Forbidden: Part 11
Title: Forbidden
Pairing: YunJae
Rating: PG-13
Length: Part 11/? (It's a LONG short story)
Summary: Jae is concerned about the attention his sister is receiving from a dangerous man but he isn't in any position to take care of it himself so he turns to the king. However, the King, Jung Yunho, presents unforeseen complications...
“Did you find him?”
KiBum and DongWoon came to a stop in front of Yunho and JunYoung, pausing to catch their breaths before DongWoon finally spoke.
“He’s in a cell at the prison but, your majesty, he refuses to talk. He won’t tell us what we need to know and we’re running out of time.”
Yunho considered his options for a moment then a bolt of brilliance struck him.
“I think I may have something that could help loosen his tongue a little. Follow me.”
Twenty minutes later, the four men entered the cell that ShinHo, Minister Lee’s trusted minion, was being held in.
Yunho stood in front of the man, who was restrained in a chair, looking down at his unkempt, disheveled appearance, his eyes, wide and wild, looked back at Yunho with inbred hatred.
“Mr. ShinHo, out of respect for your late master and your position, I’m going to give you one last chance to tell me what you know. Your help will go a long way towards restoring order in the kingdom and it could also encourage the court to show mercy on you.”
The man spat at Yunho’s feet.
Yunho didn’t flinch, feeling an overwhelming sense of pity for him, but KiBum struck him across the face for his insolence.
“You killed him, as surely as if you ran him through with the sword yourself,” ShinHo said, voice dripping with venom. “You think you can protect the pretty one that warms your bed? I’ll make sure everyone knows the part he played in this. When push comes to shove, you’ll sacrifice him to save yourself and he’ll see just how much he means to you. Or how little. My master’s legacy will live on. His plans will be carried out.”
Yunho felt no anger, no fear. Clearly the man was just as delusioned and corrupted as the man he had served.
“How do you plan on doing that from a jail cell?’ DongWoon inquired, genuinely curious.
ShinHo laughed, a crazy maniacal sound that set Yunho’s nerves on edge.
“You think I’m the only one who knows? The only one he trusted?”
“Tell me,” Yunho urged. “Who knows? What do they know?”
The man ground his teeth, a sneer in the form of a smile settling on his lips.
Yunho knew he wasn’t going to say another word. Time to get the show on the road.
Moving aside, Yunho gestured to his men and JunYoung, who had been silent the entire time, stepped forward, a stoneware mug in his hand. KiBum moved behind ShinHo and placed one hand on his forehead and the other on his chin hooking his thumb between the man’s lips and forcing his mouth open. JunYoung tilted the mug and emptied the contents into the sputtering man’s mouth. When his mouth was filled with the murky liquid, KiBum clamped his jaw closed, forcing him to swallow or risk choking.
“How long before it starts to work?” KiBum asked as he moved back to Yunho’s side.
“It shouldn’t be too long,” Yunho replied. “Could be a matter of minutes or an hour for the most. If he hasn’t had anything to eat in the past few hours, the effects will set in even faster.”
Yunho thanked whatever source his inspiration had come from. He’d remembered the potion that the Queen had given Jae and also remembered that there was a fast-acting, more temporary version of it. Why she hadn’t given that to Jae instead, he didn’t know. Perhaps it was simply a matter of ignorance: maybe she didn’t know it existed. Given the positive feelings he felt towards her just then, he didn’t want to think that she’d actually wanted Jae to suffer.
Luck was on their side. Within twenty minutes, ShinHo slipped into a sleep-like state. His eyes were open, though his lids had drifted down a bit, but they stared sightlessly in front of him. When Yunho waved a hand in front of his face, there was no response, not even a flicker of his eyelashes.
“Okay, he’s under.”
DongWoon took out a baton and started raking it back and forth across the bars of the cell.
“What’s that noise?” ShinHo asked.
No one responded to him. DongWoon continued dragging the baton across the bars and KiBum began pacing the length of the cell, his boots making heavy, thunderous sounds every time they slapped the ground.
“Who’s there?” ShinHo asked, the first real thread of fear finally discernible in his voice.
Yunho leaned close to his ear. “Who do you see?”
“Who’s there?” ShinHo repeated, his voice rising to a screech. “Stay away from me!”
