CHAPTER ELEVEN

    Ji-young's jaw dropped and her eyes fired in fury, "Oh Se-hun, are you crazy?" she growled. Se-hun laughed at her and smiled, "I was just kidding. I didn't think you would be this mad... besides, what's so bad about another woman having my child? She's really pretty, and I guess I'm pretty handsome, and so we'd make a gorgeous child."

The queen's fingers dug deeply into her skin, and she sighed, "May I be excused?"

Se-hun smiled, "Most gladly," he watched her as her shaky legs tried to hold her up, and she exited the room. He laid his head on the desk and sighed, "Aish, this people are so annoying," he closed his eyes and thought about Hee-song. What could he do to make it up to her?

Ji-young stormed to her father's quarters and immediately plopped down at the head seat, "Apa, I've been deeply affected by King Oh Se-hun's actions, and I want the consumption date to be tomorrow." 

Her father glared at her, "Yah! Are you really that desperate? What happened to waiting? You little... no. We can't. It would be all too sudden, and he would grow suspicious." 

"HE ALREADY IS!" The queen yelled in rage. Her hands slammed down on the small table and grew red from the impact. Her father stared at her in shock, "Get out. I don't need you complaining to me why your life is so miserable. We should have just let you get married to Kim Jong-in!" He shouted.

Ji-young began to bawl and scream. She kicked her feet and tore at her clothing, and her father dragged her out of his home, "You're not welcomed here ever again! You hear?!" He shouted over her screaming and crying. His heart sank in pain to see his daughter crying in jealousy, but he grew mad from all the constant madness she gave him.

"Make sure she doesn't take a step onto my ground," he instructed the guards and they nodded their heads.

The princess linked arms with Hee-song as they walked around her quarters, "So my brother wants me to get married. He's already picked the most legible males in Joseon... But I doubt he even knows that I like the tall, handsome kind." The princess giggled and blushed.

Hee-song smiled, "I think you'll get the best one. Your brother would never give you some arrogant meat-head as a husband!" The princess rolled her eyes, "You don't know the boys he had set me to court with. They were all very handsome, but all they talked about were military strategies, and the bloodline of the Joseon royals."

The princess stopped walking and faced Hee-song, "If only he had married you Unnie. Ji-young doesn't even like me, and if you were the queen, you would be able to help my brother pick the funniest, sweetest, cutest young man in Joseon."

The maid giggled in embarrassment, "I never had a relationship deeper than servant and master with your brother, and he deserves someone as wise and beautiful as the Queen." Hee-song didn't doubt her thoughts. 

The princess laughed, "You are making me laugh, Hee-song! My brother looked at you more than he looked at me in a whole week! Obviously, you and my brother have some sort of fate! Think about it, there are so many love scandals, and so many couples are together because they defeated destiny's plan for them, and went for each other! You and my brother shall be together! I can kill Ji-young for you..." 

Hee-song's eyes widened in shock, "Princess!" "I'm just kidding! Anyways, it's time for you to leave. My brother is coming over in..." 

Se-hun froze in front of Hee-song as she was smoothing out her wrinkles on her skirt. She looked up, and avoided his eyes, "Good afternoon, Chonna," she greeted and bowed. He had the urge to reach out and grab her, but it was too inaproppiate, especially in front of his sister.

"Good afternoon," he replied and stared at her as she left.

"You still have affections for my maid. You're so queer." His sister giggled and hugged her brother. He wrapped his arms around his little sister and smiled, "What affections?" 

"Aish," she pulled away from the hug, "you both are so dumb! Everyone knows you two still like each other! Oppa, why don't you just send Ji-young away or divorce her, and then marry Hee-song. She still really likes you." 

Se-hun lowered his head, "Aniyo."

"You should just already dump that old hag, Ji-young, and marry Hee-song. It's not like Ji-young will even help our country anyways. She's not Chinese, and her family isn't royal. Just marry who you really love, Se-hun." The princess pouted and crossed her arms. Se-hun sighed and pulled his little sister back into another hug.

