.sixty two.
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"The tenth prince's carriage fell into a ditch on the way back from the palace. Prince Yo says that his brother has passed."
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Though Minji and Eun tried to keep the news of their third child a secret, things got around quickly in Goryeo. She was nearly three months along when his brothers and father found out in the palace. Some of his siblings were happy for him, and even the king was happy, all smiles as he asked his tenth son if the rumors were true about him and his wife having another child. He loved Eun, he hated Minji, but he loved the thought of having numerous grand children, especially if they were boys.
He had been summoned by his older brother Wang Yo, who informed him that there was going to be an important announcement given out to the family at breakfast that morning. But Eun thought it was more of an ambush when the king surprised him with the question out of nowhere.
Eun tensed at the question for many reasons--because he knew Yo would be watching and with his older brother knowing of the new arrival, it could mean something dangerous for both Hak Soon and the child. Also because he didn't feel happy about the child himself. His wife was getting weaker and weaker with each passing day, but she took care of herself with all of her will and strength. She wanted the baby to live and her doctor informed her that though there was a high risk of him being sickly and even perhaps not surviving his first few months, she was trying her hardest to help him. In the process though, that child was draining her life force and she was hardly able to get out of bed these days.
The tenth prince even feared that he would hurt her when they got intimate, and refrained from doing so as much as possible.
With no other choice but to confirm the king's suspicions, Eun gave a slow nod of his head, lacking enthusiasm. "Yes, your majesty. My wife is bearing me another child." He felt a lump in his throat as he thought about it because there was a strong chance he was only having her for the next few months. There was a chance she would not make it out of that pregnancy alive.
The king eyed him with confusion. "Why don't you seem happy about it?"
Eun sucked in a breath and stayed silent for the better of a couple of minutes. When the words finally made their way out of his mouth, his eyes were pooled up with tears. "Because that thing is killing her. A monster who is selfish enough to kill his own mother is no child of mine. I don't want that child, but Hak Soon protects him with her life."
The king seemed disinterested in Eun's worries, if only because they were about Hak Soon, and he still considered her a traitor. Eun glanced at his youngest brother Wang Jung to gauge his reaction. There was worry reflected on his face and emotional pain because he still loved Park Hak Soon. Both princes became enraged by the king's words. "To me it makes no difference whether that girl lives or dies. What is most important is that your child is healthy and safe. Her own weakness is probably the reason she is withering away like you said."
Eun quickly rose from his chair, startling the other people sat at the table. "I don't know why I'm even here. Brother Yo summoned me saying you had something important to tell me, yet here he are, having breakfast while my wife is at home ill. She needs me." His emotions came spilling out into the tense atmosphere of their little breakfast reunion. Everyone watched him silently, for no one dared to defy and talk back to the king. But the tenth prince was done with it. He was always talking bad about Eun's wife. "If you cared so much about me, you would appreciate my wife. She is my whole life, and it makes me angry when people say bad things about her."
"She betrayed you." The king tried to reason with him. "She doesn't deserve you. Doesn't even deserve to breathe the same air as you. She's not even fit to bear your children. I told you I could bring you a second wife--"
