Empress Kim and Woobin stroll around the garden, to have some bonding time and discuss about the upcoming plan. They keep their voices quiet and glance to the side if they catch any slight movements. On the pavilion, she withdraws her hand and touches Woobin’s face, “if all goes well tonight. Tomorrow the emperor might make you the crown prince.”

Woobin musters a slight smile, “Everything is prepared mother. Tonight they will attack when the crown prince least expects it.”

“Well done.” She turns to look at the pond and past memories comes to haunt her. “The last time when the 1^st prince got poisoned, I had nightmares for weeks, for fear that you might be next. I recently recovered and now there will be another death. I hope that this time you will be the crown prince and not Jongin.”

“There is no way the emperor will choose Jongin over me. Jongin has no experience and most of the scandals revolve around him. He is too nice to people and they take advantage of him, and also inquiring information about him is far too simple. Mother, I’m more worried about Joohyuk. You know how he is, he is close to Baekhyun and if words get out, we will be severely punished, the higher up we are, the more responsibly we have to uphold.”

“I know Joohyuk and I know his vulnerabilities. As much as he disagrees with what we do, we are also his family. He will not say anything.”

Woobin nods in agreement. “He is naïve, naïve to the point where he believes the 1^st prince wasn’t poisoned by a royalty family member. He trusts people too easily.”

Empress Kim drifts off into thoughts. She contemplates her life and the path she had to take to be where she is at now. She has done a lot of wrong doings in the past but in the palace, she knows she isn’t the only one. Someone else killed the 1^st prince and till now, no one knows the truth.

Now with two sons with personalities on opposite ends of the spectrum, definitely makes things complicated for her. In her heart, she cherishes Joohyuk more than Woobin. But when it comes to doing big things in life and knowing when to dictate movements, Woobin is better. He recognizes what needs to be done and doesn’t resist the fight to be an heir of the throne.

Suddenly a voice snaps her out of her train of thought “it’s nice to see you out enjoying the view” Empress Park steps closer. They were the only two empresses in the palace and were always bickering like cats and dogs because of the competition to gain the emperor’s love.

This time, empress Park looks like she has the world in the palm of her hands. Empress Kim is disgusted even looking at this woman in front of her. If she loses her son Chanyeol, then it’s game over for her. She will have no one to stand by her side anymore.

“Why aren’t you speaking?” Empress Park asks, in hopes of irritating empress Kim. “Did you congratulate Chanyeol, Woobin? He’s going through immense stress now that he is placed in the east palace as the crown prince. I only have one son and everything he does is making me extremely proud. I can lift up my head and call him my son.”

Empress Kim knows that empress Park is only doing this to flaunt her satisfaction. Woobin can sense his mother’s anger so he steps in. He nods at empress Park and bows; “I will do so in congratulating the crown prince tonight, your royal highness.”

Empress Park grins and turns back to empress Kim. “You must be upset because I have one son and he is the crown prince, whom the emperor will abdicate the throne to. While you have two sons. One is older and for some reason wasn’t in the emperor’s favor. Meanwhile the younger one doesn’t care about the throne and spends all day playing with the 5^th prince. It must be hard living in your shoes.” She gives a fake smile, “I’ll see you at the ceremony tonight.”

Seeing her walk away, empress Kim clenches her fist in anger. Woobin softly touches his mother’s back. “Ignore her mother, at least your son won’t be bury before his mother.”

-----

The eunuch instructs Kyungsoo to bring food for the crown prince so Kyungsoo is happy to oblige. He gets to escape from the crown prince for the time being! He cannot stand making a fool out of himself any more.

He steps out of the corner and that’s when he notices something suspicious. Everyone enters and exit using the main gate, so why are there two people dressed differently using other gates to leave? Kyungsoo keeps a close proximity and looks at the two guys dressed in commoner clothes, one is really tall and the other is shorter, but they are giving the impression that they do not belong in the palace. Kyungsoo picks up his pace through the corridors to catch the two guys.

“Stop right there! Intruders!”

The only people allowed in the east palace are royalties and maids that are sent here. The east palace is known for harmony with the architecture and dissymmetric beauty, but the two figures seem to be disrupting that beauty. These nefarious men must be caught. Kyungoo’s runs out of the corridors as he jumps on top of the taller figure back, stopping his moments. The two tumbles down on the ground, with Kyungsoo not letting go of his neck.

The smaller figure stops fleeing and turns to look at the commotion in the back. “You maid, get back to your duties this minute!”

Kyungsoo scoffs, this guy must be oblivious to the situation right now. His nostrils slightly flare when he inhaled a heavy breath. “You are in no position to give me commands. If I scream any louder, you two will be caught for trying to trespass into the palace. So lower your voice and stop acting like you are royalties here.”

“P-Pardon?” the smaller raises his voice. “Do you think you can handle the consequences by talking to me in such manner?”

