"Stay still"
""Your Majesty, now go back to Daejeon and go to bed. The wedding ceremony is tomorrow, and you must look good to the queen who is meeting you for the first time."
Heon turned around without saying a word and headed towards Daejeon. He simply resented Grandma. Even after provoking her, she didn't blink, but instead, ordered him to prepare for the wedding ceremony tomorrow. The look in her eyes was so repulsive. She had to move cautiously, carefully plan, and take them one by one...
The next day
Perhaps because it was a wedding ceremony, the palace maids were busy moving around from the morning so that their feet could not be seen, and Heon and Seolhwa were also busy with the palace maids' busy hands.
"Mom~~ Please don't move and hold your breath. Your makeup will keep smudging~"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, like this..?"
"Ha... just close your eyes."
"Okay, I understand."
"Now, you must raise the garland for the last time."
"Even the wedding ceremony... it was truly grand."
"Because it's a military wedding ceremony to welcome the queen of a country."
"Mother of the Nation... Am I even qualified to be the mother of the nation?"
"It's enough, Mama... The weight is very heavy, so you have to brace your neck. Also, if you don't keep your head upright due to the weight, there is a risk of your neck breaking, so you have to keep your head upright."
"Okay."
"Now look in the mirror, mama."
"Ha... this is awkward..."
"Mama, you must keep your shoulders back, and your face is filled with worry. Now, you will become the mother of the nation, taking responsibility for the country alongside Your Majesty. So, fill your face with dignity."
"Please call for the ancestral palace Seol-i."
"It's not Seol anymore, it's Yoon Na-in, Mama."
"Okay, call Yoon Na-in, and you can step aside for a moment."
"Yes, mama"
Seol-i comes in and Jo Sang-gung goes outside and forces all the palace servants out, setting up a place where only Seol-hwa and Seol-i can talk.
"Seol, seeing you dressed like a princess makes me realize that I am now Your Majesty's woman..."
"Mama, you are truly beautiful, like a flower..."
"Seol-ah, you should call me Miss, not Mama... I still feel awkward being called Mama. Now, you're the only one in the palace who knows me, and I don't want to grow distant from you."
"Yes, Miss."
"When I become the queen, my father will definitely order one of his people among the court ladies or servants to watch over me. So, I have one last request to make of you."
"Yes, please, Miss."
"I can no longer leave the palace, but you, Seol, a court lady, will have a day when you can leave the palace... Please find my older sister."
"Yes? The eldest daughter has already passed away at the hands of the great majesty."
"No, my brother said that my sister ran away. Please find her, she might be alive."
"If I ever get a chance to go outside the palace, I'll ask around."
"Thank you, Seol-ah."
"Mama~~ The wedding ceremony is about to begin. Please end your conversation with Yoon Na-in."
At the ancestral palace, Seol-i was sent out and boarded a palanquin, a carriage that only the queen could ride, to the place where the wedding ceremony was held.
At that time, in Daejeon, Heon had finished preparing to go to the wedding ceremony.
"You finally get to see the face of that bold woman who has not been reflected in Jim... Order the carriage drivers to hurry."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Un-ah"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Why does your face, as the bodyguard of the deceased, seem to shine brighter than the burden of the wedding today..?"
"As Your Majesty knows, my face cannot help but shine... I always feel ashamed to Your Majesty."
"The face of the fruit is also a face that is not lacking anywhere, so there is no need to feel sorry..."
"(Confirmation kill) I apologize, Your Majesty."
"(No comment) Un-ah, don't catch Jim's eye today..."
"A face that cannot go unnoticed,"
"Shut up... please shut your mouth! How can your luck be the same for 11 years..."
"Your Majesty, people must be consistent."
"Shut your mouth! It's a royal order! I wonder if they'll be able to get married... Oh my... I'm the bodyguard... Okay, okay! Lift the palanquin! Let's go!"