“Who do you see?” Yunho asked again.
The man’s hands started clenching in their restraints, his feet kicking up against the floor as his mouth opened and closed, his breath coming in quick gasps.
“He’s come for me,” he whispered frightfully, tears leaking from his eyes.
Yunho glanced at the other men and they stopped, staring intently at their prisoner.
“Who?” Yunho asked urgently. “Who’s come for you?”
“The King.”
Yunho was taken aback. “The King?”
Nothing could prepare Yunho for what he said next.
“The old King. He knows we killed him. He knows and now he’s come for me,” the man cried.
Yunho stumbled back until he hit the wall, his eyes were wide and his breath had caught in his throat.
“He knows what we did and now he’s come for his revenge,” the man wept.
Jae looked out the narrow window of the palanquin at the darkness that lay beyond. There were lanterns hanging from the four corners of the carriage, and one inside, but they swung with the movement of the horses pulling them so he couldn’t really see anything except an expanse of blackness.
Turning away, he looked down at his hands where they lay clasped in his lap against the dark blue satin of the hanbok he wore. He still couldn’t believe he’d let the Queen talk him into not only wearing the feminine garb but also painting his face and styling his hair to complete his transformation. He knew what he looked like, who he looked like, and he hated the reminder of what he’d lost. But the Queen had insisted that it was necessary. As a man, he would be expected to ride outside with the guards but he needed to stay out of sight so he rode inside and in the event of anyone seeing him, either when he was leaving the palace grounds or en route to Ruan, they would assume he was a high born young lady accompanying the Queen. No one outside of their small circle knew about JiHye’s death so until they reached Ruan, he would have to pretend to be her.
Looking over at the Queen, he studied her. Her maid had fallen asleep but she was awake, sitting stiff and straight as a corpse, eyes fixed forward, face impassive.
“Why are you helping me?” he suddenly asked.
Her head turned slowly, the movements seemingly measured. He didn’t think she did anything without thinking.
“Am I? Helping you that is?” she asked.
Jaejoong blushed and looked away.
“I’m not doing it for you,” she continued. “Well, I suppose I am. You helped me, more than once. The least I can do is return the favor.”
Jae turned back to her but said nothing.
“I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you,” she confessed, somewhat unwillingly. “I’ve loved him my whole life, you know. We were promised to each other as children. I grew up thinking that he would be my king and I would be his queen and we would rule together. Silly, childish fantasies. I didn’t know until much later just how powerless women are. Even so, I thought that we had a mutual understanding, an affection for each other, love even. We really were friends, you know, once upon a time.”
“Why did that change? What happened?” Jae asked.
She thought for a moment. “Truthfully, I’m not sure. I’ve wanted to ask him all these years but… It started when he became involved with the Chief.”
Jae gasped, his eyes wide. She’d known?
The Queen smiled, a rare smile that illuminated her face and showed how truly beautiful she was.
“He doesn’t know that I know but I do. I’ve always known, don’t ask me how. Women’s intuition if you will. When it first started, he became withdrawn, testy. I thought that perhaps it was from shame. I wanted to go to my father and demand that he do something. I wanted to take on the Chief, to stop him from hurting Yunho. I had all these thoughts in my head that if I saved him, he would realize that I wasn’t just some worthless girl who’s only good at sewing and looking pretty. He would see that we were partners, equals, and he would love me. I guess that’s what I really wanted. His love. One day I had finally gathered the courage to tell the Chief what I knew and I went to his private chambers to have a word with him. I intended to threaten to expose him if he didn’t release Yunho from what I thought was some kind of sexual subjugation. The door was ajar so I peeked in and… There they were.”
Jae’s eyes bugged out even more.
The Queen laughed. “Don’t worry, it was nothing compared to what he made me watch with you two.”
Jae’s blush deepened and his eyes dropped from hers.
“It was just a kiss, a simple little kiss. But there was so much intensity and passion. I was shocked, naturally. It was one thing to know but another thing entirely to see. I began observing them afterward and I realized that it was one-sided. Yunho did care for him, there was affection there, but it wasn’t love. At least not for him. But there was love in the Chief’s eyes when he looked at Yunho. There’d even be jealousy sometimes because Yunho was well-liked, well-loved and bonded men, and soldiers are definitely bonded, tend to be extremely affectionate. And that’s how I knew about the two of you. The way the Chief looked at him is the way he now looks at you, has always looked at you. I don’t think you realize that once you’re in the room, his eyes rarely ever stray.”
