It took a week to make arrangements to leave for Ireland, with a warning from their doctor that they shouldn’t fly anywhere else once they were there, with both of them already into their third trimester, and the need for them to both remain as relaxed as possible. Chaeyoung tied up any loose ends with her meetings, cancelling unimportant ones and rearranging the important ones so that her advisors could meet with them on her behalf. Extra clothes were packed, their favourite belongings flown to Ireland to be neatly put away for them, and they left Avalon behind, feeling relieved - and in Chaeyoung’s case, somewhat guilty - as they were flown halfway around the world. It was only a six hour flight, but they were exhausted when they landed, and lightly dozed as they drove through the desolate countryside, soggy green fields stretching out beneath grey skies, and Chaeyoung placed a hand against her stomach, feeling the light patter against her palm as she rested her eyes.

Since everything had figuratively and literally blown up, things had calmed down considerably. Between having Joohyun beside her again, making plans to relocate to Ireland for a few months, and the ever-present wariness that filled her when Hasun had been around now gone, Chaeyoung felt more at ease than she had been in months. They’d immediately utilised Avalon’s Homeland Security, using all of the power the crown afforded them, which was a lot, to have them investigating the three dead men that Yujin had presented them with, and while nothing had come of it during that week, Chaeyoung felt better about being in Ireland, knowing that she was far away from Avalon, with people working around the clock to ensure her safety.

While miles separated her from her homeland, she still had two dozen guards on rotation at their estate in Ireland, and while Joohyun didn’t call her paranoid anymore, she saw the discontent in the grim line of Joohyun’s mouth as they passed through the guarded gates. Still, it was nothing compared to the scale of their life in Glaston City, with the sprawling palace, endless stream of staff and guards at every turn, and it was a relief to be away from it all, even if they were living a scaled down version of that life. With only a handful of staff and a dozen rooms in the small mansion, it was comfortably lavish, and they stepped over the threshold with overwhelming relief.

The chill had been chased away by a fire in the main living room, and Chaeyoung helped Joohyun out of her coat while the sound of footsteps drew nearer. Sooyoung curtsied to them both, rushing to help take their coats, informing them that tea was waiting for them in the kitchen, and asking if they needed anything else. Dismissing her, they both made their way towards the cozy kitchen barefoot, sitting at the table and resting their swollen feet up on the chairs, their bellies getting in the way as they stretched towards the plate for fresh scones spread with strawberry jam, a dusting of crumbs scattered across the tops of their stomachs as they unwound after the long flight. While Sunstone Palace was undeniably their home, there was a sense of peace gained from the estate nestled in the middle of the countryside, with no one to bother them.

Two weeks passed by in blissful ease, the only discomforts coming from their pregnancies and restless nights. While Chaeyoung was sure that they were safe, peeking out the windows at odd hours of the night to see the shadowy figures patrolling along the fence encircling the estate, visible down the distant length of the driveway only due to the tiny sweeping beams of light from their flashlights, she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something was wrong . They spent their days walking through the garden, still in the midst of its barren winteryness, the thorny bare brambles and bleak, gnarled branches offering little in the way of beauty, playing chess indoors near the roaring fire, or sketching and reading. True to her word, Chaeyoung had brought along her head chef, and they ate as richly as they had back in Avalon, as well as having Sooyoung and Yerim to take care of their every other needs. It wasn’t the usual reprieve that they enjoyed in Ireland, but it was a breath of fresh air to be away from politics and duty for a small while.

After the novelty of it wore off after two idle weeks, Chaeyoung found herself restless though, itching to give her advisors orders when they made their weekly call to keep her update on the runnings of her kingdom. She was unused to being away from the office for so long, having been devoted to her position since the moment it had been upon her, and besides a few weeks of vacation throughout each year, she had spent every day in meetings, shut up in her office, or going to some public event. Still, all of that spare time was spent with Joohyun, and it was a relief to be able to do something normal, without the tension and the anger that had permeated their life for the past few months.

Every morning, they woke up beside each other, regardless of how well they slept, they ate all their meals together and napped in each other’s arms, their stomachs slowly growing, making it harder for them to be as close as they wanted to be. Their family and friends visited, with Jennie being the most frequent guest, and talk about the babies was the primary topic. Hours were spent planning colour schemes, ordering clothes and furniture, and while both women were strongly opinionated, causing more than a few heated arguments, they managed to finish the nursery plans, leaving their team of staff to do the hard work, under Jennie’s supervision. There was countless other baby things to be done before they arrived, and with the time to finally work out the finer details, they spent hours with their feet up, talking and browsing websites together over cups of tea, and Chaeyoung felt the excitement rekindled again. Joohyun was somewhat more willing to surrender to Chaeyoung’s wants too, with Chaeyoung suspecting that perhaps she was trying to make up for her behaviour and lessen her guilt, although there were the occasional remark that made things strained between them.

