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The Queen of Daesan

Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

With a languid, unhurried pace akin to a tiger stalking injured prey, Baek Kyung made his way towards her. Fearless and triumphant. Confident in his victory. While Yeong was frozen in place, naked in more ways than one, wanting to believe that this was all a very bad dream.

It never occurred to her to point her sword directly at him.

Killing him was never part of her plan.

Keeping him alive was.

Thus, it was the easiest thing in the world for him to take the sword away.

Yeong watched him, still standing immobile, as he set the blade on the table beside the sole candle that illuminated the room. In that span of time, she had all but forgotten her nudity until Baek Kyung covered her with a robe.

After which, he immediately summoned a physician. His voice, which she still found soothing even in this situation, reverberated throughout the room. Calling guards and servants alike to him.

As expected of the palace denizens, her room was swiftly cleared of all signs of blood and violence. Rendered neat and pristine. As if only peace and serenity resided in it. Nothing else.

Her shoulder, which had shielded her husband from a fatal blow, was treated and bandaged with utmost care. And in spite of her protestations, the royal physician ordered her attendants to inspect Yeong’s body. Searching for any other injuries.

Even when none were found, the physician went so far as to check her pulse. Believing he would be able to detect internal injuries in this way.

This was all done under Baek Kyung’s aegis.

Otherwise, Yeong would not have tolerated this unwanted invasion of her personal space. Or so, she wanted to think.

Everyone around her was in motion. Except for Yeong. And Baek Kyung, of course, who sat only a few paces away. Watching her. Observing her.

Measuring her.

She didn’t feel like doing anything.

After so long, she found herself in a state of shock. Not from the assassination attempt. Death and killing were not alien concepts to her. Having been both instigator and target at various points in her life.

No. What robbed her of speech and limited her movement, other than the certainty that Baek Kyung knew, was the identity of their attacker. Now unmasked posthumously.

It wasn’t any of the Daeho dignitaries who had come to the banquet. Certainly not Seo Yul.

But it was a face known to her. And to Baek Kyung, most of all.

It was the mage that Baek Kyung had compelled to teach him.

As she recalled, this North Fortress mage had said that her husband was making progress in his training as a mage. Though knowing Baek Kyung, it was not enough.

Not significant enough. Nor fast enough.

It certainly didn’t help that Baek Kyung was a poor student. Oh, he had perseverance and intelligence. And his willingness to learn was second to none.

However, Baek Kyung was never one to submit to just anyone. With a pupil like her husband, standard theories and teaching methods long accepted and revered in Daeho would be dissected and challenged. Every course of training, questioned. Every order, obeyed reluctantly and only after long and careful consideration.

It certainly did not help that said student was a king who could and would execute said teacher if Baek Kyung thought his teacher gave him a treasonous look.

The experience was certainly something no Daeho mage would have tolerated of any other aspiring mage that trained under them.

When the guards, the servants and the physician had left them alone, Yeong was finally able to find her voice.

Though there was something strange about the way the royal physician looked after speaking to Baek Kyung. On any other occasion, Yeong would have asked Baek Kyung about it.

But that wasn’t her most pressing concern.

“What have you done?” She asked. Already knowing the answer.

“I simply gave my teacher a chance to do what he always wanted. I’ve known he always wanted to kill me. He was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to get away with it. I could see right through him. He tried to hide it well enough. But I see it every time I undermine his authority. The hatred was practically scorching his eyes. He only agreed to teach me just to get close enough to kill me. Well, he served his purpose in showing me the basics. You know that I found his methods and abilities lacking. He had long outlived his usefulness. So on this night, with foreign dignitaries within palace grounds, I told him exactly where I’ll be. I even told him that I was in such a good mood that I’ve given most of my guards the night off. And like the fool that he was, he didn’t stop to think that it was all a trap.”

She felt his possessive hand as it settled on her waist. And while the both of them knew that Yeong was the superior mage, it was clear that she had no intention of harming Baek Kyung. She wouldn’t have interfered with the assassination attempt otherwise.

“It wasn’t a trap for him, was it? It was a trap for me,” Yeong stated. Willing her voice to stay steady. Pushing her emotions down. Baek Kyung’s voice was losing its ability to soothe her.

How could he have tricked her? His heartbeat had been steady in the dark. Back in her mother’s hometown, he had been quaking when they were forced to extinguish the fire and bar the windows. All to avoid notice from soldiers passing through in the night.

What had changed from then to now?

He had been training as a mage…

And he had somehow come to be reassured by her presence.

Despite the suspicions that (as far as she knew) had only arisen recently, he trusted her. Going so far as to feel safe with her.

Now, he had finally seen through her. And in that act, it felt as if he had unlocked the armor of secrecy she had kept on at all times. Easily deducing her thoughts with far greater skill than anyone she knew, including herself. He might as well have developed the ability to read them.

“I knew you’d catch on quickly, my queen. Or would you prefer it if I called you Naksu?”

_____________

 

It all started with a prophecy.

The previous king of Daeho had never been one born with a robust constitution. In Daesan, he would never have been appointed Crown Prince.

But Daeho followed succession by primogeniture, where the king’s eldest surviving son by his legal wife, the queen, automatically inherited the throne. Thus, by accident of birth, he took over his father’s duties and title as soon as his father passed away.

As king, he was supposed to not only rule over an entire kingdom. He also had to ensure he had a healthy son to take his place.

The latter, in particular, increasingly became an obsession for him. Especially when it became clear he was likely to die at any given moment.

But no matter how many wives or concubines he took to his bed. Or how hard he tried through various methods and medications. Not one of his bedmates ever conceived.

Time did not help matters. In fact, it only made things worse. At a certain point, it became something of an open secret that the king was infertile.

