Miok turns me to face a rectangular mirror she propped open on the desk and studies my face with pursed lips. “You already have such lovely skin. There isn’t much we need to do in terms of makeup ...”
She reaches for a tray lined with white rose petals and waves her hand over it in a graceful loop. The rose petals turn into a palette of various shades of pink. She picks one petal up and holds it against my cheek, then another in a different shade. Nodding in apparent satisfaction, she brushes the second petal against my skin, and my cheeks take on a rosy complexion. Then she takes the petal in the deepest pink and brushes it against my lips, turning them into the same color.
I have no words. I’ve never seen magic like this—for simple, practical uses. “Does ... does everyone know how to do that?”
“Do what, my lady?” My handmaiden blinks.
“Use magic like that,” I croak.
“Everyone learns minor magic suited to their station and duties,” she says lightly, tidying up the tray and mirror.
I nod, letting that soak in. What kind of magic would I have learned if I grew up in this place? What really is this place? Why did my mother never mention it? She must not have known about it.
“Now for your dress.” Miok can barely suppress her excitement as she pulls a hanbok from the armoire.
The jeogori is in a lovely shade of pink, similar to the petal that she applied to my cheeks. But the skirt ... It glows and swirls with all the colors of a sunset, like they took a square of the sky at dusk and made it into a skirt. I touch the fabric, and the silk slides across my fingers like water.
Once she finishes dressing me in the breathtaking hanbok, Miok turns me to the tall floor mirror. I don’t recognize the female staring back at me, soft and lovely. I don’t glow like the seraphim in this realm, but I’m nevertheless beautiful.
“Now, my lady”—my handmaiden smiles broadly—“you are ready to meet the council.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I step into the sitting area of the Sunset Pavilion, smiling at something Miok said. But I falter when I find Jihun outside with his gaze on the pond. He’s dressed in a navy silk robe with a gat tied neatly under his chin. He looks like a handsome nobleman from a Korean fairy tale, and my breath catches in my throat.
“My lord.” Miok bows at my side.
Jihun turns toward us with his usual stoic expression, then freezes in place, his eyes going round. I would think he’d turned into a statue if it wasn’t for his gaze dipping slowly down my body, then back up to my face. I want to scowl or dosomethingto hide the blush rising to my cheeks, but it’s hard not to be flattered by the unmistakable appreciation in his eyes.
I’m not sure if I’m relieved or disappointed when he abruptly descends the stone stairs and steps into his elegant black boots. “Come with me.”
Miok hurriedly places a robe, the same color as my skirt, over my shoulders and helps me into a pair of embroidered silk slippers. I murmur a quick thanks and hasten after the long-legged male, who is already halfway to the main courtyard. I’m tempted to kick off the delicate slippers to catch up with him, but he slows down and turns to face me.
“Would you mind walking to the Celestial Palace?” he asks in English once we’re alone. His eyes roam over me once more before he snaps them back to my face. “It’s a few miles from here. It should give us time to speak.”
“If we don’t walk, then how would we get there?” I’m relieved to speak to him in English. The old-fashioned Korean and the honorifics were tripping me up. Besides, it would feel weird to use honorifics with Jihun like he’s my elder or superior. But we’re not close enough to speak familiarly. Yes, English is much simpler.
“We could take those.” He waves at two exquisite wooden palanquins sitting near the main gates.
“Let’s walk.” I crinkle my nose. “I don’t want to make someone carry me for miles.”
“They wouldn’t carry you physically.” Jihun’s lips twitch, as though he’s tempted to smile. “They use minor magic to maneuver the palanquin.”
“Fancy.” Sarcasm drips from my word. “We should still walk and talk.”
The male in white opens the gates for us and whispers something to Jihun. The captain’s eyes narrow, and a muscle jumps in his clenched jaw. But he nods curtly at the male, then extends his arm toward the gate, with his solemn gaze on me. “After you.”
I roll my eyes at Jihun but remember to thank the male in white before I step out to the street. “Who is he?”
“He’s my man of business. He takes care of all my affairs.” He waves an elegant hand toward his estate.
“What’s his name?” I ask.
“His family name is Gim.” Jihun casts a curious glance at me.
“I was getting tired of thinking of him as ‘the male in white.’” I worry my bottom lip. Now that I have Jihun alone, something’s holding me back from asking him about the sacred ashes. How do I know I can trust him? “Okay. Why don’t we get down to business? You and thegeneral spoke of a realm and four kingdoms, and we’re in the Kingdom of Sky. Are we no longer in the same realm as Earth?”
“No. We’re in the Realm of Four Kingdoms, a realm that exists across the abyss.” He pauses, but I nod for him to continue. I’d figured as much and just wanted confirmation, so I don’t need time to process. “Besides the Kingdom of Sky, there are the Kingdom of Mountains, Kingdom of Water, and Kingdom of Underworld.”
