Mun-he and Yeng sat Jin-Ri in front of a mirror, about to teach her the subtleties of fixing herself up. First, they taught her how to dry her skin, teaching her that dabbing is better than roughly scrubbing the towel into her skin
Yeng slaps Jin-Ri's hands when she immediately ties her hair without drying it. She gave her a soft towel and instructed her on how to towel dry her hair. "Always use soft towels, squeeze the excess water, and don't twist your hair. After that repeat the process using a towel"
Mun-He then tilted Jin-Ri's head to let her hair fall. She brushed Jin-Ri's hair from the tips and slowly worked her way up to the roots.
They then proceed to make-up application, teaching her the proper sequence from skin preparation, a foundation with concealer, contouring of her nose, fixing her brows, eye lining, shadow, blush, and highlighter. Mun-He and Yeng laughed when Jin-Ri bit down on the paper rouge with her teeth instead of her lips. "That is for your lips silly girl" Mun-He informed Jin-Ri with a giggle
Once the facial powder was perfectly applied, a stunning array of vibrant dresses awaited her. Mun-he and Yeng settled in as Jin-Ri began to try on a selection. The two exchanged glances, shaking their heads in disapproval at any outfit that made Jin-Ri appear darker, shorter, or larger, or simply didn't complement her. "That one is way too revealing," Yeng remarked, observing Jin-Ri's attempts to conceal the skin peeking through the thin fabric. "Next!" she called out.
At last, their eyes lit up as Jin-Ri made her entrance. The flowing red ball skirt, adorned with intricate white embellishments, danced just above the ground, moving gracefully with each stride she took. Her white top coat, featuring striking red sleeves and luxurious gold accents that extended to her wrists, perfectly complemented her look. The coat embraced her silhouette, accentuating her form with a touch of sophistication. They finished Jin-Ri's makeover by tying her hair into a bun at the nape, highlighting her neck.
Young-Sik comes into the room looking for his court maiden "Jin-Ri are you rea...dy?" Jin-Ri turned around to reveal her new look to Young-Sik.
"Do you like it?" She asked her prince, curious as to what his reaction would be.
The prince was so amazed at Jin-Ri that the only words that came out of him were incoherent babbling "Uhm...You...light...sparkly"
The three ladies giggled at the prince, who struggled to find the right words to express how much he was enthralled with Jin-Ri
Kwan noticed that the prince was bewitched and in a trance by Jin-Ri's makeover, he nudged him so he could answer properly, but alas Young-Sik was so mesmerized, that he could only nod.
"Uhm...let me get a carriage" Young-Sik suggested "You look too...too beautiful for a horse" He stuttered
Jin-Ri took Young-Sik's hand before he could turn around "A horse would be fine, Yong"
Around the same time Minister Lim, Minister Gi, and the Dowager Queen convene at Minister Lim's house. "I am certain that Minister Go and his compatriots will inform Prince Young-Sik about his findings, now that he has returned. They must have postponed telling it to the prince since he was going to war" Minister Gi told his cohorts
"What should we do then? Now that he is back, I am entirely sure they will report it to the prince" The Dowager Queen nervously asked, knowing the fate that awaited her should it be revealed that it was her that poisoned the previous King.
"We must act fast, we need to silence Minister Go and everyone around him before he gets the chance to meet with the prince" Minister Lim said decisively "We are fortunate that the prince and Go were not able to meet before the prince left for Nyuong-gum"
"So what is our plan?" asked the Dowager Queen, the nervousness and anticipation can be felt in her voice.
"We take the Go family tonight" Minister Lim stated to his cohorts, the malicious intent burned in his eyes.
The sun was at its zenith when Prince Young-Sik and Jin-Ri on horse, reached the other side of Mt. Yangge. Jin-Ri kept looking at the eastern area of the mountain, "So close to home, yet so far" she mumbled. "How I wish I could take him to meet my father and mother" She sighed, she turned around and saw the prince, atop his horse, just staring at the pathway.
As Young-Sik stared, memories of that fateful night flooded his mind "EUN-AE!" the prince shouted; then he heard her call to him "Your Highness help me!" The prince started to hyperventilate when the images of his friend Eun-Ae grabbed desperately to a small rock clinging to life "Reach for my hand!" he shouted, stretching his little arm to its limits. He was about to reach her hand when the unthinkable happened. The rock that Eun-Ae was holding onto, broke off making her fall. Young-Sik was reminded of the terror in her eyes that stared back at him before being swallowed by the abyss.
"Yong?" Jin-Ri called out, snapping him out of his trance. "Are you alright?" she asked as she rode back to the prince's side. "Is there a problem? Is something the matter?" she asked out of concern while holding the prince's hand.
"I'm fine, don't worry it's nothing, the horse just got spooked is all" Young-Sik explained to her "Common let's go, we can be in a warm house with delicious food before the snow starts to fall again," he told Jin-Ri while lightly whipping on his reigns to command his steed to march forward. She glanced back at the eastern portion of the mountain one more time before directing her horse to follow the prince.
After some time, the couple arrived at the gates of his grandfather's estate. Young-Sik dismounted from his horse. He then went to Jin-Ri's side and helped her get off her horse. Holding her hands, he led her to the gates. He was about to announce his arrival, but Jin-Ri beat him to it. "Open up, the prince is here. Hurry up; it is freezing out here!"
