Tainted Salvation

13. The Salvation

Author's Note:

A fast update, to ease everyone's hearts.

A roller-coaster ride. I hope I make you cry or scream. Preferably both.

************************

The situation was too painful to be a reality, yet it was.

Lee Gon was standing at the front hall of the building at the frontmost of his palace. His Unbreakable Sword, Captain Jo Yeong, his only loyal friend in the world, had been murdered by Jang Mi, a guard he thought was loyal.

Seung Ah, someone who was the closest to Tae Eul, was also a traitor all along, and tried to kill the queen, but was killed by In Yeong.

Both traitors lied dead by then, rendering their rotten act ultimately useless, beside Jo Yeong, who was lying on a pool of his own blood.

The five conglomerates had revealed themselves as the real perpretrator of everything.

There were no separatists. The real separatist was Lee Rim, and he and his cronies all died nearly 9 years ago. The conglomerates hated how dedicated Lee Gon was in promoting Goryo People's prosperity, and had planned to disgrace his name by sending the photos of the five advisors' corpses Lee Gon killed when he was fifteen, and the long list of women he slept with.

That night, they tricked him by saying the birthday party started at 7 pm, while the invitation spread to the people was for 8 pm.

With fifty royal guards who apparently were all traitors aiming at them, there seemed to be very little hope of surviving this unscathed.

Briefly, he felt so guilty for bringing Tae Eul into this mess. If only he didn't bring her to Goryo, she wouldn't have experienced this.

And yet there they were. She already vowed she loved him. The least he could do was to protect her.

He only had Soo Ryeong and In Yeong beside him, though. With Secretary Kim who he wasn't sure was loyal or not.

Lee Byung Hun walked forward.

"Abdicate, or we'll kill the queen, with your child as well."

"This is insanity!!!" Lee Gon spat. "This is the end for all of you!!!"

Ji Jin Hee laughed.

"How could you still threaten us, when it's unclear whether you'll survive this night or not?"

"Abdicate, or see your queen die" Lee Byung Hun said once more.

Lee Gon was quiet. Tae Eul stood behind him, holding on to his tuxedo.

"Or should we just kill you first, Pyeha?"

"You wouldn't survive, if you kill us all tonight. The people will rise against you!" Lee Gon yelled.

"How confident, even on the brink of death" Ha Ji Won replied, moving forward.

"The people love me! If they know you kill me and my family, they will destroy you!!!"

"Not if we tell them how evil you are. Like how you corrupted, for example."

"I've never taken even a cent from my people's money!!!"

"I didn't say we'll tell them the truth" Ha Ji Won replied, smiling at the king.

"You must abdicate, Pyeha. Make a statement on my TV channel. Then we'll spare you. Or your pretty queen will face the same fate as your Unbreakable Sword."

He wished he could kill all these low lives, but he couldn't. Not yet.

"How about giving him an hour or two to think about it?" Kim Soo Han suggested. "If he makes the abdication statement in this furious expression, no one would believe him."