Jae swallowed thickly, processing what she’d said.
“You don’t look at him that way,” she said thoughtfully. “But I know that you love him. It may have taken a while for you to figure it out but I can see that you do. He’s leaned on you a lot and despite your age, you’ve borne the weight of it. But most importantly, you never would’ve made that publically embarrassing, for those of us who witnessed it, declaration of love if you hadn’t meant it. I know that to be true, even if you were just caught up in the moment.”
Jae nodded, not knowing what to say. What did one say when having such a strangely open conversation with one’s Queen about the relationship one is in with the Queen’s husband? Sometimes, he just couldn’t wrap his mind around it. None of it seemed real.
Sighing, the Queen settled back into her cushion. “I’m happy for him...that he found you. My fantasy of a perfect life was ruined long before you came into the picture. I hold no resentment towards you. And Yunho…he deserves some happiness after all he’s been through.”
Jae frowned. “What do you mean, your highness?”
She waved a careless hand. “You know that his mother died when he was just a boy. His father, being the king, hardly had any time for him. He spent most of his time with tutors and the rest by himself. He would visit Ruan for a week every few months. It was supposed to help us build a relationship, I think. But after the assassination attempt, he was sent to Ruan permanently.”
“Assassination attempt?”
She looked at Jae impatiently but then caught herself as it all clicked into place.
“How old are you?” she asked tentatively.
“Eighteen.”
“When did your parents die?” she pressed.
“My mother died when I was a year old, I believe. I don’t have any memory of her.”
“And your father?”
“JiHye and I had just turned three.”
The Queen’s eyes were cloudy and Jae couldn’t figure out exactly what she was thinking.
“Why do you ask?”
“Your father, he worked for the king?”
Jae nodded. “My lady, what does my father have to do with an assassination attempt?”
She hesitated.
“Please,” Jae begged. “Tell me.”
She knew she shouldn’t, that it shouldn’t come from her, but they still had a long way to go to Ruan and she didn’t want it to be spent in awkward silence now that they had a kind of understanding between them. Plus, he deserved to know.
Taking a deep breath, she said, “When Yunho was ten, a few months shy of his eleventh birthday, there was an attempt on the king’s life.” She paused. “Do you remember how your father died?”
Jae shook his head. “They said it was an accident.”
The Queen sighed again. “It was no accident: it was murder, pure and simple. But he wasn’t the intended victim, the king was.”
Jae stopped breathing, unable to believe what he was hearing.
“I don’t know all of the details but from what I gather, there was a fire. Apparently the king was known to fall asleep in his study late at night. On one such occasion, a fire broke out. Your father, Professor Kim, happened to be passing by and saw someone running in the shadows, away from the building. I guess he noticed smoke billowing out and he ran in. The king was asleep at his desk and he managed to wake him but the smoke was thick. He told him what had happened, what he’d seen, while he tried to get him to the door but just as they reached it, almost as soon as the king crossed the threshold, a beam fell and pinned your father to the ground. By then the whole palace had been alerted to what was going on and the guards, who had also fallen asleep at their posts, came rushing. They managed to pull your father from the room before he was burnt but it was too late. He’d died from smoke inhalation.” She paused again, her voice tinged with sorrow. “The doctor said even if the smoke hadn’t killed him, he wouldn’t have lived. The beam had broken his spine.”
Jae stared at her, unaware of the tears that trailed down his cheeks.
She took his hand. “I’m sorry. I thought you knew. I thought for sure he would have told you. He should have,” she said somewhat angrily, resentment towards Yunho rising in her chest. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “Yunho was sent to Ruan the very next day where he stayed until the late king passed away. The king feared that since the attempt against him had failed, whoever was responsible would try to go after his son. Your father was the top scholar at the university but he was also an advisor and close confidante to the king. A cherished friend. The King made a promise that he would take care of you and your sister so he made you wards of the state.”
“He never talked to us, never had anything to do with us,” Jae said, shaking his head, still unable to grasp it all.
