Chapter Text
"should i congratulate you?" prince bogeom asked once their morning lesson was wrapped.
the crown prince raised an eyebrow.
"for the, um, consummation."
"shut your mouth."
the cohort snickers. not that he had any right to tease his highness, being unmarried and even though he was smart, he was not proficient in the manner of relations and pulled no game with women. it was a public secret that the crown prince had abandoned his bride on their wedding night—although that was not the official story, and the queen had to arrange emergency hapgung to shut the rumours. it is just funny to him that this crown prince, clever and daring, has a weakness of being awkward around his own wife. this is the same man who jumped off a cliff to prove his point.
if prince bogeom had to be honest, the presence of the then-lady cheongha in manwol-do was quite an annoyance. they were there as inspectors with a mission from the king. adding that they were in a contest too. grand prince seongnam had one-upped him the whole time, from proving that master hyomyeong was not blind, getting them three days of chance, and correctly assumed the master's method. he even had time to be suspicious of the said master. all of that he did whilst having to accommodate an uninvited guest in the form of a pretty lady. had she not been there, he would have spent three nights cramped with his competitor rather than two nights cramped with the grand prince and master hyomyeong.
he did not understand why the grand prince did not just ask the lady to leave. had he been the one being followed around by an enamoured lady, he would say he was on a mission and maybe promise her that he would see her again once the mission is finished. he thought that the grand prince was not serious in his effort towards the mission and it annoyed him to no end. here he was, working hard to convince park gyeong-woo to come to the capital with him and his direct competitor had time to frolic with a pretty lady!
yes,the grand prince had been brusque in manner in regards to the lady, but it was just the exterior. on their way to the trading port, he walked in a slower pace than how he usually does to accommodate the lady. on their way back to the port he waited and halted the ferry for her, although the grand prince did not admit that to the lady. by god, he even held her hand running to the ferry!
in the conversation he totally did not eavesdrop, the lady gave him a box of counting sticks. it was the reason the lady was late for the crossing and she even had to sell her hair ribbon for it. as he observed, during the short conversation, the grand prince had a small smile plastered on his face that only subsided when he matched eyes with prince bogeom.
after the crossing, the two took a walk around the village together. prince bogeom did not know where they went for he really did not want to care.
come night when the lady came back with the grand prince. prince bogeom thought that the lady might have caught the last ferry back home, and even though it was dangerous for someone like her to try going back home on her own at night, the mainland would have more places for her to stay the night than the island. but no, she wished to stay at the master's house, a house that only have two bedrooms, certainly not a suitable dwelling for a scholar, two inspectors, and a lady of noble birth. after the master told them to sort things out themselves, bogeom-gun had thought maybe grand prince seongnam would have thought out something.
"you can take our room, we will sleep at the master's room."
bogeom-gun was about to protest, cause why would he too had to accommodate for his brother's guest? but it was the most logical solution. how scandalous would that be if two of his majesty's princes share a room with a lady of the yangban class? if the news ever reaches the palace there would be no way one of them could become the crown prince.
it had been agreed that the palanquin would be sent first thing in the morning and the party would depart the island on the land bridge. prince bogeom woke up on that day just before sunrise with no grand prince in sight. but his brother's belongings were already packed into a rucksack. through the door he could see his silhouette. he could hear a bit of their conversation and it sounded like the grand prince had company.
he would like to think that master hyomyeong too felt like he was intruding on an intimate moment by hearing their conversation. the man quickly rose, opened the door and announced that they were leaving. prince bogeom was glad the mission and whatever was happening between grand prince seongnam ended before anything could transpire.
when the announcement of the selection was made and the ban on marriage enacted, prince bogeom wondered what had happened with the lady. does she even know that the man she was after is now the crown prince of the nation?
if she does not, that would be such a shame on her part. in the little time he spent observing the two, he could tell that the lady had genuine feeling for the grand prince. and the prince too, even though he would rather eat his shoes than admit it. even someone like prince bogeom would say that the pair looks good together. but also, it would be hard to justify someone brazen like the lady to be chosen as the next crown princess.
it was a surprise when he attended the banquet in the name of their nuptials that he found out the same lady cheongha was invested as the crown princess. he could see from his seat that her highness was smiling the whole time. contrary to the groom, who had been scowling as he chewed his food.
the sudden change in attitude towards the lady might be attributed to the fact that his father-in-law was not his ally. minister yoon had always been their grandmother's right-hand man, and by extension, so was his daughter. but prince bogeom wished to not know for a shake up in the palace is not a pleasant thing.
but they look good together, the lady beautiful and the groom is not bad on the eyes. per his observation, both of them are fond of each other. he did not know any better, yet he just knew that the new couple are going to resolve their rift just fine.
and was he right, as he greeted the crown prince for their morning lesson, there was not much difference in his appearance except that there was an air of unsureness about him. news travel fast once it reached the ear of a gungnyeo, the whole palace was buzzing about how the crown prince had finally consummated his marriage, the prince suspected that's why.
ah, whatever, other than being a good cohort and counsel, prince bogeom do not have the power to do anything. he wishes the best for the new couple, bring many, many prince and princesses, and one day become just and wise sovereign.