A/N: HEY CHINGUS! This will be the last chapter of this story, the chapter that will bring us back to the beginning. This is the untold story of the GONGJU and the GONGZHU, Mura and Yiyun. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as i enjoy writing it. 

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Peace yow!

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CHAPTER 38

GONGJU & GONGZHU story

Mura’s POV

“Your Highness… I am glad to be in your presence this morning…” I bowed at my father the King who is now sitting in front of me. My Lady-in-waiting Jinyoung and his Eunuch went out of my room leaving the two of us.

He laughed heartily and motioned for me to sit in front of the food he brought smiling gladly. I was recuperating from the fever that I had last night, his physician who was hiding behind the curtains said I got it from being outside the cold weather too much.

“Mura… sit down and eat your food now.. how are you feeling my daughter? Did you follow my physicians orders and drink the concoctions he did?” my father is really a very caring person. In front of the ministers and the people, he is the strong and intelligent leader of our Goguryeo Kingdom that will protect them from harm and give a good life for each and everyone.

But in front of me, he is the caring Father who dotes on his youngest daughter. Going out of the castle since I was a kid wearing our disguise and will go around the market place like a normal Father and daughter having a day trip. The only difference is his guards are following us also wearing their disguise.

No one recognizes us, especially him because looking or staring straight at the King is a crime.

I sighed and looked at all the food laid in front of me. All I wanted was a porridge~~…

“Come on… eat. You are looking thin Mura… please have a rest on reading and staying up late at night. That is the reason why you are sick..”

“But Father…” I pouted at him as I dig into the bowl of porridge I am going to eat. I started eating and has been enjoying it. Father kept on putting pieces of vegetables in my spoon urging me to eat it.

“If you keep on doing that you stubborn child, I will ask the Head Eunuch to lock the door of that library every night so you won’t get in.” all I can do is nod and pout at my Father.

Sigh.

It is my only joy… learning.

Being a woman in this place is such a sad fate. All they want me to do is study embroidery, art, and playing the Gayageum. Good thing Father let me learn how to read and write, if not…. maybe I’m just some neglected Princess out there who doesn’t even know what is happening in the kingdom because I am in so much joy smelling the flowers and have marathon embroidery sessions with my group of friends.

Group of friends…

I forgot.

I don’t have any.

Oh, wait!

I have!

My Lady-in-waiting!

“The Bride of the Crown Prince will be arriving today from Tang..”

I nodded at him as an answer to his statement not really caring about it. My brother the Crown Prince will wed the daughter of the Emperor Taizong of the Tang Kingdom as a form of alliance between father and the emperor.

My Lady-in-waiting Jinyoung said the Gongzhu will be living with us in the Palace and will be the next Queen if my brother steps up to the throne in case our father dies or abdicates. The dying part is what scares me…

If Father will die, I don’t know what will happen to me.

My half siblings doesn’t really like the idea of me being born into this world, let alone be the youngest whom our Father always visits and showers with gifts. At an early age, Father taught me how to use the bow and arrow accompanying him when shooting in the Palace grounds or having a hunting trip in the mountains. I know my brother The Crown Prince despises me because I am a more skilled archer than him.

“Although I want you to accompany me and your siblings to welcome her today, I still want you to rest and get back your energy.”

“It is acceptable to me Father… I will just visit the Gongzhu in her residence once she has settled. When will the wedding take place Father?”

“The day is still being decided by the Ministers and the Shaman making sure to choose an auspicious date for the nuptials concerning the 2 kingdoms…”

How sad it is to be sent in a far away land just to fulfill a treaty… I suddenly felt nervous. Knowing that I also will have to be wed off anytime that my Father needs something to waver at kingdoms.

“Father…” I called him softly while looking down on my bowl of porridge swirling it with my spoon.

“Yes, Mura… Is something bothering my favorite daughter?” i raised my head and met his smiling handsome face.

“Father… am I going to be wed off too to the other kingdoms like the Gongzhu?”

He stared at me with his loving eyes and sighed “Yes.”

Somehow it broke my heart but there is nothing I can do about it. I bow down to my food and continued eating slowly. Princesses are born to be use by the Kingdom as a bargaining tool to the other Kingdoms, marrying them off to the enemy as a promise of something valuable like peace.

It is my duty as a Princess. I am just too lucky that I am still young not like my older sister that is already promised to marry the Crown Prince of Silla.

