1423: JOSEON

I felt the wind on my face as I was waiting to step down from the ship. “We have finally reached Joseon”, I thought with a smile. As I stepped down slowly on the steps of the ship whilst holding the end of my silky red saree, I could feel the coolness of the wind when my silky saree stuck to my body, outlining my perfect body that I could see the admiration from my men. I felt so proud and happy that I was gifted with a skin as white as milk and as soft as the skin of a newborn. My beauty was well-known in Maharastra and I had been chased by many princes from across the states in India as words of my beauty had traveled across the nation. However, my heart had always felt like that was not what I wanted at all. My heart sought for something else. A love from outside of where I belonged. I often wondered if I was ever going to meet the true love of my life in this lifetime. Father had brought many talented princes before me but I have never felt an inch of attraction for any of them. That was when the news about Father’s trip to Joseon reached my ears. It took me a lot of effort to persuade Father to take me along since princesses from Maharastra or anywhere in India were bound to be within the walls of the Palace and were prohibited from traveling to an alien land since the princesses had greater responsibility of working towards continuing the lineage of the next heir to the throne in each state. I was, of course, unique for a princess whose heart sought a completely different purpose in life. The excitement of a different kind. And that had prompted me to follow Father to Joseon and there I was, in Joseon.

Once I had landed my feet onto the wooden floor of the harbor, I turned around to see if my Father, Shivaji Bosale I, the King of Maharastra followed my steps. There he stood at the entrance of the ship, looking around with a smile on his face, with determination written all over his face. Our trip to Joseon was to create an alliance between Maharastra and Joseon by the exclusive right of trade of spices conferred to King Lee Yeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty at that time in exchange for the exclusive right of trade of silk materials conferred to the King of Maharastra. Father had previously discussed his plans to create an alliance with Joseon to develop Maharastra into an international trade center for silk materials. Therefore, I had tagged along for the excitement of a new kind.

Once Father had joined me at the floor of the harbor, we were welcomed by an army of Joseon soldiers and their leader, Colonel Park Jung Soo. Colonel Park bowed to us and addressed Father, and said, “Our King, His Majesty welcomes Your Majesty with utmost sincerity. Did your trip to Joseon cause any inconvenience, Your Majesty?”. Father replied, “No. We had the best ship from Maharastra which is well-equipped and condoned to our needs as and when it was required. How shall we travel from here to the Palace?”.

Colonel Park replied that two palanquins had been prepared for Father and me. We were directed to the location of the palanquins and we were ready to start our journey to the Palace of King Lee Yeongjo, the present King of Joseon.

Once we reached the Palace, I noticed that the crowd was waiting to see who was sitting in the palanquins of the Royals in Joseon other than their King himself. King Shivaji Bosale I stepped down from the palanquin and was warmly greeted by King Lee Yeongjo at the entrance of the Palace. I noticed that Father was observed with admiration over his attire since our attire seemed strange to the crowd standing with much curiosity outside the Palace and to the Royals of Joseon. I called out, “Nina, would you reach for my hand, please. I would like to step down from my palanquin”. “Yes, Princess Maya. I am here at your service”, said a tiny sweet voice to me from the outside of the palanquin. I slowly stepped out of the palanquin while holding the end of my saree on the other hand whilst holding tightly onto Nina’s hand. Nina had been my servant since she was 10 years old and I was eight years old. I had always regarded her as my best friend and a sister. Of course, Nina had always been wary of the difference in our status and had kept her distance although she was the only one who knew every little secret, happiness, and sadness in my life.

I looked around and noticed that the crowd was observing me with an expression of awe on their faces. A male child walked up to me and handed me the wildflowers which he held in his tiny hand. He then asked, “Are you an Angel from above?”. I was delighted to hear that question from a pure and innocent soul and I replied, “No, my little one. I am but a humble princess from Maharastra and I am here to explore the beauty of Joseon. I have already felt the very first taste of the beauty of Joseon.”

