The sun shone brightest,
The moon was especially lonely,
The flowers were exceptionally gorgeous
It was a time...
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"Grandma~~"
"Hey, what are you doing, our little puppy, still awake?"
"I can't sleep... Grandma, tell me a story!"
"What story should I tell you this time?"
"It's a love story!"
"Then I should tell you the story I heard from this old woman's grandmother."
Once upon a time, there was a woman who was as pretty as our puppy.
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"Miss~~ Miss Yeonhwa~~"
"Yeon-ah, come quickly. The world outside the walls is truly full of interesting things!"
"You have to come with me, Miss! If you keep running around like that and fall, you'll be in big trouble~"
"Don't worry, I'll be careful."
"I'm worried..."
Then, a commotion is heard from afar. A large crowd of people can be seen at a glance, indicating that something major has happened.
"Huh..? Yeon-ah, let's go over there!"
"Miss, let's go together!"
As I approached, I saw a poor-looking young child being kicked by the servants of a man in silk.
"How dare you think I am! Why can't you just stop it! Stop it!"
“You covered my silk clothes with dirt and even swore at me! Beat this guy until he barely breathes before he dies!”
Yeonhwa, unable to stand by and watch the servants beat the child with a club, not to mention kicking him, stopped the man.
"Stop it! How can you beat someone so harshly?"
"Get out of the way! How dare a woman interfere!"
"Miss, stop it~"
"How can I stand by and watch something like this happen?"
"That young girl is so cheeky!"
"I was listening. Are you acting so ignorantly just because you got dirt on your silk clothes?"
"Huh! What kind of woman are you to treat me so rudely?"
“What would you do if I were the son of a noble family? And what would you do if I were a slave?”
"I am a talented person who passed the civil service examination with the highest score this year!
"It seems that someone who passed the civil service examination with the highest honors is more distant from books and the Analects than I am. The young master and the girl, the one who beats and the one who is beaten, are all the same people. How can you differentiate between high and low?"
"Tell me what family you are from!"
"Since you asked, I will answer. My name is Yun Yeon-hwa, the second daughter of the young Yemun Hall Grand Prince Yun Dae-hwan. What family do you come from?"
"Oh, the Grand Master of the Yemun Hall? Oh, I'm sorry!"
The sight of the man running away with a pale face as soon as he heard that Yeonhwa was the Grand Prince of the Yemungwan and his servants throwing down the sticks they were holding and running away was hilarious.
As soon as the man ran away, Yeonhwa helped up the child who had been beaten and collapsed.
"Are you not badly hurt? Yuna, help her up too. There are a lot of people here, so let's go somewhere else."
"Yes, ma'am."
Yeonhwa and Yeoni helped him to a place with few people and a place where they could talk, and washed his wounds with river water.
"It hurts, so please bear with it..."
"Oh, that's okay, but from what I've heard, it seems like you've read a lot of books for a Joseon woman."
"How dare you treat my lady so badly!"
"Yeon-ah, stop! Yes, I know that a young woman of Joseon shouldn't be involved in government or academics, but being stuck at home, I was bored, so I read the books my brother had already finished over and over again."
"I think differently. I believe that even a wise and talented Joseon woman could pass the civil service examination and offer her opinions to the court."
"This is something that cannot happen in today's Joseon."
"I will change"
"Yes... I hope you become a great person someday and change the laws of Joseon."
"How old are you?"
"Why do you keep treating me like this, young lady!?"
"Yeon-ah, lower your voice! This is your tenth year as a girl."
"You're 10! I'm 12. See, I'm two years older?"
"What is your name, Young Master?"
"What the heck, you're obviously a beggar... Miss, please go home now."
"Yeon, who told you to judge a person's status by their behavior? I never taught you that."
"S, I'm sorry."
"Your Majesty, I have been rude."
"Ahem... You have been rude, so pay the price."
"Yeah... Is there anything you want to do?"
"I have no name, so give me a name."
"If you do that, how about the name 'Seokkwon', which means a fist as hard as a stone?"
"That's a pretty good name."
"in future"
"Hahaha! Time flies when I talk to you."
"Miss, it's already too late. You should go in before the lord scolds you!"
"When can I see you again next time?"
"My father only allows me to go out on the first, full, and last days of the month, so I think I'll be able to see him on the last day of this month."
"Then come out here at 12 o'clock on the last day of the month. I'll wait for you."
*Hours: 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
"Yes, then I will see you that day, my lord."
Yeonhwa returns home after a brief encounter with Seok-kwon.
When I got home, Yeonhwa's older brother, Yunhyeok, was waiting for me at the front door.
"Brother, why are you here?"
"I was worried, so I came out and looked. Let's go in."
"Yes, brother."
Yeonhwa, exhausted from her long outing, lay down and closed her eyes, smiling faintly as she recalled the events of the day. It was a night she was particularly eagerly anticipating.
New Year's Eve
Yeonhwa woke up early in the morning to the sound of swords clashing.