She queezed his hand. “Perhaps the memory of what happened was still too difficult for him to accept. Perhaps he felt like he had failed your father, failed you, by not protecting him. Being the daughter of a king and now the wife of one, I’ve come to understand that despite the position and the power that goes with it, they are still mere men underneath it all, dealing with the same struggles and uncertainties all humans face. Maybe that’s what brought you together.”
Jae looked up at her, confused.
“They both sacrificed, they both lost, both left their children behind to mourn them, to make sense of the world that they’d left to them. Perhaps you two came together to fill the missing pieces in each other’s lives, to fill the gaping holes within you. How else would you explain the unlikeliness of what’s developed between you?”
Jae closed his eyes and thought of the father he could barely remember, of the mother he’d never known and the sister he was currently mourning. Then he thought of Yunho, who was at the moment facing uncertain danger yet had ensured that he was absolutely safe, and wished desperately that he was there at that moment so he could tell him that he loved him again.
Yunho sat at the desk in his study, the study that was once his father’s. It had been rebuilt after the fire so many years ago and what was salvageable had been salvaged. The desk, for one. It still bore the scorch marks of the flames that had licked at it but it was strong and sturdy and had survived the attempted assassination, just like his father had. So his father had kept it.
“A reminder,” he’d said, “of one’s mortality.”
Had he known?, he wondered. Did he know what they were doing to him?
His father had not been an old man at the time of his death. He was barely in his fifties and had the attitude and vigor of a man ten years younger. But he’d taken ill and slowly became sicker and sicker until he’d died.
They were smart enough, Yunho thought, to let it be a gradual process rather than something sudden, which would’ve definitely raised suspicion of foul play.
“Poisoned,” he whispered.
Was that what they had in store for him? His father had sent him away to keep him safe but then he’d come back upon his death, as they’d known he would. He’s survived three years so far so they hadn’t been ready to get rid of him yet.
“They’d hoped that they would have a new beginning with you,” ShinHo had spilled once the effects of the drug had worn off and he realized he’d opened a door he couldn’t close again. “A new ruler they could mold. Instead, they found that you were just as principled and unbending as your father was, more so if possible. Then they realized what had to be done. But they couldn’t deal with you the way they’d dealt with your father because of the connection to Ruan. You had to go but retaining good ties with Ruan was tantamount. It wouldn’t bode well for the kingdom if they were to make enemies of such a strong nation. That’s why they made a contact there. This time around, more thorough, careful planning was needed. They would need to discredit you, to make you lose favor with the Ruan king, before they could get rid of you. Permanently.”
With a sigh, he dropped his head into his hands, staring down at the paper that lay on the desktop. It was a list of names of everyone who had been involved in his father’s murder and everyone who had conspired against him. Unsurprisingly, they were one and the same in both instances. Minister Lee was at the top of the list. He supposed he could cross him off since he’d already been dispatched. But the name at the bottom of the list should have surprised him.
Lord Yoo.
If not for the information from the Queen, he would have been caught unawares. He was grateful for her assistance yet again. However, he couldn’t help but wonder if Lord Yoo was acting on his own or on behest of the Ruan King. The King, from Yunho’s experience, had always been a cold, calculating man. There was no softness in him and his kingdom came first and foremost. Yet, he had honor and pride. He was not the type of man to stab his enemy in the back, rather he’d enjoy looking his enemy in the eye while he cut him down. Yunho shook his head. No…there was no way the King knew. He would not have condoned Yunho’s assassination any more than he would have had a part in Yunho’s father’s murder. They’d not only been allies but friends, in their own way.
Sighing, he stood and walked to the window, looking out at the darkness beyond.
He’d leave it up to the Queen to handle things on her side while he dealt with the leaders of his kingdom, just like he’d handed Jae over into her safe-keeping. And she would keep him safe, he had no doubts about that.
A soft knock made him turn around. MinWoo opened the door, stepped inside. His expression was grave.
“The council has assembled. Preparations are complete.”
Yunho closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Expelling it, he opened his eyes again and walked to the desk. He reached for the gold, jeweled hilt of the sword that lay there, his father’s, and gripped it tightly, feeling the strength of the one who’d ruled with it before him flow through his veins. He could do this. He was his father’s son.
Meeting MinWoo’s eyes, he smiled, a look of savage determination in his gaze.
