Chapter 73

On the highest tier were seated the Emperor, the Queen and the Emperor’s concubines. Originally, the Queen was supposed to sit on the right of the Emperor in the center, whereas his concubines on his left in the order of their ranks. Today, they gathered to celebrate the Emperor’s concubine Su. Accordingly, the Emperor’s first concubine Ye yielded her seat to Su, the heroine of today’s event. The second tier was reserved for the princes of the four palaces and their wives who occupied their seats in the order of their ranks.

In the third tier, the concubines who received a unique concubine number from the Emperor sat on the right side while those who didn’t sat behind them. Their unique number meant that the Emperor favored them and determined their hierarchy in lieu of official titles.

Kyosul didn’t know how many concubines didn’t have unique numbers from the Emperor, so she was surprised to see more than twenty such concubines seated there.

On the fourth tier, senior officials sat, while in the fifth tier were seated the lower-ranking officials, who were high enough to attend the banquet.

The court ladies of Bipaan and Kyosul could not approach the tiers, so they stood watching them walking up the tiers. Those who accompanied their masters were supposed to sit behind the banquet hall.

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When Bipaan and Kyosul went up the stairs, many people seated stood up as they passed by.

“Long Live the Crown Prince and Crown Princess! We’re honored to see you!”

Each time they climbed a tier, such greetings ensued. Though Bipaan did not seem to care about their greetings, Kyosul felt awkward as she was greeted by so many people for the first time.

There were whispers here and there among the participants.

Though Kyosul didn’t notice it, numerous concubines sitting in the third tier whispered among themselves while paying attention to her.

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“She seems to be younger than I thought.”

“I feel younger than I thought.”

“How poor she is! As she came from a small country, she seems to have cold feet as she is overwhelmed by the magnificence of the Mok Imperial Kingdom.”

They paid attention to her every move. They were not content with just looking at them. They started to size her up and whisper. It was the same among the bureaucrats.

It was the first place where Kyosul appeared officially for the first time.

The four princes and their wives didn’t pay much attention to her because they exchanged meetings before, but the concubines and bureaucrats were very curious as they saw her for the first time.

Unfortunately, Kyosul sensed their close attention to her.

“Crown Princess,” Bipaan called her in a low voice.

“Keep your decorum. Straighten your back and walk looking ahead. If you are really nervous about their greetings, just try to walk by and respond to them leisurely.”

“Ah… I’m sorry. ”

Kyosul blushed at that. Obviously, her embarrassment rubbed him the wrong way.

And that didn’t fit his image of a Crown Princess.

‘Well, I think I have to show dignity as a noble and neat Crown Princess in the future, so they can’t blame me.”

She felt as long as she met Bipaan’s expectations, he would never care about her.

Kyosul straightened her back. She tightened her grip on his arm. Perhaps that’s why Bipaan once again looked at Kyosul.

She lowered her eyes about half down and pulled her chin toward her chest. Her light smile gave her a gentle aura. She slowed down her brisk footsteps and greeted them with her head tilting a bit.

She now had a totally different look than a moment before.

“…Good job!. ”

“Well, I was a princess of one country before I got here, though you seem to forget it often.”

Her remark was a sharp reminder to him that it was natural he didn’t notice it because he didn’t care about her matters at all. Bipaan did not answer or rebuke her.

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As she paid too much attention to her posture and act, she hardly heard the welcome greetings.

Showing her proper manners and decorum, she arrived at the second tier where their seats were reserved. On the far right of that tier was seated Kyoyoung. Though she frowned with a bitter smile after seeing Bipaan and Kyosul coming together, she welcomed them with a kind smile of her own.

“Long Live the Crown Prince and Crown Princess! I’m honored to see you!”

Kyoyoung rose from her seat and offered the greetings and waited until they sat down.

Bipaan sat in the middle while Kyosul sat on his right.

Kyosul glanced to their left. The chair on the left was empty, and right next to it was Yomin. The last seat was occupied by Prince Binsung. As she recently delivered a baby, Heyjin could not attend the banquet.

