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Chapter 6

…and Soul

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Sooner, rather than later, Jaehyun will be ascending the throne because of a heart attack.

That was what Jaejoong almost gave Yunho for the second time in twenty-four hours the moment Han Geng and Junmyeon ran to the meeting room to inform him that they went to Jaejoong and Moonbin’s bedroom only to find the former missing.

There was no sign of a struggle, and the silencing spell broke because he woke, meaning Jaejoong left the room on his own volition.

The problem was, no one in the entire residence had seen a shadow or hair of him.

And it has been two hours since then.

“Where did he go in such short notice?!” Yoochun wondered as he massaged his temples. “Every single room in the residence was searched, but there is no sign of Jaejoong-hyung anywhere!”

“He must be somewhere around here.” Han Geng grunted, biting his thumb in frustration. Yunho could understand him. Jaejoong had only been here for a few days, and getting lost in the residence of many rooms and hallways was something that no one wanted either, especially if the said person was an amnesiac.

“Have you double-checked the library? The training rooms?” Junsu wondered.

"Sanha is currently at the south wing's top floor using his Eagle Eyes, but there's no sign of Jungjeon-mama yet." Jinwoo reported to his master.

“Have you checked the rooms that he may have gone to often in the residence?” Yoochun asked.

“We did, but he’s nowhere in sight.” Changmin told him. “It’s like he disappeared into thin air.”

“Isn’t there another place that Jaejoong-sahyung would be able to go to without supervision?” Suho wondered out loud.

“None that I can think of…” Han Geng replied.

“There must be somewhere he might have gone…” Junsu wondered.

“Missing all of a sudden. Really, Appa is giving us a lot of work…” Moonbin sighed as he leaned on his seat. “Was he also like this in Japan, Yuta-hyung?”

“Usually he sneaks out with me.” Yuta replied.

Yamapi glared at Yuta, “Then how do the two of you escape from the guards around the palace to sneak time to go to Adachi-san’s takoyaki place?”

“That’s a trade secret that’s between me and Jae-sensei, but let me tell you, Jae-sensei is pretty good at hiding in every nook and cranny of the palace.” Yuta told him flippantly. “But since this is supposed to be a place that he had known for years now, then there must be some place that he frequently uses to sneak out for some alone time. I know I would. Mother does that sometimes when work piles up or she just wants to mess with her security detail.” Yuta told them.

“You know that doesn’t really help seeing as Jaejoong doesn’t even remember how to go about the palace.” Han Geng told him.

“Well, are there any places or rooms here in the residence somewhere that he frequents before his memory loss?” Yuta asked the adults. “Anything that fits in the saying, ‘what the mind does not remember, the body can’?”

Changmin shrugged, “Nothing comes to mind except the village outside the palace.” he told him. “He tends to sneak out to the villages before he was the Imperial Consort.”

All of a sudden, Yunho stood from his seat, his face that of shock and realization after Changmin’s words.

“That’s it!” Yunho whispered. “How could I forget?” he muttered as he went to the door. “Stop all the searches for him in the residence.” he instructed.

That got the people in the room staring in shock.

“What? Hyung, why?” Changmin wondered.

For the first time that day, the emperor showed genuine happiness. “I know exactly where he is going. If I go now, I can find him by tonight. Don’t wait for us until tomorrow.” he said as he ran out of the room in a hurry.

It took three seconds for Moonbin to react first. “What just happened?” he wondered out loud to Changmin.

“Beats me, but if he says stop the search, then that’s all we can do.” Changmin told them as he sent out a message to the search parties to cease the search.

All they could do now is wait and see.

…

The red lights were beautiful.

Jaejoong marveled at the glowing lights on the trees as he walked with Jiji. As he followed the faded path, however, things were starting to come to his mind.

This was the exact replica of the barren path in his mindscape, though now covered in leaves and full of life, unlike the dead trees that he had seen.

As he passed by, he could feel the magical energy around him humming, as if they were welcoming him back to their fold.

He didn’t know how long he was walking, but he could tell from the setting sun that it must have been over an hour or so, but he didn’t really feel any fatigue in walking with Jiji. The cat herself has quite the attitude, and Jaejoong couldn’t help but feel that she was a bit miffed at him in not managing to remember her properly when he woke up.

Jaejoong couldn’t really blame the cat though, and it seems that she does not accept any explanations.

‘Such a diva as always…’ the thought suddenly came to him that it startled him.

‘Did I just…?’ Jaejoong knew that it was too much of a coincidence for him to make a comment towards a cat that he had only met for less than three hours. Even Koko and Nene took at least a month for him to decipher their moods and meows when he first got them as kittens.

Jaejoong was not stupid enough for the obvious to slip from his thoughts.

Fragments of small moments and memories were coming back to him. From the moment the cloak was handed to him to his carefree thought about Jiji, he knew that things were slowly returning, and the closer he got to the answer, the better. The incident with the Grand Prince Moonbin might have jump-started the consistent return, and not fragmented like before.

He couldn’t help but be giddy about it too.

Jaejoong was taken out of his thoughts when he noticed that he and Jiji had reached the end of the path, and what lay ahead took his breath away.

He stood before a lakeside hanok and a vast garden of different kinds of flowers and trees landscaped throughout the area, adding more charm to the place. Jaejoong could see several familiar flowers that are associated with the night and the moon.

This was the scene that he had seen in his dream before he woke up, the place where he met a projection of himself, the place to find his ‘Soul’ according to it.

“But...how will I find…?” he turned to look at Jiji, who looked so done with everything and had jumped to what it looks like her outdoor cat tower and made herself comfortable, clearly stating that her job was done and that he was on his own.

Jaejoong would like to think that Jiji is just upset, and had not always been that way, but something tells him that it was the former.

Sighing, knowing that he was on his own, he walked towards the cobblestone path from the lovely hanok that stretched to the middle of the garden. He followed the path until he saw something vaguely familiar from the distance.

Right at the end of the path, just at the edge of the lake, was a small red pavilion that he had only been seeing from a distance in his mindscape.

There was no mistaking it since the path that led to it in his mindscape had electrocuted Yamapi and Yuta at least once when they got too close.

If he could only see it from a distance, now he can see it up close, and it was even more beautiful that he had expected. It was breathtaking.

As if on instinct, Jaejoong found himself approaching the pavilion, eyes never leaving it. As he was approaching the pavilion, he could recall voices of the Emperor in his head.

“This was the place that is only for my use. Since you’re here, not anymore.”

“I brought you here because you are the only one I trust who will keep this secret. Not even Changmin.”

“I’m sorry I lied to you. I didn’t mean to deceive you.”

“I will always need a very close friend who can call me out on my idiocy other than my mother and Changmin.”

Jaejoong knew he was hallucinating when his eyes saw his astral form from the distance, standing at the pavilion, next to what looked like a large stone dais. His astral form was running his hands above the dais lovingly, before disappearing in a wisp of air.

Inhaling and exhaling deeply, he made his way towards the pavilion through the path while admiring the flowers on the way.

When he arrived, the lamps on the pavilion lit up, allowing him a clear vision of the small pavilion for two. Approaching the dais that was at the far end of the square pavilion overlooking the lake, he saw that there was a golden inscription in Hangul, their mother tongue, on it.

Right behind him, Jiji was perched on one of the railings, looking at him intently as he approached the dais. She made herself comfortable in the railing where the moon illuminated her as she watched her master approach the dais.

Jaejoong ran his hands across the characters, the raised golden writing sliding through his fingers comfortably, as he read through the words.

