Chapter One

"We all long to be something. You, to me, and I, to you, long to become a gaze that won't be forgotten." – Kim Chun-soo

The sun slowly rises from the east, illuminating the horizon, peaking over the outer walls of the imperial palace asking to be seen. Birds chirping in the nest up in trees, waking up to a new morning, welcoming a new day as before.

The dew drops sliding down leaves leave trails for all to see, some decorating spider webs ready to fall and be one with the earth. Inside a garden, a pavilion stands erect, decorated with red lanterns hanging on the edges with tassels fluttering in the cold morning breeze.

A table, set with delicacies and light dishes stood in place in the middle of it… on the side of the table sits the silhouette of a young lady dressed in white, covered with a furry coat keeping her person warm.

Her face flushes pink, her nose red and her eyes closed, head hanging low in a deep sleep. The young lady's person looks lonely on this beautiful morning, bewitching to the eyes, making the heart bleed with sadness, staring at this beautiful scenery – wondering why and how could something this beautiful bring about sadness…

The pavilion is surrounded by a pond with Koi fish swimming in it and dragonflies dancing on the surface. The only path leading to the pavilion has a rowdy young lady running along it while holding up her purple tunic's skirt. Arriving at the table panicked she yells, "CONSORT WANG!?!"

The young lady's yell wakes up the sleeping consort who raises her head while sighing. She could feel that her person was cold and looked around, "Oh" escaped her lips soundlessly. "Last night… when… did I… fall asleep?" She thought. Looking at the panicking attendant of hers, she asked, "Ji Min, did I fall asleep outside?"

"YES! My Lady. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have listened to you!" she protested with a stomp and a frantic voice, knowing that this incident could very well lead to her lady to catching a cold – maybe and illness – or her demise. Helping her lady up, grabbing onto her hands she rubbed them after feeling the coldness.

"My Lady lets hurry back to your palace and get you into a warm bath – then into bed," she says anxiously.

"En" is all she said. As they left the garden, Wang Chushan turned back to look at this beautiful place, "The Imperial Garden truly is the most beautiful place in the palace," she thought.

Walking through the palace this early in the morning was hauntingly calming. The sounds of their footsteps is the only echo and beyond that, you could hear their hurried breathing in the silence.

-

Arriving at the moon palace, Ji Min pulled her lady towards her bedchamber, "My Lady, Ji Min will return soon," and she left rushing to the servant's quarters. "Quick, get a warm bath ready for our lady!" she orders.

The two attendants Yu Na and Hye Jeong who were getting dressed paused then looked at one another and dashed out heading to the bathing chamber.

Ji Min returned to her lady's side and helped her undress out of her white attire then dress into a red silk robe with gold linings.

Master and servant entered the bathing chamber. Instantly enveloped in the incense burning from the hanging lamps from the ceiling beams. Steam wafting in the air, a clear indication that the water was warm and ready.

After placing her hand in the water, checking its temperature, Ji Min stood in front of her lady that looked lethargic and sighed inwardly. Pushing the robe off her lady's satin person, she helped her up the steps and into the milky bath – tying up her hair into a high bun.

Hye Jeong took off her clothes and got in, spooning the milky water on her lady's person warming the skin up to a soft pink shade from its pale form.

The bathing sachet placed into the milky water had lavender, dandelion and nine other dried herbs in it to help soothe her skin from the cold and revitalize it to its former glory.

Bowing, Ji Min quickly left pulling Yu Na with her to the kitchen, inside they whispered, "Why the sudden bath?" asked Yu Na curiously. Looking around, Ji Min called her closer, "Poor Consort Wang sat up whole night waiting for the Crown Prince, by the looks of it – he didn't show up; the dishes we prepared yesterday weren't touched, hurry and give this too our Lady" she says handing Yu Na a tray set with a cup, saucer and teapot. She adds "You need to clear up the pavilion with me when we are done here."

