The air around the west wing of Gyeongbok Palace seemed so tensed. The paused moment between the first man and first lady of Jonseong became a bit frustrating as they didn’t say any words but stared to each other.

The defendant courtlady, Sulli, still kneeling on the floor. Both palms were trembling supported her body but her eyes still didn’t dare to look up toward the married couple who stood in front of her.

“It is all over. Bring this courtlady to her room and treat her leg there!” King Cho commanded courtlady Han. The middle aged woman bowed her head “Ye—Ye Phea”

Then the King turned back to face his queen “And I need sometimes alone with my wife, courtlady Han”

“As...as you wish, Phea” she said before asking some courtladies came to Sulli and carried her back to courtladies pavilion. “Sulli-ah, are you okay?” her close friend Sunyoung whispered to her while circled her arm around her neck. She didn’t answer but glanced at Queen Min who stood still calmly without caring to look back at her. She couldn’t read anything from her cold expression as she tried to find the answer why she saved her. The look she saw before King Cho arrived was only a pure cruelty from the queen. But those hands who just wrapped her warmly earlier, was it really from the same person?

Another courtladies also left along with them in silence and went back to their own department. Neither one of them had a gut to look back because the tense atmosphere already sent horrors to their spine. Maybe for the first to third rank courtladies had experienced this before, but for 4th rank courtladies like Sulli and her friends, that’s the first time they felt Queen Min's intimidating aura.

“Are you okay?” Lady Seohyun together with courtlady Taeyeon and Captain Yonghwa who arrived late came approached the injured young courtlady. They stopped and greeted the concubine by bowing their head. There’s no words came out from Sulli’s mouth. It’s still trembling and her tears weren’t clearly dried yet since the shock hadn’t left her body eventhough she’s already saved from death.

Lady Seohyun took her own handkerchif then squatted down to wipe the bleeding on her leg. Another courtladies except the ones who carried Sulli tried to prevent her because it’s forbidden for a concubine to squat her body lower than a courtlady.

“Hyun Mama, you don’t need to do that” Courtlady Taeyeon tried to stop her but the latter kept wiping the blood.

“I was once became a courtlady before, Taeyeon-shi. Courtlady is my friend. How could I not do anything seeing my friend got hurted” She sniffed. There’s a slight tears on her eyes but she quickly rubbed it with her fingers. Sunyoung and the others young courtladies felt touched witnessing how a kind heart concubine they had. She deserved to be the real queen, they thought.

“Ple—Please stop it, Hyun Mama. Let’s the blood flow. Please stand up” Sulli finally said her first words. Lady Seohyun didn’t stop and meant to tie up her silky handkerchief around Sulli’s leg.

“Hyun Mama, please. I deserve this punishment” She begged again.

“Sulli, watch your words! You’re talking with Hyun Mama, right now” Sunyoung whispered to her.

Lady Seohyun stopped then stood up to face the injured girl “Sulli-shi...”

The pain was still hurted like hell but she still managed to curve a shaking smile toward the concubine “This...this blood. It’s—It’s a honour”

Lady Seohyun and another courtladies were looking at her with surprise after hearing those words. Her smile. It’s not the smile from a person who just got a cruel punishment like that.