“Inside my heart is you.”

As Jaejoong finished reading the words, a blast of light went through him, his eyes turning gold and red as it happened. At the same time, Jiji’s eyes glowed white and Jaejoong’s entire form did as well.

Like a gust of wind, Jaejoong’s head was suddenly ambushed by a very familiar scene, a memory so vivid that it almost scared him, but all he could feel at the time was warmth and a bit of...embarrassment?

“...what…?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A younger Jaejoong was mad when he stormed into the secret grove as he saw Yunho sitting at the pavilion staring at the moon listlessly.

How could he look so calm when he had just done a large blunder in front of the Ministry and the Emperor? He had known Yunho for a long time now, and for him to act this disrespectfully will make him look bad in the eyes of the government!

Stomping his feet as he ascended the pavilion and stood right beside him, he gained the attention of the Crown Prince whose smile brightened at the sight of him. “Oh, Jaejoong-ah.” he immediately retracted his smile the moment he saw Jaejoong’s angry face, and for good reason. No one liked it when he was mad, especially the cause.

Instead of greeting the man, Jaejoong huffed and spoke, “Don’t ‘ah, Jaejoong-ah’ me, Jeoha! What did you do earlier at the banquet?!”

“Ah.” Yunho replied, remembering three hours earlier, they held a banquet in order to welcome back an envoy who just came back from China and had brought with him his daughter in hopes that she would interest the Crown Prince.

The young lady was modest and obedient to her family and already is an expert in diplomacy, as her father had bragged. Jaejoong was only there because he was one of the assistants of his teacher, the current Imperial Mage Moon Heejun, and he got a front row seat as how Yunho acted so indifferent towards the praises that it raised concern on his mother and the Emperor.

“She wasn’t my type, so I didn’t respond to the bait of the envoy in telling me more about his daughter.” Yunho stated. “Besides, a woman like that is not really worthy to be Empress since I don’t like her.”

Jaejoong sighed. Why was he dealing with this flippant attitude? “Will it kill you to just flatter them for the day? Why are you so intent on making your dislike of being matched known to the public? The Emperor will not tolerate this kind of behavior for long. I don’t even want to think about what your mother, the Empress, will think about this.”

“Because my father is already aware that my preferences do not lean on women.” Yunho declared with a sigh. “He knows that and yet he still attempts to introduce me to every eligible woman he sees.”

“Then who do you prefer?” Jaejoong wondered.

“I prefer someone from a family who values their loved ones most of all, and one who does not judge me because of my title, but because of who I am and calls on my nonsense everytime he detects it.” Yunho started as he stood up, approaching the man who was still oblivious to what he was trying to say.

Jaejoong, still not getting it, huffed and looked away. “With the way you put it, it seems that you already have someone in mind. You might want to let Jeonha know before he sets you up by force.” he told him.

“I already let him know, which was why he didn’t lecture me when I ignored the envoy’s daughter. It’s just that the subject of my affection is too dense to notice that I want to marry him.” Yunho stated.

Having been pining for Yunho for a while (the day they met), he couldn’t help but feel a stabbing jealousy in his gut when he mentioned the person whom the Crown Prince had fallen in love with. “That’s good news…” Jaejoong muttered. “You can now tell Jungjeon-mama to get started on setting up an Euihon with their family.” he sighed as he turned to head back, “I’ll return to my quarters now. You have a good night.” he tried to conceal his jealousy, but it seems that the prince might have picked up on it, and it was not going to be good.

He was about to reach the steps when he felt Yunho grasp his wrist and turned him around to face him.

Jaejoong knew that once he saw his expression, he would completely see through Jaejoong’s face and feelings, so he tried to look down as much as possible for Yunho not to see him.

“Why are you like this?” Yunho told him with a bit of sharpness to his voice. “Every time I bring up my marriage options, you always bail on me like it’s some kind of an illegal operation you and Yoochun get up to.”

“You’re seeing things.” Jaejoong tried to deny, but something tells him from the corner of his mind that it was not going to work.

Not wanting Jaejoong to escape his interrogation any longer like the rest of the times their conversation fell on the subject of his marriage, he pulled his wrist a little too harshly and caged him in-between him and the railing of the pavilion facing the lake. If Jaejoong even dared to avoid this subject, he would either have to jump into the cold lake or to fight Yunho physically, both options seem to be something that Jaejoong would definitely not risk. It was either hypothermia or harming the Crown Prince.

“J-Jeoha…”

“What did we agree on when I let you in on this secret place?” Yunho asked him before he could continue.

Taking a deep breath, Jaejoong tried to reply without looking at Yunho and any part of him, for the matter. The close distance was too overwhelming. From his sides were Yunho’s large hands holding onto the railing, making sure that there was no room for an escape. He couldn’t even place his hand anywhere appropriate, as the closest he could touch was the Crown Prince’s chest.

“This is not the time for your jokes, Yunho.” he said firmly, still not looking in Yunho’s way.

It ended up frustrating the taller man as he raised his voice just a little in his ire, “Jaejoong...sometimes I don’t know if you are just so oblivious, or you are trying to let me down indirectly. It’s starting to annoy me that you won’t even look at me.” Yunho said sharply. “You...after all this time, how could you not know how I feel?”

Now looking straight into Yunho’s eyes, he was surprised to see a tinge of pain and longing in them.

How many times has he imagined looking into these same eyes who only knew nothing but his passion for serving his country? Why were they now filled with such negative emotions?

It was then when Jaejoong realized that he was the cause of the pain, which wrenched his heart even more looking at them.

Recalling his statement, Jaejoong started to freeze in his place. What did he mean by being oblivious and not knowing how he felt?

Princes usually don’t go for people from noble families of lesser powers.

Does he even dare hope?

“What...what do you mean…?” he managed to let out, wanting a clear understanding of what Yunho meant.

Softening his stare now that the shorter man was looking at him, Yunho looked straight into his eyes and grasped his hand gently. “Do I really have to spell it out for you to understand?” he asked as he placed Jaejoong’s hand on his chest, close to his rapidly beating heart.

From the stare that Jaejoong was giving his hand and his chest, he could tell that even Jaejoong was feeling it.

It was only when Jaejoong had felt his heartbeat did he look down to the hand, and then a second later, he went back up and stared directly in his eyes once more, a curious tinge of hope in Jaejoong’s eyes that he had never seen before.

Confirmation.

Hope.

A chance.

Yunho was reminded of Junsu’s and Yoochun’s words back then, about how Jaejoong missed his chance to voice out his feelings the moment he found out his true identity. How Yunho screwed up when Jaejoong found out he was not a simple military officer, but the Crown Prince.

Back then, before they were attacked, Jaejoong was about to confess his feelings and intended to make his advances known after all the flirting they did from the day they met at the training grounds.

Yunho would always count the hours until he could meet up with Jaejoong after his lessons and duties, and Jaejoong would always wait for him after training and office work in order to spend as much time together as possible, from lunches to dinners, to drinking out with Yunho disguised as a military officer.

Even after Jaejoong forgave him for his deception and had become closer, Jaejoong had always said that Yunho was like his second half, a part of his soul, for neither can live without the other the moment they met. While their personalities do not match often, there was a certain pull the two had with each other that not even their friends could define.

Changmin called it being whipped for each other, but Junsu had a better term: soulmates. Two complete opposites that complement each other as if Fate had weaved their destinies to meet and be together their whole mortal lives.