In desperation, he consulted with Cheonbugwan. With Jang Gang, who had inherited the position of leader from his father, as was tradition for all men born to the Jang family. Jang Gang, who everyone knew to be a mage of surpassing talent, the likes of which came only once in a lifetime.

Surely, the king had thought, if Jang Gang’s prophecy confirmed that he would sire a son, then his life would have meant something. Because it would not matter how effective or powerful a king he was if he had no one willing to continue his legacy. If his successor would only work to undo everything he had put in place.

Needless to say that by the time he had requested a prophecy, the previous king was no longer acting rationally. He should have known better. Should have accepted his fate. But when faced with his mortality, even the most powerful and wisest of kings could turn themselves into fools.

And the previous king was far from wise.

He felt entitled to a different destiny simply because he was born a royal prince on track to be king. Not even once did he consider that the stars move of their own accord. Having never once bowed or acceded to the wishes of any man.

The arrogance of him to think that being king made him an exception to the rule. That his desire for a son to carry on his legacy, to succeed him as ruler of Daeho would actually move the heavens.

It wasn’t even out of a need for someone to love.

The king just wanted a son because a child was the closest thing to immortality he could ever aspire to. Living proof that he once walked this earth.

The previous king really should have known better. There were reasons why Cheonbugwan prophecies were more or less “accurate” all of the time. Why kings of Daeho since time immemorial continued to consult with Cheonbugwan mages despite prophecies of varying quality and specificity.

Of course, Cheonbugwan was more than an institution that oversaw predictions of personal fate and fortune. Its main function was to record the movements of stars, study the patterns of the heavens and how it affected the energy of Daeho as a whole. More often than not, Cheonbugwan was used to predict the weather. When to expect typhoons, earthquakes, droughts and the like. It also determined the most appropriate time to conduct rituals and ceremonies to prevent or counteract major disasters.

When a king specifically requests for a prophecy from the head mage of Cheonbugwan, there were general rules of thumb that the head mage needed to follow. Unlike weather and star patterns, which could be mastered after years upon years of study, the theories and applications of which could be replicated by any mage that applied themselves, the prediction of an individual’s fate was more “art” than science.

When it came to gleaning prophecies from the heavens, ten mages could use exactly the same techniques, movements and methods. And yet come up with wholly different interpretations.

Only certain mages would have enough of a connection to the stars to even begin to understand their message. It wasn’t a skill that could be acquired through time and hard work.

And thus, the gift of prophecy was not the most revered skill among mages. Some have even been openly skeptical of it as a whole. Especially when the “gifted” mage in question depended on the king’s approval for his very life and livelihood.

In that sense, a Cheonbugwan mage tasked with providing a prophecy to the king was no different from that of a court painter. It was all well and good if an accurate prophecy or painting pleased their royal patron. But when the result of their efforts was likely to incense the king, both had to subscribe to creative methods to preserve their lives.

A court painter would embellish a painting to make his subject look regal and majestic even if the subject was far from it.

A mage in charge of prophecy, meanwhile, would make his prediction as vague and favorable to the royal agenda as possible.

It was in that way both court painter and prophet could keep their heads.

What Jang Gang told the previous king was this:

“The King would sire a son that would rule over Daeho. A son that would be born under the King’s star. A great mountain over the great lake.”

The previous king of course clung to this prophecy until his dying day. One could even say that this prophecy was what inspired him to abduct women of proven fertility from her mother’s hometown. His way of moving “destiny” along.

But what the king didn’t know (or perhaps, refused to acknowledge) was that Jang Gang had altered the actual prophecy. Because revealing the real one would cost him his head as well as the heads of any succeeding Cheonbugwan mage ordered to consult the stars on behalf of the king.

The real prophecy could easily be considered treason.

That was why, when Jang Gang had gotten his first look at this message from the heavens, he had immediately burned the paper it was written on. Scattered the ashes to the wind, for good measure.

And like a fool, he asked again hoping for a different outcome.

When the stars gave him the exact same prophecy, he asked his best friend, the only other mage who equaled his gift in interpreting the will of the heavens, for help.

Lord Cho Chung, of course, drew the exact same answer from the stars.

This puzzled both mages.

Because they asked the stars whether the king of Daeho would sire a son. But the stars answered by ignoring the question entirely.

Instead, the stars answered a question neither had even asked.

And so, as per the general rule of thumb when it came to predicting the fate of Daeho’s king, Jang Gang made the prophecy as vague as possible. Of course, it was also a crime to lie to the king. If discovered, the punishment would be severe. But in this case, telling the king of the actual prophecy would be even worse.

So to save both their heads, Jang Gang gave a technically correct prophecy that omitted several key details.

They had planned to do something about the true prophecy at some point in time.

But with the king’s succeeding actions that inadvertently caused the war with Daesan, the true prophecy had moved somewhere at the bottom of their list of concerns.

As for the altered prophecy, Jang Gang had hoped that it would be put to rest once the king had died without issue. Prophecies were generally kept secret. Never to be revealed by the mages or the recipient of the prophecy. The previous king never shared it with anyone. Even as he made his heinous orders that destroyed countless lives.

Unfortunately, Jin Mu had come to learn of the altered prophecy when he was going through Cho Chung’s journals. Despite receiving strict instructions to suppress sensitive and controversial materials he may come across, Jin Mu sensed an opportunity to advance himself. And thus, he betrayed his master Jang Gang. And Yeong’s father, in the process.

Jin Mu revealed the fake prophecy to the next in line, Go Sun, who had never been born under the King’s star. Or any auspicious sign, for that matter. Whose son didn’t have much luck in that regard either.