The child was slightly confused. He said, “My Lady, I do not understand your words. Please explain to me”. I knelt in front of the child, much to the surprise and awe of the crowd standing in front of me, and replied to him, “ My dearest, what I am trying to say is that I have seen you and your warm welcome and I can see that your place is safe and lovely for me to stay and explore”. The child moved closer to me and kissed my right cheek. He then said, “You are very beautiful, Miss”. When the men heard the child address me as “Miss”, they tried to say something to the contrary but I stopped them. How could the child know my identity,” I thought to myself. Nina, who was standing close to me, also knelt before the child and said to him, “Little one, this is Princess Maya from Maharastra. You can address Her Highness as Princess Maya”. The child repeated after Nina, “Princess Maya”. I smiled and hugged the child. A young lady came forward from the crowd and bowed before me and said, “Pardon my son, Your Highness. He does not know that you are of royal blood”. “Oh, that is alright. I am rather impressed with the warm welcome of this child on my first visit to Joseon and this tells me how warm the people here must be. You have taught your child well, Miss”, I said, as I stood up. The young lady bowed again before retrieving the child and walked back to join the crowd.

I turned around to join Father at the entrance of the Palace with the soldiers assigned to guard my safety walking closely behind me and with Nina walking beside me. As I walked towards the entrance of the Palace, I could see how the eyes of the civilians observed my red silky saree as my saree moved closely around my body to outline my perfect body. I had specifically draped my 9-foot saree into the hunting style wherein the bottom of my saree looked like a male attire whereas the end of the saree will be held around the wrist of my hand. Of course, that particular type of saree draping was rather innovative and was usually practiced by dancers and queens when they are off hunting. I had taken a liking towards that particular type of saree draping as it portrayed the sensuality in a woman due to its exposing nature. Well, I was, after all, a woman who had recently stepped out of my teenage years and was now entering my adulthood. In other words, it had only been one week since my twentieth birthday. I had requested Father to donate silk sarees to all the ladies in Maharastra in conjunction with my Twentieth Birthday and Father was rather pleased that I had inherited his generous heart.

Finally, I reached the entrance of the Palace, and there stood the King of Joseon, King Lee Yeongjo, tall, and handsome. Our eyes met when Father introduced me as the Princess of Maharastra and I noticed how attractive I must have looked in His Majesty’s eyes since His Majesty’s eyes lightly skimmed on my body. I blushed slightly because that was the first time a man of a different ethnicity had admired my beauty. His Majesty said, “Princess Maya, you have an exquisite taste for attire and ornaments. You are beautiful beyond words, I must say. You must tell me more about the attire which you are wearing now as I find it rather interesting”. I replied, “Your Majesty, I am humbled by your generous compliment and appreciation towards my attire which is the symbol of the culture in Maharastra. I would love to share and exchange my knowledge on the culture in Maharastra with Your Majesty whenever Your Majesty has the time for me”.

The King was glad to hear my reply. Then, my eyes caught someone who stood behind the King. He looked right at me with an unusual expression on his face. The King must have noticed the direction I was looking. His Majesty said proudly, “This is the Palace Shaman, Park Danjong and he stands beside me at every place I visit since he is the pride of Joseon”. Park Danjong approached me when he was summoned and bowed in front of me and then said, “Your Highness, welcome to Joseon. Allow me to introduce myself to Your Highness. I am the Shaman, Park Danjong and I am here to safeguard the peace of our nation’s Pride, His Majesty”. I held out my right hand for Park Danjong to hold and he took my hand into his. The moment our hands touched, I felt something inside of me and I was sure that Park Danjong felt it too as he looked rather surprised as well. It felt like an intensifying current moving from his hand into mine. Then, Park Danjong mentioned with a surprising note in his voice,” Your Highness has such an intensifying aura within Your Highness, and I feel the energy which this aura holds. Such positivity which I have never experienced before”. Park Danjong had an attractive appearance from the rest of the men in the Palace. His hair was straight, of shoulder length, and was brownish. He was tall with a well-built body from my observation since I could see the outline of a muscular body despite the long-sleeved and loose wrap-around attire which all men were dressed in at the Palace. His eyes had a hawk-like gaze which meant that nothing missed his eyes. I would say that he was handsome, besides the King of Joseon, of course.

