Chapter Two
Queen Lee Ji-eun, The King's Wife
Queen Lee Ji-eun, King's Wife
Chapter Two
1417.04.02. Hanseong, South Korea
Lee Ji-eun cursed whatever mighty powers that brought her into this era. Yep, she was sure of it. She was in the Joseon era during King Geun-suk' short reign, right before his brother becomes a King in his stead. The golden reign of King Woo-young. She read about it in the history books. They said that the former king was a kind and a fair king who disappeared into nowhere during his battle with China.
She wondered if she would get to meet him or The Great Jang Woo-young. Probably not. It was, after all, only a wishful thinking. There was no way that lowly court lady like her would meet the king.
Speaking of her job, what did she do anyway? Well, whatever it was, all she had to keep on focusing was to keep a smile like her mother told her to do so and do her job well without a complaint. That way, at least the higher ups won't kick her out the palace. She did not know how she would explain to her kind brother if that happened. It was not like she could tell him that she was not his sister and instead someone that looked like her who came from the future. She would be deemed insane, she was sure.
"Ji-eun? What are you doing there? It's almost time to start!" a beautiful fair skinned girl with light brown hair and chocolate brown eyes asked her, running towards her with a curious expression on her face. The girl stopped in front of her and Ji-eun resisted the urge to hug her tightly and never let go. After all, if she hadn't come, she was sure that she would have stood here for good twenty minutes.
"Ah, it seems that I have gotten lost deep in my thoughts. Is it the time already?" asked Ji-eun with a bright smile on her face, silently wondering if it was a plausible excuse. She looked brightly at the girl and was shocked to find out that the girl was looking at her in a shock with wide brown eyes.
She panicked immediately. Was the excuse she thought of an implausible one? Should she have thought of something much better? Was she going to be sent to an asylum of this time? Was there such a thing? She did not read that section in the history book she owned. In a fact, she wasn't even sure if there was such a section.
The girl touched her forehead, her eyes still wide. "You don't have a fever yet you are smiling. You never smile. Who are you and what have you done to the cold beauty Lee Ji-eun?" asked the girl, clearly confused.
So, it wasn't what she said was wrong but the fact that she smiled. It seems that in front of others she did not smile. She should have thought about what kind of character this Lee Jie-eun had before she opened . Though, she did not know if she could do a cold beauty act. She participated in the acting audition once in a college and failed miserably. She doubted that she got any better.
"Ah, that. I just realized that the world was better if I started smiling. You see, since the tragic event that took my parents away, I had trouble smiling. But I realized these last days that my parents would not want that on me. So, I smiled." Ji-eun said, remembering what Jong-suk told her about their parents passing away ten years ago during a trip to China that also took their brother, Jong-gi with them.
She studied a human a psychology for a semester during college as it was a very interesting subject and however it had little to do with Business class college student. And thus she knew for the fact that the death of loved ones can cause a person become colder and less feeling. But it can be cured, it said as any other psychological situations can be cured. Except, rare ones, of course.
The girl's eyes softened and her lips turned into a wide smile. "Oh, Ji-eun! I am so glad that you decided on that!" she said, hugging her tightly and catching her by surprise. She was not sure whatever or not to hug her back.If she hugged, she may arise suspicious as it was too soon for this Lee Ji-eun become the 21st century smiling and a bright girl that was a naturally affectionate person. If she did not, she might hurt her feelings. Ah, humans were so complicated! Why was she born a human again? If she had not, she would not have been troubled with the issues of an arranged marriage and thus. She wished that was born a bunny. A very cute bunny with no trouble other than getting eaten by residence wolf.
But, before she could decide on her decision, the girl let go of her immediately. "Oh, I am sorry! I am well aware that it is impossible to become so overly affectionate person like me! I am aware that it was a bit too much."
"Maybe a bit." Ji-eun agreed, smiling. "Now, shall we go?"
"Of course!" she said and thus, Ji-eun set on following after her.
When a few minutes later she arrived with her newly made friend whose name she did not know, she was surprised to find out that it was a royal kitchen that she worked at. She thought about something like a lady-in-waiting for whoever noble but that did not seem to be the case.
Ji-eun smiled to herself as she and the girl entered the royal kitchen in a hurry. Cooking, she could do well. She had been cooking ever since she was six as it was the very first womanly activity her mother taught her before she passed away and ever after her mother' tragic death, she continued cooking for the family however her father disapproved and wanted to hire a cook. But even he agreed that her cooking skills were the best.
"Lady Ji-eun! Lady Ji-yeon! You are late!"
