"Yeah, but I didn't conceive him. He is the son of the late empress who died when she gave birth to him."
That gave me relief. I thought Von already had a child.
"I have been preparing him for the worst. He knows that I won't stay long as the empress."
"Does he know about you?"
"No. He doesn't have to know."
"Is he qualified to rule the country already?"
She nodded. "I'm just three years older than him."
"So, the emperor is quite old?"
"Nah. Even though he's old, he still looks handsome."
Yeah. I know Von. She wouldn't allow herself to be involved with someone who isn't handsome.
"How did you meet the emperor?" I asked.
"Can we have a seat and drink tea? I'm sure this will take a while."
"Oh sure. Let's go to my chamber."
She laughed. "Would you leave your visitors just to hear my story?"
I stopped. Yeah, right. I have visitors. I was so engrossed in listening to her that I didn't even notice the event was still ongoing.
"I almost forgot."
"Let's continue after the event. I'll be staying here for a while to catch up with you."
"My queen..." I looked behind me to see who was calling.
"The king is calling you," Von said.
I looked at her intently. She just laughed.
"Go now, I'll wait."
I nodded and mouthed 'thank you' to her.
I walked toward the king who had called me.
"I've been looking for you everywhere."
"I'm sorry."
"The queens told me the empress wanted to talk to you alone. Why is that?"
"Ah... she complimented me on my performance," I lied.
He nodded.
"Do you still like her?"
"Huh?"
"I heard you have a past."
The king didn't respond.
"I won't get hurt."
"I told you it was already in the past."
"But your eyes say otherwise."
He sighed. "I have you now, my queen. You are married to me."
"But we both know, from the start, why we married each other."
"I told you I want everything to be real."
"Did you talk with the empress?"
He looked at me, then shrugged.
"I know you want to talk to her."
"What for?"
"I think you still have feelings for her," I said.
"No. I have no feelings for her. I like you, and you know that."
"You like me because I help you. But you love her because she is her."
He didn't respond. Why is it that I want them to be the endgame? Von is single now since the emperor has already died.
"Let's not talk about it."
Yeah. For now. I still have so many questions in my mind, but I'll reserve them for later.
The king and I went into the crowd where the other kings were drinking. They were chugging from their glasses like drunkards.
"Your Highness!" – King 1
"Let's drink." – King 2
The king looked at me.
"I know how you drink. Just please don't get wasted."
The king nodded and joined the crowd.
"Aren't you joining us, Your Majesty?" another king asked.
"As much as I want to, I need to attend to the other queens. Please feel free to drink and enjoy the rest of the day, Your Highness," I said, bowing my head before leaving. I went straight to the queens, who were now busy chit-chatting while having their tea.
"Your Majesty!" Queen Zuki called me.
I smiled and joined them.
"Is the empress done talking to you?" she asked.
"Yeah, Your Highness."
"Did she tell you something?" another queen asked.
I looked at them—they seemed to be waiting for gossip.
"She just complimented my performance. That's why she called me," I said.
"Awww..." They looked disappointed hearing my answer. I secretly smiled.
"Empress Isha never joined us, even before the emperor was alive. She was always silent and wanted to be alone," another queen began.
"I agree. I wanted to befriend her, but I was too afraid to get near her. Her aura isn't that friendly."
I wanted to tell them that Von is not like that. But I remembered—this is not our world.
"But did you know there's a rumor that she's not one of us?" Queen Zuki said.
"She doesn't belong in this world," she added.
"Where did you hear that rumor?" another queen asked.
"Fortune teller," she answered.
I remembered the fortune teller who told me that I don't belong here. Is it the same fortune teller who told them Von doesn't belong in this world?
"But it hasn't been proven, right? Sometimes fortune tellers give wrong information."
"I doubt it. She's one of the most famous and smartest fortune tellers in town. How could she say something that might ruin her reputation? It's the empress she's trying to accuse." – Queen 3
"Isn't it disrespectful to talk about another person without them knowing?" I interrupted. I wanted them to know that Von isn't like that.
"In the short period that I talked with the empress, she seemed like a nice person," I said.
The queens fell silent.
"She's soft-spoken—that's why she's often misinterpreted as aloof. But while we were talking, she sounded jolly and enthusiastic."
"She's never been like that to us."
"Maybe because she knows you talk about her—that joining you might be a danger?" I said.
Silence fell between us.
"Try to get to know the Empress. I'm sure you'll like her," I said. Because the moment I first met her in our world, I already did.
"Maybe Queen I-jun is right. We judged her right away without really meeting her," Queen Zuki said.
I smiled, then decided to change the topic. "Do you know where the princesses and princes are, Your Highness?"
"They're at the pavilion, talking—just like us."
I nodded.
We sipped our tea while chatting. This time, they weren't gossiping. Instead, they discussed how to improve their countries.
"How about you, Queen I-jun? Any advice you can give us on maintaining peace in our nations?"
Huh? I murmured to myself. I'm not even into politics. Honestly, I haven't done anything significant except help the king fight Kim Man Shik. What should I say?
"Just be true to yourself," I said. It was all I could think of.
"What do you mean, Your Highness?"
"If people see your true self, they'll trust you and follow the rules you implement. If they believe you're genuine and a good leader, the country will naturally become peaceful."
"Is that what you're doing?"
I nodded—even though it wasn't entirely true.
"No wonder the king chose you," Queen Zuki said, smiling.
I smiled back. What would they think if they knew it was all just an act? Would they hold a grudge against me?
I responded to Queen Zuki's compliment with a smile. I didn't want to tell more lies. It was up to them how they interpreted that smile.
We spent a few more hours together before they finally decided to retire to their rooms. They would be spending the night here before returning to their respective countries. I instructed my head court lady to prepare dinner and send it to each of their chambers.
I waved goodbye as they left. They looked tired after a day of endless conversation and gossip.
I planned to return to my chamber too, but then I remembered Von.
Where is she?
Did she wait where we spoke earlier?
I returned to the spot, but she was nowhere to be found.
Where could she be?
"I-jun!"
I turned to see who called me. It was Min Yun.
"Min Yun! Have you seen Empress Isha?"
"You two seemed close while talking. I didn't know you knew Empress Isha. Did you know the king and Empress Isha had a past?"
"Yes, I know."
"Does it hurt you?"
"Why would I be hurt?"
"Because the king is your husband."
I shrugged. "Because I know Empress Isha well."
He looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"Remember I told you before about my best friend?"
"Yes. And what does that have to do with Empress Isha?"
"She is my best friend."