Travel Through Time

Travel Through Time Chapter 16

  I wake-up to find warm lips kissing mine, I open my eyes slightly and look straight into the warm chocolate brown ones of the Prince. "Hi" I whisper and he smiles "hi" he kisses me again "I have to go and see to somethings but I will be back soon" I kiss him and he moves his hands from my warm skin.  I look down and see that my clothes have all been opened and pushed aside.  I glance at the Prince and he smiles "I needed a sleep to" he explains. "So, you had to undress me?" I ask, he nods his head and smiles.  I chuckle at his bright-eyed look. "See you soon" I kiss him and go to move so he can get out the bed but he grabs me and kisses me again. "Can you be waiting for me here naked?" I blush at his words but nod "I will do my task quickly, the maids you asked for are waiting for you.  I have made sure that none of them have worked for anyone else they come from the laundry, kitchen and investigations agency within the palace" he explains I stroke his cheek "thank you," I lean forward and whisper in his ear. "I'm already wet thinking of laying here naked for you" he growls and hugs me tight.  When he lets go of me, I sit up and straighten my clothing and tie them then stand.  The Prince stands and takes some deep breaths with his eyes closed.  Then shrugs and looks down at himself "I'm just going to have to deal with things while hard" I cough in surprise and the Prince chuckles "its all your fault" he accuses. "Who asked me to wait naked?" I counter he smiles "guilty" he shrugs and laughs "Un watch over her" he calls "yes, your Majesty" the Prince walks out the main door.   I go to the garden door to see if Keon-hi is still there.  She is sitting on the steps looking a little flushed.  I blush when I realise she probably heard the Prince and I talking, "sorry, would you like to come in and help me chose my ladies in waiting?" She smiles and nods "is Chang-wo with Un?" she nods again and I hold my hand out to help her up then lead her into my main room. "Send in the girls" I call the doors open and a number of girls come in, I'm handed their employment records and scan them. "Ok-hee, Yi-soo, Yoo-ni and Hee please step forward" they do "you can go back from where you came, thank you" I say they look a little surprised but turn and leave. "The rest of you please sit down" I instruct. "If Noble Consort Suk looks for you and asks about what I have been doing what would you say and do?" I ask.  I watch as they think about it then one of the girls puts her hand up, I motion for her to stand up. "Start by telling me your name and then explain what you would do" she nods then takes a deep breath lets in, out and says "Chan-hee, I would bow, listen to what she had to say.  Bow giving her respect and say 'the Royal Princess has been reading and walking around her garden' I would bow again and ask to be excused" she finished.  I nod and indicate she can sit, having made a note about her next to her name.  I say"Anyone else?" I young girl puts her hand up and I nod for her to stand. She stands twisting her fingers together then, she stands taller and moves her hands to her side. "Eun-ji, I would bow then listen to her, would bow again and say the Royal Princess is inside her room or garden while I stand outside waiting to serve her, I would then bow and ask to be excused."  I nod make another note.  I look at Keon-hi sitting next to me and see her looking at a servant who seems to be glaring at her. "You stand up" I tell the servant she stands and puts her chin up "name?"I say "Byung" she say's proudly her nose still in the air. "What would you say?" "It is Consort Suk the Royal Princes mother.  I would tell her what you had been doing" her head tilts towards the ceiling even more. "Byung" I wait till she looks at me "leave and go back from where you came" I order, she finally lowers her head and looks at me.  I stir back and wait for her to turn around and leave, "that was the right answer!" she says "I told you to leave" I tell her with my eyes and voice changing telling her I'm not messing about.  She does not take the hint, "why?" I stand up and take my knife out and toss it up and catch it. "Would you like to be dragged out of here? With or without a wound?" I ask her the doors are opened. She stamps her foot before turning and glares at Keon-hi.  I spring across the table and catch a fistful of her hair, "who the hell do you think you are glaring at my companion, never mind the attitude you have shown me and everyone here great disrespect?" I demand she seems to finally get the situation she is in.  I pull her to the table and pick up her employment record "you became a slave when your father was found guilty of heinous crimes.  I bet you treated the people who looked after your every day needs like nothing." Her eyes flash and she, glares at me. "I am better than them" she rants.   