Chapter 109: Chapter 109

Bojin soothed and gently pat Yomin’s back, wiping tears from her cheeks as she trembled. Her tenderness made Yomin all the more sad.

“How can Prince Ruhae be so mean to you, who are so beautiful?”

Bojin blamed the prince in a disrespectful manner. Not caring about Bojin’s remarks, she asked, “Do I need to tell him that he should be careful?”

“Well, do what you want. I’m always on your side. I will follow your will.”

Bojin wanted to stop Yomin deep inside, but she wanted to be on the misfortunate queen’s side unconditionally. Hearing that, Yomin shook her head.

“No, no. I don’t want to tell him. I can hardly see him.”

Yomin shook her head countless times, hoping she could shake off her idle thoughts about Ruhae and Kyosul.

It was because of the wind.

The wind blew and cluttered up her thoughts. The wind even messed up her mind.

Nobody could stop the work of the wind.

The cold wind whirled around the palace. The winter was advancing quickly.

The eaves and stone walls of the Imperial Palace were covered splendidly decorated with white snow. Time passed quietly in the palace with lots of secrets.

There was a loud noise heard in the quiet palace one day.

The source of the noise was the Dongbi Palace, where Kyosul was located.

The nanny let the tray slip from her hands while coming into Kyosul’s room with some snacks on it.

Teapot, teacups and plates of sweets fell on the floor and shattered into pieces. Yellow tea spilled across the floor.

“You Highness…”

With her face turning white and her hands trembling, the nanny approached her. Kyosul was looking at it, covering her mouth with both hands. The tray was full of delicious dishes, but she frowned as if it was horrible food waste.

“Wook! Wook!”

She had nausea and threw up twice, but she didn’t vomit any food. She just felt nauseous, but there was no vomit.

That was the real problem.

“Nanny, please put away the food tray!”

“What? What are you talking about?”

While feeling unwell because of her continuing nausea, she pointed to a plate on the tray. What she pointed to was a braised fish. After she stopped stroking her back, the nanny left with the plate with braised fish and some other plates that smelled badly.

A little later when the smell of the side dishes disappeared, Kyosul stopped feeling nauseous. Coming back into the room, the nanny let the court ladies on standby leave the place for a moment. They could now talk to each other freely without being overheard by them.

The nanny approached Kyosul and slowly stroke her back. She looked at Kyosul with a nervous look and then began to ask very carefully.

“Your Highness, can you figure out what’s the cause of your nausea?”

Nausea was not unusual. If one’s stomach didn’t feel well, one could have nausea anytime.

But Kyosul didn’t have a weak stomach. And most of all, there was a problem naturally associated with her vague nausea.

The moment she saw Kyosul feeling nauseous due to the food, something quickly occurred to her.

Feeling the nanny’s trembling hands, Kyosul lowered her hardened face.

“… Come to think of it.”

Only then the nanny remembered that Kyosul hadn’t had a period recently. When she was reproaching herself for not having paid a little more attention to Kyosul, she grabbed the nanny’s hands and said, “I wonder if I have gotten pregnant.”

Her voice trembled.

In fact, it was Kyosul who was shivering with fear the most right now.

The nanny replied in a soothing voice to calm her down.

“I’m not sure, but it may be. I think you had better call the royal doctor to examine you…”

“No!”

She stopped the nanny. Hanging on the nanny’s arm, she desperately shook her head.

“Never, ever. It just doesn’t make sense that I have gotten pregnant.”

“What are you talking about?”

Having said that, the nanny suddenly shut up.

Kyosul was Bipaan’s official wife. And Bipaan didn’t visit her recently, so she would be in big trouble if it became known that she was pregnant.

This was a serious problem that could lead to an international dispute between the Mok Kingdom and the Hwa Kingdom.

The two bowed their heads silently for a moment. Lots of complex thoughts came to their minds.

And Kyosul said in a firm voice, “First of all, please send a message to Prince Ruhae, requesting him to come to my place urgently.”

In no time, Ruhae arrived at the Dongbi Palace. Never did he visit there during broad daylight. Ruhae was also very surprised and nervous about her unexpected message.

Both of them met secretly in her room. As they were face to face, there was no longing for each other at the moment. Kyosul was pale and her mouth was closed while Ruhae, who was nervous about her expression, could not open his mouth.

A heavy silence continued between them.

Finally Kyosul barely opened her mouth.

“Ruhae!” She trembled as soon as she spoke. He clenched his fists on his knees.

“What if we have a baby?” she asked in a feeble voice.

His eyes widened in surprise. He couldn’t breathe at the moment in embarrassment.

Barely breathing, he quickly regained his breath and asked, “What do you mean? Oh, Kyousul, I can’t believe that…”

He was quick-witted enough to know what she was trying to say.

She put her hands naturally towards her lower belly.

“I’m not sure. However, there are already several signs that I am pregnant…”

“Kyosul!”

He immediately came beside her. Even before she knew it, she was already wrapped in his arms. His long arms wrapped around her whole body, and his broad shoulders supported her head as he embraced.

His lips gently touched her cheek. He kissed her gently again and again. He kissed every part of her body that he could touch.

“Thank you very much. Thank you.”

He kept repeating the same words as if those were the only words he knew.

She could shake off anxiety and tension in his arms. She closed her eyes. Tears streamed from her closed eyes, but she smiled in joy. She shed happy tears.

She felt everything would work alright.

Such vague optimism sprang up as long as she was with him, she thought she could overcome any difficulties.

‘What’s the big deal?’ She thought like that.

Ruhae did not say much. He just hugged Kyosul tightly. He kept hugging her, kissing her and said lots of kind words. That was enough.

***

“You’re pregnant.”

She went out of the palace secretly and went to see several doctors. Dressed in shabby commoners’ clothes, Kyosul and her nanny looked like typical ordinary women outside the palace. Doctors checked her pulse without any suspicion and came up with the same answer.

Pregnancy.

After returning to the Dongbi Palace, neither Kyosul nor the nanny spoke.

As it was dark, Kyosul’s room became darker, but they didn’t light the lamp.

The fact that she conceived a new life was really something to celebrate, but she couldn’t.

“You knew it, didn’t you?” the nanny asked feebly.

“It’s okay because I already expected it.”

“Your Highness…” the nanny could not say more than that.

Suddenly Kyosul jumped up from her seat. Nanny looked up at her in surprise.

“Your Highness?”

“… I have to go and see Crown Prince Bipaan now.”

“Your Highness!”

Following her, the nanny stopped Kyosul at the door.

“Your Highness, what are you going to do? What the heck are you going to say to the Crown Prince? No, you shouldn’t. He’ll be in big trouble. You should never tell him about this.”

“Well, what should I do? Do you want me to hide my pregnancy and deliver a baby secretly after ten months?”

In the end, Kyosul shed tears in a loud voice, shivering with fear.

She knew her own condition long ago. Even without the royal doctor’s examination, she knew she was pregnant.

In her little womb, a little baby was growing life.

She covered her belly.

“I would do anything for this baby.”

Although she didn’t know what it meant to be a mother, she could do whatever she had to for her baby.

She had to.

***

As it was winter, the imperial palace was lonely and quiet. In particular, the East Palace, Bipaan’s residency, was particularly empty because the court ladies knew his character hid their emotions and led a quiet life.

Bipaan, the owner of the East Palace, usually read books in his library or in his room when he was in his residence. He always spent quiet time alone. But today he was meeting another person.

As it was winter with few sunlight, Kyosul, whose face looked more pale, sat still in front of Bipaan.

“I am a busy man. If you are sitting here like this and don’t want to say anything, just go back. “