Eps 6 : The Great Temptress
This morning, since there was no scheduled meeting with ministers and officials, King Yeongan decided to enjoy the morning atmosphere by the pool near the Gyeonghaeru pavilion. His dark eyes watched his reflection staring back from the surface of the pool water. Every now and then, his obsidian catches a koi fish in a passing pond, making a slight wave in its reflection.
That morning, King Yeongan was not alone. Standing nearby was a young palace official who seemed to accompany him. Despite his youthful appearance, he has risen to the position of Royal Secretary in the government. That man was none other than Park Kyung-Soo. A man who has become a friend and study partner of King Yeongan since he was eight years old.
Five minutes passed with Kyung-Soo still watching the behavior of King Yeongan, who was silently staring at his reflection. Even though no words have been spoken yet, Kyung-Soo understands that a fog of anxiety is enveloping King Yeongan. Realizing the anxiety that King Yeongan was feeling did not necessarily make Kyung-Soo open a conversation. Instead, the man in the blue-black robe chose to remain silent to give Yeongan time to think clearly.
"Kyung-Soo...." said King Yeongan, breaking the silence between them.
Kyung-Soo raised his head and looked straight at King Yeongan's back. "Yes, Your Majesty," he replied quietly.
King Yeongan was silent for a moment with obsidian that could not be separated from looking at his reflection on the surface of the lake water. King Yeongan let out a restless sigh, which then shifted his focus to the Gyeonghaeru pavilion building in front of him. His dark irises looked so sad when he looked at the building.
"A few days ago, the Queen Dowager came to visit me. She also urged me to organize the election of a new queen. I don't think she's someone who is interested in usurping power from the Queen's throne," King Yeongan said, ending with a sarcastic chuckle.
King Yeongan suddenly raised his face and gave Kyung-Soo a surprised look. The man did not think that Queen Dowager Park would actually act like that, because all this time, the stepmother of King Yeongan had not shown any desire to be involved in political action in the palace.
"Then do you agree, Your Majesty?"
King Yeongan smiled bitterly as he nodded his head. Slowly, King Yeongan turned his attention away from the surface of the pool water and looked at his best friend's face.
"I agreed. What do you think? Was my action the right one? "
Kyung-Soo doesn't immediately give his opinion. His dark bead first analyzed the lines of expression on King Yeongan's face. Kyung-Soo gave a response based on his intuition; King Yeongan was waiting for his opinion.
"I think your action is right, Your Majesty. With pressure from various parties, you will be cornered in the end. It's just that I was so surprised to hear that The Empress Dowager joined in urging you to marriage."
King Yeongan chuckled at Kyung-Soo's sincere reply. His head, which was wearing a black hat as the symbol of the royal crown, nodded in approval of Kyung-Soo's words. "Never mind, I was surprised to see her presence at my residence the other day and asked for permission to hold the election of a new queen. Just thinking about it makes my head throb in pain," King Yeongan complained as he raised one hand to massage the bridge of his nose.
Kyung-Soo chuckles at his best friend's complaint. Kyung-Soo is aware of how hard the minister pushes for marriage to King Yeongan. Kyung-Soo realizes that everything is normal because since the death of Crown Princess Souin, not once did King Yeongan intend to marry or make one of his concubines his official wife. This clearly raises a big question mark in Kyung-Soo's mind.
"You should know this, Your Majesty. The ministers are increasingly pressing for marriage because, until now, you have had no desire to remarry. In fact, you had no intention of touching your concubines. This obviously makes the ministers feel uneasy about the future of the kingdom."
"There's a reason why I always make excuses when a remarriage request is addressed to me, Kyung-Soo," explained King Yeongan in a tone that sounded sad. The expression drawn from the handsome romance looks cloudy and the obsidian radiates deep sadness.
During this time, King Yeongan always wore a cold expression and even seemed closed whenever he faced officials and palace elders. However, in the presence of only his friends and a handful of confidants, King Yeongan is occasionally able to remove that cold and dark mask from himself, revealing his true character as a wounded Yi Baek.
"If you want, could you please tell me why you always delay or even refuse marriage, Your Majesty? I believe all of this has nothing to do with Crown Princess Souin's death. Because I know how you feel about the late Crown Princess Souin."
Again, a laugh is heard from King Yeongan when Kyung-Soo mentions his late wife's name. making the red-robed man wipe a few tears from the corners of his eyes because of his laughter.
"I already guessed! "You are my best friend, Kyung-Sooya," said King Yeongan with a smile on his face.
King Yeongan exhaled and looked up at the blue sky that lay above him. Again, his eyes didn't show any sparks of darkness or give off any cold aura. On the other hand, obsidian shines a light on the sadness that stems from chronic wounds that have never been healed.
"The real reason I never wanted to get married again was because I didn't want an innocent person to suffer the same fate as my mother," she whispered.
"I understand your feelings, Your Majesty. It's just that you certainly know that the Queen's throne can't be left empty. A flower still has to sit on the throne ," said Kyung-Soo with a sad look.
"Yes, I understand all that, Kyung-Soo. That's why I said yes to the Queen Dowager holding the election of a new queen for me. At least that way, I can see how much she wants to dominate the palace and let her compete with the dirty old woman in the south palace," sneered King Yeongan.
"Are you going to allow a war between the Queen Dowager and the Royal Queen Dowager, Your Majesty?" Kyung-Soo, who was again surprised by King Yeongan's decision, asked Kyung-Soo.