Thereafter, Father and I were brought to the annex building which was cleaned and well-equipped to perfection before our arrival to accommodate our stay. I particularly loved the structure of the buildings in the Palace. I fell in love with the garden behind our place of stay which was well-maintained. After saying my farewell to Father, Nina and I were led by the Palacemaids to the Female Quarters where the Queen and the King’s Concubines lived. I looked at the buildings in awe. The attires of the females in the Palace were something refreshing to my eyes. Yet, I was still of the opinion that my attire was the most comfortable one to be worn in the name of convenience. The “Hanbok” as Joseon’s Female attires were called, was rather feminine to my eyes and did not match my personality. Just the same, the way I draped my sarees indicated the adventurous nature in me rather than the feminine side of me which most men found rather intimidating.

After the maids had settled my luggage in my room, I dismissed them so that I could retire to bed to rest before I took a bath to relax my rather tired body due to the long days of travel by ship. I slept soundly. Suddenly, I saw the image of Park Danjong, the shaman approaching me and his right hand enveloped my waist drawing me closer to his muscular body. I gasped at our closeness and suddenly his lips touched mine. I refused to let his kiss deepen but as his hand touched the flesh on my waist, I gasped again and he quickly slid his tongue into my mouth to kiss me deeper. Dear God! I felt my body relaxing against his when his kiss deepened and I hugged his neck to bring his body closer to mine as we kissed. On one hand, he held me closer to his body, and on the other hand, he caressed my body from my back to my waist down to my bottom where I felt a slight squeeze. I opened my eyes. It was a dream and I felt sweat dripping from my temple down to my face out of shock. “Why did I have this dream?”, I wondered to myself. Then, I called out, “Nina, are you there? Please get my bath ready. I would like to cleanse myself now”. Nina replied, “Very well, Your Highness”.

The bathwater in the wooden tub was hot and covered in rose petals just the way I had always preferred to have my bath prepared. Nina had also left a bronze plate filled with rose petals for me to add on while I soaked in my bathtub. “Ah, I feel so good,” I said to Nina who had been standing obediently behind me should I require her service further. Nina said,” I have burnt the rose incense which Your Highness is fond of to ease the tiredness from the travel”. “Why, thank you, Nina. You are always one step ahead of me in making me comfortable. Tell me, Nina. Did you notice the Shaman who introduced himself to me earlier?” I asked Nina. Nina came forward and sat facing me near the bathtub and replied,” Yes, Your Highness. What about him?”. “Well, I had a dream about him just now. It was a rather intimate dream. Something which I have never dreamt about. Do you think that I might have an interest in him romantically?”.

I could see Nina’s cheeks turn rosy and she had a knowing smile on her face and said,” I feel that both of you are attracted to each other, Your Highness”. I was rather surprised at Nina’s reply and asked,” Why do you say that, Nina?”. Nina replied while looking directly into my eyes with a knowing expression, “The way both of you looked at each other once he touched your hand showed that both of you felt the same thing at that moment. However, I think we need to wait and see as time goes by if what I saw was for real or not, Your Highness”. My face was hot with embarrassment because Nina could see something which I had never experienced in the company of a man before. “Well, we sure will have to wait and see what happens after this, Nina”.

The next day, the King of Joseon arranged a meeting for Father and me with the Royal family in Joseon over lunch at the garden in the King’s Palace. I was dressed in a pink silk saree and I had draped the saree in an ordinary style of draping with the end of the saree kept twisted around my right hand. I had a fascination with silk sarees as I loved the way the silk saree outlined my body and moved along with me as I walked. Standing in front of the mirror in my bed-chamber, I surveyed my carefully groomed and my long raven black side-braided hair decorated with hairpins and hair decoratives made of gold and yellow sapphire. Simply perfect for an evening function. “Shall we go, Your Highness?”, Nina asked. I turned around and noticed how beautiful Nina looked dressed in her sky-blue saree which complimented her light brown yet smooth skin. She had been a beautiful girl as a child and I have watched how she had grown into a rather attractive woman. I was truly proud to have such a beautiful and talented assistant by my side who also happened to be the person I confided in at all times. I nodded in agreement and both of us walked out of my bed-chamber. As I headed towards the garden with Nina and the rest of the bodyguards, I was greeted by the Palace maids and I could see the admiration in their eyes over my saree which to me seemed like an acknowledgment of how elegant I had looked in the pink silk saree.

