2 ⚜️🌺 Royal Veil
Seon-in refused to look at anyone. Baek laughed, and she started back, bumping the table behind her.
"I..." she gasped. "I'm sorry!"
He waited for her to lower her hands, but she stayed that way—leaning away.
"I won't punish you for such acts. No need to get so flustered," he stated.
Her ears burned as she shook her head.
"I need to go!" she urged, pointing toward the entrance, then hurried away.
Baek stepped back and let her leave. As her hair brushed his veil, he stared at her eyes. His breath hitched. In the shadow of the bookstore, her eyes held a bluish-hazel gleam, but when a sunray touched her eyelids, they shifted to a light brown flecked with hazel. Hazel eyes? Are those foreign genes in a Joseon person?
His silence churned Hye-shik's stomach.
"Hm... Your Majesty—"
"Wait... didn't Royal Grandfather...?" Baek paused, recalling.
[FLASHBACK - the reign before Hyeongjong — Jeongjo]
"Royal Father..." Yi Baek's father, who later became Hyeongjong, knelt. "Please retract your verdict!"
"Minister Park Jiyuk-han committed a sin!" Jeongjo shouted, slamming his hand on the armchair. "He dared to stir the court with a foreigner's blood!"
Hyeongjong kowtowed anxiously, head lowered to the cold ground. Jiyuk-han bowed.
"Your Majesty, if my wife brings calamity to the kingdom, then punish me for loving such a woman..."
"Park Jiyuk-han!" Jeongjo seethed from the throne. "She will bring ruin to your family! You must devote yourself to Joseon's Confucius."
"A man must never abandon a woman who left everything for love. I will never waver," Jiyuk-han answered.
"Why?! You know that Prime Minister Kim wanted this! You could easily—"
"It's better to bend the body than my principles."
Jeongjo glared in silence at the impudence of the stubborn man. Jiyuk-han then removed his metal belt and set it on the cool wooden floor. Hyeongjong inhaled sharply.
"Minister Park—"
"Your Highness, Crown Prince, you still have a long way to go... being your private teacher was already the greatest honor. It's time for me to request retirement," Jiyuk-han said.
Hyeongjong crawled to him on his knees.
"But just because of a woman—"
"Don't tell me that she's just any woman...!" Jiyuk-han interrupted. The room tightened with silence. "She's the one I chose for life... you'll one day meet such a woman yourself."
Hyeongjong and Jeongjo swallowed pride and words, each bearing the agony of letting one of their most trusted ministers go.
[END OF FLASHBACK]
Baek gulped as he pondered. Could she be...? There's no way! I heard Minister Park refused to return to court. I thought they lived farther away. He turned to Hye-shik.
"Hye-shik, where does the son of late Minister Park Jiyuk-han live?"
Hye-shik furrowed his brows, recalling.
"He lives... near here. Why?"
Baek's heart thudded.
"Take me there—now!"
They left the bookstore in haste, heading for Seon-in's residence.
"Father, I'm back before the gong!" Seon-in called, hopping on one foot as she entered.
A young boy ran into the yard and hugged her. Seon-in laughed as she held him.
"Noona!"
"My little Hanjun-ah!"
Hanjun giggled as she set him on his feet.
"I didn't buy the book for you yet, but when I do, I promise to teach you. Okay?" Seon-in said.
"Hmm," he nodded.
Baek stood by the entrance, watching. When she moved slightly, Hanjun's face came into view—light brown eyes. Not as bright or rare as Seon-in's, but their coloring hinted at a foreignness unusual in Joseon.
"That..." Baek hesitated.
"My Seon-ah!" Ji-kyung called.
Seon-in turned and ran to him.
Hye-shik's eyes widened as he stepped forward without realizing.
"Your Majesty... that's—"
"Park Jiyuk-han's son..." Baek finished. Hye-shik's heart dropped. "That means... she's likely the minister's granddaughter. The one he cherished and taught before he died."
While they considered this, Seon-in hugged Hanjun and smiled at Ji-kyung.
"Father, are you heading out of town tonight?" Seon-in asked.
Ji-kyung squinted suspiciously.
"Why? Planning to sneak out while I'm gone?" he joked.
She laughed and played it off.
"No... I just need to make sure I take care of the place as you leave!" she lied smoothly.
"My daughter..." he teased.
Seon-in forced a smile and carried Hanjun inside. As she left, Baek turned away and returned to the palace. Ji-kyung caught a glimpse of a veil and a flashing norigae.
