The D-Day came and the palace was busy, with three major things hanging on everyone's neck. The Queen Dowager's Birthday, the Solnal aka New Year Celebration, the Ming Dynasty's Ambassador arrival and probably, the Queen's delivery date that was getting closer.

The palace was filled with people, fixing and preparing the items for the festival that would kick off in few minutes; music scholars, dancers, drama groups, gisengs, swords dancers and the list goes on. The space in front of the palace was chosen for this celebrations for it was spacious space like a battle ground.

The maids were the busiest, each one had singular or dual task at hand at the Queen Dowager's residence, where her hair and clothes were been fixed and decorated with jewelries and gifts from different dignitaries were carried in at this same time.

The Queen who was lavishly beautified along with the princess made way to the venue, while the King in the other hand, was been dressed and prepared. Everybody who was invited into the palace was ready and coming out from their residence to the palace under the light of the moon that shone on their pathways.

When the King's preparation was through and every eunuch and maid had left, his face began to show the state of his heart, sad, worried and lonely. The investigation had to halt for this celebration to take place in a grand way according to tradition.

He misses her smile, her face, her being, her presence and was still going nuts just thinking she was snatched under his nose. His heart yearned for her every night, with the pond now being his consolation camp, where he could reminiscence, her lips, her breath, the heat that radiated from her body, he wants her no, he needs her back.

These nights she would appear in his dreams, caressing his face telling him she still misses and needs him. Some nights, she would kiss him and bathe with him in the pond and he would wake up feeling like she just left his chambers.

He had to stop every visible investigation including that of the General to please his Grandmother but allowed Young Pil to secretly continue where the General stopped. So all he has to do his wait for Young Pil's findings,

"Patience, Seon Jo, Patience." He advised himself before he brightened his face, raised his head high and left his quarter for the venue; for all this people have come to see a King, not a sad man.

"You're awake..." he murmured to the sleepy head in front of him,

He just talked to me? "Hmm?! " I could pretend for a living, I responded like I didn't hear him, so he would say it again, but he didn't.

"Nothing..." he whispered and shook his head making me wait in vain.

"Oh, Good morning Yeong Su. "I beamed with my brightest smile that earned silence from him.

"I'll be out today. There's food already, you know your way around so don't wander away, remember be home before sun down. " he turned to leave but halted and looked at me,

"For yesterday... Thank you. " he scratched his head and looked away, shyly which was surprising, for the fact that he told me to wander but not too far and I should be home before sun set, is he supposed to do that to... an hostage?? I internally laughed like a maniac but externally just smiled.

"It's the least I can do for everything you've done and I mean everything." I said as I drew closer to him holding his hands with that smile I knew always made them bend over and when sure it was working, I hugged him.

"Don't be late, I'll be waiting for you " i assured.

Not knowing what extent her words has gone... This man she looked at, had no one 'alive' to wait for or waiting for him and she had unintentionally given him that.

He looked at her hugging him the second time, and for the first time in years, he had someone waiting for him, someone to meet, to return to, to open the door and smile at him, to come home to.. Home? Is this now a home he could come to with her waiting for him...?

His embrace came least expected but was still appreciated as I hugged him closer. I waved at him and shouted,

"Get me something on your way back." with a wide grin which he accepted with a loop sided smile and waved back before getting lost into the jungle.

"Girl, you've got yourself a husband." I joked as I went inside to eat breakfast thinking at least I would get a good day nap before Yeong Su 'The Black Girl Napper' returned.

"His Royal Majesty!! " Eunuch Park shouted on top of his voice to the people in attendance as he sighted me at the entrance,

"Your Majesty!! "The whole congregation honored in harmony and they bowed their heads as they stood. With a smile plastered on my face, I took a filled cup from my table and lifted it up,

"We are gathered here today for special purposes. For our Queen Dowager, My grandmother... " I raised the cup to her direction and continued,

"The new year celebration and the successful harvest of the season..." I pointed to the meals and wines,

"My people, drink and be happy, dance and let joy fill you till the dawn of tomorrow!!!! " I concluded and drank from my cup with the shouts of joy of the people raising to the air.

He drank not to the joy of the season but to the sorrow of his hurting and lonely heart knowing it would soon be another day without Hye Jin been found or any leads from Young Pil. Looking around, he saw the joy on every face and everyone but among this joyful throng, his heart felt bitter and lonely, for his joy was nowhere to be found.

Vivian

This Queen Inmok is trying to mess with me, where does she think I fell from? Does she think she can use a hired assassin to keep me away forever?