The concubine turned her eyes toward the west wing hall behind the young courtladies. Even it’s a bit far from her standing, she could spot two familiar person were standing and having a conversation there. She wondered what they’re talking for.

~~~~~#*SJ*#~~~~~

‘You tested me’

Queen Min said her first words toward her husband after staring to each other for a quite while. Sunkyu meant to translate her lip movement but the King stopped her with a hand signal as he already understood what his queen said.

The King scoffed “Don’t give me wrong. Just like I said before. It’s not the first time I heard a courtlady being unrespectfull toward Jonseong rules. Your action back then really surprised me, My Queen. I didn’t expect you will save the courtlady. It’s not like you”

Queen Min scoffed back as the King acted like he knew her a lot. The King expected she would talk back like saying ‘I had fun before you came’ or like years ago before Lord Eunhyuk’s incident which she would approach him, cleaning the dust on his shoulder with her hands then gave him her usual smile ‘Welcome back Yoebo. You’re tired right? I’ve prepared a special herbal tea for you’. But she didn’t do either of that but bowing her head formally toward him and said only ‘Welcome back, Phea’ with her lip movement.

She then turned her head then walked toward Prince Yesung and greeted him formally too ‘Welcome back to the palace, Prince Yesung’.

Yesung greeted back awkwardly knowing his brother stood behind the queen looked pissed off “Thanks, Min Mama. It’s been so long since we met 4 years ago”

Sungmin called Sunkyu to approach her and translated her words ‘ I am sorry for witnessing such an embarassing incident in your first day in Gyeongbok palace after a long times’

Yesung shook his head “No. Don’t think about that, Min Mama”

Sungmin smiled at him “I’ll let you two to spend your times together then. I will go back to my pavilion now”

But the King quickly came to her, grabbed her hand and pulled her until the female faced him eyes to eyes “Just that?”

Sungmin stared at him without blinking. He didn’t have any idea what he expected her to say. Why he wanted to see her emotion now. It’s not supposed to be like this. She didn’t suppose to save that courtlady. She didn’t suppose to be weaker now. She supposed to be “An Acting Queen” he used to know.

“You’ve changed, Sungmin” Kyuhyun whispered. But then he saw her eyes flared up after hearing his recent words and quickly pulled off her hand from his grip. Kyuhyun was startled at the moment and left dumbfounded as the Queen and her assistant left the place immediately.

Sunkyu quickly followed her queen. She got confused with her queen’s changing mood. She managed her cool while punishing that young courtlady then lost it after King Cho pretended to kill the court lady. She thought it’s the right thing to do for the King defended his queen. Eventhough she had no idea why suddenly the King gave a damn over Queen Min’s usual habit to punish people, her curiosity increased when Sungmin saved the girl. If she’s from Lee clan, she’d understand, but she even wasn’t queen’s follower because Sunkyu knew that most of young courtladies adored Lady seohyun more. Then she stopped being busy with her thinking as Queen Min stopped her paces because the latter just met Lady Seohyun along with courtlady Teyeon and Captain Yonghwa on the way.

“Min Mama...” Lady Seohyun said without greeting before hand.

Both ladies stared to each other. Sunkyu stayed behind as the tensed atmosphere slowly built around those two. The two of them had a slight anger in their eyes but Sunkyu wasn’t sure if they’re angry over the same thing or not.

“I heard you just punished an innocent courtlady. Can I know the reason why? I can’t pretend to not hear anymore about you hurted my people again” she said directly toward the queen for the first time. When she’s still a special gungnyeo, she couldn’t even count with her own fingers how many times Queen Min hurted her friends with various reasons because of her jealousy.

Usually, Queen Min would have scoffed in mocking tones after hearing the word ‘my people’ from the concubine. But it’s not. She eyed her with anger but it’s not the reason why she felt pissed at her. She needed an assurance about something. She looked down to Lady Seohyun’s stomach, it’s still look normal in a glance but when she looked longer, it’s a bit bigger as the fetus had reached 4 months already. She looked back to her eyes. The feeling was still there. The hatred. Her feeling of jealousy toward Lady Seohyun was still strong. She could recognize it clearly. So did her feeling toward her husband, it supposed to not changed either.

Therefore, what's the feeling she got yesterday? It’s felt somewhat familiar when she witnessed the way Heechul looked at the chinese man. The knots in her chest. It’s felt a bit familiar. A bit. Just a bit. She thought to convince herself.

“Min Mama?” Lady Seohyun called her again.

She jerked a bit from spacing out. The fire in her eyes slowly muffled. She didn't answer lady Seohyun and ignored the pregnant lady by walking passed her. She rushed her paces. Her mind was keep shouting “It’s different. Yes. It’s different” in her head.

~~~~~#*SJ*#~~~~~

“Why she hasn’t come yet?” Heechul waited in front of Myeongjeongjeon hall font yard that morning, together with Hangeng. They meant to watch the first round of the dance competition together on spectator seats along with common people outside the hall since the first round would be held publicly.

“Heechul-ah, are you sure she will come with us? I heard you said she’s from an aristocratic family. I am not sure she wouldn’t mind sitting on spectator seats with common folks”

Heechul hit his left arm “Idiot, Sungmin-shi had promised me she would come”

“She said she would try her best”

“That’s mean yes”

“How could you so sure?”

