Chapter Two
Welcomed?
A four year old boy ran into the room with a giraffe plush; giraffes were his favorite animals. He adored the long necked, brown polka dotted, and yellow skinned animal. He fell in love with the animals immediately after seeing them for the first time.
The little boy turned his head constantly to find himself in a large room with a king-sized bed, and his mother was with her seamstresses as she stood on a pedestal. He noticed she was wearing a floor length red dress made of silk.
“Umma! Umma! Umma!" The baby boy called out with a pout. He wanted to see his mommy. He wanted to be with his mommy. He didn't get to see her since she always had his nanny look after him. It was only his hyung who he saw.
Queen Ji Ling groaned, “Why can't the thing shut it? Pathetic, is what he is...and weak too."
One of the seamstresses spoke up with a frown. “Oh Madame, the prince...he's..."
The queen snorted, “Annoying? Obnoxious? A pain? Yes, yes, just ignore him. I want to look fabulous for him." The seamstresses nodded their heads and continued heir work.
Ryeowook called out, “Umma! Umma! Umma! Umma! Umma!"
The calls from the adorable child made her skin warm, her face red, and her blood boil. He was annoying. He was useless. He didn't deserve to live. He's the reason that brought her husband and her closer, and she didn't want that.
She noticed the seamstresses being distracted from the child. She gritted her teeth, “Ignore."
Ryeowook frowned and stop for a couple of minutes. Why wasn't she responding? She could hear him, he supposed, so why did she ignore him? He waited, believing maybe she had to find her words or response. But he went back to calling her.
“Umma! Umma! Umma! Umma! Umma! UMMA!" Ryeowook called out to her once more.
She was annoyed.
She was mad.
She was irritated.
She raised her hand, dismissing her seamstresses and stepping down the pedestal and walking towards her son who stood with a giraffe plush.
Ryeowook looked up with a pout, “Umma..."
Ji Ling crossed her arms and pursed her lips, “Who are you?"
Ryeowook tilted his head. What did his mommy mean? He was her son. Why did he have to say his name? Or state who he is? Didn't she know? He was her son...and she was his mother. She had to know who he was, but he obeyed.
“Park...Rwowook..." Ryeowook said with a cute small smile.
“Full name?"
“Swecond Delpin pwince...Pwince Park Rwowook," Ryeoowok said in his small and little voice.
“Prince, not king, or queen. Right?" Ji Ling asked, earning a nod from her son.
“You call out disrespectfully to the queen?" He couldn't understand what she was saying; she was using too much sentences and big words he didn't understand.
“Um...um..."
“You are a prince, and you must obey the king, and queen. Me, I'm the queen. You can't talk about me rudely or call out to me. I'm no stranger."
“Huh?"
“Who am I?"
He was confused. She was his umma. She was his mama. She was his mommy. She was his mother.
“Umma?"
“NO!" Queen Ji Ling yelled with anger.
SLAP!
Ryeowook's right cheek was tomato red and pain waved over him. Sniffling sounds came from him and it wasn't long before he burst into tears and sobs.
To her chagrin, Ji Ling found herself looking bad, even though it was in front of seamstresses. She looked like a bad mother. She looked like a bad queen. Her image seemed bad.
“Go away. I have things to finish." To her surprise, the little boy ran out still crying.
Ji Ling looked really bad.
Bad to not only her youngest son, but to her eldest too.
She gulped as she spotted a pair of familiar eyes looking at her.
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“WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! HE'S ONLY A BABY! A BABY! HOW COULD YOU?!" Leeteuk screamed in his mother's face. He was in rage and anger. His face was red, and his blood was boiling.
Ji Ling took a deep breath. Unlike her youngest, her oldest was the heir and would be seen everywhere when it was his time. She kind of regretted slapping and yelling at her youngest, but the only reason was to avoid being caught by her oldest.
Ji Ling placed her hands over her chest, “Teukie...I, I'm sorry. He...he was you know—"
“Disturbing you? Distracting your seamstresses? Or perhaps annoying you?" Leeteuk suggested with anger. How could his mother do such thing? How could she hit a child? Or yell such things to a child?
“Teuk, you're obviously taking this way too far! You're over reacting! I was doing something and he wasn't obeying me!" Ji Ling used her excuse and hoped she'd get through, but her oldest wasn't stupid. Leeteuk could see right through her.
“Oh am I? You would be arrested if you were a regular citizen! This is child abuse!" Leeteuk shouted.
From behind them, a woman's chuckle was heard, “This is how you discipline a child. The young prince wasn't obeying his mother's orders and so he was hit."
Ji Ling bowed her head and smiled at Queen Jessica, “My Queen, what have we done to own a visit from you?"
Jessica nodded her head, “Everyone should be honored to earn a visit from me, but you Delphians are lucky I came to Delphia. The thing I didn't know about the royal Delphians...was that the heir was stupid."
Leeteuk sent daggers at her. “My mother hit and yelled at my brother for no reason."
“No reason? How ridiculous! Calling out to your mother when she's busy? There's rather a reason that she's ignoring you! The child deserved something more than one slap and a scolding." Jessica explained.
Leeteuk shook his head, “How do you know about this? Are you spying on everyone now?"
Jessica rose her right eyebrow. “You were eavesdropping, how rude? And my head thaumaturge was reporting things to me. She's now in Amiopi."
“Why's that? Finding a way to take everyone's kingdom over?" Leeteuk asked.
“I'd leave now, Teukie. My Queen, you've solved our problem. Luckily, we know it was just a discipline thing. No abuse at all." Ji Ling said with a pleased smile.
“You're right. Goodbye, Ji Ling." She turned back, but took one last glance at Leeteuk with a smirk. “See you soon."
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