The taller figure laughs at him instead of getting offended by the maid. “Hyungmin, hearing someone talk to you like this, is very amusing. ”

“Be quiet Joohyuk.”

Joohyuk turns around and tries to pull Kyungsoo off of him. Kyungsoo takes a moment pause to acknowledge the situation. He reaches an epiphany fast. Now he is petrified and tries to think of a quick escape. All I have to do is run. There are so many maids in the palace. They will not recognize me.

Instead of bowing or apologizing, Kyungsoo takes off running, ignoring the two guys calling for him to stop this instant.

Joohyuk sighs heavily and looks at the offended Baekhyun. “Maybe it’s the wrong time to sneak out of the palace. I wouldn’t want to get caught and suffer through the emperor scolding us again.”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes, “We need to get a gift for Chanyeol and so this is an errand. That’s a good enough excuse. That maid, I swear the next time I see her, if I do not have her in prison, I am not Baekhyun. I didn’t even know maids like that existed in the palace. She is the most vicious and outspoken.”

“I think they’re all vicious. The only difference is that this one didn’t know you were a prince.”

Joohyuk might be calm about this mess but Baekhyun isn’t. His pride as a prince is completely destroyed by that maid.

-----

Nah they couldn’t have been princes. They were dressed in common clothes. It’s ok Kyungsoo. No it’s not ok Kyungsoo. You will be punished and rot in this palace.

The shorter male earlier seems very upset.

-----

Chanyeol feels himself getting hungrier by the second. When his maid returns with no tray of celadon cups or bowls of food in her hands, Chanyeol’s raises an eyebrow. Is this maid playing a joke on him?

Kyungsoo swallows an emotional lump in his throat as he plays with his fingers, he is extremely nervous. Might as well get it over with.

“Your highness, I have committed a deadly crime.” Tears falls from Kyungsoo’s eyes as he falls to the floor. Chanyeol isn’t sure if the maid is being dramatic or she was being serious right now.

“The crime of not bringing my food when I’m hungry?” Chanyeol asks, in hopes of destroying the tension in the room.

Oh he totally forgot about the food. Great now he committed two wrongs at once.  

Instead of answering the crown prince’s question, tears falls from his eyes as his shoulder quiver. Chanyeol feels guilty, he already made this maid cry twice! Never in the years of Taeyeon serving him did she ever cry. He might be cold at times, but not to the point of just making girls cry this often.

“That’s enough. Stand up and tell me what crime you have committed.” Chanyeol instructs, “About the food, I forgive you. Now stop crying.”

Kyungsoo is inclined to listen so he slowly picks himself up. He tries to calm his shaking hand and stable them as he bows at the crown prince. “Earlier, I saw two guys wearing commoner clothing, trying to sneak out of the palace. I thought they were trespassing to steal relics, or jades from the palace and then escaping. So I offended them and even jumped on one of them. Now I think they were the princes and I-”

Kyungsoo stops when he hears the crown prince laughing really loud. His eyes close and his nose wrinkles from the heavy laughter. Kyungsoo looks at the crown prince and doesn’t move, not understanding why the crown prince is finding this situation amusing. Slowly, Chanyeol clears his throat.

“That is so amusing to hear. Well if they were princes, of which I am sure they are, nothing much will happen to you. They are not allowed to be sneaking outside the palace without the emperor’s permission. As a matter of fact, I know exactly the two princes you are speaking about. One might be hot tempered, but he won’t make the situation bigger, he knows his limits.”

Kyungsoo keeps his eyes on the floor, even though the crown prince is consoling him, he is still afraid of what’s to come.

“If you are still afraid, I will have a talk with them.”

“Thank you for your benevolence, your highness. I’m forever grateful!” Kyungsoo gets on his knees and bows over and over again. Chanyeol smiles to himself, this maid is definitely interesting.     

-----

The arrangement and final touches made the atmosphere feel alive. With the incandescence lights from the candles, along with the luminesce lights hanging around, it showed the maids and eunuchs did a good job. Kyungsoo admires the way everything is set up. He was always the one that had to decorate these types of events and feast, never the one to actually enjoy the end results. There was so much to explore but he couldn’t because he was instructed to stay close behind the crown prince.

The emperor sits in the middle and there were long tables to the left and right. Some were occupied with nobility, higher officials, the emperor’s subjects, and of course the princes. They were happily talking and drinking. Empress Park and empress Kim sits besides empress dowager, watching everyone chatting happily.

While everyone enjoys the meal, there was an ominous feeling creeping up Chanyeol’s spine. It seems all too perfect. His 1^st brother was murdered shortly after he was announced the crown prince, so Chanyeol is already prepared for what is to come.

Kyungsoo stands behind, trying to avoid eye contact with everyone but instead his big eyes keeps on trying to scan his surroundings. On the sidelines, when he sees the two princes he ran to earlier, his eyes widen and he turn his head to look somewhere else. He wanted to make a mental count of how many officials and royalties there were because he has never seen anyone up close before, this is the first time, but now he definitely knows whom to avoid.