Jin Mu knew exactly what he was doing. Go Sun was his path to power. And by making the new king dependent on him, Jin Mu would rise higher than even his own master Jang Gang. Higher than his half sister who he despised.

Naturally, Go Sun reacted with fear. And, as was common with him, indecision. Having absolutely no way to determine who would eventually usurp him. Having no idea how to remove this mysterious man destined to take everything from him, Go Sun clung to anyone who could give him solutions. No matter the severity. No matter the source.

Hence, in service of allaying his fears, Go Sun followed Jin Mu’s advice.

He ordered Cho Chung’s death.

Go Sun could not execute Jang Gang under Daeho law because he was only doing his duty as a mage of Cheonbugwan. The previous king requested a prophecy and received one.

Neither could he arrange Cho Chung’s fate for Jang Gang due to the Jang family’s influence. In any case, it wasn’t needed because Jang Gang could keep his mouth shut.

Jang Gang could be trusted to take the prophecy to his grave. Or so, Go Sun thought. Considering Jang Gang was how Yeong found out the truth about her father in the first place, it just goes to show how little discernment the King of Daeho had.

Yeong’s father was another matter. By threatening to reveal the previous king’s orders to abduct women and exterminate an entire town, Cho Chung had proven himself to be untrustworthy and disloyal to the crown. Someone Go Sun could not trust to serve his best interests.

Branding Cho Chung a madman would not help matters when it came to the prophecy. In fact, doing so threatened Go Sun’s position further.

While madness was an undesirable quality for a scholar, a bureaucrat and a mage.

It was considered an unimpeachable trait in a prophet. In both Daeho and Daesan, madness was seen by the common people as a sign of being touched by the otherworldly and the divine.

A madman would not care for his personal safety. Would not care who he offended or who he exposed. Whether the recipient of the prophecy was of high or low social standing. Thus, to speak in the throes of madness was considered to be the same as speaking the absolute truth. It was the best quality a prophet could have. Provided, of course, that the listeners actually understood what was being said.

The altered prophecy, though vague, was clear enough.

And by the time Go Sun was made aware of this message from the heavens in regards to Daeho’s succession, word had already spread that Cho Chung was a madman.

If Yeong’s father was ever allowed back his sanity and exposed the contents of the prophecy, people would believe him by default.

People might not believe Cho Chung the Cheonbugwan mage. But Cho Chung the mad prophet? It would be a disaster for the royal family if Yeong’s father ever left his sickbed.

The king did not care that Cho Chung had never once expressed an intention to reveal the prophecy, whether it was the altered one or the actual prediction (which neither Jin Mu nor Go Sun had any knowledge of).

All he knew was that he did not trust Yeong’s father. And that as long as Cho Chung was alive, he had the potential to spread that atrocious prophecy and be believed by the masses.

For his peace of mind, Lord Cho had to die.

Jin Mu all too eagerly made that happen.

As reward for his efforts, Jin Mu was appointed tutor to the Crown Prince. When Jang Gang could not properly fulfill his duties as head of Cheonbugwan, the king unequivocally supported Jin Mu’s appointment as Jang Gang’s stand in.

In fact, over the years, the king’s trust in Jin Mu had grown to the point that some joked that Jin Mu only had to present an edict and the king would stamp it with his royal seal without even reading a word.

She wondered how much damage the king’s confidence took when he had to order Jin Mu’s execution himself.

Officially, Jin Mu was tried and convicted for causing the second Madame’s miscarriage as well as stealing from the king. Most heinous of all was the treason.

Investigations into Jin Mu’s dealings, both those authorized by the king and not, had produced a treasure trove of evidence. Some fabricated. Most not. He had been pocketing money that was supposed to go to the royal treasury (allegedly). Accumulating and selling state secrets (also allegedly). Some of which could be argued to have caused strategic losses for Daeho during the war.

Still those could have been forgiven and ignored by the king, who thought of Jin Mu as his only reliable shield against the impudent boy king of Daesan as well as Daeho’s own nobility which sought to sap even more power and influence from the crown.

If only Jin Mu had not gone mad.

If only Jin Mu had not started raving about the accursed prophecy about the man born under the King’s star.

As it turned out, the professional torturer Yeong had hired accomplished his task splendidly. Exactly as she wished. With enough time, even the strongest minds could break. Iron wills could be made to bend and shatter.

When Jin Mu was allowed to leave the hole Yeong left him in, the only words he could say were words from the altered prophecy. The mages of Songrim found him without his arms, his legs and his sanity. His body, floating down the Capital’s waterways by boat. Ceaselessly repeating the prophecy. Not caring who heard him or what that meant for his own survival.

Some said his mind had transcended such mortal cares.

In a way, Yeong had created a mad prophet of her own. Too bad he was gagged by the time he was to be beheaded.

Jin Mu’s execution turned out to be a public spectacle. Attended by many. Some for entertainment. While many more did so just to assure themselves he truly would be no more.

Yeong had to cover her face with a handkerchief when the blade finally connected with Jin Mu’s neck. Not just because of the odor of dozens, perhaps hundreds, of bodies pressed together to witness the sight. Not just because of the remains of those that preceded Jin Mu on their way to meet their demise.

She needed to cover her face in case the broad smile on her face somehow attracted attention.

While it wasn’t a secret that she held no love for Jin Mu, it would be troublesome if her elation inadvertently gave away more than she intended. If it unmasked more of her true self than was wise to unveil to anyone who happened to be looking.

Besides, it was imprudent to celebrate when so many more of her enemies were still alive.

When Daeho was still standing.

Jang Gang had told her everything on the night Madame Dohwa died from childbirth. He might not have remembered it by the next day. But the same couldn’t be said for Yeong. She wouldn’t be able to forget even had she wanted to.

