“You’re awake at last!” A deep hoarse voice terrified Lady Jang.
“Oh no! Why?” Why him? The unknown man’s face was illuminated by the light coming from the torch exposing his long, staggered beard and wrinkled as a prune face.
“Minister… Yeol!” She gasped in disbelief.
“Yes, Lady Jang. Haven’t you expected that it would me?”
Lady Jang started questioning herself. War of thoughts happened inside her, trying to figure why the old Minister would do that. She realized that he was the Queen’s father after all.
“So now what? After messing the whole ceremony, you’re planning to leave?” The Minister signaled one of the hwarangs to splash a bucket of water to Lady Jang.
The water was so cold that it pinches every part of her skin like a thousand needle simultaneously pricking her face. It felt like that her soul is going out of her body. She shook her head and totally got back to her senses. She realized that it was a different prison; not the previous one where she was illegally detained.
She groaned. “Minister.”
"How dare you fool us, Lady Jang? The King trusted you!” The Minister breathed heavily.
“I am sorry if I am doing this to you. I am just following the King’s orders but most of all, I am just a father trying to protect my daughter.”
"My Lord, I don't understand what you're saying." She sniffed holding back any tears that could come out from her eyes.
Minister Yeol slapped Lady Jang. “You have fooled the King and the entire Kingdom regarding the arrival of the eclipse. Now everyone is praising the Prime Minister’s name. You planned this ahead with him!”
"I don't know anything, please believe me." Beads of tears started to come out from her puffy eyes.
"Clearly, this is an act of treason. You need to pay it with your life." The stern tone and wide eyes of the Minister send fear inside the Head Priestess.
“Please, have mercy, My Lord. Have mercy, please!” she pleaded with a muffled cry, her voice barely audible.
“Punish her. Do not stop unless she confessed everything.” Minister Yeol ordered. Lady Jang started to panic and wiggled her body trying to get out from the chair. She started screaming and pleading for her life.
Two guards get a thin wooden bar and inserted in Lady Jang's thighs. After the count of three, they pumped those wooden bars slowly, trying to separate her thighs which are tied on the chair. Lady Jang screamed in pain. Her scream echoed on the four corners of the dungeon.
"Again!" Minister Yeol exclaimed with a blank facial expression.
"Ahhh!"
"Again!"
---
At the King's chambers, the King was notified by the lady-in-waiting that a visitor seeks his audience. He wondered who the visitor could be. He was not in the mood to accept visitors because of what just happened but he ignored his emotion and accepted the visitor. The visitor came in and the King was surprised.
"Jung Min! What are wonderful surprise! Good timing, good timing!" The King somehow forgot all of the burden that he has and embraced the kid. His heart was delighted as he felt the warmth of the child’s body.
“Good to see you, Sire.” Jung Min knelt and bowed his head to show a sign of respect.
"I am so happy to see you, my nephew. How are you?"
“I am good, Sire. I am happy to see you too” Jung Min stood.
"Come here, have a seat and tell me everything about your stay… Lady Seo, can you please wait outside? I want to have a word with my nephew." The royal maid bowed her head, turned around and walk out of the room.
"So, Jung Min. How was your vacation in Manno?"
"Sire, I didn't really enjoy it. I felt like a prisoner. I just spend my day reading books all day." The King bit his lip in response to the sorrowful tone of the boy.
"I see. Just think that it’s for your own good. Reading books will provide you with good knowledge."
"But Sire, it’s not just about that. My father.” Jung Min paused as tears gradually fell down from his little hazel eyes. “I felt like he didn't want to see me at all.”
"Shhh, Don’t say that." The King wiped Jung Min’s tears. He noticed the extreme loneliness in Jung Min's puffy eyes.
"He always blames me that I lost my mom because of me. Sire, do you know anything about this?"
The King was flabbergasted upon hearing the question. He bit his lip and moved his eyes quickly. "No...err no, I don't know anything about that.” A heavy breath escaped from his lungs.
Jung Min bowed down his head. "He doesn't like me. He chose to let me live far from the palace. He doesn't even look at me in the eyes. Why is he like that? What did I do wrong?" The King stood up and embrace his nephew.
"Jung Min, I am sorry for I can't tell you about your mother."
The voice of the lady-in-waiting outside interrupted their moment. "Sire, Minister Dae Wong wants to talk to you."
"Jung Min, please go back to your palanquin and go to Minister Dae Wong’s house. I have prepared the house for you. Your father didn't know that you are here. You will meet him once I already talked to him. Is that alright with you?" Jung Min nodded.