‘Ah. I really do love him, don’t I?’ Yunho thought to himself as he looked at the eyes that held his world.

“Jaejoong...inside my heart is you.” Yunho declared as clearly as he could for Jaejoong not to misunderstand anything. “And I am saying this with everything that I have, you are my soulmate, and I love you.”

Everything seemed to freeze as Jaejoong processed the words he said.

Yunho was in love with him.

“Y-Yunho-yah…” Jaejoong could only utter as he still stared in his eyes in disbelief.

He was exposed, and Jaejoong could feel his face reddening from embarrassment. The eagerness in his eyes made it worse.

It was at that moment, Jaejoong chose to give up.

Dropping his head on Yunho’s chest, allowing his hand to stay on his heart, he heaved a deep sigh. Yunho found himself smiling at the gesture.

“Why are you always like this?” Jaejoong muttered.

“Like what?” Yunho asked back.

Jaejoong looked up and finally looked at Yunho straight in the eyes, “You’re so confident about your feelings, but you’re bad at projecting to me.”

A deep amused laugh escaped from Yunho, making his chest move in Jaejoong’s palm that rested on it. “I’m not. I think everyone already knows I am in love with you except for you.” Yunho said. “You could be so dense sometimes that it was making my hair fall out.”

Jaejoong returned the smile, not having the energy to argue about it. “Just so you know, I will refuse to marry you if you don’t keep the hair until your old age.” he told him.

Taking the chance, Yunho tightened his hold on Jaejoong’s hand on his chest, and his other hand circled Jaejoong’s conveniently small waist to pull him closer to him so that there was as little space in between them as possible.

“Does this mean Mother can finally send the Euihon to Gongju?” Yunho asked, “Or should we skip to Napchae?”

At that statement, Jaejoong took his hand back from him and swatted his chest lightly. “Do it in order, Jung Yunho. I promised Yoochun that he’ll be the jungpa for this.”

Yunho could only laugh as he rested his forehead against Jaejoong, relishing in their closeness as he finally, FINALLY, got Jaejoong to understand his feelings.

“I love you.” Yunho declared softly.

Jaejoong could only smile as he heard those words. “I love you too.” he replied with the same tenderness as his.

The two were so absorbed with each other that they did not notice the moonlight hit them with its gentle rays, as if the Moon Goddess herself had blessed the promised union of the two individuals in the red pavilion.

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Inside Jaejoong’s sealed mindscape, the moment the vision ended, the remaining barrier glowed pearl red before it shattered into a million shards, giving freedom to the sealed object within.

Beyond the shield of his mindscape lay a red pavilion so similar to the one Jaejoong had seen, and in the middle of it, stood a dais with two rings, one larger and the other smaller, with different engravings, but if put together, they create one phrase respectively.

In My Heart, In My Soul

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By the time the vision was done, Jaejoong could feel tears cascade on his face, his heart clenching at the vision that he had received.

He couldn’t stop the tears. He didn’t want the tears to stop, for it released all his pent up pain as he reviewed the past five years when he barely thought about his past, his life before Japan, and most of all, to his family and the man he loves.

All Jaejoong could do as the memories came running back in, was to cry, all the while, not noticing that Jiji was engulfing him in a soft white light, siphoning the magic of the moonlight towards her master.

For Jiji, her task given by her master was almost done.

As soon as she had finished assisting in restoring the memories of her master, she noticed that the Emperor had appeared in the entrance of the secret grove.

The light on Jaejoong and her had faded a second before his appearance, allowing her the chance to slip away in the shadows of the pavilion to return to her cat perch, intent on seeing with the prime front seat that was allotted to her.

She has fulfilled her task. All that’s left is for her master and the Emperor to patch everything up, and this unintentional drawn-out incident can be put to rest.

Jaejoong didn’t know how long he stood there, but it was enough time for him to briefly organize the memories that were coming back to him.

The plea.

The investigation by Go Ara.

The plan by General Kwon.

The secrets kept by Hyunjoong.

The stage set by Jaejoong.

Everything was supposed to go according to plan, except for the fact that his return was greatly delayed than what was expected.

But knowing his friends, they had gathered more than enough to get things done. He just didn’t expect that his amnesiac self had to be associated with high-ranking people in Japan and China. His memories were still gradually returning, but he can tell that it will be a headache and a half in gathering his thoughts.

And then his mind went to Yunho and his children. How they must have suffered. Jaejoong didn’t mean to inflict such pain to his family, but he knew that he had to do the things he did in order to get rid of the lingering corruption that escaped their grasps before Yunho had taken the throne.

Everything was for his family and for the country.

As the ‘Mother’ of the country, it was her duty to ensure that everyone was taken care of, even at the cost of his life and a few lost years. He just hopes his husband and his children could forgive him for all the pain.

How could he face Yunho now?

He had never told the man anything about his plans, not a single sentence, not a single clue. It was left up to them to search for it themselves in order to reveal everything that has been happening in the royal family. The only assurance they had was his unbroken link with Moonbin as his magical parent and the fact that the dais containing their vows still has its magic intact that played their fondest memory.

They had shown mercy once, and Jaejoong had once warned them that there would not be a second time, and it was high time for them to get their due.

Before that though…

“Jaejoong!”

Jaejoong was startled at the loud voice of his husband, a voice that he had not heard in the past five years.

All of a sudden, all the longing had started to get to him as he turned from the dais to see the frazzled man run towards the pavilion.

Once he reached him, Yunho immediately grasped both his arms and stared at him with a ghostly pale and worried face.

“Where have you been? Han Geng-sshi and the others have been looking everywhere for you!” he told him.

“I…” Jaejoong then remembered that he followed Jiji without a second thought about what the others would think when they found his bed empty. Judging from the sky and the moon already so high up, it has been hours since he went missing from their radars. He would have to apologize to Changmin later for probably dispatching the Royal Guards around the residence.

He wanted to say a lot of things now that he was looking at Yunho after so long. Five years could really change a person, but to Jaejoong’s surprise, while Yunho didn’t really age that much, he could tell from his eyes that he has been losing sleep and motivation for the past few years. And it was his fault that he was like that.

It was his fault for worrying him, but he had to do it. He knew that Yunho was too forgiving for his own good that he tends to let someone pass, especially if they were family members.

Take his father, for example.

The most extreme crime is treason to the country, which his father had committed knowingly, but instead of execution, Yunho had lowered his sentence to exile in the north, forever under house arrest in the seat of their family, Gwangju, that has not been taken care of for the past few generations. Of course, Yunho had the courtesy to have it prepared before banishing his parents, and he hadn’t heard anything from them since.

Until five years ago.

Even then, it took its toll on Yunho who had always been obedient towards his father. The only time he defied his father was his marriage choice. Yunho had once believed his father to be a righteous man. Despite his callous attitude, he managed to maintain the prosperity of the country...until he planned treason.

That was why Jaejoong took it upon himself to find out the truth and to give the escaped sinners their dues. What better way to stay low by staging your attack and possible death?

“I...I’m sorry…” Jaejoong could only manage to let out.

Yunho saw tears coming out of the corner of Jaejoong’s eyes. Misunderstanding that it may be because of his outburst, he realized that he might have been gripping too hard and released his arms, “I’m sorry. We have been looking for you anywhere. I’m sorry if I acted too rashly…”

Jaejoong shook his head. “No...it’s not that…” Jaejoong denied. “It’s just...I’m sorry for what I put you through…” he told him. “All of you…” Jaejoong told him as he looked at him straight in the eyes, his tears no longer being restrained.

