Preparation For His Queen

"This is a proclamation given from our King, Kang Tae-Han, it is to be heard throughout the land of Joseon. The king has ceased his search for a wife, for he has found her. In a few weeks time she will arrive in Joseon and marry our beloved king.

From this day forward the people of Joseon will celebrate until the day of their Union, and onto the new year. The king ask for woman ages 16 through 55 to come to the towns garden, where in two days times, Princess ... will test you on various skills to become maids or even court ladies.

The King also asks for extra men to protect our country and the palace with the arrival of our future Queen who is from a foreign land. Every man between the ages of 18 and 35 are to be called to the towns square in three days time, those who are healthy will be asked to serve.

Those who wish against it or try to scheme a way out of this obligation, whether female or male, will be held accountable and severely punished..."

The high official walked to the square's wooden bulletin board once he finished reading the proclamation, carefully he nailed the decree on it before walking away towards his horse.

The moment he made it a few feet away, the crowd around the square flocked to the board.

They couldn't believe it.

There king was to be wedded. The crowd began to murmur and speculate.

"The woman that marries that man is clearly after his riches, or she may just be stupid." A teenaged girl whispered to her friends which earned many snickers.

"Yeah!" Another friend laughed. "I will personally send her the best silk from our shop, she saved us from a real nut."

The mothers across from the girls also gossiped, "Isn't this exciting? Our future heir will be mixed-blooded."

A mother with long black hair and a pointy nose scoffed, "We should keep the royal family to only our people. Not contaminate it."

"Contaminate?" Another mother said, her face turning sour. "While I am wary of new blood in our royal family, that is a very rude thing to say. And think about it, we cannot keep marrying our own blood, you know what happens to families that have the same last name or blood."

"Whatever." The bitter mother said before walking away.

Her thoughts ran wild as she thought about the future heir and how ugly he or she would look, but her thoughts cane to halting stop as an old man carrying sugar cane walked into her. Her face turned red, and she swung her hand into the back of his head. "Watch where you are going you old fool. I worked as the princess nanny, and was given this as a gift. This dress cost more than you."

No one dare to intervene, the king was very protective of his servants and guards. So the old man could only sputter a bunch of apologies, but he was only pushed aside by the angered woman. 

He watched as she walked away and the small crowd began to disappear, no one wanting to help him.

The old man squared his shoulders and straightened his back from a slouching position. "Clearly that privilege she had is still going to her head."

With his sleeve he wiped of the make up that the princess had fought him to wore and he carefully took off the fake beard. No one noticed this costume change, or as he carried his sugar cane towards the palace.

When he arrived to the palace, a few servants were already walking to him as he stepped through the grand gates. "Advisor Do Joon, how was your mission?" A young boy smiled as Do Joon carefully gave him a few sugar cane and him a small pouch full of coins.

"It went well. I got to work in the fields, eat as much street food as I wanted, and even see some girls." He winked at the last part, earning a giggle from the young boy.

"Anything else?" The boy asked as he got used to the weight of the sugar canes.

"Yes, but not for your ears. Now run along, make sure that pouch is only taken off your wrist when you get home. And make sure to bring all the sugar cane to your mom, do not eat it all!"

"Yes Advisor," The boy giggled as he ran away. "Have a goodnight!" Quickly, the boy exited through the gates and carefully walked his way home.

Advisor Do Joon gave the rest of the sugar cane to the other three servants and gave each of them some money as well. "Here's for letting me work your fields today, and I will have some of the gardeners from the Kings botanical gardens stop by to check your fields, maybe they can figure out why your fields are so dry."

The servants bowed and shook his hand with many thanks before leaving the same way the boy did, and with that, the guards shut the palace gates. No more visitors for the night.

Quietly, Do Joon walked through the palace courtyard at a slow pace. He wanted to make sure he found the right words to say to the king, he knew his majesty would not be happy with what the people had said about the future Queen.