By the time they’d been there a month, Chaeyoung was into her seventh month, and Joohyun close behind, and both of them in blissful happiness at their freedom and the fact that they were wrapped up in each other’s company all the time. They rarely left the estate, and when they did it was only for brief trips to the cliffs of Moher to stand near the edge and enjoy the bracing salty air and the stretch of steely blue water spread out before them, otherwise they wandered around the garden and tucked themselves into little nooks around the house to their heart’s content. Joohyun was prone to daily walks through the gardens with Aoife, while Chaeyoung preferred to sit on one of the benches and sketch the first blooms of the approaching spring, or the the robin sitting on a branch, both of them enjoying their own company as much as each other’s. Slowly, the dark circles beneath their eyes disappeared, and their cheeks took on a healthy glow, with each check up from their doctor going as well as expected.

Chaeyoung knew that she shouldn’t have expected everything to go so smoothly though, and it was a quiet Tuesday afternoon when there was a knock on the door, which perked up both of the royals lounging in the smaller sitting room. As far as either of them were aware, none of their friends were flying in to visit them, and Chaeyoung hadn’t heard that Jennie or Taehee were planning to come to Ireland at that moment either. Sharing a sceptical look, they patiently waited for the guest to arrive, and an apologetic Sooyoung curtsied in the doorway as she intruded in on their peaceful afternoon.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty, Your Highness, Lord Park Sangyoon is here requesting an audience with you.”

“Sangyoon?” Chaeyoung asked, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “What does he want?”

At the sheepish look on their assistants face, she waved away Sooyoung’s concerns and bid her to show him to the sitting room, sitting up straighter in her chair as she tried to make herself as presentable as a seven month pregnant queen could be under the circumstances. It was a small mercy that expensively tailored clothes, million dollar jewelry and luxury accessories were at her disposable, so even in the remote southern reaches of Ireland, tucked away in the small mansion, Chaeyoung was a sight better than she ought to have looked, if a little puffy and flushed from the effects of the baby. She shifted in her seat, her hands neatly folded in her lap and her ankles crossed, watching as her uncle appeared in the doorway.

“Your Majesty. Your Highness,” Sangyoon said, sketching them both a courteous bow as he stepped into the room, his hands clasped behind his back as his suit jacket strained across his broad chest.

“Uncle Sangyoon,” Chaeyoung said, disapprovingly greeted him as she pushed herself to her feet, her brow wrinkling with confusion. “What’re you doing here? We’re not receiving guests at the moment; not even family.”

Her gave her a stiff smile, his eyes tightening at the corners, and gestured vaguely with a large hand. “There are delicate matters which your aunt thinks might interest you.”

Lowering herself back down onto the armchair, brushing stray curls of hair out of her face as she scoffed, giving him a reproachful look. “I have no interest in anything she has to say. I wouldn’t trust a word out of .”

“Everything she has done has been in your best interests. You might not see it, but she loves you like you were her own daughter. There are things you don’t understand-”

“Don’t patronise me,” Chaeyoung snapped, her patience wearing thin as she propped her feet up on the footstool before her armchair, her swollen feet aching and her back sore as she winced, rubbing at a tender spot at the bottom of her spine.

She still had another two months left, and she was far from the elegantly refined queen she had been this time the year before, and all of her changes weren’t physical. Her forgiving nature had been tested too many times, and she’d learnt that things weren’t always as they seemed, and she had become aware of the fact that sometimes she had to make the hard decisions, even if it cost her. It wasn’t always easy, but she had become stricter and more stubborn, and in this case, it served her well.

“She’s never lied to you,” Non calmly reasoned with her.

“No, indeed, she’s been quite forthcoming with her bloody plans to frighten us both into an early grave,” Joohyun dryly replied from her spot in the corner, flippantly turning a page as she remained absorbed in her book as much as the conversation.

