At home, Taehyung reflected on Jimin's note.
Seorin felt Taehyung toss and turn on the bed.
"Taehyung, what happened?" Seorin asked with a hoarse tone.
"Seorin, your temper is worse by the day," Taehyung teased.
Seorin didn't want to admit Taehyung was right about her temper.
"What are you going to do if you can't tolerate my temper?" Seorin asked.
"Of course, I can tolerate your temper," Taehyung said.
Taehyung knew if he teased Seorin too much then she would kick him outside their chamber.
Seorin knew Taehyung was troubled about something otherwise he wouldn't have trouble sleeping. "Taehyung, what's wrong? Did something happen in the palace?"
"Seorin, what do you think about my Second brother?" Taehyung asked.
"He's soft, calm, and beautiful," Seorin said. "At a glance, he looks like someone harmless."
"What if my harmless Second brother wants to harm me?" Taehyung asked.
"What?" Seorin asked.
Taehyung explained to Seorin about Jimin's note.
"We didn't leave a trace at the marriage ceremony," Seorin said. "How did the crown prince know we were involved?"
"I don't know why he knows but he wouldn't want to warn imperial father unless he has evidence," Taehyung said.
Seorin thought perhaps it was her fault that the crown prince found evidence. She slowly recalled everything that happened at the Park Manor and she suspected the crown prince was involved in Park Sang-Hee's death.
"Taehyung, do you remember I told you Sang-Hee's death was suspicious?" Seorin asked.
Taehyung nodded his head. He remembered Seorin wasn't certain if someone pushed Park Sang-Hee into the well or she accidentally fell into the well.
"Seorin are you saying that Second brother killed Sang-Hee?" Taehyung asked.
"That day Sang-Hee scared me and I left her in the gardens," Seorin said. "A while later her body was found in the well. I remember in the gardens there's a sculpture. Perhaps the crown prince was hiding behind it that day, overheard what I said to Sang-Hee and that's how he knows we were involved in the wedding incident."
"Seorin if your speculations are true then why would Second brother kill Sang-Hee?" Taehyung asked.
Seorin couldn't believe someone who looked harmless like the crown prince would push Sang-Hee into the well. "Taehyung, perhaps my speculations are wrong and the crown prince didn't kill Sang-Hee."
Taehyung knew Seorin was frightened that a harmless Namjoon was capable of heartlessly killing Sang-Hee. "Seorin, I didn't want to go see Second brother but now I need to go see him."
Seorin heard the sadness in Taehyung's tone. After Yoongi captured the crown prince, Yoongi locked the crown prince in a secure place. But Taehyung never visited the crown prince and she thought perhaps Taehyung wanted to maintain the small brotherly bond between them.
"In the past, I was reluctant to let Yoongi hyung deal with the crown prince," Taehyung said. "But now I know I was naïve. If imperial father found out the truth then we will be dead."
Seorin was scared Taehyung's fear was true and the emperor would kill Taehyung if the emperor found out the truth.
"Taehyung, why does the emperor hate you?" Seorin asked.
"I thought about why for many years," Taehyung said. "I even suspected I wasn't imperial father's blood son."'
"Taehyung, you know that's not true," Seorin said. "If you're not the emperor's blood son then you wouldn't be alive now."
"That's why at the right opportunity I need to ask my imperial father why he hates me," Taehyung said.
Seorin's heart ached for Taehyung because it was something that troubled his heart for years.
"Taehyung, there's something else," Seorin said.
"What?" Taehyung asked.
"Why would Jimin who is the closest person to the emperor pass a note to you?" Seorin asked suspiciously.
Taehyung hesitated to answer.
"Last time you promised you wouldn't hide anything else from me!" Seorin said.
"Seorin... you didn't ask me about this so I didn't lie to you," Taehyung said. "Seorin... I'll tell you another secret I haven't told anyone else before."
Seorin silently listened to Taehyung talk about Jimin.
"When Jimin was a young boy he was bullied in the palace because his benefactor who brought him in the palace doesn't have any higher status," Taehyung said. "Like when he knocked over a vase and was nearly beaten to death. He used the strength he had left to run and then suddenly a young man pulled him to hide in a chamber. Later the young man leaped out of the window after pulling him inside and closing the door. The hiding in the chamber that time saved Jimin's life. At that time Jimin didn't know who his mysterious young savior was. But it motivated Jimin to survive long enough to repay his savior so he slowly built connections in the palace."
Taehyung held Seorin's hand. "Three years later Jimin met his savior again. It was my imperial uncle, Prince Sang-Bum who returned to the palace after protecting Southern Busan. Jimin didn't dare to say that he knew the heroic Prince. So imperial uncle didn't recognize Jimin. Later their fates changed. Jimin crawled into a high position and my imperial uncle's status slowly diminished. His heart ached for his savior. Jimin secretly followed uncle to help uncle at the right opportunity. But he failed to find out imperial father's allied peoples had put a sleeping pill into uncle's wine cup until after uncle fell off a horse and........."
