Playful Mornings and Palace Surprises
I'll be over there. You two do whatever you want.
Pop!
"Whoa! Ah, that didn't work. Damn."
"Heehee. Takji, you don't flip it with brute force. Like this!"
Bang!
"It's all about technique."
"......Wasn't that just brute force a second ago?"
I'd seen off the Crown Prince and crawled straight into bed. But the noise coming from beyond the paper window just now jolted my eyes open.
"Watch closely, Takji. Grab the top like this. And like this!"
Bang!
"Then flip it. Easy, right?"
The conversation sounded like they were playing tops, but that sound was more like a tire popping.
I got up, straightened the bedding, and opened the paper window for some ventilation.
"L-Like this? Hah!"
Pop!
"No, that's too weak."
By your standards? Come on, Eori.
Sure enough, out in the courtyard, Eori and Takji were engrossed in a game of tops, just as their chatter suggested. Seeing them have so much fun with the top-spinning game I'd invented at age ten warmed my heart.
"Argh, seriously. Do it like this, okay? Watch. Hup!"
Booom!
"Heehee. See?"
Dust kicked up around the top every time Eori slammed it down. I stared blankly for a moment before chiming in.
"Eori, keep that up and the top's gonna burst."
"Hubby! Heeheehee!"
"Tiger Boy sir, did you cough?"
Eori lit up with a smile bright as morning sunshine the moment she saw me, while Takji bowed his head politely like yesterday...... Huh?
"Takji, what did you just say?"
"Pardon? Did you cough, sir?"
"No, not that. The part before."
"You mean 'Tiger Boy sir'?"
"Yeah, that. You believe it now?"
Just yesterday, I'd given him rides in the rickshaw and bought him treats to convince him I was the real Tiger Boy. Not just for that reason, of course, but overnight, he was calling me Tiger Boy.
"Yes! I do! I believe it now!"
All that money spent yesterday was worth it......!
"Who else could make the Crown Prince drink one-on-one but the Tiger Boy?"
None! Damn it!
What's so impressive about sharing a drink with the Crown Prince one-on-one!
It was pretty impressive, though. Hmm.
"I'll fetch water for your morning wash!"
Takji hurried off to get the washbasin water. In stark contrast, Eori came over and scolded me like a child.
"Hubby, how can you sleep past eleven? The sun's already high in the sky."
"Huh? The sun? High in the sky? It's not up there."
"What do you mean? It's right there, big as you please."
"No, my sunshine is right here in front of me."
Eori was down on the porch floor, and I was up on the raised platform, so the height difference worked in my favor. I stroked her hair and whispered,
"My sunshine, sleep well?"
"?!"
Even to my own ears, it was cringey, but Eori's face turned as red as the sun itself. She bowed her head like she couldn't meet my eyes and whined petulantly.
"Aaaang! Hubby! How can you say such things!"
"Eori, stay like that. If you look up at me, it's too dazzling."
"Hubbyyy! Don't say that! It's embarrassinggg!"
She told me not to, but a faint smile played on her lips. Meanwhile, Takji, returning with the washbasin, gagged like a cat hacking up a hairball.
"Urk."
"What? Did you eat something bad?"
"Sir, can't you save that stuff for home?"
"Save what? You'll be like this too when you get a girl you like. I didn't expect it of myself either."
"Pardon? I'm not like you, sir."
"What?"
I turned to stare at Takji as he set the basin down on the porch. His face flushed beet red in an instant.
"N-No! It's nothing!"
"Nothing my foot. Who is it? Spill. Who's the girl?"
"I said it's not!"
"Just tell me. Who's the lucky one? My lips are sealed. I swear on my little brother."
"You really won't tell?"
My face felt grimy from sleep, but Takji's first crush trumped washing up. Even Eori forgot her embarrassment and waited breathlessly.
"Uh, w-well, the girl from the house across the way, the servant Mak-sun......!"
"Mak-sun?! Got it! I'll deliver your feelings right now!"
"Nooo! Don't! You swore on your brother!"
"I'm an only child! No siblings!"
"That's cheating! Sir! Are you really the Tiger Boy? Sit down and wash your face!"
