The Sacrifice

Prologue

The palace was in turmoil, the king's third wife was in labor,she was going to give birth to her first child.
Her beauty had won the title of 'the king's favorite' giving her more privileges and better treatment then the others wives. The king was infatuated not only with her appearance but also with her sweet and gentle personality. Kim Hyobin was loved by everyone,all the populace worshiped her.

It was the king's first time to feel so nervous while waiting for a consort to deliver his baby. This wasn't just because of 'love', the motives ran deeper. To put it simply, the destiny of the entire kingdom was laying into the hands of the unborn child.

After five hours of waiting the newborn had finally come into the world.
Not being allowed to stay in the room and assist to the whole process the king was standing outside,the thin walls allowing him to hear the first cries of his baby.
He was pacing back and forth when a servant opened the door and let him enter. The king quickly run to his wife,she looked exhausted,sweaty and in pain but she had a fond smile on her face,her eyes glancing with so much love at the little human being placed into her arms.
"What gender is it?" The king demanded.
The smile on the women's face disappeared,fear replacing it.
No one dared to say a word.
"I asked something." He was starting to loose his patience.
"It's a boy,your highness." The doctor said while bowing.
Anger was the only thing the king felt at that moment,he took the nearest decorative vase and smashed it on the ground.
This wasn't supposed to happen,the child was supposed to be a girl,a girl that needed to be sacrificed to save his spot as a king and the freedom of his kingdom.
A boy was useless,he could even die.
Blinded by rage he gripped the baby from his mother's hands and took out his sword ready to kill but his wife's cries stopped him.
"Stop. Please,I beg you don't kill him. He doesn't have to die,we can hide him and pretend that I gave birth to a dead child. Please. I'll try harder next time to give you a girl. Please spare him." The woman was crying desperately.
The man looked at the kid,his sword still in midair.
Pretend. They could pretend. There was still hope.
"Fine, I won't kill him but he will grow up as a girl,he will act as a girl and no one in this room should speak about it. A word and you are all dead." He handed the baby to the doctor and stormed out of the room.

He wasn't going to let the destiny to stop him, he was going to continue what his father had started. Prince Taejong had helped his father found the new dynasty called Joseon and now as the third king he planned to consolidate it,to make it stronger,to bring the royal power to a new height.
Taejong didn't show mercy to his enemies and neither his family members,the kingdom was his priority. To get free from under the Chinese empire he had made a pact with the leader of the Ming dynasty.

Freedom in exchange of his first born daughter.