He also needed to figure out how to tell the King to get some of the Eunuchs and Court Ladies. The previous nanny of Saerom, the lady he had accidentally run into, was absolutely repulsive in attitude and smell (her perfume made Do Joon's nose burn), if that woman still had high shoulders of a privilege she had years ago, and now an attitude towards the future Queen, the. how many servants and helpers to the king also believed or acted the same way she did?

It had to be addressed.

As Do Joon made it up the steps, the grand doors to the palace opened, and there stood Saerom in a light pink hanbok with a baby blue top.

Advisor Do Joon cleared his throat and gave a measured smile, "Hello princess. What exactly are you doing out here? Shouldn't your court lady be by your side? It's very inappropriate for you and me to be seen together, at night especially."

Princess Saerom's smile dropped. "So are you not excited to see me? I just wanted to show you my new dress for my brother's wedding."

Advisor Do Joon walked towards the princess and unknowingly she backed further behind the secure palace walls, away from prying eyes.

Once he stepped in, he shut and locked the doors. Immediately his eyes turned towards her, and he gave her a full smile that he had been desperately holding back. "You look very pretty, my princess. You must make sure to save me a dance at the King's wedding."

Saerom's face turned red as beets and Advisor Do Joon chuckled, "Is that a blush I see?"

Saerom squeaked as she hid her cheeks behind her hands, "I am not. It is just hot. So hot, that I will go visit the seamstress right now. I think there are too many layers to this dress." And with that, she spun around and dashed away from the Advisor, but he noticed the growing smile she tried to hide.

Advisor Do Joon let a small laugh slip through his lips. She was a very beautiful girl, the only one that he loved teased.

"Why don't you just ask to marry her already? I don't see why you hide it."

Do Joons smile dropped, and his skin paled as he turned to see his king smirking and leaning against the wall.

"My apologies." Do Joon said as he stood straighter.

King Tae-Han chuckled as he pushed himself off the wall. "I support you marrying her more than anyone else." He said as he placed his hand on the advisor's shoulder. "I just wish you would tell her, I'm getting tired of her asking about you. She cares more about you then her own brothers."

A little bit of rosy dust found its way onto Advisors Do Joons face, "I do not know what you talk about, my king."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. Now tell me about your mission. I want to know what the people are saying." King Tae-Han said as he began to walk away from Do Joon.

Do Joon cleared his throat and wiped his forehead of sweat before following after his king, slowly they strolled through the palace as Do Joon filled his king in on the latest gossip, rumors, and news.

After about an hour, they had made their way to the king's chamber. They both sat in the corner of the room where a window looked out to the Grand Lake.

"So people are happy that I am to wed, but unhappy it's a foreigner?" The King chuckled. "What do they want from me? This marriage is giving them a chance for our borders to open more and this is how they act."

Advisor Do Joon winced, telling the king bad news or even concerning news was never fun. "I fear more than anything when the people find out that the Queen has a darker complexion, the criticism will only get worst."

The king's head snapped to Do Joon, and he couldn't help but flinch. Almost as if a thunderstorm loomed over the King's head, he could see the raging darkness coming loose. "The day they ridicule her is the day they will stop breathing. Who are they to judge what is mine?"

Advisor Do Joon facepalmed himself, "My king, you cannot do such a thing. I mean you can," He quickly corrected himself. "But you need to be careful."

"Why?" The King asked as he looked back out to the lake.

"Your people need to know that you care about them, and part of that is with who you marry. If they feel you have become even more hostile because of the future Queen, who is not even one of us, they will riot for sure."

Tae-Han's eyes came back to Do Joon, but they held amusement. "So are you saying I'm hostile?"

Advisor Do Joon grimaced, today was just not his day. "All I'm saying is, you need to make sure you protect the Queen as much as possible."

Instantly, the Kings smile dropped, "She is to be my wife, why would I not care about her well-being?! I know we're friends, but don't forget who I am. It seems like you keep challenging my right as a husband."

"My apologies, your majesty," Do Joon bowed slightly. "I do not wish to challenge you at all, I was only trying to say that as one of your advisors, I have to question some things. For example, the nanny that took care of Saerom as an infant, do you still communicate with her?"

