Five

"I promise I will do everything I can to spare your father, but you must also leave the palace..."

The cries of an infant woke Hwi from his sleep. He realized that he had been crying, too, in his dream. It was actually more of a memory.

"Your Majesty."

Hwi blinked a few times until his vision was fully restored. He wiped his tear buildup from the corners of his eyes. He remembered how emotional he was when he confessed to Noh Ha Kyung that night, revealing his true identity. He felt sorry for her. He felt sorry that he had lied to her for so long and made her fall in love with him.

"Your Majesty."

Hwi turned slightly to the right and bolted upright at the sight of Noh Ha Kyung.

"My Queen!" he gasped.

Realizing at once how shameless he was for calling her that, he looked away.

"My Queen," she repeated with a soft chuckle. "Funny how you still address me as such."

"What happened?" Hwi questioned. "The last thing I remembered was Yu Gong leading me to you."

"You blacked out, my lord," she replied. "Must be from exhaustion and hunger."

"Or stress," Hwi added.

He was sure it was stress more than anything.

"I just didn't understand why Yu Gong thought I wanted to kill her, or you," Hwi explained. "So I guess that made me succumb to my emotions and thoughts."

"It's a long story," replied Noh Ha Kyung, getting up from the side of the bed.

Hwi watched as she went over to the wooden table in the middle of the room and poured some tea in a grey porcelain cup. She handed it to him. It was then that he realized he hadn't had anything to drink for a while. Just as he pressed teacup to his lips, the infant's cries filled the room again.

"Is that...

Noh Ha Kyung dashed over to a wooden crib by the window, scooped the infant up, and cradled the tiny bundle in her arms. She walked over to Hwi and sat back down beside him on the edge of the bed.

"This baby...

"... is my older sister's, Noh Ha Kwan," said Ha Kyung.

Hwi eyed her curiously.

"Where's your sister?" he asked.

"She's... she's dead."

There was a long pause as Hwi watched the interaction between Noh Ha Kyung and the adorable infant in her arms.

Something wasn't right.

The sparkle in Noh Ha Kyung's eyes were gone. It was as if she was a completely different person. The lively and clumsy young woman he knew before was no more.

"I'm sorry."

Hwi felt compelled to apologize. He felt as if he had no right to even ask what happened. He put her through this.

"Sorry for doing your best?" Ha Kyung asked.

"For the exact opposite actually," Hwi replied.

Noh Ha Kyung looked up from the infant.

"You did your best," she said. "You saved both of my father's life and mine, but Lord Sanghyeon was just too cunning."

"What?"

"He saw through your plan and sent soldiers out to kill my father," Ha Kyung explained. "My older sister also died in the process right after giving birth to my nephew."

"Who's the baby's father?" Hwi asked curiously.

Everyone knew that the Minister of Military Affairs had two daughters but now that Hwi had given it some thought, he didn't recall that Noh Ha Kwan was ever mentioned.

"Apparently Lord Sanghyeon had not only promised to put Prince Wonsan on the throne but he also promised the throne will be secured," Ha Kyung continued to explain.

"W- what?"

Flabbergasted and angry, Hwi felt sick to his stomach.

"My older sister was the prized possession Lord Sanghyeon had promised Prince Wonsan...

Hwi's jaws dropped. His eyes widened. He could kill his maternal grandfather again if he could.

"No," he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"This baby is Prince Wonsan's," Noh Ha Kyung sobbed. "I couldn't save my father... or my sister...

Noh Ha Kyung broke into tears. Filled with anger, an enraged Hwi leapt out of bed and ran outside, screaming at the top of his lungs. Kang Eun Soo drew his sword.

"My Lord!" Eunuch Hong exclaimed.

Hwi dropped onto all fours onto the dry, dusty ground. Not only he had allowed for his maternal grandfather to destroy Noh Ha Kyung's family but he also managed for him to get the upper hand. It was no wonder that Yu Gong thought he wanted to kill them. It derived from a misunderstanding.

Noh Ha Kyung handed the baby to Yu Gong and bent down next to Hwi, who was breathing heavily with anger.

"Don't blame yourself," she told him. "You did all you could do."

Hwi turned to her and let his tears fall. He threw his arms around her, engaging in a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry," he cried. "I failed to protect you, your father, your sister...

"It's not your fault," Noh Ha Kyung replied calmly. "I don't blame you one bit, my lord."

Hwi scoffed and released her.

"My lord," he repeated, stunned yet glad that she still kept his secret.

He had forgotten for a moment that Kang Eun Soo was present. Upon seeing that all was well at last, he slid his sword back in its sleeve.

Hwi got up on his feet and helped Noh Ha Kyung up, too. He just noticed that she still wore her hair in a neat bun.

"Why didn't you change your hair back?" he asked her later as she hung up some clothes on a thin line to dry outside.

She'd left the baby inside with Yu Gong. Eunuch Hong, on the other hand, was fast asleep while Kang Eun Soo stood guard outside like a statue.

