Chapter 89

She grumbled in a sullen voice and turned back.

She even closed the window with a bang.

“Kyosul!”

He knocked on the window again, but she didn’t open it again.

He bit his lip, regretting that he teased her too much. Then he put his hand on the window gently and imagined her standing across the window in the room.

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“I’m sorry. I think I carried the joke too far because I really couldn’t tell you the truth right from the beginning.”

“Do you know how surprised I was?” she said in an angry voice.

Calming her troubled feelings gradually, he comforted her and said, “The fall is just around the corner. Perhaps you remember that I’ve been very busy preparing the state civil exams to be held during the fall, right?”

Though she didn’t reply, the window trembled as if she agreed. When he noticed that, he went on with a light heart, “The civil exams are held in the capital areas, but there are exams for applicants in the provinces. Recently, there were some corrupt practices with respect to the state exams, so I’ve made the decision to inspect those areas and check out the problems myself. That’s why I have to leave the palace temporarily. As it was decided so urgently at the cabinet meeting, I was ordered to leave immediately. And I came running here to let you know.”

“I’m happy you came here to bring me the news.”

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Her hardened heart began to melt when he said he came to see her.

“I came running here as I wanted to see your face so much. Won’t you show your face again?”

“Then, why did you confuse me by telling me the lie from the beginning?”

“Because I felt you were so cute when you were choked with tears after hearing about my sudden departure. I was so glad to know you were worried about me, so I carried the joke too far.”

She pouted and grumbled at his excuses.

Knock, knock.

He knocked on the windowsill slowly, “I miss you.”

“How long are you going to stay in the provincial areas?”

“I don’t think it won’t take more than 15 days.”

“15 days?”

“Well, I would like to use this occasion to check out the situation in the major provincial areas in the south, so I’m making my schedule very tight.”

He was still touching the closed window.

“I will come back as soon as possible.”

There was no reply, though, with her leaning against the windowsill.

Stroking the windowsill, he said, “I would like to see your face and contain your images in my eyes.”

Bang!

The window was thrust open louder than it was shut. She stuck her upper body out of the window. Her eyes were welled with tears.

The moment the window was opened, he held out his hand. She folded her fingers with his.

Standing on his toes, he straightened his body and kissed her lips.

When he was in the palace, he didn’t see her every day. Sometimes he didn’t see her for many days. But as she couldn’t see him because he would be in the provincial areas, she was faced with a different situation. Even if she could not see him when he was in the palace, she could imagine that her lover was in the South Palace.

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She realized deeply how much she would miss him when he left the palace for the provincial areas.

“If I had my way, I would climb into the window and hug you right now.”

Though he touched and kissed her, his urge to stay with her became all the stronger. At first, he simply thought he would bring her the news and leave quickly, but he realized he couldn’t.

With the window separating them, they regretted they couldn’t get closer to each other.

“Would you want to come in?”

“You’re tempting me too much now.”

“Why do you think I’m tempting you?”

Faced with her embarrassing question, he just laughed it away.

He climbed the low window dozens of times in his heart. He wanted to jump over it, sneak into her room and hug her endlessly, but he held back his lust by all means. He knew he should exercise restraint at this moment, but he found it really hard to calm down his lustful feelings once he saw her.

Though the window of her room was lower, it implied a lot. It was the window of the Crown Princess’s room in the Dongbi Palace of the East Palace in the imperial palace.

It meant nothing to him if this place was not the imperial palace, if she was not the wife of the Crown Prince and if he was not a prince.

He just kept thinking about such meaningless assumptions.

‘If this were not the imperial palace!’

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He again recited that sweet yet dangerous phrase in his mouth. She was looking at him, leaning against the window. He was standing close to the window, holding her hands tightly.

He cautiously said, “Kyosul.”

Blinking her eyes once, she stared at him without answering.

Looking at her clear eyes close up, he found his heart pounding fast again.

And then he cautiously spoke out what he had in mind for a long time.

“In fact, I want you to do me a favor, though it’s difficult.”

***

Kyosul couldn’t sleep at all. She had so many worries in her mind. The day broke finally, and she left the Dongbi Palace around noon.

‘He said he would leave the South Palace very early.’

When she thought about the palace without Ruhae, she felt as if the whole palace was lonely and empty. Was it because of that? Even though she couldn’t find the answer all through the night, she quickly made up the decision when the day broke and left for the East Palace before she knew.

“I would like to visit the special royal villa in Kongrimok.”

Meeting with Bipaan alone, she lowered her head and asked for his permission.

He kept silent, which made her heart beat more wildly.

“Special royal villa in Kongrimok?”

“Yes, that’s right. As it’s getting colder, I would love to visit there as I hear there is a hot bath villa there.”

As she had to sit and talk face to face with him, she spoke in a feeble voice, “Kongrimok is in the southern area, I think.”

She felt a pang in her heart when he mentioned the southern area.

‘Has he sensed Ruhae’s departure for the southern area?’

During that brief moment she wrestled with lots of complicated thoughts.

‘I think I’m deceiving the Crown Prince too much.’

She felt she was too greedy.

She had to be content with meeting him secretly and confirming each other’s love.

Only then did she come to her senses. Her preoccupation with Ruhae blurred her judgment. She felt she made a silly mistake.

Then, Bipaan surprised her.

“Good. You came to the Mok Kingdom several months ago, so I think you’re entitled to visit lots of areas across the kingdom.”

As if to make fun of her worry, Bipaan gladly approved her request.

“Are you approving my request?”

“Yes, I approve it.”

‘Hurrah!’

She was overjoyed to get his approval. She felt she could go to the southern areas and see Ruhae at the special villa in Kongrimok.

She was about to bow to him deeply as she was so happy when he went on to say calmly.

“I’m going to go there with you.”

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“Pardon?”

“As a matter of fact, I wanted to visit the villa for hot bath as I was in bad condition as I was stuck in the imperial palace for a long time. I think you have made a good suggestion.”

She got his praise for the first time since she arrived in the Mok kingdom, but she didn’t feel comfortable about his praise.

“I’m honored to hear your praise,” she barely responded to appreciate his praise.

Her thoughts became more complicated now than before.

Right after he met her, Bipaan headed for the Central Palace and his departure for the special villa in Kongrimok was quickly decided. Soon everybody in the East Palace was busy preparing for his trip to the villa.

‘This is not what I want!’

Kyosul looked at Bipaan with a perplexed expression. With his eyes closed, he leaned back in the chair comfortably, but she couldn’t feel comfortable inside her sedan chair on the way back. She was so nervous while sitting next to him in the East Palace. She was at a loss how to respond when he said he would accompany her. She hurriedly left the palace to go back to her residence.

It was because of Ruhae’s mention of Kongrimok last night that she came to know about it for the first time.

Ruhae said, “I think I told you about a special royal villa last time when I met you last time. Do you still remember that?”