Though the food was very appetizing, Miyojin could not bring himself to eat another bite. It had been an hour since Xia Yu left him to prepare. Just thinking about what they are preparing her for brought jitters to Miyojin.
What are they even going to do? Xia Yu made it clear that she did not want to consummate their marriage. Will they just sleep through the night? Furthermore, will they be sharing the same bed? As Miyojin was contemplating what they might do instead, a male servant approached him.
"Your Highness, it's time for you to prepare," he said with his head down.
"Oh! Ah... just a minute."
He looked at the wedding banquet and noticed that it was nearing its conclusion. He took and drank his glass full of water. Then, he followed the servant as he exited the banquet hall. He was led to a dressing room not far from the hall. There were more servants waiting for him there.
They helped him remove his wedding robes and accessories. Afterward, he was guided to a bathroom to freshen up. Then, they had him wear a red night robe and some dark sleeping pants. One of the servants combed his long black hair and tied it neatly.
When he was all done, he was escorted out of the dressing room. He felt cold as he made his way to the wedding chamber. Whether he was cold because of the weather or because of anxiety is uncertain.
Without delay, he reached his destination. The maids outside indicated that his wife was already inside. He stood in front of the double doors for a moment. When he felt ready, he opened the door.
The first thing he noticed was the ambiance of the room. The wedding chamber was all red with a touch of gold. The aroma of rose-scented candles filled his nose. The room itself was a seduction. Then, he noticed the people in the room. A eunuch and two maids were present bearing the wedding wine. Then, he noticed the person sitting on the bed.
Though her head was hanging low, he could see that she had already wiped off the make-up she wore earlier. But what caught Miyojin off guard was what she was wearing. Do they dress brides like this on the wedding night?
Miyojin felt like covering his face. He felt his blood rush in his cheeks as he stared at the outfit they made Xia Yu wear. Not only could he see a lot of skin through her red incredibly thin robe. He could see all the curves she had. He noticed how wide her hips were and how ample her chest was. The clothes she usually wore hid her curves very well.
He walked towards her doing his best not to stare at her body. She stood up with her head still low. They stood facing each other. The eunuch proceeded to give them the traditional wedding wine. After drinking the wine, the eunuch and the maids left, closing the door behind them. Shortly, silence took over the room.
But before any words were uttered, Xia Yu walked towards the door. She opened it a tiny bit and took a peek. She looked from left to right. When she was certain that there was no one in sight, she closed the door and let out a loud sigh.
"Finally! They're gone!" she announced as she broke free from her prim and proper act.
Miyojin wanted to feel the relief Xia Yu was feeling. But he couldn't get his nerves to calm down. Seeing her moving freely while wearing that, made it all the worse for him. Instead, he just offered her a half-smile as a response of agreement.
"Heavens, this is so tiring!" she exclaimed as she walked her way to Miyojin.
Miyojin felt nervous about his approaching wife. Scenarios began to play in his head thinking of what she would do next. He grew more anxious at each step she took. As he was about to brace himself, Xia Yu walked past him and dived on the bed.
What just happened?
Miyojin thought to himself, clearing the now-useless thoughts in his head.
"I have been craving for a bed since the banquet started. I can finally rest." Xia Yu said as her voice gradually turned into a murmur at the end. She had already closed her eyes inviting sleep to take over.
That's it? She'll just sleep?
A mixture of astonishment and confusion was engraved on Miyojin's face. He might as well ask her so he can, at last, put an end to his agonizing thoughts of uncertainty.
"So... what are we supposed to do next?" Miyojin said each word with care as if he was crossing an old fragile wooden bridge.
Xia Yu opened her eyes and sat up. She looked at Miyojin with wide puzzled eyes. Miyojin felt uneasy with such a gaze of hers. Then, she smiled.
"Oh, right! I almost forgot." she began. "You have to leave!"
What??!?
"You want me to leave!?!"
"Yes, leave. Get out of here."
"B-but I can't just leave you here. It's our wedding night!"
"I know it's our 'wedding night'. But, we're not going to do what couples do on such occasions. So why stay?"
Though Xia Yu's reply was dripping with jeer, Miyojin could tell that she was indeed serious.
"Are you certain? You do know that this is pretty damaging on your part. If people found out that I left the wedding chambers, the whole palace would be uproared with gossip!"
"I'm aware. It's not something you should be concerned about. Just let them do as they please." She said with a mocking smile of confidence.
This is unbelievable for Miyojin. Xia Yu knew this would be a huge scandal but she doesn't seem to care.
