Secret of the Two Kings

제 2 부

The King went to the Queen's pavilion to visit his pregnant wife. As he walked down the corridor, the court ladies dipped their heads in a bow, welcoming him. Upon reaching the Queen's chambers, the ladies-in-waiting announced his presence.

"Your Grace, the King wants to seek an audience," one of her ladies-in-waiting announced.

The Queen's face brightened. "Let him in," she replied. She quickly fixed her long black hair, straightened her white robe and got up from the bed.

Jae Joong entered the chambers, savoring the sweet scent of chrysanthemum engulfing the entire place. It was a huge, candle-lit room decorated with scarlet and pink curtains, and expensive, imported ceramics and furniture from Tang. Pink lanterns gave life to the entire chamber, and the magenta veil normally surrounding the Queen's bed was pulled back, displaying its occupant. The Head Nurse and her personnel were in the room because the Queen was set to give birth any day of the week, as per the Tang's Lunar Calendar. There were no physicians inside or any male medical personnel as per the Queen's request.

The nurses bowed to Jae Joong, and they went to the corners, letting him talk to his queen. The King sat down the Queen's bed and kissed her forehead. "Manifolds of moons have passed by since I have visited, my Queen. My apologies."

"I do understand, Sire. You must do your civic duty first. Besides, everything is all right."

Jae Joong caressed the Queen's hands like they were his precious possessions. "My love, I am so grateful that you are taking care of not just the royal family, but yourself as well." Feeling a slight movement from her swollen belly, the demure queen giggled and informed the King that she felt two kicks simultaneously. Puckering his lips, Jae Joong pressed the Queen's lips with his finger, stopping her from talking more about the two kicks she just felt. He jerked his head towards the nurses, who were standing in one corner.

The Queen gasped for a second and apologized. Furrowing his eyebrows a bit, the King ordered everyone to leave the Queen's chambers.

The two were left alone, in awkward, stony silence. Finally, Jae Joong straightened and cleared his throat. "I am truly worried about our children's fate," he began. The Queen gazed at her king sorrowfully. She was worried ten times more than he was, and it was all due to that cursed prophecy.

Long ago, it was foretold that great misfortune would befall the kingdom if royal twins were born on the day of an eclipse, as the two children would present the eclipse itself. One twin would mirror the sun, bright and powerful, and would bring the kingdom to its highest glory. The other twin would be as ill-fated as the moon that blocked the sun's light and would bring nothing but darkness and destruction.

She rubbed her stomach, feeling the lumps of her two unborn children. The only way to hide the secret of their births was to separate them and ensure they never met. The thought of losing her unborn sons made his heart filled with extreme loneliness.

"It was confirmed, Sire. Based on my pulse, it was two Yangs—two princes. What shall we do?" the Queen asked.

"Trust me. The eclipse will not happen!" Jae Joong exclaimed.

"I have trust in you, Your Majesty. It is the Head Priestess I do not trust," the Queen clarified.

"I will protect you, our children and the whole Silla. Just promise me that you will not tell anyone again about our twins."

A sensation of fear and doubt reflected from the King's brown eyes. The Queen sensed that his actions represented doubt—doubt that the solar eclipse might happen and plunge their kingdom into ruin.

"I thought you are confident that the solar eclipse will not happen," she ventured tentatively.

"Why do I feel that you are afraid and ashamed of our children?"

"That is not true!"

A thousand liters of boiling blood flowed quickly through every vein the Queen's body. She composed herself as her nails dug deeply into her palm, biting her lips to hold back her tears, but she was unsuccessful for a pearl of tear dripped down from an eye unknowingly. She closed her eyes, and a deep sigh escaped her pink lips.

"It seems to be that way for me. You were talking as if they are someone else's children."

Jae Joong's glare hardened, and his face reddened. He stood from the bed, took a step back and began pacing throughout the room. "Never think that I do not care for our children! Do you think that it will be easy for me? For us? What do you think I am, heartless? They are my children—my own blood and flesh! It would break my heart into a thousand pieces to see them suffer." His slippers were digging into the thick carpets with the ferocity of his steps, and he finally stopped and paused. His robes swished about his ankles at the sudden stop, and his eyes were bloodshot as he stared into the eyes of his queen. "But I have to think of my people, of the kingdom."

The Queen was startled with what she just saw and heard. That was the first time she saw the King glared but what startled her more was realizing the fact that the vicious-acting king truly cared about the twins, yet he was still decided to sacrifice the children's future. Feeling drowned to the unfathomable depths of her husband's statements, she stayed silent for a while with a blank visage. She felt very weak and powerless. Nothing in this world could contend with the King's sturdy decision.

"Are you saying that it is the twin's fault then?" she asked softly.

More tears slowly fell down from the Queen's eyes, while the King was rooted to his position. The piercing sound of silence was all they needed to convey the heavy emotions they just felt with a blink of an eye.