At the wedding venue, all the court ladies and ministers were already waiting. Even the Queen Dowager was seated, waiting for Seolhwa and Heon. The moment Seolhwa and Heon stepped out of the palanquin and faced each other,
"Your Majesty... It's really hard for me to look at your face,!?! You!"
"Master...? How did the Master end up here...?"
"So you tried to die by falling off a cliff because of this person..?"
"You've misunderstood..."
"What a misunderstanding! He's not a man without any shortcomings..."
"There are many eyes watching... Let's go ahead."
After Seolhwa and Heon walk in front of the queen, they turn around and look at the numerous ministers and court ladies. Now, the minister next to Heon reads the sacred text.
"Accordingly, Yun Seol-hwa, the daughter of Yun Ga, became the queen of Joseon!"
"Wait! Stop!"
"Who is there during the wedding ceremony?!"
"If the Crown Princess is alive, how can there be a new queen?"
"Mother, after a long journey, you have finally reached your seat. Please get out of the palanquin."
"I'm so happy to see everyone's faces brightening up, wondering if they've been doing well while I was gone... but I'm also shocked to see the people who tried to kill me."
"B, poverty? How can you live..."
"Your Majesty... I hope you are well... I left the palace for a while to ensure my concubine's safety, and I have fled to the mountains, fields, and sea, and have now finally returned."
"The baby I saw at the silk house back then?"
"Unfortunately, I met you through this fate..."
"Baby,"
Swish! In an instant, Seolhwa's head turned, and everyone who had been preoccupied with the return of Bin-gung, who had already died, all turned their attention to Seolhwa, who had just been slapped. Soon after, Bin-gung's solemn voice was heard, as if announcing her splendid return.
"How can you not pay your respects when you see the main palace in front of you! The main palace's attire is like this and yours is like that, so your rank does not change! Why don't you pay your respects quickly?"
"S, girl Yun-ga, daughter Yun-seol-hwa, b, meet the poor mother"
"Yes, remember... you look best in that position, kneeling and bowing your head before me."
"What the hell is going on now!"
"Is Your Majesty the Queen Dowager well?"
"What the hell is this in the middle of a very important wedding ceremony!"
"A wedding ceremony? These days, even concubines, who are not the first wife but rather the King's concubines, receive wedding ceremonies? Even though I, a poor court lady, am still alive? Unfortunately, Your Majesty, I am not dead. Your Majesty's plan has failed."
"J, the position of the Crown Princess is mine..! B, Since Your Majesty the Concubine left the palace as a member of the royal family, she will receive the corresponding punishment. She will also be stripped of her title as Crown Princess."
"Since I left the palace, I must pay the price for it.... So are you saying that I should have died instead of leaving the palace? Please tell me!"
"....Mama, let's finish the wedding ceremony first!"
"I'm back in poverty, so what's the use of this wedding ceremony?"
Seolhwa, who thought that there was no way to avoid this situation, with her father watching from the side and the King and the Concubine in front, collapsed on the spot and pretended to faint. When she opened her eyes in the afternoon, being carried on someone's back, the situation had been somewhat resolved.
"J, Jo Sang-gung..."
"Yes, did you call Mama?"
"What happened? How did things turn out..?"
"Today's events are unusual... I am ashamed to report, but the Queen Mother has ascended to the position of the Queen. However, fortunately, His Majesty has taken special note of the Queen Mother who lost her husband overnight and has granted her the title of concubine Sowon."
"Father must have been furious again..."
"The Minister of War stopped by a little while ago, but returned because the queen did not wake up."
"Brother? Ancestor Palace, call Brother right now!"
"Yes, mama"
Hyuk stopped walking home at Seolhwa's call and hurried to her quarters. Seolhwa was still Hyuk's sore finger. Even a scratch on his face made him feel sorry for no reason, but today, Seolhwa's heart and mind couldn't take it anymore and she collapsed. He felt guilty for not being able to protect Seolhwa.