From the look on Jaejoong’s eyes, Yunho realized that he was not apologizing for taking off without a word. His apology held more than just that.

It was as if…

“J-Jaejoong-ah…? Joongie?” Yunho tried the endearment that he had not used for the past five years when the man was not by his side.

Realizing that Yunho had caught on, he stretched out his hands to cup Yunho’s cheeks, which the man leaned into eagerly as they stared into each other’s eyes. “Yunho-yah.”

In an impulse, Yunho circled his arms around Jaejoong to pull him close in a tight embrace. Jaejoong was all too eager to be within his tight embrace after all these years. There was nothing better than being in the arms of Yunho.

“Joongie. You remember now…” Yunho let out as he buried his face at the top of his hair.

Jaejoong managed a nod in his arms. “I’m so sorry for leaving you alone…” Jaejoong apologized once more. “I’m so, so sorry Yunho-yah…I know you would be mad once you find out why I did what I did…” Jaejoong told him.

Yunho released him from his embrace to look at him once more. “No. You did what you could all this time. Everything is because of my weak heart.” he told him. “Moonbin told me almost everything after he woke up.”

At the mention of their son, Jaejoong’s face shifted to an even bigger worry. “Binnie? He’s alright now? Where is he? Is he mad at me too? What about Jaehyun and Taeyong?” he asked. “How long have I been asleep since I released Binnie-!”

“Whoah, Joongie. Breathe.” Yunho tried to calm him, but still taking note that now Jaejoong’s memories were back as well as his confessional ramblings, he was slowly piecing together that Jaejoong was not only sorry for instigating the trap, but for what happened to Moonbin as well.

But that can all wait in the morning.

Jaejoong did as he was told and calmed down after a few breaths. It would do him no good if he started rambling things that Yunho will not understand properly, or worse, misinterpret what has been happening in the background for the past five years.

When he was sure that Jaejoong was breathing normally now, he spoke again, “Joongie, tell me, have your memories really returned?”

Jaejoong could only nod as he held back his tears once again. “It started when I freed Moonbin from his curse...and it returned fully when…” Jaejoong glanced back at the dais that held the memory of their confession. “When I saw this again.” he said with a small smile.

Yunho followed his gaze to the dais and managed to put the pieces together. “If I knew from the start that this will restore your memory, I would have dragged you here the day you returned.” he joked lightly.

Jaejoong chuckled lightly. “It wouldn’t work completely. I needed to encounter Binnie too as part of the seal.” he explained, deciding to ease him in on the truth of his seal. “My heart and my soul needed to return, and you know how I always said the Binnie held my heart since he was born.”

Yunho smiled at being reminded of the day of their son’s birth, Jaejoong had said those words. He was jealous for about two seconds until Jaejoong told him that while Moonbin held his heart, Yunho held his soul, his entire being.

“Let’s leave the details for tomorrow.” Yunho said as he ran his hands through Jaejoong’s hair. “I know you need to gather your thoughts about it, so let’s just leave it until morning. I already told everyone not to expect us back by then.”

“Y...you’re not upset?” Jaejoong asked. By now Yunho would have been frowning and telling him that what he did was the stupidest and most insensitive thing on the planet. Their fights would mainly consist of their difference in how to proceed with political moves. Yunho was more for the forward approach, but Jaejoong preferred to think and look into things more deeply to make sure it would not damage any involved parties too much if possible.

“I don’t have the right to since you did it for us, for the country. What I am upset about is you leaving me in the dark for the past five years for it.” Yunho scolded lightly. “I still remember that day, you know. We had an argument before I left, and it wrecked me with guilt knowing that the last thing we ever said to each other was a cold goodbye.”

Jaejoong let down his head in shame, for he was the one who escalated things because Yunho was having second thoughts about investigating his side of the family for any underground transactions that had originally helped his father. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect it to take this long too…”

Yunho smiled softly at him and cupped his cheeks. “No more tears, Joongie. All I want is for you to come back to me, and you did.” he explained. “For five years, I believed that you’re not dead. The dais here and Moonbin’s link with you is proof that you were alive somewhere far from us. Yes, it hurt me when I thought that you were in hiding or you faked your death to escape from everything, I even thought that you left because of me and what has been happening during that time. But now that I know that you disappeared so long because you couldn’t remember, I began to ask why it had to happen.”

Jaejoong was still pouting, and it was taking all of Yunho’s self control not to kiss it away. “So I did a lot of thinking as to why you would disappear without even a clue of where you went, and I realized that I relied on you too much, when I was supposed to be the Emperor of the country, and that you would always go out of your way to carry out the things that I was too soft to do. I know we haven’t been ruling for a long time, but time and again, you have proven to us and the ministers that you are more than just your title. You are not a decoration to stand behind the Emperor, but a person of power second only to me.” he continued, “And knowing that you sacrificed yourself in order for me to grow up and to persecute those who didn’t deserve my mercy in the first place made me conclude that it was partly my fault that you ended up like this, and I am sorry too.”

Jaejoong sniffed, no longer able to hold back his tears. “I’ll forgive you if you forgive me for hurting you for five years, and hurting you more when we met again without my memories…”

“Apology accepted.” Yunho whispered as he leaned towards Jaejoong, giving him enough time to retreat, but to his surprise, Jaejoong wound his arms around his neck and sealed their lips, relishing their kiss for the first time in five years.

And at that moment, Jaejoong felt that he was finally at home.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When the sun rose, there was still no sign of the Imperial Consort and the Emperor, and that got the Captain frustrated, knowing it would be his head rolling on the pavement should something happen to either one of them.

“Wait until morning, he said, they will be back right away he said.” Changmin growled as he walked back and forth in front of the residence’s front porch, Junsu, Yoochun, Jaehyun and Moonbin with him.

The three of them shook their heads lightly at the worried man. Junsu and Yoochun in amusement towards their adopted dongsaeng, and Moonbin in amusement for the sake of riling up the captain.

“Then where on earth is he without his guard?” Changmin continued.

“Changmin-hyung, there’s no need to get worked up on this.” Moonbin said. “If Abeonim said he would be back with Appa, then he will.”

“Besides, knowing the two, do you really think they wouldn’t take their sweet time? It’s not the first time they’ve gone somewhere we don’t know.” Junsu told him.

“Jaejoong-hyung doesn’t remember, why would they be taking their sweet time?” Jaehyun wondered.

“You want a bet?” Moonbin dared eagerly.

“With that kind of tone, I don’t think I will win, little brother.” Jaehyun retreated.

Yoochun raised a brow at Moonbin, “Jung Moonbin, what do you know that you’re not telling us?”

Moonbin simply smiled at them cheekily. Last night, he felt a tug in his magical core that could only come from his parental link with his magical parent, and from the warm feeling that he had gotten, he knew that the seal in his father had been completely removed. Moonbin could conclude then that his other father had managed to break the seal completely at that exact moment. He didn’t tell the others, wanting them to see for themselves that he had finally restored his memories.

“Just a feeling.” he shrugged to act like he was just guessing.

“Liar.” Junsu called out.

“The liar here is Yunho-hyung. He said he’d be back by morning, and the sun is already high up in the sky! We’ve been waiting for five hours!” Changmin complained.

“I waited five years, and I didn’t complain.”

Yunho’s voice startled all of them for it didn’t come from the gate, but it came from the large hedge that was around the residence used to hide shield talismans for extra security.

Along with Yunho was Jaejoong who was looking at them with a smile on his face.