I joined Father at the entrance of the King’s garden and I could see the approving look on Father’s face as he watched me walking towards him. “You look lovely, my child”. I see how you have grown into such a lovely lady these days and I am proud of you for dressing in our traditional costume for all occasions irrespective of where we are. Your mother has taught you well”. “Thank you, Father”. I flashed a wide smile at Father while batting my eyelashes at Father which made Father laugh out loud with amusement. The King noticed this and quickly joined us. “Aah! So our guests are all here. I humbly welcome you to my garden”. Father shook hands with the King whereas I bowed at the King. The King’s eyes lightly skimmed on my body once again which made me blush. “I find it refreshing to look at your attire, Princess. You look beautiful in your saree.”. “Thank you, Your Majesty”. Then, the King asked me, “What type of silk is this saree made of, Princess?”. I replied, “ The saree which I am wearing is known as “Mysore Silk”. The silk sarees acquire their names from the place they are produced, Your Majesty”.  The King was amazed at my reply. His Majesty said, “I see. I reckon that there are different types of silk sarees in India since India has many states. Am I correct?”. I replied, “Yes, you are right, Your Majesty.” The King then turned to speak to Father after being satisfied with my answers. Meanwhile, my eyes quickly scanned the vicinity of the garden for the shaman. “Where is he?” I wondered to myself.

“Good evening, Your Majesty,” a voice called out from behind me. I quickly turned to see who it was. The shaman was dressed in a blue-colored attire which seemed to compliment his milky skin and brownish hair. I smiled automatically at the very sight of him. It seemed like a reflex action. I quickly regained composure and maintained my coolness. The shaman then greeted Father and then it was my turn. The moment our eyes met, my heartbeat suddenly quickened. The dream of his kiss came to my mind and I blushed at the mere thought of it. “Good evening, Mr. Danjong,” I greeted him. “Good evening, Your Highness,” Danjong replied. Once the greeting of the guests’ session was over, we were ushered to the garden where the seats were prepared for Father and I as well as the Royal Family. Once Father and I settled on our seats, the Palace maids started to serve the food and delicacies of the Palace. “Please help yourselves with our traditional cuisine of Joseon Dynasty”, the King said. Father and I tasted the food that was served to us. I loved all the food served by the Palace maids. I could see that Father enjoyed the food very much as well from the way Father requested for more than one serving. I glanced around to find the shaman and I was surprised that he was looking directly at me. I blushed slightly since I was caught red-handed. I quickly shook my head in acknowledgment of the shaman to cover my embarrassment and he replied in the same manner. “Was he noticing me the whole time?” The question ran in my mind as I tasted the delicacies served. After the lunch session, Father and I were invited to take a walk with the rest of the Royal Family. We quickly agreed. As Father joined the King, I walked slowly behind them to breathe in the scent and beauty of the flowers in the wide garden. As I stopped to smell the roses, I felt the presence of someone standing behind me. I turned around and saw the shaman standing with a mysterious smile on his face. “Do you like roses, Your Highness?” he asked me. “Yes, I do. I have a certain fascination for the flower for the way it was created. You see, the roses with their unique combination of thorny stems and fragrant blossoms, are often prized as a symbol of achievement, completion, and perfection,” I replied. The shaman was puzzled. “How so?” he asked me. I replied, “Well, it means that, after having met the long stems with the thorns, you are rewarded with a flower of great beauty and mesmerizing fragrance”. The shaman was impressed. “Why, that is such a beautiful way of describing the flower, Your Highness. Your intelligence has impressed me a great deal. Such maturity and wisdom in the mind of a young Princess who has just stepped into adulthood. The King must be proud to have such a wise Princess as an heiress to His Majesty’s Kingdom, Your Highness” he said.

I was rather perplexed at the statement made by the shaman. “How do you know that I have just turned twenty, Mr. Danjong?”. The shaman looked at me and gave me a knowing smile once again. “I am a shaman, Your Highness. When I touched your hand, I was able to sense everything about you. And when I say everything, I mean your feelings as well”, the shaman said by holding my gaze in his, smiling mysteriously again. “Oh, dear! He KNOWS! He knows how I felt when he touched my hand! Oh, how embarrassing it is to know that the shaman could feel my attraction towards him”, I thought to myself. When I braced myself to look at the shaman’s face, I noticed that the shaman was studying the expression on my face. He walked towards me. He leaned closer to me and whispered into my ears, “I feel the same too, Your Highness”. My body trembled slightly at his closeness once again and I felt so much joy in my heart when I heard those words at the same time. “Why does my heart feel the joy upon listening to his words but my mind does not think the same way?” I thought, confused. I moved away from him to regain composure and retorted while trying to hide my weakness at his closeness. “Well, I don’t know what you mean, Mr. Danjong. I think we should join the party. We have been away for some time now, don’t you think? I wouldn’t want to worry my bodyguards. Let us go, Mr. Danjong.” The shaman, with his knowing smile, gazed into my eyes before excusing himself and as he walked away, he intentionally brushed against my body for which I quivered. “There is something about his eyes which makes me tremble all the time,” I thought to myself while following the shaman back to where my Father was to join the party.