Seorin felt Taehyung's sadness.
"Jimin secretly grieved for my uncle's death while serving imperial father," Taehyung said. "Jimin failed to repay my uncle for saving his life. But Jimin remembered out of all the emperor's sons, my Samchon loved me the most. So he secretly protected me to repay my Samchon. Imperial father regards Jimin highly because imperial father believes Jimin doesn't favor any of imperial father's sons. Even I didn't know Jimin was secretly protecting me for a long time."
"How did you find out?" Seorin asked.
"Seorin, do you remember the first day I arrived in Daegu?" Taehyung asked.
Seorin's teeth itched while she remembered her pitiful six-year-old self who was bullied by Taehyung.
"During that period Consort Lee died," Taehyung said. "Assassins were sent to kill me but Jimin warned me to be careful otherwise I wouldn't be alive now... like, during Consort Lee's funeral, Jimin warned me to be careful of my food and drinks. The empress sent a bowl of soup to me and I listened to Jimin's warning. I used a silver needle to test the bowl of soup, it was poisoned. Afterward, I looked for Jimin and he told me about how my Samchon saved his life. Then he advised me to follow my teacher to Daegu on the pretense that I'm grieving for Consort Lee's death..."
"Is that why you came to Daegu?" Seorin asked.
"Yes," Taehyung said.
"Your Samchon said he was powerless to help you but he helped you a lot," Seorin said.
"That's right," Taehyung said. "Without imperial uncle, I would have died long ago. I wouldn't have met you and we wouldn't be going to welcome a child together... Seorin, we can't hide your pregnancy for much longer."
"Why?" Seorin asked.
"Imperial father wants me to follow Third brother's example," Taehyung said. "He asked me if he could choose a second wife and concubines for me."
Seorin hid the sadness in her heart and smiled. "That's a good suggestion. I think our home is a little cold. If there are more people then it'll become lively."
Taehyung and Seorin silently looked at each other's eyes while smiling.
"Rinnie, how can you lie this well?" Taehyung asked.
Seorin looked innocently at Taehyung. "What I said earlier was sincere."
Taehyung's hands moved closer to Seorin's body. "Truly?"
"Yes," Seorin said.
"Seorin, why aren't you scared of being tickled anymore?" Taehyung asked.
"I'm used to your threat," Seorin said.
Taehyung frowned, he couldn't tickle Seorin to force her to tell the truth.
"When will we need to tell others I'm pregnant?" Seorin asked.
"We'll wait a little longer to protect our child," Taehyung said.
"I'll be more cautious after others know I'm pregnant," Seorin promised.
Taehyung hugged Seorin. "Rinnie, don't worry. I'm here to protect you. When I'm not here I'll ask my guards to secretly protect you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An imperial guard reported the crown prince's death to the empress.
The imperial guard gave the empress the crown prince's clothes they found on his dead body and left the empress' chamber.
The empress hugged her son's clothes and cried pitifully. She cursed Consort Jung and Hoseok until she lost consciousness.
The emperor visited the empress after she woke up and he ordered an imperial physician to sedate her.
The imperial physician followed the emperor's order and left the chamber.
The emperor returned to his chamber and sobbed.
Even after the empress was sedated she couldn't sleep peacefully. She was startled awake by familiar voices.
"Eomma, status, power, and money will turn to smoke... your heart doesn't need to waste energy about smoke... everything will turn to smoke... " Yoongi taunted the empress.
"Who's there?" the empress asked.
The empress looked in all directions until she saw a masked figure.
"Are you human or a demon?" the empress asked. "Imperial guards!"
"You don't need to scream," Yoongi said. "Everyone around you is dead."
"Who are you?" the empress asked. "What do you want?"
"I'm a demon... I'm here to take your life... you killed many people... you need to die," Yoongi said and pulled out a sword. "You're familiar with this sword. That year you gave it to my father... I love it and brought it here to escort you to hell."
"You're from the Great Min Household," the empress said.
"I'm not human... I'm a demon," Yoongi said and pointed the sword in the empress' direction. "Come here, you killed too many people. They're all waiting for you in hell, everyone from the Great Min Household, Consort Lee and her child."
"Consort Lee and her child?" the empress asked confusedly.
"That's right," Yoongi said. "You killed all of them. They're all waiting for you."
"I didn't kill Consort Lee and her child! Why am I going to kill them I'm friends with her and Tae Eun..." the empress blurted and cried out.
"If it wasn't you then who else would kill them? And who on the earth is this Tae Eun" Yoongi asked.
"It was..." the empress said. After her panic waned she looked closely at the tall masked figure. "You're not a demon, you're a human! What do you want?"
Yoongi jabbed his sword at the empress' throat. "I'm here to take your life!"
