The crown prince and Sang-Hee's wedding day was fated to be an auspicious day for some guests.
At the Park Manor, the bride woke up early, wore her wedding dress and makeup.
"Mother, have you noticed father has been strange the last three days?" Sang-Hee asked. "He acts distant when I talk to him."
"Perhaps he's busy with work," Princess Ji Hoon lied.
"Yes, you're right," Sang-Hee said with a pout.
At Taehyung's manor, Seorin prepared the wedding gifts.
Taehyung hugged Seorin. "Rinnie, you need to be careful."
Seorin nodded and face Taehyung. "If I'm uncertain about the outcome then I won't act."
Taehyung nodded his head. "I think Hoseok hyung's people are prepared too. Let them expose Sang-Hee's deceit so we can watch an amusing performance. If Third brother acts out a plan, he won't be merciful." He knew it was nearly time for the wedding so he said to Seorin, "Rinnie, be careful inside the palace and at the Park Manor. I'm worried Princess Ji Hoon found out about the plan."
Seorin nodded her head.
"Remember today we need to perform well inside the palace," Taehyung said.
Seorin pinched Taehyung's ear. "I know."
Taehyung escorted Seorin to the horse carriage. Afterward, he instructed Dami and Wung. "Protect my wife and be wary of the princess."
"Yes, Fifth prince," Dami and Wung promised.
Unfortunately, Taehyung was the groom's brother and needed to wait at the palace for the bride while Seorin was the bride's sister and needed to go to the Park Manor and escort the bride to the palace.
The moment Seorin arrived at the Park Manor, she saw Park Jin Young was welcoming guests. Her heart laughed coldly at the fake smile on Park Jin Young's face.
Seorin remembered a few days ago after she gave the letter to Park Jin Young she returned home and asked Taehyung to send Wung to eavesdrop at the Park Manor.
Taehyung confided in Seorin that Wung had a special talent for eavesdropping. She didn't believe Taehyung until Wung returned to the manor and reported Park Jin Young and Princess Ji Hoon's conversation without omitting anything. Also, had a special talent for mimicking other people's voices. She was impressed after hearing Wung mimicked Park Jin Young and Princess Ji Hoon's voices.
Park Jin Young spotted Seorin, he smiled gratefully at her and escorted her to the bride's courtyard.
Seorin kindly reminded Park Jin Young to "remember to rest" then she walked toward the bride's chamber.
On the way to Sang-Hee's chamber, Seorin saw Princess Ji Hoon in the courtyard and she smiled politely.
Princess Ji Hoon straightened her back and looked wearily at Seorin. She didn't understand why the Seorin who used to lower her head and didn't dare to look at her suddenly dared to look at her on Sang-Hee's wedding day. It was Seorin's eyes that looked like a hunter staring at prey that made her wearier. The longer Seorin looked at her the more she thought about the young beggars, the two letters, Park Jin Young, and who was the mysterious person behind everything.
Princess Ji Hoon remembered what the old nursemaid reported to her.
"Who did master meet that day?" Princess Ji Hoon asked. "Why did he remember his suspicions about Sang-Hee's identity?"
"Someone saw fifth prince's wife visited master that day," the old nursemaid said.
Suddenly Princess Ji Hoon felt breathless in front of Seorin. She raised her chin and quickly walked past Seorin.
Seorin smiled while she watched Princess Ji Hoon poorly hide fear.
"Unnie, you're here," Sang-Hee said joyously.
"It's my little sister's wedding day," Seorin said. "I'm your unnie, of course, I need to be here. Today little sister is looking so beautiful. The crown prince will be insanely happy to see you."
Sang-Hee was happy to hear Seorin praised her beauty. But she frowned to hear the crown prince's name mentioned. She didn't know why the crown prince hadn't delivered wedding gifts to her yet.
Seorin poured two cups of tea and crushed a pill into one of the cups while no one was looking at her.
"Little sister, drink tea," Seorin said. "Later you'll be too busy to drink."
