A morning breeze swept into the room immediately after Uk opened the window. He took his time to appreciate the sunrise from his room. The yellowish and orange hues colored the sky in a majestic way.
A good weather for a walk, perhaps.
Deciding quickly, Uk left his room and leisurely walked alongside the lake. The Sapphire was indeed an epitome of luxury compared to The Red Ruby, which was more like a healing spot. How lucky for both princes to have such nice locations for their respective houses.
As he passed by a spot, he saw a lady in the distance. Judging by her attire, she must be a steward, but the unfamiliar color of her clothes made it hard for Uk to determine which house she belonged to. What caught his attention was what she was doing—trying to fish something out of the lake.
"What happened?" Uk asked. The lady turned her head, looking at Uk. The rest of her friends scooted over to the side, whispering among themselves.
"My scarf, it flew off during dance practice and fell into the water..." the lady said sorrowfully.
"Is it important? Do you have another scarf?" Uk asked.
"It's important, sir. It's the only one for the dance. I'll be in big trouble if I can't dance without it," the lady shivered, horrified.
Uk sighed, looking at the floating red scarf. He had no plans to get messy, but since he hadn't showered yet, he considered his action mildly. Without hesitation, he walked straight into the water and started fishing out the scarf. It was stuck between rocks underwater, making it stubborn.
While Uk was retrieving the scarf, he unconsciously kicked something under the water. Slowly, he felt like he was flying. Unknowingly, he slammed into the lake. He could hear a ruckus from the bank.
"My lord, are you okay?" the lady asked, full of concern.
"I'm fine! It's okay. Don't come close. The ground is unstable," said Uk. He finally managed to get the scarf after a long struggle. He was totally wet from head to toe, but he came out of the water, safe and sound.
"Here. Please be careful next time," Uk handed the scarf to the lady.
"Thank you, my lord! I'm sorry for troubling you. Look how wet you are!" the lady crinkled her nose, guilt overpowering her.
"It's fine. But, can you help me?"
"Anything, my lord!"
"Can you show me a place to clean myself?" Uk asked.
"Sure! This way, my lord!"
***
"Look at his body!! So manly! Ugh!"
"I can't believe we get to witness this!"
"Thanks to my idea, you guys get this view early in the morning!"
The ladies pushed each other while hiding behind the bushes at the cleaning spot. They were peeping at someone who was cleaning himself there.
"I told you he must have a body like a tiger! Since the first time I saw him bow at the foyer, I had that sense!" one lady said with a crooked smile.
She had been targeting the man since she saw him bowing to the king upon arrival at The Sapphire. Since then, this group of court ladies had been stalking him, waiting for an opportunity to witness the magnificent view themselves.
"What are you guys doing?"
A man's voice from behind shocked them. They turned around to see Min Jun and Dan standing there. Immediately, they bowed down on their knees.
"Du beonjjae wangja!"
"What are you doing at this hour, in this spot?" Min Jun asked in a low tone. It was thunderous and had an eerie touch. None of the court ladies dared to lift their heads.
"Cousin..." Dan poked Min Jun's shoulder and pointed his finger at someone. Upon seeing the man, Min Jun felt annoyed. His face looked disturbed, with his eyes squinting sharply at the group of court ladies.
That was enough to make them weak on their knees.
Instead of shouting or punishing them, Min Jun walked past them and undid his royal robe. He walked closer to the man and subtly put his robe on his shoulder. The man turned his head aside. When he realized it was Min Jun, he was deeply shocked.
"Daegum..."
"Come here..." Min Jun turned him around, wrapped the red robe carefully around Uk's body. He checked every crook and nick, just in case it was undone. Then, he tied the robe with the thick rope around Uk's curvy waist, brushed off the fabric on his chest, and patting both hands on Uk's shoulders to ensure the robe intact neatly.
"What are you doing?" asked Uk.
"Come. The show is over," Min Jun ushered Uk out from the cleaning spot, putting his hand around Uk's waist. Uk was about to ask more, but he got startled when he saw the group of court ladies he helped earlier on their knees.
There was Dan, standing and waiting for them, along with another lady. Uk recognized her. She was the one who opened the window of the palanquin yesterday.
"Orabeonim!" she bowed to Min Jun. Uk saw Min Jun glaring at the lady, instead of replying to her greeting.
So, this is Myung Yu gongju!
"Dan, escort Gisa Ahn to my room and wait for me there," said Min Jun. Dan nodded and immediately guided Uk away.
Once Min Jun saw Dan and Uk disperse slowly from the spot, he glared sharply at his sister.
"Myung Yu-ah, control your stewards. If they're desperate for nude men, take them to the Concubine Lane. I'll introduce them to any men they want..."
"Orabeonim! How could you say that?!"
Min Jun didn't respond to Myung Yu, instead, he glared at the group of court ladies with anger still simmering on his face.
"Shame on yourselves!" Min Jun hissed before leaving Myung Yu in confusion. She turned to her court ladies who dared not to lift their heads.
"What did you do, huh?!"
***
Uk calmly waited for Min Jun in his chamber. The chamber was no different than his, except that the prince had a sturdy bed with red silk bedsheets and more pillows, compared to Uk's futon.
But even the futon already satisfied him.
He was looking around the room when the door opened from the outside. There was Uk, with a steward from The Red Ruby.
"Min Jun daegun..." Uk stood up at once, but Min Jun pushed him down on the bed. Uk sat back in his spot.
"Did you take a shower?" asked Min Jun.
"Yes. I did. I'm sorry for using your bathroom. The lake water made my body smell, and I didn't want to mess up your room with the smell," Uk replied.
"Good. Just in case you haven't showered, we can do it together-"
"Daegum!"
Min Jun grinned widely upon seeing Uk's flustered face.
"I'm kidding..." the prince leaned his face closer and smiled at Uk. Then he backed away a bit, leaving some room for Uk to breathe. Uk exhaled heavily.
"Listen. This is the best-attired man in our house. He will take care of you today. I want you to dress differently from your usual bodyguard suit..."
"But–"
"No buts! Just let him do his work," with that, Min Jun signaled the steward to start. While waiting for Uk to get ready, Min Jun casually stripped down in front of them and grabbed his towel. His action left Uk deeply shocked. He quickly turned his head to the side, making Min Jun chuckle.
"You're shy to see me naked, but you went half-naked in front of those ladies..."
"It was unintentional, daegum!"
Min Jun laughed in a naughty tone, leaving Uk red all over his face. Min Jun left him with a lot to imagine during the nighttime.
What the– how dare you imagine something dirty like that!
Uk scolded himself.