“Says who?”

The two words had all the lords turning towards the double doors that were pushed open, letting a cold wind ruffle their red robes as a frail silhouetted stepped inside the hall, sustained by the powerful arms of the two eunuchs dressed in dark green.

“Says who?”

“Your Highness!”the lords all hurried to his side even though the soldiers were all around them.

“Get out.” His soft voice seemed liked a scream inside the hall as his eyes never left the one that was occupying his rightful place. “Didn’t you hear me?! Get out! Everyone get out right now!

Maybe it was his anger that drove them all out. Or maybe it was the hope of getting punished the one sitting on the throne in front of their king. Or maybe both of them…

“What’s going on here, my queen?”he then approach her with steady steps, helped out by the eunuchs. “Why are you sitting on my throne? And what was that all about?”

Strange enough that he was there in front of her, she couldn’t say a word.

“My queen?”

“Your Highness,” I decided to step out from behind the pilar and kneel in front of the sick ruler.

“General Yesung! You’re here too? What’s the meaning of this, my queen? Wasn’t he supposed to protect our borders with the Empire?”

“Your Highness, Her Majesty had to call me back to Hanyang as she had no support in front of the lords that threatened her position as the queen of this nation.”

“I didn’t ask you, General Yesung. But even so, why is she on the throne that belongs to me?”

“Because I had to take over this position in order to maintain everything in order,” she finally spoke as she got down from her place and walked towards her husband with a strange smile playing on her lips. “And now I had to take the most difficult decision in my life and punish not only my brother but your too!”

“Yoochun?”

“Yes. For high treason alongside my brother,” she tilted her head to the side.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Your Highness…”

But he raised his hand and stopped my words as his eyes continued to watch Ae Ri’s shocked face. “I don’t believe you! You’re trying to get your revenge on me by doing this? Or what are you planning, my queen?”

“Revenge?!”

“Yes. For not letting you marry him?”

“That was my choice and not yours, to begin with,” she returned to the calm self. “I did this because it was the only way I could restore peace in the kingdom. Your brother was seeking revenge on you! He used my brother to get to us. To you, to be more exact! He wants your place. He never liked the fact that you were Crown Prince, that you were going to inherit your father’s throne. And as soon as you fell ill and could no longer watch him, he began plotting. That’s why I did everything! I am the queen of this nation and your cousin too! And no matter what you did to me in the past, I could not watch you being ripped off from something that rightfully belongs to you by birth. Now, believe that or not, it’s your choice in the end.” And with that she spun on her heels and left the hall under the stare of the king. I smiled to the wooden floor under my feet. She was one hell of a woman!

“Is that true?” the king’s voice woke me up from me spazzing.

“What, Your Highness?”

“Everything she said about my brother and hers. Is that true?”

“I’m afraid so, Your Highness.”

“Is there any evidence?”

I thought about all the papers filled with Yoochun’s confession. What was going to happen to them once they reach the king’s hands? There were two possibilities. One, he could read them and convince himself that everything was true and two, he could destroy everything and let his brother free after everything we did.

“It’s not like that, you know,” he turned to me smiling.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness?”

“It’s not like you think. I’m not going to destroy anything. But I need to convince myself that this is the best option till the very end of it. You’ll join me in studying the papers you have.”

“As you wish.”

The look in his eyes was different from the last time I saw it. It was that of a mature man. A grown-up. A person who had no fear in meeting the responsibilities he himself draw for his whole life… …

♃~✵~♃

“Take them from here,” he pushed the papers away from him as he covered his eyes with his right hand. “I no longer what to read them…”

“Your should rest.”

 I turned to the opened door where Ae Ri was standing, all dressed in light pink and fresh green. Her long hair was falling over her shoulders and reaching her waist.

“Don’t worry about anything, the papers will wait for you,” she stepped inside the room with a calm smile on her lips. “But right now you need to rest. You’re not good enough to be out of bed for this long. Here, drink this,” she then placed the trail on the table. “It’s a tonic for your body. You need to be strong.”

What did he do in his previous life, huh? Saved his country? He got such a carrying wife… …

“How could your brother let this happen to him?! Didn’t he sensed that Yoochun was just messing around with him?”

“Let’s say that love is blind.”

Her smile. Her appearance. Everything was reminding me of those days we got to spend together away from the rest of the world… But it was just me the one that was remembering, so I chose to leave the room. That smile was not for me. Those carrying words were not addressed to me so there was no reason for me to stay there and witness their wife and husband act…

“Oh, Yesung! Jun Hyung disappeared!” Kyuhyun came running to me, closely followed by Donghae.

“What?!”

“We returned to the palace to place the orders for the soldiers and when we went back to his house everything was in a mess.”

“Yeah and there was no one inside,” added Donghae. “And some neighbors said they saw him and his wife heading towards the docs.”

“Why are you still here, then?! Kyuhyun, call some soldiers and follow me and Donghae to the docs! We have to stop them before they get too far!” I hurried my steps towards the stables. I was not going to let him get away that easily! He had to be punished so that I could finally find my peace and continue to live the days that were given to me.

“THERE HE IS!” yelled Kyuhyun as he led the soldiers towards the water as I watched them from the cliff. Jun Hyung was pulling Mi Ru after him on the wet sand as he was running away from those who were chasing him. “CATCH HIM DEAD OR ALIVE!”

 And everything fell as broken bricks. The soldiers placed their bows in front of them and aimed for the running couple. I moved forward with few centimeters… In her chase, Mi Ru spotted them all and the flying arrows as well.