Part 12

            Someone announced that Madame was entering. She never came out after she went inside the Heavenly Purified Palace. All the people the government officials and concubines looked at Madame coming in the ceremonial ground with sharp eyes. But everyone held their breath.

            This woman looked very fragile. Her body was covered with layers of light colored clothes, but she looked definitely thin like she’ll break soon. Her thin and pale face was clean like a child’s skin. No, it was very faint. Her skin couldn’t even tell if she put on some powder, her calm eye, and her fresh bloomed flower like lips made her look like she was an illusion. Some people thought she was flying because the wind was blowing the silk and made it look like a clear wing.

            n.o.body could breathe well because they thought it will blow her away. Civil and military officials were amazed at this kind of woman existed, and concubines were amazed how Madame who covered her face completely during the nuptial revealed her face.

            Right after Madame took her seat, the Empress came in. She was wearing a fancy wig decorated with gold binyeo, and she was wearing gold, red, black, and violet color fancy dress. Those four colors were only allowed for the Empress to use. She stood up other side of Madame, and they showed a big contrast. Fancy and gorgeous Empress was the best, but somehow people couldn’t take their eyes off Madame. The Madame was standing quietly with her head bowed she looked very humble than any other people, but she didn’t look poor. The other fancily decorated concubines were just biting their lips feeling lower than her.

            The Empress sat down, and the Emperor came in. He was wearing a crown and wearing gold, red, black, and violet color clothes. He was holding a scepter decorated with round and hard miqueliana fruit. That represented the seeds of crops.

            The Emperor walked slowly to the middle seat, and he looked at Madame first than the Empress. But n.o.body complained about that rudeness. Not even the Empress.

            And the Planting Festival began.

            In front of the food for the ceremony, the Emperor read the long prayer and bow to the sky holding the scepter. Both side of him the Empress and the Madame kneeled down and whenever the Emperor bowed, they placed their forehead on the cold ground. When it was their time for libation, the Empress pour the liquor first to the Emperor. The Emperor place that in the East and bow down again. Next the Madame pour the liquor, and the Emperor placed that in the West this time. Right then when he was trying to bow, few drops of water dropped from the sky. Soon few drops became a shower of rain. The rain that comes down during the sowing season considered as a sacred rain. Everybody started to bow down to the sky.

            But only the Emperor and the Madame stood still. Madame was just staring at the sky getting wet from the rain, and the Emperor was just looking at that Madame. Madame’s clothing was completely wet and with her long and slender arm raised little bit higher she was feeling the rain. That gave impression like she was welcoming the guest. That looked so natural that people thought the Madame brought the rain.

            Like that the sowing season ended.

            The Emperor dried Yeho’s pale wet face by himself.

            “n.o.body knew it would rain.”

            His Madame couldn’t even talk well because he was shivering so much. He felt pity and sorry.

            “Your body is very cold because of the rain. Soa, bring me a warm water and a towel. And bring me some new clothes. Bring some thicker ones.”

            “Yes, Your Majesty.”

            Soa disappeared quickly. He started to take off Yeho’s wet clothes.

            “Lea…leave it… I’ll… do it…”

            Emperor smiled hearing his shivering voice.

            “If you are going to say something about reputation, stop it. You probably can’t move a single finger. How are you going to do it?”

            Emperor cover both of his cold and thin hands with his right hand. He took Yeho’s clothes off with his other hand. While doing that, Soa brought a warm water and a towel. She left those close to the Emperor quickly went out the room. The Emperor smiled looking at Soa and washed Yeho’s cold face, neck, and body with a warm wet towel.

            “Let me do it. You are not supposed to do this kind of stuff. And aren’t you wet as well?”

            He was still shivering little bit, but he was able to talk properly now. But the Emperor still didn’t listen and continue to wipe his boney spine.

            “Stay still. I don’t get cold because of my energy I learned during the martial art training. Ah, I told you to stay still. Your skin is like ice. After this, go inside the blanket then Soa will bring a warm clothes. Anyway it’s a trouble. It’s warm enough to do the sowing season, but you still can’t stand this weather. How are you going to spend the winter?”

            “…I already spend the winter here, Your Majesty. It was pretty rough, but it wasn’t that bad.”

            “Anyway. If I knew it was going to rain, I wouldn’t put you up there. You get sick if it gets cold. Tsk.”

            He put away the towel and pulled the blanket all the way up to Yeho’s shoulder and took out the hair that was stuck to his pale face.

            “Anyway it’s good thing that it rained. When it rains during Planting Festival, it means it will have good harvest during the year. The previous Emperor never had this. They had good harvest time to time, but it never rained during the festival.”

            He said that and turned his eyes to the window. The rain got much weaker than before. It seems like it will stop soon.

            “Everyone is saying this. You brought the rain.”

            There was a short time of silence and Yeho turned his head to him after hearing that. Nothing was showing in his quiet eyes.

            “People are saying Princess Sooyoung from the small kingdom is the dragon’s fairy.”

            “…Dragon’s…fairy…?”

            He repeated himself quietly, and the Emperor laughed.

            “Ah, you probably don’t know. This is North Empire’s folk tale. I heard kids talking about this on the street. It was probably while I was on the patrol. One of the orbs that dragon has the power of rain. One day the dragon lost that orb. The orb lost its control and turned it into rain drops and fell on the Earth. The dragon felt desperate and turned himself into a human and looked for the orb. The drops that the orb turned into dropped on a tree leaf, an ocean, a river, and another drop dropped on a bird’s feather… Anyway he collected all the drops from all over the world. And he finally found the last drop, but that last drop was the problem. That drop was the teardrop of a woman who couldn’t cry. How can he get the drop from the woman who can’t even cry. The dragon thought about it many times, and he gave all the drops he collected to her. That woman gained the power of the orb, so she was able to control the rain. And she became the dragon’s fairy and sends us the rains.”

            The Emperor showed an awkward smile like any other ordinary man.

            “It’s boring. I heard it from a boy, and I think he was way better than me. The story was longer and better than this… It seems like I can’t be a story teller.”

            “It was fun, Your Majesty.”

            Yeho smiled gently, and he added a joke.

            “Still it doesn’t make sense me being the dragon’s fairy. I’m not even a woman.”

            The Emperor was extremely happy to see Yeho’s laugh in a long time. When he stopped saying no, his smile also disappeared. Whenever he realizes that, he couldn’t stand his heartache. Even with his pain, he still couldn’t let Yeho go. He felt like if he let Yeho go, he would go crazy and ends up cutting Yeho’s neck without even realizing, so he decided to ignore his pain. The Emperor laughed more because he was happy to see Yeho’s faint smile. And he wrapped Yeho’s face and kissed his smiling lips. Yeho accepted his lips, but later he stepped back and separated their lips.

            “It’s cold. It’s because you are still wearing that wet clothes. You will get sick. Tell eunuch to bring new clothes.”

            The Emperor smile got deeper hearing his nag starting. This kind of part never changes.

            “You should help me. It’s not easy to take off wet clothes.”

            The Emperor smiled mischievously, and Yeho avoided his eyes.

            “I’ll help you when you tell them to bring you a new clothes.”

            “What for?”

            “Your Majesty.”

            Yeho slightly reprimanded him, but the Emperor still had his smile and kiss Yeho’s thin shoulder.

            “Just don’t say anything and help me take off my clothes.”

            Yeho just gave up and sighed.