"Daebi-Mama, what's the apricot scrub for, today?" Soojin's maidservant asks, handing her a thick viscous mix of apricot grits and vanilla extract, as a cleanse.

She lets out a delightful squeal, bringing it closer to her nostrils, relishing the aroma.

Soojin rests her back against the tiles of the Royal Bath, rubbing the grainy mix between the palms of her hands and bringing it over to her neck, to scrub.

The maidservant joins in, rubbing the mix over her bare back.

"It's an exfoliator. It'll help abrade the dry skin, replacing it with a softer coverage." Soojin responds.

The helper hums along as Soojin feels over her freshly cleaned skin, letting out a content hum.

She was going to be meeting Ah Ma today.

To master the art of 'baby-making'.

Ah Ma had nursed Yun Ki when The Late Queen fell ill.

Word is, Ah Ma's milk is what rendered Yun Ki strength as a freshly awoken baby.

In fact, she'd accompanied the Royal Physician in delivering the twins.

So, one could say that Ah Ma was essentially like his second mother.

She was an expert when it came to training Royal Concubines, which explains why she monitored them and was the person-in-charge, accountable for all of Yun Ki's 12 Concubines.

The art of seducing The Crowned Head wasn't an easy one.

With an incessant need to feel pleasure coursing through his veins, Yun Ki was a fan of variation.

He'd get bored of the usual, which is why Areum always stood out.

She served him something different, every time.

An important fact about Ah Ma was that she'd given The Late Queen tips on conceiving a 'baby boy' and only under specific circumstances, could the procession be held, successfully.

Soojin was unaware of the fact that in order to increase the chances of birthing a baby boy, certain positions, diets and planetary positions played an integral role.

'Ah Ma was never wrong', Yun Ki implored of her the night they discussed wanting to try for an heir.

So here Soojin was, preparing herself for a thorough examination.

—————

Ah Ma would be visiting Soojin's Chamber to impart her knowledge.

Soojin was ready, dressed in a purple silk robe, hair neatly tied.

Her hands were sweaty.

As a concubine in training, she'd barely attended 2 or 3 sessions and that was all theoretical.

Today was hands-on or so she'd been hoping.

A subtle knock is heard over her Chamber door and Soojin waves off her help to open the doors.

She seats herself, upright, watching her spotless reflection, once more.

A pair of heels strike against the marble flooring and Soojin stands up, facing Ah Ma, bowing before her excellence.

"Daebi-Mama." She bows, an entire 90 degree.

Ah Ma's eyes are raking over Soojin's attire as the ends of her lips curl into a subtle smile.

"I see you've been preparing for our session."

Soojin passes a small smile, "Yes, Ah Ma."

She circles around Soojin, pads of her finger inspecting her body in a purple robe.

She feels around the bony prominence of her collarbones, up her shoulders, running past her shoulder blades and grabbing a feel of the curve of her spine.

"You ought to correct your posture, Daebi-Mama..You wouldn't want to suffer from scoliosis later." She comments.

Soojin nods, hastily, straightening herself.

She needed to bear an open mind to criticism.

"Crowned Head Min Yun Ki is not an easy man to please. He looses interest in the body of one and wishes to seek more, as far as the past is to be considered. He's adamant, persuasive and particular about how he wishes to be touched. He has preferences when it comes to body odours or even just the pattern of your hair down there...Of course, he won't say anything to you about it because, you're his Queen. That however, doesn't mean we shouldn't be prepared and try our best to achieve a common goal that is, To please Jeonha.." Ah Ma tuts, untying the laces over Soojin's satin robe.

She's nervous as she hasn't had to have every part of her critiqued before.

The satin of the robe is rolled along her arms as it bunches down her feet, with a soft thud.

She feels incredibly naked, under her scrutinising glare.

As though, she's inspecting a sculpture made of mud and water.

Ah Ma traces along the skin of her neck, flexing her head and having it turned to the side with a grasp over her chin.

She lets out a pleased chime.

"Ah, you have a beautiful long neck, the perfect proportion of thickness and the prominent flexure of your muscles can be appreciated, effortlessly. It's an asset." She praises, cupping her neck, scratching the nape of it with the tip of her nails, where Soojin's baby hair take origin.

Soojin's eyes flutter close at the sensitive scratch.

"I see it's a sensitive spot for you, here." Ah Ma emphasises, nails digging at the base of Soojin's skull.

Soojin nods, coming to realisation.

A pair of hands massage the balls of her shoulder before they're running over the curve of her mounds.

Warm hands that cause goosebumps to spread through the expanse of Soojin's skin, decorating her pink areola's in small bumps.

It stimulates her buds to stiffen, protrude out and knock against Ah Ma's fingers, the hardness of the beads, drawing out her attention.

She runs the pad of her thumb over the swollen bead.

"The Crowned Head must've been enthralled..You have well shaped, abundant mounds, with the right consistency and colour to allure him. What stands out is the ability for these bundle of nerves to harden at a mere caress." She comments, watching Soojin's reactive body.