"You know, my dear 'husband', I'm really tired. And this soft bed is already tempting me to sleep. So, I'll give in. You can see yourself out. Good night!" she said with finality. She even lay down on the bed and covered herself with the quilt.
If Miyojin could only see himself, he would see his jaw-dropped expression. He didn't want to leave her. But, he can't stay here either. He is very exhausted too.
After a few minutes of contemplating, he sighed in defeat. He turned towards the door and opened it. He got out of the door and looked around. He's glad that no one is around. He took one last glance at the sleeping beauty in the wedding chambers before closing it
The next day... the palace was indeed in shock. Rumors were on fire.
A handful of people saw Prince Miyojin leaving the wedding chambers. They took note of the fact that he didn't stay there for even half an hour. The servants were surprised to see the groom walking in his courtyard on his wedding night. They tried to ask the Second Prince why he was here and not in the wedding chambers. He only dismissed them and went straight to his room to rest.
Speculations run wild. The story was modified numerous times as it was passed around the palace. Soon enough, the news returned to the White Jade Courtyard. And it was bad... very bad. This scandal was what greeted Miyojin when he woke up.
His head eunuch told him all the versions of the hearsay circulating in the palace. They were horrible, especially what they said about Xia Yu. They accused her of many things.
The most prominent accusation is that she had already lost her virginity. And this disappointed the prince. They believed that was the reason why he left the wedding chambers sooner and did not spend the night there. They even backed this allegation with the fact that Xia Yu had been out of the country for most of her life. She had been away from her parents' supervision for so long.
Miyojin was very upset with this. He already told her that this would happen. But, she did not listen. Xia Yu is still new to the palace. She must not have anticipated this worst-case scenario. He, on the other hand, shouldn't have let her do as she pleased.
He should have stayed even if he had to force himself to fall asleep on the floor. Now, he needed to do something to fix this situation. There would be a lot of trouble once his family heard about this.
He immediately cleaned himself and got dressed. He left his breakfast untouched as he rushed out of his quarters. It was still a bit early. She must have just woken up. Ignoring the stares of the servants and the guards, he briskly walked his way to his destination.
When he was near the place, he saw a few servants outside of the wedding chambers. When he was only a few steps away, the door opened. Out came a maid that he had never seen before. The maid saw him and she immediately bowed to the prince and greeted him.
"Is Miss- I mean, is the Second Princess Consort still inside?" Miyojin asked, almost breathless with all the hasty pacing he did.
"Yes, Your Highness. Her Highness had just finished getting dressed." the maid replied in a dull tone with her head low.
Miyojin breathed out a sigh of relief.
Thank heavens, she's still here.
Without another moment to waste, Miyojin went into the wedding chambers. He immediately saw Xia Yu dressed quite extravagantly like a princess. She's in front of a mirror fixing one of the hair ornaments decorated all over her head. She turned to him wide-eyed.
"What are you doing here?"
"I need to see you. The pa-"
"You shouldn't be here," she said, cutting him off with a tone of sternness.
Miyojin couldn't continue to speak.
"You must leave now before more people see you here."
"But the rumors..." he trailed off when her eyebrows drew closer to her forehead.
"Is that the reason why you are here? I already told you that it shouldn't concern you. Why did you still come here?" she said with a voice laced with anger.
At that moment, Miyojin started to feel irritated.
What is wrong with this woman? The whole palace is already maliciously gossiping about her. How can she be mad at him for worrying about her?
"I'm only trying to help! You're new here. You are not aware of how vicious these people are when something like this happens. I came here hoping to cease these horrible rumors!" Miyojin said with exasperation.
But, Xia Yu didn't waver, not even a bit. She looked at Miyojin with a glare that could rival a hawk's as she shortened the distance between them.
"Well, my dear 'husband'. I appreciate your concern regarding this matter. But... it was not needed."
The way she delivered her words felt like daggers that struck Miyojin from within.
"You shouldn't worry much about me." she continued as she placed a hand on Miyojin's shoulders. Her actions startled him but she didn't loosen up. She leaned onto his ears and whispered.
"In the future, just worry about yourself, Your Highness."
Miyojin turned to her. He felt a bit weary with their closeness, especially with her frowning eyes on him. She eventually drew away from the prince and walked past him.
"If you have nothing important to say, then I should leave you instead. The empress is expecting me to see her for my greetings."
With those final words, Xia Yu left her husband alone in their wedding chambers.