The Accidental Monarch

Waltzing

"It is expected that His Majesty and his queen-to-be will be the ones to open the dance at the ball this Saturday," Kim Sook, the royal etiquette advisor, brings up while Seri practices with the heavy bridal headpiece on. Her steps falter at the abrupt announcement and it prompts the older woman to click her tongue in admonishment. "Chin forward! You've been doing so well."

Tuesdays have become her day of lessons at the palace. She has been debriefed at the start that lesson plans alternate among four subjects: history, calligraphy, speech, and etiquette. She has yet to experience the first three since Kim Sook insisted that etiquette held the highest priority.

What the actress thought would be a series of calm, educational lectures as her introduction into royalty has turned out to be a laborious coaching of how she is expected to behave from the moment she is presented in front of the royal court until the day she dies. The bright side is that her movements have become more graceful and conscious, but the process has not been kind.

After another half hour with the headpiece, her shoulders are finally relieved from the weight. She hides her grimace as she stretches her neck lest the other woman sees. Rule number one: never show emotion. The royal family must remain pleasant at all times. No loud expressions, only mild demeanors. Never show fatigue, disgust, or anger. Shoulders back, chin up, smile on.

Once her five-minute break passes, Kim Sook leads her in a poor version of the waltz that has her stepping on the latter's toes again and again. The advisor scolds her while she holds herself back from questioning her methods. She knows how to dance and this is not it. Before long, the older woman alleviates her aching feet by sitting down and instructing her from a safe distance.

She feels silly twirling around with an invisible partner but finds it infinitely better than dancing with one who is almost a foot shorter than her that she has no way of anticipating the next step. They continue practicing until her head spins even when the rest of her body has already stilled.

Tongue click. "Again."

She starts to feel lightheaded but powers through, which only leads her to another misstep.

Tongue click. "Again."

She inevitably trips over her own two feet. But instead of the hardwood floors, a pair of strong arms break her fall. A gasp that betrays both her surprise and her relief escapes her as Jeong-hyeok's handsome face comes into view. With his arms still around her waist, he turns to the advisor with a troubled expression and a question that takes her aback, "Where's Wol-sook?"

The absurdity of it prompts the actress to say, "What do you mean? She's standing right there."

"No, darling, this is Kim Sook. I asked Na Wol-sook to teach you," he manages to remain gentle towards her despite his obvious ire towards the other woman. "There better be a good explanation as to why you are the one here, Ms. Kim."

Kim Sook stands her ground with her chin lifted high. Before she even answers him, Seri already knows what she's going to say. "Her Majesty the Queen preferred to have me teach Ms. Yoon, Your Majesty," she tells them, confirming her suspicions. "I am simply following her orders."

"And what of my orders?" Jeong-hyeok snaps. The only indication that the woman is taken aback is a mere twitch of her left eye. During the pause in which she struggles to find a proper response, the king interrupts. "Please fetch Wol-sook for me. I want to have a quick word with her before she starts lessons with Seri." And when she hesitates, he adds in a firm tone, "Now."

Defeated, the woman bows to him before taking her leave. "Of course. Excuse me, Your Majesty."

Once they are alone, Seri releases the breath she didn't realize she had been holding. "I'm sorry. I should have..." she trails off, unsure of what she should have done or should have known, before releasing a sound of annoyance. "I had a feeling that something was off, but I still allowed it to go on for so long without saying anything."