Labyrinth of Love

Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate

Crowds gathered at the front gate of the palace, eagerly waiting for the king to arrive. JaeJoong was much loved among his subjects as well as the palace officials. His talent, his elegance, his way to rule the kingdom and his big heart won over each and every person in Dong Bang empire. Everybody was content with JaeJoong as their ruler.

Queen Tia, dressed in a white coloured elaborate gown, stood at the front of the crowd. The queen mother was just beside her. Her eyes were sharp and face gleeful, as if she waiting for something to happen. Every now and then, she was throwing judgemental stares at Tia. Tia could feel those stares but she chose to ignore it.

JaeJoong's entourage arrived after a short while. King Jae got down from horseback and strode gracefully towards his family. Shim Changmin, chief advisor of King Jae, followed behind him. JaeJoong came to Tia and greeted her with a pleasant smile. Tia felt so relieved at that moment that her eyes moistened. She wanted to hug her husband badly but the protocol to be followed by the queen did not allow her to do so.

JaeJoong gently wiped the tears out of her eyes. "Why are you crying now that I'm back?"

"I'm just so happy to see you return safely," told Tia with a relieved tone. "I missed you," she added.

The king patted her head affectionately and moved over to greet his mother. The queen mother held her son's hand, a happy smile decorating her features.

"Son, I'm glad to see you after so long, Those letters were never enough," said his mother.

"Mother, it feels nice to be back," JaeJoong spoke with a slight smile.

"By the way, did you bring her along with you?" asked the queen mother, her voice had a strange excitement.

Tia was standing there all along and the question which her mother-in-law asked her husband, made her curious. Who was supposed to come? Nobody told her that they were expecting a guest. What made her anxious was the sudden stiffening of expression on JaeJoong's face.

"What happened son? Is the princess here?" asked JaeJoong's mother in a saccharine sweet tone.

That made Tia lose her composure as she could not hold back and blurted, "Princess? Which princess?"

"The princess of the neighbouring kingdom and the soon-to-be queen of Dong Bang empire," replied King Jae's mother with a smirk.

Tia felt the ground slipping under her feet. For a while she felt a sudden dizziness. She could only voice out one question addressing the king, "Are you taking a second wife?"

JaeJoong felt really bad for Tia. He wanted to deny the inevitable and tell her that he was doing it only for the queen mother but he could not. Thus, he just nodded in agreement, avoiding her gaze.

Tia let her tears flow freely as she stormed into the castle, not looking back. The protocols be damned! JaeJoong felt as if thousands of needles were pricking at his heart and he only had himself to blame. Here, his mother welcomed Princess HwangBo with open arms and took her inside.

Gloomy and heart broken, King Jae slowly went inside the palace. He was about to get changed and freshen up when he was greeted by the royal physician. JaeJoong was indeed surprised by the physician's visit but the king let him speak, nonetheless.

"Your majesty, I know you must be tired but I needed to tell you this in order to make sure her majesty, the queen's health is taken care of properly," stated the physician.