Queen of Roses

3) Enchanted Garden

Picking out gifts was always a stressful task, especially when it was for the King.

Much to Chaeyoung's bewilderment, her father had been distancing himself from her recently. Their relationship had regressed from spending every second together during her childhood to barely speaking three sentences with one another in a day. It had reached the point where she considered herself lucky if they happened to pass by each other in the palace. Chaeyoung had decided she'd had enough of the unnecessary rift forming between them. She was going to salvage their relationship. And in her experience, one of the best methods to do this was through giving presents. Fortunately, the Dano, or Spring, festival was coming up in 2 days, so she could use the special event as an excuse to give him her gift and – hopefully – make amends.

"What do you get someone who has everything?" Chaeyoung sighed, her fingers running over a tiny ceramic sculpture of a dragon.

Chaeyoung and Jisoo had roamed the markets for the past 2 hours, searching for the perfect gift, but to no avail. They had begun their quest by visiting a fabric shop in the corner of the town and working their way through all the dainty shops around it. Although the merchants in each store provided a variety of items, from new coloured paint to jade rings, nothing seemed worthy of the King.

"Chaeyoung," Jisoo whined, dragging her feet as she followed Chaeyoung around the open market that was buzzing with people, "my feet are in pain, I am starving, and these troublesome pins are hurting my head. Can you please choose something already?"

Chaeyoung smiled over her shoulder at Jisoo and waited for her to catch up. One of the reasons she adored Jisoo was that – although, she was technically a noble – she never conformed to society's standards of how women should act. Unlike most other Goryeo woman, Jisoo despised shopping and rarely dressed up in the fine silks her mother stitched for her. She barely even wore any makeup, not that she needed it, given her flawless skin and naturally beautiful features.

"I wish it were that simple," Chaeyoung sighed, looping an arm through Jisoo's, and inspecting the paintbrushes displayed on one of the market tables, "but, I just can't seem to find the right item. My father already owns the finest paper in the nation, the most intricate hand-woven clothing, the most extravagant jewels, and everything else imaginable."

"Well, he is the king so that is reasonable," Jisoo pointed out before patting Chaeyoung's arm empathetically, "it must be hard to be a royal."

Chaeyoung exhaled wistfully, "you have no idea."

"Can we at least take a break and eat something? Perhaps an idea will spontaneously arise once our stomachs are full and our hearts are content," Jisoo smiled up at Chaeyoung, already pulling her towards the nearest inn.

"Welcome to The Hope-inn," a slender, middle-aged man greeted them at the entrance with a broad smile, "please take a seat anywhere you like, and I will be with you shortly."

Jisoo and Chaeyoung nodded politely, slipping their pointed, cotton-lined shoes off by the entrance before heading towards the nearest table. A series of colourful lanterns hung from the low roof, and a dozen short, tables were arranged in neat lines along the wooden floor, with burgundy-coloured silk cushions placed around them as seats. Beyond these tables, Chaeyoung could see a wide bar filled with a variety of alcoholic beverages that seemed to come from all over the world. She had never dared to venture beyond the dining areas of taverns, fearing that one may recognize her as the princess and spread rumours. The last thing she needed was to tarnish her father and the royal family's reputation.

"My name is Jung Hoseok, in addition to being the owner of this humble abode, I am also pleased to be your server today," the gentleman from the entrance promptly approached their table and greeted them, "we are serving kimchi stew, black-bean noodles, and fresh bread with cheese. Now, what can I get you ladies?"