Chapter 23

Meanwhile, the King, Empress, ladies-in-waiting and several other attendants were enjoying watching the event from behind a stretcher which was quite far from the entrance of the forbidden forest.

Inside the palanquin, the wind blew slowly and caressed their child's face.

"Your Majesty!".

Suddenly the empress who was holding her baby called her husband feeling guilty.

"What is my queen?". said the King.

"Actually we have made two mistakes". said the empress.

"What do you mean, I'm getting clueless with what you say". Asked the king in confusion.

"Actually, I have wanted to say it for a long time, but somehow my tongue was locked. I was afraid that you would be offended and angry". said the empress sadly.

"Why should I be angry? As long as it's not bad then say because I can't be angry and offended".

"Your Majesty, we have made a mistake, I see the promise paid today is not in accordance with the promise that you said before".

The king immediately fell silent at the words of his empress.

"What do you mean my queen?". Asked the king.

"Didn't you say that you would offer ten cows with a bag of gold to the inhabitants of the forbidden forest if we were gifted with a child who would succeed the throne. But, now you only bring two thin sheep and throw their heads away. This is our first mistake". the empress explained.

The king was pensive for a moment, his gaze wandering towards the forbidden forest as he said. "Then what is our second mistake?".

"Our second mistake is that we don't keep our promises at the time we have set. Didn't we promise to bring our children to pay their promises and come on time when our children are one month old. But the fact that our children are older than that, this means we have not kept our promises ". said the empress while letting out tears on her red cheeks.

"Empress, you do not need to think about that mistake. It is called a small mistake that will do nothing for us. Calm your heart, do not you let yourself be covered by feelings that are not good!". Said King Yeonggi.

"But if you really don't feel good, then we will come next time to pay the promise according to what we say!". he continued.

"My heart is not bad, but my heart is pounding as if something bad is going to happen". The empress said while looking at the face of her daughter who was fast asleep and looked very calm.

The wind that came from the forbidden forest blew softly, making their child fall asleep in her mother's lap.

"My wife, don't think nonsense in front of this forbidden forest. Look at the very bright sky with white clouds hanging in the sky. That is a sign that nothing will ever happen. You better leave our child to the guardian because you look so tired that you think bad".

"You're probably right. Well, I'll leave it to her nanny".

After that she gave her child to her nanny.

Just then the witch appeared and snatched their child from her nanny.

"Aaaa ...".

The king and empress immediately turned their heads when they heard the screams of their babysitter.

Immediately they were shocked when they saw their child was already in the hands of the witch they had met to help him make their wish.

"Your Majesty, that is our child ...". The empress immediately became hysterical when she saw her child in the arms of the old woman.

"Calm down my wife, she is the grandmother we met before, therefore she could not possibly harm our child". The king said comforting his wife.

"You are right. I could not harm her but you are the one who will do it". The grandmother said aloud.

"What do you mean?". Asked the king angrily.

"Because of your mistakes that do not keep your promise, your daughter will be cursed as I cursed your first child. What you get will be taken back". The grandmother replied with a dark expression.

Not long after, the child in her arms immediately threw her into the river not far from the forbidden forest.