After several minutes, the Head Nurse burst into the Queen's chambers. Jae Joong gave her a burning glare and yelled, "What do you think you are doing? Did I not tell you to leave us?" His voice reverberated throughout the chambers.

Dong Hee bowed, the light blue robe rustled, and her white skirt brushing the floor; her head was wrapped meticulously with a white cloth. "Sire, forgive me. I deserve to die for disobeying, but I only care about the Queen and the twins. It will be bad for the babies if the Queen is stressed."

"She is right, Sire. If you would excuse us, I would like to rest," the Queen requested coldly. She looked away, wiping her tears. The King stared at the two for a few seconds then left, the door slamming behind him.

If there was a single person that the Queen trusted, it was Dong Hee. She had been working in the palace for many years. Sadly, this was her last duty as the Head Nurse.

"Your Grace, are you all right?"

"Yes. I could not be more sincere in giving you my utmost gratitude. You have been too caring for me."

Dong Hee bowed in gratitude as well, for those kind and compassionate words.

"Your... Grace, about my request in moving to Jeonju with my family?"

The Queen gave a weak smile. "Yes. I am granting you my permission to leave. It has been nearly ten good years. You are truly one of this palace's hidden gems. I just have one request before you go."

"Anything you say, Your Grace."

The Queen asked her a favor. She pleaded with her to protect her children just in case something wrong happened to her after giving birth. Right away, Dong Hee pledged to do what the Queen wanted as a sign of gratitude.

~~•~~

As the King walked the palace grounds, trailed by his personal royal guards and court ladies, the Queen's sorrowful eyes and worrisome words replayed in his head. He went to his bedchamber, the ladies-in-waiting sliding the door open for him.

It was the largest room in the palace, decorated with yellow curtains and lantern lamps to make sure it is always well-lit. The intricate designs of furniture, with accurate measurements and mostly carved with dragons, stood in the chamber to symbolize potent and auspicious powers. He sat on a chair and crossed his arms on a round table while gently inhaling the sweet, aromatic scent of Chinese candles on the four corners of the room, calming him.

"Sire, Minister Dae Wong requests an audience," announced a lady-in-waiting.

"Let him in."

The young minister entered and bowed, noticing the anxiety on the King's face.

"Dae Wong. I am very happy you came. I talked to the Queen about the twins, and she wants to protect our children badly, despite knowing the prophecy. We ended up distancing away from each other."

Dae Wong sat at the table, in front of the King. He puckered his lips in sympathy. "I understand your sentiments, Your Majesty. Pain and sacrifice are the two things that make up a good ruler."

"I am worried about..." Jae Joong paused. His eyes were full of distress.

"The twins? 'What would their fate be if they were born on the day of the eclipse?' Is that what bothers you, Sire?"

Jae Joong nodded slowly.

"Sire, I would just like to ask. How many people do you think know about the twins?"

The King had a thought for a while before coming up with an answer. "Hmm, let us see. Me, you, the Queen, and Dong Hee."

Squinting his eyes in doubt, Dae Wong asked the certainty of the King's rough estimate. "Are you sure, Sire? There are other nurses in the Queen's chambers every day. Are you sure those nurses do not know anything?"

The stunned king's pupils grew large, in realization. He shook his head, throwing away negative thoughts. "I trust Dong Hee. She is the only one who examines the Queen. The other nurses were feet away from them every time she will check her condition. They would just come closer if Dong Hee called them. Besides, whenever she and the Queen talk, they always emphasize the word, prince, to denote that only one child is inside."

He continued, "So, I can say that those nurses know nothing about the twins."

"All right, Sire. I see."

If there had been a competition in concealing emotion, the King would be at the losing end. His hazel eyes were utterly without guile and revealed his every thought and feeling, which caused Dae Wong to doubt the eclipse's prediction. If the prediction was wrong and the eclipse arrived, dire consequences would befall Silla.

"I am thinking about the prophecy about the royal twins. Just in case, who among the two will be the good-fated? The ill-fated?" Jae Joong asked.

"I am not sure, Sire. Maybe it is up to the priestesses. They can see the future of a ruler if he will be good enough. Do you remember what happened on your fifteenth birthday?"

Bits of memories played through Jae Joong's head. He remembered the day of the final round of the king selection. Despite his brother's impeccable skills overall, and claim to the throne, the former Head Priestess had selected Jae Joong due to her premonition that he would be the better ruler.

"Yes, I remember that, but we cannot wait until the fifteenth birthday of the princes. I need to separate them once they are born," the King said firmly. Dae Wong's eyes widened, and he gasped in surprise.

War of thoughts clouded up Jae Joong's head. He wanted to know if there would be other ways to consider, in predicting his sons' future, aside from waiting until they were fifteen. He wanted results, believing that separating the twins at birth, knowing who must stay on the palace and who must be kept in secret forever were the things that would guarantee the safety of his sons and the royal family. Coming up with a decision, he quickly stood and strode towards the door to consult the Head Priestess.

