The Ambassador's Daughter

Foreigner

Overwhelmed. The sights. The sounds. The smells. The people. I had only seen paintings of what they looked like. My father had told me their eyes were different. Odd. But I disagreed with his description. I found them to be quite mysterious-looking. Like they were shaped that way because of the secrets they kept hidden. Secrets we foreigners were not to be told. It excited and scared me simultaneously.

I was 21. Young. Innocent. Naive. A "baby" as my older brother and sister liked to tease me. Father did not trust us enough to leave me with either of them in America. He wanted me under his strict supervision. So, I was brought along. Little did father know I was filled with wanderlust. I hid it from him. I would not give him the satisfaction of realizing he had made me happy with this new adventure. Even more, I did not want to give him a reason to make me stay in America.

Despite his love for me, he often found it difficult to make me happy. He believed avoiding things like silliness, playing, and frivolity would make me stronger. My life was not hard. But it was boring. Plain. Simple. I rarely got toys. Books. Books were what I could have. But only books he approved of. And I rarely got my way on anything, including my choice of friends. Treats like candy were for my birthday and Christmas only. And only one treat. I was not allowed dessert. It might make me fat, after all. I had to be his perfect little doll with every movement I made controlled by him. He was the same way with Mother and my sister Marietta but they did not seem to mind. Well, I did. I minded a lot.

His illusion that I was going to be a timid, compliant daughter who would bow and scrape to make him look good was laughable. Of course, I would comply at first out of necessity. But as soon as I got my bearings, I was going to rebel. Explore. Fly. Be free in this new foreign land. This land where his friends and their wives were nowhere to be found. They could not watch me and update Father on my daily activities.

We arrived at our new dwelling. It was quite unusual looking but beautiful. The tiled roof took on an odd shape, swooping up at the ends like Father's mustache. The carvings in the wood door and interior trim were ornate. I do not know why I was so surprised that such fine detail could be found in a foreign land.

Father asked that we get ready as soon as possible. We had an emperor to meet. Fresh off the boat, I needed a bath and a change of clothes. As rebellious as I felt, I did not want to ruin things for Father as the new ambassador of our country. I had heard the emperor could be fierce if offended. I was told numerous stories by my older brother. But perhaps he only told me the stories to get a laugh at my expense.

The hired help was constantly bowing. Father explained it was their custom, but it made me uneasy. How should I respond? He had hired a valet for himself and maids for mother and me. The young lady assigned to me bowed so often it was as if her back was permanently bent. As I finished bathing and putting on my robe, I heard a knock at my door. It was Mother. I pointed to the door and my maid, Da-eun, opened it.

"Flora, dear, I have a surprise for you!"

She came in with a large box and set it on my bed.

"What is it?"

"Your father wants you to arrive at the palace wearing the traditional clothing of the people."

I opened the box to see a silk dress. It was cut completely differently than the clothing I usually wore. At first, I was not sure how I felt about it. The colors and embroidered fabric were beautiful, but the cut was not fashionable. At least not to my eyes.

"But mom, this . . ."

"Now, dear. I know it is not what you are used to, but your father has assured me that this is a perfectly fashionable dress here. I like the fact that you do not need to wear a corset with this dress."