There was the true prophecy.

And then, there was the reason Jinyowon even agreed to supply the poison supposed to make Cho Chung temporarily mad.

Lady Jin had always held a certain animosity for Jang Gang. Some had whispered that Jin Hogyeong actually held unrequited affections for Lord Jang. And her current hatred for Jang Gang stemmed from the fact that she couldn’t have him.

That couldn’t be any further from the truth.

From Jang Gang’s own lips, Yeong learned the origins of that hostility. It came from more than Jang Gang taking in her hated half brother, Jin Mu. And appointing that treacherous piece of filth as his second in command at Cheonbugwan.

Jin Hogyeong might have hated her brother, the living embodiment of her father’s unfaithfulness.

But she loved her daughter more. Or rather, the daughter she could have had.

At present, Jin Hogyeong only had one living daughter, Jin Choyeon.

But before Choyeon was ever conceived, Lady Jin had been pregnant with her first daughter. Unfortunately, the child inside her womb had not survived. From what Jang Gang had told Yeong in his highly inebriated state, Lady Jin had managed to preserve the body of her unborn child within her womb. Though her efforts had been in vain because the child’s soul had already left the confines of its body.

Jin Hogyeong’s desperation was partly out of love and partly out of pride. It was considered natural for a mother to love her unborn child. But it was more than that for the Lady of the Jin Family.

First daughters were traditionally the most powerful priestesses of their generation. Yeong suspects that Lady Jin felt her first daughter's great potential and power from within the womb. And was of course loath to lose both the child and its power.

Having no other recourse, Lady Jin had gone to Jang Gang for help. Begging him on her knees to save her unborn daughter. Even making Jang Gang a very tempting offer.

But ultimately, Jang Gang refused. Though he confessed to having been a hair’s breadth away from accepting. If not for a vision that had come to him, he might actually have done as Lady Jin wished.

He had recently gotten his hands on an ancient manuscript passed down and inherited by members of the Choi family. Centuries ago, their ancestor had been notorious for using an ice stone to cause chaos in Daeho. The Choi family, which had once been an illustrious mage family, had never managed to distance themselves from the association. Hence, they fell from favor and influence. To the point where their last scions lived something of a hand to mouth existence at Gaema Village. Working as shamans specializing in curses and all manner of dark arts.

The manuscript contained instructions on a forbidden technique thought lost to time.

If Yeong remembered correctly, it was called the Alchemy of Souls. Allowing a soul to possess a different body and claim it for their own.

Jang Gang had wanted to develop it. Partly out of curiosity. Partly out of his own arrogance and desire to reach greater heights as a mage.

He had soon learned that the Alchemy of Souls could not be performed without an object called a soul ejector. Which, in turn, could only be created with an ice stone.

Unfortunately, for him, Seo Gyeong had destroyed all ice stones in existence centuries ago.

At least, that was what he had thought until Lady Jin revealed that an ice stone was hidden inside Jinyowon itself. And Lady Jin was actually offering him a chance to use it in exchange for saving her unborn child’s life.

He would be a fool to refuse.

But at the moment he was about to accept the offer, Jang Gang was struck by what he described as a vision of the future. One where he did manage to develop the Alchemy of Souls. But at devastating and horrifying costs. Lives stolen and taken before their time. So many deaths. The image that had impacted him the most was that of his wife Dohwa at her deathbed. He was standing by her bedside. He did not know what illness had struck her but all he knew was that Dohwa would die young. And that it would be all his fault.

Suffice it to say, Jang Gang never did manage to cast the Alchemy of Souls. Later, he would burn the Choi manuscript to ashes. But not before sending Lady Jin away.

Jin Hogyeong never forgave him for the humiliation. And for not saving her daughter.

Her ire only increased when years later, Jang Gang requested the poison for temporary madness to be taken out of Jinyowon. And used on Cho Chung. Lady Jin, who did not care what happens to Yeong’s father, would have refused.

Except Jang Gang blackmailed her.

If she didn’t help him, he would tell everyone about the ice stone. From the king of Daeho who felt insecure and inadequate on his throne to every greedy, power-hungry member of the Unanimous Assembly.

Should such a thing be revealed, Jinyowon would always be under attack. Needing to protect itself from all those who coveted the ice stone’s power. The sheer number would be overwhelming for Jinyowon to handle on its own.

And so, reluctantly, Lady Jin had to acquiesce.

Jang Gang thought no more of her beyond her supply of the poison.

But knowing what Yeong did now, he should have.

Lady Jin had vowed revenge.

But it only took the second Madame’s delirious confession, as the woman feared for her own unborn child, before anyone else would know what Jin Hogyeong had done. The second Madame had been complicit in it.

Why wouldn’t the second Madame be? She had loved Jang Gang even before he married Madame Dohwa. She had wanted nothing more than to take Dohwa’s place.

As for Lady Jin…

Seeing Jang Gang with his pregnant wife had been what set Jin Hogyeong off. How dare he be happy as he awaited the birth of his first child while her firstborn never even had a chance at life? How dare he use her moment of weakness against her? Threatening to reveal the ice stone’s existence?

And so, Jin Hogyeong took out another poison from Jinyowon. While the second Madame bribed the midwife to slip it in the then pregnant Madame Dohwa’s tea. A poison no one could detect.

Yeong wanted to suffocate the second Madame as soon as she heard it.

Thankfully, she managed to restrain herself.

Death was too quick for the second Madame.

At that moment, Yeong truly wished for the second Madame to live.

That woman had to live long enough to see her dreams dissolve. To realize that those dreams were nothing more than fantasy. That there was no chance she would ever have Jang Gang’s love or be matriarch of the Jang family.