“Let’s go.”
Part XII
Pairing: YunJae
Rating: PG-13
Length: Part 11/? (It's a LONG short story)
Summary: Jae is concerned about the attention his sister is receiving from a dangerous man but he isn't in any position to take care of it himself so he turns to the king. However, the King, Jung Yunho, presents unforeseen complications...
“Did you find him?”
KiBum and DongWoon came to a stop in front of Yunho and JunYoung, pausing to catch their breaths before DongWoon finally spoke.
“He’s in a cell at the prison but, your majesty, he refuses to talk. He won’t tell us what we need to know and we’re running out of time.”
Yunho considered his options for a moment then a bolt of brilliance struck him.
“I think I may have something that could help loosen his tongue a little. Follow me.”
Twenty minutes later, the four men entered the cell that ShinHo, Minister Lee’s trusted minion, was being held in.
Yunho stood in front of the man, who was restrained in a chair, looking down at his unkempt, disheveled appearance, his eyes, wide and wild, looked back at Yunho with inbred hatred.
“Mr. ShinHo, out of respect for your late master and your position, I’m going to give you one last chance to tell me what you know. Your help will go a long way towards restoring order in the kingdom and it could also encourage the court to show mercy on you.”
The man spat at Yunho’s feet.
Yunho didn’t flinch, feeling an overwhelming sense of pity for him, but KiBum struck him across the face for his insolence.
“You killed him, as surely as if you ran him through with the sword yourself,” ShinHo said, voice dripping with venom. “You think you can protect the pretty one that warms your bed? I’ll make sure everyone knows the part he played in this. When push comes to shove, you’ll sacrifice him to save yourself and he’ll see just how much he means to you. Or how little. My master’s legacy will live on. His plans will be carried out.”
Yunho felt no anger, no fear. Clearly the man was just as delusioned and corrupted as the man he had served.
“How do you plan on doing that from a jail cell?’ DongWoon inquired, genuinely curious.
ShinHo laughed, a crazy maniacal sound that set Yunho’s nerves on edge.
“You think I’m the only one who knows? The only one he trusted?”
“Tell me,” Yunho urged. “Who knows? What do they know?”
The man ground his teeth, a sneer in the form of a smile settling on his lips.
Yunho knew he wasn’t going to say another word. Time to get the show on the road.
Moving aside, Yunho gestured to his men and JunYoung, who had been silent the entire time, stepped forward, a stoneware mug in his hand. KiBum moved behind ShinHo and placed one hand on his forehead and the other on his chin hooking his thumb between the man’s lips and forcing his mouth open. JunYoung tilted the mug and emptied the contents into the sputtering man’s mouth. When his mouth was filled with the murky liquid, KiBum clamped his jaw closed, forcing him to swallow or risk choking.
“How long before it starts to work?” KiBum asked as he moved back to Yunho’s side.
“It shouldn’t be too long,” Yunho replied. “Could be a matter of minutes or an hour for the most. If he hasn’t had anything to eat in the past few hours, the effects will set in even faster.”
Yunho thanked whatever source his inspiration had come from. He’d remembered the potion that the Queen had given Jae and also remembered that there was a fast-acting, more temporary version of it. Why she hadn’t given that to Jae instead, he didn’t know. Perhaps it was simply a matter of ignorance: maybe she didn’t know it existed. Given the positive feelings he felt towards her just then, he didn’t want to think that she’d actually wanted Jae to suffer.
Luck was on their side. Within twenty minutes, ShinHo slipped into a sleep-like state. His eyes were open, though his lids had drifted down a bit, but they stared sightlessly in front of him. When Yunho waved a hand in front of his face, there was no response, not even a flicker of his eyelashes.
“Okay, he’s under.”
DongWoon took out a baton and started raking it back and forth across the bars of the cell.
“What’s that noise?” ShinHo asked.
No one responded to him. DongWoon continued dragging the baton across the bars and KiBum began pacing the length of the cell, his boots making heavy, thunderous sounds every time they slapped the ground.
“Who’s there?” ShinHo asked, the first real thread of fear finally discernible in his voice.
Yunho leaned close to his ear. “Who do you see?”
“Who’s there?” ShinHo repeated, his voice rising to a screech. “Stay away from me!”
“Who do you see?” Yunho asked again.
