Rena Moon

The royal family sat down on their lavish chairs elegantly. The emperor called out to everyone, “You may all sit down.”

Once the emperor spoke, everyone sat down on their seats together. Yuna’s surroundings became very silent when the royals arrived. No one dared to speak out of place, in fear of angering any of the royal family members.

The emperor spoke, “I want to thank everyone for making an appearance to my eldest daughter’s birthday party.” He pointed at Princess Ara that sat on the left side of the emperor and empress where all the princesses were seated. Princess Ara stood from her seat and waved at everyone.

Princess Ara was a delicate beauty, and her hair was braided beautifully above her head with golden decorations that were placed carefully in her hair. Her hanbok had a mixture of gold and white that accentuated her beauty a thousand folds. The Princess’ eyes were not focused on the crowd. It was obvious that she had no eyesight when she waved at everyone. No one dared to reveal their scorn in their expressions. It would lead to their deaths if the emperor found out.

The emperor looked down from his high position at Princess Ara. He revealed a fatherly smile, “Ara, it is finally your 18th birthday and you have proven to be a filial daughter that has always worried about my health. I’m proud that you are my eldest daughter. I would like to know what your greatest wish is. I will try my utmost to give you the best birthday gift. What would you like, my dear daughter?”

Princess Ara’s voice was like a hummingbird as she spoke, “Father, I’m so happy to know that you care about me so dearly. I would never ask anything of you father. I don’t need anything. All I need is for you to be healthy and for you to live longer.”

When everyone heard her wish they all clapped and cheered. The Emperor smiled affectionately at his daughter, “Only you would say something so sweet. I am happy to hear that you care about me, but I do not wish to leave my daughter without a gift on her birthday. If you do not tell me what you would like, I’ll have no choice but to give you something else.”

Princess Ara responded, “Father, I truly do not wish for anything.” The Emperor frowned, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t wish for anything. I have something in mind for you. I’ve prepared this gift in advance because I’ve expected that you wouldn’t wish for anything. I hope that you like it.”

He motioned for one of the eunuchs to present the gift to Princess Ara. A beautiful carved mahogany box was presented before the princess. The eunuch helped the princess open the lid, and it revealed a crystal ball with a golden stand that matched perfectly with the crystal. Since the princess could not see, she didn’t know what was inside the box. The eunuch whispered to the princess and told her what it was. The princess and the crowd were confused as to what its purpose was.

The Emperor explained, “This crystal ball has been known for its rarity. It was made for the purpose of giving its owner good luck and prosperity. I do not know if it truly works, but it is the only thing I could give in hopes that you will live prosperously. I hope that you will be strong and confident after receiving this gift from this worthless father.”

Princess Ara shook her head, “Father you are not worthless. I’m so happy to receive such a treasure from you. It means so much to me. Please don’t demean yourself in front of everyone. You are the best father that I can hope for.”

The Emperor was pleased by his daughter’s response. It was a good thing that the princess knew how to make her father happy. Or else everyone here would probably have to deal with the emperor’s cold demeanor.

After giving his gift to the princess, he looked at his wife that sat next to him. He asked, “My dear wife, what have you prepared for our daughter?” The empress had red lipstick that made her lips look bloody. She smiled at the princess and it was clear to Yuna that her smile had hidden intentions behind it.

The empress’ nasally voice resonated in the courtyard, “I’ve prepared a gift that is incomparable to anyone that has given her a gift. I hope that everyone will be pleased with the gift I have especially prepared for Princess Ara.”

There were countless number of chests that were brought before the princess. The crowd was stunned by how many gifts the empress has gotten for the princess. There were many noble girls that felt jealousy when they noticed how much the empress pampered her daughter. They were once again reminded by how much the empress loved the adopted daughter.

Only Yuna knew that the empress was good at fooling everyone. Princess Ara opened the chests one by one with the help of the servants that brought the gifts. The chests were filled to the brim with gold and accessories. The women all gasped in jealousy when they saw the amount of wealth the princess had received from the empress.

When the princess opened the last chest, there was a traditional red wedding gown and crown in it. The princess opened all the gifts from the empress, but she had no clue what was inside. So, the eunuch explained to her the contents of each gift that the empress gave.

Princess Ara was shocked after hearing that the last chest contained a wedding dress. She faced the empress and asked, “Mother, why have you gifted me so many things? What does the wedding dress signify?” The empress acted pitiful, “Don’t you like the gifts that mother has painstakingly prepared for you? I’ve prepared everything, only thinking of you my dear daughter. It saddens me to know that my beautiful daughter has yet to find a husband that can properly take care of her. Isn’t that so?”

She looked towards the emperor, in hopes that he would approve of her decision. The Emperor scrunched his eyebrows and looked upset. He was originally planning on scolding his wife for bringing up her marriage, but he felt that the empress didn’t do anything wrong.

He wasn’t too pleased to know that his lovely daughter was going to be sent away to live with a husband, but at the same time he wanted to see his daughter live happily. He knew that in his heart that his daughter did not belong in the palace. The palace was a dangerous place that constantly threatened his daughter’s life. Princess Ara wouldn’t have lost her eyesight if she didn’t grow up in this heinous place.

The emperor knew well that the palace was crowded with people that had bad intentions. He knew that the palace was the worst place for his daughter, so he had no choice but to agree with the empress. He changed his expression to one that was approving.

He replied, “I believe that your mother is correct. It is time that you find yourself a husband. Father hopes that you will be happy in the future. It would not be good for you to live the rest of your life without a husband. I hope that you won’t be too mad at us.”

Princess Ara sighed in resignation, “In honesty, I’m not happy to leave father when he is not in good health. Although, I do not like leaving father, I will get married if father and mother decide it. I will remain filial to my parents for the rest of my life even after marriage. I would like to thank mother greatly for giving me so many gifts.”

Princess Ara bowed down to her parents in gratitude. Yuna felt irritated when she saw how weak-willed the princess was. Why didn’t she put up a fight? It didn’t matter what the empress planned; she could’ve easily gotten away with telling the emperor that she didn’t want to get married. The Emperor would have easily listened to his favorite daughter.

After watching Princess Ara. She felt that most women in this generation were bound to be the same as Princess Ara. No matter the situation, woman were always the ones that had the least say in anything. It was depressing to see that no woman in this generation would ever break the social norm. She felt depressed just thinking about how unfair it really was.