When Peony Blooms #AMBW

Chapter 1: Promise of a Royal Union

  "Like the meeting of rivers, two destinies converge, bound by an ancient vow that echoes through the corridors of time."                                         

An older gentleman's fingers curled around the teacup, its delicate porcelain surface smooth against his aged skin. He took a sip of the hot ginger and pepper tea, trying very hard to keep his face neutral. The drink was slightly displeasing to him, but he didn't want to show it in front of Princess Ayodele.

As a young woman sat across from him with her hands folded neatly in her lap, attempting to keep her smile hidden. She observed him, amused by the twitches of his nose and the fiddling of his hands as he attempted to sooth himself.

"Princess Ayodele," he began, his voice low and measured. "Have you given a thought..."

He paused for a moment, studying her closely before continuing. His eyes flickered over her face, taking in the high cheekbones and full lips that had entranced so many suitors before.

" You aren't a shy man; you are a diplomatic minister.... Lee Sang-Hyun, is it?" She asked raising a brow from where she sat all while she multitasked and pointed to a collection of books in the corner of her room to one of the passing servants to collect along with her other baggage.

" Did Prime Minister Kim warn you of my temper?" She scoffed in a sarcastic manner, only for the gentleman to give a soft look of confusion. The diplomat flushed, then swallowed and turned his face away to gaze out the room's window towards the presence of the sea beyond. Ayodele chuckled, her arms folded, amused and intrigued by his bashfulness.

" In other words, I am saying don't beat around the bush," Ayodele said as she gestured for the handmaiden beside her to take along some of the other clothing items and jewelry her mother had packed for the boat.

"How about making your name more-"

" Gongmuwon-jangnim! Give it a rest. Absolutely not, I have been promised to a stranger since I was merely a child. If I am to enter a kingdom that was never mine and a people I do not know, I should at the very least, be respected enough to be called by the name of my motherland, and my people."

" I didn't mean-"

" I am a human being, sir. not vase for decoration." Ayodele, said as her smile was thanking her handmaiden, Afi for assisting her.

" I would never wish that of you." Diplomat Lee said as he sighed in defeat at the stubborn young woman's outspoken nature.

" Then might I suggest you stop trying to turn me into a Joseon crown princess, it will never happen," Ayodele stated frankly before standing up to excuse herself.

Since she was five years of age, she had been promised to a young crown prince to be, simply because her mother befriended a Joseon queen. If it was up to Ayodele alone the way she would be spending her eighteenth birthday would be someone else attempting to fly alongside the birds or horseback ride into the dusk. Yet none of those things at this moment remained an option.

She folded her arms across her chest as she peered out the window. " I asked them not to add any honey to your tea on purpose you know." She stated trying to fill the quiet between her and the diplomat sent to accompany her and Afi to Joseon.

" Is she giving you trouble already?" A soft voice came from the doorway. Lady Song peered in. She gave a soft smile to Ayodele, with a gaze that came off motherly, almost saying "You know better." She was one of the few people Ayodele allowed to critique her, even if it was unspoken.

" Not- Not- at all" the flustered diplomat stated as he took the chance to stand up and bow his way out of the room, almost relieved that he could escape the stares of the young woman.