The Unknown History

17

Sunghoon kept his straight face as he entered the bar that was guarded with the West Palace guards. He saw the king drinking wine and sat next to him. Jake smirked and let out a heavy sigh.

"How's the five dead court maids?" He asked. Sunghoon glanced at him, "Jungwon held a formal funeral for them."

"That nobleman will do anything to get on the damn king's good side. So annoying," Jake spat before ordering a new glass of wine. "We must get rid of the queen dowager so that the plan can be carried out. The queen still has a regency towards the kingdom so getting rid of her first will be easier," the prince said.

"You do the work, Sunghoon. She trusts you after all. What about Yeonseo?"

Sunghoon let out an amused chuckle, "After the coma, she has completely lost her mind. She won't be a nuisance towards our plan."

"The East Kingdom was supposed to be mine. That is until Sunoo's great-great-great-grandfather stole it from my ancestor. And my generation has been trying to take it back for years. Thank you for helping me, Sunghoon."

"I'm not doing this for free. You did promise me the highest-ranked position for the kingdom. I am doing it for that."

The prince grimaced at the sight of the West King gulping down the alcohol. He heavily sighed before leaving the bar.

🌷

Jungwon's heavy breathing stopped at the sight of Yeonseo closing her eyes. Her body weakened as she fell into a deep unconsciousness. He shook her body gently, "Your Highness?"

His heart started beating at a nervous pace. He looked around and shouted, "Help! The princess is dying! She has been shot!"

Two guards approached him and led him to a place where the royal physician was treating Sunoo. Jungwon was carrying the princess bridal style as he prayed to God for her to be okay.

The king's mother had died and Yeonseo dying next would be the last thing that he wanted. He didn't want Sunoo to be more depressed. He laid Yeonseo on the bed and glanced to his right, seeing the court maids treating Sunoo's wound as he lay down on the other bed.

The royal physician scurried towards Yeonseo's bed and ordered the court maids to prepare the items to take out the arrow from her chest. Jungwon tried to breathe properly but failed. He held the princess's hand and caressed it gently.

Please be alive.

He said in his head numerous times. He glanced back at Sunoo who was calmly sleeping.

A few hours passed. The physician finally succeeded in treating Yeonseo's wound. Jungwon bowed at him, earning him by surprise. The physician quickly bowed, "Lord Yang, I don't deserve your bow!"

"You deserve it. Thank you for saving Her Highness and His Majesty."

The physician bowed at him before leaving the room. Jungwon sighed and sat down next to Yeonseo's bed. He admired her unconscious face, staring at it as he felt an unknown longing feeling. He moved a few strands of hair that were blocking her face.

"Who are you actually? Of all the rumours I heard about you, you are the opposite of what people are saying. I never knew you were outgoing and crazy."

He laughed at the thought, recalling the moments when she ran around and even yelled at him for nonsensical things. His lips unexpectedly curved into a small smile.

"But despite your weird and confusing personality, I don't mind having to see it every day."

The door to the room opened, revealing Jay with his personal guard. The guard bowed at Jungwon, "Lord Yang."

The nobleman nodded and watched as the crowned prince took a seat on another empty chair. Jay smiled and let out a sigh, "She's beautiful, huh?"

Jungwon cleared his throat and kept a straight face, "She looks okay to me."

The prince chuckled, "It's not wrong to like her, Jungwon-ah."

"It's true, Your Highness. I have no such feelings towards her. I barely even know her. And I'm just an ordinary nobleman. I shouldn't develop such feelings towards Her Royal Highness, the princess."

"Everyone deserves to like someone, Jungwon-ah. It doesn't matter if you like her. It's not even your fault to accidentally like her. Just let your feelings be and don't suppress them. I'm sure Sunoo is also fine with it."

Jungwon thought about his words for a while. He smiled to himself, "Thank you for the talk, Your Highness. But really, I'm fine."

The room went silent once again for a few minutes until Jungwon broke it, "How did the princess even inform you about the warning?"

"This evening, she sent a dove to the Northern Palace. I don't know where she got the dove but I noticed that there was a small note tied to its leg. And she wrote about the West Palace's warnings and threats. So I immediately sent my guards to the East Kingdom. Thank God I was quick."

Jungwon stood up and bowed at him to show him his deepest respect, "Thank you, Your Highness. We couldn't have done it without you."