As for Jin Hogyeong, Yeong would personally make sure Jinyowon is taken away from her. As long as Yeong lived, no more Jin family descendant would become its guardians ever again.

————-

When Jang Gang had queried the stars on whether the previous king of Daeho would sire a son, he had expected a direct one word answer.

A resounding “No.”

What he got instead was a cryptic message that when interpreted through his connections to the stars and his long experience, essentially amounted to a non answer.

The stars seemed to have ignored his question entirely. Choosing instead to answer something that had never been asked. Something that never even occurred to Jang Gang to ask.

So he tried asking a second time. And then a third.

When repetition produced the same result, Jang Gang went to her father Cho Chung for help.

He could not understand what error he might have committed in his divination. And hoped that his friend might have better luck acquiring a prophecy for their king when he could not.

Yeong’s father fared no better.

The stars answered the same thing.

“The midnight sun that draws power from the King’s star will come from the sun over the mountains. Eclipsing all other suns. Be it a sun over lakes, over plains, over seas and mountains.”

Jang Gang and Cho Chung had asked if the king of Daeho would sire a son. Instead, the stars answered that it would be the king of Daesan who would produce a son. As though the Daesan king didn’t have sons already (one acknowledged illegitimate son from an official concubine and countless other bastards from his forays outside his palace).

The stars now tell them that a son of the Daesan king would be born under the same star as the revered Master Seo Gyeong. And this boy would one day take over both Daeho and Daesan. And beyond.

Had this been a warning instead of a prophecy, they would have gone to the king immediately. No doubt, Daeho would send spies and assassins to take care of this future problem.

However, prophecies that came from the stars were immutable. Destined. Set in stone. Neither the passing of time nor collective effort could deter it from its course.

That was why whenever a monarch requested a prophecy, it was emphasized that the answer might not be favorable. That it could not be changed. In fact, it might be better not to know.

Not that it ever stopped kings from killing the hapless messenger should they become unhappy with what the stars revealed of the future.

There was no way either Cho Chung or Jang Gang could go to the king with this prophecy. They would immediately be branded as traitors. Collaborating with Daesan to destabilize Daeho though they did no such thing.

But neither could they tell an outright lie.

Punishment for being caught in a lie aside, Jang Gang was well aware of this particular king’s nature.

Even if they lied to him. Told him that the stars revealed he was destined to die childless, the king of Daeho would refuse to believe it. Demanding Jang Gang ask the stars again. Then demanding another mage do it.

This king requested a prophecy in search of vindication for his delusion. Not for truth or clarity.

He would order mages to ask the stars until one finally gave him the answer he wanted to hear. While dismissing those who told him he was unable to have a son. And executing those who were foolish or brave enough to tell him the truth.

And so, Jang Gang resorted to an age-old tactic. Telling a version of the truth that sounded palatable to the king. Not an outright lie. But not the actual truth either.

Jang Gang had told Yeong about it in passing on the night Madame Dohwa died.

But she learned of the details through her father’s journals. As if her father was trying to reach her from beyond the grave to tell her the truth.

Apparently, Cheonbugwan had not been able to confiscate all of her father’s papers. Her father left her clues all over the notes now kept in Cheonbugwan. In code that he only shared with her.

That led her to an isolated place called Danhyanggok, half a day’s journey from the capital. And underneath what seemed to be the tallest tree in the world, she found the most important of her father’s secrets.

The true prophecy and all details needed to discern its meaning.

Because that was the sort of man her father was. He wanted to preserve the truth. Keep it safe for future generations. No matter the cost.

Even if it was a truth that would eventually kill him.

—————

The stars called Baek Kyung a “midnight sun.”

The moniker could not be any more apt. A sun that refuses to give way to the moon and stars. Ruling the night as it does the day.

Like a particularly potent medicine, it was beneficial only in small doses. Any more and it would be toxic upon the body. Becoming a threat to life itself.

For better or worse, Baek Kyung was exactly the sort to elicit the extreme.

To date, Yeong has yet to meet anyone who could remain totally indifferent upon meeting him. Though, most of the time, responses and reactions towards her husband were less than favorable.

There was a reason most of his ministers and courtiers preferred his older half-brother. This was despite acknowledging that Baek Kyung was the far more capable administrator and war time leader.

Simply put, he was not likeable.

But more importantly, the bureaucrats that once served his father found Baek Kyung too strong-willed. Difficult to reign in.

Harder to manipulate.

While his half brother had all the qualities necessary for the perfect puppet ruler. A consequence of being brought up by his domineering mother.

Baek Kyung, on the other hand, grew up having to rely solely on himself. All while nursing a deep-seated thirst for vengeance that, quite frankly, rivaled Yeong’s own. His formative years had been spent being ignored by his father and tormented by his stepmother. Something which was an open secret at court. Something that no one had done a thing about. Not even the supposedly upright Lord Eun Moo Young, father to his previous fiancée Eun Danoh.

As far as the ministers were concerned, Prince Baek Kyung’s situation was an internal matter to be resolved within the Royal Family. It was strictly none of their business. Besides, there was a war raging against Daeho. And the last thing anyone needed was to bring up his mother’s alleged poisoning. It was a distraction from the more pressing matters of war and state.

Baek Kyung’s mother was the legal wife. The Queen of Daesan. It was supposed to mean something.

But in practice, being queen was a hollow title if the king held no true love for his queen. If he preferred other women. If the king was weak and easily led by his impulses. If the court was willing to follow the king’s imprudent example in the name of unity at a time of great national crisis.

In any case, there was no proof that the king’s favorite consort (who had then been elevated to queen) poisoned the previous queen. Nothing from which anyone sympathetic to Baek Kyung’s mother could act upon.

