculous.'
~
The sun was hot in the sky, but they traveled through open corridors covered in terracotta ties and eaves. The prince was a little listless from the heat, but he didn't want to slow down the process by saying something. If he showed one sign of discomfort they would probably all turn back. It's not like it was the first time they did so.
At that time, he thought it was because his nanny was just being very meticulous. But after the small showdown in front of the study, Ulfstead had a feeling his cheap father had given her orders on purpose… orders that didn't allow for him to get too close to his mother concubine.
~
When they arrived at his mother's palace, the new Head Maid led them to his mother. As they walked about, Ulfstead noticed a change in the scenery. The last time he had come to visit, his mother's palace was quiet and subdued. In comparison to the West Palace, the decor was much simpler and easier on the eyes in Ulstead's poor man's opinion. Now, it felt like she was pulling out all the stops with every direction stuffed with marble statues, cerulean vases, and polished furniture that didn't exactly bring good feng shui to the space.
It almost felt like the purpose was just to display as many of the owner's treasures as possible. Ulfstead hated to say it but…
His mother's tastes screamed nouveau riche.
Ulfstead didn't know much about his mother concubine because her name was rarely mentioned and his visits were kept brief. From what he gathered, she was just a commoner who entered the palace as a little maid. His mother didn't even last a week when the King saw her by chance and snatched her into his Harem.
The love story was perfunctory and lukewarm at best. And sadly, was still an accurate way to describe their current relationship.
When they neared a courtyard, Ulfstead heard the laughter of a gaggle of women. While wondering who they could be, they finally reached their destination. Under a gazebo wrapped in vines hanging with fruit, a table full of women and children sat in good harmony. Seemingly.
Concubine Leena stood in excitement when her son arrived. She was about to take him from the nanny when the women and children behind stood and bowed.
"Greetings to His Highness."
Leena's heart skipped a beat. These women who had ignored her in the past just lowered their heads to her son. Her blood started to simmer in excitement. With her smile widening, she snatched the Prince from the nanny's arms and headed back to her head seat.
Filled with spirited jubilance, Leena introduced, "My son, these are all your sisters and aunts. You must take good care of them in the future."
Ulfstead felt like he walked into a Miss Universe pageant. Each woman was as beautiful as a flower. This inadvertently gave the prince another nickname for his cheap dad. 'Greedy Flower Picker.' Scanning the table for any familiar faces, he wasn't sure if these were his mother's allies, enemies, or a mixture of both. He didn't see the sisters he met in the garden. He had a feeling his father might have banned others from entering the rose garden soon after he met them. Or maybe, no one wanted to bump into the prince in case they said something wrong and were embarrassingly punished like the second princess.
The women watched him with a kind smile and a weird glint in their eyes. The summer sun was still hot, but the Prince felt a chill run down his spine. Why does he feel like he just walked into a den of wolves?