Jang Woo-young did not think that The Queen loved his brother in a way that a lover was supposed to love a man. The Queen's gaze that rested on his brother was not of a woman in love, but of a woman, that felt that he separated her from the man she loved. "You are dismissed, your highness," said his brother to his wife, quickly dismissing her.
The Queen quickly stood up and doing a quick courtesy, her heel to walk out of the room. "You have noticed then, Brother Prince?" asked his brother with a sad smile. "That she does not love me?"
"Who does she love then if not you? She has to love someone for her to act such a way?"
"None other than my best friend, Shi-yoon. Though, I suppose that he's no longer the best with his lingering feelings for my wife." said his brother sadly. "It was me that robbed them out of the happiness. If I had convinced my father that a marriage between her and me was not to be, perhaps she would not have suffered so much. Over years, I watched her come to hate me more and more. I am afraid that one day, she may come to despise me."
"It would not come to that, Brother King. The Queen may not love you, but she respects you."
"I know." his brother said, "Which is why it's sadder that I robbed the happiness out of the Queen, the woman that respects me more than anyone could."
He took one glance at the liquid that was on the table and grabbing it, gulped it all down. "Damn, but I love her."
And Woo-young did not know whatever he wanted to love a woman like that. He thought not, seeing how pathetic of a man it made his brother be. He closed his eyes and sighed, pouring a liquid into his cup and gulping it down too.
It was very sour and he still did not like it. But, it calmed down his nerves. So, he drank.
Shin-hye thought that when she became a Queen, her love for Shi-yoon would disappear. She was too naive to believe that. It did not disappear and it did not even lessen. In fact, it became, even more, stronger as she came to know the Shi-yoon that was no longer just her childhood friend who used to carry her on his back without a fear of wrath from her lord father, but a man with broad shoulders and kind smile that made her be the same sixteen-year-old Shin-hye that first saw him once he was back from his army training. She was nearing thirty but he still made her feel like that.
She thought that it was unfair and she would have much rathered to be a peasant than a daughter of a rich noble to be married off to whomever her father chose. She, as a young teenager eighteen, wondered what it would have been like if her father chose Shi-yoon for her to marry. His family wasn't bad off but as he wasn't of noble lineage, he wasn't someone that her father would want for her to marry. She was well aware of that. But, that did not mean she couldn't hope.
Though, that hope was for nothing. In the end, she ended up married to her other childhood friend, whom she did not love. She married him and had a boy of five with him and then, lost her child. Before then, she did not think that there was a greater pain than not being able to marry the man she truly loved, but the pain that was brought to her by her unborn child's death was great. She still could hear the words the woman had uttered. "Your majesty, the young prince did not survive."
Fighting back the tears, she was lost deep in the thoughts for she was not aware when she bumped into Shi-yoon. She looked up to him and all she wanted to do was to run away from him. From Geun-suk. From everyone. Just her and her little boy. "Your majesty," he said, bowing to her.
He was a member of her husband', she winced at the word, government as its civil servant. From what she heard, he was everything a nobleman was supposed to be. He did his job with great respect towards his King and he did well and responsibly.
"Your grace," she said, smiling at him sadly.
How come their relationship become so sour in such a short time? She did nothing but to chat with him only a few years ago, dismissing the fact that she was about to be married to their other friend. Maybe it was that night before she was married when they had kissed and he stormed away, claiming they could not do this and that. His actions hurt her at the time but at the same time, she saw a truth in his words.
He smiled at her and passed by her, walking away and all Shin-hye could do as she watched him walk away from her was to stare sadly and feel her heart break. She breathed hard and looking straight, started walking towards her room.
All will be well, she was sure. At least, as well as it could be.
OKAY, CHAPTER TWO. HOPE YOU LIKE THIS. AND, AS SORRY AS I AM TO SAY THIS BUT I WOULD BE ON HIATUS UNTIL SUMMER SINCE I HAVE EXAMS I MUST ATTEND TO AND PREPARE FOR SINCE I AM 12TH GRADER AND NEED TO PASS THEM IN ORDER TO GET TO THE COLLEGE. SO, I WILL TRY TO UPDATE IF I CAN BUT I THINK NOT. ANYWAY, WHEN THE EXAMS PASS, I WILL BE FREE TO DO ANYTHING I WANT TO I WILL BE FREE TO UPDATE THOSE CHAPTERS AND HOPEFULLY, THINK OF NEW STORIES TO WRITE. SO, GOODBYE UNTIL SUMMER.
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