That day, the palace was busier than usual. Court ladies were running everywhere, decorating the main hall with golden silk and fresh flowers.
In Areum's room, her three maids — Hyeon, Sora, and Jimin — were surrounding her with serious faces.
"Lady Areum," said Hyeon, "Prince Wang Joon has ordered that you attend the grand banquet tonight."
Areum, who was busy folding origami out of leaves, looked up in shock.
> "A grand banquet? Me? Why?? I'm just a special guest, not a real VIP!"
Sora handed her a luxurious pastel-colored hanbok embroidered with cherry blossoms.
"Prince Wang Joon wishes for Lady Areum to attend as an official guest... he said he wants to introduce you to the nobles."
Areum bit her lip.
> "Oh no... I have zero palace skills... I'm definitely going to embarrass myself!"
But seeing the hopeful faces of her maids, Areum nodded reluctantly.
"Nighttime: The Banquet Begins"
The main hall shone beautifully under hundreds of paper lanterns. Nobles, princesses, and warriors dressed in splendid attire filled the room.
Prince Wang Joon stood proudly at the front of the hall, welcoming guests.
All eyes turned toward the entrance as Areum arrived.
She walked slowly, trying to act gracefully. But... her step caught on the edge of her own hanbok!
> Thud!
Areum nearly fell flat — luckily Jimin quickly grabbed her arm from behind!
The hall fell into brief silence.
All eyes widened.
Wang Joon, watching from afar, struggled to hold back his laughter. A small smile tugged at his lips.
Areum stood up, pretending to clear her throat.
"Ehem... testing the floor, making sure it's not slippery. Safety first," she said awkwardly, leaving the guests puzzled.
Some chuckled. Others stared strangely.
But Wang Joon immediately stepped toward Areum and offered his hand.
"Welcome, Lady Areum," he said gently, as if nothing had happened.
Areum, her face red as a boiled shrimp, had no choice but to take his hand.
"At the Banquet"
Wang Joon led Areum to sit at the main table with princesses and high-ranking officials.
Areum nodded politely to everyone... but then she picked up the wrong cup — drinking tea that belonged to the Crown Prince from a neighboring state!
The prince glared at Areum like he wanted to kill her.
Areum giggled awkwardly.
"Oops... let's just share the tea, okay? Sharing is caring!" she said spontaneously.
Her maids nearly choked trying to hold back laughter.
Prince Wang Joon merely covered his mouth, pretending to cough to hide his chuckle.
The other guests were stunned — who was this strange but daring girl?
"A Magic Show?"
During one of the performances, a palace magician was asked to perform a small trick for entertainment.
Areum, overly excited, confidently jumped onto the stage.
"I want to volunteer!" she declared.
The audience fell silent.
The maids almost fainted.
Areum eagerly entered the magician's "magic box."
The problem was... when the magician performed the 'disappearing act', the box collapsed halfway — revealing Areum kneeling down, scratching her head!
Everyone was frozen. Then — one by one — bursts of laughter exploded across the hall.
Prince Wang Joon, for the first time in his life, laughed freely — a genuine, unforced laugh.
"End of the Banquet"
The banquet ended much livelier than usual, although... not quite as originally planned.
Areum, though embarrassed, beamed widely.
In her heart:
> "Even though I was so embarrassed... I feel happy. Why does this feel... like family?"
Wang Joon watched from afar, deep in thought.
There was something about Areum that made his heart feel lighter — something he had never felt before.
And perhaps, without Areum realizing it, the seeds of love had slowly begun to sprout in the heart of a Prince.
To Be Continued...