Her Poison His cure: Behind The Mask

A sharp scent of incense welcomes me, embossing me in opulent fumes that caress my eyelids, naturally drawing thoughts and focusing on the resting upon the pillow propped against the floor.

I opened my eyes slowly and stared around in confusion. My whole body hurts and I don’t know why.

“Ouch.. huh..” I mumbled while looking around.

“Are you okay!”

I heard a voice filled with worry asked and I looked towards the voice to see my brother looking at me worriedly. My gaze moves to the next person beside him, which is Court lady chun.

I groaned and held my head with my hand as I tried sitting up. My brother quickly lent me a hand and I was able to sit up.

A timid bluish pale light peeped from the window to my left and it almost instantly blended with the diffuse lighting that was flooding the room, coming from the numerous festive light tingling places on the floor, fixed from wall to wall and around the window.

Everywhere looked so strange to me. My eyes moved around surveying where I am and I realized I was in my room but …. Wait, why is my room like this?. I mean it was decorated with different light candles.

“Are you okay?”

My brother’s voice bought out of my thoughts and I nodded my head because my throat is kind of dried up right now.

My gaze moves to the cup of water placed in the tray on the floor beside me. My brother quickly handed over the water to me and I gulped it down immediately, handing the cup back to him.

“A-ahem” I coughed lightly to clear my throat.

What happened to me exactly for my room to be in this way. I scratched my head trying to remember what happened. Slowly the memories started slipping in.

Then it all came back to me… Yeong ho death… how I lost control…..

The first person my gaze moves to is Court lady Chun. Remembering her betrayal I suddenly wished I could kill her right now. My body itched forward to strangle her with my bare hand.

It’s all her fault. If not for her, Yeong ho wouldn’t have died and I wouldn’t have wanted to kill my own brother.

My gaze deep into her soul with hatred and I glare balefully at her.

Noticing my murderous glare. Court lady Chun immediately assumed a kneeling position and bowed her head down. “Please forgive me, Your highness. I never want to do it” she apologized in a trembling voice.

Forgiveness. I scoffed ridiculously. Did she actually think everything will end with an apology?. Even if it will, I don’t plan on forgiving her and I do not care what her excuse might be.

“What happened?” I asked but my voice came out in a whisper. I guessed if it comes out clear it will sound with anger.

“Forgive me, Your highness. I only followed her Majesty order. I never knew Ku Soha was going to say anything, “she said.

What has mother gotten to do with this?.

“What did mother ask you to do?.” I asked.

She remained quiet and shook her head.

Oh she is going to talk right.

She clasped her hand together. Her eyes trained to the floor with her head bow down.

Does she take me for a joke?. How dare she?. I bawled my fist tightly.

“Start talking now before I lose it” I said within gritted teeth.

Just as she was about to open her mouth, the door snapped open and mother appeared. She broke into a relieved smile when she saw me.

“Mother. You should….”

“Wonderful. My princess is awake” She exclaimed, cutting my brother off from what he was saying.

She walked further inside the room and crouched down to the floor right beside me.

She opened her arm waiting for me to give her a hug. I merely looked at her and when she figured out I was going to hug. She pulled me into her arms herself, hugging tightly.

“I thought something happened to you. I was very scared” she said over my shoulder. I heard a snively and I knew it was coming from her.

She pulled away from the hug and took hold of my hands patting it slowly.

“Start talking” I demanded looking gloomy at court lady chun.

Mother looked from me to court lady chun and sighed heavily, letting her head down. She must have realized what we are talking about. Biting her lip and fidgeting with her skirt she said. “Don’t blame her. It all my fault”

She sat down and started nitpicking on her finger while looking down at her skirt. She inhales and exhales.

“It all happened the day you came to my chamber asking me to teach you how to make embroidery” she began.

“When you tell me there is something you have to tell me and you later change your mind. After you left I called court lady chun and asked her what was bothering you. She defends you and says there is nothing bothering but I know there is something wrong with you” hot tears streamed past her cheek and she quickly wiped it away.

“I threatened to remove her as your Court lady. Out of fear of my threat she opened up and told me you punished a court maid and ordered her body to be dumped in the palace forest.

Hearing that from her I asked her to bring the court maid from the forest and order for her treatment immediately” She sniffles between words. Tears flowed freely down her face.

Tears suddenly blur my vision but I didn’t allow it to roll down as I quickly blink it away.

“After the court maid regains consciousness” mother went on.

“She said there is something she must tell me as an appreciation of saving her life. So she told you were planning to go inside the prison to see the monster” She chokes on a small but audible sob.

“And you believe her?.” I scoffed and felt my throat closing up.

“I was just scared as a mother. I know if I told you not to do it, you wouldn’t listen. That why I went ahead and told His Majesty”

I force up a throaty laugh.

I don’t need her to complete her explanation because I already know how it ends. After hearing from mother, that is when father came to the Prison.

The tears I was trying to hold rolled down my cheeks. I wiped my cheek with my finger but new tears tumble down before I could mop the old ones away.

I hate to believe what I am hearing. No matter what they all say, they have crashed into my own world without realizing it and I know one thing for sure I was the one who caused Yeong ho death because if only he had remained in that prison he would have still been alive.

Tears burned in my body, then filled my eyes and spilled to race to my cheek. There weren’t sad tears. They were angry tears. Tears fill with fight.

I have lost someone special to me for them. Now I will live as I wish for the one I lost… That’s my promise.