"Let him in!", shouted by the King. Jung Min hugged the King, turned around and walked out of the King's chamber. Minister Dae Wong entered quickly and glanced a bit at Jung Min.
"What is it?”, the King asked.
“Sire, bad news. Lady Jang is missing. We searched her chambers and the palace already. We even went to Mt. Tomhan to check if she’s in there but the monks said that she’s not there. We searched the whole temple and we found nothing.” The King’s face pucker in displeasure.
“Have you already searched enough? So what does that mean? She cannot be punished for what she has done?” The King glared. Minister Dae Wong bowed his head and apologized. The King thought for a while, wondering where the Head Priestess could be.
“JUNG HO!” He uttered. “She’s being hidden by Jung Ho. I will go to his…” Just as when the King started to stand, Minister Yeol suddenly entered the King’s room.
“I am sorry Sire for entering without permission. I deserve to die.”, the Minister bowed his head a bit.
“Minister Yeol, what are you doing here?” With just a slow blink of his eyes, he told the King what he knew.
“I know where Lady Jang is.” The King and Minister Dae Wong looked at each other, confused.
----
Minister Yeol led the two towards the official prison in the palace. It is located in an underground of the Pavilion of Morals. Unlike the previous cell where Lady Jang was detained, there were hwarangs guarding the area. The prison cells are also bigger and there are adequate holes for more air to come in.
“She’s there.” Minister Yeol pointed Lady Jang who’s barely breathing because of the torture that she experienced. The King’s eyes widened and gave Minister Yeol a glare.
“Minister Yeol, explain!”, the King firmly ordered.
“I know this is against the law. I deserve to die for doing this. But I really cannot forgive those people who tried to harm my daughter and my grandsons. I am so sorry, Sire.”
“Father-in-law, we will do this in due process. We will not do what Jung Ho is doing. We must not be like him. Let the Prosecution Department handle this, not you. I have released an official order to interrogate Lady Jang and I handed it to Minister Dae Wong.” The King looked away in disappointment.
“Release her!”
The hwarangs poked Lady Jang with a wooden stick. She woke up shortly and adjusted her sight. She was frightened upon seeing the King. “Sire! Please forgive me! Please don’t kill me.” The hwarangs untied her and she groveled to the King.
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As the King walked slowly towards her, she felt numb all-over her body restricting her to move even a strand of hair. The King bent a bit and lean forward to Lady Jang’s left ear. “Scared?” the King whispered.
“This is just the beginning. Don’t expect that you will get away with this just because you were temporarily released. If you’re planning to escape, be sure no one among my people catches you because if they do…” The King turned his head slowly and gave Lady Jang a burning gaze before he continued. “I will forget this due process and I will immediately cut your head off. Do you understand?” Lady Jang nodded repeatedly in fear and closed her eyes. Her lips were trembling as fear started to consume her entire body.
----
Lady Jang was assisted by royal maids as she went blank to her private chambers in the palace. Her face was blank but inside her head, the words of the King are repeatedly ringing. She can’t think straight because fear and anxiety are clouding up her head.
----
The sun already set giving its way to the night as darkness started to take over.
“Sire, it’s time!”, Minister Dae Wong firmly said. The King nodded slowly.
----
Chil Yook was walking on the palace grounds near the Pavilion of the Queen. He saw nurses and royal maids busy transferring stuff from the pavilion to the carts at the back of the palanquin. He saw white cloths, and several robes and ornaments whom he thinks belong to the Queen. Hwarangs can be seen guarding the palanquin. He hid on the strong pillars of the pavilion a few meters away from the Queen’s.
"Wait, what does this mean? Where are they going?” He realized that the Queen is pregnant with the twins and she might want to deliver the babies somewhere away from the palace in order to hide the fact about the twins. A few moments later, she saw the Queen wearing her plain white robe while wearing a black hat with a see-through veil.
"I need to report this to the Prime Minister."
----
The Prime Minister is busy reading a scroll in his chamber with a permanent smile in his face. He was interrupted when Chil Yook asks for his audience.
“Make sure it’s important. I don’t want getting disturbed while I am reading,” the Prime Minister rolled a scroll, dropped it and get another one from a pile.
"My Lord, I saw the palanquin of the Queen outside her pavilion. Nurses and other personnel were busy transferring a lot of stuff. I think the Queen is planning to deliver the babies somewhere else.”
