Royal Court

The chamber was quiet. All the officials were standing in their places and were waiting for the King to start. The only prince in attendance was the Crown Prince, and for some reason, the Astronomer was not present in the room. Then a court attendant approaches the King, and the King nods his head as the attendant turns to address the court.

"His Highnesses the Princes of Goryeo will be joining this meeting." Then the courtroom door opens as the princes enter in their official uniform. But the last figure that enters with the Astronomer behind him clearly brings a tense silence. It was the 4th prince Wang So. In the black hanbok of a prince, his hair up in an sangtu, and on his face hidden beneath the bangs was a gold mask.

The scarred prince. A prince that court officials thought of as a prince in name only, for he was not perfect. No, in the eyes of some he was a disgrace. His existence was something that many of them would like to forget. Sure, the 4th prince and his wife Lady Hae now lived in the palace, but their compound was so far from Cheondokjeon that he was like a forgotten thought as they have done nothing to bring attention towards them since their marriage. However, now they could no longer ignore the 4th's existence. The 4th prince had entered into the morning assembly that too with his face covered in a mask, and the nobles had to bow as he passes by.

Some of the major clans such as Yoos, Yus, and Hwangbos thought that the prince will be awkward because this had to be his first assembly, but instead the 4th prince seemed to be at ease and unfaceable. This assembly will be interesting, because to some it became a bit complicated as they now had to hide their dislike for two princes, the Crown Prince and the 4th Prince.

Wang So

The walk into the courtroom was quite similar to his coronation day, but it was different. For on his coronation, everyone had to hide their reactions if they did not want to be killed. Today, he could sense the uneasiness of the court officials. Uneasiness because of how confident he was when he was in their presence, how easily he had entered the political hall with such a hideous mask on but they could do nothing to stop it.

It was just the beginning. No, these officials, they will have to adjust to his presence quite quickly. His mind was already calculating how to keep these noble ministers and officials in control for he already had an idea as to who were interested in harming his eldest brother and his father, though who exactly would seek to harm his wife was something that he will find out soon enough.

As the meeting started, he easily fell back into the role of a court official. All they could see was a scarred prince who just knew to hunt animals. Now they will see just who he is as a politician. Looking across the room, he saw the faces of those who had betrayed him, the ones who had hurt him in his past life. Though he will not wish them to die, for them to suffer difficulties, that will be something that he could ensure. It will be interesting to tell the story to his Soo-ya tonight.

Hae Soo

Stepping into Damiwon, always felt strange. This place which was like a home to her in the past, where she was the head, now she was a visitor, a royal visitor. But she did not mind when she could see Court Lady Oh alive and going about her duties. She had always been the server at the royal women's tea party but she was also a very fast learner, so she knew all that occurred in these parties. Being a silent observer had let her learn many things, and surviving in this den of snakes was something that she will happpily do as she had knowingly entered into this den when she had married a prince.

But she was no longer a broken woman due to lies, betrayals, and death. She had survived all of that and now she was a stronger woman than ever before. Besides, she also had a treasure that none of these women have ever got. They had the support of their families, the care of their siblings, but the love from their husband, that was something that these older ladies sadly have never experienced. Even if the princess happened to be present behind these doors, charming and endearing herself to all the other ladies, it did not matter, for all she had to do was to be herself. Her true self which was a mix of Hae Soo and Go Ha Jin. With a slight smile on her face, she steps into the tea room full of her in-laws through some complicated ties, the den of snakes but not as a sacrificing lamb like a wife of a cursed prince should be, but rather the beloved lover and wife of a great man whom these people did not even realize her husband was. She couldn't wait to tell her Wang So-nim everything tonight.

That night….

The entire palace as well as some of the private homes of the court officials were in a buzz. An unexpected wind had ruffle their feathers. Either in a good way or bad way, it did not matter as at the center of all of the buzz was just two individuals. 4th Prince Wang So and Lady Hae Soo. The scarred prince and his orphan noble wife.

First it was the princes. The 3rd, 8th, and 9th were all dumbfounded. Their brother who never had even stepped a foot into the royal court in the presence of the officials, had managed to debate with the officials, and win most of it when he steps in to the discussion. That prince that have just started to study together with them and attend the lessons offered by great scholars. Not to mention, in his argument, he installed quotes from the "Book of Virtues" and many other classics, that Prince Wang Yo knew for certain that animal had never even touched.

