Three Years Later

Gentle hands pushed her prodding ones away as she was motherly chastised for the umpteenth time about staying still in front of the full length mirror by her personal maid.

"Really, Jihyo. I can get dressed by myself." Sandy repeated for the third time that morning.

"Nonsense." She tersely replied as she stealthily removed Sandy's nightgown and draped it over the silk screen behind them.

"Daesung, do something about this." Sandy dramatically cried out to her husband who had already finished dressing for the day and was gathering his cloak to head out for a quick horseride before he was required to attend to his duties.

"Sorry, my queen, but it's about time that you got accustomed to it." Daesung slipped behind the screen, to Jihyo's dismay, and gave a quick peck to his wife's cheek before the maid shooed him out.

"Make sure you break your fast!" Sandy added in the midst of her husband's hasty departure to which she heard a "I will!" echoing down the corridor.

Even though Daesung was back to his normal weight after suffering from prolonged starvation years ago, Sandy couldn't wipe out the image of his emaciated figure and kept a hawk's eye on whether he was eating three square meals a day. There was also the fact that Daesung gave up twelve years of his life for her, and she could never ever repay him for his altruism. Although it saddened Sandy to think that she was the one responsible for a missing chunk of his lifespan, she promised herself not to dwell on it too much as Daesung did and vowed to make every moment with her husband memorable to the best of her abilities.

"So much has happened in such a short period of time..." Sandy murmured to herself.

Jihyo wordlessly smiled at her mistress as she pulled a silk chemise down over Sandy's head. "And for the better, if I might add."

Sandy couldn't exactly disagree with her. She had recovered from a stab wound to which she still bore the scar to this day and a year long coma as well. Not only that, Seunghyun made a complete transformation from the previous persona she was first introduced to. He had finally found his true calling in life as a missionary who traveled the distant lands to heal people who were afflicted with great pains after belatedly discovering his gift of mending through deep prayer and meditation. Everyone was surprised that the eldest had given up his throne to pursue this profession since it was no life of a royal, but Seunghyun had insisted out of personal interest and penitence. Although Sandy was understanding enough to forgive Seunghyun for his past behavior, he believed that going to the most desolate places to cure people of their ailments would also suffice as a lesson to never take life for granted.

In addition, Seungri had shocked his family by renouncing his claim to the throne in favor of opening up one of the most successful and sophisticated brothels that catered to the needs of the elite class. The youngest was currently in the process of constructing one for the middle class so that even the average man could afford it himself. Daesung and Jiyong scoffed when they read the letter detailing Seungri's plans of trying to remove the public's negative view of his business because he swore that his work was not entirely centered around intercouse. Both older brothers claimed that it was a job that most suited Seungri's never-ending radiation of pheromones.

Taeyang also made a name for himself by establishing the most notorious and sacred temple dedicated to the sun god throughout the lands. Numerous people who worshipped Sol Invictus would flock to its holy grounds to purify and cleanse themselves or to have their oracles told by the founder himself. Taeyang had sent Daesung and Sandy as well as Han and Jiyong invitations to attend in celebration of his multiple successes. Not only was he able to create a reputation for himself, but he had also found the delicate equilibrium between his power to summon frost and his devotion to the sun god.

With three sons out of the running to the line of succession, their parents simultaneously took ill at the news and passed away together when Jiyong delivered his final ultimatum of foregoing his claim too. Spending time in the tower had taught him not to grieve for the time lost but to cherish every moment that he now had, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Han. The couple was content with traveling the countryside as freelance entertainers. Instead of G-Dragon the monster, Jiyong became known as G.D the singer who blew everyone's worries away with just one lyrical note. On the other hand, Han came upon her own special ability in wielding thin pieces of charcoal. Word of her fingers flying across blank canvasses and producing identical portraits of people in all shapes and sizes spread across the land, earning her high class clients. The famous duo grew more popular by the day as their presence was requested at events far and wide, causing Sandy to miss them terribly but she was extremely happy for them.

Since four of the brothers relinquished their royal statuses, that only left Daesung in the running, and all the siblings agreed that he deserved the crown the most. Even if he was contantly plotting ways to leave home, nobody could deny Daesung's knack for politics. His amiable aura allowed him to befriend rulers of the other kingdoms easily, and his straightforward candidness was a breath of fresh air to the councils who were trained to circumvent. Daesung didn't need a reminder that he was the voice of his people either. Instead of alienating and oppres