The man’s hands started clenching in their restraints, his feet kicking up against the floor as his mouth opened and closed, his breath coming in quick gasps.
“He’s come for me,” he whispered frightfully, tears leaking from his eyes.
Yunho glanced at the other men and they stopped, staring intently at their prisoner.
“Who?” Yunho asked urgently. “Who’s come for you?”
“The King.”
Yunho was taken aback. “The King?”
Nothing could prepare Yunho for what he said next.
“The old King. He knows we killed him. He knows and now he’s come for me,” the man cried.
Yunho stumbled back until he hit the wall, his eyes were wide and his breath had caught in his throat.
“He knows what we did and now he’s come for his revenge,” the man wept.
Jae looked out the narrow window of the palanquin at the darkness that lay beyond. There were lanterns hanging from the four corners of the carriage, and one inside, but they swung with the movement of the horses pulling them so he couldn’t really see anything except an expanse of blackness.
Turning away, he looked down at his hands where they lay clasped in his lap against the dark blue satin of the hanbok he wore. He still couldn’t believe he’d let the Queen talk him into not only wearing the feminine garb but also painting his face and styling his hair to complete his transformation. He knew what he looked like, who he looked like, and he hated the reminder of what he’d lost. But the Queen had insisted that it was necessary. As a man, he would be expected to ride outside with the guards but he needed to stay out of sight so he rode inside and in the event of anyone seeing him, either when he was leaving the palace grounds or en route to Ruan, they would assume he was a high born young lady accompanying the Queen. No one outside of their small circle knew about JiHye’s death so until they reached Ruan, he would have to pretend to be her.
Looking over at the Queen, he studied her. Her maid had fallen asleep but she was awake, sitting stiff and straight as a corpse, eyes fixed forward, face impassive.
“Why are you helping me?” he suddenly asked.
Her head turned slowly, the movements seemingly measured. He didn’t think she did anything without thinking.
“Am I? Helping you that is?” she asked.
Jaejoong blushed and looked away.
“I’m not doing it for you,” she continued. “Well, I suppose I am. You helped me, more than once. The least I can do is return the favor.”
Jae turned back to her but said nothing.
“I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you,” she confessed, somewhat unwillingly. “I’ve loved him my whole life, you know. We were promised to each other as children. I grew up thinking that he would be my king and I would be his queen and we would rule together. Silly, childish fantasies. I didn’t know until much later just how powerless women are. Even so, I thought that we had a mutual understanding, an affection for each other, love even. We really were friends, you know, once upon a time.”
“Why did that change? What happened?” Jae asked.
She thought for a moment. “Truthfully, I’m not sure. I’ve wanted to ask him all these years but… It started when he became involved with the Chief.”
Jae gasped, his eyes wide. She’d known?
The Queen smiled, a rare smile that illuminated her face and showed how truly beautiful she was.
“He doesn’t know that I know but I do. I’ve always known, don’t ask me how. Women’s intuition if you will. When it first started, he became withdrawn, testy. I thought that perhaps it was from shame. I wanted to go to my father and demand that he do something. I wanted to take on the Chief, to stop him from hurting Yunho. I had all these thoughts in my head that if I saved him, he would realize that I wasn’t just some worthless girl who’s only good at sewing and looking pretty. He would see that we were partners, equals, and he would love me. I guess that’s what I really wanted. His love. One day I had finally gathered the courage to tell the Chief what I knew and I went to his private chambers to have a word with him. I intended to threaten to expose him if he didn’t release Yunho from what I thought was some kind of sexual subjugation. The door was ajar so I peeked in and… There they were.”
Jae’s eyes bugged out even more.
The Queen laughed. “Don’t worry, it was nothing compared to what he made me watch with you two.”
Jae’s blush deepened and his eyes dropped from hers.
“It was just a kiss, a simple little kiss. But there was so much intensity and passion. I was shocked, naturally. It was one thing to know but another thing entirely to see. I began observing them afterward and I realized that it was one-sided. Yunho did care for him, there was affection there, but it wasn’t love. At least not for him. But there was love in the Chief’s eyes when he looked at Yunho. There’d even be jealousy sometimes because Yunho was well-liked, well-loved and bonded men, and soldiers are definitely bonded, tend to be extremely affectionate. And that’s how I knew about the two of you. The way the Chief looked at him is the way he now looks at you, has always looked at you. I don’t think you realize that once you’re in the room, his eyes rarely ever stray.”
