Chapter 3
There are currently two countries that adopted the emperor system, or those countries called empires. The two countries are the Mok Kingdom, located in the southeastern part of the continental center, and the Ulyoung Kingdom, located in the northernmost part. As the Ulyoung Kingdom was located in the cold north, its influence on other countries was not very strong, despite the territory's size. Though it was called an empire and treated equally as the Mok Kingdom, the dominant power of the continent was the Mok Kingdom. That's why the Mok Kingdom was just an ordinary empire but a great empire.
As was often the case with those countries with great power, there was intense fighting among successors in the Mok Kingdom. In the reign of the deceased king, the fight to succeed the throne among successors was especially fierce, so all but one successor was killed. Everybody kept mum about it, saying they met a sudden death, but everyone was aware that some of them were killed by one another while others were killed by surviving successors.
The only survivor was the prince who had been 6th in line to the throne of the king. He gradually rose from sixth place and took the position of the crowned prince. He was none other than the present Emperor Ohyulje.
Some people said that the reason for the fierce fighting for the succession of the emperor was because there were so many princes in many separate palaces. In most countries, there was only the East Palace or the East and West Palace. In the Mok Kingdom, there were not only the East and West Palaces but also the South and North Palaces.
The ruler of East Palace was Crown Prince Bipaan. The West Palace was ruled by a prince who was second in line to the throne. The third prince ruled the South Place, and the fourth ruled the North Palace.
Emperor Ohyulje was the son of the previous king's second wife, and later crowned as the prince to succeed the throne. And the current Crown Prince of the Mok Kingdom was the son of Emperor Ohyulje's official wife, so he was the crown prince from the beginning.
Finally, the wedding day of Bipaan, the crowned prince of the Mok Kingdom came.
As the royal family's last name was Danmok, meaning a 'red tree', the red color was considered sacred in the Mok Kingdom. The wedding dress was a colorful dress made of red silk.
The First Princess of the Hwa Kingdom was at a loss of what to do because of the weight of the red silk dress she put on.
"Nanny, this dress is too heavy. "
"Don't be a crybaby, Your Highness. You haven't put on the outer dress yet. "
"Can I put on more?"
She looked back at the nanny with a surprised look.
The nanny was tying a golden cloth around her waist.
"Don't move. Let me wrap it around your body to stop it from loosening. "
Woorum acted as instructed by the nanny because her tone was firm. When the nanny spoke so firmly, she would not accept her playing like a child no matter how much Woorum whined.
After she bound the tightly wrapped cloth over her body with a decorative belt on it, the nanny brought a red garment embroidered with golden flowers.
"The wedding clothes of the Mok Kingdom are truly gorgeous. The wedding dress of our country is so simple compared to this," said the nanny.
The nanny kept marveling. Some palace maids, who were helping them near the palace wall, giggled at each other after overhearing the nanny saying that to Woorum.
"Well, I have seen it when Prince Mingung got married. At that time I really wish I had a chance to wear a fine white wedding dress… I wanted to wear it. "
Her eyes were wet with tears when she said that because she missed her motherland at that moment. At the time, her brother, Prince Mingung's, bride, the royal princess in a white wedding gown looked like a celestial maiden from the moon. The light, white cloth that was wrapped around her fluttered in the wind, and the long lower ends of her cloth made a gentle noise when she walked.
While she was carried away with such sentimental thoughts, she heard the nanny's voice, "Your Highness, you have to put on the crown and cover your body with a red cloth."
"Let us help you, too," said the palace maids.
"Please sit down."
The moment the nanny spoke, the maids quickly brought a cushion with a golden crown on it. When the nanny put the crown of gold and jewelry on her head, someone laid a red cloth on it. Though the fabric was thin, everything was blurry beyond the fabric.
"Nanny, I can't see anything."
"Don't worry, I'll be there to help you."
"Nanny, nanny, where are you? Please hold my hand. "
Woorum's waving hands touched something warm.
What she touched were dry, big, bony hands.
"Nanny?"
When Woorum called the nanny comfortably, she heard many people sitting down and then singing together.
"Long live the crowned prince! We're honored to see Your Majesty, the crown prince!"
Oh..Your Majesty, Crown Prince…
Woorum trembled slightly. While she was looking around without seeing much, confused about whether she should also lower her body, she saw the lower end of the nanny's skirt as she bowed.
Right now, the person's hand holding hers did not belong to the nanny. Who could it be?
She saw a black shadow through her red cloth.
"As the princess is late, I've come here in person."
Woorum shuddered again at someone's icy voice. His hands were so warm, but how could his voice be so cold?
Too embarrassed to say anything, she slightly lowered her head and opened her mouth.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I was late because of makeup... "
"That's fine with me. Let me lead you, so just be careful and follow me."
"Yes, yes, will do."
Even before she finished her words, Bipaan made his point then pulled her hand. Walking behind them were Bipaan's secretary, a group of palace maids, Woorum's nanny, and soldiers holding the red flag on both sides.
Woorum could not see ahead because she was wearing the red cloth, so she didn't know such a large group was following her. If she had realized it, she would have freaked out.
When Bipaan and Woorum arrived at the entrance of the wedding hall, a loud bugle blared, and the musicians played. When Woorum jumped, surprised at the sound, Bipaan looked at her.
Woorum was a much smaller woman than expected. If Bipaan had not been told that she came of age, he would have thought she was a 15-year-old girl with a small figure. Though he never saw her face after she covered it with a cloth, he felt she might look like a young girl.
Bipaan bent his waist forward a bit and whispered in her ear, "Don't tremble. As I have to let go of your hand, please watch my steps and follow me well. "
"Yes… "
Her small voice was trembling faintly. The sound of the musicians' playing was no more heard in her ears. Bipaan let go of her hands, and Woorum looked down under the fabric of her long cloth in a tense mood. As the lower end of his clothes moved, she also began to move forward. She saw a blue butterfly embroidered on a dark red hem. She walked carefully, paying attention to the moving visibility of the butterfly.
Bipaan saw her trembling but pretended not to know. He was not generous enough to care about such a little girl.
Woorum and Bipaan were walking on red silk. In her mind, this silk seemed to be endless.
She didn't know how the wedding ended. She was still nervous, sitting on the bed. Her hands were trembling, but she couldn't stop it.
"Oh my god…"
She let out a deep sigh. She breathed out loudly on purpose to relieve her tension, but she still trembled. The tension of the wedding ceremony did not subside easily for her.
She felt everything was like a dream. No wonder she came to the great empire, the Mok Kingdom, and got married to its crowned prince! What she could remember of the wedding ceremony while in a hazy state was the voice of the emperor that was cold like froth.
She thought that the crowned prince's voice surely resembled the emperor.
The emperor's cold, dignified voice was clearly etched in her mind, even though she was absent-minded as she was so tense.
"From now on, forget your former name as the first princess of the Hwa Kingdom, and live as the Crown Princess of the Mok Kingdom, caring about the security and well-being of the country. Do you get it, Crown Princess Kyosul?" the emperor said.
"Kyosul. "
'Kyo' meaning beautiful and 'sul' meaning 'autumn wind.'. That was the name that would replace Woorum. Woorum, no, Kyosul, was still covered with red cloth. She kept trembling without relieving her tension.
When would her husband Bipaan come to pick her up?