Vivian

I was on the edge of madness with this amount of boredom and silence always following when everyone retired for the night. I admit that i missed the garden and the King.

Yeah, yeah, he's married and has a family but this attraction is as stubborn as grass and nothing i did helped to get rid of it.

Speaking of him, i hadn't seen him since the night he dropped I and Min Soo off.

With my thoughts on the verge of throwing me off the cliff, i realized i needed something to wind off but the garden was so far as the King and i couldn't bear it any longer.

I stood up carefully from the bed so as not to wake Min Soo.

I went through the back door - Dong Yi discovered when we explored the apartment three times bigger than my ex condo - while deciding to go to the garden with or without anyone's approval.

As i moved out of the house and further to the backyard, I almost jumped out of my skin when a light suddenly shone on my face and I immediately stood still to get the attention away from me but when it didn't, I turned to see who was responsible for the reflection job, i couldn't be more happier when I discovered it was a what, not a who..

"Why risk the garden when a pond, a legit pond lies before me? " I beamed as I began to undress but stopped in my attempt to when i heard something or someone move on the ceiling behind me.

I turned around slowly, gradually lifting her head and I caught a silhouette on the ceiling sitting and looking directly at me.

"I see you found it " the silhouette's owner said with a calm voice but realizing I wasn't moving, he climbed down and walked towards me trying to hold my hands, but I flinched pointing to where he just jumped down from and he explained to me,

“That is my favorite spot and I was already here for the air before you came out of the house.” when I remembered that I was the refugee in his refuge, I returned to the pond, sat by it as I let my legs into the water before inviting him to sit by me and he did.

He has been talking for almost an hour after I wrote

"how was your day?" Though all he said, none I could relate to i listened anyway and when he was done, I smiled at him like he did before looking away.

A little conversation and silence in between is all they both need to feel the calm they've both been searching for.

This silence wasn't the awkward type, it was the comfort and peaceful kind, little comments and silence made those two find that joy and happiness they had been longing for a long time, since their last time together.

I felt something wet yet warm cover my hand and I turned to see his hands on mine and not feeling the urge to remove it, I allowed it be and looked away.

I felt his eyes on me so, i turned to confirm but I saw his dimples instead eying me and this was the first time I attempted to touch them.

Raising my hands to feel the dept of those holes, I positioned my fingers so as not poke his... Wait, to touch the Royal Majesty's face was a taboo...

As soon as I retracted my hands that was already an inch closer to his face, he caught them and brought them to his cheek faster, like he knew what I wanted to do much to my surprise.

My pointing finger was almost swallowed by this dimple of his yet as he smile wider to my reaction. I laughed feeling embarrassed of how loud my actions were and I pull my hands from his as he looked away.

I knew he loved the sound of my laugh just the way he quickly brought his eyes to my face with admiration swirling in them.

By the time I was done laughing away the awkwardness, I could feel his breath on my lips now after he had been staring at them.

she thought she saw wrong when he leaned closer to her, but no she wasn't, he is though frustratingly slow but yes he is.

In the time rate he moved I was so sure the earth would have moved round the sun eight times, and I wasn't in a hurry. After all the night was still young.

"Good morning" I smiled gleefully at Dong yi, who just came in to do her duties,

"Dong yi Noona, am so hungry." Min Soo sprinted from the room to Dong Yi with a thousand watt smile.

"Min Soo, it would be nice if you knew how to cook or even show any interest, but no, your talent is devouring anything and everything food.” Dong yi answered with lack of enthusiasm.

"Noona is not complaining, besides you should be happy your food is been demanded for and not fed to the palace chickens like Noona Soon Ae or...” he moved his eyes towards Shin Ah's direction but she caught him half way.

Seeing he's been caught, he flashed that ten thousand watts cute smile at her which confused her the more she looked at us who were poorly trying to hide our laughter.

But when she managed to catch on, she got up and chased after him and they ran round Dong Yi like little kids in the playground while Soon Ae and I laughed along.

They came to visit me whenever they were free and I loved it because we had become closer over the months we'd spent together.

Having moved out of the royal compartment which turned out to be his private house where even the Queen hasn't been, into a new residence bigger and spacious than the latter though it had one tiny problem.

It was situated directly opposite Queen In Mok's. It was six months since the last attack and everything had been better except the cold treatment I received from the Queen and the noble women who followed her like sheep to the slaughter but being who I was, I couldn't care less though I thought the King had prohibited them from the palace.

