Chapter 141: Seo-Yeon/Seon-Ho

I woke up to my man buried in my chest and holding me with a vice grip as if I would somehow slip away. I kissed him awake and tried to get up but he held me down for a while with a dark look on his face. I sighed, it looked like it would take a lot more work on him, but I was determine not to let it get in between us. We grew up together, and I witnessed how his father treated him. I knew his parents, I saw him grow up and I knew his moods. I kissed him for a bit before finding a chance to escape to get ready. But he watched me closely, as if he needed to see with his own eyes that I was really becoming his bride. So we got ready together until we were both taken away to be dressed.

I walked away in blissful happiness as I was dressed up in my wedding attire, not worried about my man at all. I knew that my wedding night was going to be a test from him...and that the rest of our married life would be tested by this other wife. I was upset that Seon-Ho had hid everything she had done but I would make him pay for that later...in a way that he wouldn't torture me about it later on hopefully. I had Jeong-Beom do me a favour as he was still in the palace and had him look up this family for me. I know I said I didn't want to know anything about her but Seon-Ho couldn't hide his tension from me no matter how hard he tried. Do not misunderstand me, I wasn't jealous about her at all, my man showered me with enough love and attention...even too much. But myself and my man worked too hard to be together. I had no problem with her being treated fairly and within her rights of the marriage...only because my man was so reluctant to marry her. But I will not let her cross her limits and take more than what she should. She was already trying to sink her teeth into him and I already had a feeling of what she and her family will put me through...but I had my tricks as well. And my man knew it as well, he saw everything I had to put up with since I left him and my brother for a while.

I was escorted to the palace with Hwi's men in tow as we had already become family long ago. Hwi had come with my man as his only family as we all waited in the Royal Courtyard for his first wife to be with the King in the audience...and we waited...and we waited...and we waited and they still didn't show up. I had a funny feeling as I looked at Seon-Ho who wasn't even surprised. Even my brother wouldn't look at me...come to think of it even Chief Park and the rest avoided my looks as soon as they seated me. I saw my man keeping his eye on the King's reaction and I couldn't help but fall for him even more, I knew he was up to something as we saw both the King and the Queen grow red from fury as the other party still didn't show up. And just before we all thought that the King would explode Seon-Ho went over to talk to him and actually dared to make the request that they do not waste any more time and to let me marry him as a first wife as not only didn't the first family show up, they did not even bother to send anyone to apologise or to explain their absence. The King looked hesitantly at the Queen and did not answer him...until he ushered his men to come over and see for himself how this girl had used her family connections with the Queen to bribe officials into helping my husband in his tasks instead of letting him work honestly which the King detested. Without another word he granted my marriage to him as the first wife as well as restore my family's birthrights to myself and my brother as noble people. I bowed in thanks as I made my way to my man, to my soulmate...to the man I know my father would value well if he was still alive.

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Finally, the day of the wedding came; all the procedures had been completed and we were even to marry into the palace due to my position. There was a large crowd gathering outside; full of people that used to spit on the pair of us back in our youths. Now they had all gathered to witness the biggest wedding of the year. She was dressed in everything I had sent over which pleased me to no end. Finally, all these lonely months of waiting finally amounted to something. I was so sick and tired of being on my own, of still feeling cold after all this time. Everyone in the Seo's village was to attend, even the king himself and all I could do was sit and wait for to plan to take place. I had already sent Hwi all of Yeonie's wedding accessories and a heavy dowry I wasn't willing to let Hwi walk away empty handed as I knew I was taking something priceless away from him. No one knew more than me how much he treasured her and with our friendship repaired he knew I wasn't going to keep her away from him. In fact, I needed him in my marriage plans to keep her safe; plans only he was fully aware of. He wasn't too happy but he knew I had little said in the matter myself. I even had Hui-Jee kept close to her as a confidant as she was the only one we could trust; she loved Yeon just like the rest of us, and her friend Hwa-Wol. I even had Hwi's army friends at our service if it was ever needed to protect Yeon. Not only was I going to be taking her as my wife spouse but she will have to be part of the political game as the wife of an army general. I was eternally grateful that she took the initiative to educate herself only behalf ages ago so it wouldn't be hard for her.

Yeon arrived in time dressed in such an eloquent bridal dress that was only fit for a noblewoman. Everyone looked confused but I had already made our group aware that I kept my marriage to her a secret from everyone in my professional life so no one was expecting a double marriage, apart from the King. Because of Yeon's service of helping bring my father down, he was planning on restoring the social statuses of the Seo's to their former glory.