The Edge Of Forever

39| viciously sweet

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39

v i c i o u s l y  s w e e t : 맹렬히 달콤한

UNUSUAL, WAS THE DEMEANOR OF THE CONCUBINE.

It was like a sixth sense to me- to be able to tell on instinct how she was. And vice versa. 

It was when the sun blared its light at the highest point when we met each other for a drink in the courtyard, preferring to spend time outdoors. But immediately, I sensed an unusual buzz from her and it never truly left her until she offered to pour me a drink and asked if she could question me on something. 

"What do you want to ask?" I sighed, accepting her drink with a small grin. 

The sun burned brighter, leaning forward to listen in eagerly and in the midst of it, more shade was provided to us with the canopy above us. 

She placed her own cup down and leaned forward. 

"What happened between you and the Prince?" 

I sputtered the drink in my mouth, coughing harshly and fawning over my handkerchief. I scanned my surroundings, silently thanking the heavens all maids and eunuchs were a distance quite far from us. Knowing that her sole source of information was my husband, I tattooed in my mind a series of questions to pose for him later.

"Yah." I scowled unenthusiastically, "are you crazy?"

She pouted her lips in return. 

"Could you not have asked me this indoors?" I asked, voice high.

"No one can hear us anyway." She pointed out, finger twirling in a circular motion around us. 

My head tilted to the side, "Still, there are insects in this courtyard always listening in." 

She scoffed, taking a sip from her drink.

Sighing, my eyes drifted off behind her into the gardens of the palace. "It was not practical, Ki, we would never be able to keep up with it." 

She digested my words thoughtfully before replying. "This...this deduction that has been made sounds like something you would make up, forgive me for saying this, never the Prince." 

I cut my eyes to her sharply. "Who's side are you on?" 

"Yours." She pointed out, tilting her head to the side. "And that is exactly why I am telling you that this is not something you want." 

"Of course it is not something I want! But out child may want something toxic and harmful but will we ever give it to her?" 

"Are you comparing yourself to an infant?" 

I bit back a response that was lacking in any sense of morals or dignity. Instead, my scowl deepened and in doing so, deepened the dagger I had planted in my own heart. 

Regret. 

It made the deities quiver and the royals cry. 

"What can I do?" I muttered, to no one in particular. "I want to believe this tale will outlast us but if we are to outlive this tale then I do not know how I will continue with him beside me hence why I thought it better to end it now." 

My words tasted outdated on my tongue; used so much that now they sounded nothing but meaningless- even to myself. 

Her eyes softened then, to become more understanding and less humorous. "You cannot play the role of the deities as well; you must let everything fall into place and then act, not be the one to make everything fall into place."