With You Again (-너와 다시-)

The Royal Family ❀

"The King wants to meet the future Crown Princess."

Mae-In stopped halfway eating her breakfast and stared at the eunuch in disbelief, mouth filled with food. Soon enough, she started choking on the sweet grapes she was eating.

"Did... Did His Majesty order to see Her Highness, now?" Court Lady Jin-Hee got up from her seat and asked the eunuch as Mae-In continued to choke.

"Yes. His Majesty said he'd meet her in Gangnyeongjeon," the eunuch said.

"We'll be there in a minute!" Court Lady Jin-Hee said, shooing the eunuch away. He bowed and left.

"Your Highness! Get up! We need to get dressed!" Court Lady Jin-Hee shouted at Mae-In, excitedly.

"Butㅡ" Mae-In could not finish her sentence, as the court maid dragged her to the dressing room.

It surely didn't take them only a minute to get ready, since Court Lady Jin-Hee was making Mae-In try on every single one of the heavy silk dresses.

"These are just simple ones, you are yet to see your wedding dress, Your Highness," she had said later.

Finally, they went on with a yellow and blue pair, with a clean braid which was decorated with ornaments.

Lastly, she put on a pair of shoes and went about to meet the King, Tae-Sak and Court Lady Jin-Hee trailing behind her, formally.

They stopped in front of the huge and excellently crafted wooden door. Court Lady Jin-Hee gulped and told the men at guard, "We brought Her Highness, the future Crown Princess."

The guards announced their arrival to the King and a moment later, a voice from the other side said "Allow them to enter."

Court Lady Jin-Hee looked at Mae-In and Tae-Sak and nodded before the guards pushed the huge doors open.

Okay. Back straight, eyes down and hands locked. Don't worry.

The huge doors pushed open and the King's enormous room came into view. The three of them got in, Mae-In in front of them. She bowed deeply and kept her eyes fixated on the ground.

"You both may leave," the King's voice cut through the air.
Mae-In heard her maids' footsteps slowly fading away.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Mae-In kept her voice stable.

"Greetings, your name is Lady Jung Mae-In?" the King asked, gently.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I am Jung Mae-In from the Jung noble family," she replied, eyes still fixated on the wooden floor.

"We have met before, have we not?" the King asked.
Mae-In's blood ran cold.

Oh lord.

"Rise," the King said.
Mae-In gulped and slowly, elegantly lifted her head to face the King.

Apart from the King, three other people were sitting in the room, of whom she became aware.
On the King's left, the graceful young maiden in purple was Princess Chae-Yeong; on his right, wearing a large green robe was the Young Prince Ga-Yeong and beside him was the Crown Prince, Da-Yeong, dressed in elegant blue silk. In the middle, sat the generous and kind King, dressed in red and gold.

Mae-In stared at the King, disbelief written across her face. The King was nowhere near the scary he looked that night. He looked much younger too.

Mae-In's eyes wandered around the graceful princess. Her face had a gentle smile and her eyes were soft and sparkly.