Royally Screwed (TaeGyu)

ARC 1: Part 1

"How much for one of these?" Beomgyu picked up the clearly hand-woven piece of tapestry. Under the shade of the shop, he couldn't see the designs in great detail but he could feel them under his fingers.

"8,000 won, sir," the plump, old woman at the counter said in a small voice. Beomgyu looked at her in surprise.

"Only 8,000?" He repeated. Now it was her turn to look surprised.

"W- well yes, sir," she nodded hesitantly. "Is it too much? How much would you like?"

"8,000 is too less," Beomgyu said, horrified. "You have clearly spent hours upon this and the design is quite wonderful and detailed! You should be selling this for at least 20,000."

"Ah but then no one here can afford that much, sir," she said with a sad smile. "I used to go upto the capital before and sell these but I am getting old. I can't make the trip to and fro without getting tired."

"Why didn't you just settle in the capital then?" Beomgyu frowned, gently picking up the tapestry and folding it.

"The capital is too busy and loud for old me," she laughed lightly, watching him bring the tapestry to her warmly. "It's quieter and more peaceful out here."

"It indeed is," Beomgyu admitted. He pulled out his bag of money and counted it before handing it over to her. She took the money and counted, gasping.

"25,000? Sir, this is too much-!"

"Keep them," Beomgyu reassured her. "I am sorry that I cannot buy anything else for today and I won't be able to come back anytime soon either. But this tapestry is definitely worth that much."

"You are too kind, sir," she bowed. After chatting a bit more with her and putting the tapestry in his bag, Beomgyu stepped out. Immediately, his bodyguard, Geonhak joined him by the hip.

"Everything fine, Your Majesty?" He asked, his deep voice low enough to only be heard by Beomgyu.

"I bought this wonderful tapestry from the shop," Beomgyu frowned. "But she only priced it for 8,000. Things in the villages are so cheap compared to the capital. It seemed like the reason behind it was that no one here can afford it. Perhaps I need to talk with my father about this tonight."

The two started walking towards the hotel resting on the outskirts of the small village. Geonhak nodded at his words.

"The income in these areas is not as high as the capital," he told the young prince. Beomgyu shot him a look from the corner of his eyes.

"How do you know?" He asked, curious.

"I grew up in this village, Your Majesty," Geonhak smiled, a bit amused. Beomgyu's face dawned in understanding. "Things haven't really changed much here."

"I have heard these areas haven't had much development in the past few years," Beomgyu hummed, eyes raking over the people drifting in and out of the shops. "That's another thing to note down on. Since we are finishing developments in the western cities, it's about time to start work here in the eastern villages too."

When they reached the hotel, Geonhak worked to move their belongings to the horse cart they had called for them. It wasn't the most comfortable to travel in but Beomgyu had a disguise to maintain and he couldn't go around in a car in these villages without standing out like a sore thumb. Beomgyu hurriedly wrote down his observations of the village on his phone and made a mental note to edit his report on the ride back.

The two quietly left the village and started their journey westwards towards the capital, where the palace was. Beomgyu sighed at the thought of home, a warm smile taking over his face. His vacation was about to end and he would soon have to leave for his last school year at the Royal Academy but after that, this was going to be his life.