When Peony Blooms #AMBW

Chapter 37: " Shadows of betrayal."

Ji-yun's footsteps echoed through the palace corridors, each measured thump betraying her urgency as hastened to her private chamber. Her heart raced with anxiety and she stifled the urge to run, knowing that such an action would only draw attention and cause unwanted talk amongst the servants.

She had tried to avoid this situation at all costs. She had attempted to stay away from the king, but it seemed fate had other plans for her. Everywhere she went, he was there; his presence like a heavy fog that seemed impossible to escape.

As Ji-yun rounded the corner, frustration etched across her features, she couldn't help but seethe with disdain at the sight of the king strolling the halls, hand-in-hand with another servant. The woman in question was an older one who Ji-yun could not place name or face to; yet that did nothing to soothe her prying mind.

Enraged and embarrassed by his behavior she threw open her door, slammed it behind her and collapsed onto her bed in a fit of despair and tears. It was moments like these that made Ji-yun consider how little control she truly had over her own life--what if one day he decided he wanted more with that servant? What if one day his intentions changed and it was no longer just harmless flirtation? These thoughts further angered her as she fought back tears of frustration.

Ji-yun released a bitter scoff as she lay there on the bed, letting out all of rage and hurt feelings onto her pillow until exhaustion finally overcame her and sleep found its way into her dreams.

"Why is it that your sons know how to chase after a woman, yet you remain clueless?" Ji-yun muttered to herself, her voice laced with a mixture of disgust and resentment. With a heavy sigh, she tossed and turned, the weight of her predicament suffocating her thoughts.

As she lay there, lost in her own reverie, the sound of a servant's voice broke through her brooding. Ji-yun turned her attention to the entrance, granting the servant permission to enter with a curt nod. The elderly woman bowed respectfully before her, her gaze avoiding direct eye contact.

Ji-yun kept her gaze fixed on the elderly servant, her heart heavy with the implications of her request. "Have you found someone else?" she inquired, her voice dripping with calculated determination.

The servant hesitated before answering, her hands fidgeting with her hanbok skirt. "Not yet, my lady," she confessed with a weary sigh. Ji-yun's brow furrowed at this news, and she sighed in frustration. She had hoped that there were rumors of a new pregnant servant would turn out to be true, and that by paying them handsomely she could keep the baby.

The woman shifted uneasily as Ji-yun weighed her options silently in her head. After a few moments of contemplation, she finally made up her mind and spoke in a quiet but firm voice. "I will keep looking," she declared in a resolute tone.

With an understanding nod, the servant quietly bowed out of the room before making for where most of the palace servants lived.

Ji-yun's lips curled into a sly smile, a glimmer of cunning dancing in her eyes.

"It appears that I must devise a 'miscarriage'," she hissed, as if the words themselves were poisonous. It was either come up with a plausible story to pass off someone else's child as her own or risk losing her nonexistent pregnancy.

Her voice dripped with calculated malice and cunning, and her eyes wandered towards the window, already formulating the fine details of her wicked plot.

"Fetch me the doctor," Ji-yun commanded, her tone brooking no argument. "If we are to make this ruse believable, we will need to prepare accordingly. Gather the necessary items and ensure that everything falls into place seamlessly."