[Completed] A Tale About A: Forgotten Princess (Part 1)

Chapter 7: Fate

"Ah! Sss..." King Tae Jo winced when Soo Yeon dabbed the wool of herbs down on to his wound. The cut was long and deep; she wondered what happened.

"Please bear with me for a little while more. Once I bandaged the wound, you will be able to rest." Soo Yeon assured with a calm expression while dabbing the last of the herbs available. 

After bandaging, King Tae Jo attempted to sit up with the support of Yong Jun. He let out a deep breath as he tried to ignore the pain from his back.

"Who are you people? Just why would you have such serious wounds?" Soo Yeon could no longer keep her control as she asked in a strict tone.

King Tae Jo looked uncomfortable while Yong Jun avoided the topic with a monotonous reply, "Thank you for treating my friend. We shall leave now." 

Just when the both of them was standing up and about to leave the room, Soo Yeon quickly rushed over and blocked the entrance with both of her arms spread widely. "No! You shall not leave until you tell me where you got the injuries from! You are my patient and I am seriously concern about your well-being!" 

"Please, let us go. I will return the cost of the treatment later." Yong Jun attempted to persuade the stubborn girl. 

Soo Yeon looked deeply in to their eyes for a moment and thought to herself, just what was keeping them from hiding their identity?

"Fine. At least tell me both of your names. I need it to record down in our medical book." Soo Yeon finally gave in and put down her arms.

Yong Jun seemed to look relieved at the sound of that and he smiled a little towards Soo Yeon. "I am Jun, and he is Jo." As Yong Jun introduced King Tae Jo to Soo Yeon, she can't help but blush when they made eye contact. He was the man that got her interested a year ago anyway. 

"Well then..." They sort of forced their way out the door before Soo Yeon could ask any further. 

At the sight of the two men leaving the room, Soo Yeon couldn't help but worry about their current state. "Would you really be fine to leave just like that?" She shouted from the door.

Yong Jun turned and replied with a grin, "Don't worry!". Soo Yeon stood by her door as she watched both of the men leave, just like the day her father treated them. 

//

Back in the palace, King Tae Jo ordered all of his servants to leave his chamber while only Yong Jun and his trusted eunuch Lee stayed.

"Shall I call for a royal physician, Cheon na?" Eunuch Lee asked cautiously.

"No! No one should know about my injury." King Tae Jo exclaimed fiercely.

"B-but..." Eunuch Lee tried to convince one more time but failed.

"We have already seen a physician on our way back." Yong Jun revealed but that doesn't comfort eunuch Lee's worry.

"Don't worry about me. I will make sure to return to the physician secretly to get my injury treated." King Tae Jo but that only made eunuch Lee even more anxious.

"Cheon na, how could you possibly go out of town? Please tell me where is the physician, I shall bring him to you." He suggested as he bowed sincerely to King Tae Jo.

However, King Tae Jo simply shook his head as he refuse the idea. "No, I can't ask the physician to come in to the palace casually. It will create trouble if the physician knows that I am the King. Don't worry, I will ask Yong Jun to accompany when I'm out of the palace. He is my right hand man after all." 

Eunuch Lee had no choice but to listen to King Tae Jo reluctantly.

The next day, there was a discussion in the court hall as per usual. King Tae Jo sat on his throne and tried to keep his usual expression as he hid his injuries from the ministers below him. 

"Cheon na, the bandits were captured to the palace dungeons last night. Did you order the royal guards to do so?" Minister Oh asked carefully.

"I was the one who captured them." King Tae Jo said briefly.

"W-what? Which means you left the palace last night? But how..." Minister Oh was shocked like the rest of the ministers but they quickly kept quiet when King Tae Jo gave a stern look.

"They have been violating my land for nearly a month. How could I possibly let them have their illegal trade so easily while I wait for you to investigate?" King Tae Jo reprimanded the ministers and they all looked away embarrassed.

Only minister Yoo dared to speak up to the King as he gave his opinion, "However, it's still too dangerous for you to sneak out like that. You are the nation's King after all."

"The case has been solved. That is all. I shall leave it to you to interrogate the criminals, minister Oh." King Tae Jo set his final orders before dismissing the ministers to their royal duties. 

//

King Tae Jo sat on his cushion in his chamber as he grimaces the pain from his wound. Even though Soo Yeon had already applied the herbs to his back, it was already a full eight hours after finally having a break from his royal duties. 

"Shall I call in the royal physician? I am serious Cheon na! You are sweating so much from your forehead!!" Eunuch Lee exclaimed anxiously as he tried to convince the King.

"I already said no...which part of it you don't understand?" 

"Cheon na!! Is this the reason why you promoted me to be your assistant? Just so you can torture me like this by making me worrying for you? Please cheon na...listen to your old man for once..." Eunuch Lee pleaded desperately. 

"Call Yong Jun in. I would like to visit my physician now." King Tae Jo instructed and Eunuch Lee sighed. 

"Aigoo...please come back on time if you plan to rest at the physician's." Eunuch Lee reminded as he watched Yong Jun help the King with his commoner clothes. 

"I will, old man." King Tae Jo grinned towards his old retainer before leaving the palace. He instructed all of his servants to keep quiet about his disappearance or they would have to pay with their lives. 

The two men rode on their horses in the middle of the night to Soo Yeon's clinic. They parked their horses by the front yard before heading towards the room. Mr Oh was surprised about their visit but no Soo Yeon. 

"So you have come to get your wounds treated huh? Are you going to leave after your treatment again? Because I won't allow that this time round." Soo Yeon declared firmly before she allowed them to enter.

King Tae Jo chuckled at her demeanour as he replied, "I won't run away this time."