Yu Na didn't wait for her sister and dashed off, shoving the tray back in her hands. Ji Min sighed and returned to the bathing chamber, setting down the tray and signalled with her eyes to Hye Jeong that she was going. This exchange wasn't caught by their lady – not that she cared in the least.

When Ji Min left Hye Jeong said, "My lady, forgive this one's imprudence but would my lady like to hear a song while taking a bath?"

Nodding her head, Chushan approved; placing the brass bowl down, Hye Jeong reached for the teacup and handed it to her lady, pouring the tea gently into the teacup minding her lady's fingers she started, humming Hye Jeong didn't know what the situation was and thought, instead of a song, she'd hum a familiar tune and so she did. He lady's eyes closed listening and drinking the tea. Picking up the brass bowl again she lightly dripped the milky water onto her lady's person.

Yu Na and Ji Min just turned a corner when the crown prince passed the pavilion with his guard behind him, his best friend beside him and his first consort, Consort Kim, walking hand in hand with her happily.

The two sister servants were already out of breath from quickly gathering everything, luckily Yu Na didn't wait for her sister and immediately rushed over to clear up the pavilion and when Ji Min arrived they had to carry everything away. They heard Consort Kim's voice and quickly dashed off.

Running as fast as they could, quickly arriving at the moon palace, shutting the doors behind them was a manservant of the moon palace. The two sisters dropped to the ground out of breath, slightly numb from all the running and heavy weight lifting, as they huffed while giving a thumbs up to the young man.

After shutting the doors he bent down and searched the cloth that had everything in it. Humming in approval, he picked it up and headed to the servants quarters and warmed up all the food and munched down eating everything that was wasted.

Yu Na headed to the bathing chamber to help Hye Jeong with their lady. Chushan stood up in the milky bath when she heard Yu Na at the door, walking in, Yu Na stepped up and started wiping the water off her lady's person gently drying the neck, back, breasts and the rest of her lady's person when she stood up on the vacant side of the bath. Hye Jeong was waiting for her lady at the bottom of the step with the inner white robe and red night robe for her lady to wear.

Exiting the bathing chambers, she walked to her room with a heavy heart. Ji Min was ready with a set of robes in hand for her lady to wear. Seeing this Chushan closed her eyes walking past Ji Min, "Ji Min, please inform the royal family that I do not feel well and that I will not be attending breakfast, if I feel better, I will attend lunch."

Acknowledging the command, she bowed and traced her steps back, heading straight for the dining hall.

Chushan's palace was the furthest from the dining hall and it takes about six minutes to walk there at a steady pace. Normally she'd leave early and arrive before everyone but not today, she wasn't in the mood.

Arriving, the crown prince, princes and consorts were already seated. Looking up at Ji Min who arrived alone, all eyes were on her, bowing she entered and walked up to the crown prince's side; bowing once more she said, "Your Highness."

Waving his hand… she spoke, "My lady, Consort Wang sends her apologies, last night she came down with a cold and is unable to get out of bed."

Behind her, eyes rolled while others smiled. "See that Consort Wang gets enough rest and feed her nutritious dishes." Said the crown prince, uninterested while taking hold of his first consorts hand and urged her to continue with her breakfast.

Bowing, Ji Min walked backwards with caution and left back to her lady's palace. Arriving she saw her lady's lonely figure sitting on a bench in her garden.

Chushan heard Ji Min's arrival, turning to her side she asked, "What did he say?"

"Is that all?" she asks with a raised brow.

Sighing Ji Min said, "They immediately stopped speaking when I arrived after complaining about you and looked for my lady beside me. They all eagerly listened as I spoke… The Crown Prince he - he acknowledged and nothing else, when I left they started speaking ill of my lady." She ended while shrinking back.

"Seems about right," she commented.

"Bring my Qin over and shut the doors to my palace… don't accept food from the main kitchen anymore, today I will be eating with the four of you."