“But that will still change because I will not let anyone take my precious little Princess away from my side until she is 40...”     

My head shot up looking at my Father bewildered, my eyebrow raising on what he said. Eh?

“I will not let anyone take you as his bride if he cannot promise that he will make you happy for the rest of your life.”

“Father…”

“Do not fear my child… I will make sure not to say yes to what the Ministers are asking me.”

The Ministers asking him?

He placed a small slice of meat in my bowl and spoke in a happy voice “Eat! I will not leave this room until you haven’t finish all of these food I brought!”

“FATHER!!”

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After that morning, Father became busy welcoming the Gongzhu and with other matters of the Kingdom. Jinyoung and I were having a chat under the tree at the back of my residence, even though it is already cold.

“This is the reason why you had a fever last night! Let’s get inside now Ongju Mama… my bottom is freezing…”

“Don’t you love the cold? Don’t you like seeing the Autumn leaves fall from the tree? It’s a pretty sight…” I grinned at her while blowing air in my hands to keep it warm. I love the cold weather!

It means wearing thick clothes to keep you warm, nights sleeping being bundled in my blanket while reading a book.

“Why do you love the cold weather so much, Ongju Mama?” she asked me. I stared at the blue sky and blew air in my hands again before answering her.

“Because the cold weather makes two people grow closer together, knowing that they need each other to keep them warm.” I smiled at my statement and sighed.

“Tsk tsk tsk… is this the effect of reading too much forbidden books?!” I glared at my Lady-in-waiting who is now snorting and laughing beside me but it doesn’t have any effect on her.

“Yah! I DO NOT READ SUCH KIND OF FORBIDDEN M-MATERIALS!” I pouted and stood up stomping my feet and kicked a stone on the ground. The truth is, I don’t want her to see my cheeks being red due to embarrassment. How could I forget to hide it?!

She probably saw the book under my sleeping mat… ahhhhh!!!!

“I understand Ongju Mama… I understand. It’s completely normal to be curious at your age… don’t be shy…”

“I only saw it and got curious but didn’t o-open it… and it is YOURS NOT MINE!”

“I completely forgot I left it in your room~~ hohum~~..” this small person!

“Why do you even enjoy reading that stories and drawings?! It is so vulgar!”

She stood up from the bench and bowed to me, my face heating up due to embarrassment that I don’t want her to see “I apologize for leaving it inside your room Ongju Mama… I will immediately destroy that material once and for all..” Eh!?

“W-w-what… no!” she looked up at me quizically her eyebrow raised. Oh mighty Lord Hwanung!

That came out wrong from my mouth.

“I…I… mean…w-w-what will y-you do…w-w-why destroy it if you bought it! But it’s yours! So you can do anything you want with it!” I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks but kept it cool and waved my hand to Jinyoung.

“I would like to be alone for a while Jinyoung… l-leave me..” I want to be alone and breathe free out of embarrassment!

“Ye, Ongju Mama…”

She bowed at me and turned around ready to leave when she stopped and turned her head back. “By the way Ongju Mama, is it a good read?”

“Hmmm…. Yes…it is… The Passion of the Cut Sleeve is interesting…The Shared Peach too…” I froze in my spot and gritted my teeth to my mischievous Lady-in-waiting and tried to kick her bottom but failed because she kept on dodging it.

“YAH!”

“I haven’t look at it and you already saw the contents!”  

“Run or I’ll call the guards and have you beheaded!”

“You will not do that, I am the only one you can trust~~…” she said it with a genuine smile on her face flipping her hair. All I can do is shake my head unbelievably in this short person.

What she said is true, she is the only person I can trust inside this Palace. JInyoung and I have been together since she was a kid. She was the niece of my former Lady-in-waiting whom Father entrusted to take care of me after my Mother died of childbirth. She entered the Palace early to train under her Aunt and was my constant playmate and now confidante.

“Go… before I push you to the pond. Tell the kitchen I want porridge and meat again for dinner plus anchovies and pickled cucumbers.” she bowed at me and proceeded to enter my residence.

Hmmm… the sky is still blue even if dinner time is near. I wonder what Father is doing today… maybe they already met the Gongzhu from Tang. I will just ask Jinyoung to go to her residence and schedule a visit and pay my respects to her.