I knee the back of her legs and she falls onto her knees "apologise now" she is facing the other maid's.  She folds her arms and presses her lips firmly together.  "Give me a cane" I order and she tries to turn her head to look at me but I hold her head still with my fistful of hair.   A cane is given to me, "hold her" the two girls that have already answered my question stand up and take an arm each and hold her.   I pull up her pant legs and use the switch 10 times. "Do you still want to glare at me?" I ask and she does "I'm better than everyone is this room" she screams Un appears I nod and he strides in and yanks her up and marches out the room. "Have her taken out of the palace, and sent to do hard labour" I instruct.  Once she is out, the door's shut and I sit back behind the table.  I squeeze Keon-hi's knee and she smiles. "Now, my next question, who should you be loyal to if serving me?" A few more hands go up, I nod to the nearest one then say "second, third, fourth, fifth" they nod back and the first one stands up and bows "you, always you" "what does loyalty mean to you?" I add "loyalty means you keep your word. You don't go back on it even if it means you get a beating" she states clearly.  Then glances at a girl in the row behind her, who adverts her eyes down to the floor. "Tap that girl" I indicate to the one standing up.  She taps the girl she looked at on the head "you can go" I tell her.  The girl stands up glances at the other girl standing and leaves.  "You forgot to tell me your name" I tell her she bows again "Ri-na my Lady." I smile up at her "what a pretty name, you may sit" I make another note and then listen to the other girl's answers and what loyalty means to them. The fourth one surprises me by saying "loyalty means a kind of love. You want to protect that person at any cost. If your sincere towards them they will be sincere back and then the relationship grows and deepens and that is when you want to protect them" I smile "thank you Hye-joo you may sit down".  I listen to Min-soo and nod and she sits down. "My last question is where should you all be when the Prince and I are together?"Chan-hee, Eun-ji, Hye-joo, Min-soo, Ri-na, and Seon-hwa all put there hands up.  I indicate that they should all stand.  I smile at each of them "I'm going to count to three and then your going to say the answer all together."  They nod "1, 2,3," "outside the outer door or carrying out our chores away from the main building" they reply. "Thank you, everyone sitting my leave" they all get up bow and leave, "I stand and hold out my hand for Keon-hi, she stands and I hold her hand and walk round the table.  "This is my best friend Keon-hi, you can call her Miss Keon-hi or just Miss.  I will decide your positions after monitoring you.  I am new to the palace and like to stay around my own quarters or with the Prince.  I will let it be known that I expect visitors to announce their intention to visit.  So, they don't just show up, I will deal with the people who do just show up.  Every morning we will go over my schedule so we are all on the same page.  I am fair and will deal with anyone who tries to bully you, or mistreats you.  For that to happen you have to be honest with me and tell me what is going on" I pause to see if they agree. They nod and Ri-na puts her hand up, I nod she bows and says "my Lady, if they are of a much higher rank than us?" she lets the question hang there, "you can first tell them that you are on a very urgent errand for me.  If they still won't let you go.  Then tell me I will sort it out.  If they try and have your dragged somewhere whistle I will teach you if you don't know how.  No-one will hurt you while I am around."  They look at each other and then smile at me, "when I am not here, I don't want people snooping about so I will teach you what you can do to tell if anyone has been in and how we catch them" I look around and they nod. "Alright please go back and get your things and move into your new room. To celebrate your new position's, I will get you something good to eat, I will also give you small knives that I will teach you how to use to defend yourselves and help protect me and the people around you.  You may go thank you for your service"  I bow to them and they look a little shocked but bow back and leave the room.   "What do you think?  Did I pick the right ones?"  Keon-hi smiles and squeezes my hand.  "Do you want to stay while I write up, my own observations on the new ladies in waiting?" Keon-hi nods I sit behind the table then change my mind pick up the table and take it outside Keon-hi brings the sitting cushion.   I sit with Keon-hi beside me, I right her name and give her a brush "this is your name, you can practice writing it" I pass her some paper and then start to write my own thoughts and observations about the recruitment of my new ladies in waiting.  