Chapter hundred and twelve: Still a wicked genius

Two days passed and it seemed swifter than a minute. Kim Myung OK took out her medicine book and studied it seriously. Her very face oozed concentration and commitment.

She seemed to find what she sought for as she uttered a cry of surprise and left to find her chief. As she ran from the royal library to his office, she met the emperor who seemed to revolve around her world in each instance.

"Ah, Physician Kim", he uttered in surprise, his excitement barely hidden. She, who had bowed in greeting as custom demands raised her beautiful face to his and smiled brightly. An infectious smile which elicited his.

"You seem to be in a good mood", he pointed out and tried to initiate a decent conversation.

"I?", she replied and he nodded in confirmation. Further, he asked the cause of excitement.

She smiled frankly, her eyes bright with pride , her lips trembled as eloquent words rushed out of them. He knew she was being polite but the sound of her voice sounded better than all he's ever heard.

He walked her down as she got interrogated by him. Diplomatically, she answered all politely. She was so frank and open and entirely devoid of personal references. He begged for more time with her but didn't push his guards and servants away. They were near to observe them but out of earshot. For an unknown reason, he felt they were his saving grace as she never let any negative emotion show on her face neither does she sound impatient whenever people are around.

He took the opportunity to ask of her personal living condition in the palace, her acceptance in being his personal physician and all whatnot. Every question she answered was a spring of bliss for him. Daringly, he asked of how she lived her life so far and surprisingly, she spoke of every thing that happened with her.Though he could not help seeing they were spoken without one thought of him , still they made him tremble as words had never done before .

An hour passed and he looked up in surprise as he saw the time. "I have an important meeting", he said. "I have to go but promise me we would continue our discussion once it's over". She smiled so brightly he almost ditched the meeting .

"We will finish our conversation then", she said. "And in the meantime, take my promise that I will not continue the conversation with you". He muttered something about being sorry for all he had done but didn't know himself what he was saying.

With a few more graceful words, she bade adieu and left on her way. He stood still, watching her as she walked away with a proud graceful step down the flight of stairs.

Well, he had made a progress with her. He knew she was acting nice but there was a bewildering surprise about it. What could have made her be so good to him.

There was something new to him in her queenly, womanly beauty. The quickness of her intellect and her eloquence of speech all made him see her on a whole different level. He had met her before and had owned it to himself that she was worthy to be wooed and won by a king. Yet, he felt no King would be worthy of her.

"You are born to be a phoenix", he said.

"Born to be my phoenix". He continued up to his meeting room and smiled like a fool in love.

She walked down the steps to look up where she had been spied on. "Dowager empress!", she cursed under her breath.

"If you keep on spying on me, I promise to put on a good show!". She looked back at where few minutes ago someone stood hidden and hissed. With a swaying graceful steps, she left for her business.

On the following day, the emperor went to the royal infirmary but found her not. He had gone under the guise of supervising them but left once she wasn't there.

"Your Majesty", the chief eunuch called out. "Why do we keep taking a longer route other than the normal route".

"Change is constant", he answered nonchalantly. "We mustn't take same route for 365 days for security reasons. Be wise!", he admonished, making the chief eunuch feel stupid for not being able to notice that. He made to ask why they take the royal infirmary way each time but clammed his mouth shut to escape castigation.

He left the royal infirmary disappointed but suddenly stopped at an impulse. "It's such a beautiful bright day for a stroll", he exclaimed in happy wonder. "Let's take the empress for a stroll", he beamed sheepishly.

The unsuspecting chief eunuch praised his master for being a loving husband and a romantic. He sent someone ahead to inform her of the emperor's arrival and give her time to prepare.

"As for being a loving husband, I don't know about it. But being a romantic? Oh yeah, I'm a hopeless romantic".

The eunuch nodded in admiration but didn't read much meaning into it. Soon, they arrived to find the empress waiting for them with the most important person he came for. Myung OK.

He invited the empress over and pretended not to have seen Myung OK. "Hwanghu, you look gorgeous in blue".

The empress looked over herself and exclaimed. "But I'm not in blue!". She looked over to watch Myung OK's blue robe and could confess she looked neat and good.

"Oh really?... I must be seeing things".

He looked at her, "Let's go for a stroll". She readily agreed but stopped when he refused to bring Myung OK along .

"If she doesn't go, I won't go too", she said vehemently. He argued they didn't need a physician but agreed when she stood her ground. In pretense of anger, he gave in 'reluctantly'.

As they went, Myung OK attached herself to the back and blended with the rest of entourages. He turned aggressively and uttered.

"What are you doing at the back?... Didn't you hear the empress say she wants you close?". The empress came in her defense and cautioned the emperor to mind his business as she is her personal physician. He could disappointedly agree but ordered her to stay only three steps away from them and several steps ahead of the rest.

In obedience she agreed but knew what he was playing at. They arrived at the most beautiful part of the palace. The clear water of the fountain invited one for a bath, birds of different plumage drinking from it flew away startled by human presence. The nearby trees swayed in the air as the cool breeze played some music. Everything reeked of beauty and serenity. A perfect ambiance for romance.

They settled down on one of the stone carved seats made for admiring the scenery . He, who had always wanted to speak to her but found it impossible, ordered her to recommend some nutritious food that could be eaten there. She said something and the servants left to prepare them.

She saw him whisper to his eunuch while watching her surreptitiously and felt her peace was short-lived.

Soon, the dream came through as he ordered her to taste the food for evaluation. The empress rejected the offer as she reminded him of courtmaid assigned to taste meals but he insisted.

Myung OK gritted her teeth quietly as she told out a silver spoon for poison inspection. She checked all the meal and confirmed they were eatable.

"That's not why I called you", he said once he saw her escaping to her corner.

"I meant you should eat first to ascertain it's nutritional value before I dine with the empress". He smugly smiled inconspicuously at her but she had no reason to refute as it was an imperial order.

The spoon was personally handed over to her by him. Gracefully, she ate a little bit of each meal and handed over the spoon to a kitchen courtmaid.

"Which of them was your favorite", he asked seriously as he waited for an answer like his life depended on it. He wants to eat only her favorite.

"I have no favorite" was her short reply.

"Then, which of them is your best?".

The empress who had sipped an appetising tea suddenly interrupted him.

"Why are you being so hard on Myung OK?", she accused. "I will release her as your physician so stop torturing the poor girl".

"Hwanghu!", he cried unfairly treated. "You are accusing me", he pouted.

" Really? Then why her, when there are lots of kitchen staff here". She supported her accusation with a tangible prove.

"Because... because...", he held his chest like one in pain and screamed out.

Empress screamed too and urged Myung OK to rush over. She rushed over, bent forward in alarm but saw him wink at her.

Then, she knew it was a false alarm. She decided to teach him a big lesson. Servants, who had been startled calmed down and thanked heavens a physician was with them. Acupuncture needs were released immediately from her sleeves. She grabbed his hands for a pulse reading and made her lips tremble. Checked his heartbeat, her face lost it's color.

"Your Majesty, let me treat him", she told the panicky empress. "His heartbeat is too slow while his pulse is very fast... Oh my gosh! he's turning purple", she screamed in false alarm.

The emperor who saw her serious face nearly asked her if she didn't get his signal, but kept mute when he saw her face. Empress couldn't observe any discoloration but believed Myung OK's word.

She neatly laid him on the bare floor and stuck him with needles here and there but avoided his major acupoints. She made it so painful he had a rethink on his childish way of seeking body contact.

She's still a wicked genius he muttered to himself and cursed himself.