Takji panicked and stopped me as I pretended to head off the porch. Seeing the sly grinner from yesterday fluster like this cracked me up.
Ah, is this what having a little brother feels like? Should I ask Mom for one?
No way. That'd mean her and Kim Jin-sa...... Eugh! Gross!
Huh? Why am I an only child anyway?
My half-brothers were the eldest young master and that brat Hui-un, but that's not the point. Despite Kim Jin-sa visiting our house multiple times, Mom never had another kid besides me. What's up with that? Is Kim Jin-sa infertile? Or Mom? Why no little sibling yet?
Questioning what I'd taken for granted unleashed a flood of others. I sat before the basin, lost in fruitless thought.
"Heehee. Hubby."
And then Eori.
"Eori?"
"I'll wash your face for you."
"Urk."
That gagging sound earlier? Takji's doing. He grimaced like he'd seen something traumatizing and pointed toward the kitchen.
"I'll be over there. You two do whatever."
"Then I'll go straight to Mak-sun—"
"Ah! Sir!"
"Fine, fine. While you're at it, bring some food too. I'm hungry."
"Yes, sir. Let me know when you're done."
Takji bolted like his life depended on it. Eori waited until he was out of sight, then dipped and withdrew her hands from the basin.
"Hubby, forgive me."
"Sure. Go ahead."
I closed my eyes gently and leaned toward her. Soon, her wet hands caressed my face softly.
"Hubby, feel refreshed?"
"Yeah. Like paradise."
"Heehee. That good?"
"No, I meant the water temperature."
"Pardon? Temperature?"
"Uh, yeah. How hot or cold the water is. Like measuring weight in geun."
"Heeheehee. Hubby is so knowledgeable."
Unlike me, folks in Chaekho Village like Eori never attended a seodang. Maybe I should mention schools when I see King Sejong.
"Oh, right."
And I had to tell Eori this.
"Eori, this Sunday, I'm going to see the king."
"Pardon? Sunday?"
"Yeah. That day—you're coming too, so get ready."
"Yes?!"
Her gentle touch froze. She plunged her hands into the basin, splashing water, and asked,
"H-H-H-Hubby! M-Me too?"
"Yeah. The king wants to see some archery, but you're better than me. I mentioned it to the Crown Prince, and he said bring you along."
"N-N-No! Hubby! How can you say it so casually!"
No hands on my face, so I opened my eyes. Eori stared back, hands in the basin, face crumpled in distress.
"Hubby! Is it true? Not joking?"
"Why would I lie to you? Eori's pretty. Super pretty. See? Only truths come out."
"This isn't the time for jokes! Am I really going to the palace? To see His Majesty?"
"Yeah."
"Aaaang! Hubbyyy!"
Splash splash!
The sudden palace trip and royal audience hit her hard. She shook my shoulders and whined, splashing basin water everywhere.
"Hubbyyy! How can you drop that so casuallyyy!"
"Couldn't help it. Crown Prince said bring you."
"You brought it up first!"
"True."
"Aaaang! You're too much!"
"What? Not confident?"
"......"
Her fierce reaction stalled. Visibly miffed, she pouted her red lips and grumbled.
"It's not that, but suddenly going to the palace to see His Majesty......!"
"Why not? We're in Hanyang—see the palace, meet the king. How cool is that? And if my Eori shows off her archery, he'll reward you."
"Don't call me 'my Eori.' I'm mad."
She glared and pursed her lips to show her anger, but it just looked cute to me.
"Oh? Mad? My Eori's mad?"
"Tch!"
Eori pulled her hands from the basin and shook off the water in protest.
"Don't. You'll splash me again."
"Fine? No kiss then?"
"No kiss for you!"
"No kiss? Then I gotta splash back!"
"Kyaa! Hubby! Stoppp! Heeheehee!"
The moment I splashed, her anger vanished, replaced by a beaming smile.
"......"
Takji watched us silently from the kitchen doorway, dead-eyed and bored.
"When are they leaving......"
"My brother laughed that hard?"
"Yes, Grand Prince. The officer checked on the Crown Prince's condition."
"Hahaha! Really? Getting more curious by the minute. Hey, send word to Magistrate Yi In-su. I'll visit tonight—prepare a banquet."