Sang-Hee was thirsty. Her mother didn't let her drink earlier so she accepted the cup of tea and drank it.
Seorin smiled, drank half a cup of tea, and emptied the other half into a vase.
Two days ago Seorin received the pills from Yoongi.
"Ahem!! Yoongi Oppa, do you have medicine that causes a person's stomach to hurt?" Seorin asked.
"Did you just call me 'Oppa'?" Yoongi asked.
"Um, yes, because for me you are like my elder brother, and Taehyung also told me that he used to call you 'Hyung', so it made you my Oppa, Isn't it? But do you have a problem to think me as your sister?" Seorin asked cautiously.
"No, you can call me Oppa" Yoongi answered.
"And yes, I have the medicine," Yoongi said and showed Seorin some identical pills.
"Do I crush the pills?" Seorin asked.
"That's right," Yoongi said.
"Oppa, can you give me these pills?" Seorin asked.
"Alright," Yoongi said and passed the pills to Seorin.
Seorin tested one of the pills on herself. Less than half an hour later her stomach ached and she rushed to the toilet.
Sometime later she returned to Yoongi's chamber.
"Oppa, what pills did you give me earlier?" Seorin asked.
"Laxatives," Yoongi said nonchalantly.
Seorin hold her stomach and became speechless while Yoongi was curious why Seorin wanted laxatives. Seorin then asked Yoongi to give her pills that are not laxatives but only causes severe stomach pain.
Finally, the bride and the bridal's family arrived at the palace. The crown prince smiled coldly but Taehyung smiled happily as he did on his and Seorin's wedding day.
Taehyung watched Seorin help the bride into the ceremonial hall and reminisced about their wedding day.
After Seorin escorted Sang-Hee to the crown prince, she stood next to Taehyung and he whispered in her ear. "Rinnie, tonight let's have a wedding night too."
Seorin smiled like a gentle lady and she stepped cruelly on Taehyung's foot. Then she turned her head and smiled at the anxious Princess Ji Hoon.
The emperor and the empress sat on the highest platform. The emperor refrained from frowning while the empress smiled happily.
Hoseok wanted to rest but it was the crown prince's wedding day so he attended the wedding and acted weak next to the happy Consort Jung.
Consort Jung looked at Jung Haeyun who sat on her lap. "Haeyun, do you remember what grandmother told you?"
Jung Haeyun was busy glaring at Jeongguk who sat opposite her. "Yes, grandmother."
Jeongguk didn't notice Haeyun, he was waving his chubby hand at Seorin, and tried to show her his cute bunny smile. Then he patted the seat next to him to signal Seorin to sit next to him.
Everyone behaved like their usual selves but their eyes were focused on the crown prince and Sang-Hee.
"It is the auspicious hour," the ceremonial minister said. "The groom and bride, start your bow now."
Sang-Hee tried to bow. But her stomach ached a lot. After doing the first bow, she collapsed on the floor.
The ceremonial hall immediately became chaotic.
Consort Jung exchanged a shocked look with Third prince... their plan was to let Jung Haeyun accidentally fall onto Sang-Hee's dress, Consort Jung would help Jung Haeyun up and throw some blood onto Sang-Hee's wedding dress then Consort Jung would ask for an imperial physician to check if Sang-Hee had a miscarriage. The imperial physician that day was one of their allies and would have reported to the emperor that Sang-Hee wasn't pregnant.
Consort Jung and Third prince didn't act out their plan but Sang-Hee fell on her own.
Consort Jung rushed to Sang-Hee, discreetly threw blood on Sang-Hee's dress, and helped Sang-Hee stand.
"What happened?" the emperor asked.
The empress panicked. "I... I... I..."
"Blood, blood!" Jeongguk cried out and pointed at the bloodstain on the floor.
Everyone's eyes looked at the spot Jeongguk was pointing to.