“I hope she’s nice… not like my sister…” I puffed my cheeks and blew air while walking at the garden. Sigh… I miss going out of the Palace…

Father is so busy these days we can’t go out like we use to do back then. I wanted to go back to the market and buy that hair clip and satin I saw. And watch the troop of performers again walk on the rope and fall hehehe…

Maybe I should just ask Father to get them and perform privately for us inside the Palace….

I was so lost in my thinking when I heard a loud thud in the ground behind me. I turned around and my eyes went wide in a panic when I saw a young nobleman brushing his bottom clean with a painful expression on his face. Did he just climbed the wall of my residence??!

He was wearing deep blue robes and a hat the brim covering his face that is why I can’t see him fully while painstakingly brushing his hurt bottom.

Wait… I should scream!!! What if he’s an assassin!!?

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! GUARDS!!!-- HMMMPPP!”   

My scream was muffled when he suddenly pulled me behind the tree covering my mouth. His left arm holding my waist and his body trapping me between the tree. Oh God of the Heavens! I don’t want to die young!

I tried to fight and get out of his hold but he is strong. I heard the stomping of feet on the ground and voices from my guards coming.

“Is that the Ongju screaming!? Where is she?”

“I don’t know! But I heard her scream!”

“But she is not here! Maybe it’s just your imagination… let’s go back to our place. The Chief might caught us not guarding the residence.”

“I can’t believe we are just 4 guards guarding the Ongju…”

“We can’t do anything about it… she is not that special..”

Hearing those words made my heart ache. Of course… I am not that special. My mother is just a concubine of the King, not even a noble blood just a commoner.

The voices faded indicating that the guards are already away. My eyes roamed on the face of the person trapping me in his arms right now. His mouth… he doesn’t have a beard and his skin is clear. His nose is beautiful even though the holes are a bit wide, his eyes mesmerizing, his lips rosy. He was staring back at me and the moment our eyes met, I felt this pounding in my chest like drums being pounded by musicians.

I am sweating… I can feel the beads of sweat rolling at my back because of how he gazes at me. Like I will lose myself just by looking at those brown eyes…

MURA!!!! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!!! HE IS A MAN YOU DO NOT KNOW AND IS NOW PRESSING HIS BODY IN YOURS!!!

I snapped out of my foolishness and took all the strength I have pushing him off of my body and slapped him hard. So hard that his face snapped to the right and I immediately crossed my arms on my body covering it.

“HOW DARE YOU!!!”

“I…I…Please…f-f-f-orgive me…” he was in a shock and I can see the blood flowing on the part of his cheek that I slapped, my hand imprinted there. He deserves it!!!

Somehow his accent gives off something… he is not from here…

“I AM A PRINCESS OF THIS KINGDOM!! HOW DARE YOU LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME!?”

“I apologize Gongju… it is a mistake… I climbed the wrong wall… haisst…!” why do is hear a hint of feminity in his voice? He scratched his head and bowed at me then ran to the tree trying to climb it. WHAT IS HE DOING??!

“STOP!!! WHO ARE YOU AND WHY ARE YOU HERE?! THIS IS MY PRIVATE RESIDENCE! MY FATHER THE KING WILL HAVE YOU BEHEADED ONCE HE KNEW ABOUT THIS!”

“Believe me Gongju, the King will not do that..” he turned to me and flashed his amused smile that made me stop and stare. What is happening to me?

“I apologize for what happened and I will make up for it some other day. Please forget this happened…” he bowed again and successfully climbed the tree like a monkey and reached for the sturdy branch walking on it to reach the top of the wall dividing the residence.

He took one last look at me and bowed again before disappearing when he jumped down at the other side of the wall.

Leaving me staring like a fool with my mouth slightly open… my heart beating fast.

The following days was such a blur… I completely forgot about the strange nobleman who appeared on my garden and made me lose my sleep that night because his smile and his voice was playing non-stop inside my mind.

I was with the King accompanying him while playing Archery, the two of us shooting arrows on our respective targets.

Father aimed at the target with his magnificent bow, checking the distance and steadying his breath before releasing the arrow. It landed on the ring near the center. He shook his head smiling and turned to me. “I haven’t practiced for a while hahaha!!!”

“Father… are you alright?” I worry for him. I heard from Jinyoung that Father and his trusted General Yeon Gaesomun is having a misunderstanding. Probably the Ministers are once again putting malicious ideas in the King’s mind.

He smiled at me trying to be cheerful and motioned for me to start. I nodded at him and positioned myself holding my bow and stretching my arm while holding the