“Oh, you’re back.” Yoochun replied. “Where did you find him?”

“At the back garden, where else?” Yunho replied.

Changmin raised his brow, “Back garden? But isn’t that…?” he knew that it was the code word for Yunho’s secret hiding place that he had been tending to since they were young. It was a secret that was shared between Yunho and his grandmother before she passed.

“How…?” Yoochun looked at the pair, and upon close inspection, their distance was closer than what they had seen for the past few days since Jaejoong’s arrival. “Don’t tell me…”

As soon as it was said, Moonbin ran towards his parents, and Jaejoong naturally outstretched his arms to catch him in a very tight embrace.

Moonbin, now taller than Jaejoong, buried his head on his shoulder, relishing the warmth that he had not felt in five years, and in effect, his magical core also made a happy hum inside.

“You’re back…” he muffled.

Jaejoong ran his hands through his son’s hair, “I am. And I will be here to stay.”

His words were all it took for Moonbin to cry in his arms, and Moonbin figured that he had the right to, after all.

While he was sniffing, Jaejoong looked at his adopted son, Jaehyun, who was smiling at them from his place, but Jaejoong, not wanting him to feel left out, let out his free hand to motion Jaehyun to join in welcoming him back as well. Of course, Jaehyun ran towards him and participated in the hug and took the other shoulder he had.

Yunho could only smile as their sons welcomed Jaejoong back with much enthusiasm.

Junsu looked at Yunho and asked, “It has returned?” When Yunho nodded, Changmin added, “How?”

“His heart and soul.” he hinted. He knew that it was going to be a long explanation, but for now, they were content in seeing Jaejoong with his family.

Finally, the Imperial Consort has returned.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was with great joy when the others had found out that Jaejoong’s memories had returned, and for good.

Once the boys had released Jaejoong from their embrace, they proceeded to return to the residence to let them know that Jaejoong was alive and well.

What greeted Jaejoong was a series of ‘thank goodness you’re okay’ to ‘what have you been up to all this time?’ among others.

The ones who were greatly concerned were his dongsaengs, the External Order, who had been looking everywhere for him for the past five years, but didn’t dare go to Japan due to their seclusion policies.

Before a tearfest can be started, Jaejoong gathered them all to the meeting room and barred the teenagers except for Moonbin and Jaehyun in order to do some ‘house cleaning’ that had been put on hold for far too long.

Thanks to the boys’ discovery, however, Yunho and Moonbin had made an early move.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

General Kwon is known to not take any bull from anyone, not even the Emperor, and especially not to the nobles and the branch family.

Those who harmed her best friends? Even more so.

That was why she took great pleasure in seeing Princess Sooyeong being dragged out of her quarters. Right beside her was her own cousin Princess Joohyun, more known as Seohyun in her undercover work, and Princess Soonkyu.

All around them were the palace guards under her command arresting every single person inside the residence of the Jung Clan a few miles away from the palace. Yunho had first sent her to the residence after banning her from seeing Moonbin after her stint in trying to match him with the Hwang Clan’s young lady and harming Deputy Minister Lee Donghae’s adopted son, Lee Dongmin.

By the order of Yunho, Soonkyu and Seohyun were told to meet up with General Kwon to apprehend the mastermind behind the attack of the Imperial Consort. They didn’t expect it to be their cousin and once a fellow member of the Order of the Pastel Rose.

“Let me go! How dare you touch me so brazenly!” They heard the shout of Princess Sooyeong as she was dragged outside, headed by Yerim and Sooyoung from the Ministry of Justice who had a firm grip in her arms.

Yerim and Sooyoung were trained assassins before Yunho had appointed them as part of the Ministry of Justice, so her struggle was futile, and the two couldn't care less if she was kicking and screaming.

Once she was dragged to the courtyard where General Kwon and the others were waiting, she saw her and her cousins standing in front of her with cold gazes.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Sooyeong demanded as she still tried to be released from the grip of her captors.

General Kwon held up the seal of the Emperor that signified that she is acting on his behalf. From the face of fear in Sooyeong’s eyes, she has a hint on what she was tasked to do by her own cousin.

“By the order of Emperor Yunho, you and your cohorts are hereby arrested with the crime of attempted murder of the Imperial Consort. You are to be apprehended and imprisoned to await your trial and the decree that Jeonha will be releasing regarding your crimes.” General Kwon explained.

“Preposterous! What is your proof that I even murdered Jungjeon-mama?!” she then looked at her cousins, “Are you really going to believe the accusations of this woman?”

“Whether we believe it or not is none of your concern, Sooyeong-eonni. This is Orabeoni’s wish, and we will fulfill it.” Joohyun snipped. “Enough evidence has been gathered. Jeonha would not release this if he hasn’t.”

“Lies! Whoever your informant is, they’re lying!” she shouted and struggled as Yerim and Sooyoung bound her arms as this was going on.

Sunkyu glared at her with all the hate she could muster, “Try to prove that when you are put out for questioning.” she hissed. “Take her away.”

Yerim and Sooyoung nodded as they held Sooyeong to see her in the cell. “Yes, Ongju-mama.”

As they dragged her to the cell, General Kwon could only smile in satisfaction.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In the lowest parts of the Mage’s Holding Cells, Kim Hyunjoong’s release has been cleared. The guards didn’t know why that is, but if this was the order from Lady Minister Bae Joohyun and the Imperial Mage Kim Junmyeon, they had no reason to refuse the order.

He was tucked deep within the corners of the stasis chambers, and once the stasis spell had been removed, he collapsed on the floor, gasping for air as he tried to regulate his breathing.

Hyunjoong didn’t know how long he had been in stasis, but he hoped that it had not been years since then. He has a family to get to, and he prays for every deity that existed, they were still hidden, alive and well.

This plan was a headache and a half, gathering intel and incriminating proofs was easy, but looking for Jaejoong when their plan had taken an unexpected turn took longer than he had planned.

He could still remember the day they had staged the attack. His binding orders from the head of the Go Clan was to make the Imperial Consort vanish, and he did. Not just in a way that they had expected it to.

When he and Go So-ui had come to Jaejoong for a plan to execute their traps, their initial plan was to have Ara make her relatives confess their sins to her, but she was already cut-off after siding with Yunho, so every member of the clan sees her as a traitor to her blood relatives. It did not help that Jaejoong and her discovered Sooyeong’s involvement with Ara’s brother in executing the plan by proxy. That was why Hyunjoong had to do most of the digging, but he had to do it while Jaejoong was not around so that their targets would act more recklessly than when he was around.

They originally planned to have Jaejoong go into hiding for a few months, but a glitch in their plans appeared when Hyunjoong’s slave contract acted up and started hurting his magical core in the pretense of not following his master’s orders.

Jaejoong had checked all the loopholes that they could see with the command. The only way for him to get out without being harmed was for Jaejoong to not only vanish from the country, but to also make his existence vanish. The safest way for it to be done was if Jaejoong’s memories were sealed and for Hyunjoong not to know of his whereabouts, something that Jaejoong did not tell Hyunjoong at the last minute.

He only found out after he was taken as ‘hostage’ from the ship with only one reminder: “Come and find me when everything is ready. I’ll give you a few months.”

Hyunjoong could only yell “You idiot!” at him before the spell took over and he was hit by a strong gust of wind, separating them from the air.

Hyunjoong found himself on the coast near a small village, but managed to use a portkey that transported him immediately to his chambers back at his home in the capital, while Jaejoong disappeared out of his sight, carried by the wind somewhere he never knew.

