Page 5 : The Queen’s Day

After being crowned, my life completely changed. Every day, there is a palace etiquette that I have to follow, which is to convey morning and evening greetings to the palace elders. Not only that, but my work is also diverse. Among all the tasks I've done, the hardest one is serving my partner, King Uiyang.

After the wedding day, I was only able to meet my husband when I delivered morning and evening greetings to the palace elders. Only two meetings per day, and that's if I'm lucky enough to meet him. Never once did he intend to visit me. I'm really lonely. My husband, King Uiyang, never visited me.

I can't just meet him. King Uiyang enforced a rule. I can only meet him if I first message him through one of my palace maid. That is, if he wants to see me. I repeatedly sent messages to meet him through my palace maid, but none of them got permission to send the message through him.

I have lost hope to win His Majesty's heart. Especially if I remember our first meeting, which didn't go well. The warning that I don't expect much to win his heart always echoes in my head every day. My hope of being the best consort for him is fading by the day. Even though I'm sit on the throne as queen, I don't even dare to dream of being able to give birth to an heir to the throne, even though it's my duty.

But the sky seemed to hear the screams of my heart.

That day, unexpectedly, Eunuch Han—who served my husband, came to see me. Without saying much, Eunuch Han conveyed my husband's message to me. The message I've been waiting for

that is "His Majesty asks that you immediately meet him in the palace flower garden."

I'm sure that when I heard that, I couldn't hide my smile. The cold queen was smiling; that must be what my servants had in mind when they saw me smiling because of the message Eunuch Han conveyed to me.

Eunuch Han didn't leave after conveying King Uiyang's message to me. Eunuch Han faithfully waited for me to get ready and accompanied me to meet my husband. That day, for the first time, I believed the power of a woman's patience was immense. That day, I felt as if the whole universe was smiling and celebrating my happiness. I will never forget that day.

The day my husband—King Uiyang—promised to be my protector Even though I couldn't reach her heart, she promised to protect me and give me a chance so that I could carry out my duties as queen to the best of my ability. He promised to let me sit on the throne even though I was not the woman he expected. Even though his words sounded cold, at least his words and promises showed his warm demeanor to me. For me, all that is enough. I don't want to be a lonely queen.

...

Time goes so fast. The young girl who was crowned queen has now grown into a very beautiful young queen. No one in the palace doubted Queen Heo's beauty.

Not only was her beauty recognized by the whole country, but the young queen carried out her duties in the palace very well. Thanks to her ability to lead the palace maid very well, Queen Heo received praise from the palace elders, namely the Royal Queen Dowager Park and her mother-in-law, Queen Dowager Min. But, behind all that, Queen Heo was famous as a lonely queen.

Queen Heo never smiled in front of the court ladies. The young queen always wore a cold facial expression without a smile. In addition to being cold, Queen Heo is also famous for being firm in taking action against any violations that occur among palace maids. That's why the inner palace is in a calm under the leadership of Queen Heo.

This morning, as usual, Queen Heo had to convey her morning greetings to the palace elders. Queen Heo headed for the palace area of the Royal Queen Dowager Park, accompanied by a group of servants. Dressed in a red dangui paired with a traditional light gray skirt, Queen Heo looked very elegant this morning.

Upon arriving at the residence of the Royal Queen Dowager Park, Queen Heo did not immediately ask to have her arrival announced. Queen Heo turned to the palace maid in charge of the Royal Queen Dowager Park residence. This is an action that she always takes every time she wants to convey good morning greetings.

"Has His Majesty come to convey his morning greetings?"

The young palace maid bowed her head in front of the queen. Her head nodded slowly. "Yes, Your Majesty. His Majesty has just finished conveying his morning greetings to the palace elders."

Disappointment filled Queen Heo's heart when she heard the answer given by the palace maid. Queen Heo realizes she came too late. Her husband had greeted her first thing in the morning. Queen Heo took a deep breath. Her face still looks flat. Without looking back, the queen gave an order to the young lady.

"Announce my arrival."

A palace maid nodded. "Royal Queen Dowager, the Queen has come to see you."

The answer from the Royal Queen Dowager Park made the palace maid at the front door immediately open the door. Queen Heo stepped into the room to convey her morning greetings to the two palace elders.

...

"Are you sure you did well?"

Queen Heo asked in a cold tone of voice. Not only did she ask in a cold tone of voice, but the queen also gave a sharp look at a palace maid.

After conveying the morning greetings, Queen Heo will definitely go around the palace. The Queen not only toured the palace but also checked the work of all the palace maids. Despite her young age, Queen Heo is meticulous and pays attention to everything regarding her work as the head of the royal household.