Jae swallowed thickly, processing what she’d said.
“You don’t look at him that way,” she said thoughtfully. “But I know that you love him. It may have taken a while for you to figure it out but I can see that you do. He’s leaned on you a lot and despite your age, you’ve borne the weight of it. But most importantly, you never would’ve made that publically embarrassing, for those of us who witnessed it, declaration of love if you hadn’t meant it. I know that to be true, even if you were just caught up in the moment.”
Jae nodded, not knowing what to say. What did one say when having such a strangely open conversation with one’s Queen about the relationship one is in with the Queen’s husband? Sometimes, he just couldn’t wrap his mind around it. None of it seemed real.
Sighing, the Queen settled back into her cushion. “I’m happy for him...that he found you. My fantasy of a perfect life was ruined long before you came into the picture. I hold no resentment towards you. And Yunho…he deserves some happiness after all he’s been through.”
Jae frowned. “What do you mean, your highness?”
She waved a careless hand. “You know that his mother died when he was just a boy. His father, being the king, hardly had any time for him. He spent most of his time with tutors and the rest by himself. He would visit Ruan for a week every few months. It was supposed to help us build a relationship, I think. But after the assassination attempt, he was sent to Ruan permanently.”
“Assassination attempt?”
She looked at Jae impatiently but then caught herself as it all clicked into place.
“How old are you?” she asked tentatively.
“Eighteen.”
“When did your parents die?” she pressed.
“My mother died when I was a year old, I believe. I don’t have any memory of her.”
“And your father?”
“JiHye and I had just turned three.”
The Queen’s eyes were cloudy and Jae couldn’t figure out exactly what she was thinking.
“Why do you ask?”
“Your father, he worked for the king?”
Jae nodded. “My lady, what does my father have to do with an assassination attempt?”
She hesitated.
“Please,” Jae begged. “Tell me.”
She knew she shouldn’t, that it shouldn’t come from her, but they still had a long way to go to Ruan and she didn’t want it to be spent in awkward silence now that they had a kind of understanding between them. Plus, he deserved to know.
Taking a deep breath, she said, “When Yunho was ten, a few months shy of his eleventh birthday, there was an attempt on the king’s life.” She paused. “Do you remember how your father died?”
Jae shook his head. “They said it was an accident.”
The Queen sighed again. “It was no accident: it was murder, pure and simple. But he wasn’t the intended victim, the king was.”
Jae stopped breathing, unable to believe what he was hearing.
“I don’t know all of the details but from what I gather, there was a fire. Apparently the king was known to fall asleep in his study late at night. On one such occasion, a fire broke out. Your father, Professor Kim, happened to be passing by and saw someone running in the shadows, away from the building. I guess he noticed smoke billowing out and he ran in. The king was asleep at his desk and he managed to wake him but the smoke was thick. He told him what had happened, what he’d seen, while he tried to get him to the door but just as they reached it, almost as soon as the king crossed the threshold, a beam fell and pinned your father to the ground. By then the whole palace had been alerted to what was going on and the guards, who had also fallen asleep at their posts, came rushing. They managed to pull your father from the room before he was burnt but it was too late. He’d died from smoke inhalation.” She paused again, her voice tinged with sorrow. “The doctor said even if the smoke hadn’t killed him, he wouldn’t have lived. The beam had broken his spine.”
Jae stared at her, unaware of the tears that trailed down his cheeks.
She took his hand. “I’m sorry. I thought you knew. I thought for sure he would have told you. He should have,” she said somewhat angrily, resentment towards Yunho rising in her chest. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “Yunho was sent to Ruan the very next day where he stayed until the late king passed away. The king feared that since the attempt against him had failed, whoever was responsible would try to go after his son. Your father was the top scholar at the university but he was also an advisor and close confidante to the king. A cherished friend. The King made a promise that he would take care of you and your sister so he made you wards of the state.”
“He never talked to us, never had anything to do with us,” Jae said, shaking his head, still unable to grasp it all.
