THE KING'S HEART

            Lee Hoya let out a silent sigh while seeing stacks of important documents that he had to read and signed. He decided to take a short break from his work and leaned his broad back to the head of his comfortable chair. He closed his deep brown eyes and pinched his tall nose with his long beautiful fingers. Hoya always tried to held back his fatigue, as a King of Ephemerus, he thought that he shouldn’t let anything on his way, even it was his own fatigue. No, as a King, he shouldn’t be tired and instead he had to give the best of himself for every responsibility that given to him as a King.

Tiredness was actually just one of his problems that he could handle easily, but there was this one thing that he didn’t want to call it his problem but again it became his prior problem. It was the emptiness in his heart.

He opened his eyes staring at the dark sky from a tall window in the King’s office room, his office room where he spent almost everyday in a year after he became a King. He worked so hard to rebuild the land of Ephemerus and made a lot of differences to keep the peace and equality between the races. He barely had enough sleep to continue working, but it was worth to be sacrificed because he had a very huge responsibility as a King on his shoulders.

But only for today, he wanted to become a Lee Hoya not King Hoya of the land of Ephemerus. Just Lee Hoya, Lee Hoya who was a knight leader and had a very beautiful wife. He would let his guard down and also let the emptiness in his heart to take over him. Because he would definitely do the one thing as he had promised to his dear wife, even if it would show his weakness, but he would do anything for his beloved wife.

Hoya stood up from his comfortable chair and walked to the door ignoring his work. He could catch up with it later, for now the only thing that important was his promise to his wife. He walked alone through the hallways of the palace. He refused the protection from the palace knights because he could protect himself and he was actually a knight. He continued walking to the palace stable and woke his loyal white horse up. Then, he mounted on his horse and made his horse to run as fast as it could breaking through the empty night.

           He halted his horse after he arrived at the place that gave so much memories to him, the most bitter and sweetest memories, and the place was the Mirage Forest. He dismounted from his horse and walked slowly to the exact place where it happened a year ago. He sat down on the cold grass in front of the entrance of the Mirage Forest, facing the direction of the soon rising sun.

He looked around him and found that the Mirage Forest hadn’t changed too much from a year ago. He tried to prevent the bitter memories to appear in his mind as he stared at the land of Ephemerus in the far distance. His kingdom. The land of Ephemerus had changed quite a lot to be a better land in a year. It was the result not only from his hardworks, but also from everyone who loved their land so much.

A hour later, the sun was starting to rise. Its golden rays were gushing to every directions, it was a pleasing scenery to the eyes, so beautiful. Hoya couldn’t help, but wishing something even though he definitely knew all along that his wish wouldn’t ever come true. He smiled bitterly to himself as he let a tear sliding down his cheek, he remembered what Kim Jongdae had said that time exactly a year ago, “unless one of you die, then watching the sunrise will only bring you bad memories.”

Hoya quickly wiped his tears with the sleeves of his royal outfit and cursed himself, but again only for today he would forget who he really was. While he was busily calming himself and wiping his tears, he suddenly felt a slight weight on his left shoulder.

“Oh, Ho Oppa~ I’m so happy I can watch the sunrise together with you again. It makes me jovial~” a soft cheerful voice that he yearned to hear so much was heard so close beside him.

“B-Biah??” Hoya could finally uttered his wife’s pretty name from his own lips after a year he was living his lifeless life without Biah beside him.

Hoya was widening his eyes and dropping his jaw adorably, he couldn’t believe what he saw. Biah was leaning her head against his shoulder as she giggled seeing his disbelief expression on his face and thought that her dear husband was really the cutest person in the universe.

“Oh! I shouldn’t call you ‘Ho Oppa’ casually! Because you are my King now~!!” she changed her position and sat straight facing him properly, then she bowed her upper body in front of him, “Good morning, Your Majesty~”

Hoya who was still so stunned with everything, slowly extended his hand to touch Biah’s chin. He felt waves of happiness in him when he could touch her little chin. Hoya lifted Biah’s face gently to make her looking at him and locked their gaze. Biah looked up at him blinking her brownish eyes innocently, adorable pink blushes appeared on her cheeks because Hoya was staring at her so intensely. He gently brushed his thumb on her soft pink lower lips, feeling that it was real. That his wife was real.

Without a word, Hoya quickly pulled Biah into his embrace, trapping her in between his strong arms so she wouldn’t go anywhere else again. Biah smiled in his embrace as she wrapped her arms around Hoya’s torso, she rubbed his back softly when she heard a small sob came from her beloved husband.

“Ho Oppa, are you crying?” hearing her question, Hoya released his hug, but still kept his arms around Biah’s petite body.

Biah almost couldn’t held her own tears anymore when she saw her handsome husband’s face. But, no, she shouldn’t cry, she had to be strong for Hoya. She cupped his face between her hands and kissed the track of his tears on his cheeks softly. Hoya wrapped his arms hugging