That night, as I laid on my bed, I recalled the conversation I had with the shaman. Suddenly, I heard a knock on my door. I got up and reached for my door and opened it only to feel shocked. There stood the shaman. “May I enter, Your Highness?” I stood aside to allow the shaman to enter. “How did you get past the bodyguards outside?”, I asked the shaman. The shaman replied, “I am a shaman, Your Highness”. A pinch of incense released in the air made the bodyguards fall into a deep sleep”. “What is the urgency of the matter which has brought you to see me at this hour, Mr. Danjong?”, I asked the shaman. I felt the shaman’s deep gaze even before I lifted my eyes to look at him. “Sweet God, he is handsome”, I thought. My cheeks went pale, then suffused with warm color. I took a steadying breath, determined to force my embarrassment down. The shaman must have felt my embarrassment because he slowly turned his back away from me to ease my embarrassment before saying, “I have a question for you and I need to clear this doubt off my chest tonight and this is the purpose of my visitation tonight, Your Highness”.

“What is that question which you wish to ask of me, Mr. Danjong?”, Danjong heard her ask behind him. He steeled himself before he uttered the question, “Do you find me attractive, Your Highness?” He heard a gasp behind him. He quickly turned around only to witness the Princess looking directly at him with her hands held together in front of her long silky skirt while playing with her fingers. “She is nervous. “So, it is true what I felt when I touched the Princess’s hand,” Danjong thought. He found his answer. He daringly walked towards the Princess while the Princess looked on and stayed where she was.

I was rather nervous like a child caught in the act when he asked me that question. How right he was with my feelings. I was twitching my fingers while holding my hands in front of my skirt like a child guilty of some mischief discovered. Then, the shaman slowly walked towards me and when he stood close to me, his right hand slid behind my waist to pull me closer to his body. His body was just as muscular and tough like I felt in my dream on the first day I had arrived in Joseon. The shaman bent forward and dropped a soft kiss on my lips like he was testing the water as to whether I would retaliate. Shamelessly, I did not retaliate. I wanted the dream to come true. When the shaman was convinced that I was not going to retaliate, he pressed his lips on my lips and this time it was hard. Then, I felt a light pressure on my waist which made me gasp. The shaman then deepened his kiss, his warm mouth persistent, softening my trembling lips and his tongue swept deep inside. It was wildly sweet and incredibly erotic that I slid my hand around his neck to bring him closer to me and I loved the warmth of his body against my own. He hugged me closer and kissed me harder as his hand caressed my body up and down. I felt weakened so much that I needed the support of his arms. I found myself pressed full length against his long, hard body, his big frame nearly a full head taller, and our bodies were glued together as though we were one.

Danjong kissed me deeply, thrusting his tongue into my mouth even as he parted my legs and positioned himself above me, the tip of his arousal poised to thrust inside. I suddenly felt fear inside and I tried to push him away, but he held me fast, a hand sliding under my buttocks, cupping me and bringing me more fully against him. He eased himself forward, spreading my legs even wider, thrusting himself deeper. I felt a sudden pain yet as his movement became slow and rhythmic, I felt more pleasure than above the pain I felt. My legs went around his hips and the tension increased in his powerful body. He still drove on, so hard and deep now that I couldn’t stop the pleasure from expanding. I cried out his name as I reached my peak and my nails raked furrows in his muscular back. Several more thrusts and Danjong’s body went rigid. His head fell back and he groaned, his tall frame shuddering with pleasure, then he collapsed against me.

