[Jung and Baek-Ah told Ju, Princesses, and Seol that Gwangjong doesn’t have much time. When they visit him, the king gave Jung a doctrine in which he accepted. With his last breath, Gwangjong sees Soo and passed away.]

Previously as Seol told her brothers to summon all the elders of Yoo clan, they were on their seats anxiously waiting for their eldest heiress to enter. It was unusual for her to call every member of Chungju clan assembled. 

They heard the door opened, revealing Seol with her brothers and took their seats respectively. She was wearing a yellow, red, and white hanbok with her hair adorned with hairpin. She had already told Jung and others she didn’t need any escorts as she was fully prepared to see the true colors behind the Yoo clan’s mask.

“I have called you all for the important matter.” She spoke in grave tone from her youthful appearance.

The silence prompted her to continue.

“I’ve heard that you all requested his majesty to arrange the marriage between me and the crown prince.”

This caused everyone to flinch, averting their gaze. Seol frowned at their impudent, shameless behaviors but relieved her explanation had grabbed them around her fingers. Cheon Chu-Jeon glared at the elders, as if he was ready to cut anyone who would deny her “accusation”.

“I don’t really need your request, though,” Seol then smiled, “as much as everyone’s concerned about me, I did think of asking his majesty to let him court me.”

The families of Yoo looked at her, shocked and yet hopeful.

“I will not marry him for power. I will marry because I want to protect the ones I love. I want to protect all who had protected me. Our clan might have cut off the ties to our king and were once accused for the attempted treason but if you lend me and my people your hand, I could also protect you all.” Seol concluded with gentle smile. Her speech had managed to struck in their heart as they all glanced at one another, and nodded their head in unison.

After a long assembly set by Seol, she dismissed herself and went outside the palace. She stopped as she saw Ju and his sisters waiting for her. The heiress of Yoo waved her hand at them as she walked over. When she asked Jung to bring all member of Chungli household, Ju decided not to ask the reason as he did not want to press her further for his curiosity.

“How’s his majesty?” Seol asked.

Before anyone could answer, they heard Jung and Baek-Ah rushed towards them. Alarmed and grim, they looked at Seol. 

“What’s going on?” Ju asked, demanding an answer.

Looking at one another, then glanced back at Seol they decided to speak up.

“There isn’t much time for his majesty…he want to bring you to his chamber immediately.” Baek-Ah explained, sympathy and sadness filled in his eyes. Jung didn’t said anything as his hands were on his back, hiding the scroll that was bestowed by the king.

With a heavy thud in her chest, she followed with Ju who was worried for her well-being as the king aged even more. When they arrived, the door opened for them and they entered. Choi Ji-Mong was beside the king’s bed and greeted both the Crown Prince and Seol, bowed. He moved to the side, revealing the aged, fatally sickened king Gwangjong lying on his bed sleeping.

“Your majesty, Lady Seol’s came.”

Hearing the astronomer’s words, the king slowly opened his eyes and searched for his daughter. Ji-Mong excused himself as he slowly walked out the door, leaving the three. Seol eyes were saddened at her father’s waning health for she had seen him sleep-talking several nights ago, or had a brief hallucination of mistaking Seol as her mother Hae Soo, believing she had come for her person, Wang So. 

Now in this condition, the king also had respiratory disease preventing him from speaking. Closing her eyes, she could feel Ju’s hand grabbed her’s, in an attempt to comfort her. She smiled at him and stared at the king.

“Father…,” she sniffed, “do you want to go to mother?”

Her question had made her father glanced at her. With several second passed, he slowly nodded his head, remorse filled in his heart he have to leave his daughter alone in this cruel place, leaving her to defend herself. 

“Do not worry. I can protect myself. I’m strong woman now,” Seol tried to assure him, “so…you could go to her. She’s waiting…”

This time, Ju came beside her as his hand kept holding her’s tightly.

“I will not ask for your permission, but I want your permission…to let me stay beside and protect her.”

Gwangjong glanced at the young man. He could still remember their last confrontation after Seol spared for Ju’s life, the same words he had spoke.

The Crown Prince Wang Ju, stood in the throne room glaring.

“You…have you come back to ask for Seol again?” Gwangjong growled, almost in distaste at his oldest son’s presence.

