Your abyss
Soon my paradise
It will be
01| Queen Lee Yeo-ju
It was in that winter, when a blanket of snow blanketed the yard and the pond in the backyard froze, that the disaster occurred. The house was abuzz all day, gossip was rife in the village, and the once-white snow in the backyard was now stained with the footsteps of passersby. And the person in question, expressionless and silent, remained alone, lost in his grief.
"Of course, who else would take that position if not the female protagonist! Hehe, no, but should I call you the Queen Mother now?"
"What about the queen? We haven't even gotten married yet."
"Don't be shy, soon the corners of your mouth will pierce the sky!"
Every time a sound from outside reached the heroine's ears, she would cover them and bury her head in her crouched legs. She had no way of knowing how she had ended up in this situation. Her once-bright mind seemed to be at a loss at times like this.
"I thought the late king had lost his mind, but it seems his mind was still spinning with love."
"This guy! What are you going to do if others hear you!"
"It's so strange, so strange. The very first thing she did after ascending to the throne was to announce herself as queen. If the royal family was so quiet, then she must have been suffering from love sickness."
The absurd sound continued to grate on her nerves. Even her crouched body ached and stiffened as time passed. Finally, she stood up, took a deep breath, and sat down in her chair to write down her plan. If there was no way forward, she planned to escape, even if it meant breaking through the wall.
"I had no idea, but you are as good as I expected."
The hand that had been moving quickly was caught by Taehyung's large one, and he was frozen in place. Taehyung, still holding the woman's hand, tilted his upper body toward her as if provoking her. The corners of Taehyung's mouth went up, but the woman's body began to tremble.
"Do you despise marriage with me so much that you'd go to such lengths to devise an escape plan? If so, that's quite disappointing."
"..."
"Oh, I didn't tell you why I came here in the middle of the night. I just climbed over the wall because I was curious about the person who would become my companion."
“Do you really have to go this far to get rid of that lump?”
"What a mess. Would I ever harbor such feelings for such a beautiful woman?"
That day, the woman who was annoyed by the sarcastic expressions Taehyung used towards her threw away his hands that were wrapping around her and met his eyes. His gaze seemed to have a confidence and composure that she had never seen before.
"You must want to defeat me even if it means resorting to cowardly means."
"I guess my move was quite shocking, seeing as how quickly I spoke without responding."
"Then I will try to write one too."
"well."
"I heard that after Your Majesty ascended to the throne, the number of princesses demanded by the Yuan Dynasty increased."
"Are you saying that you would become a princess just to avoid marrying me? That's just like you."
"If she's a daughter of a noble family, there's no way they'd refuse. Also, since the Ministry of the Interior is in charge of exporting princesses, it's probably not within His Majesty's authority."
"Will they let you go from the royal register? Who else but those who dare to disgrace the king's face, branded as the king's woman, would accept your wishes?"
No matter how hard she racked her brain, it crumbled easily before his power. No matter how much she struggled, no suitable answer emerged, and she ultimately collapsed. It was the greatest defeat of her life.
"It breaks my heart to see you struggling like this."
"Please go back now."
It took her time to fully accept and embrace defeat. So, Taehyung, who was looking down at her with a victorious smile and a tone of concern, must have been incredibly bothersome. Just as she was about to take his hand and send him away, she heard footsteps nearby.
"Hurry up. Isn't someone coming?"
She grew anxious, but Taehyung, instead, smiled and held her hand firmly in his grip. Yeoju, sensing what he was about to do, panicked and tried to pull his hand away, but his footsteps had already stopped, and she heard a voice calling her from the door.
"Miss, it's me. I've finished getting ready to shower. I'll go in."
"Don't be nervous. This is just the beginning, my queen."
"town-"
Just before the door opened, Taehyung whispered in her ear, and he kissed her immediately. Even then, she had tried to escape, but Taehyung's other hand held her waist tightly, leaving her body trembling. Her servant, startled by the sudden display of affection between the king and the young lady, quickly closed the door. It was obvious how the rumor would spread. Late into the night, Yeoju quietly wept, embracing her crumbling castle.