Sang-Hee stood, her veil fell on the floor and she endured her stomach ache. But her body stiffened after she heard blood... the blood was on the spot she fell on earlier.
Sang-Hee was scared as her step-aunt Consort Jung was there. She looked at the back of her dress and her face whitened at the bloodstain on her dress.
"Ahhh!" Consort Jung cried out. "There's blood on the bride's dress. Where's the imperial physician?"
The emperor's handsome face darkened, he was worried his unborn grandchild will never going to see the light of this world.
"Hurry, someone brings an imperial physician here!" the emperor ordered.
The emperor's first grandchild wasn't Jung Haeyun.
The third prince's official wife miscarried a child before Jung Haeyun, after which Hoseok's personality changed drastically and the mighty emperor Kim Seokjin wasn't able to stop that. The emperor's first grandchild was a boy and he still grieved for his unborn grandson and his joyous third son.
The emperor had seven sons but only four sons were alive, his firstborn died in front of him but he wasn't able to do anything, and the same thing happened with his fourth son and sixth son. The Third prince shared a similarly cruel fate with the emperor, he had only able to make Jung Haeyun alive, and although he always wears a cold demeanor in front of Haeyun, the emperor knows his third son loves Haeyun more than his life.
The citizens of the kingdom were worried about the lack of future imperial heirs. That was why even though the emperor disapproved of Sang-Hee, he tolerated her for the sake of his unborn grandchild. So no one in the imperial family was surprised to see the emperor's concern after seeing Sang-Hee bleed.
"Emperor, you don't need to summon an imperial physician," the empress said. "It'll be bad luck if the imperial physician appears before the end of the wedding ceremony-"
"Bad luck?" Consort Jung asked. "Unnie, the bride is bleeding. Her life is more important than superstitions."
Consort Jung's words stabbed the empress' heart. The empress saw the feigned concern on Consort Jung's face and she realized it was the demoness who interfered with her scheme. The empress didn't doubt that Consort Jung knew about Sang-Hee's fake pregnancy long ago, Consort Jung waited until the wedding day to expose Sang-Hee and to appear innocent while opposing the empress.
The emperor ignored the empress and Consort Jung's battle of words.
"Hurry and bring an imperial physician here!" the emperor ordered.
An imperial physician rushed into the ceremonial hall and Sang-Hee panicked.
"I don't need an imperial physician," Sang-Hee said as she recognized the imperial physician wasn't one of the empress' allies and wouldn't know about her fake pregnancy. If she was exposed on her wedding day, it would also be the day of her funeral.
Sang-Hee knew no one could save her and she couldn't stop the imperial physician from examining her. She cried helplessly and she couldn't endure her stomach ache any longer....
Sang-Hee was angry, but she won't know what she can do in that situation. She knelt on the floor, covered her face, and cried loudly. Her wedding dress was already ruined by blood, her makeup disappeared because of crying and she looked like a pitiful bride jilted by the groom.
Taehyung held Seorin's hand. He knew she wasn't cruel enough to feel happy seeing Sang-Hee shed fresh blood from their plan.
"Imperial physician, what happened to Sang-Hee?" the emperor asked.
"It was a beautiful wedding ceremony... why did it become like this?" Consort Jung asked. "Imperial Physician, stop stalling. Hurry and examine the crown prince's soon-to-be wife!"
The imperial physician reluctantly stepped closer to Sang-Hee. He heard "the crown prince's soon-to-be wife" and knew the wedding ceremony wouldn't end happily. "Lady Park, let me examine you."
The imperial physician knelt beside Sang-Hee but she refused to let him hold her wrist.
"I don't need to be examined!" Sang-Hee said.
"Hurry and let the imperial physician examine you," Consort Jung said. "You're bleeding. Can't you see the emperor is worried about you?"
Sang-Hee looked at the emperor's concerned face. Then she looked pleadingly at the empress and the crown prince. "Aunty! Oppa! The imperial physician doesn't need to examine me."
