Chapter 27
Despite knowing that General Seok had not recently seen the real Princess Soo Jin; Eun Jung still felt a strong urge to distance herself from him. As she endeavored to avoid looking directly at the General, Eun Jung's eyes happen to fall upon the restless expression on Kwang Sun’s face. Having discovered the perfect excuse to remove herself from the General’s company; Eun Jung proceeded to ask politely, “General Seok, may I take Kwang Sun over there to go fly our kites?” General Seok thought that it was strange for Princess Soo Jin to ask for his permission, and replied in a serious tone, “Grand Princess Consort, I’m in no position to refuse any of your requests. Please do as you wish.” General Seok's noticeably formal response caused Eun Jung to become slightly unnerved, and more eager than ever to leave the pavilion.
Once she had retrieved her kite from the table, Eun Jung walked back over to Kwang Sun, extended her hand to him and said, "Let's go." Delighted to hear Eun Jung’s request, Kwang Sun leapt out of his seat to grab a hold of her hand, and turned to Prince JiangSu to ask, “Aren’t you coming with us?” Although, he wanted to join them, Prince JiangSu knew that he would not be able do so, when he heard General Seok ask, “Could your highness remain here with me? I’d like to discuss something with you.” After nodding his head to acquiesce to General Seok’s request, Prince JiangSu re-focused his attention onto Eun Jung and said, “Have fun with Kwang Sun but make sure you pay attention to your injuries.” Eun Jung felt slightly embarrassed by Prince JiangSu’s overly concerned tone, and smiled diffidently at him before replying, “I will.” Prince JiangSu ignored the fact that they were not alone, and reciprocated Eun Jung’s smile as he cautioned playfully, “You’d better. I’ll be watching you closely.”
Since he had become impatient to leave, Kwang Sun began to pull on Eun Jung’s arm to usher her forward. As he watched Kwang Sun drag Eun Jung out of the pavilion, Prince JiangSu issued the child a semi-serious warning by saying, “Hey little boy, if anything happens to my wife, you’re going to be in big trouble.” Paying very little attention to Prince JiangSu’s threat, Kwang Sun replied boldly, “Prince JiangSu, you talk too much!” Prince JiangSu was slightly taken aback by Kwang Sun’s cheeky response, and turned to General Seok to say, “I think that your son is the only person who can get away with saying something like that to me.” General Seok was completely astounded by Prince JiangSu’s unperturbed reaction to Kwang Sun’s rather inappropriate behavior, and was further amazed to discover that he could no longer detect even the slightest trace of the cold condescending expression, which he had routinely observed plastered on Prince JiangSu’s face.
General Seok's internal assessment of Prince JiangSu’s altered disposition was suddenly interrupted when he heard the Prince ask, “What did you want to discuss with me?” Since he knew that the discussion was potentially lengthy; General Seok suggested that they take a seat. Once they were seated at the marble table, near the center of the pavilion, General Seok proceeded to say, “I’ve been informed that you were the person who suggested opening the food storage for the citizens in the Southern regions.” Before he could complete his train of thought, Prince JiangSu interrupted General Seok by asking, “Has my suggestion negatively affected the situation in the South?” When he saw the concerned expression on Prince JiangSu’s face, General Seok quickly replied, “Absolutely not. When the food surpluses were delivered to the South, the citizens in the region immediately opened the enclosed forts, and readily allowed my soldiers to enter. Your highness's suggestion to open the food storage has helped to prevent the unnecessary loss of thousands of lives.”
Prince JiangSu was comforted by General Seok’s detailed account of the improved conditions in the South, and declared, “I'm very thankful that this matter was resolved peacefully. I know that the escalating problems in the South were weighing heavily on my royal father’s mind." Upon hearing Prince JiangSu's declaration, General Seok immediately recognized his apparent concern for the well-being of both the King and the citizens of South. General Seok felt a newfound sense of respect for Prince JiangSu, and tried to express it by saying, “I wanted to tell your highness that the King has accepted my recommendation for you to join in all future war council meetings. I believe that you’ve certainly earned the right to be included in the decisions, which will shape the future of our country.” Surprised by General Seok’s statement, Prince JiangSu asked, “YOU think that I should be included in the war council? To be completely honest, I never thought that you'd recommend me for anything.”
General Seok was astute enough to realize that Prince JiangSu was still unhappy about his previous opposition to the King’s decision to appoint him as the Crowned Prince, and offered an apology by saying, “I’m sorry for having said that you would not make a good King. The inaccurate opinion was clearly a huge lapse in judgment on my part.” When he heard General Seok’s gracious apology, Prince JiangSu began to feel the full weight of his own pettiness. Prince JiangSu hoped that they could put their past discord aside, and replied in a rather unassuming tone, “Perhaps, I should admit that you weren’t wrong to say that I was completely devoid of empathy. Empathy is not a quality that is commonly nurtured within the royal family. Luckily for me, you were able to find me a wife who possesses every single good quality typically lacking in a person of royal lineage."
Intrigued by Prince JiangSu’s statement, General Seok asked, “How is the Grand Princess Consort so different from other royalty?” While he carefully contemplated General Seok’s question, Prince JiangSu looked over towards Eun Jung and watched her run around happily with Kwang Sun. In an almost enamored tone, Prince JiangSu finally replied, “Soo Jin is different because she recognizes the value of everything and everyone. Despite having never experienced poverty, she still understands the importance of a few grains of rice. Unlike all of the members of my royal family, including myself, Soo Jin never takes for granted anything that she’s been blessed to have in her life. In the short time that we’ve been married, she’s taught me to appreciate my own good fortune, and to likewise, feel for those who are less fortunate.” To substantiate his claim, Prince JiangSu recounted the time when Eun Jung readily gave away the gifts, which Prince Dae-Hyun had given her.