“I didn’t come to ask for her again…even if you still don’t, it won’t change how I feel about her,” Ju replied, frowning, “I know why you refused to let me marry to your daughter…”

His statements caused the king nearly dropped his scroll, eyes were slightly wide. ‘He knew?’ Gwangjong thought. He bit his lips as Ju kept glancing at the king with inquiring look. Ju’s eyes resembled his, but his face structures resembled his brother and previous king, Jeongjong, Wang Yo. When Ju smiled, it reminded of that wench, deceased Queen Daemok, whose family had were the cause of his person’s death. Hissed in anger, the king glared daggers at this sorry excuse of his son, the crown prince.

“So?”

Ju waited for the king to continue, his face remained unreadable.

“When I see you, it reminds me how I failed to protect everyone I loved and cared the most. Your face, your mother’s wretched face…reminds me of my pathetic loss,” Gwangjong spoke coldly, “You are my shame, disgrace…and flaw. That’s why I refused to let you have Seol.”

Crown prince bit his lips, side of his mouth twitching at the king’s cruel words.

“Your family may have took her mother away from me….and now…you are tainting her with a blood of treacherous family! I will not tolerate the same cruel fate that will break my daughter.”

Enough with his obnoxious condemnation of his family for Seol’s mother’s death, Ju decided it was worth of his life to confront.

“The one who broke Lady Hae Soo is you!”

Ju’s cold outburst caused the king to stare at him.

“Your hatred…your obsession with revenge killed her mother. You claim to understand her wish for the end of bloodshed for the throne, but no…you don’t…perhaps you were not listening to her because you were blind with vengeance…if you truly cared for your person you should know she doesn’t want any grudge or revenge.”

Ju’s every word struck inside the king’s heart for he couldn’t find anything to retort. Because he was right. Gwangjong’s obsession for his person, Soo, and for the revenge were the ones that killed her. The king’s fist trembled but he didn’t say anything. Ju sneered humorlessly, then laughed in a slightly dark and hysterical tone. Tear escaped from the young prince’s eyes.

“You are very greedy…selfish even…,” Ju laugh in unrestrained resentment, “as so am I…we do have a common traits after all.”

Ju sighed heavily, forming a composed expression.

“But I am here to ask one thing…despite my powerless, and petty existence, let me protect Seol. I do not care whether we were not allowed to be married…I only want to protect and help her survive whatever that will harm her.”

With a stiff bow, the crown prince left the court leaving the king alone on his throne.

And here now, Ju grabbed his daughter’s right hand protectively as if she was about to collapse. Watching his son standing beside Seol, king’s wrinkled, pale hand grabbed his oldest son’s hand. Gripping with firm, but there was no force. Flinched, Ju’s looked down at his right hand where the king’s hand grabbed. He looked at Gwangjong, who formed a barely small smile. His pupil shaken for a brief moment but he smiled back. He then grabbed the king’s hand and let it grasped on Seol’s right hand. The king’s expression grew softened then.

His eyes grew blur as many memories flashed in his mind. He could see Eun and Jung laugh, chasing one another as other brothers smiled. He could see the princes watching Soo singing during the tenth prince’s birthday. The last thing he could remember was his person Hae Soo, walked around the lake Dongji. Her pale blue hanbok adorned her as the hairpin—in which he gave it to her—pinning on her hair. She fiddled her fingers together in anxiety but as she saw So, she waved her hand as if asking him to come forth as a beautiful smile formed on her face.

Wang So, formed a peaceful smile as his eyes were closing. His hand reached for Seol’s face.

“…Soo-ya…”

As his fingers touched his daughter’s cheek, it heavily fell to his side with a thud.

Ju only stared at the king’s closed eyes and a peaceful smile formed on his aged, wrinkled face. His mouth were closed, after his one last breath. The crown prince exhaled heavily as Seol’s eyes finally let the tears escape and her hands covered , preventing herself from crying. The two didn’t realized Baek-Ah and Jung was behind them until the general held the king’s pale cloak. Blinking his tears back, Jung covered the king’s eternally asleep physique with the fabric.

Ju quickly held Seol before she could collapse on the floor. She silently wailed, her hands kept covering . His arms were protectively surrounded her. He could still feel his right hand where the king finally grabbed for his father never hold them until his last breath.

The crown prince now knew that both Seol and himself had lost their father. But he was more concerned with her. She never get to see her mother and now…she let her father leave the world. Forgetting the tears from his eyes, Wang Ju was determined to use all of his strength to protect and help her fight through whatever the horrid fate will lurking out for her.

Note:
Oh god…the death of Gwangjong, Wang So. I was listening to Moon Lovers OST “Will Be Back” sung by Im Sun-Hae while writing about So’s death. Comment~! But please do not blame me…