Lord Yi brought Jiyong to the Eastern Palace where Chaerin resides, two days after Jiyong was officially promoted to strategist general. He made the decision to do so after their visit to the King, upon which the King barely showed any interest in the newly appointed general. The King, however, gave a polite welcome as a sign of respect to the Lord Yi, and wished Jiyong would do well in his duties. And then he sent both of them on their way out from his hall.

The Queen welcomed her father and Jiyong warmly with a smile on her face, clearly happy to see her old friend again. When her father explained to Chaerin about Jiyong’s duty to protect the nation as well as to protect her, the Queen merely nodded. “I know, father. You don’t have to repeat that all the time.”

“With Jiyong here and able to watch over you, I am much relieved. Your father is getting old, Your Highness.” Lord Yi chuckled, and Jiyong forced himself to smile.

From the moment he has stepped into the Queen’s chamber, Jiyong did not have the courage to look at her. The weight of how his friend, now Queen of Joseon, sat heavily on his shoulders, and he felt unworthy to look at her in her eyes. Ironically, he had been anticipating this moment since the day he left for military school. But when he finally received the opportunity to do so, he was all but excited.

The Queen however, did not question his behavior—especially not when Lord Yi was in the same room as them. All the time of waiting to see her friend again, the day has finally arrived. Though Jiyong was quiet and barely spoke a word, Chaerin figured that she should give him a respectable amount of time, since Chaerin was painfully aware of both their ages and the forlorn time which had passed between them. If she could wait for several years, she could wait for a short while more.

Her father excused himself then, and Chaerin was then overwhelmed with the feeling that she was unable to be alone with Jiyong anymore. The last time she has had a conversation with him was nearly nine years ago, and through the course of time, a lot has changed in the both of them. She was suddenly nervous, because, unlike the times when they were children and oblivious to their surroundings, they were both fully grown young adults now.

Silence etched between them, and it was too long a time before Chaerin finally spoke.

“How…how are you?” She nervously began, completely cautious of herself and no longer as free-willed as she was when she was eight years old. The faint memory of how she had greeted him so boldly the first time flooded her mind, and Chaerin longed to suddenly return to when life was all laughter and smile, not filled with responsibilities unlike now.

“I am fine, thank you for your concern…Your Highness.” Jiyong replied as calmly as he could, though his heart was fluttering irregularly beneath his chest. His eyes were still at his feet, and all of a sudden, memories began to invade his mind; the first and second times he had reacted upon seeing Chaerin.

Chaerin, recalling the exact memory Jiyong was, smiled at how humbled he was even after all this time. “I see that you’ve not changed at all. You must remember that you are no longer a servant, but a general. You have a status now, Jiyong. You can look at me.”

There was hesitation, before Jiyong finally glanced from his feet and towards Chaerin. For a second, when their eyes locked, both of them felt warmness under their skins; it was good to see each other again. “I’m glad you’re doing well.” Chaerin said, smiling. “You have no idea how much I longed to…” Her sentence hung midair, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. “It is nice to see you again after all these years."

Jiyong nodded, returning her smile with one of his own. “I am equally happy to see you healthy. The King, he must be treating you well.”

Chaerin’s smile faltered slightly, but not too much for Jiyong to realize that something was amidst.

“Yes,” She answered after a short pause, “He is.”

-----

( Each day, when the sun fell back behind the mountains, and the stars began to fill the sky, Chaerin worries to herself that the King will arrive at her chamber, and do what he is supposed to do towards her.

The first few nights after their official ceremony of union, Chaerin’s hands shook and trembled as she waited for the King’s arrival. The dishes brought by the Imperial Kitchen lay untouched in front of her, and Chaerin had been too anxious about that evening to remember how to keep the dishes warm.  She knew that as the rightful wife of Joseon’s ruler, she had her own responsibility to follow as well, and that was to conceive and bear a healthy prince for the Imperial House of Yi.

Still deep in her thoughts, Chaerin was startled when the sudden announcement of the King’s arrival reached her ears, and she panicked for a moment, unsure of what to do.

The King entered briskly, bearing no smile on his face, not as how he used to when he was still the Crown Prince. He sat on the bedspread by the table which laid the dishes, and glanced quietly at his wife seated beside him. “How was your day, jungjeon?” He asked in a rather nonchalant tone that Chaerin had a feeling he was being polite and courteous than he was sincere.

“I-it was fine, Your Majesty.” Chaerin fought to keep her tone as steady as possible. “I hope you had a great day too.”

The King heaved a sigh upon hearing that and reached out for a cup of wine. Chaerin poured him some graciously, as how she should, and the King drained the cup in one gulp.

And then, much to Chaerin’s disbelief and surprise, the King laid down on the bedspread and closed his eyes. He said nothing more, and Chaerin was left completely dumbfounded.

The dishes remain untouched.

But most importantly, she remains untouched.

In a blink of an eye, six months have passed, and Chaerin still remains untouched.

By then, Chaerin was no longer afraid of what the King would do to her. Because fromwhat she has observed and learned, the King was even more afraid to carry out his responsibility than her.

She thanked the Heavens for answering her prayers. )

------

When the King arrived in the Eastern Palace for a casual visit to see his Queen, he was slightly surprised to catch the newly appointed general conversing with the Queen yet another day. His confusion was replaced with rational remembrance that the general was the Queen’s godbrother, and their relationship with each other was undoubtedly close. Still, the King felt slight discomfort the more he saw them together, the more he began to realize that their relationship clearly exceeded that of siblings.

The King saw the Queen smiling at something the general said, and he raised his eyebrow in curiosity. He walked nearer to where they were, and the Queen, upon seeing him, leapt from her seat on the garden bench and bowed immediately in respect. “Your Majesty,”

“Jungjeon,” The King greeted in return, before turning his attention towards the general. “Fancy seeing you here again, General Kwon. Today marks the third day.”

“Your Majesty,” Jiyong greeted with a bow. “I came to deliver a message from the Queen’s father.”

“Is that so? I see.” The King noted that his Queen was silent, and her attention had been diverted to that of the flowers blooming on the trees. “Do you have spare time, General Kwon? Walk with me for a moment.”

Jiyong merely nodded, and as the King turned around and walked away, he could only but follow. He dared not look behind to see Chaerin’s reaction.

He followed the King for a good distance, before His Majesty finally came to a stop.

“So, I heard that you grew up in the household of the Yi family?” He began, and Jiyong nodded slowly.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Upon remembering Lord Yi’s reminder on how he should not reveal his past status to the royal family, Jiyong quickly added, “I used to follow my father to visit Lord Yi in his residence. Subsequently, I ended up spending more time than I ought to there.”

“So I heard,” The King nodded, turning around slightly so that he was partially facing him. “The Lord Yi is gracious for choosing you as his godson. You must be proud.”

“Not proud, Your Majesty, merely humbled and grateful.”

There was a pause before the King spoke again; “General Kwon, I ask of you not to mind my many questions, but do you think the borders of Joseon are safely guarded at the moment?”

“I believe so, Your Majesty. There are many trusted troops standing on guard at the—”