Suitors and Strangers

Chapter Four (Yeom)

          As a simple court lady Yeom was not allowed to be a part of the King's ceremonial welcome, so she found herself standing outside the doors. This was easy for her, but her mind got restless really fast. It was only her first day back in the palace and all her past worries came rushing back.  Since she was young, she never really had great memories with this place, her last memory being her mother choosing the palace over her and her father.  The ceremony seemed to be going on for hours, yet it only started. Wanting to relax her mind, she pressed her ear against the door to figure out what was going on.

              Before she could get her ear close the  King's voice came booming through the door as he stated, " In a few days time,  Joon Seo  will become of marrying age." The strained king's voice was still as loud as Yeom remembered it. His voice giving her spine the same chills it did when she was young. Shaking the feeling away, Yeom pressed her ear closer to the door to get a better listen on what the king was saying. " I will take recommendations on potential suitors for her." Yeom could not believe that the King had planned to marry of Princess Pil on her birthday.  It was quite a big demand to place, when Princess Pil just arrived back to the palace. Pulling her ear away from door,  she felt more uneasy then she was before. The fear of the king's power came all rushing to Yeom's head. This same power that he is using to marry off Princess Pil, was the same power he used to separate her family.  Yeom's mind couldn't take anymore of this, and grew dizzy with each thought. Needing to clear her mind, Yeom decided to head to  the Damiwon.

           Upon entering the Damiwon, Yeom was no longer racked with nervousness, but instead was greeted by a grim presence. Wherever Yeom looked there were a pear of eyes staring back. None of the looks that accompanied those eyes seemed friendly. Yeom awkwardly smiled toward all the ladies. Since Yeom didn't hang around other ladies before this, she had no idea on how to handle this situation. The other ladies scoffed at Yeom and began to whisper among themselves. Maybe it was best if she just went outside to get that fresh air, as it seems she is not welcomed here. Quickly maneuvering  among the ladies Yeom kept her head down. She felt like a rabbit stuck in a hawks nest. At any moment the hawk was bound to tear apart the rabbit.

          Trying her hardest to avoid eye contact, Yeom attempted to make her way outside, but with the slip of her feet she fell onto one of the ladies, and was immediately pushed to the ground. "I am so sorry," Yeom began to spout. She was too embarrassed to look up.  Yeom tried to get back on her feet but was pushed back down. The ladies closest to Yeom laughed, and none of the other ladies bothered to intervene or help. Irritated and embarrassed, Yeom looked up at the lady who had pushed her. "What's wrong with you," Yeom said through gritted teeth, as she tried to hold in her anger.

         The lady who had pushed Yeom scoffed and looked at the lady standing next to her. "Is she speaking informally to me?" She looks back at Yeom, "She must be crazy."

        Yeom stood up more frustrated then she was before. "Actually I think you must be crazy to think that I won't give you what you deserve." Yeom raised her hand, and the lady Immediately flinched. This was all Yeom needed to see. Obviously the ladies were more talk then action, and Yeom did not want to start off in the palace with bad air. "I will be taking my leave," she said as she bowed to the ladies and began to head to her previous destination.

      "Look at Prince Jung's toy walk away," the ladies shouted behind Yeom. "At least she knows her place  among the ladies. All she can bring to Prince Jung is dirty rumors. What exactly is their friendship" they continued.

     Yeom turned to them, and began to roll her shoulders. The ladies could talk all the trash they wanted about her, but once they tried to use Yeom and Prince Jung's friendship as a basis for rumors, she could not hold it in anymore. Yeom had spent most her life fighting wrongful people, adding a couple more to her list would not hurt anyone, except maybe the ladies. Yeom with all the anger in her punched, knocking the lady down, her friends moving back.

      "LADY YEOM," a voice shouted as Yeom prepared to give the lady another taste of her fist. Yeom dropped her fist and looked back, only to immediately lose her anger, and quickly stand in a bow. The lady Yeom punched also got up, as she held her nose and bowed. "What has become of the Damiwon," the voice asked.

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  "I don't know the answer to that," Yeom said, as she held books over her head. Yeom had ended up in this position When Lady Oh had entered the Damiwon and caught her with her fist raised at another Lady, now Yeom was being asked a billion history question, as her hands stayed raised above her head. Yeom remembered this strict learning when she was only 6, and she was training to be Princess Pil's lady. It had been so long since then, and under palace standards Yeom did not fit the role of a lady. "I did not mean to start the fight Lady Oh," Yeom tried to bargain, as her arms were getting tired from holding the books up.

   "It's not about who started the fight, but rather how a lady responds to one." Lady Oh stood up from her desk and circled Yeom, picked up another book and added onto the stack. Yeom grunted at the weight but still kept her arms up. "How do you expect to become Princess Pil's lady if you cannot even stay out of a fight? You are a lady not a soldier Yeom." Yeom shook her head in agreement, it was best not to fight the system, but rather accept it to make it easier on everyone. "Starting today, you will be on a strict schedule, with no breaks to visit. Not even Princess Pil." Lady oh tapped her desk, signaling Yeom to set the books down. Yeom quickly did, and then started to stretch her arms. "I will turn you into a proper lady again, even if I must drag you close to death to achieve that."

    Yeom groaned, and began to pout. She was not going to make it past a week.