"Just a moment, Sire... For me, it is better if you do not inform her at this time."

The King stopped and turned around. "Why?"

Dae Wong bowed. "Sire, please allow me to say it."

Jae Joong glanced at him, curiosity painted on his face.

Dae Wong resumed, "I do not trust her."

"Why did you say so?" Jae Joong sat back at his table and crossed his arms.

"The fact that she was referred by your brother to be the Head Priestess was very suspicious. Her mother, the former Head Priestess was still alive at that time; just very ill."

Staring at Dae Wong with interest, the King continued listening. As Dae Wong recounted the day of the court's deliberation on the selection of the next Head Priestess, the forgotten memories flashed into the King's mind like the vivid interactions of a theater play. According to Dae Wong, Lady Jang's mother had coincidentally died the day after the deliberation. Some people thought that it was because of a malady, but some had thought otherwise. Lady Jang did not have the time to mourn because she was assigned to the position the day after her mother's death.

At the end of Dae Wong's story, the King frowned. "That was a long time ago. Jung Ho and I were still princes back then. Are you saying that Lady Jang was involved in her mother's death?"

"Sire, you also need to consider the fact that you were favored by the former Head Priestess to be the king instead of your brother," Dae Wong answered seriously.

Jae Joong gulped as an idea came across his mind. He insisted that he was chosen to be the king because he was a Seonggol, meaning a true royal blood or a child of the king and the queen. Hearing the King's argument, Dae Wong raised a brow and reminded the King that his brother could be a ruler also because he was a Jingol, meaning a child of the king to a concubine or a child of any royal official.

"The former Head Priestess favored you not just because you are a Seonggol. It was a combination of lineage, skills and the last one—the Head Priestess' prediction. The Heavens served as the judge."

The King caressed his chin. "Do you mean the former Head Priestess' death was an act of revenge?"

"I am not completely certain, Sire but for me, it was a conspiracy. The Prime Minister and Lady Jang had something to do with the death of the former Head Priestess. If I were you, I would not trust her fully."

A deep sigh escaped through the Jae Joong's lips. He finally admitted his long contained doubts for Lady Jang. He had kept it for a long time and chose to ignore it because he believed that she was the only person capable of predicting the eclipse. He had chosen to give her the benefit of the doubt because he had not ever noticed any times when she and the Prime Minister were together.

"Sire, just because you did not see it, does not mean it did not happen. You were not around them every day," Dae Wong said smoothly.

"There are many ways to communicate."

The King just nodded, and the minister continued, "Another thing, Sire. Not that I am underestimating her skills because of her age but did you not notice that your brother's ideas were the ones that always happened every time we conduct festivals?"

"Are you saying that maybe Jung Ho and Lady Jang..."

"I am saying that maybe she is just a front. Maybe it is the Prime Minister that really controls all the religious affairs. I think she is a fraud—a puppet! Perhaps your brother wants to control the kingdom indirectly using the mandate of the Heavens. Considering that it plays a large role in our different actions and beliefs, we have no choice but to abide by the Head Priestess' words," Dae Wong firmly claimed.

Jae Joong's eyes widened, and his jaws dropped. The long contained agony in his mind about the Prime Minister's affairs finally made sense. "I do not want to jump to conclusions, but I did see your point," he said after a long pause.

Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Jae Joong breathed heavily. He suddenly felt sheepish for being too blind and stupid for the past years, but what made his feelings worse was the fact that all his doubts made sense when there were only two days before a major ceremony. Dae Wong consoled and encouraged the weary king to be positive. He felt a bit sorry for him, but he knew that what he did was right, because the King deserved to know the truth.

"If I could just read the stars and communicate directly to the Heavens just like her, I would do this prediction all by myself." Jae Joong groaned.

"I know Sire, but it is the law. The Head Priestess does the rituals, and the king shall relay the mandate of the Heavens."

The worried ruler shook his head slowly, rubbing his forehead.

"Sire, it is not yet too late. Now that your brother will arrive today from his two months trip in Tang, we can now finally confirm these allegations that we have. We can now discover if they are really working with each other."

"How?"

Dae Wong grinned.

"I have an idea."

__________

NOTES:

Yang (양) - a male symbol in Chinese Traditional Medicine

Jeonju (전주) - the capital city of Modern day North Jeolla Province, South Korea.

Seonggol (성골) - the highest rank in the Bone Rank System of the Silla Kingdom, which determines one's status in the society. Seonggol means Sacred Bone, or the true royal blood: the children of the king and the queen.

Jingol (징골) - the second highest rank in the Bone Rank System: the True Bone. Someone has to be either a child of the king to a royal concubine or a child of any noble or high ranking official.