chapter 58
Maybe it was because I had stretched my legs and slept well yesterday, but I woke up feeling more refreshed than ever and went for a walk.
When I returned with light steps, my room was bustling with people ready to help me get dressed and prepared.
Of course.
I had also received help from several people during my engagement ceremony. At a royal banquet, I’d need even more assistance.
Resigned, I trudged to the chair in front of the mirror, and only after becoming the perfect little lady could I step outside.
“Who’s this?”
Turning toward the voice, I saw Zion-oppa, dressed magnificently.
“The most beautiful of the Hu family… isn’t this Hyeon Hyeon?”
“Don’t tease me.”
Zion-oppa, playfully teasing, wore a deep black silk ceremonial outfit.
Tall, with a physique honed by martial arts, and sharp features softened into a charming smile that made him incredibly attractive.
“No, it’s because you’re really pretty, our little sister.”
“Does it suit me?”
“Very much so.”
Like Zion-oppa, I was also dressed in black silk. It seemed to be an unspoken rule that at royal banquets, one wore clothing representing their family. Since so many people gathered, it helped distinguish each family.
The Hyun family’s color was black.
It felt a bit strange, not the bright colors I usually liked to wear.
Today, my hair was neatly let down. Normally, my thick hair had a strong personality of its own, but three people had worked on it until it fell smoothly, silky straight.
Its sheen could rival silk.
Zion-oppa, looking at me closely, said readily:
“You’re small and utterly cute, so I didn’t realize—you really are part of our family.”
That reminded me of the last glance I had at myself before leaving the room.
Indeed, there was a different aura.
Perhaps it looked cool. Or like a well-sharpened sword.
This must be how Hyeon Ga appears outside, as a martial family.
But it wasn’t all sharpness.
A jade pendant hung at my waist, and hair ornaments made of mother-of-pearl, pearls, and silver were fixed neatly on both sides, adding brightness and elegance.
“So, you’re both here.”
“Have you come from Sobaeksan?”
Huirok came to see us after finishing his preparations. I opened my mouth to greet him but closed it immediately.
Just as Zion-oppa and I wore black to represent our family, Huirok wore ceremonial attire with a white base accented in teal and blue.
And that appearance—oh my.
“Hyeon Hyeon?”
I almost bowed instinctively toward the palace.
The Emperor himself, and Baeksan!
Your son looks amazing today! Thank you for making him so handsome!
For a moment, I lost all composure. Huirok’s pure white attire, decorated with blue and teal ornaments, looked more than beautiful—it was sacred.
Could a person really shine like that? While I gawked, Huirok also stared at me, visibly flustered.
Then, suddenly, his eyebrows furrowed, and he handed me something.
A thin silk veil-like hat, called a myeokri, meant to cover the face.
I looked up, puzzled why he was giving it to me. He gestured that I should wear it when we went out.
“Why?”
“Because you’re too pretty. Better to wear it than deal with everyone staring at you uncomfortably.”
I tilted my head at Zion-oppa’s words.
“I’ve never been uncomfortable before?”
“That’s because Sobaeksan was by your side.”
“At home, I was fine without a veil.”
“Seolgokdo is the front yard of the Hyeon family.”
Zion-oppa told me I should wear it since no one would dare cause trouble knowing whose granddaughter I am.
Trouble, he says! I may look small and weak, but my strength is no joke!
“That’s unfair!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Can’t I go without it if I’m with you and Huirok?”
“We’ll be separated during the palace entry procedure.”
By now, I was resentful of Huirok for giving me the veil. But that resentment melted in front of my fiancé’s sad, handsome face.
“….”
“….”
“….”
“…I’ll wear it.”
I lost. I lost to Huirok’s face.
He had learned well how to use beauty from his prospective father-in-law. I couldn’t win.
I tightly closed my eyes and accepted the veil, telling both Huirok and Zion-oppa to wear theirs as well.
“Me too? I understand Sobaeksan, but why me?”
“It wouldn’t feel fair if only I wore it.”
And so, we wore our veils side by side and headed to the palace.
The event was set for the Sasi hour (9–11 a.m.).
So entering the palace had to be even earlier.
