Futile Love

Chapter 107: Chapter 107

As there were so many volunteers to work during the festival period, they had to be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis.

Those who stayed at the palace during the festival went on vacation, but those who enjoyed the festival returned to the palace. The Imperial Palace soon forgot about the banquet and grew quiet again.

The imperial palace was quiet and empty after the national festival was over. Kyosul decided to visit the flower garden for the first time in a long time. As only royal family members and high-ranking officials could enter the garden, she left for it without her nanny. As she mainly visited her favorite places in the garden, they were familiar to her.

Since she used to walk around the garden alone, she felt more comfortable without the court ladies.

“Long live the Crown Princess! We’re honored to see you!”

The soldiers who guarded the main gate now recognized Kyosul, which made her feel rather awkward. Unlike the imperial palace she was familiar with, she crossed the gate, feeling uncomfortable with their greetings.

The flower garden was full of autumn flowers boasting fine appearances. She momentarily wondered if there were any winter flowers among them as the garden was full of seasonal flowers in full bloom. At that moment, somebody hugged her side suddenly.

She screamed in surprise.

Then, the small shadow that embraced her looked up at her with a sad expression.

“Ayamama, don’t you like Mu?”

It was Ohyulje’s grandson Mu.

Confirming him, she shook her head, blushing.

“No, no. I was just surprised as you came up suddenly. ”

Then, when she caressed his cheek, he smiled brightly, released his hands holding her and jumped up and down.

“Nobody is playing with me, so I’m bored, so I came here to watch the flowers and I found the best flower! Ayamama is prettier than all the flowers here, and I like Ayamama best!”

While babbling like that, he pulled her hand.

“Where are you going, prince Mu?”

“I would like to show you something. As I play here the most, I know this place best! ”

He was so happy to bump into her at the flower garden that he ran holding her hand.

Although she was surprised at first, she gladly walked with him with a smile as he cheered while running around.

Walking around the garden with him, Mu told her about the flowers.

What did he do in this large palace without his friends? There was no entertainment for him in the palace other than being cared for by a nanny and learning from many teachers. As a result, he always visited the flower garden for enjoyment. Thanks to his frequent visits, he inadvertently gained a thorough knowledge of flowers while he played in the flower garden alone for a long time.

As he babbled about the details of many flowers, Mu’s nanny thought he loved flowers. She gave him a book about flowers. He quickly absorbed lots of knowledge about flowers, as if he were dry land and it was water. He was well versed enough to identify any flower instantly as soon as he saw it.

“Are you bored because you have no friends?”

When she asked him, who was busy explaining to her about flowers at the moment, he shut up and quickly became sullen. Drooping his head, he nodded. She felt so much pity for him.

At that moment, she hit upon a good idea.

“It would be nice if you invite a friend here.”

“Friend?”

“Yes, a friend.”

Bending her knees at his eye level, she said, stroking his hair.

Tilting his head, he scratched his face and said, “What do you mean by friend?”

“Oh, what I mean is inviting some friends that are your age to the palace for a little prince like you who is bored.”

“Wow, can I get a friend then?”

“Of course.”

Listening to her, he smiled, opening his arms wide and turning round and round.

“Please ask you mom, Princess Oran. Please ask her to get you friends.”

When she mentioned Oran, he suddenly stopped turning round and round. Feeling dizzy as he kept turning round and round, he jumped into her arms and whined.

“Mom is scary. I was scolded severely today. I asked daddy to play with me, but she scolded me, saying daddy was very busy with handling state affairs. She told me I shouldn’t disturb him. I like my mom, but I like you better. You are beautiful and fair-skinned, and I want to protect you!”

While he was whining, he turned the topic and talked about her.

With a little smile, he kissed on her cheek. Feeling sorry for him, she was touched by his kiss and felt warm toward him

‘How lovely he is! I envy Princess Oran.’

She was about to hug him when she heard some sharp voice from somewhere.

“Mu! How come you are being so rude to her like a spoiled child?”

Stunned by someone’s sudden scolding, he pulled himself away from Kyosul.

“Huh? Mom… ”

Standing upright, he folded his hands and bowed. He quickly corrected his attitude, which suggested he was used to it.

It was Oran who appeared before him, giving him a severe scolding.

Kyosul, who was bending her knees at the moment, stood up and greeted Oran. After greeting her quickly, Oran approached him and put her hands on his shoulders. And she pulled him to her side.

Oran tightened her grip on his shoulders. When she pressed on his shoulders hard with her fingers, he got scared and looked up at her and said, “Oh, I’m sorry, mom.”

When she saw his scared face, Oran felt she was so strict, so she smiled and got on her knees to make eye contact with him.

“No, I’m wrong. What I mean is you should not treat her so informally as she is the Crown Princess.”

Kyosul’s face hardened a bit at her words.

Though Oran’s advice to Mu was understandable, Kyosul felt it was too harsh.

Besides, her overly defensive attitude was also regrettable.

‘Why is she trying not to trust me?’

When Kyosul was thinking about it, Mu began to babble again, encouraged by Oran’s soft voice. “Yeah. I’m going to behave with manners in the future. By the way, please do me a favor.”

“Favor?”

“Yeah. Well, the Crown Princess tipped me off on this, I wish I had friends in the palace!”

He shouted with an excited voice. The moment Oran heard ‘friend,’ her face hardened instantly. Standing straight, Oran turned to the Crown Princess and asked, “What did you tell him?””Yes, because he said he was so bored…”

“Mu is different from other children. How can you allow him to hang out with peers like those in private houses? No way. As Prince Heyjin delivered a baby girl, she will take care of him in a few years. I have not gotten him friends because I’ve my own plan. So, don’t let him toy with any vain ideas like that.”

“Oh, I see.”

Though she wanted to refute her, Oran was Mu’s mother. Kyosul’s taking issue with her way of educating her son was a sensitive matter. Quickly finding out the point of their conversation, Mu became sullen again. He looked at Kyosul with his eyes drooped, which made her heart ache. “That makes sense, but…”

As soon as Kyosul began to say something, Oran hastily responded as if she read her intention.

“By the way, we’re doing our best to educate him in the West Palace, so you don’t have to pay attention to him. And it’s also my duty to take care of him. If you try to help him, you might think I’m not competent enough to raise him, right?”

“No, that’s not what I mean.”

She quickly tried to clarify her position when Oran gave her a long lecture on his education.

Oran suddenly smiled and leaned forward.

“I really wish you didn’t pay any attention to my son.”

Oran bowed deeply. She had no choice but to turn her eyes away from him.

He drooped his shoulders.

Soon, Oran left the flower garden after bowing to her, taking Mu with her, who looked sullen.

Thinking of Oran who was wary of her all the time, she was left alone in the flower garden.

The wind blew and the petals fluttered. Some swaying petals fell down, blown by the wind. The petals falling on the ground seemed unusually lonely.

“What a cunning bitch!”

Having sneered at Kyosul, Oran twisted her lips. She had a court lady take Mu back back to the West Palace, then crossed the Imperial Palace roughly.

“What the heck is that little young bitch? All the guys are captivated by her beauty…”

Coarse and harsh words came out of her mouth continuously.

In her eyes, even the cold-hearted Crown Prince, decorous Prince Ruhae, and even her husband Prince Binsung cast an interested glance at her. Now, her son Mu followed her, calling her Ayamama. All this annoyed Oran very much.