We laid motionless for several long moments, and our bodies were still entwined, hearts pumping. With a sigh and a last gentle kiss, he pulled himself away. Then he pulled me closer to his body and he started to slowly caress my hair. I closed my eyes to feel the softness of his caress. “Your Highness, I have never had anyone love me this deep before,” He said. “Why not?” I asked him. “Because I, being a shaman, being regarded as a low life in Joseon even though the King regards me as the Pride of Joseon. Such is my life as a shaman and the people from all walks of life would not take us as their partners unless we fall in love with commoners. This is why I was rather emotional when I realized that a Princess regarded me as a human and considered me as a man.” I looked up into his eyes and said, “No one in this world is born as a low life. The issue of status was created by humans and so it is always open for contradiction when a group of people with revolutionary minds can be formed to create a revolution and begin the evolution of inter-marriages.” Danjong smiled at my opinion and hugged me closer to him. After a deep sleep, I woke up around 7 am and I realized that Danjong, the shaman was not in the room since there was absolutely no sign or trail of his presence. I took a quick hot bath before joining Father and the King for breakfast.

The King had scheduled a meeting to be held that morning with Father to discuss the terms regarding the trade of spices from Maharastra to Joseon for one year. King Yeongjo was an easy-going trader and Father was satisfied with the way the meeting transpired. Father agreed to provide Indian spices from Maharastra in exchange for the silk material which Joseon was well-known for at that time. Father and I were invited to the premises where those silk materials were made and we were satisfied with the manufacturing method applied by the employees. I touched one of the silk materials and was impressed at how soft the silk material was. The silk material was so refined in its quality. Father and King Yeongjo then discussed the prices which ought to be agreed upon between them. The rate was determined based on the current market value of the silk material and the current market value of the spices around the world at that time.

After the meeting, both Father and I were invited to dinner at the King’s Palace. We enjoyed the various delicacies and food which were quite exotic in taste. I especially loved the seafood such as crab, lobster, and shrimps which were cooked with much care and precision, and the spicy sauce to couple the bland taste of the fried seafood servings was mouth-watering. After dinner, Father and I were escorted to enjoy the musical show which was organized by the King. I especially enjoyed the dance performed by the Palace dancers who were dressed in colorful “Hanbok”. The King noticed how mesmerized I was at the performance of the dancers and asked, “I see that you are enjoying the performance of the dancers, Princess. These dancers are our best in the Palace.” “Yes, Your Majesty, I particularly love the moves made by the performers. They are so elegant in the way they move their hands and body.” I especially like their costumes. Their costumes are known as “Hanbok”, am I correct?” I asked. The King smiled delightfully, “Yes, Princess. Their costumes are known as Hanbok. Would you like to have one tailored for yourself?” I was surprised that the King read my mind, “Why, I will be delighted to be dressed in such a colorful and delicate costume, Your Majesty,” I replied. “Very well then. I shall order the tailor to be at your room tomorrow morning and we will have a beautiful hanbok tailored for you,” The King said. I replied, “Thank you very much for your generosity, Your Majesty.”

The next morning, a tailor appeared at my residence in the Palace and upon taking my measurements, showed me the colors of the hanbok which would compliment my skin. I agreed upon the material with the color of pink and red with soft flowers on the silky pink material on the top. The Hanbok was prepared by that evening and the tailor appeared at my residence with some Palace maids to assist me to wear the Hanbok. I glanced at myself in the mirror once I was groomed like a noble lady in Joseon and I was so shocked at the transformation. “Is this me?” I exclaimed loudly. A messenger from the King’s Palace appeared to invite me to the King’s Palace where Father was. I joined the King and Father at the Palace and as I walked into the room, everyone’s eyes were on me and I could see the admiration in their eyes. I called out, “Father.” “Is this my Princess whom I am looking at now?”, Father said teasingly. The King’s eyes skimmed lightly on my appearance and nodded in approval. “Why, Princess, you look astonishingly gorgeous in your newly tailored Hanbok.” I replied, “I am humbled by your praise, Your Majesty.” “Thank you very much for this lovely Hanbok. I am in love with this costume very much.” At that moment Danjong walked in and bowed at the King and Father. I turned to face him and I saw the surprised look on his face. The King laughed at Danjong’s expression and explained,” The Princess was smitten by the Hanbok worn by the dancers last night that I felt inclined to tailor a new Hanbok for the Princess, Danjong.” Danjong turned to me and said,” You look rather ravishing in this Hanbok, Your Highness, that for a moment I mistook you for one of our noble ladies.” His statement made me blush. “Thank you for the kind words, Mr. Danjong,” I replied.