The young palace maid who stood before Queen Heo could only lower her head. Not only did she lower her head, but the young lady's body seemed to tremble. The young lady was scared.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I've done my best. But…."

The young palace maid lost her words and voice.

Queen Heo's eyes glared sharply. The corners of her mouth curved into a sinister grin. Queen Heo hates it the most when someone doesn't want to admit their mistakes.

"Obviously, you made a mistake. But you still dare to dodge," Queen Heo said as she stood up. The queen's eyes stared intently at the young lady. The glint of anger was evident in the queen's eyes.

"I'm quite amazed by your courage to keep avoiding the mistakes you've made. How dare a young palace maid like you try to insult my dignity as a queen?" Queen Heo continued.

The young palace maid body trembled in front of the queen. The cold words that Queen Heo spoke made anyone who heard them shiver with fear. Even though she didn't show an expression of anger on her face, Queen Heo actually showed her anger through the words she chose.

"I deserve to die, Your Majesty. I've made a big mistake."

The palace maid finally chose to kneel before Queen Heo. The palace maid couldn't even hold back her tears anymore. She did not expect Queen Heo to be this angry with her mistake.

Queen Heo was silent because of the anger she was feeling. The woman wearing the red dress turned to see Court Lady Choi, who was behind her. As if understanding the look Queen Heo gave, Court Lady Choi simply nodded her head.

As soon as Court Lady Choi nodded, Queen Heo stepped out of the palace sewing section. Seeing the queen rush away from the place, the entourage of her court lady immediately followed wherever the queen went. Meanwhile, Queen Heo's personal assistant, Court Lady Choi, does not follow the queen. Instead, the senior court lady remained in the sewing section of the palace.

Court Lady Choi did not follow the queen because she had to ensure the punishment of the palace maid. Court Lady Choi's sharp eyes now show anger at the young palace maid who has dared to make Queen Heo get a complaint from the Royal Queen Dowager Park regarding one of her dresses that feels narrower.

"I'll make sure you remember this punishment. Thank the queen for showing you a little generosity. Keep this punishment in mind so that you don't make mistakes in your work again. Don't change the size of the royal family's clothes! The job of a palace maid is not one to be toyed with!"

Immediately, Court Lady Choi dealt several blows to the palace maid calf. Some of the palace maid who saw the punishment could only grimace as if they would also feel the pain that hit the calf of one of their friends.

"To the other palace maids, remember this punishment as an example so as not to make a mistake in making the royal family's clothes!"

...

Time keeps rolling. In the sky, the moon has become the ruler of the night. Some of the ladies-in-waiting and Eunuch who worked in the palace's lighting section had completed their duties by lighting torches and lanterns in every corner of the palace.

Queen Heo emerged from Daebijeon—a Queen Dowager Resident, accompanied by Court Lady Choi, in the midst of the busy ladies and Eunuch who were lighting lanterns in the corners of the palace. Queen Heo had just finished conveying her afternoon greetings to the two queen dowager. The queen walked slowly while enjoying the nighttime atmosphere in the palace.

Queen Heo looked up at the moon in the sky that was shining so beautifully. A smile appeared on the queen's beautiful face as she gazed at the moon. The voices of the beasts of the night faintly sounded in the queen's ears. For some reason, the sound of the night beast seemed to scream out the lonely feeling that was in Queen Heo's heart.

One of Queen Heo's habits after completing all her tasks is to take a walk at night. Queen Heo enjoys strolling around before retiring to her palace to rest.This time, Queen Heo chose to take a different path to the central palace. Until she realized it, the Queen's steps had led her to approach the pavilion of the King's residence.

"Your Majesty, do you intend to meet the king?"

The question from Court Lady Choi made Queen Heo snap out of her thoughts. The woman raised her face and was slightly surprised when she was standing right in front of the entrance to the main palace.

"Ah, did I daydream during the walk? I have no intention of meeting the king. We must hurry away, Court Lady Choi."

With the widest strides she could make, Queen Heo hurried away from the main pavilion entrance. In her heart, Queen Heo did not expect that her steps could just lead her to the residence of someone she wanted to meet.

Court Lady Choi looked at Queen Heo's back with a sad look. Even though Queen Heo never showed it, Court Lady Choi knew she must be very lonely. Since being officially enthroned as Queen, Queen Heo has never once received a visit from King Uiyang.

Just as Court Lady Choi was about to follow Queen Heo's steps again, Queen Heo suddenly stopped her steps again. It didn't stop there. Queen Heo turned around and walked quickly toward the main pavilion's entrance.

"Your Majesty, where are you going?" Court Lady Choi quickly caught up with the queen.