Not when the replacement queen had allies all over the palace to destroy and hide evidence for her.

And so, that was that.

No one else would do anything more about it.

No one else thought anything more could be done.

Which left only Baek Kyung to avenge his mother. Because he knew what really happened. He was pretending to be asleep on his mother’s bed when she was poisoned. Had been hidden under the covers and heard every detail as his mother was murdered by the woman who would replace her.

Back then, he hated himself for being frozen in fear. For not doing anything to save the only soul who cared about him.

When he finally gathered the courage to tell his father what he witnessed, his father reprimanded him. Called him a liar. Something that soon reached his stepmother’s ears.

This started his days locked in the dark room until he was forced to kowtow to the woman in apology.

A tactical retreat on his part. While in his heart, he made himself a vow.

He would get his revenge. No matter what he had to do and how long it took.

Baek Kyung bided his time. Took care to be diligent in his studies and in his military training. Most of all, he carefully cultivated and honed his skill at seeing through people. Noting their strengths and weaknesses. Their enmity and their desires. Predicting their every move. And using them to his advantage.

He resolved never to make the same mistake ever again. Never to blindly trust another soul as he did his father who he had once counted on to believe and protect him. In this world, he could only rely on himself.

He had broken that resolution with Haru. And look where that got him. Betrayed by the one person he thought was loyal only to him. Baek Kyung still got his throne regardless. But the pain of Haru’s treachery was etched into his very soul.

He should have learned from his mother.

She had made the fatal mistake of trusting her rival. Drinking the cup of poisoned tea, ostensibly given to her as a peace offering. Along with pretty but ultimately meaningless words about putting differences aside in service of the greater good.

Said rival was lying through her teeth.

However, too blinded by the appearance of victory to notice, his mother had been led into a trap.

In the final days of his mother’s life, his father had started to treat his mother with respect and deference. Listening to her counsel. Even taking her side over the woman who would become Baek Kyung’s stepmother, the woman who had given birth to his firstborn son (as far as the official records were concerned).

That had made Baek Kyung’s mother complacent.

And in the end, his mother paid for it with her death. Her body, burned to ashes while her rival took her place.

__________________

Yeong’s mind raced along with the beat of her heart.

How did he know? What gave her away?

Internally, she recalled all the incidents that might have made him suspect. Tallied all the times she thought she had imagined a change in the way he regarded her.

Only to immediately strike each off her mental list.

In her heart, Yeong already suspected what gave her away. But she refused to confront it. Tried to distance herself from what was actually the inevitable.

There was no point dissembling. No use trying to lie to him. He wouldn’t sacrifice the only mage willing to train him if he wasn’t sure.

“What now, Your Majesty? You killed your teacher. Who will teach you to harness the elements?”

Years of training had allowed Yeong to keep herself still in moments of great pressure. To keep the appearance of calm in the face of turmoil. Even as she stood before the one person who held the fate of her dream in his very hands.

Lesser men would have been trembling. Shaking in fear at having been caught as she did.

Just as in Daeho, Naksu was considered a criminal in Daesan. More so when Baek Kyung found out that the order to attack him back at the borders had come from Naksu. Not Lord Shin, who he had killed anyway and never bothered to give a posthumous apology to.

For him to know that Yeong is Naksu meant that he was also aware that she had almost gotten him killed. Led him to a state in between life and death. All so that she could engineer a meeting intent on seducing him (if he survived).

The Baek Kyung she knew would have been furious. There’s nothing a manipulative bastard like him would hate more than being on the receiving end of another’s manipulation.

And yet, here he was. Almost the very picture of serenity.

Except for the fire in his eyes. Surprisingly enough, it was not the raging fire of fury that she knew so well.

This time, it was the fire that came of excitement and exultation. A feeling that walked hand in hand with the knowledge that he had won.

“The fact that you would even ask, my queen, means that you already know the answer to that.”

He caressed her cheek the way he always did. Like a lover towards his beloved. If she didn’t know better, Yeong would have been taken in by the deception.

Except this was Baek Kyung. And he was incapable of love.

He disposed of his former teacher because he found another to take his place. A better mage. A better teacher. One who could push him to greater heights instead of holding him to a standstill.

It hadn’t escaped Yeong (or Baek Kyung) that his former teacher had yet to teach him how to harness his energy. Or begin the necessary steps to the more advanced techniques.

Baek Kyung had been stuck at the basics.

Basics which he already mastered long ago.

Secretly, Yeong had been relieved at the lack of further progress. The thought of him becoming a full fledged mage by the time his army reached the capital, particularly Jinyowon, filled her with revulsion.

Something that puzzled her because by then, what would she care? When that happened, Yeong would have gotten what she wanted.

And yet, deep within her, there was a churning turmoil. Telling her that something was not right. That it was, in fact, wrong for Baek Kyung to have anything to do with the ice stone.

If he had just been a king and not a mage, the ice stone would be nothing more than a piece of rock. But as a mage and a king, Yeong knew deep down that he would eventually force Jinyowon’s gates open. Under the guise of wanting to take stock of its inventory of relics, he would compel either Jin Hogyeong or Jin Choyeon to open the vault that kept all those relics caged from the rest of the world.

Eventually, he would get to the ice stone. One way or another.

A disaster, in and of itself.

Because midnight suns weren’t supposed to occur the whole year round for the rest of eternity. Suns have to set to give way to the moon and stars.

For a midnight sun to reign supreme over the heavens would spell disaster to a world that needed balance to exist.

“Assuming I do teach you. What will you do once your training is completed? Will you sever our ties as Master and pupil by killing me?”

Yeong felt as if she was out of her own body as she calmly asked about her eventual fate.

In fact, a part of her seemed to even be looking forward to it.

