Chapter Text
Chapter Twenty Three
"I have come to attack the palace that I have always protected," Grand General Park commented as he stood in front of the king's courtyard alongside the 4th Prince and the 13th Prince, all of them dressed in battle armor.
King Taejo chuckled as the Grand General shook his head in disbelief.
The palace gates were closed as So had expected but when he raised his sword and as the soldiers behind him roared a battle cry, the gates had opened, and Princess Hwangbo Yeon Hwa came out with soldiers behind her.
Yeon Hwa smirked while King Gwangjong and Go Ha Jin frowned.
“I cannot help but hate her.” Ha Jin muttered. King Gwangjong smiled at her in agreement.
So raised an eyebrow in confusion not knowing why the princess had opened the gates. Yeon Hwa bowed in front of him along with the soldiers.
“I will help you enter the palace without any bloodshed, So-orabeoni.” She said, smiling at him.
“And in return she will get a crown.” Soo sadly stared at her beloved. While Gwangjong had noticed, the younger Wang So did notice the sad look on her face.
“I will not forget your loyalty.” So promised his sister.
Queen Sinjeong stared at her daughter, she could not believe that she and her daughter had become so power hungry in the future. She did not understand how her future self could throw her own son away.
King Jeonjong began to laugh as though he had gone insane as he got up from his bed and moved towards Soo, “I knew that he would end up getting everything.” Yo laughed hysterically.
The 4th Prince looked at his elder brother in surprise, never expecting him to say anything of this sort, while Emperor Gwangjong turned to look at Ha Jin questioningly, who sighed and nodded.
The 3rd Prince ignored everyone’s surprised yet questioning looks and continued to watch what was happening.
“What did I do so wrong? I was afraid that I would be thrown away as well. Just like So was. I thought I would be cast off as well.” He said with tears in his eyes as he fell to the ground, clutching at his chest, right above his heart.
“It just goes to show how well of a mother Queen Yoo is.” The Hubaekje Princess shook her head in disgust.
“Not a good Queen and now, not even a good mother.” Court Lady Oh scoffed at the Queen, whose eyes burned with fury at both the woman’s comments, the only reason had not began screeching at the two of them was the 14th Prince’s hand holding her back.
The King choked out from where he was on the floor, “Eomoni said to me that I was complete and not lacking in anything, yet….”
“I still cannot believe you abandoned me eomoni.” 3rd Prince Yo shook his head in disbelief, still trying to process what his mother had done and his sorry state.
“It is all because of you. Because you got involved, you wench!” He screamed as he pushed her to the ground.
“Why are you blaming Soo for your mistakes?” Eun glared at his elder brother as the other princes nodded in agreement.
Soo stayed on the floor as the king continued to talk, “You should choose.” He said as brought a piece of parchment and a brush dipped in ink. He began coughing continuously as Hae Soo clutched her heart and stared at the king in fear.
“How could you?!” Queen Yoo stared at her son in horror. Wang Yo rolled his eyes at his mother before replying, “How could you abandon almost all your sons eomoni?”
“Plus, its obvious to see I’m delirious in my pain.”
“Who should I give the throne to? Choose. Wook? Baek ah? So? You’re so great why don’t you choose?!” He hysterically asked as he wrote his last decree.
“Find the King now!” a voice was heard saying as men, who Soo assumed were soldiers entered Cheondeokjeon in search of the king.
“Tell me!” He shrieked at her as collapsed into coughs as Soo remained silent and frozen in front of the king.
Gwangjong saw Soo holding Seol close to her heart, while she had her eyes shut, unable to relive through some of the most traumatizing moments of her life.
He took her hand in his and held it tightly, smiling when he saw that the tense look on her face turned slightly relaxed. He also relished in the feel of her hand held in his, it had been years since he had held his Soo like this.
King Jeonjong scribbled something on the parchment and held it out to Soo who only crawled away, shivering in fear as the king clutched his heart and fell to his feet, his last breath leaving his body.
Despite the 3rd Prince’s actions, all the brothers felt a bit sorrowful as they watched their brother’s last moments.
Queen Yoo and King Taejo could feel tears prickling in their eyes.
“I was only trying to survive.”
“Aren’t we all?” Grand General Park commented, feeling pleased at the way the man who killed his daughter died.
Soo backed away from the late king’s body, choking back tears. She tried to breathe as she clutched on to her chest, Soo felt as though her lungs had stopped working.
Both So and King Gwangjong turned to look at Ha Jin in concern, only to be slightly reassured by her strained smile.
The sound of doors being thrown open and someone marching in made Hae Soo open her eyes only to see her 4th Prince enter the King’s chambers. He froze mid-way as he saw his elder brother on the ground and a whimpering Soo near him.
“What a scene this paints though.” Baek ah commented.
“You almost made my heart stop you know. I thought something happened to you.” Emperor Gwangjong shook his head.
Soo felt as though she could finally breathe again when she saw the 4th Prince. She closed her eyes again and took a couple of deep breaths, while still clutching on to her aching chest. Hae Soo could feel everything around her shake as she tried to compose herself.
“You should have gotten it treated long time ago.” Gwangjong shuddered as his eyes filled with pain, remembering that in his world, Soo had died.
Myung Hee looked at her cousin in worry and concern.
Wang So took the last decree of the king out of King Jeonjong’s hands and read it. He stared at the decree before turning to look at Soo, “Soo-ya, did you read it?” he asked, who shook her head in denial.