“Are you sure? Maybe it’s a trick. If they are really planning to sneak out the palace, they would have done that somewhere very few can see them.” the Prime Minister raised a brow.
“No. I guess not, My Lord. I saw the Queen herself riding the palanquin. She’s wearing a white robe and a black hat with a see-through veil.” The Prime Minister’s eyebrow met and his lips slightly parted. He leaned his elbow on the table and caressed his chin. There was silence for almost two minutes. Chil Yook knew based on the Prime Minister’s look that he’s planning something.
“Hmmm, alright. Follow them,” he smirked.
----
Just about the right timing, with the light of torches serving as guide in the dark, the palanquin, escorted by twenty hwarangs, started to move. There were two carts, covered with a white cloth, at the back. Chil Yook secretly followed the palanquin up to the forest. With every steps of the Queen’s companions comes with alertness and vigilance. Chil Yook hid in a shallow pit covered with dead leaves a few paces away from the Queen’s palanquin.
“Wait, why are they going that way? It’s the way going to Daeya.” The place rang a bell in Chil Yook’s mind. “Correct, that is where the home province of the Queen is. She’s planning to deliver to babies to her hometown.”
In the middle of their trip on the forest, a hwarang at the back felt that they were somehow being followed. He turned around and saw nothing. He turned his head to both his left and his right. “Wait, stop! I think we are being tailed.” Everyone was alerted even Chil Yook. He prepared himself and placed his left hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to pull it anytime they’ll attack. He’s determined to kill all the hwarangs and get the twins. Some hwarangs unsheathe their swords and surround the Queen’s palanquin while some scattered around to find who’s following them. Silence fell. The wind’s howl and the sound of moving leaves and branches were the only sound heard in the forest. The nurses and the royal maids were nervous. All hwarangs are careful with their movements and their senses are fully heightened just for them not to miss any movements even breaths. Just as when a hwarang was about to go where Chil Yook is hiding, a loud scream from the palanquin was heard. A royal nurse opened the window. “Everyone! Faster! The Queen is suffering pain again. We need to make it to their house quickly.” Everyone was alerted; the hwarangs sheathed their swords and got back quickly to their positions and continue their journey towards the Queen’s house.
----
Meanwhile, on the palace, Lady Min went out the Prime Minister’s pavilion to get some tea leaves. She walked pass two royal maids holding a tray with a teapot and two cups. She stopped when she smelled a familiar scent. She sniffed, “Chamomile…Why are they...” Her face puckered and wrinkle lines started to dominate her entire forehead.
“Yes! It’s a medicine to reduce the pain of labor. But I thought the Queen is…” She gasped.
“Oh no! It’s a trap. I need to report this quickly.”
----
The Prime Minister went to the King’s Pavilion carrying a pile of scrolls. Royal maids started to exchange chatter upon seeing the Prime Minister wearing a white royal robe, which looks like the King’s robe during the ceremony.
“Announce me!” He raised a brow, deriding the lady-in-waiting. The lady-in-waiting nodded awkwardly.
“Sire, the Prime…” She was interrupted as the Prime Minister barged in to the door, giving her a ridiculed grin.
Disrupted from his seat, the King scanned the Prime Minister and dug his nails on his palm upon seeing him wearing a white royal robe. “Don’t you have any shame? How dare you ridicule my position as the Head of the Ceremony Rites?” The King glowered.
“Yes, Your Highness” The Prime Minister’s eyes widened and smiled at the King as he placed the pile of scrolls on his table. “What is this?” The King grabbed one scroll and read it. He looked shortly at the Prime Minister and smiled.
----
“Sire, it’s time.” The King nodded.
“I am certain that the Prime Minister will make a way for him to be the Head of Ceremony Rites.”, Minister Dae Wong said.
“Yes, that’s what I am worried about. He will try everything to get it. I am afraid that after that, he’s just a few steps away from my throne.”
“No, You’re Highness.” The Minister shook his head and smiled.
“Why?”
“You will have your heir. The Crown Princes… No, I mean the CROWN PRINCE will save us.”
“I am sure the people, with the help of the governors, will submit their petitions for him to become the Head of the Ceremony Rites. That’s a bad thing, yes, because he can have the control to all of the people; whatever he says will likely to be believed because he’s carrying the Heaven’s name.”
“I don’t want this. It needs to be talked about in a council meeting. This needs to have a unanimous vote. You won’t agree with this, will you?” Minister Dae Wong didn’t respond. He gave the King a cold look.
“Will you?... Answer me!”
