Chapter 04

Yesterday Lee Hoon was driving his scooter on his way to another house to deliver food. He still can't believe that he's now riding the most luxurious car on the way to the Royal Palace - Gyeongbokgung. When those men in black suits came to his aunt's chinese restaurant and informed him about his royal blood, he thought they were pranksters from some TV show. But when they presented his birth certificate and his father's pictures, a few things about his past that he had never seen, he had to reconsider what they said. The call from the queen dowager inviting him personally to Gyeongbokgung was what encouraged him to make the final decision. He wanted to get to the bottom of this whole royal thing issue.

Good thing his aunt wasn't at the store at that time. She seemed to be in a good mood this morning that she didn't scold him about taking the day off, instead she wished him good luck. That was odd. Maybe she thought that this was the opportunity she's waiting for to get rid of him. If only his uncle was here; he should've never given up in convincing his uncle to come back home. It was sad leaving him alone in Macau. He has been looking for his uncle since he divorced his wife and left for good.

His uncle and aunt were the only people who came close as parents to him, most especially his uncle. He's the one who really took care of him since his parents died in a car accident when he was just one year old. Although his aunt was only civil with him because of his uncle, he still considers her as a parent. He was grateful that even if his uncle is no longer living with her, she still lets him stay and work for her.

"We're here, Hwang Ja nim." The voice of a guy beside the driver distracted Lee Hoon's thoughts.

He has always imagined what was inside the walls that surrounded the palace. It was surreal for him to be inside these palace walls. Somehow it's more colorful than he thought it would be. The colors that represent the Korean tradition and culture were evident in every building that they passed. Even the gardens surrounding some buildings were filled with beautiful and colorful flowers. A ceremony was being held inside one of the buildings. He wanted to stay and watch the traditional dance that was being performed, but the palace officials led him to the Palace's main building.

"Please wait here for the Queen Regent Hae-myung," one of the palace officials said, "refreshments will be served to you in a while." Then the palace official left him alone.

He looked around the room and he couldn't help but notice the expensive furnitures and decors. The amount of all these furnitures is enough to feed a town for a year, he thought.

"The Queen Regent is here." A sang-gong announced.

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"Thank you for coming here in such a short notice." Hae-myung started saying.

"Oh! No, I'm thankful for telling me about my past. I've always wondered what my parents were like since Uncle never told me stories about them." Lee Hoon said excitedly.

"But what we are asking is not easy; I hope that you understand that. You don't have to worry about the legal proceedings, Palace officials will take care of it. However, a lot of politics will play when the Parliament starts discussion on adding your name to the Royal Family Registry."

"Yes, I know. I just want to know my heritage and the family of my father. But how is the king these days? I know he is father's cousin." Lee Hoon asked Hae-myung curiously.

"The king is doing well. His decision to abdicate has many factors, but one of the main reasons is his health. Because of this, so much pressure has been put to Shin. And Shin felt that he wanted to learn more about the world, especially with his wife." Hae-myung stopped for a while. Lee Hoon seemed to be a gentle person, the type that was easy to talk to. She smiled to herself, and wondered how different Lee Hoon would be from Chaegyung. "Do not worry, you will undergo a special training and education so that you will be able to handle the challenges of being the Crown Prince."

"I see. Thank you."

"The preparation for your entrance to the Palace will start today."

Gong Ne Gwan entered the room together with a man . The man looked like the typical professor.

"This is Gong Ne Gwan, he will be in charge of overseeing your education here in the Palace. And these is Kim Jeong-woo. He will be your teacher."

He looked at his teacher. He seemed to be the serious type of person. Lee Hoon wondered if he would be able to learn from such a boring looking person.

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"Yes! Finally escaped the clutches of the devil!" Lee Hoon triumphantly murmured to himself. He got so bored with the lesson that day so when his teacher called for a break, he took off immediately and went to the other side of the palace grounds.

His wandering around has brought him to another building. There was a fountain near the entrance. He noticed that two rooms were opposite from each other. He checked the one on the right, and he noticed that it looked like a girl's room. There were lace curtains around and the color of the room screamed at him that the owner was a girl.

He went to the other room opposite the one he entered. This is a guy's room, he thought upon seeing it. The solid colors and wood furnishings speaks of a masculine owner. It also dawned on him that the rooms haven't been used in a long time. Dust have been accumulating on furnitures.

He went in further and saw boxes filled with books and other stuff. Then he saw a remote control. He pressed it but the flat TV screen did not turn on, instead he heard a swish of a door opening. Curiosity got the better of him and entered the room.