Page 35 of King Foretold
I know the drill from my first stay at the Sunset Pavilion. I settle down on a satin floor cushion behind the low desk. Miok brushes my hair with a fine-tooth comb, then braids it down my back. When she lightly squeezes my shoulders, I turn in my seat and offer up my face.
She frowns slightly and stains the rose petals in darker shades of pink than usual. I peek at my reflection on the rectangular mirror on the desk and see the reason for her concern. I’m so pale my lips have a blue tint to them.
“I’m okay, Miok,” I say in a soft voice. “All I need is a day to rest and eat. I heal even faster than your typical shinbiin.”
“I know, my lady.” She sniffs. “But allow me to make you appear fully healed already. It will help remind me that you will be well soon.”
She picks up a cherry pink petal and brushes it against my cheeks, then uses the same petal on my lips. Then she dabs her ring finger in a vial of orchid oil and taps it along my bottom lip. When she presses her lips together and nods at me, I mimic her and smack my lips to even out the gloss.
“There.” Miok sits back with a satisfied smile.
The subtle touch of color on my cheeks and lips somehow makes my skin creamy white and my hair jet black. The effect is striking, the sharp contrast making my features pop and my complexion glow. Is this what I would look like if I were born and raised in the Realm ofFour Kingdoms? To my embarrassment, I can’t stop staring at my face in the mirror.
“You look the picture of health, not to mention exquisite.” My handmaiden gives me a warm smile. “Now, it’s time for you to get dressed. I have a feeling you will love this hanbok.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.” I side-eye her. She knows I’m not the biggest fan of hanboks, with its full, floor-length skirt and cropped, swoop-sleeved top. It’s hard for a girl to throw down in that getup.
“The chima is the color of the moment before nightfall—orange, purple, and smokey blue.” The handmaiden pauses impishly. “And the shirt is ... midnight black.”
I perk up immediately. “Well, why didn’t you say so?”
“I was saving this for you to wear one evening during your first stay at the Sunset Pavilion, but you had ... work to do.” Miok rises to her feet and reaches down to help me. “I don’t know when I’ll have another chance to serve you, so you will have to wear the black jeogori in broad daylight.”
“Miok ... thank you.” I clear my throat, standing up with her help. “And black is the perfect color for any time of day.”
“Are you ready, my lady?” she asks, with her hand on the handle of the armoire. At my nod, she opens it with a flourish. Then she drapes the mile-long skirt over her arm, the fabric rippling to the floor like liquid dusk. “It’s beautiful, is it not?”
“It’s stunning,” I whisper.
The color perfectly captures the last precious moment of daylight before darkness settles in. For some reason, my chest tightens as I gingerly brush my fingertips over the soft silk. Unlike the beauty of nightfall, the darkness that’s coming can mask a stormy sky, or drown a cloudless day. Will I still be able to wield the Yeoiju with dark magic inside me?
Feeling out of sorts, I meekly allow Miok to help me into the first layer of undergarments—a chest band and darisokot, which is arudimentary string bikini. But I shake my head in panic when she brings out the next two layers of undergarments.
“No, I can’t today.” It’s been a while since I wore a proper hanbok, and I forgot there were six layers of undergarments ... just on the bottom. “I’m not putting on shortsandpants beneath an underskirtandpetticoat.”
Miok purses her lips in disapproval. “But my lady ...”
“I’m not fully recovered, remember?” I scramble for an excuse. “The extra weight will tire me.”
My handmaiden narrows her eyes dubiously, but she capitulates with a sigh. She skips the shorts and pants—thankgods—and helps me into the underskirt. I don’t push my luck, and I let her wrap the petticoat around me, then I docilely slip my arms into the undershirt.
“Nowdo I get to put the actual hanbok on?” I say with a huff.
Miok smiles as she dresses me in the beautiful hanbok, her hands gentle and careful on my body. After she ties the goreum into a single-looped bow at my chest, she leans back and admires her handiwork.
“You look so lovely, my lady.” She presses her fingers to her lips, then briskly shakes her head. “Come see for yourself.”
It isn’t the first time I’ve worn a hanbok in the Kingdom of Sky, but I’m still startled by my reflection in the full-length mirror. The swirling colors of the skirt are beautiful, but the midnight black of the jeogori takes my breath away. I move this way and that, watching the silvery stars wink in and out of the shimmering fabric.
“I didn’t know black could be ... dazzling,” I murmur.
In the Mortal Realm, I lived in the night, and wearing black helped me blend into the darkness—made me invisible, made me safe. But this black makes me ... shine. I don’t mind it so much because I choose to live in the light now. Being with my friends in the light makes me feel safer than being alone in the night. I don’t want to be invisible. I want Ethan and my friends to see me.
My stomach drops.No, not Ethan.I can’t let him see all of me. After last night, he probably doesn’t want anything to do with me. My tears blur my reflection.Good.I can’t stand the sight of myself anymore.
“Oh dear. I lost track of time.” Miok flutters her hands. “We must hurry. He is waiting.”
“He ... who?” I ask, blinking away my tears, and follow her out the door. “Jihun?”