He had managed to find incriminating evidence pointing to the Go Clan, but nothing on Princess Sooyeong, and that was not good. If they were going to succeed in purging her, they will have to find a way to expose her to make everything worth the wait.

It took four and a half years (too long for his liking) for someone to find a lead: the Princes and the Prince Consort Taeyong.

He initially planned on leading them to the answer, but the interference of Princess Sooyeong in Moonbin’s marriage choice was a big wedge in the plans, and instead of Sooyeong falling into his trap, it was Moonbin. He found out everything that they had done, knowing the risk of being silenced.

It was a good thing that Jaejoong had a failsafe in everything, but it was at the cost of Moonbin’s communication skills. While he can understand the people around him, he would not be able to communicate back, weather it be speech or motion, he could only give out simple motions like walking, sleeping, eating and simple conversations. He was basically reduced in a semi-vegitative state on the outside, but Moonbin was fully conscious on the inside.

That alone earned him detention in a stasis chamber, and not even the Gathering could make him talk, not until Jaejoong is found alive and well. But not even he or Ara knew where he went.

So why was he released now?

“Nice to see you again, Hyunjoong-sshi.” Bae Joohyun greeted him as she approached him with silent footsteps, so like the woman who used to be a mercenary leader.

“Joohyun-sshi, you hadn’t aged, so I wasn’t in stasis that long, was I?” Hyunjoong asked as he sat up, not sure if he should stand lest Joohyun gets defensive.

“You were only here for a few weeks, so count yourself lucky.” she replied.

“Why?” Hyunjoong asked.

“You will see. Stand up. There is someone who needs to see you.” Joohyun said as she turned to leave.

Hyunjoong had no choice but to follow, seeing as he still had the magic suppressing cuffs on him, and he really did not have the energy to have a one-on-one fist fight with her. He’d be dead in a minute if he chose to attack her in his current state.

As they were walking out of the chamber tunnel, Joohyun started to speak again, “I must say, you have very good friends in high places, your masters not included.”

The man raised a brow at her comment. “Did something happen while I was in stasis?” he asked her.

Joohyun sighed. “You’ll see.” she said as they exited the tunnel to the outside world.

When the sunrays hit Hyunjoong’s eyes, they immediately squinted until they were used to the brightness.

When they did, he saw a very familiar silhouette that he has not seen for a while.

Smiling, the person in front of him spoke, “I said a few months, not a few years.” he said jokingly.

And with that single phrase, Hyunjoong knew that his efforts had not gone to waste.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When the ministry officials were called in on an emergency gathering, as ordered by the Emperor, everyone outside was curious as to what brought this on. The last time they had a conference with the Emperor was before he departed to his private residence for some respite, and they were then distracted by the visit of the Japanese Crown Prince.

They had to do all they can to please the only heir of the Japanese throne for it was rare for the Empress to let her son out of sight only to visit his school friends that consisted of the Crown Prince, his consort and his fellow schoolmates (who were also sons and relatives of high-ranking individuals) that resided in the capital.

Standing in waiting for entry, eleven ministers in red dalryeongpos and Pearl Sapphire blue brooches strode in front of the stairs of the throne room, faces passive. They were led by Park Jungsoo, and everyone knew them all.

The Order of the Pearl Sapphire. They were the ones handpicked by the Emperor in the service of politics and the Arts, and their words were the only ones the Emperor trusted when it came to reporting their respective departments’ tasks and issues.

Right beside the Minister of Personnel, Park Jungsoo, was the Lady Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Bae Joohyun, the only woman to be given the title and position of the said ministry.

All of them wore poker faces, something that the other officials had gotten used to, but they feared them all the same. It meant that something had happened, or someone was found out and they were going to be stripped of their titles on the spot.

The dark humor of Emperor Yunho was known to everyone, especially during the time when he was still purging the associates of the deposed Emperor Youngmin, and they feared that they may be the next person to be apprehended in the throne room and dragged to the stocks. They were more afraid of one person though: the Imperial Consort.

Known to be someone who is quite skilled in investigation and intelligence, having been from the Office of the Inspector General and a powerful mage to boot, the Emperor could not find any suitable match that can hold a candle to the missing Imperial Consort. He is one in a million, and in the course of five years, they have been pressuring the Emperor in appointing a new Imperial Consort or Empress, but to their disappointment, every attempt failed because no one can reach the level of Kim Jaejoong.

His disappearance was both a blessing and a possible curse. A blessing for those who wanted him out of the picture to do what they couldn’t when he’s watching them like a hawk, and a possible curse because once they find the people responsible for his disappearance or death, it may be the last straw for the Emperor and behead them within ten seconds flat in front of the civilians who also adored the Imperial Consort.

So when they were finally led inside the throne room by the Chief State Councilor, Park Yoochun, they were all too eager to know what had caused the summons.

Their curiosity turned into fear and shock to many ministry officials when at the throne room sat Emperor Yunho with his piercing fiery eyes and cold exterior, and right beside him was the person they all feared and respected with equal measure: the Imperial Consort, Kim Jaejoong.

Before most of the offenders could even turn tail and run outside, Captain Shim Changmin had ordered the throne room doors closed and locked until the lock seal by Imperial Mage Kim Junmyeon had activated, locking them all up and were now at the mercy of the Crown.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Moonbin knew that one day, he would have to meet his surrogate mother again. He didn’t imagine he had to see her so soon again, not after what he had done to ruin his happiness.

Beside him was his Aunt, Soojung, the only full blood relative Sooyeong has at the moment who would still see her even after she was locked up in the prison cells. He had told Soojung that he will still pretend to be under the influence of the curse in order to get more out of her, and to make her repent, if she still chooses to live.

Soojung looked at Moonbin who was masking himself back to his cursed state. Sooyeong never possessed any magic abilities, so she was not able to sense if one was under a glamor or not, but it couldn’t help to be sure. The prison itself has some talismans that cancels out enchantments and glamors, so he was using something that was extra potent so that he would not get caught.

“Are you sure about this, Moonbin? You…may come out of here more upset than you already are…” Soojung tried to talk him out of it for the last time.

After Moonbin told the Emperor that Soojung had confessed in front of him in full remorse, Yunho had chosen to pardon her for the last time, for she was only a witness to the deeds of her older sister.

Her half-sister, Miyoung, had also pleaded for her pardon. Miyoung was estranged from Sooyeong ever since she became Moonbin’s surrogate mother, and had supported Jaejoong in making sure she kept her distance from Moonbin’s affairs. Sooyeong did not like that one bit and had widened the rift that had already existed for the mere fact that Miyoung was a concubine’s daughter and had secured a wonderful match.

“I am.” Moonbin said. “Whatever she will say in front of you with me will decide what Abeonim will do to her.” he said as he activated his glamor.

Soojung could only sigh and pretend to lead Moonbin to Sooyeong’s cell.

When they arrived, Soojung already felt sorry for her older sister. Dressed in her white hanbok and sitting in a fetal position, her hair matted with sweat from being kept overnight in the heat of the morning and the coldness of the night, Sooyeong didn’t look like the Jung Hye-bin that once graced the halls of the palace in their youth.

When Sooyeong sensed that someone was approaching, she was surprised to see her younger sister and her son being allowed in, when her own parents decided to abandon her, declaring that they were not aware of her deeds.

“M-Moonbin-ah!” Sooyeong said as she immediately stood up and tried to reach Moonbin’s hand through the wooden bars that separated them.