While it was true that she could kill Baek Kyung here and now, they both knew that she would never do that. She needed him to fulfill her vengeance. And to make sure that Daeho could never rise up, could never have a chance at a resurgence, she had to make sure he remained alive even after he conquered Daeho.

The same could not be said for her. Not when she had been unmasked as Naksu. Not when Baek Kyung had solid evidence that he was sleeping with a woman that could have killed him a hundred times over. And could have done so on the many occasions that they were together.

It was odd that Yeong had not detected any wariness from him this whole time. Surely, once he had begun to suspect she was Naksu, Baek Kyung would have made excuses to avoid her. And yet, in the past few months, he had actually increased the frequency of his visits. Not to mention the number of times he had taken her to her peak.

Then again, this was Baek Kyung.

And apparently, her husband was aroused by danger.

If so, it would have been safer to have slept beside a venomous snake.

Yeong might not want to kill him because he was paramount to her vengeance. But that didn’t mean she didn’t have ways to make him suffer.

That fool!

He couldn’t possibly have spent time with her, despite his head full of his suspicions, because he fancied himself in love with her, could he?

“Don’t be ridiculous! I would never kill you. Though admittedly, I did want to kill you when I first learned you were Naksu.”

There was something akin to sincerity in his face as he said that, mixed with his far too casual dismissal. Making her believe his every word.

Making her realize something that almost made tears well in her eyes. She should have known better than to say another word. But it was as if she was possessed.

The words spilled out in place of the tears.

“Then why didn’t you have me killed?”

Yeong could swear he was almost offended by the question. To him, the answer was obvious. How dare she try to force him to spell it out?

“Because I know I’d regret it. Because even after knowing you’ve made a fool of me, I didn’t want you to die. Not really.”

What was she hearing? This wasn’t like him at all.

“Besides, death is too easy a punishment.”

There was the husband she knew and married. Relief flooded her being as she heard his words. Though, strangely enough, it was a relief tinged with disappointment.

One that she chose to ignore. Hoping that by not acknowledging such a fickle feeling, it would disappear. And be rendered retroactively nonexistent.

“And why would I kill the mother of my child?”

What?

The question must have been written all over her face. Because Baek Kyung, who prided himself with his ability to read people like a book, answered all too eagerly.

Not hiding his malice. His thirst for blood.

She was not completely forgiven, after all.

Yeong would have preferred it if he had stabbed her through the heart.

“You’re pregnant, my queen. The physician just informed me. He found the child’s heartbeat as he felt your pulse. Congratulations are in order. Though that means that the timetable for the conquest would have to be pushed back. And the contraceptive tonic would no longer be required.”

For someone who had worked years for his dreams of conquest, Baek Kyung didn’t seem too disappointed in the least at that setback.

Which begged the question.

“What did you do? I’m not supposed to be pregnant. The contraceptive tonic-”

“I did nothing. Don’t you dare accuse me of tampering with it. The tonic is the most effective form of contraception in both kingdoms. But you should have known that there was always going to be a minuscule chance it wouldn’t work. Weren’t you warned when you brought your own contraception from Daeho?”

He wasn’t wrong.

The Daesan Royal Family’s contraceptive tonic, used to curb the influence of queens and consorts deemed far too powerful, was said to have a 99% effectivity rate. It was just her luck that she fell under that minuscule 1%.

She heard that Baek Kyung’s mother had been made to drink it regularly. That was the reason her rival had a son before she did. But even the constant imbibing of the tonic had not prevented Baek Kyung’s conception or birth.

She felt absolutely murderous. She wanted to blame Baek Kyung for this.

He knew she didn’t want children. And he himself had no desire for any. A child would be used by his court to replace him. And even with the power he had steadily gained, a child would be a complication when he was planning another war.

That was what he said.

But didn’t he also say that he dreamed of having a family with her? She wanted to think his confession was a lie. But there was a ring of truth to it that she could not ignore. A vulnerability that was far too genuine for someone like Baek Kyung to reveal to someone he considered an enemy.

Yeong couldn’t help but suspect he impregnated her on purpose. But if so, he would have revealed it by now. Would have gloated over putting her in a state she had no desire to be in. Would have made it clear that it was his retaliation.

It would have been his way of salvaging his pride. Showing her that he could make a fool of her too.

He would lose nothing over such a revelation. Because even if she had learned of the tonic tampering, she still would have stayed with him and given him what he wanted. That was how important he was.

How instrumental he was for her vengeance.

Come to think of it, she remembered that look he gave the physician as they spoke in hushed whispers across the room. That split second of surprise that he couldn’t feign. Followed by something that looked startlingly like joy.

In another life, long ago, before the nature of her father’s death was revealed to her, wouldn’t she have wanted a life with a husband and a child? Wouldn’t she have been eagerly awaiting the appearance of such a child with the man she loved?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

In any case, thinking of what could have been was a pointless exercise.

Yeong had devoted her life to revenge. A child would get in the way of that. It would shatter her resolve. Threaten to make her abandon her plans altogether.

And for what? Another person who would be taken from her anyway?

Yeong was cursed. No shaman or mage could detect it. But she knew she was cursed. Why else would everyone she ever loved be taken away from her?

She wanted to tell Baek Kyung that she hated him. That this was all his fault. That she blamed him for this.

But that would be a lie.

There was no use talking about blame and accountability when it came to matters that pertained to the both of them. They were both beyond forgiveness and redemption. Beyond love and hate. In all the world, she was the only one who understood him.

With startling clarity, Yeong realized that he was the same for her. He saw her in all her vicious, vindictive glory and accepted her as she is. Liked it a lot, if the look in his eyes was any indication.

They had no one besides each other.