I knew waiting for him was a good idea because his countenance was better than the day before. He brought home a lot of gifts and when I asked out of curiosity and surprise, he said that some customers gave them to him.

Most of them which were female of course, and I refused to be surprised because he wasn't so bad...ly charismatic.

Among the gifts were prepared chicken and wine with new clothes, hair bands, herbs, bread, lots of snacks and mostly meat, which was delicious by the way. After series of delicious appetizers, dinner and desserts, I asked him to lead the way to his favorite spot in the forest that I was bored and needed a new view so, we set out.

Ok, this guy must have grown here, because he knew where was and was not, I couldn't believe a place like this existed in these scary woods. Remember when he gave me mint leaves?? There was a path there!

I couldn't believe that another path had been right before, yet I couldn't see it. I wasn't as curious I thought I was. From there we could see the whole village and the palace wasn't even in sight.

From this distance, the village looked like little boxes with lights all over them and the people looked like ants.

Every modern paintings of this era wasn't even up to what was in front of me, the life, the lights and echoes of laughter I was loving every seconds of it.

Yeong Su saw that the scenery took her breath way, it was a great thing to know he wasn't the only one who loved the breathtaking scenery that always brought sincere smiles to his heart.

"Is it always so lively? " I smiled still looking at the village afar off.

"Almost, but today is the new year festival..."

"New Year festival and the Queen Dowager's birthday?! "I completed surprised but did a good job of hiding it.

Dong Yi had told me about it, I had calculated it to be a month away, I have been missing for a month.. Heavens!

"How did you know?" He asked looking at me, surprised,

"I... just knew.. " I told him as my mind returned to the sight in front of me.

"Why do you live here? "I finally asked after battling if I should ask question or not in my mind.

"You don't like it here? "He said looking directly at me like he was expecting me to.

"No, that's not it, it’s just that, I'm not used to living in a place like this. " I told him trying to stop shivers from racing down my spine. He looked at me and sighed.

"Someone used to live here before me, I took over after that person died. "He said looking at the village hundreds of miles away.

"Yeong Suk? Was she beautiful? " I asked silently taking a deep breath while reciting the Lord's prayer.

"She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen." he answered with sincerity that won my attention.

"What happened to her?" I bent over resting my head on my wrist as I let my curiosity double along with the desperation to find an Achilles heel from this moment of truth. He became silent and looked away from the village to me,

"Aren't you curious how you ended you here? You don't seem to care? " he questioned which took me off guard.

"I don't remember, all I know is I slept and woke up here in your house." I tried feigning uninterest when really I was dying to know to settle the confusion that had began to erupt inside my head.

"Where and how did you find me? " I finally gave in to my erupting curiosity when I looked the other way so he wouldn't see.

He looked at me and back to the village,

"I was on my way home that night when I saw you on the forest ground, I thought you were dead because you should have been... "I interrupted him with fear.

"Dead? I should have been... dead??!! Why would you say so? " my hard work of hiding my emotion tasted ruin.

"It was full moon and the wolves roamed around, and you being where I saw you, made it easier for them to find you. So what were you doing here in the first place?? " he stared at me like a Sherlock.

"I... I.... don't know.., all I remember is I slept and woke up here in your house. " I stuttered while trying to recall which I couldn't do and I began to hurt. I felt my walls of determination and the maze of plans crumble like bread before me.

"You are not from around here, where are you from?" his soothing voice sounded in my head making me feel like jelly and the confusion in me, froze.

"Far away. " Was all I could say to him, as I looked up at the moon that reminded me of the garden and the King that might be waiting for me.

She is nothing like he had ever seen, her chest nut like skin, her hair like water ripples, her face beautifully carved. He still didn't believe she was human.

"Hye Jin, who gave you the name? " I heard him say getting lost in my thought.

"Someone, I met a long time ago. " I slowly answered as the cold wet mountain breeze blew almost freezing me and exposing the wound I saw him tend to the other day.

"This wound is still new, where did you get it? " I pointed to it but he didn't answer purposely trying to hang up and when I saw it wasn't going to happening, a conversation that is, I stood to leave him but he held me back.

"Where are you going? You don't know your way back. "He tightened his grip looking at me, guiltiliy.

"Am just trying to leave you in peace since it seems like my company isn't appreciated any more.” I yanked my hand away from his and watched as guilt danced on his face.

He watched as she angrily walked away not know how to tell her, he got the scar the night he tried saving her from the mountain wolves that were almost devouring her.

He didn't mean to anger her but each time she asked questions, it about things he didn't want to reveal.

Conversation used to be his thing after hetic periods of combat trainings and messing with the only woman he had grown to love as himself but, since her death, he has become a ghost of himself.