"The Lady is almost here!" Saha hurriedly dressed me in white outer robes.
"The Young Miss and Lord Baek are already waiting by the gates! Even His Highness is waiting outside the gate," she nagged.
"Add more jade."
Saha's eyes lit up, and she immediately went to fetch a wooden box. "Here." Inside lay a green jade bracelet adorned with landscape carvings.
"This is the bracelet Madam gifted you to your Gwallye[1]. She will definitely like seeing you wear it."
I nodded.
"Is everything as ordered?" I tinkered with the collar of my robe. It was too tight.
"Yes! Don't worry, Young Master." Saha finished tying a matching tea-green sash.
She then proceeded to comb and braid my hair before tying it up.
'Everyone's so busy.'
My mother, Ye Mi-ran, was a woman who only wanted others to see the good side of things. "Pity is for the weak, so never be pitied. Glory is for the outstanding, so always be your best." She always used to say that to us while we were growing up.
Everything needed to be neat, with no mistakes being made, especially when it came to formal matters such as banquets. From a young age, she ingrained in us that etiquette and a well-cultured demeanor were mindsets that had to be nurtured.
"Then let's go."
Once I arrived at the gates, everyone was already standing next to each other in a line, wearing broad smiles. I quickened my steps and joined them. Just then, the carriage door opened.
My mother gracefully descended from the carriage. Her footsteps were faint, almost inaudible. Today she wore a purplish navy-blue robe, which gave her a commanding aura.
"Your Highness, Crown Prince. I greet you with utmost respect and hope the hospitality of our humble household is to your satisfaction." She cupped her hands and bowed slightly.
Jongmu returned her greeting and bowed slightly as well. It was a great sign of respect. "I have nothing but praise!"
My mother hurriedly stopped him from bowing further and glanced at my father with questioning eyes.
My father's face was somewhat pale. He looked as if he hadn't gotten enough sleep. He avoided her gaze. Nothing good would come from saying anything more in this situation.
I could see my mother's smiling lips twitch slightly.
'Father is in trouble.'
Although irritated, my mother didn't show it in her expression. She remained elegant and gentle as she invited everyone inside.
Once we were all seated and our dishes served, silence fell over the room. No words of pleasantries were spoken; only the occasional sounds of chewing and swallowing could be heard.
It was foreseeable that it would be like this. Mother's sudden arrival plunged us all into chaos. So many troublesome things had happened in her absence that speaking of them now would simply exhaust everyone present. It also wasn't good to discuss such family matters in the presence of His Highness, lest he see our ungraceful behavior.
But of course, the silence couldn't continue forever. It was eventually broken by Mother.
"Where's Jaeyeong?"
Seeing this as an opportunity to mend the solemn atmosphere, my father quickly responded. "This bra— ahem, I mean our son, went to visit Mount Hua Sect's Young Master Namgong."
"Namgong?" Hana asked in bewilderment.
"Since when did he become friends with someone from Mount Hua?" Mother also seemed surprised.
"I don't know either. He left this morning, only leaving this letter behind." Father shook his head.
"It seems Young Master Gong possesses a free-spirited heart," Jongmu interjected.
Jaeyeong was not very good at socializing. Most of the time, he avoided talking with people who were neither family nor members of the same sect. With the expressionless face he wore every day, it was no wonder.
So for him to suddenly say he would visit someone from the Mount Hua Sect, with whom he was, to our knowledge, not associated at all, seemed rather strange.
My mother smiled gently at Jongmu, very differently from the attitude she showed us. A smile from her was pleasant to look at.
"I must say, I can see where the Young Master and Young Miss got their beauty from." Jongmu smiled slyly, complimenting our mother without reservation.
I wanted to knock that smile off his lips. He was strangely annoying in every action he took. Everything he did irritated me, especially today. It was the last day I would spend with my family.
'I still have to tell Father… and now Mother too.'
"Mother."
"What is it, Hwi?" Her smile was gentle, and her eyes doting, making me feel guilty.
"I'm leaving tomorrow together with His Highness," I declared.
The smile on my mother's lips faltered immediately. I could already see her brows twitching, ready to arch into an expression of shock.
"It's an imperial order," I quickly added.
