Jealous Till Jade: A Hwarang Fanfic

Chapter 5: The Announcement

Later that afternoon, I accompany King Jinheung to his meeting with the officials. Grace, whom I hadn't seen all day, is already there.

"Where have you been?" I whisper as I take my spot adjacent to her.

"Sorry, I was meeting with someone," she says. Who?

After the men take their seats, we serve them hot tea then take our places on either side of the king.

"Your majesty," begins Official Park. "We have been slightly concerned about your marital status. We have selected several options and would like to announce them to you today."

The King shakes his head and smiles. "There will be no need for that." The officials exchange puzzled glances. "I've actually been thinking about marriage for a while now and I've narrowed down some choices."

"Well, that's excellent, your highness," beams Official Park.

"And who may these so-called 'choices' be, your majesty?" asks Official Ho.

"I don't want to announce that quite yet, as it could cause some problems." The atmosphere tenses. I know the officials hate being left out of plans. But they equally hate problems.

"Well then, when will you be sharing your plans with us, your majesty?" Official Kim raises his eyebrows.

"Soon. For now, just know that I'm currently being very observant of the ladies in the palace."

"Your highness," starts Official Han. "Does, perhaps, the rejuvenation of the wonhwa system have anything to do with your plan?"

Wait, what?

The large room goes dead-quiet. I glance at Grace who looks back at me with a pale face that probably mirrors what mine looks like right now.

The king smiles. "As I said, I cannot officially announce anything yet. But rest assured that I have everything under control and that my choice has already started to become apparent." The officials nod.

*Grace P.O.V. (Special)*

I clench my fists as an attempt to calm my heart rate but it doesn't seem to help. What's wrong with me? Jade is my best friend and I'll always want the best for her. But the throne is something as equally as important as our friendship. I can't help but be jealous that she's a couple of steps ahead of me already. Father is right. I really need to wake up and up my game. The king is already quite interested in her while I'm nearly invisible to him.

The rest of the meeting goes by in a blur. When I snap out of my reverie, it's over and the officials start to leave. I bow down to them and then to the king who walks past us but only has eyes for Jade. They smile at each other and she gazes after him as he exits. Oh, Jade. Maybe this is our destiny. What are the odds that we've been born in our positions and then ranked up as the king's wonhwa's?