"Because I am technically still legally married," she replied without making eye contact.

Hwi looked away with an uncomfortable expression. He still felt guilty.

"I don't know what to say other than I'm sorry," said Hwi. "You deserve someone who will take great take care of you... and your nephew."

Noh Ha Kyung sighed and picked up the empty wooden basket off of the ground. Never in a million years he thought he'd ever witness such a sight - the youngest daughter of a noble doing commoner chores.

"You might be wondering how I came to be like this," she said.

"Actually I was wondering why you are doing this so late," he lied. "When I was... during my youth, I learned that laundry must be done during the day time."

"During the day, I am too busy caring for my nephew," she replied. "Funny how I always wanted a baby and now I have one to care for."

"Are you living at this place?" Hwi asked, totally ignoring the fact that she had just reminded him of the time he was pressured to producing an heir with her.

Suddenly, it hit him like a ton of bricks.

"I was actually on my way back to...

"We have to get back to the palace!" Hwi exclaimed, interrupting her.

"I... er...

"We will take off in the morning," he stated, toning down his voice a bit having forgotten that everyone in the house was asleep.

"I don't understand."

Noh Ha Kyung eyed him curiously.

"This baby is a royal," Hwi whispered to her so that only the two of them could hear. "No one knows that this baby belongs to your older sister and Prince Wonsan."

"Yu Gong does," Noh Ha Kyung reminded him. "And so does Eunuch Hong, I'm assuming."

Hwi nodded.

"No one else does," he replied. "If you return to the palace, everyone will assume this is our baby."

"What?"

"I'll explain the truth to The Grand Queen Dowager and she'll have no choice but to accept," Hwi explained.

"You want me to raise my nephew in the palace?" Noh Ha Kyung questioned. "Even though you are fully aware of its dangers...

"We will raise this baby like ours," Hwi interrupted.

It was the only way he can pass on the throne. Besides, his paternal grandfather had wronged Prince Wonsan's parents. They've come this far already. If he could pass the throne to Prince Wonsan's son, then he would rightfully make up for the past wrongdoings by his grandparents without any bloodshed.

"You know that's easier said than done," Noh Ha Kyung replied, getting up from the chair.

She dashed outside into the moonlight, past Kang Eun Soo. Hwi followed and signaled for the royal guard to stay put.

"Everything is fine," he hastily told him.

Noh Ha Kyung stopped under the tree next to the rusty well right outside the perimeter of the hut.

"My Queen!" Hwi called out.

He had to stop calling her that.

"Sorry, it's just that I was so used to that," he added so that she doesn't feel even more awkward than she did.

"When I left the palace, I had no intentions of returning," she told him. "I stand by that decision after I met my nephew."

"But he's a royal," Hwi argued.

Noh Ha Kyung bit her lip and nodded once.

"You say we will raise this child as ours," she began. "Have you forgotten that even your father, the former king, was unable to control the decision that was made at the time of your birth?"

Hwi gulped. She had a point.

"What if someone has the same evil intentions towards my nephew? And more importantly, how are you going to be a father to this child?"

"I know this sounds self-centered to you," Hwi replied. "But I've come to terms with who I really have to be."

"And who's that?"

He'd never seen Noh Ha Kyung so upset before.

"King Lee Hwi," he replied. "A king stands by his words."

"You've come to terms with who you really are?" she questioned. "Are you sure about that?"

Hwi nodded.

"And Royal Scribe Jung?" asked Noh Ha Kyung.

"I- I can't be with someone who's father killed my brother in cold blood and turned my life into a living hell for so long," Hwi replied.

Hwi gulped and took a deep breath before spilling the gruesome details.

"When I saw my brother that night, his face was covered in blood. His clothes... soaked in blood. There were multiple injuries on his body and face that if he was left out for even just another single day, he could've been unrecognizable. I- I... my mother...

Before Hwi could finish, Noh Ha Kyung threw her arms around him, and they both collapsed on the ground. She'd never intentionally hugged him before. A sudden warmth traveled up her spine. She was right about herself all along... she'd never stopped loving Hwi.

"I promise that I will take care of this baby and you to the best of my ability," Hwi whispered. "It's what I am willing to do to make up for everything."

"The timing isn't quite right, though," said Ha Kyung.

Hwi realized at once that she was referring to the whole pregnancy period. If they returned to the palace now, it'll be a topic up for debate. The Queen pregnant and delivering in such a short period of time just didn't make a whole lot of sense.

"Then we won't return now," said Hwi. "I'll have to explain to Kang Eun Soo later but he is trustworthy."

Noh Ha Kyung nodded in agreement.

"But what about you?" Hwi suddenly realized that that doesn't change the fact that Noh Ha Kyung would be stuck in the palace. 

"It's not fair for you to struggle as... as my wife when...

"It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman," Noh Ha Kyung interrupted.

"My feelings for Lee Hwi remain the same."