I also copy some of the details from their employment record. "Un" I call he jumps down in front of the steps "would it be possible to have 7 small knives either made or bought each a different colour with a butterfly on the handle" I enquire "yes, my Lady anything else?" he asks "Could you get some of the clove water and salt water that Keon-hi needs please. We will have tea and a snack, so she will need to rinse her mouth after that" He nods and disappears around the side of the building.  I look at Keon-hi and her attempts of writing her name "not bad" I tell her.  I take her hand in mine and guide her brush as we write her name.  I then get a new piece of paper, and guide her hand again this time I write Chang-wo and then Un followed by her name. "Which is your name?" she looks and points to her name I clap my hands. Then point "this says Chang-wo and this one say's Un." She nods and bends to practice writing again, I take a new piece of paper and draw a cherry tree with a young girl sitting under it, that looks very much like Keon-he and a silent watchful figure in the background and I young boy with a wooden sword showing what he has learnt.  I finish then look up to see that the Prince is standing watching me.  I jump up and smile "you should have told me you'd arrived" I jump from top of the steps into his arms and kiss him.  I then wriggle out of his arms "after we are married, I will not be able to do that" I say "I'll give you a spanking if you don't" the Prince says standing there with his hands on his hips. "I'll do it when it's just us" I reply jumping back in his arms, he laughs and swings me around.  Then he puts me down and runs up the steps and grabs the drawing "you were so in grossed drawing this" he looks at it then turns it to Keon-hi "I think this is for you" Keon-hi stands, bows and takes it from him.  She looks at it then, runs down to me and hugs me. "I'm glad you like it" just then the tables are brought with our tea and snacks.  I see milk, strawberry's and ice with two bamboo bottles.  I get busy cooking the milk, and while its warming through.   I tell the Prince that I have picked 6 new ladies in waiting. "I will see, how they get on, then rank them" I tell him.  He nods and watches me crush up the strawberry's and then cool the milk with the ice and add the strawberry's and then put the top on the bottle and do my silly dance while I shake the bottle.  Everyone laughs, and enjoys the strawberry milk.  Chang-wo has joined us and smacks his lips together once he's finished the milk. "That is so good, but why do you heat the milk?" he asks, "milk straight from the cow can carry bacteria that is harmful to us. They also can carry bugs that can attach itself to the inside our stomach or gut and grow until it is impossible to eat and you can die.  If you boil the milk slowly it kills all the things that can harm us.  I wanted to give Keon-hi something that was delicious, as she is incredibly brave" I finish.   She smiles at me and I smile back "you have a milk moustache."  I indicate my top lip and she wipes it clean.  I see Un smile, he gives her the two medicine bamboo bottles, she bows stands up and goes around the corner to rinse her mouth. She walks back, "does is it feeling better?" I ask she smiles and strokes my cheek, "can you move it a little better with the leather pouch on" she nods and I change the topic. "I once remember, being bitten by a snake and you'd think that was bad enough but when it bite me, I was in the woods and jumped away right into a stinging bush.  By the time I fought my way out I was covered in red welts.  I got home and my father was frantic with worry while the doctor tried to remove the snake venom and take care of all my welts" they laugh at my story.  "Your poor father must have suffered a lot, while you grew up?" the Prince says "he really did, there was never a week that went by without causing him some worry.  He had the big tree cut down that was in the front courtyard, when I had climbed it again and fallen asleep in the crook of a branch.  Only to fall out when Lord Chi yelled to announce he had arrived, thankfully I cried out as I fell and he looked up or I might have killed him." Chang-wo and the Prince are holding their stomachs laughing, while Un chuckles and Keon-hi laughs.  We talk more then the Prince says "Chang-wo and Keon-hi there have been clothes left for you to wear for tomorrows wedding.  I have ordered them to heat the bath tubs so you can all bathe for the wedding.  They will be working on getting your heated bathing room ready, in the room two doors down from this one.   While we are being wed, they will bring in a new bed and other things that a Royal Princess should have." I smile and then stand walk into my room and bring out two oil bottles.  I give one to Keon-hi and the other to Chang-wo. "Rub these is while you soak in the tub" I tell them I see the Prince and Un looking at the oils and then up at me, chuckling I walk back into my room and give one each to them.