A Lush Affair: A Jealous Till Jade Sequel (A Hwarang Fanfic)

Chapter 4: The Affair

As expected, Jinheung is nowhere to be seen at court. Nevertheless, I low-key glance around as if he'll miraculously appear.

"Your Majesty?" Recognizing the gorgeous voice, my heart leaps. I turn my head back and indeed come face-to-face with the ever-so-handsome Viscount Joon. As he approaches me, the memories of our lip-lock come floating back. Stay cool now.

"Good morning, Viscount," I say as casually as I possibly can whilst my heart performs acrobatics inside my chest. I feel like I'm twenty again.

"Will you be okay in there, Your Grace? I know the king was supposed to stand as a witness today."

"I'll be fine. He had an urgent matter to attend to."

"Yes, so I've heard. Look, Your Majesty, I know that the criminals were- are friends of His Majesty, but please do not let that cloud your judgement for justice."

I simply smile and nod, pretending to agree. I'm sorry, Viscount, but I'm not here today to bring forth justice. I'm here today in place of my husband. Though I have the key to both doors through which this situation could lead, it's ultimately not my decision to make. Jinheung was supposed to attend this court hearing, not me, and I know how much he wants their freedom. I've always held my own opinions despite him, but I don't know the boys as well as he does. If he believes they deserve a second chance, then I shall be a good wife and support that.

A good wife. Noted.

"Viscount, I am merely here in place of my husband. I shouldn't be judged by what I say or do in court today because I intend to move forward with this in the way he would, not in the way I want to."

"How could he put you in such a position anyway, Your Majesty? What could have possibly been more important than to appear at the court hearing of a serious situation he is a part of?" The tone of his voice screams "jealousy". He clearly hates that I'm defending Jinheung right now.

"Joon." The count appears from behind him, and he bows down to me once he reaches us. "Your Majesty."

"Count Seo." I return a warm smile.

"Thank you for making the time to attend this hearing, Your Majesty. It is of our greatest honor for Joon to be handling his first case in your presence." He bows again.

"It's no problem. Shall we head inside now? I believe it's almost time." Count Seo politely opens the heavy door to let me through first. As soon as I take my first step into the large room, I feel a wave of anxiety approach me. And it's not just because of the size nor cleanliness of it. I need to do this right and I only have one chance. So, do I choose justice or my husband's happiness? Another concern is how Viscount Joon will take on this hearing. I hope he keeps things professional. Lets see how good his educated ass is.

"This is case number 84C01-0103-JD-00569 in the matter of accessories to the offender, former Minister Park: namely, Kim Sun-woo, Kim Soo-ho and Park Ban-ryu," announces Viscount Joon. His overflowing confidence and sense of authority is quite appealing. Jade, focus. "Present in the court room are the defendant and his attorney, the deputy prosecutor, and probation officer."

Everything that occurred in between the introduction and now as I walk up to the podium is a blur and my nerves are taking control of me. Now it's my turn to speak and all I can think is, hurry up and decide what you're going to do, Jade!

"Your Majesty," utters Viscount Joon in his sexy bass tone. "It is to my knowledge that you stand before the court of law today in place of His Majesty The King, is this correct?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"And you are here today to represent His Majesty, a victim of the series of crimes committed three years ago by the offender: former Minister Park as well as his accessories who are present in court today. Is this correct?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Now we shall proceed into the details of the incident. Your Majesty, it has come to my knowledge that the offender ordered for the abduction of Her late Highness Princess Sookmyung. Is this correct?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"And is it true, Your Majesty, that the accessories accepted this order, abducted Her Royal Highness in the midst of the night, and murdered her?"

Come on, Jade. You have to make a decision right this second!

"Your Majesty, please answer the question."

Oh gosh, why is this happening to me? I can't breath. Okay, focus, Jade. You can do this. Follow the strongest feeling inside of you right now. What will you do?

"Your Honor,"

The courtroom turns dead-quiet as every single person present awaits my answer.

"What you have stated..."

Go on, Jade. It's okay, you're just being a good wife. It'll be okay. Remember, you're doing this in the place of Jinheung. You just have to do what he would do. "What you have stated, Your Honor..." We still have the other guards, the swordsman and Hwarangs to protect the royal family. If we all keep a good eye on Sun-woo, Ban-ryu, and Soo-ho everything will be fine.

"What you have stated is untrue."

Gasps and verbal whispers fill the space around me, nearly suffocating me. What will happen if I'm not a convincing enough liar? I need to be smart.

"Your Majesty, what part of the description of the case do you claim to be untrue?" asks Viscount Joon.

I take a deep breath, trying not to faint. I feel dizzy and I'm in desperate need of water.

"All of it, Your Honor."

"That is peculiar, Your Majesty. Are you insisting that the criminals have been falsely imprisoned for crimes they did not commit?"

"That is correct, Your Honor. The whole thing is a big misunderstanding."

"How do you explain then, Your Majesty, the princess' passing?"

My hands are clammy and my throat is drier than it's ever been in my whole life. But, by some miracle, the false story creates itself in my head.

"It was all Minister Park's doing, Your Honor. Ban-ryu simply obeyed his father's orders and all other accessories have been blackmailed by Minister Park."

I feel a slight sense of relief from the realization that I don't have to lie completely. Though the boys have had their individual motives, particularly Soo-ho and Sun-woo, all plans and actions were conducted by their powerful fathers.

The courtroom once again fills with an echo of whispers and gasps - but I'm no longer nervous.

"I see. That does make sense as the boys could not have instigated this complex scheme without the support of more powerful figures."

Yes! You're doing well, Jade. Even though this is completely wrong...

"Does Your Majesty believe the accessories should extend their stay in prison, or be released as of today?"

This is it.

"I believe.-" (Well, actually, my husband believes) "that the accessories should be released." Whispers. "However-" Silence again. "They should participate in community service daily and be under constant surveillance. And I mean 24/7, every moment of everyday."

"Very well Your Majesty."

"Also, I will be selecting which guards fulfill this very crucial task. I cannot trust anybody until I have done a thorough background check on them."

"That sounds very fair, Your Majesty. As of today, the accessories shall be released and partake in seven hours of community service daily starting tomorrow morning. For the next twelve months, they will be under constant surveillance by guards selected by the queen herself. Court is ajourned."