Labyrinth of Love

The One that has Opened

The palanquins stopped at the gate of the royal palace. Diya peeped from her heavily curtained palanquin to have a look at the palace. It was majestic, not only in size but also in its décor. Every brick of the castle had such a polished texture that it was reflecting the sunlight. Even the gate through which the entourage was brought in, had superb finish and looked so grand.

Diya hid herself in her humble palanquin again. The palace intimidated her and she did not even want to think of how intimidating would be the residents of this royal building, not to mention King V. She was almost hyperventilating.

Diya opened and closed her eyes quite a few times in hope that all these would turn into figments of her imagination, a dream but it never happened. At the end, Diya knew that this was reality. She was indeed, brought to the royal palace and very soon she would have to play the role of a royal concubine. Diya was an innocent country girl and she had very vague idea of how the life of a concubine really was. She hoped she would not commit any mistake while her stay at the palace.

Stopping the entourage, the young royal knight, Sir Jeon JungGuk, dismounted from his horse. Some attendants ran towards him and behind them walked a figure whom he had not seen for a long time. The person had a genuine smile decorating his perfect face. JungGuk smiled back witnessing the young lord who was his close friend.

"Kookie-ah, it's so nice to have you back," Lord Jimin, said with a huge smile and threw himself into JungGuk's embrace.

JungGuk stumbled backwards a few steps but hugged back Jimin. "It's nice to see you too. But please stop calling me Kookie. We are no more children."

Just then an attendant arrived and informed the young knight that the king wanted to see him.

"Aish... TaeTae, you just can't wait!" Jimin pouted heavily to which JungGuk chuckled. "Yah, don't laugh, Kookie-ah. And, I'm not going to stop calling you, Kookie. So, deal with it. When the king deals with my antique, who are you to stop me?"

JungGuk gave up knowing it was useless to convince Jimin. So, he said, "Okay fine, call me that if you want but only in private, not in front of the maids and attendants, Jiminnie."

Jimin liked when JungGuk addressed him dearly. He agreed to JungGuk's request for the time being. The young knight then took off to visit King V. Lord Jimin asked the servants to take the girls to their temporary abode for now.

Diya felt quite overwhelmed by witnessing the grandeur of the palace. She belonged to a middle class family of village traders, not exactly poor but not having much possessions as such. Thus, the riches of the royal palace absolutely amazed her. She was given a room which was too fancy for her. She was sharing it with another lady who was quite pretty but had a nasty attitude.

The moment that lady, whose name Diya later came to know as Hae Ra, stepped inside the room, she scrunched her nose and expressed her disappointment. "You call this a room fit for royal concubines? And, why should I share it with another person? Where is my personal quarter?"

The maid bowed politely and said, "Miss, please bear with it. This is just a temporary accommodation that you are given. Later on you'll be shifted elsewhere."

"How long do I need to live like a refugee in this palace? Do you know my family? I've always been treated like a princess. I come from the reputed house of the 'Shin'," Hae Ra voiced out in a rude tone.

"I cannot help you in any way, Miss," said the maid politely once more. "You all will be given a welcoming ceremony by tomorrow and eventually you'll be given your new accommodations as per his majesty's instructions."