.seventy three.
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"We had our honeymoon before the actual wedding. You were amazing."
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With King Taejo gone and his son Wang Mu in power, Jangmi had lost the opportunity of a lifetime. Not that the tenth prince was even interested in her to begin with. But at least she had a fighting chance and she wanted to prove to him that she was a better match for him than some blind girl who at best had been able to give him three children--one with plenty and significant health problems. The new king had no interest in making her his younger brother's bride. He was quite fond of the general's daughter and thought that of all his brothers, the young couple were the least problematic--well, them as well as Han and Soon Deok.
In the past year, she and her people had been taking refuge in the forest, with some people opting to work in terrible conditions in the village because they were not actual citizens. Jangmi was currently making money stealing items from the local tent shops and selling them at the docs to the merchants who came in from other neighboring countries. But it was a difficult trade and she often bitterly thought that she could provide better for herself, her family, and her people, if she had gotten married to the tenth prince, or even the fourteenth prince. But the latter had gone off to the battle fields where it was very unlikely that he would ever return. He had the skills and the training, but out there someone also had to have luck.
It was about a year and half into Wang Mu's reign now when Jangmi spotted the tenth prince in the village. He was taller, more handsome, and well build underneath his robes with broad shoulders and a chiseled jaw. He was also more lean and appeared more manly than he had once been.
He was looking around in the row of tents that sold hair pins, and other jeweled objects and she followed him closely, making sure not to be seen. At one of the tents, she heard him asking one of the merchants, "Which is the most expensive and best hair pin you have? Its my anniversary with my wife and I'd like to surprise her with a nice hair pin." In other years, and also for her birthday, he had gotten her little toys which signified the way she had gotten him a toy for his birthday. But on this occasion he wanted something more for her. He wanted to impress her and show his love for her in the form of something she could cherish and wear. Though he thought that nothing could ever top the silk ball he gave her for her fifteenth birthday.
Prince Eun firmly believed the legends about it were right and that if a boy gave a silk ball to the girl he liked, then she would fall in love with him. It had happened with Minji, even though he had given it to her during a time when he wasn't, or he thought he wasn't interested in her.
She walked up to him, pretending she was just another interested customer and she grabbed the nicest hair pin she could find. Having the keen eyes of a female, she grabbed one that she knew he had been eyeing already. The tenth prince stopped her by turning his eyes towards her and placing a hand on her arm. "Excuse me, but I had been looking at that pin." He told her with the slightest hint of annoyance shining through. Sometimes he seemed to revert to his old ways of being that little prince who felt entitled to the world. But that all melted away when he was with his wife. She made him want to be a better person.
The princess gave an uncaring shrug of her shoulders. "I don't see your name on it."
The tenth prince's lips came together to form a tight line. He then looked to the merchant, who quickly scolded her like a child. "Mind who you're talking to and have some respect, young lady. This is his majesty Prince Eun, tenth prince of our great nation."
Eun nodded, nose in the air with pride.
Jangmi snorted at that, risking getting a public flogging or anything of the sort. But she wanted a reaction out of him because she wanted his attention. She had a plan. One final attempt to get him to marry her. "You actually want me to believe that this boy is the tenth prince? The tenth prince probably has servants who shop for his servants in the village." Eun's proud smile immediately dropped and was replaced with a look of annoyance.
