Her Poison His cure: Behind The Mask

My heart rose in my chest as I stared at the direction father passed through. I willed my hand to stop shaking as I slowly stood up.

Furious and frantic, I ran to the direction. Taking two steps at a time, I was finally able to make it out but what I laid my eyes on halted my step and my body turned stone cold.

Guards were everywhere standing at alert blocking all the entrance to the prison yard. It looks like a ceremony is being done. Right before me are my biggest nightmares.

Several women dressed in a white clothes, all round Yeong ho. They were chanting some words that I couldn’t understand. I looked at Yeong ho and my heart dropped at the sight of him. The innocent boy just kneels silently awaiting whatever they were going to do to him.

Suddenly something caught my attention, I saw the heavenly dagger father used to cut my palm, on a middle aged woman’s hand. My blood was still on the dagger dripping red, my mouth dropped open but no words came out.

The woman was standing in front of a table and on the table was a small pot, fire was injected inside the pot. A small separate pot was next to the firepot and the woman was mixing something into the pot and some other item like feathers, and a big flower vase rested on the table.

The woman stopped mixing whatever she was doing and came closer to Yeong ho. The dagger lay in her hand begging to be used. She raised her hand up toward Yeong ho’s neck and I released the deepest scream ever.

Hearing the scream the woman’s hand stopped midway and she looked to the direction where scream came from only to see me.

Yeong ho also turned back toward the scream, his eyes grew big when he saw me. He smiled sadly and muttered something I could never forget in my life.

“I love you” he whispered as tears wail down his cheek.

It was a very inaudible word that couldn’t be heard by people but surprisingly I heard it clearly. My heart pounded hard and tears filled my eyes as I thought of all those hours we spent together and a stab of pain skewered my gut when I realized I had also fallen in love with the boy in front me.

My hand fisted and shook as I ran to rescue Yeong ho from the onslaught of the dagger about to land on his body but I felt a hand grasp my wrist.

“Your highness. You shouldn’t get involved. It was the king’s order” A guard said, nudging his head toward a direction, his hand still holding my wrist.

I looked forward to the direction and saw my father standing quietly staring at me, behind him were his ministers.

So this was all planned.

“What are you waiting for? Go ahead with the ritual” Father growled loudly at the woman. She nodded her head, and positioned her hand again to carry out his order.

“Why are you doing this?. How did you even know I was here? ”I shouted savagely at my father and that seemed to hold the woman’s hand again.

I saw him inhale deeply and he stared at a place, his eyes fixed toward the place. Not wasting time I took my eyes toward his gaze and my eyes land on my maids and Court lady Chun.

I creased my brow but they grew big when I saw someone I thought I should not have seen again__ Ku soha.

She stood behind court lady Chun and was supporting most of her weight meant for her leg on a cane in her hand. She looks refreshed and it shows that she has received treatment.

She limped forward to me, standing a few meters away from me. She smirked as she said. “Forgive me, Your highness. I was the one who informed His Majesty” Mock sweetness colouring her tone.

What the hell is happening. Ku Soha was supposed to be dead, why is she here and sputtering nonsense from her mouth?.

She is meant to be dead because I remember clearly I ordered court lady Chun to dispose of her body in the widely cold palace forest. No one could survive the raging wind in that forest and given her condition before she was supposed to be disposed of, I don’t think she could have been able to survive it. Then what happened.

I looked at Court lady Chun and I saw the most guilty look in her eyes and that gave me the answer to my question that Court lady Chun betrayed me.

She looks down as if regretting what she has done. My eyes turn pure red as I feel her betrayal go deep inside my bone. How could she?. Her of all people.

“I guessed you got your answer now” Father said and I looked at him with bloodshot eyes.

My body shakes uncontrollably as I feel different emotions inside me: betrayal, pain, drain and guilt knowing that Yeong ho is about to die because of me.

“You can’t do this” I insisted stubbornly and he gestured for the woman who I later knew to be the royal priestess to carry out his order.

Everything happens in a twinkle of eyes. I heard a loud grunt from Yeong ho followed by a loud gasp from everyone present and before I could comprehend what had happened I saw Yeon ho’s body going back until his body hit the ground.

The royal priestess has stabbed Yeong ho with the dagger.

At that moment it feel like my whole world has collapse as I didn’t even know what to do, whether to cry or scream I just become automatically dumb with my gaze rested on his face.

Yeong ho smiled weakly at me, blood sputtering from his mouth. I just stood watching him until he closed his eyes, his body turning cold and he breathed his last.