The Unknown History

36

Yeonseo felt an uneasy feeling rising inside her. She walked alone in the empty hallway, leaving the party. She went to the kitchen where Baekhee was supposed to be. Her heart dropped at the sight of the court lady laying on the floor unconsciously.

She saw a knife near to the court lady's hand and kneeled in front of it. "No...you wouldn't do this to yourself," she felt her eyes getting teary.

"Baekhee-yah..."

She held Baekhee's hand and tried searching for her pulse. Nothing was found. She couldn't care less about the maid's blood that got onto her dress. She gathered her strength to stand up before running away from the kitchen.

She looked around, searching for the royal physician. She went to the royal infirmary and saw the physician making some kind of herb medicine.

"Your Highness!" He instantly stood up and bowed. She kneeled in front of him and lowered her head, feeling her tears trickling slowly. "Please, Baekhee is..."

"Your Highness! You shouldn't kneel!" The physician tried to make her stand. She held his hand tightly, "Baekhee is not breathing in the kitchen. Somebody killed her."

The man examined her from head to toe, seeing blood on her dress and face. He watched as the princess led him to the kitchen.

He let out a shocked gasp at the sight of the maid bleeding with her eyes wide open. The physician put two fingers near her neck to search for her pulse.

"She can't be saved, Your Highness. Forgive me."

Yeonseo held the maid's lifeless body in her arms as she cried. Her warm tears dropped on Baekhee's face. The physician kneeled and slowly closed the maid's eyes, "May she rests in peace."

"Baekhee-yah... I didn't even get to apologise for causing so much trouble in the palace."

"Baekhee-yah, please wake up."

"Your Highness, you should rest and not tire yourself. You're pregnant. You must look after your child."

Yeonseo nodded and wiped her tears before eyeing the knife near the maid. "Do me a favour."

The physician nodded and waited for her to continue. She searched for a clean napkin before holding the knife with it, "Make sure you don't touch this with your hands. We must investigate the owner's fingerprints."

"How can we do that? We don't know who killed Ms Oh."

"That's why I said we're going to investigate through the fingerprints."

Oh, investigating through fingerprints wasn't invented until the 1800s.

How can I do this?

"Don't tell anyone. Not even my brother or my husband."

He nodded and watched as the princess left the kitchen.

🌷

Yeonseo stayed in her bedroom, staring out the window for hours and hours until the party ended. She averted her gaze to the chamomile tea that had gone cold. Baekhee must have made it before she got killed.

She closed her eyes and let her eyes shed tears one by one. She didn't feel energetic to even change into new clothes. The door to her bedroom opened, revealing her husband who tiredly sighed.

His eyes widened when he saw her covered in blood. He rushed to her and held her face, "What happened? Did you get hurt?"

"Someone killed Baekhee and left her on the cold kitchen floor. She was making me chamomile tea."

Her voice broke at the end of the sentence. She whimpered and brought her legs to her chest before burying her face into her knees. He pulled her into his embrace, "I'm so so sorry, Your Highness. I promise to search for the culprit. Even if it harms my life too."

She pushed him away, "Why the hell would you say that? Do you want me to lose the people I love again? What a stupid thing to say," she snapped and stomped to the bathroom.

He sighed and followed her before placing both of his hands against the bathroom door. "I'm sorry for saying that, Your Highness. I didn't mean to. I know how precious Baekhee is to you."

On the other side of the door, Yeonseo sat on the floor as she tried to suppress her sobs. She cupped her about and tried to breathe properly but failed. She felt sick out of the blue, feeling the urge to vomit.

She slowly crawled to the toilet bowl and vomited forth, her free hand holding her stomach. She felt tired and panted.

Baekhee...