Father and I had once again joined the Royal family for dinner and thereafter attended a musical performance by the Palace dancers. I could feel Danjong’s eyes on me the whole time. After the performance, I excused myself and walked back to my room to retire early as I was quite exhausted. Before going to bed, I felt like soaking in the hot tub to relieve my tired muscles. As I was soaking in the water-filled with rose petals, I felt a light touch on my shoulder. It was Danjong. He removed his clothes and joined me in the bathtub and we sat in the bathtub facing each other.

Three weeks had passed. Danjong and I spent almost every night together, making love, passionately each time. Finally, it was time to finally leave Joseon. I had promised Danjong that I would write to him often the night before during our meet-up. After saying farewell to the Royal Family, we were escorted back to the Harbour to board the ship back to Maharastra. I somehow felt like something was missing in my heart. “Oh, how I wish I had spoken to Father about my feelings for Danjong,” I thought to myself. I felt regret. As I stepped onto the stairs to board the ship, I heard someone call me. I saw the King’s Bodyguard running towards our ship. “Your Highness, His Majesty wishes to see you,” he said. I was rather confused. “Whatever could be the reason, I wonder?” I thought as I hurriedly stepped down to follow the King’s bodyguard to where the King was standing. “I believe you have summoned for my presence, Your Majesty?”, I asked the King. The King smiled. “Aren’t you forgetting something, Princess?” I wondered what I had left behind besides my love for Danjong. “I believe that I have taken everything with me, Your Majesty. I cannot recall leaving anything behind.” I tried not to look helplessly in love. The King turned to look at something behind him. Danjong appeared from behind the King. I believe that it is your love which you have left behind, Princess. I cannot possibly allow you to leave something priceless behind that would leave me indebted to you for life, Princess.” I quickly glanced at Father who was already on the ship looking directly at me with a mysterious smile on his face. He nodded approvingly and that was all I needed. I took a step forward towards Danjong and hugged him so tightly. My heart was overflowing with love for Danjong that I was oblivious towards the presence of others around me. It was unbelievable that my desire for Danjong was fulfilled so easily. I guess Father and King Yeongjo had known about our secret love affair all along. Well, I was still new to the politics of the Palace at that time. Danjong looked at me with so much love in his eyes and smiled. “Shall we board the ship to Maharastra, Your Highness?”, Danjong asked. I pouted my lips with dissatisfaction and said “Why are you still addressing me as “Your Highness”? I am your wife now. Shouldn’t I be addressed as your wife now, my love?” Danjong smiled delightfully and said, “Very well, my love. I have wanted to address you as “my love” from the moment I set my eyes on you. This is all like a dream for a shaman such as myself. Thank you for showering me with the love which I can only dream about, my precious one.”

The King who had been watching us, said, “Well, Danjong, I feel that you are very much deserving of the love of your life for you have made Joseon proud with the riches you have brought to the nation over the years through your wisdom. Hence, I do not want to be indebted to you in the afterlife for the assistance which you have provided me in building Joseon. So, I thought that the only way I could relieve myself from this debt is by presenting to you the love of your life. The Princess will be the bridge between Joseon and Maharastra and the child which you will bring into this world will be the symbol of unity between our two nations.” Danjong’s eyes filled with tears and he bowed at the King gratefully. “I cannot possibly thank Your Majesty for your kindness and utmost generosity. This is why Joseon is enriched with all the riches of the world.” The King responded, “Well, it is time to board the ship now, Danjong. Go and enjoy your new life now.”.

Danjong and I boarded the ship to Maharastra. As the ship moved away from the harbor of Joseon, Danjong and I watched until the harbor left our sight and then turned to face each other. Danjong smiled and kissed me on my forehead, hugging me closely while saying, “I love you, my dear wife. You have finally changed the world and its natural course with your love.” I looked up at him and said, “Isn’t this what we have wanted to do all along? Change the world with love?” “Yes, indeed, and we have succeeded, “ Danjong said as he drew me closer into his arms while we watched the sunset together.