Ah Ma's hands feel over her stomach, appreciating the the milky soft skin felt against her own, as velvet.

"Your umbilicus is well shaped. There's no skin digging around it, preventing any hooding." She turns her around, watching her waist to hip ratio, before tutting.

"Daebi-Mama, your hips aren't rather wide, are they? I believe that'll serve trouble as to when you deliver the foetus. We must alter your diet, immediately. Salmon and Flax seeds. Wide hips are a sign of fertility."

Soojin feels her head cramp with the detailed explanations coming her way as she just nods, meekly.

Ah Ma crouches down, to thoroughly inspect her core, one that needs a thorough examination until another knock pulls out the maidservant who'd been watching the scene, out of her trance.

Ah Ma sits back up, watching Soojin turn around, dressing herself in the robe.

The doors open with a voice welcoming themselves in.

A high-pitched voice Soojin was not fond of, at all.

"You summoned me, Ah Ma?"

Soojin turns around to meet eyes with Areum, head bowed before the Lady who was her Head.

"Yes, Areum. You assistance is required." Ah Ma exclaims, ushering her to hurry in.

Soojin lets out a disgruntled sight.

No matter what she did, she was unable to loose sight of Areum. She was like a cold sore, kept coming back.

"How may I assist The Queen and My Beloved, Ah Ma?" She speaks, extra lovingly.

Ah Ma clasps her hands tight.

"The Crowned Head and The Queen will be trying for an heir. We must train The Queen and groom her for Jeonha. As you'd know perfectly, he's a man of refined taste." She explains and Areum's expressions drop.

Soojin watches her change of expressions, the head hung low, the bitter eyes and she feels as though she has one up on Areum.

Areum raises her head, attempting to look nonchalant.

"Who better to approach, but me? I-I can teach you the way to Jeonha's heart." She comments, staring at Soojin.

"I do know the way to his heart. It's about conceiving a child, that matters as of now." Soojin fires.

"A child ought to be conceived through love. It's not a chore, is it Daebi-Mama?"

The room grows silent and the tension is at an all-time high.

Ah Ma catches onto that and claps her hands, between them, dissipating the air.

"Areum-ah, tell us what you know about Jeonha..We ought to train Daebi-Mama before Full Moon.." She instructs, taking a seat before the two women, who hadn't broken any eye-contact and were busy sizing each other up.

Soojin looks over at Ah Ma, confused.

"W-Why Full Moon?" She questions.

"The Kingdom believes in the philosophy of Yin and Yang. It is during the Full Moon that the power of arousal and gravitational pull between the two is the highest. Your chances of conceiving a child are increased here."

Soojin's mouth opens in an 'O', processing the information she's just grasped.

Areum walks towards Soojin.

"Jeonha is a passionate lover…He gives back what he gets. He fondles you a little too hard and edges you to get the arousal out of you. The way to initiating intimacy and stimulating him is through a caress of your lips on his... One ought to build the moment. As for Jeonha, I've noticed how he chases after affectionate rubs of tongues against each other..He's not a plain man. It's something like this.." She comments, walking upto Soojin and cupping her cheeks.

She looks back at Ah Ma and proceeds with permission.

Soojin's eyes are peered open in shock as Areum glides her finger along the back of her neck, thumb caressing her cheek as she leans in and moulds her lips against Soojin's shaky ones.

She pulls the back of her neck, closer, slotting her lower lip between Soojin's parted ones, sucking on her upper lip.

Soojin feels a coat of moisture coat both their lips.

She then slithers a tongue into Soojin's mouth, causing her eyes to open midst the heated kiss.

The shluck-shluck sounds of Areum's tongue rubbing over Soojin's velvety one, reverberate in the room.

They're lewd and loud.

Soojin hadn't been kissed with tongue and the sensation of having her tongue stimulated leaves her eyelids fluttering close and hands crawling around Areum's slim waist.

She has the perfect waist-to-hip ratio.

Areum's an expert as she positions Soojin's chin, to gain better access as she now sucks her tongue, with the suction of her plump lips.

A hand trails past Soojin's closed robe, peering it open to land over her cushiony breasts, giving them a firm squeeze, nails digging into her milky soft skin.

Soojin's knees buck as she moans into Areum's mouth, clawing at the pink skirt she has on.

Areum lets out a satisfied hum into Soojin's mouth, massaging her mounds with expertise.

She breaks the kiss, watching Soojin's reddened cherry lips quivering, chin puckered with a stream of glistened saliva coating the corners of her swollen lips.

She breaks the string of saliva connecting both their mouths, with a swipe of her thumb over her lower lip.

Soojin's eyes are shut and her breasts are spilling out of Areum's tiny claws.

Her chest is heaving from the arousal.

"This is how Jeonha kisses me, every night.." She whispers in Soojin's ear, wiping Soojin's mouth with the back of her hand.