Downpour (3)

"Spring is sure rainy." Sungho gazed at the overcast skies from the window; the howling of the wind seemed more relaxed than the low loud cries it made earlier.

Earlier that morning, the air became mild, warming his skin soon as the sun rose completely. Yet it changed when the clouds decided to form into one massive dark shadow, which blocked the daylight the sun was providing.

It rained before lunch when they took the books he wanted, and currently, it was still pouring this afternoon.

In an hour or two, Seok and Daewon would take turns and rotate shifts from guarding him. Sungho appeared eager for tomorrow to come, hoping Daewon would bring the things he asked for by morning.

Currently, he had seven books placed on his desk: two were the ones aforementioned, three books pertaining to sword dance, a book about the history of the Kingdom, and the other one was something miscellaneous, which Chun stated was Hyeon-Ju's favorite novel.

Humming from the excitement, he opened one of the two books about archery, one of which was fetched by Chun the day before Sungho met the king.

The old book of archery gave off a rich sugary and musky perfume, bound in a solid layer of pasteboard. Sungho settled his focus on the writings from the book, thumbing through the pages before bringing his face near as he read the paragraphs that were written neatly under each instruction painted pictures.

He first noticed the similarities between these images. Their feet, hips, and shoulders were aligned. It was mentioned under the dash of images that gaining a steady posture was the most significant in learning archery to avoid the muscles from wobbling while having a steady shot.

All poses amazed him; however, two from the pile of painted pictures caught his attention. Showing one that was kneeling as it took a shooting stance while the other was riding on a horse and was also doing the same.

"I want to do archery," Sungho mumbled to himself, desiring to try it out with the body he was possessing. He needed to know if his assumptions about Hyeon-Ju were correct, which he thought she presumably had a history in archery.

Before he could continue with the other books resting on his desk, he heard a knock, which halted him from his actions.

"Excuse me, Your Highness," Daewon called on the other side before sliding the door open and revealed himself. Behind him was the herculean figure standing. "I shall take my leave since Seok has arrived."

"Thank you for today." Sungho bobbed his head and Daewon did the same then took his leave from the study.

Seok immediately gave his greetings before leaving Sungho alone to guard him against the other side of the door. Just a minute after he closed the sliding entrance, Sungho heard a call from his court lady.

"Your Highness," Chun commenced as soon as she stepped inside. "I caught from the maidservants readying the common room that Grand Concubine Jin is holding a feast for the night."

But Sungho recalled listening to her words while he was picking a book to read, not uttering a word.

"She gained the permission of the king to hold a simple feast. All the concubines shall dress in beautiful clothing is what the Grand Concubine said to the maidservants."

"I'm invited?" His expression appeared shocked and confused, lifting his gaze to the court lady standing before his desk.

"Yes, Your Highness. Every one of the concubines, the residents of Cheon Han." She lowered her head as she gave him the answer.

"What is the reason for her sudden carry of a feast?" Sungho brought his brows in a knot, confusion remained sitting on his tone when he asked her.

Chun returned an answer along with the same confounding tenor. "Perhaps she desires to maintain her relationships with the other concubines?"

'Maintain.' Sungho could not help but snicker from his views. 'Yeah, probably maintaining her hatred for the concubines that is.'

With a brilliant idea formed inside his head, he gave his response to her. "Let's not give what she wants. Dress me just as simple." A sly smile printed on his lips as he uttered the thought.