"His Majesty?" Ji-kyung muttered, chest tightening. Why did His Majesty come here? Did he... meet Seon-in?
Hours passed, and the sky turned bright orange. Ji-kyung's mind kept returning to Baek's visit. He watched Seon-in for any sign.
"Seon-ah, did you meet anyone strange today?" Ji-kyung pried.
Seon-in stiffened and nearly choked.
"Strange? No..." she responded. Did he hear that I reprimanded a nobleman today?
Ji-kyung relaxed and sighed.
"I see. I will be heading soon. Han Shin will accompany me."
She smiled, hiding her real plan to sneak out.
"Okay. I will keep the home safe."
Ji-kyung patted her head.
"It's about time my daughter finds a suitable partner. Don't you think?"
She frowned.
"If I marry, I won't be here for Hanjun. I don't want to get married."
Ji-kyung looked at the sleeping child.
"Your mother left so soon..." he said softly.
"She gave us for you, and that itself is a blessing."
He kissed her forehead and held her.
"If anything, I want you two to have a normal life. The palace life is too hectic. I will be back in a week, my dear," he stated.
"Safe travels, Father..." she whispered beneath his arms
Ji-kyung left, leaving Seon-in nominally in charge. But she had other plans. That night, she dressed in her palace-maid outfit and ran to the North Gate of the palace.
After the gong, she slipped through the shadows toward the Jibokjae.
"This time... I will borrow and return it after I finish copying," she whispered. Once the corridor cleared, she sneaked into the Forbidden Library.
Baek stood in the library's shadow, staring at his desk, when a loud thud reached him. Did she dare to sneak in again?
Seon-in hurried to the shelf of the Four Books, then froze—
"Where is it?!" she whispered. "I know I put it back!"
She glanced at the desk—a chill prickled her spine.
"It's on the table..." she realized. She covered her mouth and peered over the shelves. If I take it, will they know? There are so many books—there's no way the king will need this now. The exam isn't until next year!
Seon-in tiptoed to the table and grabbed the book.
Baek furrowed his brows as he watched carefully. Is she stealing from me? Does she truly not fear any punishment?
She wrapped the book in a cloth she'd brought and glanced over her shoulder as she moved.
"As long as I bring it back—"
Baek purposefully knocked a book down.
"Eek!" she squealed, hand to mouth. Her heart pounded. Is someone in here? Is there a ghost?! Why does this always happen when I'm here?!
She bit the joint of her index finger, eyes fixed on the book.
"Will doing this harm my father and my brother's future?" she asked herself. Then her grandfather's words echoed—words he'd spoken before he died.
"Keep your heart upright, and do not turn from the weight of your own choices. As for me, I have never regretted the path that led me to you all," Jiyuk-han's voice echoed.
Her chest hardened with resolve. She balled her fist and nodded.
"If anything, I'll protect my family. No one will catch me taking this because I'll bring it back quickly!"
Baek watched her silently and smiled. No one will catch you... Even in my library?
Seon-in found an empty sheet and an inkstone. She ground the ink carefully as Baek observed. Her poised movements held him—each small motion an arresting quiet in elegance. His chest thudded as heat rose to his cheeks.
Seon-in lifted the brush to the paper, and her sleeve slipped just enough as she held it back, revealing the delicate curve of her wrist. The motion was proper for writing, but to Baek, it was a quiet provocation. His gaze lingered, heart thudding in a way that startled him. How could something so innocent make him ache to reach out—to hold that slender wrist as if it were the only thing in the world worth touching?
Soon, Seon-in left the palace through the North Gate. Hye-shik followed at a distance, ensuring her safety as she departed.
Baek returned to his bedchamber, his mind still reeling from the audacity he had just witnessed—and from the thief he had freed. Though he wanted rest, sleep would not come easily.
Seon-in appeared in his dreams. She lay on his bed, her bare wrists—the same ones he had seen—exposed.
A soft, alluring voice whispered, "Your Majesty..."
Her cheeks were flushed, one hand pressed to her chest. She breathed heavily as her hazel eyes focused on his chest.
Baek leaned over her, eyes fixed on hers. The provocation was irresistible. He lowered his warm breath to her neck, then, unable to restrain himself while smelling her skin, grasped both of her delicate wrists and lifted them above her head. What kind of flower would she smell like to be this captivating?