Chapter Twenty

Mountain Over Mountain

Even the King of Korea could not break through the wall that is Yeonhwa’s stubbornness. Despite his warnings and pleas, Yeonhwa insisted that she would be alright speaking to Yifan. Thus the young King yielded to her request, albeit reluctantly. Besides, after everything she went through, King Chanyeol would do anything to make her happy.

So now here they were, Yeonhwa and Yifan, sitting across each other in the Imperial Garden, surrounded by an army of soldiers. Even though King Chanyeol had allowed their private meeting, it did come with certain conditions, thus the circle of soldiers around them.

Yifan shifted uncomfortably. If he were to be honest, it felt more like a diplomatic meeting rather than one between a couple. Even so, he figure that beggars cannot be choosers, so he had to make do with what he was given.

He looked at Yeonhwa, who gracefully drank her tea that was prepared for them beforehand. She seemed normal, as if nothing had changed, as if he never broke her heart and threw her out. Han Yeonhwa was still Yeonhwa, the graceful, poised, breathtakingly beautiful woman the Emperor of China fell in love with. He was just about to say something when Yeonhwa beat him to it.

“How have you been, Your Majesty?” she asked, her tone not betraying any sadness or anger she might have felt.

“Yeonhwa, I-” Yifan started, but was interrupted by Yeonhwa.

“I hope you’ve been well,” she said.

“No, Yeonhwa. I haven’t been well. Not at all,” replied Yifan.

“You look fine to me, Your Majesty.”

“I’m not fine. And stop calling me that, you’re supposed to call me by my name.”

“I don’t think that’s appropriate, Your Majesty.”

“Stop calling me that!” he snapped.

“Your Majesty,” she repeated.

Yifan stared at her in frustration. She, however, ignored it and continued to speak.

“My sins should not have been forgiven. I have betrayed you, and you know that I shouldn’t even be alive now. But I am, due to your benevolence, and I am eternally grateful for that,” she said.

“No, Yeonhwa, listen. I… I know you didn’t betray me. I know all you’ve done is only for the best. You’ve done nothing wrong. I’m so sorry, Yeonhwa. I just got lost in a cloud of pride that I put all the blame on you. I wanted to feed my pride, so I threw you away. I’ve made a terrible mistake, Yeonhwa. I want you back. I’m a mess without you. Please, please… Just come back to me,” begged Yifan, on his knees.

Yeonhwa only stayed quiet, her face void of emotions. She stared at him, and Yifan was beginning to grow nervous. What if she did not want to come back? Yifan decided that he was never going to leave unless she comes back with him. He figured that he had always been selfish, so why stop now, right?

After what seemed like forever, Yeonhwa took a deep breath while Yifan’s body grew rigid. Yeonhwa mumbled something so quietly that even though Yifan strained his ears, he failed to catch what he was trying to say.

“What?” he questioned.

Finally, Yeonhwa’s face seemed to be flooded with longing.

“Did you miss me?” she asked.

Her question seemed to catch Yifan off-guard, as in that moment, he felt as if every moment he had spent with Yeonhwa; from the moment he met her to the moment he made her leave. He was overwhelmed with emotions as he continued to stare at her.

“Did you?” she asked again.

There was no denying that no matter how much he had hurt her, Yeonhwa was in love with him. She was in love with his every word, every move, every breath. She loved him so much, yet he threw her away. What do you say to a man who let you go? She wanted to scream and shout and tell him to never come near her again, yet she was dying to know the answer to her question. Did he cry himself to sleep every night longing for her? Did every single thing remind him of her? Did he miss her? Did he miss her like she missed him?

Yifan nodded.

“Yes, Yeonhwa. I missed you. I missed you every moment of every single day since you’ve left. I was filled with guilt and regret every single time I go to sleep. I think of you every single time I do anything. Every day, my heart broke longing for you. There isn’t a single moment where I didn’t wish that I could turn back time and make everything right again,” said Yifan, without missing a single breath.

Yeonhwa felt tears pricking at her eyes but she held them in. She desperately wanted to run into his arms and cry in his embrace, but she would not. She took a deep breath to compose herself before looking back at Yifan.

“That’s enough then,” she replied.

“What?” asked Yifan.

“I’ll come back with you.”

-

Yifan was utterly shocked at how easy it was for him to convince Yeonhwa to come back. Despite King Chanyeol’s almost violent protests, Yeonhwa insisted that she would be fine, thus the young King had no other choice but to comply with Yeonhwa’s wishes.

And so the couple sailed back to China after spending a week in Korea, remarried and Yeonhwa position as the Empress of China was reinstated, with not much obstacles. Yet, after a month, Yifan still felt empty. He wondered why he felt that way when everything was back to before all the conflict happened.

The answer lied in his and Yeonhwa’s relationship. It was not like Yeonhwa was ignoring him or treating him badly; because she was not. She still ate her meals with him, still slept in the same bed as he did and still helped him with some of his affairs, yet it did seem like it was enough for Yifan. Everyday was the same now; like a vicious never-ending cycle of a perfect but mundane relationship. Yeonhwa never got mad anymore, she never got sad and she certainly never showed any affection other than the usual pleasantries. The current Yeonhwa had no expression other than a small smile that never quite reached her eyes. It was if the woman he fell in love with had died and had been replaced with a living doll, a shell of the person who she used to be. He could not t