The empress saw everyone was looking at her and her heart hardened. "Sang-Hee, let the imperial physician examine you."
Sang-Hee's body turned cold, the empress and the crown prince turned their backs on her.
The imperial physician examined Sang-Hee while she absently looked at the empress and the crown prince.
"Strange..." the imperial physician said.
Most of the wedding guests were worried something was wrong with Sang-Hee and the rest anticipated the imperial physician's explanation.
"Imperial Physician, hurry and report to the emperor," Consort Jung said and feigned concern.
Consort Jung heard the news about Sang-Hee's fake pregnancy. But the empress' calmness made Consort Jung uneasy that the news wasn't true. Whether Consort Jung could defeat the empress and the crown prince depended on the outcome of the imperial physician's explanation.
"Strange?" the emperor asked.
The imperial physician stood and knelt in front of the emperor. "Your majesty, Lady Park is healthy. Your majesty, forgive me but I don't know why she's bleeding."
"Healthy?" the emperor asked.
The emperor should have been relieved to hear Sang-Hee was healthy but he felt like the thunderstorm struck him.
"Your majesty is right," the imperial physician said. "Lady Park is healthy."
The emperor stepped off the platform, grabbed the imperial physician's collar, and spoke softly. "Is she carrying the royal heir?"
The bulged green veins on the emperor's forehead intimidated the imperial physician.
"Your majesty, I don't know why she's bleeding but... she's not pregnant," the imperial physician whispered.
The emperor took a deep breath, pushed the imperial physician, turned around, and glared at the empress.
Most of the wedding guests didn't understand why the emperor was angry if Sang-Hee was healthy.
"Empress, do you know what the punishment for deceiving the emperor is?" the emperor asked coldly.
The empress kneeled in front of the emperor and cried pitifully. "Emperor, I was deceived too. I didn't know anything."
Consort Jung narrowed her eyes. She was shocked and resented the empress. Her heart cursed the empress, "Ji Eun, your cruelty is impressive! You can sacrifice anyone to protect your son. That's your niece, your own little sister's blood daughter but you have no mercy!"
Seorin and Taehyung exchanged a secret look then they lowered their heads... they underestimated the empress' cruelty.
Sang-Hee widened her eyes, stared at the empress, and forgot to cry. What empress was deceived? Lies! The first person who suggested she should fake a pregnancy to force the crown prince to marry her sooner was the empress! The empress and her mother discussed the plan together!
The empress raised her head and accused Sang-Hee. "Sang-Hee! Has your aunt mistreated you? Why did you deceive me?"
"Aunty..." Sang-Hee said.
"Empress, you and Ji Hoon are sisters!" the emperor shouted.
The empress turned her head to face the skeptical emperor and she continued to cry. "Seokjin~ah, you and I have been married for many years. You know what kind of person I am. I have never deceived you. I was deceived by Ji Hoon. I don't know anything. Seokjin~ah, please investigate this situation. Joon, say something."
The emperor looked at the crown prince. He knew the crown prince was an honest person and he wanted to believe the crown prince's words.
Sang-Hee looked at the crown prince. She didn't know what the crown prince would say. Would he save her?
Namjoon stood still while everyone looked at him and waited for his reply.
Namjoon lowered his head and thought deeply. Everyone was anxious but his heart was calm. He remembered Sang-Hee cried for mercy, a pity it only amused him. She had no relation to him. He was overjoyed she was exposed because he could escape her... but in his lifetime he couldn't escape his cage... unless his words could find an escape for him.
Namjoon pursed his lips, hid his joy, and kneel in front of his father. "Imperial father, truly imperial mother and I don't know anything. We were deceived by aunt's lies."
Sang-Hee looked at the crown prince who calmly lied.
"Since I was young, aunt always wanted me to marry Sang-Hee," the crown prince said. "I don't love her and refused to marry her many times... but at a palace banquet she... she threatened me that she would spread baseless rumors about me... I felt helpless and agreed to marry her. Yet she's this shameless and faked a pregnancy to ensure I marry her."