“I have to, Sire. We have to. You may think that this is an advantage for him, but no, like what I said. You will have your heir. The Prince will serve as a huge barrier for him to steal the throne. As long as there will be a Crown Prince, your throne is safe… We need to Sire. If that’s what the people want, we’ll give it to them. If not, rebellion might arise and we don’t want that to happen. In that way, they will forget the issue and you can recover slowly from this whole mess.”
The King breathed heavily. “That is why I am telling you, Sire. We need to proceed to the last part of our plan and that is to make sure that the Princes will be born safely and only one of them must be acknowledge as the Crown Prince.”
----
“Why are you smiling, Sire?”
“Nothing.” The Prime Minister frowned and exchanged a burning gaze for two good minutes with the King. It seems like they were talking to each other with their minds. “What’s your deal?”
“Jung Ho, you will never be the King.”
The King broke the silence, “Alright, I must say… I think I should agree with these people. I think I should hand over to you the Ceremony of Rites. We will talk about this tomorrow in the council meeting. It’s late already. Take your rest.”
The Prime Minister bowed his head a bit and smirked. “Yes, Your Highness. I will see you tomorrow.” He turned around and walked out of the King’s chamber. With numerous thoughts bombarding his evil head, he simply uttered the word, “The twins”, and smiled mysteriously. He was walking continuously in the palace grounds when he was interrupted as he saw Lady Min running quickly towards him. He flinched with what he saw. It’s not the usual image of his royal maid. She was panting as beads of sweat run through her entire body while being absorbed by her purple robe. “What is it? Why were you running?”
Lady Min breathed heavily and composed herself. She fixed her hair and clip a strand at the back of her ears. “My Lord, the Queen is here in the palace. I knew it. Chil Yook has been tricked!”
“Really?” Judging the Prime Minister’s looks, it seems like he was ridiculing Lady Min.
“My Lord?”
The Prime Minister chuckled. “I know… I know.”
As a matter of fact, Lady Min was not confused about his reaction. She knew that his Lord is always unpredictable, but what amazed her is the fact that he always thinks one step ahead and possibly cannot be deceived. “Is he a God or something?” The same thoughts kept ringing in her mind.
“I know it’s a trick. It’s a low and cowardly plan. The moment Chil Yook described the Queen’s appearance, I knew something is not right.”
“Why did you let him follow them, Sire?”
“Just watch. I have something for you to do,” the Prime Minister raised a brow and continued walking.
----
After almost an hour of travel, the Queen’s palanquin arrived at their destination. It was a small house in the woods; bungalow type wooden house with sliding doors. An ordinary house, that doesn’t look like a royal’s. While hiding behind a tree, Chil Yook saw the Queen get down the palanquin while being assisted by the nurses. When she finally entered the house, the hwarangs scattered around the place to guard it from any unexpected encounters.
“This is it? This is where she’s going to deliver the twins?” He realized that maybe the Queen didn’t want attention that’s why she didn’t opt to give birth at her personal house.
Not more than ten minutes later, he heard a loud scream inside the house. “Your Grace, push! I can see the head already.”
“Ahhh!” A loud cry of a baby echoed in the woods.
“It’s a boy, Your Grace.”
Chil Yook felt that it was the rightful signal for him. He unsheathed his sword and ran towards the hwarangs quickly like a shot of a thunderbolt. The hwarangs were alerted and drew their swords. A group of five dashed and surround him. They attacked simultaneously and Chil Yook blocked their swords and get down. He mustered his strength and push his sword up causing others to drop theirs. He jumped at the back of one hwarang for support, leaped and slit their necks. Blood squirted to his face like a fountain. He whirled his sword and prepared for the next wave. He blocked each of their attacks, kick them, and slit their bodies. He successfully outnumbered the hwarangs outside. He twitched his head and spun his sword leaving blood trails in the ground. With full confidence, he smirked, walked towards and door and slid it.
“What?”
He found nothing but a big blank room with two doors at left and right. He slowly walked towards the center, wondering what is happening. The sound of the sliding doors opening distracted him, leaving him dumbfounded. He was surprised to see a group of hwarangs pointing crossbows at him, one group on the left and one group on the right. He gritted his teeth, looked around as beads of sweats came out from his face. With pride, he still pointed his sword while moving in circle in place.
“So now, what?” a familiar voice striked his ears. His eyes widened in disbelief when he saw Minister Dae Wong came out behind the hwarangs together with an unknown woman wearing a white robe with the black hat. His eyes narrowed in fury.
“Arrest him!” The Minister smirked.