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Kyosul wondered for a moment where Ruhae was, but in no time she felt someone’s warm hands pushing her shoulders gently. .

As she had leaned forward too much to check out the left side, Bipaan was pushing her body into the right posture.

“I’m sorry.”

“Crown Princess, please don’t forget that you’re the official wife of the Crown Prince, and act accordingly. I don’t think I’m asking too much of you.”

She bowed to him. Kyoyoung smiled kindly at her as if she saw a cute child acting beyond the control of her parents.

A little later Prince Dukwol and Oran arrived with their son and climbed the stairs.

Looking at Dukwol, Kyosul caught his eye by mistake. Dukwol lowered his head slightly to her with a smile. Though he had a gentle face filled with dignity, Kyosul felt an ominous sign in the mysterious sparkling of his black eyes. When she turned her eyes from him, she saw Oran looking at her with a disgruntled expression. When Oran caught her eye, she quickly changed her expression into a bright smile, which only brought emphasized her animosity.

When Kyosul turned her eyes to the Emperor’s only grandson, Mu, he shouted at the sight of Kyosul, “Wow, Ayamama! She is there!”

He rushed up the stairs and stood before her.

She saw him at the naming ceremony of Koryun, but Mu didn’t see her because he had been totally focused on Koryun, so he now tried to recognize her.

The only thing he remembered about her was when he went to see her with his mom Oran when she was sick with a fever.

While she blinked in shock and embarrassment, he jumped into her arms. She figured out his personality at Koryun’s naming ceremony, Mu was outgoing and stubborn.

“Ayamama, are you okay now? You were sick in bed for so long. My name is Mutaehwanggun, Danmok Muyo. My casual name Mu means martial arts, but my official name Mu means mist!”

Holding Kyosul’s waist and burying his face in her blue silk, he murmured something. His bright and smiling face was clean and clear. He had the bright smile of a six-year-old child.

She realized the meaning of Ayamama quickly. As he met her for the first time when she was sick, Mu called her Ayamama which meant sick Crown Princess.

Smiling at his cuteness, she stroked his hair.

“Thanks to your concern, Ayamama feels okay now.”

As she smiled brightly at him, Mu buried his face in her silk robe.

At that moment, Bipaan extended his large hand from the left and pulled Mu out of her arms.

Bipaan pushed Mu aside and said, “I think you need to learn more etiquette.”

When he spoke to Mu in a cold voice, he suddenly freaked out.

Dukwol rushed up the stairs, but he could not stop his son as that little boy so quickly jumped to Kyosul.

Dukwol put his hands on Mu’s shoulders and whispered into his ears and told him to exclaim

“Long Live the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. I’m honored to see you!”

Dukwol didn’t greet Kyoyoung as she was only Bipaan’s second wife. Without even looking at Kyoyoung, he began to ask for Kyosul and Bipaan’s forgiveness.

“Crown Princess, please forgive my son’s discourtesy. Crown Prince, my son committed discourtesy to the Crown Princess. Please forgive him!”

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Then he looked down at Mu with an expression of worry and scolding.

Mu pouted and looked up at his father.

“I’m fine–”

Bipaan spoke coldly, “Dukwol, I know your son is young, but isn’t he old enough to show good manners?” He ignored Kyosul who was going to say she didn’t care.

Dukwol lowered Mu’s head with one hand and he himself also lowered his head.

“I’m sorry. I will make sure he receives training in good manners.”

A little later Oran, embarrassed at his son’s naughty behavior, came up to the tier and offered greetings to him before going to Mu. She lowered himself to Mu’s eye level and grabbed his hands.

“Son, haven’t I told you all the time that you should always act politely?”

“I’m sorry, mom. I just acted like that as I was happy to see Ayamama here…”

He pouted at Oran’s scolding. Even when he was being scolded, he sneakily glanced and smiled at Kyosul as if he liked her. Kyosul grinned at his cuteness.