All the wedding guests understood what happened and they looked scornfully at Sang-Hee.
Sang-Hee didn't care how the wedding guests looked at her. She continued to look at the crown prince whom she think was an idol of her life. Her world collapsed and there was only chaos.
Sang-Hee heard "Rumors, threatened and shameless." Why did the crown prince lie? Why did the crown prince want to push her toward execution? Why did he pour dirty water on her head in front of everyone?
Sang-Hee stood and pointed at the crown prince and the empress.
"No!" Sang-Hee said. "You're a liar! Don't believe them!"
Namjoon looked coldly at Sang-Hee.
"Sang-Hee, look at the evidence and see if you're not the liar," Namjoon said. He turned his head and looked at his father. "Imperial father, she has been sending me threatening letters. If my father doesn't believe me, then father, you can summon the palace maids and eunuchs here. Father, look at her, she's a shameless woman and deserves to die."
"No!" Sang-Hee said. "Don't believe him. He's lying! I'm not shameless! It was my mother who told me to do this, I didn't know anything! Oppa! Why are you lying?"
The emperor heard Sang-Hee's pitiful cries. He didn't understand why an auspicious day turned into a nightmare. He was too angry, his blood flowed chaotically through his vein. He stood and spoke heartlessly. "Hurry and take her away!"
Sang-Hee's loud cries slowly faded from the ceremonial hall.
The wedding guests were about the leave too but the crown prince suddenly broke the silence.
"Imperial father, I'm unfilial," Namjoon said. "I let imperial father be deceived and shamed the imperial family. Imperial father, I request you take away my crown prince position. I'm willing to be banished from the palace and do good deeds in remote places to ask the ancestors to forgive me."
The wedding guests were stunned and the empress was scared to death. But Consort Jung lowered her head and hid her joy.
"What did you say?" the emperor asked.
"Imperial father, I have shamed you," Namjoon said. "Imperial father, take away my crown prince position."
The emperor suddenly collapsed.
"Your majesty!" the wedding guests cried out.
The crown prince and Sang-Hee's wedding wasn't an auspicious day, it was a tragedy and all the wedding guests quickly retreated from the ceremonial hall.
In the horse carriage, Seorin hugged Taehyung. Her heart and hands were cold and trembling. She couldn't stop thinking about the image of Sang-Hee being dragged outside the ceremonial hall and Sang-Hee's pitiful cries. She was too scared to think about what was going to happen to Sang-Hee.
Taehyung hugged Seorin's cold body tighter and held her hands.
"Taehyung, what do you think will happen to Sang-Hee?" Seorin asked.
"She would have been executed," Taehyung said. "But now she's trapped in an insane state for life."
Seorin's heartfelt remorse.
"Taehyung, was I too cruel?" Seorin asked.
"Seorin, if it's done then you don't need to think about if it's right or wrong," Taehyung said. "It's not your fault alone that she's insane."
Seorin felt colder after she remembered the empress and the crown prince's heartlessness. "Taehyung, the palace is a dangerous place."
"Seorin, the palace has always been a dangerous place, and the people belong there are more dangerous," Taehyung said.
Taehyung hugged Seorin and stared out the window. His heart was relieved his Seorin wasn't heartless.
After escorting Sang-Hee to the palace, Princess Ji Hoon returned to the Park Manor.
Park Jin Young drank with the guests at the Park Manor. Neither he nor Princess Ji Hoon knew why Sang-Hee returned to the Park Manor because she was supposed to be the bride at the wedding ceremony in the palace.
Park Jin Young also didn't know why Sang-Hee was dancing and singing like a fool.
"What happened?" Park Jin Young asked.
"Prime Minister, wait at home for the news," the ceremonial minister said coldly and left.
Park Jin Young and Princess Ji Hoon sent servants to the palace to find out why Sang-Hee was behaving like a fool and the servants returned with bad news.