"Did you call Sowonmama..."
"Please call me Seolhwa, my brother... I don't want to be an uncomfortable person even to you, my brother."
"Okay, Seolhwa, don't worry about your father. I'll explain everything to you. Seolhwa, worry about yourself first."
"I'm fine. His Majesty has granted me the rank of Sowon. Don't worry."
"The position of concubine may be the most dangerous position."
"If only my father wouldn't step in, I would have the strength to protect myself."
"Why didn't you take off your wedding clothes?"
"I haven't had my first night yet."
"Seolhwa... His Majesty will go to the Queen's Palace today and will not be looking for you."
"It's the least polite thing to do to wait for your husband without taking off your wedding clothes. I will wait until he arrives."
That night, neither the palace nor Seolhwa's bedroom were touched, and only silence lingered.
"I had a feeling it might happen, but it's true... Let's take it off... Nanny, let my hair down. I don't want to wait anymore."
"Honey, just a little more..."
"Your Majesty is not coming... If Your Majesty is not coming, what's the use of me putting on makeup, wearing wedding clothes, and putting up my hair and putting on jewelry..."
"Your Majesty, there must have been something going on that made you unable to hear..."
"Do you hate me that much...? You were so frugal when you were the crown princess, and now that you're the queen, you're still frugal in the countryside..."
"Why would you hate the baby?"
“I thought you would come today… Even though you said you would go to see that woman when you were the Crown Princess, I thought you would come today to see me, who has returned after 11 years… I wonder if you still haven’t forgotten me..?”
The place of the story
"Mom, please take your clothes off now."
"You'll come someday, tomorrow or the day after..."
"If you keep going like this, you'll really hurt yourself. The wedding dress is so heavy... and the wedding dress is no small thing."
"I'll still wait though."
"Will you lower your head if I call a woman named Seol?"
"Your Majesty Seol-i must know that I won't take off my wedding clothes... That's why she's just waiting outside."
"In a little while, the court lady will come to Daejeon and take off your maid's hat."
"Mama, I am Lady Han Sang-gung~"
"Eat"
"I have come here because Your Majesty has ordered me to take off your headdress."
"Who dares! Even His Majesty couldn't even touch it!
Where are you trying to put your hand?!”
"You must take off your headdress to have spent the night in the wilderness."
"Tell His Majesty! I won't do anything, so don't be afraid and come with peace of mind."
"....."
"It would be better to spread the rumor that Yoon So-won met Sobak."
"The Crown Princess, now the Queen Mother, was unable to spend the night in her poverty, so she endured the night without taking off her hat and fainted."
"This time, Your Majesty will have a peaceful night's sleep."
“Is that so? Then I will go back now.”
"Be sure to tell His Majesty what I said."
Han Sang-gung returned to Daejeon and relayed to Heon exactly what Sul-hwa had said. Heon listened quietly and then chuckled.
"Hansanggung"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Didn't they say during Yoon So-won's selection that she was definitely a woman fit for the position of queen?"
"Yes, that's right."
"From what I heard from you today, it seems like you are far from being worthy of the position of a queen."
"As it is the highest and brightest position, isn't it also fraught with threats? A certain amount of temper and venom are necessary."
"A woman who speaks to me, the king, with a tone that seems to be showing mercy... How interesting! Let's wait and see how much venom she has~"
"Your Majesty, you've already beaten a simple person, and now you're planning to knock out another person...?"
"I don't know if I'll faint, give up, or come back to find you..."
The next day
Seolhwa and Silhwa bickering since morning
"Take it off, miss."
"Even though I said no!"
"Please listen to me, miss! You're really hurting!"
"It's even stranger that your body is still healthy when your insides are already rotten and decayed! Seol, you give up!"
"How come you haven't changed in 12 years? Our little girl is still stubborn... No, no, no... Give up."
