Eventually, the ceremony drew to an end, and when they were both finally crowned King and Queen, So and Soo each let out a sigh of relief. Although the ceremony was done, they still had to go through the celebratory banquet hosted in their honor. However, they had a bit of reprieve before the celebratory dinner that evening so they retired to their chambers to change and to rest.

It was customary that the new monarch and his partner would move into the chambers dedicated for the rulers of the kingdom.  It was there where they each changed out of their ceremonial robes into something lighter. Although So and Soo were currently getting ready in their own quarters, they would mainly use So’s quarters on a daily basis.

There were many rumors that surrounded the 4th couple when they first got married, one of them being that they shared the same quarters. Sharing quarters was uncommon for royal members, and was something associated with the common folk. Regardless of the rumors, Soo and So continued to break society’s customs, and everyone from the outside assumed it was because the both of them were so deeply in love, they could not bear to be separated from each other.

Well, Soo supposed those rumors were actually true. They never saw a reason to use separate quarters after getting married. They were accustomed to sleeping together during their travels, and in her eyes, it was lonely to sleep alone after one got married. Therefore, when they moved to their new quarters, the Queen’s quarters would be used to receive guests, but Soo and So would share a bed and get ready together as per usual in the king’s quarters

By the time Soo was ready, she was informed So had already left and she wondered why he had done so without telling her. Still, she just thanked the eunuch and left her quarters shortly after. When she reached the entrance to the area where they would have the celebratory banquet, she saw So standing with his arms crossed behind his back. He had changed into beautifully embroidered black robes with the signia of the king in gold, his hair tied neatly up in a sangtu. 

When he turned around, he smiled at the sight of her and called out:

“Wang Hoo.”

It was then that Soo remembered her vision from years ago, the night when she had agreed to marry So while they were watching the stars. It had finally come true. She smiled and walked up to him as he descended the steps towards her.

“Greetings to the king. I am glad to see you again, Paeha,” Soo said in response. 

It was only So who could sense the teasing tone behind her words. They had agreed to not refer to each other with their titles when it was among family and friends, however they were currently being watched by their palace workers so they had to maintain a certain formality.

So looked at Soo in her white robes. She too had similar embroidery on her clothes, and had the signia of a queen in gold on hers. With his black robes and her white ones, they certainly made a striking pair.

“I am happy to see you again as well, my queen,” So replied with a smile.

“I apologize for making you wait, Paeha. I was not aware you had finished before me.”

“I merely finished a bit early and wanted to make sure everything was ready for the both of us.”

“As you wish, Paeha.”

“Come, our royal brothers and sisters are waiting to greet us,” So said before he reached out for her hand.

“Yes, Paeha,” Soo said before she reached out to place her hand in his.

Again, normal practices called for the king to walk ahead of anyone else, but So and Soo were holding hands and walking together. Still, the palace workers were used to this sight and did not dare make any comments on societal traditions to the new rulers.

When they entered the garden, there was a large arrangement of tables piled high with food. Soo was strangely reminded of Eun and Soon Deok’s wedding. Granted, many people were feeling different things during that time, but she knew today would end up better than last time. Back then, she had run off after seeing a vision of So killing Eun and most likely caused Wook to change.

Speaking of which, she hadn’t seen that vision since then, so she hoped that the future had changed for good. They all had certainly grown up, and everyone was much more mature now, including Eun. Their current family also had good relationships with each other, and at the current moment, none of the royal brothers were vying for the throne like they were years ago. Everyone had agreed and accepted that So would become the next ruler, and they all supported him.

Once everyone saw their entry, they all bowed and greeted the new rulers of the country.

“Greetings to Paeha and Wang Hoo!”

So and Soo looked at each other, still slightly embarrassed they were to be referred as such from now on.

“Thank you everyone, let us sit down and enjoy the meal. It has been a long day.”

“Yes, Paeha!”

They both shared another look and held in their laughs as they took their seats. Perhaps if they were in closed quarters they could refer to each other comfortably, but because this celebration was held in an open pavilion, there were still many palace workers around. Still, that was a minor point and did not dampen the spirits of their fellow royal brothers and sisters.

Soo and So were also reunited with Seol, who was now able to walk with the assistance of her family members. They made sure to feed her and allowed her to be passed around to her relatives. Everyone cooed at how big she had grown, and Soo was slightly reluctant to agree. She had grown much busier as the months went by, and she hadn’t spent as much quality time with Seol as she would have liked.

She vowed that although she was queen now, she would make time for her daughter. It would not be long until her infant days were gone, and she wanted to cherish them for as long as she could.

Regardless of the new formalities, the close family members rejoiced for So and Soo. The celebration went on late into the night, and although everyone was slightly intoxicated, they all made it back to their respective chambers safely.

That night after all the candles were blown out and Seol was safely put to bed, So gathered Soo into his arms as they laid down to rest for the night.

“Soo ya, I have ascended the throne and made you my queen. Are you happy?”

Soo snuggled further into his chest and let out a satisfied hum.

“So ya, you know I did not marry you for that reason. You have made me happy since the day I agreed to marry you.”

She felt him hold her tighter before he spoke.

“I know...but I had to check. I am aware this was not what you originally wanted.”

So was right to a certain degree. Soo had wanted to leave the palace in the beginning, to leave the sufferings she had experienced within these walls behind. However, things had changed. She knew where they were needed the most, and Soo herself did not feel comfortable leaving for too long. 

At the time, she knew that King Hye Jong needed the support. She also knew that So had spent his entire childhood working towards coming back to the palace. She couldn’t be selfish and keep him away.

“No, it wasn’t...but things changed. We had people we wanted to support and protect. That much is even more true today.”

There was silence before So spoke again, this time in a softer voice.

“Do you ever...regret it?”

“Regret what?”

Soo could hear him hesitate before he answered

“...Marrying me, living in the palace...all of it...”

Soo leaned away from his chest and looked up to see So’s face. It had been a while since the last time she saw his expression this vulnerable. Leaning back towards him, she placed a soft kiss on his lips before pulling away just far enough to speak.

“There may be things I regret doing, but I would never ever regret marrying you.”

“Bu--”

“Do you regret marrying me?” 

Soo asked him the same question back and So immediately began to protest.

“Of course not! I could never regret it!”

Soo smiled and looked at So lovingly.

“I feel the same way. If I have ever made you feel otherwise, then I am sorry.”

“No, of course you didn’t. I never dreamed I would be blessed to have someone love me like you do. I had been scorned my entire life until I met you...sometimes I think this is all a dream and one day I will wake up one day to find out you are gone.”

So pulled her back into his chest, and tucked Soo’s head under his chin. She smiled and hugged him back even tighter. 

Soo didn’t think his fear was unfounded. She had arrived in his world via unnatural means. Although they did not bring up her past often anymore, it was still a topic of discussion from time to time. She herself did not know if one day she would suddenly wake up in the 21st century. It was frightening to think she would one day leave this world, and the ones she loved behind. It almost made her laugh to think she had tried so desperately to return at one point in time.

Still, she had been here this long, and in the present moment there was no danger of her disappearing. 

“I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you, So ya. I want to be here, and I will never leave you willingly.”

“I love you too, Soo ya,” So said before he leaned in to place a kiss on her lips in return.

And so the newly crowned king and queen spent the rest of the night showing how much they loved each other. They both knew this was just the beginning, and there would be many other unknown hardships in their future. However, they knew that if trusted and loved each other, everything would end up fine.