She queezed his hand. “Perhaps the memory of what happened was still too difficult for him to accept. Perhaps he felt like he had failed your father, failed you, by not protecting him. Being the daughter of a king and now the wife of one, I’ve come to understand that despite the position and the power that goes with it, they are still mere men underneath it all, dealing with the same struggles and uncertainties all humans face. Maybe that’s what brought you together.”
Jae looked up at her, confused.
“They both sacrificed, they both lost, both left their children behind to mourn them, to make sense of the world that they’d left to them. Perhaps you two came together to fill the missing pieces in each other’s lives, to fill the gaping holes within you. How else would you explain the unlikeliness of what’s developed between you?”
Jae closed his eyes and thought of the father he could barely remember, of the mother he’d never known and the sister he was currently mourning. Then he thought of Yunho, who was at the moment facing uncertain danger yet had ensured that he was absolutely safe, and wished desperately that he was there at that moment so he could tell him that he loved him again.
Yunho sat at the desk in his study, the study that was once his father’s. It had been rebuilt after the fire so many years ago and what was salvageable had been salvaged. The desk, for one. It still bore the scorch marks of the flames that had licked at it but it was strong and sturdy and had survived the attempted assassination, just like his father had. So his father had kept it.
“A reminder,” he’d said, “of one’s mortality.”
Had he known?, he wondered. Did he know what they were doing to him?
His father had not been an old man at the time of his death. He was barely in his fifties and had the attitude and vigor of a man ten years younger. But he’d taken ill and slowly became sicker and sicker until he’d died.
They were smart enough, Yunho thought, to let it be a gradual process rather than something sudden, which would’ve definitely raised suspicion of foul play.
“Poisoned,” he whispered.
Was that what they had in store for him? His father had sent him away to keep him safe but then he’d come back upon his death, as they’d known he would. He’s survived three years so far so they hadn’t been ready to get rid of him yet.
“They’d hoped that they would have a new beginning with you,” ShinHo had spilled once the effects of the drug had worn off and he realized he’d opened a door he couldn’t close again. “A new ruler they could mold. Instead, they found that you were just as principled and unbending as your father was, more so if possible. Then they realized what had to be done. But they couldn’t deal with you the way they’d dealt with your father because of the connection to Ruan. You had to go but retaining good ties with Ruan was tantamount. It wouldn’t bode well for the kingdom if they were to make enemies of such a strong nation. That’s why they made a contact there. This time around, more thorough, careful planning was needed. They would need to discredit you, to make you lose favor with the Ruan king, before they could get rid of you. Permanently.”
With a sigh, he dropped his head into his hands, staring down at the paper that lay on the desktop. It was a list of names of everyone who had been involved in his father’s murder and everyone who had conspired against him. Unsurprisingly, they were one and the same in both instances. Minister Lee was at the top of the list. He supposed he could cross him off since he’d already been dispatched. But the name at the bottom of the list should have surprised him.
Lord Yoo.
If not for the information from the Queen, he would have been caught unawares. He was grateful for her assistance yet again. However, he couldn’t help but wonder if Lord Yoo was acting on his own or on behest of the Ruan King. The King, from Yunho’s experience, had always been a cold, calculating man. There was no softness in him and his kingdom came first and foremost. Yet, he had honor and pride. He was not the type of man to stab his enemy in the back, rather he’d enjoy looking his enemy in the eye while he cut him down. Yunho shook his head. No…there was no way the King knew. He would not have condoned Yunho’s assassination any more than he would have had a part in Yunho’s father’s murder. They’d not only been allies but friends, in their own way.
Sighing, he stood and walked to the window, looking out at the darkness beyond.
He’d leave it up to the Queen to handle things on her side while he dealt with the leaders of his kingdom, just like he’d handed Jae over into her safe-keeping. And she would keep him safe, he had no doubts about that.
A soft knock made him turn around. MinWoo opened the door, stepped inside. His expression was grave.
“The council has assembled. Preparations are complete.”
Yunho closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Expelling it, he opened his eyes again and walked to the desk. He reached for the gold, jeweled hilt of the sword that lay there, his father’s, and gripped it tightly, feeling the strength of the one who’d ruled with it before him flow through his veins. He could do this. He was his father’s son.
Meeting MinWoo’s eyes, he smiled, a look of savage determination in his gaze.
“Let’s go.”
Part XII