"Ms. Yoon So-won, a message came from the Queen's Palace a little while ago."
"What did the Queen say?"
"Yoon So-won has been ordered to immediately visit the palace and offer her greetings to the Queen."
"I must obey your orders! Let's go to the palace of the ancestors."
"If you go in that outfit..."
"I'm sure the Queen would be quite pleased to see my simple-looking tail."
On the way to the palace, numerous vultures laughed at her, but Seolhwa didn't care about such gazes, and Jo Sang-gung and Seol were sad.
The story of how he ended up going to the palace in his wedding attire
After receiving the queen's permission, he entered the quarters and saw that the queen, who he had thought was very angry, was reading a book with a very calm expression.
"I apologize for the late greeting. I hope you were well last night..."
"Yoon So-won, your outfit..."
"His Majesty has not yet entered my chambers."
"As expected... Your Majesty already has another woman in mind... So, stop being so stubborn and get dressed comfortably."
"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine, so please don't worry."
"How foolish... Even after the main palace fainted, His Majesty didn't visit the queen's palace. How could you be any different?"
"You'll probably stop by sometime."
"Well, I received your greetings, so you may go back now."
"Ah... Please forget my rudeness yesterday. I was afraid of Father, so I lost my temper for a moment and was very rude to you, Mom."
"One morning, my husband was stolen by another woman... I would have done the same thing if I were you, so don't take it to heart. I'm fine..."
"As expected, your Majesty is a kind person... Well then, I will return to my quarters."
A tale of meeting Heon on his way back to his bedroom
"Your Majesty, how were you last night?"
"I think it's you, Yoon So-won, who is not well."
"No, why wouldn't you be able to stay healthy?"
"I'm sorry you're so heartbroken that you couldn't get what you wanted."
"My wish has come true. I wanted to be a flower... Aren't concubines the flowers of the palace?"
The words that she wants to live as a lotus flower overlap with Seolhwa's words, and the face of the lotus flower overlaps with Seolhwa's face.
"....Wow..."
"Hwa... I think the name of the woman the Queen was talking about was Hwa."
"You don't know! You can never be that woman."
"Yes, I know. I will never be able to replace him."
"So don't wait any longer for your luggage and change your clothes."
"However, I can relieve Your Majesty's suffering."
"I tried to forget you for 11 years, but you wouldn't let me forget you. You made me miss you so much that it was painful. How could you?"
"If you are curious, come to the concubine's quarters tonight... and I will tell you."
"Today, we will be going to Yun So-won's residence. Please bring the palanquin to Daejeon by the appointed time."
Name: Baek Woon
Occupation: King's bodyguard
Age: Same age as Heon
Characteristics: He is Heon's subject and Heon's most beloved friend.
He is known as the most handsome man in the palace. Despite his handsome appearance, his gentle nature, despite his swordsmanship, is what makes many women cry. He is a friend Heon made when he went undercover, and after he passed the military service examination with the highest score, Heon appointed him as his bodyguard. He is a loyal subject, but also harbors an inferiority complex. He knows everything about Heon and almost everything about how relationships are intertwined, but he keeps the truth from Heon, wishing only for things to go his way. (He is the only person Heon knew before Yeonhwa.)
Name: Doseohwa
Rank: Queen (current) / Crown Princess (past)
Age: Same age as Seolhwa's older sister
Characteristics: A wise and virtuous woman worthy of the title of Queen.
As a relative, she was Heon's cousin and they were close before marriage, but their relationship became strained due to incest and Heon distanced himself from her.
As soon as she became the Crown Princess, she was beaten by Heon, and the next day, while chasing after Heon, she met Yeonhwa, a woman Heon was in love with.
He entered the palace to seek revenge on the Queen Dowager and Yun Dae-hwan, who attempted to burn him to death 12 years ago. He was in love with Heon and still does, but his hatred and resentment towards him grow.
Not knowing that Seolhwa is Yeonhwa.