"So true. I let them fight for power in the inner palace. Besides that, I also set unreasonable conditions regarding my future queen."
"What preposterous condition do you mean here, Your Majesty?"
A momentary glint of amusement emanated from King Yeongan's two beads, and a mischievous smile appeared on his handsome face. "I asked Queen Dowager to find a future queen who was good at archery. Doesn't it sound impossible? "
...
The sound of gongs, indicating that it was getting late, began to be heard in several places in the palace. Meanwhile, a small group was seen stepping under the moonlight. At the head of the line, a woman wearing a brightly colored dangui led the group towards the main palace.
She was Kim Suk Ui, one of the many concubines that King Yeongan had. Tonight, Kim Suk Ui plans to visit King Yeongan after she has been left alone in his pavilion for so long. A smile slowly appeared on Kim Suk Ui's face, remembering the plan she was going to carry out tonight—to tease the King.
Kim Suk Ui was the first concubine to be appointed by Crown Princess Souin when King Yeongan was still the Crown Prince. Kim Suk Ui is the nephew of General Kim—one of the generals who expelled King Yeongan's birth mother from the palace and was even involved in the assassination of former Queen Yoo.
After continuously getting doctrine from his uncle, Kim Suk Ui finally got up the courage to take a step. With the title of being the first concubine to be appointed and coming from a noble family, she even has the highest concubine rank among other concubines, making Kim Suk Ui believe that she has a great opportunity to rise to the position of queen. That's why, tonight, she will seduce King Yeongan so she can win the heart of the man who is famous for his cold and bad temper.
Eunuch Jang was stunned when he found Kim Suk Ui's presence at King Yeongan's residence tonight. Although surprised to find that one of King Yeongan's concubines had arrived, the jade-green robed man quickly gave a respectful greeting.
"Is the King in his room?" asked Concubine Kim bluntly.
Eunuch Jang's head nodded slowly. "Yes, Your Highness. "His Majesty was in his room having a snack before going to bed."
A wide smile broke out on Concubine Kim's face upon hearing Eunuch Jang's answer. The woman again tried to tidy up her clothes and hair ornaments for a moment before giving Eunuch Jang an order.
"Immediately tell His Majesty if I want to see him."
...
"Your Majesty, I have come here to accompany you. Every night I feel restless because you haven't visited me in a long time. That's why I ventured to meet you. "
A soft voice with a spoiled tone rang out from the figure of a beautiful woman sitting in front of him. Since discovering his arrival, not a word has come out of his thin lips. Only his obsidian gave the piercing glare to Concubine Kim.
"I heard Your Majesty was enjoying a bedtime snack. Let me accompany and serve you tonight, Your Majesty."
Concubine Kim took the initiative to get up from her seat and approach King Yeongan. The woman then sat to the right of King Yeongan's left and took a pot of rice wine and poured it into the king's cup. Concubine Kim deliberately made a graceful and slightly seductive gesture.
"Please enjoy the wine... Aargh!"
Concubine Kim shrieked as King Yeongan suddenly grabbed her wrist tightly, which was holding the teapot filled with wine. Concubine Kim was terrified when she noticed King Yeongan's eyes were darker than usual.
"Your Majesty...."
"What do you want? I know you have a purpose for coming to me. Are you trying to seduce me?"
King Yeongan now gripped Concubine Kim's shoulders tightly. Through his gaze, the man wearing a mint-colored silk robe caught a look of fear in Concubine Kim's eye. The finding made King Yeongan's ghastly grin widen on his handsome face.
Laughter quickly escaped King Yeongan's lips. The man released his grip on Concubine Kim's shoulder. King Yeongan rubbed his lower lip and his eyes scanned the body of his concubine, who was still wrapped in clothes.
"If you intend to come to tease me, you should remember what happened in your past," he muttered in a slightly hoarse voice. "Or, should I remind you that night, Suk Ui?"
The color seemed to fade from Concubine Kim's face upon hearing King Yeongan's threatening murmur. Her head clearly replayed the horrific events of the night she tried to seduce King Yeongan, who was still the crown prince.
"Your Majesty, I didn't mean to..." Concubine Kim's voice was choked by the fear that crept into her heart. The woman moved back away from King Yeongan.
"Suk Ui, it appears you need to be reminded of that night. So that you know who you really are and also...." King Yeongan moved closer to Concubine Kim, who was trying to stay away from him.
The man enjoyed Concubine Kim's frightened look. King Yeongan more and more aggressively approached Concubine Kim, as if the woman was his prey and he was a predator. Without much effort, King Yeongan managed to lock Concubine Kim's movements with his body.
One hand gripped Concubine Kim's cheeks and forced her to look up at him. The terrible laugh returned from King Yeongan's lips.
"Right. After this, we'll see if you still dare to tease me. And I need to remind you of something." King Yeongan lowered his body and put his lips close to Concubine Kim's ear, intending to whisper something.
"Don't you dare expect to become a queen, because I never wanted history to record your name as queen on my reign. I would never want to be with a woman from a murderous family.
In the next second, Concubine Kim's screams and sobs were heard from within the room. No one dared to enter and see what King Yeongan did to Concubine Kim.
The palace maids and Eunuch who served King Yeongan, on the other hand, were well aware of what the king had done to the women he despised. They only hoped that they would no longer experience the fateful night when they found a lifeless body in the king's bed. They hoped that there would be no repetition of such an unfortunate incident as Crown Princess Souin, who was found dead in the crown prince's bed.