General Seok was contented to learn that Princess Soo Jin was such a kind-hearted woman, but was very much confused by Prince JiangSu's description of her personality. From his numerous diplomatic meetings with Princess Soo Jin’s royal parents, General Seok had always been under the impression that she was a highly reserved individual with an exceedingly introverted personality. He recalled that it was these characteristics, which had led him to believe that Princess Soo Jin would be the perfect companion for Prince JiangSu. General Seok never imagined that his initial impressions of the Princess would be so completely erroneous. It was now clear to General Seok that Prince JiangSu did not need a wife with a personality, which was nearly identical to his. He was relieved that Princess Soo Jin’s outgoing and lively personality seemed to complement Prince JiangSu reserved disposition, and was glad that she seemed to bring out the best in him.
When he realized that they had veered off onto a tangent, Prince JiangSu steered the conversation back to the original topic by saying “I’m very grateful for your confidence in me. I promise to do my best when participating in the war council.” Upon hearing Prince JiangSu’s pledge, General Seok respectfully bowed to him and replied, “I know that you’ll do very well.” Since he wanted to become familiar with the issues currently being discussed in the war council, Prince JiangSu extended an offer to General Seok and his son to join him and Princess Soo Jin for dinner. General Seok was thrilled to see the Prince’s eagerness and readily accepted his gracious dinner invitation. As he was so intently focused on his conversation with General Seok, Prince JiangSu failed to notice that Prince Hyo had arrived in the garden. Prince JiangSu only realized that his brother had joined them, when he heard Kwang Sun exclaim loudly, “Prince Hyo, you’re amazing!”
Upon turning his attention towards Kwang Sun, Prince JiangSu immediately caught sight of Prince Hyo’s smiling face, and furrowed his brows in annoyance. Discomforted by the scene of Kwang Sun perched atop Prince Hyo's shoulders with Eun Jung standing by his side; Prince JiangSu smiled awkwardly at General Seok and said, “Please excuse me, I need to go greet my royal brother.” Without bothering to wait for General Seok to acknowledge his statement; Prince JiangSu quickly stood up, and proceeded to make his way over to Eun Jung and her company. When he was within earshot, Prince JiangSu asked, “Prince Hyo, what brings you here?” With a relaxed smile on his face, Prince Hyo replied, “I heard that my favorite little guy was here; so I came to see what he was up to.” It did not escape Prince JiangSu’s attention that Prince Hyo had not taken his eyes off of Eun Jung’s face as he spoke, and observed dryly, “I thought something else had drawn you here.”
Having misinterpreted Prince JiangSu’s meaning, Eun Jung looked over towards Prince Hyo and asked, “Do you like kite flying?” Amused by Eun Jung’s inquiry, Prince Hyo let out a slight chuckle, and replied, “I don’t think that Prince JiangSu was referring to kite flying. I bet he meant that the beautiful scenery in this garden drew me in. But either way, I still stand by my initial assertion that Kwang Sun is the reason for my sudden appearance.” Before the awkward conversation could continue, General Seok joined the group and bowed to Prince Hyo before asking, “When did your highness arrive at the Palace?” After acknowledging the General’s formal greeting, Prince Hyo helped him up from his bowed position and replied, “Teacher, please don’t greet me so formally.” Confused by Prince Hyo’s response, Eun Jung leaned in towards Prince JiangSu and whispered, “Why is Prince Hyo calling General Seok teacher?” Despite being rather unhappy to see Eun Jung’s peaked curiosity towards Prince Hyo, Prince JiangSu still reluctantly replied, “General Seok is in charge of his military training; so he has to call him teacher.”
After he answered Eun Jung’s question, Prince JiangSu re-focused his attention onto Prince Hyo, and declared, "I see that you and General Seok have a lot of catching up to do; so my WIFE and I will take our leave." Turning to General Seok, Prince JiangSu continued to say, “We look forward to having you over for dinner tonight." Stunned by Prince JiangSu's statement, Eun Jung asked nervously, “We look forward to what?” Glancing over towards Eun Jung, Prince JiangSu explained, “Oh, I haven’t had a chance to tell you, but I invited General Seok and Kwang Sun over for dinner.” With a slight nod of her head, Eun Jung replied nervously, “Ah, I see. I'll be sure to ask the cooks to prepare a delicious meal for you and Kwang Sun.” Before General Seok could respond, Prince Hyo asked, “Would it be impolite of me to ask if I could join your dinner party?” Eun Jung thought that it would be better if there were more guests in attendance, and quickly replied, “Of course not, the more the merry.” Not knowing what else could be said, Prince JiangSu uttered sardonically, “Of course we’d love for you to join us.” Perturbed by the sudden modification to the guest list, Prince JiangSu nonchalantly grabbed a hold of Eun Jung’s hand and led her away.
waiting for the next ,with anticipation. 
, wonder what'll happen next.. btw im nt sure if i shud asked u dis bt i cnt read chp 10. there's only like 1 sentences shown..
nevertheless, i still read all chps except 10 n still liking them all.
recalling the scene where Mil shi was she agitated with Princess Deokman frm Queen Seondeok drama series!!!