Princess Ji Hoon's life dream shattered, her daughter was insane and her older sister stabbed her back.
Park Jin Young slapped Princess Ji Hoon. "Scum! Look at your good deeds! You dare to let your daughter fake a pregnancy. Do you know what happens if you deceive the emperor? Death!"
"You dare hit me?" Princess Ji Hoon asked.
"I want to kill you!" Park Jin Young said. "You've pulled me into your mess!"
Princess Ji Hoon laughed coldly. "So what? You die and I die. We'll die together!"
Park Jin Young left her chamber and she fell into depression.
That evening an elderly lady secretly traveled by horse carriage to visit Princess Ji Hoon at the Park Manor.
Princess Ji Hoon was coaxing the insane Sang-Hee to sleep when she heard a knock on the door. She opened the door and was scared to see who visited her in the middle of the night.
"Ji Hoon, no one wanted this outcome," the elderly lady said. "The emperor is ill so he's not pursuing this matter now. But after he recovers, I fear it'll be bad for everyone involved. I know you're not the only one responsible but to protect your family, you need to take all the responsibility. My daughter, I'm sorry it's been hard for you."
The elderly lady stood, put a small bottle on a table, and left the Park Manor.
Princess Ji Hoon picked up the bottle, sat on a chair and her usual cold arrogance died.
In the palace, the emperor was recovering in his chamber. Two years ago the emperor was ill and ingested much medicine to regain his health. No one expected the emperor would fall ill again on his Second son's wedding day.
Consort Jung and the Third Prince were anxious about the emperor's health. They didn't want the emperor to die before announcing the new crown prince.
There were also people in the shadows that didn't care if the emperor died. If the emperor died then Namjoon would sit on the throne and Third prince's supporters would clash swords with Namjoon's supporters. Even if Third prince stole the throne, the citizens of the Kingdom would rebel because the Third prince wasn't the true heir. Then both Namjoon and Third prince would be eliminated.
While the emperor's health was uncertain the Park Manor's doors were locked. Princess Ji Hoon took care of the insane Sang-Hee who continuously laughed and cried. Park Jin Young pretended to be ill and didn't attend imperial court meetings at the palace. He knew he would lose his prime minister position but he needed time to think about how to save his life.
At Taehyung's manor, Seorin and Taehyung speculated about the emperor's health in their courtyard.
"Taehyung, do you think the emperor will recover?" Seorin asked.
"Yes," Taehyung said.
"When?" Seorin asked.
Seorin was anxious about what the emperor would do to the people who deceived the emperor.
Taehyung fed Seorin soups.
"Soon," Taehyung said.
"Isn't the emperor seriously ill?" Seorin asked.
"Imperial father is someone who values image," Taehyung said. "He'll want to kill everyone involved. Even if the empress and Second brother cut off relations with Princess, imperial father isn't fooled by them. But imperial father can only pretend to cooperate with them because there were too many witnesses that day. He didn't want others to see that an emperor of a kingdom was deceived by his wife and son. He can't swallow his anger but he can feign an illness. It'll give him time to calm down and for everyone's attention to be diverted from the situation. Then he'll punish everyone involved. Seorin, you should know imperial father loves to punish other people."
"What will the emperor do?" Seorin asked.
"Imperial father chose to believe the empress and Second brother in front of everyone," Taehyung said. "It means he'll collect fake evidence to protect them and blame everything on Princess Ji Hoon and Sang-Hee. So the Park Manor will be in trouble and the empress is safe for now."
"A pity," Seorin said.
"There's no hurry," Taehyung said. "Didn't I say imperial father loves to punish other people? He'll wait for another opportunity to punish them for their deceit. Seorin, soon Second brother won't be the crown prince anymore. After that happens the empress will wither."
"Taehyung, do you think the crown prince truly doesn't want the throne?" Seorin asked.
Taehyung shook his head. "Honestly, in the palace, Namjoon hyung is someone I don't understand the most."