Hoon and Hyuk, two younger brothers who have been close since childhood, were having a swordsmanship match.
"Yeonhwa, did you wake up because of the noise?"
"No, brother."
"Sister Yeonhwa~ Long time no see!"
"Long time no see."
"But you don't see Sister Sowol?"
"Ah~ Sister, you are the one who will become the owner of a high position, so you are probably reading *my internal training by now."
*Instructions: Instructions from the King to the women
"As expected, Sister Sowol is amazing. In all the times I've seen Sister Sowol, she has never once disobeyed her father's will..."
"Everything Father did was for my sister..."
"Miss! Didn't you say you were going out early today?"
"I'm already getting ready, Yuna, come here."
"Yes, what's up?"
"It's been a while, Yeon."
"J, Master Jimin, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here, so I didn't greet you."
"It's okay, raise your head, Yeon-i, you're always pretty."
"Oh, thank you..."
"Yeon-ah, should I braid your hair like this or put it up and put a hairpin in it? Let's see which one looks better, like this or like this?"
"You look good with braids, miss."
"I see, thank you, Yuna."
"Yeonhwa"
"Yes, brother."
"By any chance... is there a man you're in love with?"
"I know you're worried about me because of me, so please don't worry about me."
"Okay, Yeonhwa, you'll figure it out, but if people's hearts were like that, would Sowol have had such a hard time?"
At that moment, Sowol, who was reading a book in her room, opened the door and came out.
"Didn't you promise me that you would let me live as I wish, Brother Yeonhwa?"
"I was just worried..."
"Yeonhwa is a wise child. She is not foolish like me."
"How can you call me foolish, Sister..."
"Yeonhwa, you take after your mother so much that you will be wise. Live according to your will, for that will be the right answer. I will carry out your father's will..."
"Yes... I'll go out."
"Yeon-ah, take good care of Yeon-hwa."
"Yes! You heard me, ma'am? Stay right next to me."
Yeonhwa left the front door with a more excited gait than usual.
Then, he headed straight to the riverbank where he had promised to meet Seok-kwon. It was still a while before Yushi, but Seok-kwon must have been waiting for Yeon-hwa, as he had already arrived at the riverbank.
"Master Seok-Kwon?"
"Yeonhwa, are you here?"
"But, Master... you look very different from before."
Seok-kwon's demeanor was quite different from before. He had a clean, unblemished face and wore silk clothes.
"Are you surprised?"
"What happened?"
"Last time, it was my mother's anniversary, so I wore something simple. Actually, my father is a very, very high-ranking person, so I usually wear silk clothes."
"How great must he be to be able to speak highly of a girl whose father was the Grand Prince of the Yemun Hall?"
"He is so tall that I can't look up to him."
"But why are you here already before the deadline?"
"Yeonhwa, I miss you so much I can't wait."
"I, too, am looking forward to the last day of the year."
"Actually, I have something to give you."
"What is it?"
"Before coming here, I was passing by the store and saw a pretty norigae. It reminded me of Yeonhwa, so I bought it."
"The norigae must have cost a lot of money..."
"Yeonhwa, didn't you save me? The norigae is nothing compared to that."
"A butterfly-shaped norigae... It's been a long time since I've seen one. It's similar to the norigae my late mother often wore."
"I'm sorry for making a butterfly shape for no reason."
"No, I'm not sad at all now. My brother and sister said that Mother would watch over the girl from heaven. So I'm not sad."
"My mother is watching too, right...?"
"I will definitely watch over you from heaven."
"Yeonhwa..."
"Yes, my lord."
"I want to see you every time. I want to see you on the first, full, and last day of every month when you go out. Can you come see me every time...?
"Are you really asking me because you don't know the answer?"
"I want to hear from you"
"great"
The two, who confirmed their feelings for each other, laughed and talked about each other as the sun set together.
"It's already getting dark."
"Yes, I should go home now."
"It's dark at night. Can I take you there?"
"Now that we're home, you too, Master, please come in."
"Okay, I see. Tomorrow is the first day of next month. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yes, then go in."
As Yeonhwa was leaving, Seok-kwon saw a man loitering around the front door of Yeonhwa's house. He approached the man and asked him.
"What are you doing? In front of someone else's house."
"Are you meeting the woman who came in earlier tomorrow too?"
"But why is that...?"
"Then give this to that woman and ask her to give it to my sister. It's important to me..."
"Do it in person."
"There is a woman I cannot dare to meet. Please, please."
"Okay, so don't worry."
"If you will grant my request, I will tell you something. It seems that you are in love with a woman from this family... But do not fall in love too deeply, it will be too much for you to handle."
After saying these words, the man leaves in a hurry, wondering if anyone will see him...
Seok-kwon thought it was strange, but he returned to the palace.
When I entered the East Palace, someone was already there.
"Yeah, Father..."
"Where have you been all this time!"
"Uh, that's..."