“Since she’s rich. I think she can make us sit on the front seat. Not standing like poor people waiting a noble shares their rice stock”

Hangeng rolled his eyes and scoffed “You really hasn’t changed at all, Heechul. Literally”

Heechul huffed and smiled proudly “Thanks. It’s a honour, Hangeng-shi”

“My..... My... My.... look at who’s there. Lady Heehee?” A woman voice came from behind. Both men turned around and met a beautiful gisaeng walked while swinging her hip to her right and left seductively toward them.

Heechul scoffed at the female and gave her an annoyed look “Jung Sooyeon. I thought you had been dead after choked by Yongman wife’s muscled hands a month ago”. But the latter ignored him and walked passed him to approach Hangeng instead “It’s been three years, Hangeng-shi. You’ve become more handsome than before” she said while sliding her finggers toward Hangeng’s cheek to his chin making Heechul looked pissed off.

“Tha—Thank you, Miss. Jung” Hangeng said stuttered. He couldn’t ignore how gorgeous and y the female gisaeng was. He could feel the thrills of his tiny hair on his neck though as he saw Heechul sent him a death glare.

“Call me just Sooyeon, Hangeng-shi. I will make my schedule free tonight. Please come to our gisaeng hou—“ She paused her words as Heechul pulled Hangeng out from her reach.

“He’s busy with me, Jung” Heechul glared at her.

Sooyeon scoffed “I doubt you could give him a better service than me. I am sure he still prefer than ”

“Guys... Um...This is a public place” Hangeng tried to mediate them but he’s being ignored perfectly. “Haha.... said the person who lost her customers because my mouth and hand are more talented than her” Heechul mocked her.

“Heechul!!!” Hangeng’s face became red.

Heechul glared at him for a moment “It’s not like what you’re thinking, ERT!!” he said before glaring back toward the female gisaeng.

“Excuse me?!!” Sooyeon stepped a head and glared in anger.

“Go a head, !” heechul didn’t want to lose either.

“ENOUGH!!!” Another voice came and made the two gisaeng jerked back and stopped their bickering. The woman came with two bodyguards beside her. She’s the head of Gisaeng house where Sooyeon came from. She’s also as beautiful as Sooyeon but this woman was more charismatic and intimidating than her. No wonder why she was choosed as Hwang’s house leader, one of the best five gisaeng house in Hanyang City.

“Miyoung-shi, You—you has come” Sooyeon stuttered greeting the gisaeng.

“You should go to Myeongjeongjeon hall to check out our dancers there, not seducing a man and taking a fight with.....” She paused then turned her eyes toward Heechul from head to toes “I don’t know how to call you properly. Should I use ‘him’ or ‘her’?”

Heechul scoffed and rolled his eyes “I guess you have go to your mom and ask her to teach you human language”

“Heechul-ah!” Hangeng warned him as he held his shoulder. The chinese man turned his face toward Miyoung and bowed his head “I am sorry for his manner, Miyoung-shi”.

She responded calmly and smiled at Heechul “You really hasn’t changed your barbaric mouth, Heechul-shi. I wonder how your team could pass pre-elimination round. Don’t tell me you didn’t use your body to a nobleman in royal court to make your team enter the competition”

“Do you think I cheated? Sorry. It’s your loss. We passed pre-elimination fair and square” Heechul crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Miyoung chuckled “It’s impossible. Because I am sure the association has banned you to enter any competitions”

Heechul took a step forward to face the gisaeng closer “So you said that because you’re afraid our team will beat you and win? I heard our score in pre-elimination was higher than your team”

Miyoung looked lost her cool as she grithed her teeth and clutched her skirt “Just watch yourself Heechul-shi. If I find out you cheated in this competition. I swear this time, you wouldn’t get a ban punishment but more than that”

Hangeng who watched them from the side noticed the conversation led to a more serious level so he pulled Heechul’s hand “Heechul-ah, we have to go. I had said I wanted to introduce you with my friend, right? Hurry!!” he said while sending a signal to Sooyeon to ask for help. Luckily the chick understood and persuaded Miyoung to leave too “Miyoung shi, you said you want me to check our team, right?”

Miyoung retreated her hand from Sooyeon’s hold then stared at Heechul for a moment “Just watch your back, Kim Heechul-shi” she said after bowed her head politely before left.

Heechul exhaled a long sigh to calm his rage “You too, Hwang Miyoung-shi” but still refused to bow back.

After a moment the gisaengs from Hwang’s house left, Heechul turned to Hangeng and glared at him “You should let me pull her bundled hair and wash them with gutter water”

Hangeng chuckled and shook his head “As if you really can do it to women” he said doubting him.