Not to mention the lack of surprise that the Crown Prince, Ji Mong and the King had shown at how much that animal knew about the country's policies. Has these three been helping the exiled prince? But Yo had found no such evidence of their help, even Won-ah did not find such evidence. But today, the surprise was what led him to lose in an argument against that animal. That will never happen again. His rightful seat as the future King will not be threatened just because a hideous wolf-dog had learnt new tricks.

8th prince Wook always carried out his responsibilities. But these responsibilities were slowly burying him alive, but his greed, the hidden greed in his heart was also emerging. Everytime, he heard something that showed how happy Soo was with So, there was a desire to beat his 4th half-brother. To make him get off his high horse, to make him seem like a lesser man compared to him in Hae Soo's eyes. Thus, when the half-brother that were born in the same year as him entered the courtroom, he was silently looking forward to being better than him. He knew that So knew martial arts at least as well as his own when he had witnessed him fighting those thugs, but intellect and palace politics, that was his area. But that was not what happened.

So, the one who even in their lessons did not display some great talent, suddenly was skillfully talking to the ministers, and he was not impolite about it no rather he talk in a diplomatic way. But he recognized hidden threats that were included in all of So's statements towards the court members. So, the brother who could talk back to the 3th but did not have any indication of a crafty mind, because So's brain was more simple in terms of thinking, had outsmart the court officials that had such a seasoned silver tongue. His mood was not helped at all by what he witnessed.

After the court, instead of their regular lessons, princes were free to do what they wanted. Therefore Wook has decided to visit the large field, where he once walked together with Soo. As his wife had visited his mother. In that snowy field, where they had walked together in silence. Though now that field's snow had melted and in its place there was grass. But as he was walking he overheard a conversation behind the tree. A conversation between Soo and the daughter of the General, Park Soon Deok who had became really good friends as they were seen together all over the palace.

"Agasshi, I was always curious. Why is it that everytime I visit your house in the morning, I see those maids from your clan looking so nervous?"

"Oh, those girls. They are still nervous that the 4th prince will be displeased by my unladylike behaviour. You know drinking every night, wandering the markets, taking trips to Unni's grave and the praying tower so often. Rather than being a calm wife of a royal, I act like I am a wife of some commoner."

"But, 4th prince getting angry at you? Only thing that the prince gets angry at you is when you are being reckless or when he sees you using your knees."

"That's only because he is overprotective. But those girls still don't get it."

"Of course they are scared, you know that day was the first time I actually witnessed a frantic 4th prince."

"Aish, that man. Always overreacting, so what if I was crouching down under the table, looking for one of my fallen earrings. All of you were searching for it too, I was not going to let you guys crawl on the ground while I could be helping."

"Yes, you helped us Agasshi. By letting your husband see you on your hands and knees, then getting scrapes on your arm due to some roots as you were reaching for your earring."

"Soon Deok-ah, do we really have to remember that embarrassing incident?"

"Embarrassing. To the young princes and I, it just showed us just how much the 4th prince cares about you. How frantic he was when he saw you on the ground and how he lifted you up in his arms before getting the assistant to examine you to make sure you were not hurt."

"Seriously, I was not even that hurt."

"But Agasshi, you are lucky that your husband cares about you so much. Especially in the royal family."

"I care about him, just as much as he cares about me. He has my whole heart and soul. I wish that Soon Deok-ah, your husband will love you that much. Because the greatest treasure is receiving such love from another person."

That was all Wook could hear before the voices of the two ladies could not be distinguished, but what he heard was enough. Soo loves his brother So. Soo loves his half-brother So, so much that she could easily speak about her feelings to another. When her attraction towards him, the tenderness she had showed him was something that she had never spoken. Soo loved that man that somehow had earned all the admiration of his younger brothers, had superior fighting skills and was able to rescue Soo, a skilled tongue that had made ministers back down, and now So had Soo's heart. That scarred man, an animal-like human, had everything that Wook either had or wanted to have.

Compared to their older brothers, the three young princes were in awe of their 4th brother. Baek Ah was the one that was most knowledgeable about politics among the three of them, all three of them disliked the complexities of politics. That's why though they went to the assembly, resigned as there was nothing they could do against the King's orders. But when their 4th brother had entered the room, they were surprised. Surprised at just how confident he walk into the room, not noticing the side glances of the officials. No one will be able to tell that their brother had just recently gotten shot by poisoned arrows, and just in these past two months had been close to death multiple times. They were happy that finally all the brothers were together in the courtroom.

