Heart Race

the inconsolable

Nearing the day of the first challenge of Heart Race, the whole palace court have been intrigued by some questions only the Crown Prince can answer.

To whom will he give the peonies to?
And whose three hearts will be broken as he puts an end to their journey in the race?

The chatters only get louder, particularly on the second question, with the court ladies become the witnesses to the Crown Prince's interactions with the noble ladies — different ladies everyday — whom he took to dine in the pavilions.

"Did you see how Jeoha smile at Lady Hong? Omo, he is visibly smitten." One of the court ladies working in the kitchen told her friend.

"My heart," another court lady gripped her upper left chest dramatically in front of her friends. "I saw how Seja Jeoha paying attention to Lady Jang's story. He is very attentive toward her."

"How about when he laughed at everything Lady Jeon said? Oh, he must like her very much." Another tale added.

And another one. "My favorite had to be when he 'strategically' lost when he played Go with Lady Go. What a gentleman."

They put such attention to these interactions that, of course, they also know who isn't there.

"Poor Lady Son. I genuinely like her for the Crown Princess, but— to not interact with the Crown Prince before the race— it's a huge disadvantage."

"I know, right? It is the most probable thing— her getting eliminated. Oh, poor Lady Son. She's very pretty."

"But I heard her father is Jeoha's favorite teacher, maybe there's still hope for her?"

"I don't think so. It's not her father the Prince will marry. How can she fight for herself if she can't even meet the Prince alone?"

They thought they have the answer, at least one correct answer to the question, that they confidently bet on Lady Son getting eliminated.

Much to the roll of eyes of the East Palace's court ladies.

"They bet on it!" Hye-won, one of East Palace's court ladies, grumbles as she reports the bet to her superior. "If only they knew how inconsolable the Crown Prince is these days since Lady Son stops coming to the library."

"Let them and their opinions be." The head court lady reminds her subordinate.

"I swear, it's so hard not to scream about how good of manduguk Lady Son made. And what? They said the Crown Prince was smitten with Lady Hong? They didn't know Jeoha made her wait for a whole hour to attend to Lady Son. And laughing at everything Lady Jeon said? Of course, he would, they were talking about Lady Son after all!"

Ko Sanggung smiles at Hye-won as she blabs about their favorite young lady. "Just don't forget what Jeoha told us. We can't show our support nor we can show others that we know Son Agasshi in the open. It would do no good to her."

Hye-won sighs but nods. "Absolutely, Ko Sanggung."

"But Hye-won— bid your most beautiful binyeo on the bet so others would bid the same. You would get all of them at the end." Ko Sanggung winks before dismissing Hye-won to attend to the man himself, the Crown Prince.

The senior court lady fully agrees with Hye-won's observation about Yi Hyun being inconsolable the past few days, though she comes to expect it ever since he was back from his meet with the King and Queen with a storm clouding his face.

She did not need to wonder too long as to the reason, for the Queen issued the decree just the day after. And he made everyone's life a hell since then; he asked very specifically to the royal cook to serve him manduguk, only to not eating it because the taste was too different with what he had in mind. Then, he refused to study anything, except one thing, Poetry.