And now this child…

Immediately, Baek Kyung correctly guessed what troubled her mind. Did it show on her face? Or did he, as he claimed, see through everything she endeavored to hide?

Yeong had taken the possibility of falling pregnant into account. Back then, it was easy to consider an abortifacient as a remedy. A simple solution for a simple problem.

But now, she found herself repulsed by the idea.

Foolishly, she felt compelled to confirm the physician’s ridiculous claim.

Yeong had wanted to deny being pregnant. To treat the revelation as a particularly nasty joke on Baek Kyung’s side. One he concocted to teach her a lesson.

However, his every demeanor at this present moment told her otherwise.

Stubbornly, Yeong clung to denial. Until she focused on the flow of her life energy. Following its progress as it coursed throughout her body. Eventually and inevitably, she found a new energy that clung to hers. Small and fragile. Evoking in her the urge to embrace and protect it.

She felt what it felt. This small, tiny thing knew nothing of the world beyond Yeong’s womb. Nothing aside from feeling safe and at peace. Warm and content.

Its very existence was almost enough to bring her to actual tears. Rendering her nearly helpless.

What was she to do?

“Listen to me, my queen. Yeong. You and I will keep this child safe. We will make a better world for it to live in. As long as we are together, we can do anything. Do you believe me?”

Baek Kyung’s voice was the gentlest she had ever heard it. His palms on either side of her cheeks were warm and reassuring.

The conviction in his tone made her nod in agreement. All without giving the action much thought.

His words calmed her. Strengthened her, even.

She didn’t love him. And that was for the best. She really didn’t want to have to worry about losing him too. Prophecy set in stone or not, Yeong was not about to underestimate the nature of her curse.

She didn’t love him. But she was grateful to him.

The same could not be said of the child growing inside her. Yeong did not think it was possible. But her heart had opened up to it already.

Attempts to staunch the outpouring of love were already far too late.

If she and her husband were to keep this child safe, they would need all the power they could get.

What was done was done. And the only way left was to move forward.

Despite her reservations, they needed the ice stone. Yeong would have to tell Baek Kyung about it soon.

But not yet.

For now, her husband needed to be put in his place.

Using his former teacher to test her skills as a mage? And putting himself in danger in the process? That was unacceptable.

She also needed to prepare for whatever form his punishment would take. He cared for her. As mother to his child, if nothing else. But she knew him. In his ledger, she owed him a debt for the fiasco at the Daeho/Daesan border. And she had yet to pay him restitution.

An injured shoulder was not enough.

She stood up from her bed and he let her. Only now, she noticed how much more carefully he held her.

Because of the baby, of course.

Why did that sting as it did?

Hiding her clenched fist in the folds of her robe. She moved away from him. Increased the distance between them in a bid for time to calm her nerves.

“If I am to be your Master, then you would have to give proper obeisance. The reason your training hadn’t gone far was because of the lack of trust and respect between master and pupil. If we are to move forward, if we are to succeed, we can’t go on like this. I won’t ask or expect your forgiveness. But I ask that you believe in my commitment. You want to be a mage? Then you have to learn to submit to my authority as a teacher and trust that I intend to help you reach your goals.”

Somehow, Yeong had always known it would come to this. She tried to deny it at first. But at this point, she was fooling no one. Least of all, herself.

The world at large had never been safe. Now, she was about to make things worse. And with Baek Kyung on a collision course with the ice stone (because it was only a matter of time before Jinyowon would be revealed to have it), the world would burn as a consequence of his desire to be master of it.

Then again, what did she care for the world? As long as this child inside her is born healthy and got to grow safe and sound, Baek Kyung could do whatever he wanted to the world at large.

Hadn’t she decided long ago that she would sacrifice however many people needed if it meant getting her revenge?

Now, she was merely taking things one step further. Sacrificing the world at large so that her child could live.

Nothing came for free. And she was merely paying the price for a great undertaking. Whether it was to fulfill her vow of vengeance or to break this curse that took everyone she had ever loved.

Baek Kyung’s look was as piercing as always. He gazed at her as if he was searching for any trace of deception. As if he couldn’t quite believe that Yeong was being the voice of reason.

He probably expected her to be hysterical. To be distracted by her pregnancy.

A sense of satisfaction filled her as she noted his bemusement.

But it was gone all too soon as she saw a familiar glint in his eyes.

This time, he stood up. And walked towards her. Taking advantage of his tall frame yet again. Making her crane her neck up so as to not break eye contact. An intentional display of dominance on his part.

“I agree wholeheartedly. As a sign of my respect and regard for you, I will even kneel to you as a pupil to his Master”

And to her utter surprise, he truly did lower himself until he was on his knees.

However, since this was Baek Kyung, she was holding her breath for him to stab her with a metaphorical knife to the side.

In that, he did not disappoint.

“But before I say the obligatory words of promise, in the spirit of forging trust, I want you to answer one question. Answer me honestly, as if it was your father’s life that was on the line.”

This time, his expression became unreadable. Not because it had reverted to the stoic facade he defaulted to when in the presence of his court of ministers. But because Yeong could not understand the expression he was making.

Baek Kyung had never shown her such a face before.

Imploring. Soft. Something akin to tears glistening at the corner of his eyes.

A different sort of vulnerability. Far deeper than any he had shown her before.

And then he asked the question that might as well be a bullet that shot her straight to the heart.

“I found out not too long ago that you talk in your sleep. That was what led me to the truth. I more or less know everything you’ve done and why you did them. All that’s left is one detail that’s left unaccounted for. Something that none of my spies could verify or confirm. Answer me this, Yeong: Who is Jang Uk?”

Notes:

Thank you so much for staying with this fic until the end! Please know that I couldn’t have gotten this far without you!