Chapter 18

“Princess! How can you believe such a wild rumor?”

As soon as she was done talking, he shouted as if he had a seizure.

Yomin opened her eyes wide and subdued her surprise at his sensitive reaction. She had never heard such a loud voice before.

Suddenly, she wanted to ask, Did you know how to speak in such a loud voice?

While Ruhae raised his upper body, embarrassed at her sudden mention of the rumor, Yomin was calm, with a gentle smile on her face. As his wife, she was the type of woman who checked his deteriorating health with calm eyes like a calm lake.

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Slowly closing her eyes, she continued, “According to the rumor, you were noticed by court ladies heading to the East Palace, holding the Crown Princess in your arms. Not one but several of them allegedly noticed you. That’s why they’re gossiping about you behind your back.”

“That’s because the wife of the Crown Prince suddenly fell, so….”

“I knew you would do so,” said Yomin.

While he was trying to clarify his position hurriedly, she cut in and replied brightly.

“As a woman from the Hwa Kingdom came into this quiet imperial palace, the court ladies made up such a rumor, I think. I didn’t believe it the moment I heard it. In fact, it didn’t deserve my attention because I know what kind of character you have.”

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“Princess Yomin!”

Letting go of his hand holding the desk, he flopped down onto the mat. When he let out a sigh, she touched his face.

At her sudden act, he pulled himself back instinctively. She extended her hand again and said,

“I think you have become weak recently. Let me ask the royal doctor to brew herbal medicine to recover your health.”

With a worried look, she cupped his cheeks with both hands. She took pains to forget his effort to pull himself back when she extended her hand. The moment he backed off, her heart sank. He was supposed to be closer to her than anybody else, but he hesitated even to touch her, which broke her heart. But she tried her best to make a smile to forget about her wounded heart.

“Let me say goodbye for now, Your Highness.”

“Sure. Let me stop by your residence sooner or later.”

“I’m going to wait for you, always dressed up and ready to greet you.”

She answered with a happy smile. But again today she was not satisfied with the quality of dialogue with him. Above all, she didn’t like the way he called her. She has been married to him for several years, but whenever he called her, she was so disappointed.

Ruhae was a good husband. He was kind and cheerful. Above all, he didn’t leave his wife alone and lonely. He visited her not too often or not too occasionally. But that was it. The more he visited, the more she felt he was dealing with her in a businesslike manner. She got the impression that he made it a rule to see her out of the sense of duty as her husband.

By the way, when are you going to call me your wife?

Though Yomin exchanged greetings with him and even talked with him, she felt lonely as she left her study. Ruhae always called Yomin ‘Princess Yomin’ as if she were not his wife.

In the solemn palace, the royal couples showed others how close they were by calling themselves by given names. That’s why she always felt it regrettable that Ruhae always called her ‘Princess Yomin.’ Though it was not a big deal for her to take issue with, she was still sensitive to the matter of how he called her title. Even those who got to know her for some time called her just ‘Prince Ruhae’s wife.’ She just wished Ruhae called her his wife.

When she stood on the wooden porch, the court lady standing near the stepping stone put on shoes for her. While looking down at her, Yomin suddenly recalled what Ruhae said a moment ago.

I held her in my arms because the wife of the Crown Prince fell suddenly.

Her eyes sparkled at that moment. Ruhae called even her ‘wife of the Crown Prince,’ when she was still called ‘Princess Yomin’, not ‘wife of the Prince,’ when she had been married to him for several years. She was reminded of the wild rumors getting around among the court ladies.

“Bojin!”

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Court lady Bojin, who was waiting for her nearby, came running to her and answered, lowering her head, “I’m here, Your Princess.”

Bojin was her favorite court lady.

“Let’s go to the East Palace. I have to meet the Crown Princess.”

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“Got it, Your Highness.”

Yomin arrived at the East Palace accompanied by the court ladies including Bojin, headed to the left side of the palace. The residence of the Crown Princess was on the left side of the palace. As the East Palace was larger than the South Palace she resided in, it took some time for her to arrive at the palace. Bojin ran to the court lady in charge when Yomin arrived at the main residence of the Crown Princess and told her why Yomin came.

“Princess Yomin wants to see the Crown Princess to offer greetings.”

Her message was conveyed to the senior court ladies and then to the most senior court lady serving right outside the Crown Princess’s chamber.

“Crown Princess Kyosul has allowed her to come in.”

Then the court lady opened the gate of her residence, and Yomin took off her shoes to come in. Looking at her from behind with a worried look, she was standing outside with the court ladies.

In Bojin’s mind, Yomin was feeling under the weather while on her way to the East Palace. As she was already aware of the wild rumor about Ruhae and Kyosul, Bojin was worried about Yomin who dared to visit Kyosul.

Finally, the door of Kyosul’s room was opened and Yomin came in. She approached Kyosul with cautious steps and stood across her to offer greetings, “Long live the Crown Princess, I’m honored to see you like this.”

Raising herself slowly, Yomin sat on the cushioned mat. With a gentle smile, Yomnin looked at Kyosul sitting face to face with her. As if she was still sick, Kyosul sat on the cushioned mat, not on the bed, looking pale. As Yomin already saw Ruha’s haggard face, she felt Kyosul’s paleness resembled his. Yomin began to feel some sort of ache in her heart. She got worried more because she felt Kyosul looked pale for the same reason that Ruhae became haggard recently. Looking at Yomin’s beautiful face, Kyosul’s heart ached.

Oh, she is the wife of Prince Ruhae…

Kyosul was forgetting it until now. Princes of the East Palace, the South Palace, the West Palace and the North Palace, all competing to succeed the throne had official wives. Kyosul assumed that as the Prince, he must have a wife, but she forgot it completely. The moment Kyosul saw Ruhae’s wife face to face, Kyosul was shocked again.

What the hell I have been thinking about him?

Kyosul felt ashamed of herself. Biting her lip not to be seen stupid, Kyosul took pains to make a smile.

“As I’m lazy, I’ve come to see you only now, Your Highness, Crown Princess.”

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Yomin lowered her head slightly. Was it just Kyosul’s illusion that she felt from the way she spoke that Yomin was complacent and dignified? Facing her directly, Kyosul felt like a child. There was a kind of mellowness of an adult woman in Yomin’s conduct. Kyosul could feel it even when she was simply sitting on the mat with a smile with her back straightened.

“That’s fine, Pince Yomin. I was absent-minded getting adjusted to the palace life up to now. If you had come to see me earlier, I would not have greeted you politely.”

Kyosul’s voice trembled. She couldn’t raise her voice even before Yomin. She just kept conjuring up the image of Prince Ruhae right above her face. He was the man who treated her kindly when she arrived in this strange place. He was the man who comforted her when she was given cold shrift by the Crown Prince. Kyosul’s pale face turned red at that moment.

She looks lovely. Looking at her flushed face at that moment, Yomin thought so before she knew, but shook her head, surprised.

When Yomin suddenly shook her head, Kyosul asked with a curious look, “What’s wrong with you? Are you uncomfortable?”

“No, not really, Your Highness. I just missed what you said to me. I’m alright.

“I’m glad to hear that. Come to think of it, I haven’t served any refreshment for you. Nanny?”

When Kyosul extended her hand to call her nanny, Yomin grabbed it suddenly.

“I’ll be staying here briefly. So, you don’t need to serve refreshments to me.”

“Oh, I see…” Feeling rather awkward, Kyosul fidgeted and put her hand down on her knee. After that, Yomin looked at Kyosul quietly. While she was just staring at her, Kyosul was at a loss of what to do and barely opened her mouth, “Do you have anything to say?”