REINCARNATED (PART II)

My Great-Grandsons

I was wandering around in my 'residence' when I heard an announcement from outside the residence.

"The Queen gave birth to a Prince!"

The person who announced the happy news was running on his feet around the Palace.

Now, I'm on my way to the Queen's chamber. Since the Queen gave birth not just a Prince but also my grandson, I thinkI have a fair share of the commotion.

There are several Palace Maids, the Royal Physicians, the midwives and even the King are present in the Queen's Residence.

This is indeed a happy news. Both, the King and the Queen had been waiting for 10 years for this day.

The Queen was pregnant before but due to her frail body, she got miscarriage on her first three months. I remembered when I first lost mine.

After 5 years of waiting, the King brought in a lady from a noble family and made her as his concubine. Few months later, the concubine got pregnant and later gave birth to a son. Thus, he was my first grandson.

4 years later, the said concubine was given the title of the Royal Concubine and her son was going to be crowned as the Crown Prince.

But, later the nation received a happy news that the Queen was pregnant thus the decision to crown the Royal Concubine's child was put on hold.

Now that that the Queen had given birth to a son, I guess the decision will be put off, forever.

***

The Queen is lying on the bed with the little prince. When I come closer, the little one looks at me and gives a beautiful smile to me.

There's a little boy standing near the bed, watching curiously of the adorable little prince. I guess he's the First Prince.

"Hello, both of you." I say. But only the little one hears me.

"Prince Lee, do you know who he is?"

The Queen asks.

"A tiny human," he answers innocently.

"He's your little brother," the Queen says.

'What a great personality.' I thought. Despite the First Prince being the son of the Royal Concubine, the Queen still treated him as her son. Except for the fact that the little one is the most rightful one, the First Prince still the subject to the throne. His being in the Palace will be difficult as he growing up. The King should take action early.

The next days after, I frequented the Queen's chamber to play with the little prince. I feel like, rather than a ghost, I've turned into a guardian angel for him.

He looks so much like the Late Prince when he was a child and being with the little prince cured my missing for the Late Prince.

***

Then few years after, he's grown into a very fine man.

He was crowned as the Crown Prince when he was 5 years of age. That day, the King sent out the First Prince and his mother outside the Palace.

I believed the King feared treasons and other things that you wouldn't expect could happen in the Palace if you have two heirs of a throne.

But, 3 years later, the King brought back the First Prince into the Palace. It was told that the Crown Prince was being alone and the Queen apparently didn't allow him to befriend anyone.

"Crown Prince shouldn't have friends, you shouldn't trust anyone in this Palace and you have to accept that you'll have a very lonely journey." I heard the Queen said the other day.

It was harsh but it's the truth. Being a subject to the throne, no one will be trustworthy enough to be called a friend. You're actually walking with a sword on your neck. You wouldn't know, who's who. A friend or foe, thus it's better to live without one.

The King allowed both of them to spend most of their time together. Since the First Prince is older, the King ordered him to teach the Crown Prince. They would be seen together around the Palace almost every day.

But when the First Prince reached 15 years of age, the King ordered him to join the soldiers in doing missions and he would always out of the Palace after that. This move merely to show that the First Prince is under the authority of the King and those who have treasonous minds are under the King's scrutiny.

Even if the two brothers had shown no signs to compete over the throne, they couldn't run from the schemes inside the Palace. The King knows who and whom are with with and who have knives under their robes, always prepared to end His reign and replaces him with someone else; and Prince Lee is among their candidates.

He will always end up being the subject to the throne even when he has no purpose to do so.

***

"Your Higness, Eunuch Yun wants to see you," a palace maid says from outside of the room.

"Let him in," the Crown Prince says while his eyes still locked on the scrolls in front of him.

"Your Highness," the eunuch pays his respect and then says, "His Highness Prince Lee asked if you have time for a sword practice this evening."

'Prince Lee?' Since he was sent out to join the soldiers, it has been five years since I saw him. He will occasionally came into the Palace but only for a short time to meet the King and the Queen.

I had never had the chance to see him since the Crown Prince will see him at his residence which is on the East Side of the Palace and I have to walk a bit far to go there. Being a lazy ghost is hard.

"Older Brother has returned from the East Border?" The Crown Prince asks.

"Yes, Your Highness, His Higness Prince Lee has arrived late last night and ordered me to convey his message this morning."

"It's not a good thing to start pointing swords at each other after a year not meeting him," he chuckles. "As expected from Older Brother."

"Eunuch Moon," the Crown Prince calls the eunuch that attends him. "Please prepare my sport clothes."

Then he says to Eunuch Yun, "Tell Older Brother to not be late. I would love to show how I've progress since our last 'battle'."

When I heard they are going to the Royal Training Ground, I'm thinking of coming along since it has been years I've been in the same place, wandering and haunting the Palace Maids.

I want to breathe some fresh air and maybe look around the Soldier's Residence for fresh looks.