"Father wanted me to marry Ji-young, so I fulfilled his wishes," Se-hun argued trying to best deny his love for Hee-song. If his little sister knew, then the whole castle knew. For the past months, he's learned that his sister is not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

"Yes, but Mother wouldn't be pleased; you knew how she felt about arranged marriages. She said that she was lucky to have an arranged marriage with a man who she loved. Mother would be so displeased with you and your cowardly actions." His sister said and gently pushed her brother away, and walked in the direction Hee-song disappeared.

Se-hun bit his lower lip in frustration and played with the hem of his sleeve and stared at the ground in thought.

The consumption date was nearing.

"Chonna," Se-hun's right-hand man softly began, "the consumption night is tonight. The astronomers have finally settled their date, and said when you and the queen have come together, she will bear a strong and healthy heir." 

The king clenched his fists and tightened his jaw, "Can I please just skip it? Why don't I choose who I want my child with? You know Ji-young like I do; she's one hundred percent pure evil!" The man bowed even lower and let out a soft chuckle, "But Chonna, it's what needs to be done." 

Se-hun stood up and brushed down the wrinkles on his robe and fixed his hat, "Take me to the quarters. I'll only cope with it tonight." His right-hand man grinned, "Follow me."

Ji-young impatiently waited in the cold room waiting for Se-hun. She looked at herself in the mirror repeatedly, fixed the sheets on the floor, and took numerous sips of her tea. She looked left and right waiting for the screen door to open and see the dazzling king to walk in.

Despair struck her heart as she sat in the room for twenty minutes in pure agony, but then, the door slid open and slid close. She blinked back her tears and pinched her cheeks to get the natural pink glow to her cheeks and turned to see Se-hun with an annoyed look in his eye.

"Oh, you really showed up!" She said with such shock. Se-hun smirked and snickered, "You had truly thought I wouldn't show up. I'm truly amazing at surprising people, aren't I?"

"Yes, Chonna," Ji-young replied meekly and bowed her head. She couldn't help but find the king glowing with radiance and beauty that night. Her eyes wandered all over his face, examining every inch of his milky, pale skin.

"What are you looking at?" Se-hun asked suspiciously and sat down beside Ji-young. She slowly inched back nervously and tried to hide her smile with a cold smirk, "Looking? I was merely observing your facial structure. You look more healthy now."

Ji-young felt her hands become clammy and wiped the sweat on the skirt of her dress, "So Chonna, what made you decide to come? I thought you were totally against the consumption that you would rather sleep with a concubine." The king smirked and chuckled, "If you thought I came for you, that isn't it. I just came to make sure you were here, and weren't plotting a plan against me. You know... poison my food, slit my throat, hang me... stuff like that."

The queen sunk back in despair and her eyes darkened, "Ah~you still find me greatly suspicious. What a true king!" She sarcastically remarked.

There was an eerie silence between the two until Se-hun quickly moved.

The king was now on top of the queen, on top of the sheets, his mouth just centimeters away from hers. Ji-young could feel her heartbeat speeding, racing and she was gettting highly nervous of the king's actions.

Ji-young could feel the intense stare of Se-hun's eyes and kept her eyes on his bare skin under his robes. She could see his Adam's apple bob up and down, and his voice whisper, "Don't get too excited now. You may think I might kiss you, but things may turn the other way."

She closed her eyes in relief until she felt his lips on hers. Her eyes shot open, and she felt his hand slowly make his way up her dress, slyly untying the top.

Se-hun felt the queen's nerves shake in fear under him, and smiled in victory as he had won his way. He seductively slid the top of her dress off, sliding his hands down her bare arms. She felt so weak to his touch.

Ji-young began to relax, but tensed as she felt Se-hun's tongue slightly graze her teeth; she could also feel the bitter coldness sharply pricking her bare arms.

Se-hun smirked and pulled himself away from her and stood up, wiping his moist lips with the back of his hand. Ji-young sheepishly turned her head from him in embarrassment and didn't say a word. The king brushed his robe down and smiled, "Enjoyed it? No? That's the first and last time I'll ever touch you like that again."

As Se-hun took his leave, a tear rolled down Ji-young's cheek. She wiped the small tear with her pointer finger and glared at the closed screen door, "You always ridicule me."