V. (1/1)

f i v e(time leap of a year once again.) -- Year 1724  By the grace of Heaven and the Will of the Nation, His Royal Highness decrees;Lady Kwon so-ui of the Indong Kwon clan is hereby elevated from so ui to –bin,and appointed with the title of Royal Noble Consort Lady Kwon Chongbin, upon giving birth to Prince Yewon. His Royal Highness also decrees, that when Prince Yewon turns two years old,  he will be crowned as Royal Prince Successor.  -- “Lady Kwon-sook won, Her Royal Highness, the Queen has arrived,” BoA is halfway up from her position when Jiyeon enters her chamber with a kind smile on her face. “Jungjeon-mama,” The former greets the Queen politely as Jiyeon settles down. “Sook-won, how are you?” Jiyeon asks in concern as she watches the Lady sitting slowly. “Are you feeling any better?” “Ye, jungjeon-mama. The headache is still there, but it’s gradually decreasing. Thank you for your concern, jungjeon-mama.” BoA replies.“Has the Uinyeo* came to check on you and the baby?” Jiyeon continues to ask but this time, she is beaming at the four months’ pregnant Lady opposite her.“She hasn’t, jungjeon-mama. The next visit will be in three days.” BoA couldn’t help but smile gratefully at how attentive the Queen is to her and the little being inside her body. She is thankful that Jiyeon had supported her when Yunho appointed her as Royal Consort of the fourth rank, even convincing the Empress Dowager that she deserved to officially be part of the royal family since she has conceived a royal blood. “That’s good to hear, I’m glad you’re recovering from your fatigue.”“I have to thank Chongbin-mama for that; the tea she has provided every night is rather effective.”Jiyeon smiles. “Chongbin* must have experienced this as well when she was carrying Prince Yewon, she should know better.”  “Ye, jungjeon-mama.” BoA agrees without hesitation. “Chongbin-mama has given me many advices as well, and I am very grateful to both you and chongbin-mama.”“You don’t have to be grateful, sook-won. That’s what a family is for,” Jiyeon says kindly. “Oh, and don’t forget, the day after tomorrow is the first day of a new month, so we’ll have to visit Daebi-mama.”  “Alright,” BoA nods whilst smiling. “You’ve reminded me countless times, jungjeon-mama. I will definitely not forget that.”Jiyeon merely smiles.    Yuri coos at the baby in her arms, gently tickling his delicate face and smiling brightly towards the male sitting opposite her. General Kwon Jiyong smiles back at his sister and the prince, silently thanking the Heaven for how everything is according to their plan. “Brother, look at how beautiful he is,” Yuri says happily whilst rocking the baby. “Don’t you think he resembles the King?”“Prince Yewon indeed does resemble King Yunho, mama. But he has your eyes,” Jiyong smiles again as Yuri chuckles. “Is the King treating you well, mama? ““Yes, brother, you don’t have to worry. The King has been treating me even better than when I was carrying Prince Yewon in me.” Yuri smugly answers, recalling how close her relationship with Yunho has gotten. “Now that I’ve actually given birth to a prince, even daebi-mama has been treating me exceptionally better compared to when before.”Jiyong nods, satisfaction on his face. “Everything is going according to plan, mama. Just two more years and Prince Yewon will be crowned as Crown Prince, and after that—“ “Brother,” Yuri interrupts abruptly, her smiling expression falters slowly. “How is everything going for the other plan?”Jiyong nods, knowing what his sister had meant. “That plan is going accordingly as well, mama.”Yuri stares in disbelief. “Really? It’s been weeks and I don’t see any signs—“ “Mama, patience is virtue. Everything must be carried out slowly to avoid suspicion when the day comes.” Jiyong patiently explains to the impatient Lady. “Give it a few more days and you will see the result.”“I trust you at that, brother. But you must be careful as well.”“I am always careful, mama. That is why I chose this method in the first place. It takes a long time for the effect to take place, but this will have to do so that people do not suspect us.”“But brother, on whom are you going to put the blame on then?” Yuri asks in curiosity.Jiyong smirks. “You will see, mama. Soon.”Yuri nods her head, satisfied that things are going according to plan. “Good.”“Do not worry, mama. No matter what happens, Prince Yewon will be crowned as Crown Prince. I will ensure that.”    Two days later, Jiyong meets with a royal kitchen gungnyeo behind an abandoned hut. The gungnyeo bows her head briefly upon seeing the general, just as Jiyong looks around to ensure they are alone. After confirming, he takes out a small pouch and quickly hands it to the gungnyeo who immediately shoves the pouch inside her sleeves.“Have you done what I asked you to?” Jiyong asks.“Yes, sir. The task has been carried out just moments ago, and I am positive that no one noticed anything.” The gungnyeo replies softly.Kwon Jiyong nods his head in satisfaction. “Good. I will give you the remaining money when the result is evident.”The gungnyeo bows her head again and smiles. “Yes, sir.”    