Prince Young-Sik and his entourage, escorted by Guiong soldiers, were led to the imperial palace through the magnificent courtyard. Jin-Ri held her breath in awe of the splendor of the Guiong palace. "Their palace is similar to our own, except that everything is larger, and almost everything is lined with gold and silver," she said, admiring the place.
Young-Sik was amused by her awe and astonishment. "Guiong has a heavy influence on our society and culture, which is evident in our architecture." He smiled, he said, "Chiongsun and Guiong, Aranes as well share a common ancestry. Legend has it that the founders of Aranes and Chiongsun were descendants of a Guiong emperor." He divulged to Jin-Ri
"Really? Why don't we know that?" She asked curiously of the prince, her face an image of bewilderment.
"It's only a myth, hence it is something not commonly taught," He replied, his expression one of surprise at the court maiden's reaction.
Prince Young-Sik and his entourage were escorted by soldiers to the imperial palace, where the Empress welcomed delegates and royal guests from various nations. The prince bowed respectfully to the Empress, followed by his companions. "*Your Majesty, it is our privilege to be present at this splendid occasion honoring the life of His Majesty the Emperor, *" he stated in the Guiong dialect. Jin-Ri, upon hearing Young-Sik's use of the Guiong dialect, looked at him in complete surprise. ("* *" translated from Guiong dialect)
Jin-Ri then shifted her gaze to the Empress, who was adorned in a long red gown intricately laced and embellished with golden flowers and peonies. The smooth red silk gown hugged and accentuated the Empress's silhouette, emphasizing her beautiful physique. A golden headdress shaped like a peacock, with its tail feathers elegantly displayed, crowned her head. Jade tassels embellished the wings of the golden peacock. "Oh, my goodness, she is truly stunning! Her skin is silken, her black hair impeccably styled, and her face... she resembles an angel," she reflected silently.
The Empress addressed the Chiongsun delegation, saying, "*It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Imperial Guiong Palace, Prince Kim Young-Sik. I have made arrangements for your stay. *" She signaled to one of the eunuchs behind her and provided instructions, stating, "*Our esteemed visitors must be weary from their extensive travels; ensure they receive adequate rest and care. *" The eunuch bowed respectfully to the Empress and moved to accompany Prince Young-Sik.
"*Your Majesty, I am truly grateful. The stories of your generosity do not fully capture your kindness, *" Young-Sik expressed.
The Empress smiled at his flattering words, replying, "*It appears you have not changed cousin. The emperor will see you tomorrow, but for now, I recommend that you and your entourage take some time to rest.*" Young-Sik bowed once more before following the eunuch to their designated mansion.
"I brought something for you," he told the empress, now speaking in the Chiongsun dialect. Jin-Ri gave the prince a small black box. The prince opened the box to reveal a beautiful golden necklace. The pendant was made of pure gold, shaped like a leaf. The gold necklace was adorned with precious and expensive rubies, sapphires, and diamonds.
The Mepress was going to touch the exquisite necklace, but Young-Sik snapped the box shut, meriting a hearty laugh from the queen. "You naughty little boy," she giggled
Young-Sik handed the box to the empress. "Your Majesty, we will be taking our leave since we need rest from the long journey." He bowed to her and followed the eunuch to their lodgings
Jin-Ri nudged Kwan. "I never knew Yong could speak Guiong...did you?" she asked the captain
Kwan let out a stifled chuckle. "He can also speak Aranese," he glanced at Jin-Ri while raising both eyebrows repeatedly.
Jin-Ri was left speechless at how talented the prince was, musing on what other hidden talents the prince possessed.
That night, after having a hearty dinner, Young-Sik and Jin-Ri, accompanied by the eunuch, decided to tour the palace grounds, upon her insistence. "This place is really marvelous, every corner has something new to offer," Jin-Ri said, expressing her marvel and awe.
The eunuch brought them to the enclosed imperial garden, and Jin-Ri stopped to admire and smell the flowers growing. While the court maiden was distracted, Young-Sik took this opportunity to ask the eunuch something important, stepping a few distance away, he asked "*How fares the investigation on how the new Guiong weapons landed in Aranese hands? *"
"* As far as we know, it is still ongoing, the committee still cannot identify the person who sold the weapons to the Aranese*" The eunuch replied
"*Sold? How did the committee arrive at that conclusion? *" The prince asked worriedly at the new information that he learned
"* The committee discovered a stash of Aranese gold and silver in one of the captured Aranese warships that entered our waters. It was safe to say that the Aranese bought something from Guiong. *" The eunuch answered.
"The same on our end, had I not intercepted that shipment of gold, who knows what they have procured?" Young-Sik pondered to himself.