Making a sound of indignation at the back of his throat, Sangyoon cast Joohyun a wily look, “if only they were her plans, but they’re not. It’s not without difficulty that she’s done the things she’s been ordered to, but she’s done her duty anyway, and protected you as much as she could. Not that you were ever in any real danger, but she did her best to limit the damages.”

Spluttering, Chaeyoung gave him an incredulous look, leaning forward in her armchair, her hands gripping the arms as if she was about to launch herself to her feet. “Limit the damages? Limit the damages? She damn near cost me my wife, not to mention my unborn child. What are they? Just necessary sacrifices?”

“If you’re looking for someone to blame, then by all means, speak to your aunt and she’ll tell you the truth. But she wanted me to warn you that you wouldn’t like what you uncovered. If you keep investigating, it won’t bring you any satisfaction.”

“I won’t believe any of her excuses,” Chaeyoung haughtily replied, a dark look in her eyes.

Sangyoon gave her a small smile and shrugged half-heartedly, “perhaps not, but your mother-in-law might be able to convince you.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Chaeyoung saw Joohyun’s dark head rise, shooting the man a sharp look, before she turned to look at Chaeyoung. An uneasy feeling in her stomach, Chaeyoung slowly turned to meet Joohyun’s wide eyes, an apprehensive look in them, and a shrewd glimmer of suspicion. Turning back to Sangyoon, Chaeyoung cleared slightly, her knuckles white on the arms of the leather seat. “Sooyoung?” she called out, her voice carrying through the lower rooms of the house.

The woman hurried into the room, a pleasant look on her face as she waited for instruction, and Chaeyoung flicked her hand at her uncle, a look of contempt on her face as she dismissed him. “See Lord Sangyoon out.”

With a curt bow, Sangyoon straightened up, his eyes flashing a warning. “Your Majesty. Your Highness.”

Eyes trained on his back, Chaeyoung watched him leave the room, his heavy footsteps receding, followed by the quiet sound of the door shutting, and a car starting a few moments later, and the tension bled out of her as she sank into her seat. Running a hand over her face, she let out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose and trying to calm herself down as she felt herself getting all hot and bothered.

“He’s right; she knows something else,” Joohyun’s quiet voice intruded through her muddled thoughts.

“It doesn’t matter,” Chaeyoung muttered, “don’t worry yourself about her right now.”

Sighing, Joohyun closed her book with a muffled thump, setting the book down on an end table with a thud. “Well it does worry me. This is something that’s been bothering you for months . You’re still not sleeping properly because of it, and if it’s going to get you some closure, then I’ll drag my mother here by her hair and force the answers out of her, one way or another. I didn’t want to believe you, but I have no choice, and it irritates me as much as it does you, and you know how I feel about mysteries.”

“I wish we could skip ahead and read the ending now like one of your crime novels,” Chaeyoung wistfully sighed, a sound of regret in her voice as she ran a hand over her unkempt hair. “But no, I won’t bring her here. We’re safe enough for now; it can wait until after the babies are born.”

“Chaeyoung-”

“This is your home, Joohyun,” Chaeyoung cut her off with a tender look of understanding, “the one place that she’s never been able to ruin for you. She can’t reach you here, and seeing as we can’t go to her, I won’t have her here, invading the only place you’ve ever that’s yours completely. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable just for a few silly answers.”

Lips quirking up into a tight smile, Joohyun gave her a strained look, “but it’s not silly, is it? It’s the answers you never got. Answers you’ve wanted for over half of your life.”

Letting out a quiet huff of frustration, Chaeyoung set her jaw and pressed her lips into a thin line, a hard look in her eyes as she met Joohyun’s eyes. Her expression softened slightly and Chaeyoung’s shoulders slumped as she gave her a loving look. Pushing herself to her feet, Chaeyoung grimaced, pressing a hand against her lower back and another beneath her stomach as she made it upright, before waddling over to Joohyun, who was watching her with thinly veiled amusement and mild concern. Her own bump was considerably smaller, despite the two weeks between them, and she reached out to press a hand against Chaeyoung’s as soon as she was near, feeling the taut skin and shifting forward to press a kiss against the fabric of the thin sweater Chaeyoung wore.

“Mommy’s being stubborn again, little pea,” Joohyun stage whispered, a smile curling her lips as she briefly looked up at Chaeyoung, who rolled her eyes in exasperated humour. “You should block your ears for this one; we don’t want you picking up any bad language.”

Laughing, Chaeyoung gripped Joohyun’s chin and gently jerked her head up, arching an eyebrow at her, “you’re t