Eps 15 : The King’s Poison Word
"Is it true that this pavilion is so beautiful? What if your beauty cannot match this pavilion?"
Yeon-Hee gasped at Yi Baek's voice nearby. The girl turns around and is surprised to see Yi Baek nearby. The girl froze on the spot, unable to move her limbs.
Yi Baek smiled sarcastically, seeing the surprised expression on his future wife's face. Not missing the opportunity, Yi Baek drew closer to Yeon-Hee. In fact, he didn't hesitate to bring his face closer to Yeon-Hee, who was still stunned to find him.
"You have not answered my question. And I don't like being hanged for an answer, My Queen," Yi Baek whispered in Yeon-Hee's ear.
...
Two goblets with thin puffs of steam rising between them. In the rays of the afternoon sun, Yi Baek and Yeon-Hee sat opposite each other in the Hwol-gak pavilion. Ever since the lady in the palace kitchen brought the tea party to the Hwol-gak pavilion, not a word had been spoken. Both are busy with their own thoughts.
Yi Baek finally broke the silence between them by realizing that the girl in front of him didn't want to speak up either. The man took a sip of the omija tea that was served before finally speaking up.
"So, the invitation to this afternoon's tea banquet actually wasn't from the Queen Dowager. but from you. Is my guess correct, My Queen?" Yi Baek asked, emphasizing the tone of his voice when he mentioned the title of the woman in front of him.
Yeon-Hee noticed the accusing and uncomfortable tone that sounded from King Yeongan's figure in front of her. Not only that, Yeon-Hee also felt a dangerous aura spread by the man who would soon become her husband.
With a downcast face while controlling the emotions that had gripped his heart, Yeon-Hee tried to answer in the smoothest possible tone of voice to King Yeongan. Even so, Yeon-Hee wasn't happy with the accusations King Yeongan had given her.
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry if I sound presumptuous. It's just that what you accuse me of is clearly wrong. I also came here to fulfill an invitation to drink tea from the Queen Dowager. Please don't misunderstand."
Yi Baek snorted at Yeon-Hee's answer. His dark irises looked straight back at the sweet figure in front of him. Yi Baek admits that Yeon-Hee is quite interesting because she is not like other girls or concubines that he has had. At a meeting where it was just the two of them like this, Yeon-Hee didn't show any nervousness or some of the manners that her concubines usually did when the two of them were like this. So far, Jung Yeon-Hee has been very calm with Yi Baek, even coldly.
"So I came to the wrong conclusion. You also received this invitation on behalf of the Queen Dowager. Is that true? " Yi Baek's comment was confirmed.
Still, with a downcast face, Yeon-Hee nodded curtly. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Yi Baek nodded his head. Seeing Yeon-Hee's cold attitude made Yi Baek feel challenged to test how strong his defense was. This again makes Yi Baek feel happy to get a new toy.
And, Yi Baek decided, how solid a fortress would a Jung Yeon-Hee make?
"Then, can we enjoy this time by brainstorming before the wedding day? How?"
"I am honored to share my thoughts with you, Your Majesty. Please."
After getting approval through Yeon-Hee's response, Yi Baek decided to immediately test Yeon-Hee's fortress. Yi Baek had also done this to his previous wife, Crown Princess Souin. Due to the weakness of Crown Princess Souin's stronghold, Yi Baek felt bored and left her alone.
"You must know that carrying the title and responsibility as the Queen of Joseon is not easy. You must not only be a great nation mother, but you must also meet a number of other requirements. What do you think about this?"
"After spending a few days with marriage training as well as ethics lessons, I think the Queen of Joseon has taken on a very noble task. As long as I work with a sincere heart, of course nothing feels difficult and doesn't need to be considered a burden, Your Majesty."
"You must have also heard various rumors about me. I'm a king who likes to be rude and various other bad rumors. How do you respond to this?"
"Without clear facts, I believe Your Majesty is not like what rumors spread. Palace walls always have ears and eyes. Rumors are always being blown to bring down the true personality," replied Yeon-Hee calmly.
Truly, Yi Baek was stunned by the words Yeon-Hee spoke to answer his question. Not only was he polite, all the sentences that Yeon-Hee chose implied that he was a cold figure and even seemed unconcerned. This makes Yi Baek even more wary and intends to find out whether Jung Yeon-Hee is after the throne of Queen Joseon as a pawn of power or something else.
"Kim Suk-Ui, Park Suk-Ui, Lee So-Yeong, Yoo So-Yeong, Kwon Suk-Yeong, Choi So-Won, Jang Suk-Won, Ahn Special Royal Court, Jo Special Royal Court, Hong Special Royal Court, are my concubines. They have lived in the palace as long as my wife has. As the woman who will hold the highest title among my wives, you are clearly required to give birth to an heir to the throne. Are you ready to compete with my ten other wives?"
Yi Baek, complete with a disdainful smile, at Yeon-Hee.
Yeon-Hee swallowed her saliva when she heard King Yeongan mention the rows of his wives who lived in the palace first. This clearly reminds Yeon-Hee of the competition she will face after the wedding day. Basically, Yeon-Hee didn't care. Wasn't there something much more important that was the reason Yeon-Hee entered the palace as a candidate for queen?
Yeon-Hee slowly raised her face and looked back at Yi Baek squarely in the man's two dark irises.
"I think there are things much more important than that kind of competition, Your Majesty. Besides, it is not appropriate for a queen to think about competition because she has a duty to take care of, protect, and maintain harmony among the king's wives."
A grin widened at Yi Baek's face, hearing Yeon-Hee's answer. Based on his analysis, Yi Baek knew Jung Yeon-Hee was not as weak as his late wife, Crown Princess Souin. This makes Yi Baek extremely happy, because his new toy is much tougher than the ten toys he already has.
In addition, Yeon-Hee has a very good manipulative nature, as evidenced by Yi Baek, who is quite difficult to know the main goal of a Jung Yeon-Hee being queen.
"Alright, let's end today's meeting. I guess you must be tired after today's training. But before that, I have something I want to tell you. " Yi Baek paused to pay attention to the expression on Yeon-Hee's face. His dark irises flashed dangerously.
"Please tell me, Your Majesty. I will definitely keep it in my heart. "
"Right, you should definitely remember that. There is one thing you must remember before we begin our game, and that is...."
Yi Baek leaned towards Yeon-Hee, taking her by surprise. Moreover, now Yi Baek's face was only inches away from Yeon-Hee's face. This allowed Yeon-Hee to clearly feel Yi Baek's breath gently brushing against her face. Yeon-Hee held her breath even more when Yi Baek's palm gently rubbed one side of Yeon-Hee's cheek.
"Never expect my heart, My Queen. I never gave my heart to the game. If you dare to wish for it, then I will definitely destroy you. "
A crooked smile appeared on Yi Baek's lips after giving Yeon-Hee his warning. Without warning, Yi Baek kissed Yeon-Hee's plum lips lightly. Not caring about Yeon-Hee, who froze after hearing his words and light kisses, Yi Baek's fingers brushed Yeon-Hee's luscious lips while saying another sharp sentence.
"I can touch you as much as I want. But, that does not mean I include my feelings when doing it. So, I hope you are ready for your task ahead, My Queen."
...
Suk-Ui : Royal Consort Second Junior Rank
So-Yong : Royal Consort Third Senior Rank
Suk-Yeong: Royal Consort Third Junior Rank
So-Won : Royal Consort Fourth Senior Rank
Suk-Won : Royal Consort Fourth Junior Rank
Special Royal Court : Lady-in-waiting who has not received the official title of king's concubine (the lower tier for king's concubine)