While Young-Sik and the eunuch were busy with their conversation, Jin-Ri did not notice the approaching Guiong soldier. "You're as beautiful as the flowers," he said out of the blue
"Oh my gosh," startled, Jin-Ri reeled away from the soldier. "Wait, did you just speak my language?" she asked, amused at the fact that she understood the Guiong soldier
"Sorry to startle you, I am Captain Xun Ju. I was so enchanted by you that I just couldn't help but introduce myself," Ju said, his confidence exuding with every word he said. "May I know your name?"
Jin-Ri looked at Xun Ju from head to toe. "He's good-looking, broad shoulders, a little bit more muscular than Yong, and taller," she thought to herself. Instead of answering the question, she asked a question of her own: "How did you know our language?"
"I have an ancestor from Chiongsun, the dialect was passed down from parent to child," Xun Ju simply answered
"Wow! He has Chiongsun blood," Jin-Ri thought to herself. she was about to tell him her name when Young-Sik chimed in from nowhere.
"*She will not be telling her name, Captain, *" Young-Sik declared as he walked to Jin-Ri's side
"It's getting late, we need to take our rest." Looking at the eunuch, he spoke, "*Kindly lead us back to the mansion*" he told their guide.
The Eunuch bowed to the prince and started to lead them back to their quarters. Leaving Xun Ju grinning, like he had won something. "* Looks like it will be so easy to provoke the Chiong dog!*" he expressed to himself.
Jin-Ri couldn't contain her frustration as she called out Young-Sik. "What was that about? Why were you so rude to that poor soldier? He was just being friendly!" she sulked, her lips pouting in dismay.
"Friendly? That was flirting," Young-Sik shot back, his tone sharp.
"Oh, so you can flirt with other women, but I can't even be nice to a guy?" she retorted, crossing her arms tightly over her chest, clearly hurt.
Young-Sik laughed at her reaction. "I wasn't flirting with anyone, especially not the Empress. I was just showing her the respect her position deserves, besides, she's my cousin," he clarified.
"Well, I don't like it!" Jin-Ri said, her voice laced with irritation. "If I can't talk to another guy, then you better not be flirting with some random woman either." She made her stance clear, her jealousy palpable.
Young-Sik raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. "So you want me to risk an international crisis by ignoring the empress? That would be a direct insult to the Guiong Empire, and who knows what fallout that could bring?"
Jin-Ri hesitated, but quickly retorted, "Fine, but my chatting with that Guiong captain won't lead to any trouble."
"Maybe not start an international incident...but it will start an incident between the two of us. Not to mention, she is my cousin," Young-Sik cleverly said, shutting out any possible attempts by Jin-Ri to win the argument.
"She's your cousin?" Jin-Ri then recalled that the Empress did call Young-Sik her cousin. Instead of arguing, she just held on to the arm of the prince and went back to their designated mansion for a good night's sleep.
The next day, the day of celebrating the emperor's birth, every servant within the Guiong palace was busy preparing for the momentous occasion. While the majority were busy preparing numerous Guiong delicacies, others were busy cleaning and preparing the imperial garden. Others were making sure there was enough wine for the delegates. The empress watched from a distance, making sure everything was at par with her standards.
Meanwhile, the national delegates were busy preparing themselves. Each brought out the best attire that would represent their countries in a positive light. Meanwhile, the Chiongsun delegates were having a crisis on their hands. "No, I don't think that would work," Jin-Ri said, expressing her disapproval.
"A good observation, my dear." Young-Sik nodded in approval of Jin-Ri's observation. "Do we have any other options?" he asked, the seriousness in his voice was evident
"Oh, for the love of...would the two of you just quit it! We all know that the prince would always just go to his default colors, which are black and red!" He said while his arms were outstretched to display two royal garments for the prince, "Lady Jin-Ri, would you please make a choice? My arms are about to fall off."
"Shhhh! Be quiet Captain Gi, this is of the utmost importance, I will never let my prince wear any shabby colors that don't suit him," Jin-Ri told Kwan, she carefully weighed and scrutinized all the choices and after what felt like forever, she finally concluded, "After carefully weighing in each choice and considering the pros and cons, I think the prince will go with..."
Everyone held their breath, anticipating the final choice: "The prince will be wearing the black and red formal attire."
"WHAT?" Kwan then blurted out, "You made me act like a clothesline for hours just to go to what I said in the first place?"
"Then it's settled, the black and red garments are what I will wear," Young-Sik decisively said
"Perfect, Your Highness, we shall now let you get ready for the celebration, we will get ready ourselves." Jin-Ri and Kwan then bowed and stepped out of the prince's room.
"Jin-Ri, a moment, if you may?" Young-Sik called the court maiden.