Not to mention, how when the usual officials tried to make some hidden remarks about Silla or Eun's old grandfather or the Crown Prince, So-Hyungnim spoke up against it and shot their objections down, similar to the way he had once shot down the 3rd Prince's remarks. Though they did not notice it till later, their 4th brother made sure to keep all the attention of the officials on him, so the three of them do not have to match wits against the officials. Their brother had given them a front stage seat to watch him dealing with the court officials, in a way that is both legal and commanding. Protecting them so much was something that even all of their other family did not do, though the 4th prince did not know it then, he had gained the trust of his younger brothers, as well as the support of the clans in 10th and 13th's hometowns.

Though the degree of this reaction was different, all the court officials were impressed as well as terrified of the 4th prince. The cursed prince who had killed over 50 men by himself after the attack on the exorcism rite. They all had their own spies in the morgue, the three cart full of dead assassins that the guards carried in, whom were killed by the 4th prince. That too when he was already poisoned, thus weak. It make them scared of the possibility as to what the 4th prince when he was in complete health was capable of. But when they look at him, they could not think of his fearsome martial art skills, all they could think about was his hideous face. So they did not think of his presence in the courtroom much except for the disgrace of having a flawed being enter the courtroom and having to bow to him. However all of that changed as the meeting progressed.

Minister Park Yun Gung was trying to hint at the unsuitability of the Crown Prince, but then the 4th Prince asked if having been a person of Hubaekje made him inferior in someway in this court room. When a more concentrated security around the founding members of Goryeo was suggested, the 4th Prince asked them if the men that is needed for that new security will be provided from the minister's own men or will the royal guards be used. The 4th prince knew about the nobles and minister's private armies. From that statement it could be infer that the 4th Prince knew enough about them to know exactly how big their armies were. When taxes were asked to be raised, the question from 4th Prince was how the citizens will pay when there were already signs of drought, unless they wish for more slaves to be taken into their household? The word 'taken' meant that the 4th prince knew that some of the noble's slaves were not truly born or sold to slavery, rather forced into slavery which was illegal.

And thus throughout the meeting, the 4th prince were dropping such innocent remarks that had reference to some of the noble clan or court minister's illegal dealings or were protecting the three younger princes in a subtle matter. Now these noble clans and ministers were nervous. How did this prince that has not been living in Songak, the capital, till recently know what they were doing. And where in the world, did this supposedly stupid and wild prince actually learn to fight with words, that it was enough to silence the highest court officials in attendance.

On the other hand, the wives of Queen Taejo had three different reactions to the 4th Prince Wang So's wife Hae Soo. First, Queen Yoo did not even like the way that woman behaved. She should have been docile and submissive towards the Queen. Instead, Lady Hae had greeted her mother-in-law with respect but when she had inquired just how long she planned to live in the palace with her lack of connections, that girl had the nerve to say that she and her husband will make sure to live without causing the Queen to have any concern. For that moment, Queen Yoo saw the face of that cursed child overwrapping the orphan noble girl's face.

Second reaction was what most of the ladies had which was a polite indifference like Queen Hwangbo. Hae Soo was not the wife of a prince that was influential nor did she hold a good position in her influential clan. Usually it would be Hae Soo approaching these royal wives to make a connection with them, but she did not do that so both the prince's wife and the king's wives treat each other with polite civility.

The third reaction was perhaps the most surprising in a sense. These ladies which were the family of the Crown Prince, 10th and 13th princes as well as Grand General's daughters adore Lady Hae Soo. Especially when they learnt that Lady Hae Soo knew how to apply makeup so well that it made them look more healthier and beautiful. These ladies truly adored the lively personality of the newest member of the royal family. Luckily for Lady Hae Soo, Princess Yeon Hwa was not at tea that afternoon, otherwise for her it would have been more of a battlefield. But it did not mean that the Princess did not know what happened, she heard it all about it from the maids later now. The Princess just knew that to look at that child in a gathering that she had no right to be in but could attend just because she married a prince who had probably pitied her situation will not agree with her, thus the Princess was absent from the tea gathering.

Unknown to all of these people that were reacting to the day's events, the truth was that both the 4th prince and his wife were not paying that much attention to it. The married couple had got their outdoor bed with curtains set up in their courtyard near their chambers. Lying back on the bed, they were stargazing, picking out constellations, just enjoying each other's presence. True in between, they did silently relate what had happened that day to each other but it was not the highlight. To this couple, having a time devoted completely to each other was more important.