Moonbin allowed the touch, but all he could feel was repulsiveness. He decided to not retract his hand so as to not raise suspicion.

“Why have you brought him here?!” she hissed at Soojung.

Soojung looked apologetic, “Eonni, he was the one who requested to see you.” she told her. “When Jeonha went to his room this morning, informing him of what happened, he immediately said your name. Jeonha does not know he came here.” she explained.

“I...I see…” Sooyeong said as she gripped his hand tightly. “You wanted to see me, Moonbin-ah?” she said tenderly to him.

“Eomma-mama…” Moonbin muttered. “Why…?” he added for effect.

Sooyeong’s eyes widened as she looked at her sister, “What has Jeonha told him when he went to visit?” she asked.

Soojung bowed her head, “I’m sorry, I don’t know. Jeonha asked me to leave his room while they talked, but I think he told him about what you had done to Jungjeon-mama…”

“...what?” Sooyeong muttered in shock. “How did he find out?!” she growled.

That statement was enough to make Moonbin’s blood boil, and he was trying his hardest on not letting his magic get mad as well, or else he could very well do something untoward with his magic.

“S-Someone confessed, and I heard that Seja and Seja-bin had a hand in the investigation.” Soojung half-lied.

Sooyeong cursed under her breath. “I thought I’ve gotten rid of all the witnesses. I even silenced the Go So-ui’s brother with all that I had...I should have gotten rid of that brat of Ara’s as well, but he’s well-protected by Seja-bin…”

Soojung felt Moonbin’s hold on her hand tighten slowly, and she could tell that he was getting mad at the things he was hearing, but they were here to get what they could, and Moonbin had accepted that what he would hear may be too much for him to bear.

“What if...do you think Jungjeon-mama will be returning?” Soojung wondered.

“What do you mean? The Go clan’s slave mage Hyunjoong had confirmed that he is no longer here with us. He’s as good as dead, and good riddance. Moonbin only needs one father and one mother, and that is me.” she stressed. She then held his hands, “Don’t worry Moonbin, once I am cleared of all the charges, I will make sure that you will be the Crown Prince, and not that child of Go Ara and my deposed uncle. It’s impossible for them to incriminate me without proof.”

Soojung felt a barrier go around her as Moonbin released her from his hold, and took back the hand that Sooyeong was holding.

In a split second, Moonbin’s glamor fell, and all Sooyeong could do is stare at her son’s enraged face, his eyes glowing angry purple as he glared at her.

“I have the proof right here!” Moonbin shouted at her.

“M-Moonbin...y-you...you’re…!” Sooyeong stammered.

Moonbin didn’t let her finish her sentence as he spoke. “How could you do this to Appa?! To Abeonim?! They trusted you and you betrayed them for what? For the throne?!” Moonbin growled.

Sooyeong could only kneel in front of her son, still managing to see her despite the bars between them. “Please Moonbin, believe me when I say that I did it all for you!” she pleaded. “You are the biological son, while Jaehyun is Orabeoni's younger brother! You deserve the throne more than him!”

“That was not yours to decide, and if my parents decide not to grant me the title of the Crown Prince, then they very well have the reason to. They are my parents. By law, I am theirs, and not yours.” he snipped.

“No! I was the one who gave birth to you! I carried you for nine months, and for what? For me to be set aside and not to take care of you? For them to disregard my opinions on why they passed the title to Jaehyun, and to agree to marry you off to that...that...gisaeng’s son?!”

“SHUT UP!” Moonbin screamed as his magic started to crackle in anger. “They are my parents. You agreed, by the binding contract, that you are my birth mother, but that does not mean that you rule above their decisions. Your opinion is considered but not absolute. My marriage choice is my own, not yours.” he spelled out for her. He did not tell her that Eunwoo was Lee Dongmin, the adopted son of Deputy Minister Lee Donghae and Minister Lee Hyukjae of the Ministry of Rites who was posing as a gisaeng’s son while he was under the tutelage of Princess Seohyun.

“No! I did it for you! You are my son, and I know what’s best for you!” Sooyeong tried to convince him, though Soojung could tell that she was saying it more to herself than Moonbin at this point. “You are my son, and you deserve the throne more than anyone!”

Moonbin was losing his patience with the woman he once called his mother. “I don’t want the throne! I never have and I never will! When will you understand that?!” he growled. “You even tried to kill Appa!”

“I did what I had to. He had to be gone because he was taking over everything! Kim Jaejoong is someone who should never have been the Imperial Consort and it was better for him to die by his friend’s hand with a single order from the Go Clan!”

“HOW DARE YOU!” At that point, Moonbin’s patience has run out. “You do not deserve to be called a mother! You deserve to be called a criminal!” he said. “I was going to plead for your sentence to be lightened, but since you are showing no remorse, I will make sure that you will get the highest punishment as far as our law could take!” he declared. “I will never ever forgive you!”

Moonbin declared as he stormed out of the prison cells, with Soojung following after him, wanting to make sure that he does not destroy anything with his bout of strength that he was mostly known for when he loses his temper.

Sooyeong could only stare and cry at the retreating back of her angry son, now fully aware that there was no escaping her fate.

She would be executed for treason, and she would be executed knowing that she had lost the love of the son she thought was hers from the start.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Go Ara was a woman of etiquette. Born and raised to become the Emperor’s concubine, she knew that keeping up appearances is important, but upon seeing her good friends Jaejoong, Hyunjoong and General Kwon together at last, she couldn’t help but break character and ran towards them with a large smile on her face.

When she rose that morning, she did not believe the rumors that Jaejoong had been spotted around the palace. Back when he was still missing, some foolish servants had the audacity to claim that they had seen the Imperial Consort’s spirit roaming around the palace. Suffice to say, they were relieved of their duties and cast out of the palace.

So after the Emperor had summoned all ministry officials in the throne room, there was a long line of soldiers detaining at least one official who were pleading their innocence as they were dragged to the stocks and the prison cells.

In the middle of it all stood the Emperor and the Imperial Consort, hand in hand, watching the detained get dragged out of the hall.

That was all that it took for the court ladies and other palace staff alike to spread the word that indeed, the Imperial Consort was alive, and he was back with a vengeance to those who did him wrong.

So when her attendant had told her that the three friends were seeking an audience with her, she immediately went outside and greeted them enthusiastically, but not forgetting to bow before the Imperial Consort.

“Jungjeon-mama, you’re back!” Ara said with glee. “And Hyunjoong-sshi! You’ve been released!”

Jaejoong smiled back at the woman and returned her smile, “It’s good to be back.”

“Me too.” Hyunjoong said.

General Kwon then noticed that they were attracting too much attention for her liking. “Shall we go inside? There’s too many people out here and we’re causing a scene.”

Ara knew that she was not that comfortable with too many eyes around, so she relented. “Of course. Let us head inside.” she said as she led them to her sitting room while motioning her attendants to bring them some tea and snacks, knowing they would have a very long conversation ahead of them.

Once they were settled, with Jaejoong taking the table seat as he is of higher rank that Ara, Jaejoong spoke.

“It has been so long since I have been here. It really does feel like coming home.” he told them.

“Well, if you didn’t spend your time being the tutor to the Japanese Crown Prince, you would have gotten home sooner.” General Kwon snipped jokingly.

The other man took offense, “Excuse you, Prince Yuta was an angel. Besides, with how things are going with him and young Doyoung, I could tell that we would be seeing him around more often than just once a year.”

