With You Again (-너와 다시-)

The Royal Palace ❀

Mae-In gaped at the Main Palace, her eyes wide with amusement. Mae-In soon found herself getting off her horse, and jumping up and down with excitement. She looked at her maid.

"Oh my god, do you see this place, Tae-Sak? I am going to live here for almost a month!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining.

"Well, actually you will live here forever," Tae-Sak said, smiling.

Right. Mae-In almost forgot. She suppressed the tinge of fear that surged within her and thought to herself:
At least the Palace looks nice.

The guards took Ji-Su away and suggested that they should put her in the Palace stable. Mae-In disagreed at first.
"What if the male horses try and mate with my Ji-Su? Mind you, I can't take care of a baby horse right now," she had said.

After the guards left, Mae-In and Tae-Sak stood there awkwardly and immediately, a bunch of maids came and bowed to them.

"Good evening, Your Highness. I am Jin-Hee, a Court Lady who formerly looked after Her Royal Highness, the princess. I am now appointed to you, Your Highness," a middle-aged maid said, bowing to her. The other maids followed. "Should I call for a palanquin, Your Highness? Or would you like to know the route to the Detached Palace?"

Mae-In flinched a little at the Your Highness but she didn't gather up the courage to express that.

"Young Mistress, call for a palanquinㅡ" Tae-Sak started to whisper but Mae-In wished to walk instead.

"But, Your Highness, it may be a long route for youㅡ" the Court Lady started but was cut off by Mae-In.

"No thank you, I will walk to the Detached Palace."

The maids started leading the path.

"Tae-Sak, do you think they are a bit... you know, judging?" Mae-In whispered to Tae-Sak.
"Well, Young Mistress, I do think so," Tae-Sak whispered back.

"Shouldn't we respect them as elders? They look older than us..."

"Like, Eonnie?"

"Yes..."

"But, Young Mistress, calling them Court Ladies would be enough!"

"...Okay."

After a long walk, Court Lady Jin-Hee finally spoke.

"We are here, Your Highness," she bowed.

Mae-In looked up at the Detached Palace, scanning its structure.

She would be staying here until her marriageㅡ for almost a month. Will she be allowed to go out?

Mae-In ascended the stairs leading to the palace and after the maids showed her her room, she looked around. It was as big as her house's hall, filled with decorations and exquisite furniture.

Mae-In stepped into the room and threw herself on her bed, smiling at how soft it was.

A muscle in Court Lady Jin-Hee's face twitched before she said,
"This is your new room, Your Royal Highness."

***

Mae-In looked here and there, trying to figure out where she was heading. It was evening and she soon found out that she couldn't sit still in her newly introduced room when the moon was out and crickets sang a beautiful chorus. So while Tae-Sak accidentally fell asleep and Court Lady Jin-Hee was not around, she jumped out of her room and silenced the remaining maids and guards with a silent glare before walking out of the palace.