fate [noun]

a power that is believed to control what happens in people's lives:

Fate plays cruel tricks sometimes.

 

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Everything started way before they were born. Politics have always been a battlefield for many.

 

At that time, love sparked, at the wrong place, wrong time, to the wrong people. 

 

At a time where the land was ruled by kings, where corruption often happen, where there was no justice, a king had fell in love. However, it was to the wrong person. Emperor Chu Yong was introduced to so many fine ladies of the noble families, but the one he had fell in love with was the daughter of a silk merchant, Im Nana.

 

At the age of twenty-two, Emperor Chu Yong fell in love with twenty years old Nana.

At the age of twenty-two, Emperor Chu Yong decided to break the tradition and have a middle class born as his queen.

 

When the news was released, the palace had went through an episode of mayhem. All the advisors had gathered immediately to have Emperor Chu Yong take back his words, but the emperor was determined on making Nana his queen.

 

Soon, the Empress Dowager had stepped in and the whole incident came to an end where Nana became a concubine in the palace and Lady Park Jiyeon of the nobles became the queen despite not having seen the emperor even once before.

 

The one who the emperor first fell in love with, became the concubine, not the queen. Oh the irony.

 

Emperor Chu Yong and Lady Jiyeon soon announced their wedding date. The Park family along with the Empress Dowager had put in lots of effort planning for the wedding of the century at the end of spring.

 

However, during this time Emperor Chu Yong was never in the palace, leaving Lady Jiyeon all alone while he is at a particular silk warehouse.

 

All the anticipation Lady Jiyeon once had for being the queen were gone.

 

All the dreams she had of marrying someone who loves her as though she is his entire world was shattered.

 

Their first night of their marriage further confirms this fact.

 

That night, Queen Jiyeon had been in their new room waiting for Emperor Chu Yong to appear. She waited and waited...

 

Even until the next night, she was still waiting. That room was never theirs, it was hers. She knew that she would be alone in the palace for the rest of her life.

 

The only times where she could be with her husband was when they had to attend ceremonies as a couple. On those days, yes she saw him. However there was no chance for her to speak to him at all, not to mention privately.

 

Emperor Chu Yong was a total stranger called husband to Queen Jiyeon.

 

She knew, she knew all along that the emperor had already been in love with someone else before she had even entered the picture. However, little did she know that she would not even have a chance to try to win over the emperor's heart.

 

She did not even stand a chance, his heart was never hers and never will be.

 

Later on when Lady Nana entered the palace, Queen Jiyeon got even lonelier, if it was even possible.

 

Her husband was always with someone else, and she can do nothing but to watch.

 

Her husband who is also someone else's husband...

 

It is weird to say but she is yet is not the third party. No one knows anymore...

 

While all this happens for Queen Jiyeon, Emperor Chu Yong and Lady Nana's love just got stronger as days goes by.

 

By mid summer, Lady Nana was pregnant. Responses to this news were mixed. Supporters of the queen were all shocked while supporters of Lady Nana were congratulating her and the emperor.

 

However, no one knew the promise Emperor Chu Yong had made. A promise on giving the baby a normal life, a life free of all the politics and of the cruel world in the palace.

 

No one knew what fate had in store for them.

 

The emperor did not live long enough to see his son, the son he could not wait for.

 

The only gift the emperor had for his son was a name... Eunhyuk.

 

After the funeral of her husband, Lady Nana was no longer seen. She had left with the help of Changmin, a trusted man of the deceased emperor.

 

She had left to give little Eunhyuk the peaceful, normal life she wanted him to have when he was born, that was one reason. She had left to protect Eunhyuk from Queen Jiyeon, that is the second reason.

 

She left the palace, with a new name, for a new life along with the new life in her. She went by the name Im Jin Ah and Eunhyuk with the name of Lee Hyukjae.

 

She had to take away his father's only gift for him.

 

∞

 

As the emperor had neglected her more and more, Queen Jiyeon had soon come to realise that the only thing she had left, was the position as a queen, and she would never let go of that.

 

Even before her husband had died, Queen Jiyeon had already started to take over the politics of the palace. Despite all this, the emperor still did not care about her.

 

Now that the emperor is dead, her actions would only get worse.

 

Only few days after Lady Nana had left, Queen Jiyeon was revealed to be pregnant. However, not many knew the truth behind this baby, the late emperor had not even spent a single night with her before.

 

With just a little money, she managed to get the royal physician to fake her pregnancy, she managed to 'buy' a baby.

 

She had the entire kingdom toyed around her finger, congratulating her about the baby being the last gift the emperor had left for her, about the baby coming just at the right time.

 

This baby, without Eunhyuk being in the way anymore, would become the next emperor, and her puppet...

 

This innocent baby Donghae.

 

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A/N: I know that this chapter is quite short, I will try to write longer chapters next time. It's the first chapter so I want to give an overview of their backgrounds first. And I am really happy for the comments and the subscriptions, it really motivates me. Thank you.