"Did you kill the crown prince?" the empress asked.
"The truth is he's still alive," Yoongi said.
The empress' grieving heart fills with hope.
"Whether your son lives or dies depends on you," Yoongi said.
"What are you implying?" the empress asked.
"If you love your son then exchange your life for your son's life," Yoongi said. "I'll spare your son's life if you kill yourself."
"How can I believe your words alone?" the empress asked. "Let me see my son first."
Yoongi pulled out a small chest and threw it at the empress.
The empress opened the small chest and saw two fingers and on one finger was the ring that she gave her son. Empress burst in crying after seeing this.
"Do you need me to cut him into pieces for you to see before you kill yourself?" Yoongi asked.
"No!" the empress said. "This is good enough. I believe you."
The empress looked at her son's fingers and cried.
"You have three days," Yoongi said. "If I don't hear news of your death then you'll see your son's arm. Think about your decision carefully. If you die, your son can't be the crown prince but he can live."
"Are you Third prince's servant?" the empress asked.
"Compared to your useless son, the Third Prince is more suitable to sit on the throne," Yoongi said and left the empress' chamber.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The empress and the crown prince died the same year and winter season.
While everyone in the palace was grieving for the empress and the crown prince's deaths, Consort Jung's imperial physician, Physician Kwon was sent to examine Seorin at Taehyung's manor.
"Physician Kwon, you can call me Wung," Wung said. "I waited a long time for your arrival. Why are you wearing thin clothes? What if you get a chest infection? Physician Kwon, follow me to Fifth prince's wife's chamber."
Physician Kwon thought Wung was friendly like Taehyung. Everyone else treated him kindly too like they owed him a hundred silver coins.
Inside the chamber the incense fragrance made Physician Kwon feel relaxed and he knew a master physician had brewed the incense fragrance. He heard rumors about a master physician living in Taehyung's manor and he was happy to finally meet Yoongi. But he didn't expect Yoongi was a young man with a cold face.
Yoongi only glanced once at Physician Kwon.
Physician Kwon sat on a chair in front of the bed hidden by a beaded curtain.
"Fifth prince's wife, please give me your arm," Physician Kwon said.
Physician Kwon heard a cough then an arm appeared through the beaded curtain.
"Fifth prince's wife has a weak pulse," Physician Kwon said. "She has been ill with a chest infection for a long period. I'll give a maid a list of herbs to buy for the Fifth prince's wife. After she drinks the remedy between three to five days her body will improve."
Taehyung sighed in relief, passed Physician Kwon a paper note worth of one hundred silver coins and Physician Kwon left the manor.
Later at the palace, Physician Kwon reported that Seorin had a chest infection to Consort Jung and Hoseok.
"My speculation was wrong," Consort Jung said.
"It's good then," Hoseok said. "Today is a good day. Both Second brother and the empress are gone. Anyone left that choose to oppose me will be easily turned to dust."
Consort Jung was also happy. The empress who she battled for decades was finally dead.
"I didn't expect she would kill herself," Consort Jung said. "She was just like her friends, died pitifully without thinking how to take revenge or save their child, I thought she would have wanted to kill us to avenge her son's death before she died." Consort Jung thought.
"The empress had high expectations of the Second brother," Hoseok said. "Her life dream dissolved in the ocean so it's understandable she would kill herself. Eomma, didn't you hear how the empress was hysterical after she found out about hyung's death?"
"Hoseok, the truth is the empress is a fool like Ji Hoon," Consort Jung said. "The empress was only able to become an empress and survive many years in the palace because she had a powerful family supporting her."
"Eomma, now our rivals that need to die have died and everyone else has aged," Hoseok said. "The young are incompetent and easy to defeat. Now that the empress and the crown prince are gone, their supporters aren't foolish and will resign like everyone at Lee Jonghyeok's manor. Eomma, why do you think he lost power that year?"
"The higher Jonghyeok was the lower he fell," Consort Jung said.
"Eomma, I understand," Hoseok said.
"Today our biggest rivals are gone and your Fifth brother has no heir," Consort Jung said. "The right opportunity for you to be crown prince will arrive soon."
At Taehyung's manor, the beaded curtains were parted the moment Physician Kwon left.
On the bed, Seorin and Yunji were laying side by side and smiling cheekily.
Seorin got out of the bed and smiled at Taehyung. "How was the performance?"
Taehyung helped Seorin stand. "Of course, it was a convincing performance. This time we need to thank Yunji."
Yunji got out of the bed and was about to say there was no need to thank her but Yoongi scoffed loudly.
"What is there to scoff about?" Taehyung asked Yoongi.
"Nothing", Yoongi said, but he knows that he was quite tense about completing the plan fruitfully, which results that sudden scoff.
Seorin smiled in her mind to see that though her Oppa does not show any emotion he does care about people who are quite close to him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N ~~
New chapter..... :) Please enjoy....... ^_^