“Those under one cheok (≈30cm) in height who have transformed into animal forms, this line! Those taller, that line!”
“Running a bit late.”
Zion-oppa murmured, his face hidden by the veil.
Indeed, even though we arrived relatively early, the palace entrance was already crowded with invited guests.
Even formally invited guests had to follow procedures to enter: invitation, identity token, and transformation in front of the officials.
The last step was especially important. Invitation and token could be forged, but the portrait sent by the family could not be perfectly replicated.
Think about it. You can mimic human appearance, but you can’t change species.
One problem: those under one cheok had to climb onto tall chairs for their transformation.
“Transform now.”
Beep!
“Red-haired sparrow species, Hongram. Confirmed.”
Phew.
I understood. The girl sitting on that tall chair was a sparrow—smaller than my fist—and hard to see.
Thinking I’d have to sit there too made me dizzy. All eyes would be on me.
I silently thanked Huirok and Zion-oppa for giving me the veil.
From afar, a cheer erupted—whether of excitement or awe, I couldn’t tell.
“Confirmed!”
It was Zion-oppa.
A huge black dog with shiny fur lightly barked and transformed into human form.
Next, Huirok appeared—a white tiger the size of a house, causing many people to flee in panic.
“Line up! Line up!”
Even the other line had its difficulties.
I nodded lightly and stepped forward. Soon, it was my turn. I handed over my invitation and identity token.
“Hyeon Hyeon of the Hyun family, may we see your face?”
“Yes.”
I lifted the veil slightly. The doorkeeper flinched but quickly masked his expression and directed me to transform while sitting on the chair.
“Woof!”
“Ah! A puppy?”
“No, small dogs remain small even as adults. Many look young, so it’s hard to tell their age from their transformed form.”
“But isn’t she from the Hyun family?”
Ignoring the murmurs, I straightened my back and sat properly.
Now, look. Is the puppy in your portrait really me?
“Confirmed.”
Hoo.
I completed the procedure without issue and returned to human form.
Some whispered their disappointment, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to get off the spotlight chair as quickly as possible.
Finally, upon entering the palace, Zion-oppa and Huirok were waiting.
Both had removed their veils, so I quickly did the same. Palace maidens took the veils from us.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all.”
A maid with a gentle smile led us to the banquet hall. I stood between Zion-oppa and Huirok, cautiously scanning the palace.
The palace was made of stone.
I had imagined it like Gyeongbokgung in my previous life, but it was different. The gray stone pillars were perfectly square, and the walls were finished in white marble.
There were no other decorations.
The simplicity of the architecture seemed to emphasize a solemn and cold atmosphere.
“This is it.”
The maid whispered that we had reached our destination.
I gasped at the view through the open doors.
I had never seen a place like this.
The ceiling was transparent glass, like a greenhouse. The blue sky was fully visible, and morning sunlight poured in, illuminating the interior.
Most striking of all was the floor.
“Is that water?”
Water flowed through channels carved into the banquet hall floor like a moat. Some were just a handspan wide, others too wide to easily step over.
The sunlight made the water sparkle, and I couldn’t help but exclaim.
It was a boundary. The water prevented people from clustering unnecessarily. The guests who arrived early were already spread out.
You could stay in one place, but to mingle, you had to move consciously.
Someone had thought carefully about the layout.
While admiring the hall’s design, I explored with Huirok.
Just as I thought the hall was getting crowded, a booming voice announced: “His Highness the Crown Prince!”
“Long live the Crown Prince! Long live! Long, long live!”
Someone led the chant. People knelt and bowed their heads toward him.
I, too, knelt and chanted the threefold long live with Huirok.
After a while, a soft but distinct footstep sound reached my ears.
“Lift your head.”
I carefully raised my head following a clear, gentle voice. Sunlight reflected on the water, catching the hem of the Crown Prince’s robes. It looked natural and refreshing.
Looking up, I saw an elegantly long-faced young man.
Long, blue hair looked electrified, and his features seemed sculpted from marble. He looked exactly like the Emperor.
That was my fiancé’s twin brother: Crown Prince Cheong Gyuheon.
Seeing him, I thought: they really don’t look alike, even as twins. No wonder no one noticed they were siblings until now.
