“Can you understand why I didn’t want to stay here?”, Su-yeon said quietly, her voice broke the silence and Minwoo looked up at her, his eyes unreadable.

“It isn’t fair to anyone that I stay here when I feel so much jealously. I hate seeing you with her. It’s like all the feelings I had for you have returned full force and it’s breaking my heart.”, she said and looked away and wiped a tear from her eye.

“You can’t help the way you feel, Su-ah”, Minwoo said gently, “but even as much as I loved you then and the way my heart still loves you now, it is different. Lapis was the first person that made me feel like really living again. I had become cold and distant until she came into my life”, he said and stood and went to sit closer to her.

“But I’m back now”, she said fervently, “and I find you married to another woman”, her voice was like a hiss.

“Su-ah, please don’t be angry. I had no idea you were still alive. I waited centuries for you, searched for you and our child”. Minwoo husked out, his voice raw.

“I came here to get revenge on you and when I get here,you were not the man I had been told you were. I was so conflicted and didn’t know what to do. And then as soon as I drank the blood wine I saw everything that we had been and I looked at her next to you and I wanted to kill her”, Su-yeon cried out softly.

“I understand”, Minwoo said and reached for her hand. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked away.

“Then why did you ask me to stay here? You could have sent me away or sent me to live in a safe house. Why here, Minwoo-ah?”, her voice shook.

“Because I couldn’t keep you safe back then, I wanted to try again”, he cried out brokenly and dropped from his chair and crawled to her on his knees over to her.

“I wanted to die so many times, I felt so much guilt because I couldn’t keep you and our unborn baby safe”, he whispered as he looked up at her.

“And when I walked into that bar and saw you…… I thought I was dreaming. Even though Jinnie had sent me a picture….. I saw you and it was like everything had stopped and I wanted to keep you safe this time, even if you didn’t want me to”, he reached for her arm and gently pried it away from her body and pressed her hand to his cheek.

Her eyes softened at his pure gesture and she looked down at him.

“Even though I was clouded, I felt like I remembered some things as soon as I walked into this place”, she said gently, “That this was my rightful place and even then I felt something like jealously. And when I saw who you were and what you had been to me, I felt guilty for thinking that you were some kind of monster”, she cupped his cheek and let her thumb his smooth skin. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. She felt tears spring to her eyes and roll down her cheeks.

“Su-ah……Su-ah”, he whimpered softly and reached up to wipe the tears away with a gentle touch. “I wish I could turn back time….. I should have kept looking and waiting for you. I’d give up everything to go back and make our future different. Can you forgive me for not waiting?”, his voice was choked with tears he didn’t realize he cried.

“I could never be angry at you, Min-ah:, she said gently and moved to the floor beside him. She looked into his eyes and smiled gently.

He felt like all the years had dropped away as he looked into her eyes and it made him gasp as he realized that he had made a mistake that he couldn’t take back. The realization made him start to sob and he pulled her close and sobbed into her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him and his back gently. She understood what he felt because she felt the same way.

“We can’t change time, love”, she whispered softly and kissed his hair. He pulled back and looked into her eyes; his own wild with uncertainty.

“Su-ah”, he whispered, his voice rough with emotion, “Su-ah……my sweet Su-ah”, he released her and cupped her face in his hands gently. She felt a moment of panic and placed one hand on his arm. With a low growl he pulled her face to his and pressed his lips to hers. She tried to pull away but he wouldn’t let her and his kiss became possessive and she whined softly in hesitation. Her eyes looked into his and she felt herself give in little by little and soon she kissed him back with the same abandon.

When Jinnie walked into the main hall he found them like this and he averted his eyes and turned around to go back to his chamber. He felt guilty for what he had seen but he also understood what they felt. He knew how much the king still loved her after all these centuries and how it must have felt to have her come back. And the stress of Lapis being kidnapped had put him in a desperate place and he had chosen to seek comfort in a familiar place. He opened the door to his chamber and looked at Hyesung on his bed.

“The king is busy right now. I will wait a little bit before I go talk to him”, Jinnie sat down at his desk and resumed the paperwork for the cafe he had been at before he went to talk to the king. He had hired a new assistant manager and needed to make sure their background check cleared.

“I hope we can get the queen back”, Hyesung said softly and got up to go stand behind Jinnie. Jinnie didn’t say anything to him ans handed Hyesung a book.

“Why don’t you curl up and read? I’ll be done soon and we can go to bed”, he said softly. Hyesung took the book and went back to the bed and slid under the covers and got all comfy before he opened the book to where he had left off. He read quietly and when Jinnie finished and turned around to check on him, he saw that he had fallen asleep with the book tucked under his cheek. Jinnie smiled and went to set it on the desk again and slipped into bed with him. As soon as he laid down, Hyesung’s arm s around his waist and he tucked his face into Jinnie’s collarbone. Jinnie his hair for a moment then kissed the slight man on the forehead gently.

“Oh Syung”, he said with a soft laugh and laid there and watched him sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Amber sat in Daehyun’s lap on the bed in their chamber; she had been upset and scared since they returned home. He her back and tried to calm the trembling that shook her slight frame.

“Ambrosia, my sweet. There is no need to be afraid, we will keep you safe”, he whispered in her ear softly. She didn’t respond and only clutched him tighter.

“What can I do to reassure you that you will be safe, little one?”, he said and pulled away to look into her eyes.

“Bring her back…… you need to make sure she gets back safely. Minwoo can’t endure the loss of another woman that he loves”,she said softly and gripped his hand, “Promise me that you will do everything to get her back”, she said and looked into his eyes.

He nodded, “We will try, Ambrosia. Her safety is very important to the king.” She relaxed in his arms and rested her cheek against his cold chest and sighed.

“Do you feel better now?”, he asked her softly.

“I’m hungry and I’m cold and I’m tired”, she said and closed her eyes.

“Well why don’t we do something about the first two then sleep all you want”, he chuckled softly, “What would you like to eat, my little one?”

She opened her eyes and looked at him, “I can ask for anything, right?”, she said and grinned.

“Of course you can. What do you want?”, he chuckled at her.

“Fried chicken and beer!!! Spicy fried chicken!”, she giggled.

“I’m sure the kitchen can make that happen. Let me go tell them.”, he kissed her on the nose, “Why don’t you go run a hot bath while you wait for the food? That should warm you up.”

“Bubbles?”, she whispered with her eyes all lit up. He laughed at her and kissed her.

“Of course. Everything you w