“They’re exception” he talked back.

“Heenim!!! Heenim!!!” Hyoyeon run from nowhere toward them breathlessly “Thanks god, I’ve found you. Hah....hah...hah...”

“Yah, what happen?”

“Those es are too nervous and don’t remember some part of the dance” she reported.

“Then teach them and slapped their hard until they remember!!” he yelled at her.

Hyoyeon eyed the gisaeng with shocked eyes “Wha...wha...what? What happen with this sudden mood?” she asked as she turned her eyes toward Hangeng. The chinese man only shrugged and said “Bad Day” with a lip movement. Hyoyeon nodded with mouth formed an O-shape then gave Heechul a bundled of clothes.

“What’s this?”

Hyoyeon gulped “Um.... A courtlady costume”

“What do you mean?”

“With that costume, you can enter dancers dorm through Gyeongbok palace and met our people there”

Heechul’s mouth hanged open “Are you just ordering me to do something? And where the hell you got this from?”

“I stole it”

“How if the owner reported to the police”

“Then the one who will get arrested is you, not me” Hyoyeon said absentmindedly.

Heechul lost words and touched his neck behind as he felt his blood pressure rising up “You...you.... !! I should have not picked you up from Kangwondo and just left you rotted there starving with slumdogs” he pointed his finger toward Hyoyeon but the gisaeng only smirked and pulled his hand “You're welcome, Heenim. Hurry! I’ll show you where you have to change your clothes. And Hangeng-nim, can you wait at spectator seat for a while? I borrow Heenim just for a short moment”

Hangeng giggled and shook his head “You can use him all you want Hyoyeon-shi. All right. I’ll wait you two. Be careful”

“Yah!! I haven’t agree yet” Heechul tried to interrupt.

Hyoyeon grinned and shouted “Yosh!!” ignoring Heechul’s protest and pulled the man with full spirit.

Hangeng watched those two running until their figure disappeared from his sight. As he turned around to walk toward spectator seats, a man stood on his way and greeted him.

“Hangeng-shi, finally I find you!” he said as he bowed his head.

Hangeng lifted his eyebrows as he recognized the man “Jongjin-shi? If you’re here, that’s mean...”

The man nodded “Yes, Prince Yesung want to meet you”

~~~~~#*SJ*#~~~~~

Heechul came out from a narrow space between certain buldings with a courtlady costume. Hyoyeon lifted her eyebrows then smirked “Hmmm... it’s look nice on you, Heenim”

Heechul huffed eventhough he couldn’t hide his smile for the compliment “But I am afraid people in the palace will find out I am not a real courtlady”

Hyoyeon looked confused “Hm? Why? You’re good in acting”

Heechul let out a long sigh “But  there’s no any courtlady who’s prettier than me. They’ll find out soon if I am not be carefull” he said in a cute way by puffing his cheeks.

Hyoyeon rolled her eyes with her boss’s narcissism “Whatever, Heenim. Hurry! I’ll distracted the palace guards attention. Make sure you won’t be discovered. You already remember what I told you about directions to dancer dorms, right? Don’t be lost and get too far, okay?”

Heechul scoffed  “I won’t be lost. You think I am dumber than a pigeon?”

“You were often being lost before, Heenim”

Heechul huffed “I know, I get it!! Hurry, seduce that palace guards so I can pass through, Hyo”

Hyoyeon sighed and left the gisaeng toward Gyeongbok palace northern gate. It didn’t need a long time to seduce the guards and made them drooled over her because she had learned from the expert for years.

Thanks to Hyoyeon, Heechul managed to pass through a small door which usually used for food stock transport from outside to the palace. He managed to pass several buildings without anyone suspected.

But what a pity. He lost again and got further away from dancers dorm as he unconsciously walked near royal family residences.....

TBC

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Thanks for commenting and waiting patiently guys ^^. Finally Heechul entered the palace (for additional note, Jung Sooyeon is Jessica while Hwang Miyoung is Tiffany). What will happen between Heechul, Sungmin, and Kyuhyun after that? Please anticipate it ^^ !!!. Hope you all like this chapter guys ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ xD. I just made a new poster of Queen Min and added a new theme song for Queen Min with english lyric. Do you like it >__< ?!!!

Please give me some cookies by commenting about this chapter ^^b ! Thank you xD