“Not if Gongmyung has anything to say about it.” Hyunjoong commented, “The only thing preventing him from locking Doyoung up in the house for eternity is his education and the fact that Doyoung will hate him for all eternity. Besides, he really can’t refuse a match with foreign royalty that easily.”

Ara smiled at their natural bickering as she poured the tea. “It’s so nice to see all of you bickering as usual.” she said and her smile faltered for a bit. “Jungjeon-mama…” she started. “Everything started because of me, and you had to step in to remove every tangle my family has in this whole affair. I’m very sorry about everything…”

Jaejoong held Ara’s hand and squeezed it lightly, “Hey, no one was blaming you.” Jaejoong said. “If anything, it’s my fault that I didn’t warn you I was going to seal my memories so that Hyunjoong’s slave seal would not endanger his magical core for disobedience.”

“You also did a lot of things. You took care of hiding Hyunjun and their child to a safe place away from everyone. You had a lot of things that you had done to help us all out, Ara-sshi.” General Kwon added. “Hyunjun was able to raise their child without any worry that anyone would find him. that in itself is a feat that only you could do.”

Ara shook her head, “It wasn’t anything special. I knew I was asking too much from all of you, and it was the least I could do for them.” Ara said and looked at Hyunjoong, “Now that my brother is imprisoned, the family seal has now been delivered to me this morning. I can free you from your five-generation slave contract once your magic is fully recovered.” she said with anticipation.

She has known for years that the reason why Hyunjoong’s side of the family had entered into a slave contract with the Go Clan was because of a dispute that ruled in the favor of the clan. She had seen how the slave contract affected the bloodline of that particular branch, and it was not something that she would not wish on others. This kind of contract binds has been outlawed two generations back, but any existing contracts would need to be ended by their own accord.

From the face of Hyunjoong, there was a form of relief in his eyes that Ara knew was for his daughter who possesses magic like him.

“Thank you, Agassi.” Hyunjoong told her sincerely. “I want to see my husband and my daughter as a very free man in all sense of the word.”

Ara nodded with a smile. “And you shall have it.”

Jaejoong and General Kwon looked at each other and then at Ara. She really likes to sell herself short most of the time, considering that she is the mother of the Crown Prince.

“Thank you for keeping everything in line while I was gone, Boa, Ara. You really did well in managing the inner court.” Jaejoong complimented the two women.

“It was the least we could do, especially me who had been neglecting those duties while I was on campaigns.” General Kwon said with a regretful sigh. She knew that she was a concubine in name only, but there are times that she had to face the fact that along with the title came responsibilities as part of the Imperial Family. She had learned a lot of those duties for the past five years, and she could say that she actually enjoyed managing half of the Inner Court along with Ara, and for a time, with Sooyeong.

“What about you and Jeonha? Have you explained everything to him?” Ara inquired. All of them knew that the one who will be mostly furious about all of this would be the Emperor, and they were hoping that Jaejoong would make him understand that all of this was necessary.

Jaejoong sighed, “He admitted he was upset, but Binnie helped ease him in on the reality that he’s not the only one who has to move around here to keep the peace. He needed to be aware that he can’t do everything by himself just because he ascended the throne.” he explained. “The main key player here had been Moonbin, and I am proud of that, but I did have some regrets about the curse.”

He had disclosed that regardless of who confronted Hyunjoong first, whether it be Jaehyun or Taeyong or any of their circle of friends, the outcome would be similar: being silenced until Jaejoong arrives to break their curse. If it were someone who is their target, then there would have been a different kind of trap set up for them, but Jaejoong did not want to elaborate on that, and he prefers to keep it that way.

“Also, Jiji did well in leading me to the place I needed to go, and for helping accelerate the restoration process.” Jaejoong added.

“Jiji?” General Kwon raised a brow. “She’s your cat. Or one of them now, since you got two new ones.”

Hyunjoong was the one who answered for them, “Jiji is a Russian Blue cat associated with the moon and healing. Having her by his side during the night and siphoning the magic from the moon accelerated his restoration process.” he explained. “It’s the main reason why Jiji is not just his pet, but also his magical familiar.”

“And now she’s an older sister to Koko and Nene.” Jaejoong added.

“What are you to do now with Empress Unmei?” Hyunjoong pressed. “Now that you will be resuming your role as the Imperial Consort, you will need to void your contract with the Empress to find a new tutor for Prince Yuta.”

“I talked to Her Majesty about it before I left, and I told her that I will still fulfill my duties until Yuta returns to school, and that will give us enough time to look for a replacement, or to convince Yamapi to do it.” he informed them.

Jaejoong then shook his head, “Well now, enough serious details about me, fill me in on the happenings while I was gone, and I don’t mean the boring ones.”

Just like that, the three smiled at him and proceeded to tell him all the gossip that they had accumulated for the past five years.

The four spent so much time together that day that it took the Emperor knocking on Ara’s door just to pick Jaejoong up for their nightly stroll.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As the two walked back to their quarters hand in hand, Jaejoong couldn’t help but look at Yunho lovingly. But then, they had to address the elephant in the room sooner rather than later.

“Yunho-yah…” Jaejoong started. “When we were at the residence...did you ever consider what would have happened had I not been able to restore my memories?”

The taller man stopped on their stride as he thought about it. Jaejoong knew that he was considering what he would do, and Jaejoong was scared of the possibility that maybe Yunho had considered giving up.

“Knowing you…” Yunho started. “You would insist on returning back to Japan, and I would have to give you a lot of reasons to stay.” he turned to face him and held his hands and kissed the back of each one. “And then I would do what I can to make you fall in love with me again like I used to.”

“Even fight against Geng-niisama and Yuta?” Jaejoong asked.

“Even so.” Yunho said. “Speaking of your adoptive brother, he seems to be enamored with Heechul.”

Jaejoong raised a brow, “Really?” he asked with interest.

“Tell me, does he fancy settling here as part of our council, or does he really prefer being the richest merchant in all of Imperial China?” Yunho asked.

The shorter man had to laugh at that. “Geng-niisama used to be a member of the Imperial Court, and he would definitely refuse you flat out. He prefers his life as a merchant now, though now that you mention it, he will have more reason to come here often.” Jaejoong replied.

“And besides, with the way I was falling for you since the time you started trying to make me remember, I would have fallen in love with you in no time at all.”

Yunho smiled tenderly at him. “But please, next time, no more going behind my back, or else I would be very upset with you.”

“I can’t promise I would not go behind your back, but I can promise that this will be the last time I would leave your side and deal with a lot of things alone.” Jaejoong bargained.

Yunho knew that along with Jaejoong’s schemes, he would always make him decipher what kind of lesson he needed to learn, and Yunho would not have learned that if he didn’t do it the hard way.

“Alright, I can accept that. Do you promise the last part though?” Yunho agreed.

“I promise. We’re in this together, hand in hand.” Jaejoong replied.

“Always.” Yunho said as they sealed the promise with a kiss.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Never forget what I did, what I said

When I gave you all my heart and soul.

Morning will come and I know we'll be one

Cause I still believe that you'll remember me.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

THE END

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A/N: Thank you so much for reading this very long and very delayed story!

I enjoyed worldbuilding more than anything else, but I figured I had to cut the facts short so that I can bring you the end like this.

I am so sorry that the last chapter took so long. A lot of things happened in the background, and I am glad I managed to awaken my writing juices for at least a few days.

Thank you so much for those who had subscribed and to those who upvoted. I hope you enjoyed Jaejoong’s journey back home!

I may or may not be planning spin-offs, but we’ll see~

See you soon on my next work!