The King frequently sent gifts and greetings but he barely dropped by and I often wondered how busy he was, if he missed me like I did he.

Tonight would surely be a long one because I was home alone first time in a long time, other times when Min Soo wasn't home, Dong Yi would keep me company but because of the upcoming occasion, nobody was.

I decided instead of staring at the wonderful ancient ceiling, closing my eyes would be a better alternative. I felt myself slowly roll into clouds of comfort with my mind wandering off to how Min Soo has been doing great since he enrolled with the scholar activities.

I had asked Dong Yi to keep an eye on him when he was around the palace and always report to me, which she has been doing, thankfully.

'Your grace' I turned to where the voice sounded from, the door but none of the bunch walked in. I decided to wait for it again and when the voice called again, I got up immediately to the door and stood behind it, so the person outside could see my silhouette.

'Your Grace, the King sent me to you directly.” The voice was a confidant whisper, which gave me the intuition that it must be the voice of a Ga Eul.

I pushed open the door to let her in and in her stead, I found a letter on the floor, which I picked and opened to see

“When the moon shines its brightest...”

I couldn't believe that he waited until I was missing him like crazy before deciding to see me in the garden under the plum tree where the moon always stood when at its peak.

Right now, all I was feeling was to dress up and run to him but being a 21st century woman I planned to make him beat me at this level of craziness I was at.

Moreover, this paper smelt like french romance, I couldn’t believe this guy sprayed sweet perfume on it just for me... I guess I am down for some ancient kind of sweetness and romance.

But when I remembered his wife was my opposite door neighbor, I walked back to the bed and laid down.

As I looked at this sweet scent of a paper thinking, how much trouble does this guy want to put me into? I heard he had taken no concubine since he married.

I even was told that there was alot of strain in his marriage and when marriags like this were ochestrated, compatibility wasn't even considered. They just do the matchmaking and boom, a wedding which I didn't believe because they should didn't see the way they were all lovey dovey that night at the festival.

If he knew how long I had been waiting a day like this, he'd just walk up to my door himself. Automatically, every place my clothes were, appeared in my mind and I immediately got up deciding to go, but finally overpowered the urge after agreeing to take it easy so as not to disgrace my home training.

I tried going back to my fake sleep while folding this paper and inhaling the sweet scent for every time, I hid it under my pillow hoping to get a romantic dream for a change tonight.

As I felt myself drifting to sleep, I heard myself say,

“I'm not the only one worth going crazy…”

Choi Dong Yi...

"Good morning Your Grace, " I greeted as I walked past my Lady's bedroom to the eating table before setting her breakfast on the table and when I was sure done, I decide to go bring her to the table myself for a change.

Getting there, I found the bed made and my Lady was not there. I thought I saw her but it turned out that I did not.

"That's new.” I felt a little bit challenged because my Lady never made her bed.

I called out and when greeted with silence, I became on edge because I had always woken my Lady up, she has not woken before my arrival in the morning. To be sure that it was a start of something new by my Lady, I decided to look around.

On my way to the door of the balcony, I found the closet open, which was not supposed to be, because I was the only one entitled to My Lady's cabinet, she doesn't even go there.

I thought that maybe My Lady wanted to leave me a message as to where she went this morning.

Therefore, I opened it wider to search as a piece of paper fell out to my feet and the fragrance that came from it had a familiar sweet and enchanting scent like the royal perfume the Queen's clothes had whenever she had spent a night with His Majesty.

How I knew? Because I used to wash the royal robes when I was with the head maid and why would My Lady have this fragrance on her closet? Was His Majesty here last night or My Lady went to him or His Majesty and My Lady… Aigoo…

This letter was not here last night when I brought my Lady's sleeping garment and the paper indeed carries excess of His Majesty’s perfume. Did His Majesty mistakenly fall the bottle on it or did he forget how much was enough?

No, not possible it was only His Majesty after all that made use of it so, there would be no way he'd overuse it. except, it was not an ordinary message since it was sent to my Lady, which means... Omo! Does His Majesty desire my Lady?

Excitedly I flipped it opened but I closed immediately without reading what was on it as I realized what I had been breathing in all this while.

The first thing that came to my mind was to run out and scream my discovery and that I did.

"Her Grace is missing!”.