[Seol was about to apologize to Ju, but she got lost around Chundeok-Jeon inside Song-Ak. Peculiarly, she saw the vision and remembered the warning from Choi Ji-Mong. When she entered the empty, abandoned room of Queen Daemok, she saw the visions, the truth that she didn’t prepared to face, the true death of Ju’s mother.]

Wandering around the palace for several hours, Seol wondered where Ju was. His sisters told her he currently goes out and does not stay at his room as usual. She searched at Damiwon, Lady Gyeonghwagung’s, and Lake Dongji but she couldn’t find him. Even when she asked Lady Munhye, she didn’t know where the Crown Prince. Groaned inwardly, she was about to go back but remembered the place, the Cheonduk-Jeon. With smile, she rushed to the quarter, only to remember that the quarter was too big, too many rooms to find him.

What caught her attention was deep inside, the abandoned chamber. The light was gone and darkness was the only thing left inside. It was deceased Queen Daemok’s quarter. Curiosity kicked in and hoping that Ju would be there, she was about to take as she heard someone behind her.

“Lady Seol.”

She turned around and saw the elderly Royal Astronomer Choi Ji-Mong. He was making a saddened, but strained smile as he approached to her.

“Ji-Mong?”

“Do you plan to go inside there?” He asked cautiously.

Seol only nodded her head. Ji-Mong looked around and relieved there was no one but him and Seol. He leaned in and talked quietly.

“This is the abandoned quarter…and if you enter, you will witness the the Crown Prince’s secret: The true death of his mother.”

“But he told me she died because of illness.” Seol tilted her head.

Choi Ji-Mong merely shook his head.

“He lied to you because if he told you the truth, your views towards his majesty would change. Your views towards your uncle.”

“When did she passed away?” She asked.

“The day after you left the palace when you were eight.” Ji-Mong replied in grave tone.

Seol was in a deep thought. ‘The king? Uncle So?’ She thought in question. Why would she? Did something happened to him? She wondered again, but there was no reply. Unless, she goes inside the abandoned quarter. She looked at the entrance of deceased queen’s chamber, and with determined expression she glanced back to the astronomer.

“I’ll go.”

“Are you sure?” Choi Ji-Mong questioned, “some truth must be remained concealed…do you really want to see?”

Seol replied with confident, bold smile.

“Then, I could go find out.”

With that, she walked towards the entrance. Oblivious to her, Ji-Mong looked her with smile as he saw an apparition of a beautiful young woman in royal, majestic hanbok, looking back at him with doe-like eyes and reserved smile. Ji-Mong sighed as he turned away, walking towards the Astronomer Tower.
She take a step inside the entrance and saw a long hallway that has nothing but walls with one window that reveals the sunlight. But what made her jumped the most was the floor. It was clean partially but there was a trail of rotten, crimson blots. She knelt down and inspected closely, only to recognize the identity.

“Is that…blood?”

Then with a short second, she looked up and everything was blurry. She spun around in confusion and heard familiar voice rang.

‘I must kill the monsters…’

She tried to see the source of the voice but she couldn’t see anything in the hallway.

‘There are still evil out there lurking, trying to eat my little princess…’
She recognized the voice as everything became clear around her. It was same hallways she stood, except the fact that she found herself inside the vision, the one’s memory…She heard the shriek behind her and spun around to see two court ladies collapsed on the sides, died in clod blood. The silhouette of a man was walking in the hallway. Seol squinted her eyes to see the better look. She was glad she was invisible in the world of the vision she was seeing. The man was closer and closer, revealing his own features and face. 

‘If I kill the monsters and the witch,’

The man was wearing the black royal robes, with his hair tied up in knots, decorated with golds. Seol’s eyes were wide with shock, paralyzed at the man she knew, yet she doesn’t recognize.

“Uncle?” She silently blurted.

Gwangjong was slowly marching and he was holding a…sword, with the blood dripping down. He looked at his sword, with a bone-chilling smile.

‘Seol will finally be happy!’

Gwangjong, Wang So, was smiling, then he chuckled. his eyes were losing its lights. His shoulders were shaking, then he made a loud, hysterical cackling. His laughing was filled with insanity, malevolence, and wrath. Continuing his insane statement he was walking towards the Queen’s chamber and Seol secretly ran first and walked pass the door, only to found young Crown Prince, crouching beside the Queen’s bed, crying for his mother.

Seol flinched as she heard the door was kicked open by the king. His uncontrolled, maddening laugh sounded with fury as the sword, his right had was holding, pointed at his son. Ju wailed out of fear, calling out for his mother, his sisters…, his only friend Yoo Seol. Hearing the boy calling his princess’ name, the king strained his angered smile disgusted to hear her name from the boy whose mother tried to kill her. Before he could act out, Ju was surrounded by the protective arms of the woman. His mother, Queen Daemok, embraced her son with protection. She glared at the king with determination, anger, and most of all, fear.

Irritated by her presence, Gwangjong glared daggers at the witch everyone called as queen. His sword, then, pointed at her.

“Move aside…” He growled.

Seol could only watch the queen blocked him, despite her shaking, frightened body. And that only fuelled the king’s anger even more.

“I said move aside…!”

Biting her lips, Queen Daemok shook her head, refuse to oblige. Seol saw Ju’s trembling body, calling for his mother, fearing what would happen next. Seol, once again, glanced at her uncle, whose arms were shaking out of fury. Clenching his grasp on his sword with his two hands, he roared out.

“I SAID MOVE ASIDE!!!”

With his hands raised up the sword, its blade slashed the queen’s body. The blood oozed out, splattering over the room. Seol gasped in horror as her hands covered her wide mouth. The queen was froze at the spot looking at where her blood escaped. With her legs numb, she knelt and with a loud collapsing sound, she fell. Ju shrieked, calling for his mother disbelieved at what just happened. With one single tear from her eyes, the queen closed her eyes and here we are, seeing the death, the downfall of Queen Daemok, Hwangbo Yeon-Hwa.

Bringing herself back from the vision, Seol found herself inside the queen’s room where there was no one but herself. She looked at the floor where the rotten, scarlet blots were remained untouchable, intact. She tried to calm herself with inhaling and exhaling. She didn’t realize her eyes grew watery, wet from the tears that were continuously dropping. She looked at the spot where the king stood, and at the bedside where Ju squatted down. Horror, guilt, and despair overwhelmed her, all of sudden.

“…he killed the queen…just to protect me? Because she tried to kill me?” She thought loudly.

She remembered Ju’s expression when he told her his mother died, because of illness. She saw the way he looked at her. His eyes were full of mourn, hopelessness, and possibly…accusation. Seol sniffed, blinked back her tears.

“It’s my fault…he was suffering because of me…”

She moved away from the chamber, walked fast on the hallway and escaped the queen’s quarter, with her heart in discord, questioning rather she must confront the king, or shut herself out from everyone she loves. Then she stopped and heard another vision. She saw the brief apparition of men, killed by the soldiers. The men from Hwangju clan stabbed by the swords, and fell on the cold, stone floor with the king witnessing their death. His empty eyes inspected their body with full of contempt. He flashed a cruel smile as he walked away.

“That’s not my uncle…” Seol muttered as she ran to her chamber.

She locked the door, not letting anyone enter. She climbed on her bend, picked up her mother’s hairpin, clutching tightly to her chest and she forced herself to fell asleep into a dreamless slumber.

Note:
Now you see the true death of Queen Daemok, everyone… the scene was based on the drama “Iron Empress” (I don’t remember what episode it was, but it was a flashback). The vision is a continuation from chapter 7.