Chapter Thirteen

News

Two moons had passed, and there was still no news from Yifan at all. Yeonhwa was currently staying at the palace, under the protection of King Chanyeol, as per Yifan’s orders. Yeonhwa had inquired about him from Joomyeon, but he claims to know nothing. She could not get anything out of him, no matter how insistent she was in her pestering, even though Yeonhwa had a feeling that he was lying.

And indeed he was. In all honesty, it pained Joonmyeon to see Yeonhwa stare into space all the time and hear her cry herself to sleep, but The Emperor of China had made him vow not to tell Yeonhwa anything about the situation in China. Of course he knew exactly what was happening there. How could he not? China is, after all, a strong ally of Korea, especially since their Empress was of Korean blood herself. The Royal Court has been discussing the situation every day, and while King Chanyeol wanted to send his own troops to help, The Emperor had advised him against it, since the war was a civil one, and His Majesty refused to let another country get involved in the mess of a fight.

A huge mess it was. Huang Zitao’s troops were no joke. Although small in number, they were extremely ruthless, using dirty ways to secure victory. They would toy with The Emperor’s troops’ emotions, attacking when they are at their weakest. While Yifan’s side had what was initially thought to be an impenetrable defence, it quickly crumbled like dirt, making it easier for Zitao to attack.

Yifan was losing the war, and he was terrified that they might not have much time left.

-

Yeonhwa sighed for the umpteenth time that day. She was kept in the dark regarding Yifan’s situation and she hated it. She spent her days worrying about Yifan, wondering if he’s safe, or even alive. She felt like running to China on her own two feet and into Yifan’s embrace. She missed him terribly and her eyes were beginning to water.

She rubbed her stomach tenderly as tears started cascading down her cheeks.

“Oh baby, what is Mama going to do? I wouldn’t be able to bear it if your Baba got hurt.” she whispered.

A palace attendant entered her room and she quickly wiped her tears away. Just as she stood up and turned to the palace attended, her vision started to become hazy and all of a sudden, Yeonhwa’s world turned black.

-

Joonmyeon immediately abandoned his duties the moment he heard about Yeonhwa’s collapse. He rushed to her chamber only to find the physician exiting the room.

“How is Her Highness?” he asked, his voice controlled and calm even though his emotions were raging inside.

“Her Highness is fine, she just fainted due to exhaustion.” the physician replied with a polite smile.

“Thank god.” Joonmyeon sighed in relief.

Joonmyeon had thought of the worst scenarios on his way to see Yeonhwa. He was worried sick that she might have done something unimaginable.

“The child in her womb is fine too, healthy as ever and growing fast.” the physician continued.

For a moment, Joonmyeon’s world seemed to stop. He replayed the physician’s words over and over in his mind before it finally sunk it.

“She’s pregnant?” he asked, his eyes wide.

“Three months, to be exact. As of now, she needs to keep away from stressful things and rest well for the sake of her health and the child she is carrying.” advised the physician.

Joonmyeon nodded before thanking the physician. When he left, Joonmyeon was left dumbfounded. He did not know what to feel. Yeonhwa is pregnant with Yifan’s child. Was he sad? Was he happy for them? Nevertheless, it made him want to care for Yeonhwa even more now. Taking a deep breath, he entered the chamber to find Yeonhwa sitting up against the headboard, looking down at h