But at the very moment, his heart quivers when he sees a figure, moving awfully closer to the crown prince. Anxiety begins to seize his subconscious and his heart skips a beat. Kyungsoo isn’t one to get involve in situations like this, but the sharp object in the figure’s hand isn’t a positive sign. His heart races as he interferes and covers the crown prince from the sharp blade.

“Your highness, be careful!”

Piercing screams escapes as the princes shot up from their seats while a few guards held a sword in hand. Chanyeol holds his maid that has taken a blade to his abdomen and pulls Kyungsoo closer to him.

“Seize them!” the emperor commands as a fight breaks out in the middle of the ceremony.

“Make sure the crown prince is safe!” Woobin shouts. He rushes forward with a growl of his own, swords singing as he slices the masked men, cutting one down before lopping off another head.

He launches at another assassin and slashing diagonally across his chest. The men fell at his feet as he rushes over to Chanyeol. “You should find somewhere safe and get out of here.”

“Hyungmin, we will take care of the rest!” Jongin shouts from the distance. “Get out of here!”

Chanyeol knows martial arts and is highly trained in it. But he looks down at the maid bleeding in front of him and he gets angrier. He picks Kyungsoo up, ignoring his mother cries for him to leave the maid and get out alone.

Holding the small body in his arm and rushing away, he can see the small figure look up at him, his gaze softens, “your highness, just leave me. You need to be safe.”

Chanyeol looks at the lifeless eyes and then down to the blood seeping out of the hanbok. “You just became my maid for one day. How cruel would I be to leave you? I’m indebted to you now that you have saved me.”

He can hear some of the assassins follow him so he hides behind the pavilion in the garden. He shifts behind the bamboos to block away the views from the assassin. He pants and trembles when he hears their footsteps moving closer to his location.

Then suddenly the shouts from the guards make the assassin move away from Chanyeol’s location as they make their escape.

Kyungsoo wills his body to relax when he feels the prince bringing him closer into his chest; his blood gets on the crown prince’s silk robes as well. He swallows his fear when he notices the crown prince whisper soft words into his ears, “it’s all right now. I will order a physician for you as soon as I can.”

Chanyeol looks down at his wounded maid, his shoulder slumps in exhaustion and guilt. Things like this happen often in the palace and a maid life is like an ant, very insignificant. But this maid wasn’t like the rest; she sacrificed her own body to take care of Chanyeol. Chanyeol knows the palace is known for people that only use flattery to get by, all were words but no action.

Tonight, he sees something different.

-----

Taeyeon falls onto her knees as empress Kim gives her a look of annoyance. Empress Kim throws a cup right by Taeyeon’s hands, shattering the cup and dismantling it into pieces. “You did not inform me that the crown prince has a different maid!”

“Your royal highness” Taeyeon cries out as she looks onto the floor, “I had no idea that the maid would follow the crown prince to the ceremony. Usually it is the eunuch who he takes along with him, I greatly apologize your royal highness.”

“Because of your incompetence the plan is ruined! It was a good thing Woobin stepped in to lower the suspicion and erase the traces that would make our family be the suspects.”

Taeyeon’s tears falls from her face as empress Kim approaches her, and slaps her. She falls on the sidelines and empress Kim reaches for Taeyeon’s hair and pulls it back. “You are a lousy maid. At an important time like this the crown prince gave you to the 4^th prince. Your life will be gone like his old maid. I do not wish to see you anymore, so go! Now!”

-----

Chanyeol paces back and forth, waiting for the physician to come out and deliver the results.

“Hyungnim?” Jongin rushes besides Chanyeol. “His majesty wishes to see you. You should go now.”

“My maid is in critical condition right now. Can you deliver the message to his majesty that I will speak to him tomorrow?”

The sight of Chanyeol right now isn’t like the meticulous Chanyeol that Jongin knows. He remarks calmly, “Hyungnim, I think it is in your favor to not upset the emperor. He has important matters to discuss with you about the events tonight. If you want, I can wait here until the physician tells me the result and report back to you.”

Chanyeol thinks for a minute and then holds Jongin’s shoulder. “Thank you Jongin. I will be back soon.”

A maid life isn’t even something to consider. If the empress or the emperor knows about how much Chanyeol is worrying right now, they would think he is completely insane. Jongin doesn’t understand his brother.

He shot to his feet the moment the physician walks out.

“Your highness-” the physician is startle that it isn’t the crown prince in front of him but the 4^th prince.

“Is she all right?” Jongin also looks concerned.

“S-She is all right, but your highness, there is something you need to know…”

-----

A/N: Sorry a cliffhanger lol. But do you how many palaces I had to visit in Korea to remember the names? I ended up learning so much about history but of course this story isn’t related to any historical events. I want to thank you for the support so far and hope you enjoy my first historical fanfic ^^