The King thought for a second before shaking his head, "No. The moment Saerom turned four the nanny was no longer needed, and mom took over fully watching her. Why?"

"I accidentally ran into her today and she smacked me upside the head, she even called me a fool." Do Joon frowned, but Tae-Han let out a belly laugh. "It's not funny, especially when I tell you that she also thinks by marrying out of our people you are contaminating the royal bloodline."

That made the King go quiet, again, a dark cloud began to form over his head. "After she smacked me, she said that she worked for the royal family and how dare I touch her dress, she said it was worth more than my own life." Do Joon scowled. "People like her are very concerning, they think they still have privileges even though it has been taken away. It led me to wonder what if other guards, court ladies, eunuchs or other helpers thought this way, whether currently in the Palace or in towns surrounding us. That attitude can cause division amongst the people and in the royal palace. We do not need that now, especially with our Queen on the way."

The King pondered over his advisors words for several moments as he rubbed his chin slowly. Advisor Do Joon was right, he could not afford for such hostile attitudes so soon in his Kingdom. The whispers of the people request for his dethronement had just ceased. He didn't need anymore problems bestowed before him.

"Gather Advisor Jang-Su and Daru, so we can discuss how to remove the bad eggs in between these palace walls. And get some men to track the previous advisors families and friends I need to know if they to will share the same fate as that vile nanny. Also make sure to tell the scribes to find me literature on the islands of the ocean. I need to start getting ready for my Queen."

"Yes, your majesty." Do Joon bowed before getting up, as he turned around he paused, and then turned back to his King who was already watching him.

"I know you will protect our Queen, but are you sure you are ready for her, and her culture, and her people? They really will not look like us, speak like us, and that may scare some people who aren't even aware of what people look like outside of our Kingdom.

The King smiled, "I feel like you are asking me a hidden questions. So let me tell you what I think your asking, if I will be attracted to this Queen despite her complexion?" Sheepishly the advisor lowered his eyes in embarrassment. "Let me start by saying the people wanted to open the borders, so they are opened. They have to get used to what that brings and what it looks like."

"As for the Queen, I've seen people who probably have a darker complexion then her and in our walls."

"Really?" Advisor Do Joon asked. "How is that possible?"

The King chuckled, he forgets sometimes that his advisors are still young boys. "Our people that work in the fields, their complexion is sometimes as brown as the oak in our forest. You just do not see them because they tend to stay from the city and live mostly in the country. When I go on visits around the kingdom, they are by far the most humble, gracious and understanding. They are not superficial like those in cities and towns that worry about looks and ranks."

"I once even liked a girl with a complexion as dark as the wooden floors when I was younger, that her nickname was oakwood, which both then and now I find very rude and offensive. But when my brother died and I was told to come home, I didn't get see her again or pursue the relationship for a while."

Advisor Do Joons eyes opened wide in shock, "I did not know you liked a girl before."

"I was young and kind of stupid at that time," King Tae-Han chuckled. "I tried to run back to her and her family, but my parents banned me and kept me locked in these palace walls for months. Ultimately, when I did go to visit her in my mid-teens she couldn't stand to look at me. I made her uncomfortable, I was no longer the little boy she knew, but rather the Crown Prince. After that I never went back to visit her again."

"Last time I checked which was over ten years ago, I heard she was married." The King reminisced. "I was happy she found her happiness, and I am happy we did not end up together. Being a Queen to a Kingdom is not easy, and her naivety would be her downfall which more than likely would mean mine too."

Do Joon nodded his head in agreement, "Wow, I had no clue. And you're right , any woman you have ever liked, would have to take into consideration the responsibility that comes with being you wife."

The king nodded his head in agreement, "Exactly. It's both a curse and blessing."

"But," Do Joon smiled. "Your soon-to-be wife  already knows the responsibilities that comes being Queen."

"Correct," The King smiled as he looked back out to the lake. "Not only will she be my Queen, but she is a Queen. But I fear as the time gets closer for her arrival that this maybe more of a problem."