Young-Sik chuckled while he shook his head at her antics. "What?" Jin-Ri asked while giggling. The prince just shook his head while smiling. The large gates creaked open, revealing two middle-aged men. They both gasped at the sight of the prince. They both ran towards Young-Sik and embraced him. "Young master, you're alive, you're alive. We all mourned when we thought you were gone," Said one of the men.
The prince reciprocated the affection of the two men and hugged them back "Uncle Ban, Uncle Ra-im, it's so nice to see you, how is grandfather?" He asked
The one called Ra-Im answered the prince "He was affected the most, young master. He thought that the last of his family, the last of his lineage ended with your apparent death"
"Where is he?" Young-Sik asked
The two uncles however had their eyes sights glued to the charming Jin-Ri smiling quietly behind the prince. The two uncles waved at the court maiden and she waved back. Young-Sik placed his arm around her as she led her forward and introduced her. "Uncles, I'd like you to meet Hong-Jin-Ri"
The three bowed at each other. Uncle Ban walked up to the prince and whispered to him "Young master, is she someone special?"
"Yes she is, I would like for Grandfather to meet her as well...where is he again?" Young-Sik asked respectfully
Uncle Ra-Im replied "He is in the family memorial temple, he never left that place, all he did was cry for his only child and the two grandsons he lost"
Young-Sik's heart sank when he heard how distraught his grandfather was. "Uncles, can you please take Jin-Ri to the receiving room?"
"I want to go with you" Jin-Ri protested, holding on tightly to the prince's hand
"Just wait for me at the receiving area, for now, I need to meet grandfather alone to not overwhelm him" He explained to his lover
Jin-Ri understood the urgency in the prince's tone, she followed the two uncles as they led her to the main house. Young-Sik went straight to the far side of the complex, straight into a house-sized structure.
It was dark inside the structure, but Young-Sik could make out the dozens of shelves standing side by side. He read the names that were intricately etched on the tablets hanging on the shelves, some made out of clay, while others made out of wood. He saw the flickering of a small light coming from the end of the hall of name tablets. He followed the light and saw at the very end, the shadow of a man slumped in front of a memorial table.
"Haven't I made it clear that I want to be left alone?" the weary man yelled, his voice echoing with despair. "Just go away and let me wallow in my sorrow!" he cried out once more.
Young-Sik quietly made his way toward the man, noticing three portraits resting on the memorial table: his mother, his older brother, and himself.
"I said go! Leave now!" the old man bellowed again, sensing that the stranger was still there.
"Even if it's me... your grandson?" Young-Sik gently responded. The moment the old man recognized the voice, like being rejuvenated instantly he jumped to his feet. Picking up a lit candle, he shone a light on the face of the visitor. As the beam illuminated the prince's features, the old man gasped in disbelief, tears streaming down his cheeks as he beheld his grandson, alive and well.
"Is that truly you, my dear grandchild? Is that really you my boy?" the elderly man inquired, gently caressing the prince's face and shoulders with trembling hands.
"It's really me, grandfather. I promise it's me," Young-Sik responded, tears welling up in his eyes as he took in the sight of his grandfather's frail state.
The old man slowly approached his grandson, wrapping his fragile arms around him. "Oh, my boy, my boy... I thank the heavens you're still here," he wept. "When I heard you had fallen while defending Chiongsun, I feared I had lost the last of my family."
Young-Sik upon hearing how thankful his grandfather is that he is still alive, broke into tears and hugged his grandfather tightly. "I wish I could tell you, that Seo-Joon is still alive. But I promise one day, I will bring him back to you" He thought to himself.
Grandfather and Grandson shared a tender moment of family reunion, each one relishing the moment. "I want you to meet someone grandfather...a special lady, who I hope one day will join our family"
"Is she pretty?" The old man asked curiously
"As pretty as grandmother and your daughter" Young-Sik replied with a grin
"Then what are we waiting for? Introduce me to this special young lady" The old man told his grandson
The old man quickly ordered that a feast be prepared for his grandson. The servants toiled quickly to prepare the food. After some time Young-Sik, along with Jin-Ri and his grandfather were sitting in front of a table filled with food. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" The old man asked
"My apologies grandfather...Jin-Ri I would like you to meet Grandfather Jang, former magistrate and former minister of treasure. Grandfather, this is my special lady Hong Jin-Ri" Young-Sik said, happily introducing the two.
"Hong? Are you related to the Hong clan from the eastern side of Chiongsun? Your facial features are similar to them" Grandfather Jang asked curiously of Jin-Ri
"To be honest sir, I have no idea. I grew up in a small village with my parents" Jin-Ri answered humbly
"What do you do my dear?" Grandfather Jang asked next
Young-Sik and Jin-Ri looked at each other. The prince reached out for her hand and started to speak "Grandfather, I want you to know, that I love her" He paused for a while, then started to delicately explain Jin-Ri's identity "She is not rich or born into nobility, in truth, she is my court maiden"
The couple watched as Grandfather Jang stopped with his meal and the two heard a plethora of gasps coming from the servants. "She...she is your servant?" Grandfather Jang asked his grandson.