"Let's make a baby..."
When the king said that, I gasped and pushed him away. He didn't resist—he let me. Then he burst into laughter when he saw my reaction.
"I'm just kidding," the king said, still laughing.
"You're so mean, Your Highness," I said with an angry face.
"But we can make it real. After all, the ministers are pressuring me to produce an heir."
I frowned again. "I thought you promised not to pressure me. You told me that before I agreed to marry you."
"I'm just testing my luck," he laughed again, but this time it didn't sound real.
I saw his face change. His laughter turned into sadness.
"I told you, I want to make everything real."
He was now looking at me seriously.
"I'm willing to wait, my queen—until you accept my love."
How should I respond to that? Why did Min Yun's face suddenly appear in my mind? Why am I afraid to turn the king down, yet not ready to accept his love either? If I do, it would mean turning Min Yun away. I don't want to hurt Min Yun. He means so much to me.
But what if the king finds out about us? What would happen then? If I accept his love, I should be honest with him. But I can't tell him the truth about me. In fact, I don't plan to. Maybe he'll forget me once I disappear from this world. But I can't avoid them forever. Sooner or later, they'll ask about my true feelings.
Min Yun knows about the king's feelings for me. But the king doesn't know about Min Yun. I feel guilty for lying to him. He sees me as his hope and his faith. But what if one day I end up destroying all of that?
"Hey..."
"Huh?"
"I've been calling you. You weren't listening."
"I'm sorry."
"Did I startle you?"
"No."
"Don't worry, I'm not forcing you to love me back. As long as you're my queen, that's enough for me."
I know he's satisfied now. But what if, someday, he's not? What if he starts needing more—more that I can't give?
Should I tell Min Yun about this? Would it hurt him? I don't want to hurt him, especially since he's the one I can always run to—anytime, anywhere.
"I'm hungry. Do you want to eat breakfast?"
"Yes. I brought your breakfast here."
"Let's eat together," he said.
"Okay."
I called the court ladies, who were holding the trays of food. I let them in and had them serve us.
"Let's do this more often—not just to eat, but to bond together."
I smiled and nodded.
Still, I couldn't stop the sadness from creeping in. Will I be the reason the king and Min Yun's friendship is destroyed? I hope that day never comes. I don't want to ruin anything—even if this world isn't real. I don't want to ruin their story.
We ate breakfast in silence. The king didn't speak. The only sound in the room was the clinking of utensils.
"I'm done," he said after finishing his bowl of rice.
"Would you like some dessert or tea?" I asked.
"I'm already full. Thank you."
"Are you going to work now?"
He nodded.
"Let me help you."
"Okay. I'll be checking the venue today to see if anything still needs improvement."
"Okay."
"But first, I'll take a bath," he laughed.
I smiled. "I'll wait here."
****
After the king finished his bath, we went out to visit the venue. The king kept talking with his head eunuch about the updates. I didn't fully understand, as I wasn't familiar with the meaning behind the upcoming event. I decided to just go with the flow and hoped it would end successfully.
"How about the performers?"
I looked at the king when I heard the word performers.
"They are all settled," the head eunuch answered.
The king nodded. "Just make sure they won't make any mistakes."
"I already instructed their mentor, Your Highness."
Do not make any mistakes...What if something goes wrong? What if it's not just a small mistake, but a big one?
"What do you think, my queen?"
"Huh?"
"Do you want to watch their performance later?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Let them prepare this afternoon," the king told the eunuch.
"Yes, Your Highness."
The king glanced at me. "You've been spacing out since this morning," he said teasingly.
"I'm sorry. I was thinking about something else."
"What is that 'something else'?" he asked, his voice full of meaning.
"Not what you're thinking!" I grimaced.
"You look disgusted, huh?"
"Of course not!" I forgot to use honorifics.
"Just tell me if you want to make a baby. I'm 100% available."
"Your Highness!" I shouted. My loud voice caught the attention of the servants.
The king was still laughing.
"You're so mean to me, Your Highness," I said.
"I like teasing you."
"Yeah, congratulations," I replied sarcastically.
To my surprise, he held my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine.
"Your hand is so soft. I like holding it."
I didn't argue. Arguing with him would be useless.
Min Yun's POV
"Captain Min Yun..." the king's head eunuch called.
"Is the king already awake?"
"Yes, but—"
"But?"
I heard people talking inside. I opened the door slightly to see who it was. The eunuch didn't stop me.
I saw the king kissing I-jun. My body froze. Why was the king kissing I-jun?
"Let's make a baby…"
I abruptly closed the door, even though it wasn't opened fully. I was panting after hearing those words.
"Captain Min Yun, are you okay?" the eunuch asked. They were shocked too by my sudden reaction.
"Y-yes..." I stammered. "I'm leaving now. Please don't tell the king I was here."
Confused, the eunuch nodded.
I walked away as fast as I could. When I was sure I was far enough, I stopped and clutched my chest.
It kept on pounding and pounding. The image of the king kissing I-jun flashed repeatedly in my mind.
I shook my head. Why did I feel this pain in my chest? It hurt so much, I wanted to scream.
I wanted to punch the king, but I couldn't. I had no right, no freedom to do that.
Has I-jun started feeling something for the king? She didn't even hesitate when he kissed her.
I clenched my fists. It felt like I had lost again. The king won again. He always wins, I always lose.
I sighed deeply. Should I give I-jun up?But why would I? It's not the end of the world yet.
But if I-jun tells me to stop loving her, that will be the time I give up.
As long as she doesn't say a word—I won't stop. No matter what.
I-jun's POV
The king and I were watching the performers as they danced, sang, and played musical instruments. I smiled the whole time while watching them. Everything was so good and perfect that I couldn't even spot a mistake.
I looked at the king. He looked happy too, just like I was.
Maybe he noticed me staring, because he turned to me.
"Do you like it?" he asked.
"Yes. How about you?" I asked back.
"Yes. I hope they'll perform just as well during the actual event."
"Do you want to have an afternoon snack after this?"
I wanted to say yes, but I remembered that Min Yun and I had plans to go outside the palace.
"I'll be meeting Min Yun this afternoon."
He nodded. "So you won't be eating dinner with me either?"
"Yes. Will that be okay?"
"Yeah, it's okay. But can we eat together tomorrow?"
"Of course."
"Thank you."
After the presentation, the performers bowed and left the place.
The king and I clapped to show them they did a great job.
The king called his eunuch and spoke to him. I didn't bother to listen. I just waited patiently until they were finished.
After a while, the king glanced back at me.
"Let me walk you to your chamber, Your Majesty."
I didn't decline. I let him walk with me. Just like earlier, he held my hand and intertwined his fingers with mine. He's getting used to it—I'm certain of that.
When we arrived at my chamber, the court ladies opened the door for us. I thought the king wouldn't enter, but he did.
"I miss sleeping here," he said.
There he goes again.
"Let me remind you, Your Highness, that you're supposed to have your afternoon snack."
"I'm not hungry."
"But it would be a waste if you don't eat it."
"Okay, okay. I'll eat it, but…"
"But?"
"Let me do this."
I was caught off guard when the king suddenly hugged me without warning. He hugged me so tightly I could barely breathe.
"Let's stay like this for just a few more seconds."
I didn't push him away, just as he asked.
His hug spoke of longing. It felt like he hadn't been able to hold anyone like this before.
Just when I was starting to feel his warmth, he slowly loosened his arms around me.
"Thank you," he said, and then gave me a genuine smile.
And then…
He kissed me.
On my forehead.