So tore up the decree and threw the pieces of the parchment near the fallen body of the late king.
Everyone stared at King Gwangjong in shock at what he had done.
“YOU CANNOT JUST TEAR THE LAST DECREE OF THE KING!” The 3rd Prince roared as he stood up from where he sat.
The 4th Prince had a slight smirk on his shocked face as he turned to look at his future self, who was full on smirking, “Well guess what hyungnim, I just did.”
“Move! I told you to move!” The Dowager Queen’s voice was heard as she made her way through the guards, court ladies and eunuchs positioned outside the king’s chambers.
She stared at the late king’s body in shock as she whispered, “Yo-ya…” The Royal astrologer entered the chamber at the exact time. Everyone stood frozen at the dead body of the king.
The Dowager Queen stared at the dead body of her second son in shock, as though as she could not believe that he was dead.
“You should choose.” The 3rd King’s voice echoed in her mind as Hae Soo stared at Wang So.
Choi Ji Mong smiled as he looked at his fellow time traveler, “The King Maker.” He softly chuckled.
‘King Gwangjong’ she thought as she went on her knees and prostrated herself in front of the 4th Prince, “Greetings to the new king. Long, long, long may he live.” She breathed out, trying to ignore the light headedness she felt.
“Lady Hae Soo crowned him?!”
“Soo crowned him?!”
“I don’t think she’s allowed to that…”
Shouting and confusion broke through the chamber as everyone’s voices overlapped.
“SILENCE!” King Taejo’s voice rendered the chamber silent with his order, looking annoyed at everyone, he spoke, “I’m sure we’ll find out what are the consequences if we sit quietly and continue to watch patiently.”
Many of the princes flushed in embarrassment and nodded before looking straight at the screen.
“What do you mean by king? What do you mean by king?!” The Dowager Queen questioned as her eyes moved in between the court lady and the prince.
“The King gave me the throne before he passed away. He abdicated to me.” So said as he turned to look at his birth mother.
“Of course you would lie about a matter as serious as this.” Queen Yoo scoffed.
“Greetings to the new king!” Ji Mong said as he fell to his knees and the guards echoed his words as everyone except the Dowager Queen, bowed to the new king.
“And he’s finally king.” Crown Prince Moo told his father, who nodded at what he heard, feeling satisfied that his son had fulfilled his destiny.
The 4th Prince looked every inch the king he was destined to be in his coronation robes. He entered the court room, his figure alone looking regal and imposing, his chosen ministers following him in the procession.
“He looks glorious.” Yeon Hwa whispered as she watched her brother’s handsome figure in awe.
“It is his destiny to be king!” The Royal Astrologer announced right before the Grand General pulled him down to make sure that the man does not start going on again and again.
Princess Yeon Hwa and Prince Baek ah stared at their brother in pride and admiration as he made his way to the throne.
14th Prince looked deeply upset seeing his elder brother being crowned the King of Goryeo, while the 9th Prince only had a snaky smile on his face.
“I thought you supported So-hyungnim?” Eun asked.
Jung looked unsure as he replied, “I think it’s because of the three years of King Jeonjong’s reign.”
King Gwangjong took the gold dragon statuette from the royal astrologer and lifted it up high as the echoes of ‘Long Live the King’ erupted around the throne room, with ministers and royal family members bowing in union.
Despite the pride King Taejo felt at his son’s coronation, he could not help but worry about what the consequence of his decision would be, for his son had chosen to bind himself to a golden cage.
Hae Soo was standing outside in the courtyard, feeling a bit strange dressed in the attire of an unwedded noble lady after long years of only wearing the Head Court Lady’s uniform.
Jung’s jaw dropped when he saw Soo. She looked so pure and beautiful.
Baek ah noticed this and rolled his eyes.
Wang So’s face was completely red as he saw Hae Soo, he could not believe that this woman whose beautiful inside-out, loves him. She chose him.
Meanwhile Emperor Gwangjong looked like a lovestruck puppy, something that made Ha Jin and Seol giggle.
She turned around to look at Cheondeokjeon and could not help but smile with pride when she saw the 4th Prince exit Cheondeokjeon. He was wearing a grand black color dragon robe and had secured his hair in a topknot with a golden hairpin. He looked like every inch the king he was destined to be.
“Wow hyungnim! I have never imagined you as king. But now that I have seen you in those dragon robes, I cannot get it out of my mind!” Eun complimented his elder brother. Both the 4th Prince and the Emperor blushed hearing such praise.
‘Gwangjong’
‘He is the 4th King of Goryeo. He is Gwangjong’ Soo thought as So walked outside of Cheondeokjeon’s halls.
“I keep forgetting she knows our nation’s future.” Myung Hee shook her head while Wook smiled at her fondly.
Hae Soo looked at him in slight awe as she remembered what she learned in history, ‘Now, you will no longer be remembered in history as a bloody monarch. I will help you.’
Everyone turned to look at Go Ha Jin, who could not help but sigh, “The King Gwangjong of my previous time was known as a bloody monarch and other such. I know not why, for I was never the one for history. However, when I returned back to the future, quite a lot had changed, including that title of ‘bloody monarch’.”
The King and his court lady smiled at each other.
Woo Hee and Myung Hee softly smiled at Hae Soo being happy.