A Lush Affair: A Jealous Till Jade Sequel (A Hwarang Fanfic)

Chapter 1: The Encounter

"Stepfather is retiring," announces Prince Onjo as he, King Jinheung and I sit at the table having our afternoon tea. I nearly choke on my hot earl grey, and the king and I exchange concerned glances.

"But he's still healthy. And what about that new project he's been working on?"

"He's handing over the project to me and he's started to teach me of all the other duties I'll be taking on. Jade, I'm ready. I have a whole plan set for the future of Baekje - starting with that project. Don't you believe I'm ready?"

"Of course I do." I smile weakly. "It's just so sudden, that's all." I lean back in my chair and look to my right at Jinheung for backup.

"Does your father know about this? I mean your birth father," asks Jinheung.

The prince frowns. "The only father I have is Stepfather." Here we go again.

"Yes, you always say that," says Jinheung. "I'm just worried that your... tense relationship with Jumong could cause bigger problems in the future."

Prince Onjo gets up, clearly angry now. Great, good job, Your Majesty. I bring my hand to my temple, feeling a headache rising.

"I will take my leave now. Please do not invite me to tea again until you have cleansed your head, King Jinheung." The next thing we know, he's slammed the door behind him, making me jump.

"That boy-" Jinheung gets up from his seat. "How dare he speak to me like that!"

"I'm sure he'll apologize once he's calmed down, Your Majesty." I casually sip my tea as he sighs and sits back down. "Anyway, I think it's excellent that he's ready to fulfill his duty as King of Baekje. "

"What if he's not ready?" says Jinheung worriedly.

"Honey, he is twenty-six now. He is ready. Besides, lets not forget that he's the one who discovered Baekje. His stepfather has just been...Babysitting the nation until his high- I mean, Onjo was ready. Just like your mother did for you." I take another sip of tea.

"Yeah, but lets hope his father is nothing like my mother."

"You got that right."

"Listen, Jade, this project he mentioned...I've actually been in on it," he explains excitedly.

"Is that so?" I raise an eyebrow. "Well, I hope it doesn't involve you causing another misfit with the crown prince of Japan." I place my tea on the table so I can focus on lecturing him. "You know I still haven't forgiven you for that and neither has my mother."

"No, Jade. This is even better."

"Oh, Lord."

"No, no, no. Listen. Onjo and I studied the Han river-"

"I'm glad you boys have been studying your geography," I nod.

He ignores my critical comment. "And it seems like it leads straight to China. You know what this means?" Now he beams like a child buying cotton candy.

"Do I want to know?"

"We're gonna take it from Jumong," he says with a mischievous smile on his face.

A brief silence fills the air, until-

"Are you crazy?!" I shout. "Are you trying to start a war?"

"Shh. We can't let anyone know about this. At least not yet. Jade, if we get this river, we could become ten times more wealthy and powerful than we are now! Didn't you say you want to design and build a palace? We could build it right by the river! Just imagine how great that would look."

"Jinheung. We have important duties to fulfill right here in Silla. We still have starving families out there that we need to feed."

"Jade, you need stop being so soft to everyone."

I gape my mouth open, shocked by his words. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Two knocks on the door disturb us. "Come in," demands Jinheung. I straighten my back.

"Your Majesty," greets Court Lady Aro. "The officials are ready for the meeting now. They are gathering in the usual room."

"Okay," he says, then he gets up and faces me. "I have to go but we'll talk later, okay?"

I smile weakly.

Once I'm alone I let out a verbal sigh. Finally some peace.

Until there's a knock on the door again. Now what?

"Your majesty, it is I, Count Seo. There is somebody I would like for you to meet."

"Come in," I order. "Count Seo," I greet him with a smile.

"Queen Jade, is the king not present?"

"No, he just left for a meeting with the officials. What's this about? Perhaps I could pass on the message?"

He opens the door wider to let another man through, then he shuts it gently. This new face is the most artistically structured face I've ever seen: not to thin, not too round; double-lid brown eyes; a tall nose; sweet lips and firm cheek bones. He's also as tall as the king, well-built and has perfect hair like a horse's mane... Okay, that was an awful simile - unusual for me - but you know what I mean.

"My queen, I would like to introduce you to my son Viscount Joon. He just returned from studying in London."

Viscount Joon bows down honorably. "Your Majesty, it is of the greatest honor to meet you and to be given the privilege of joining the royal court."

It's my first time meeting Count Seo's son but I've heard many good things about him. That he's been in college in London to study Politics & Law. I beam at the new kid.

"Viscount, it's our pleasure to have you. It was getting a little dull around here. A new face is exactly what we've needed. Come," I get up. "I'll give you the tour myself." This ought to keep me company for a while.