BoA wakes up that morning with a groan. Her head feels as though it is about to explode, and it takes everything for her to will herself up. Her hand brushes upon the empty side of her bed, and she realizes immediately that Yunho has left her chamber without waking her up. “Min-sanggung, are you there?” She calls out as loudly as she could, pushing away the nauseating feeling in her stomach. A few seconds passed by before the door to her chamber slides open, and in walks the gungnyeo in charge of taking care of her. “Min-sanggung went to the royal kitchen to take your food, mama. If there is anything you want, I can do it for you,” Joohyun says politely, her gaze on the ground. BoA smiles fondly at the gungnyeo in front of her. “Joohyun-sshi, I was just wondering if you know when the King left?” “Not very long ago, mama. The King ordered us not to wake you. He noticed that you were very tired last night.”“How thoughtful of  jeonha,” BoA smiles to herself. “Thank you, Joohyun. There’s nothing else, you may leave.” “Ye, mama.” Joohyun bows and leaves the chamber.   “Mama, are you sure you have eaten enough?” Min-sanggung asks in slight concern when she sees the amount of leftovers that morning. The food that the royal kitchen had prepared seems hardly touched, and that worries the sanggung. “Are you feeling alright, mama?”BoA nods slowly, forcing a smile on her apparent pale face. “I think the fatigue is back.” She sighs. “But I’ll be fine. It's about time to visit daebi-mama, right?”“Ye, mama.”“Alright then, let’s go.” BoA softly says and stands slowly. Min-sanggung rushes forward to help, aware that the Lady isn’t in her best condition. “Are you sure you can visit the Empress Dowager, mama? I can always send someone to inform—““I am fine, Min-sanggung. It’s been a while since I last greeted daebi-mama officially,”Min-sanggung hesitates but eventually agrees, knowing how stubborn the Lady she has been serving is. She leads BoA out of her residence slowly with the other gungnyeos tailing behind. They left the West Wing shortly after and just as Min-sanggung’s worries begin to decrease, BoA collapses onto the ground suddenly.“Mama!” The sanggung shrieks loudly and falls onto her knees beside BoA. A chorus of “mama! mama!” is heard from the gungnyeos, and Joohyun immediately scrambles from the ground to call the Royal Physician once instructed by Min-sanggung. Min-sanggung could feel her heart palpitating anxiously, the weight of the Lady's upper body now on her arms. “Mirim! Inform Chief Eunuch Kim about this, hurry!” Another gungnyeo dashes from her spot upon hearing that, and remaining as calm as possible, Min-sanggung continues to give two more instructions to the remaining gungnyeos. It is the loud gasp from one of the gungnyeo that stops what Min-sanggung has to say abruptly. The sanggung’s eyes widens when the gungnyeo points, with trembling hands, at the lower part of BoA’s hanbok. Terror hits her squarely on her chest when Min-sanggung realizes what the gungnyeo is pointing at.“B-blood—“    Jiyeon glances worriedly at the door of Empress Dowager Jyehyun’s chamber, wondering why BoA has not arrived yet. Her eyes travel from the door to the solemn expression of the Empress Dowager, who is clearly irked with Lady Kwon sook-won’s lack of punctuality. It has always been a tradition that all the Royal Consorts would drop by for an official greeting on the first day of each month, and the Empress Dowager isn’t all too happy with BoA’s absence.“Eomeo-mama, I am sure Lady Kwon’s on her way,” Jiyeon says carefully, in which the Empress Dowager responds with a frown before erupting into a coughing fit.  “Ye, eomeo-mama, Lady Kwon is definitely on her way here,” Yuri says with a curt bow. “Mind your health, eomeo-mama.”“I’m fine, jungjeon.” The Empress Dowager assures Jiyeon who has leaned forward worriedly. “We’ve been waiting for so long, let us go for a walk without Lady Kwon.”“If we could just wait for a little while longer—“  Jiyeon tries to convince the Empress, but is interrupted when a voice is heard from the outside.“Daebi-mama, there is a gungnyeo from the West Wing who is requesting to see you—“Empress Dowager Jyehyun raises a brow before gesturing Jiyeon to allow the gungnyeo in. “Sent her in,” Jiyeon says on the Empress’ behalf and glances worriedly at the figure of the gungnyeo who has stepped into the chamber. “Daebi-mama, Jungjeon-mama, Chongbin-mama,” The gungnyeo greets in a quivering voice.“What is it?” The Empress asks at the flustered looking gungnyeo standing by the door. “Did Lady Kwon sook-won send you? Is she not going to come?”“Daebi-mama, something terrible has happened,” The gungnyeo begins, her expression grief. Jiyeon exchanges glances with the Empress Dowager before meeting the gaze of Yuri. “What, what happened? What is it?” She urges the gungnyeo to continue what she wanted to say.“Jungjeon-mama…”    Jiyeon finds herself pacing anx