My mother looked with wide eyes at the avoiding faces of my father, sister, and Jubok. The façade of calmness immediately vanished.
"Jong-cha!" She angrily turned to my father, who was already trying to run away to who knew where.
"Bastard!" she muttered.
Jongmu merely watched as if enjoying the spectacle. His lips were curved into a smile, and he had no intention of interrupting at all.
'I really want to slap him across his smug face.'
****
The turbulent banquet had come to an end. Because the Madam and Master of the House had left in a rather unseemly manner, everyone else quickly finished eating and also went their separate ways.
"I have calmed down now, so you better tell me what happened while I was away."
Madam Baek, Ye Mi-ran, was once called the most beautiful woman in Silla. She embodied everything desirable. Long, lustrous black hair and light brown eyes. Spotless skin, smooth like jade, thick eyelashes and brows, and heart-shaped rosy lips. Thanks to her advanced cultivation, she appeared much younger than her age, looking as if she were in her early thirties.
What many did not know was that, contrary to her appearance, she wasn't gentle at all. Her temper was fiery and often overbearing.
That was also the reason why she and Jong-cha suited each other well. Together they made up for what the other lacked. Jong-cha possessed the gentleness Mi-ran lacked, and Mi-ran possessed the boldness Jong-cha lacked. Even back then, it was Mi-ran who made the first move between the two.
So now, looking at her husband's evasive attitude, she couldn't help but lose her temper.
"Speak!"
"Honey~" Jong-cha helped Mi-ran sit down and moved behind her to massage her shoulders.
Letting out a tired sigh, she patted the hand on her shoulder. "Jong-cha."
Seeing her like this, Jong-cha finally let out a sigh as well and rubbed his forehead, becoming more serious.
"I was also shocked when I heard about it. Who would have expected the person from the palace to be His Highness?"
"Our family isn't involved in political matters. There shouldn't be any reason for him to seek us out." Mi-ran frowned.
"I know. It was at the banquet that night," Jong-cha whispered into his wife's ear. "He is a mark bearer."
"What?!" She hastily turned to him. "By the gods, don't tell me it's our son!"
Jong-cha looked horrified at his wife's words. "No! Of course not! He came to ask for our help because of the Baek Clan's renowned tracking skills."
Hearing this, Mi-ran felt relieved, though her face was still pale. "But why would he specifically ask for Hwi?" It still didn't make any sense to her.
"Who knows? When I tried to make him choose someone else, he immediately brought up that it was an imperial order." Jong-cha frowned as he recalled the past.
"Isn't Yo-rim still in the capital? Tell her to take care of him. Although she's younger, she's much more mature and clever than he is."
Jong-cha nodded. "I already had a letter delivered to her. She should have read it by now."
About the rumors of His Highness fancying their son, he wisely chose to remain silent.
****
"It's almost evening." Hwi looked at the sky outside the window. He felt reluctant to leave. Since he was young, he had always dreamed of one day visiting the capital or other large cities, but his parents, always too afraid, had forbidden him from doing so.
It was unfair. His younger brother and sisters were allowed to travel, while he was the odd one out, forced to stay within reach. That was why he had initially been happy to finally leave the Clan's walls. He would no longer be under the watchful eyes of his parents. But at the same time, something inside him felt uneasy. He couldn't explain it.
"Young Master, your luggage is now packed and will be loaded onto the carriage." Saha approached him.
Hwi simply nodded, quietly staring at the dimming sky. After a while, he suddenly spoke, interrupting the silence. "Saha, I always dreamed of visiting the capital during the Spring Festival… so why am I now feeling reluctant to leave?"
Saha sat down next to him and touched her chin thoughtfully. "Well, isn't the reason quite simple, Young Master?"
Hwi looked at her in confusion. "What? Do you really know why?"
"Isn't it obvious? Young Master, do you perhaps feel uneasy about leaving?" Saha asked.
"Yes… I do."
"Well, isn't that because it's the first time you've left the Clan and your parents' side for such a long time, and all alone at that?" she continued.
'Ah… so that's why.' Hwi realized.
"But Young Master, you are not alone. I'm accompanying you, so don't worry," Saha declared.
"Thank you, Saha." Hwi gently hugged her and smiled.
[1] Coming of age ceremony