Min Yun Ki.
The man, the myth.
To say that the King had reformed drastically, would be a heavy understatement.
He'd become somewhat gentle in his demeanour.
Somewhat, softer if that made any sense to Soojin as she sat beside him, overlooking the mob of commoners that had peddled over to the Kingdom, asking for the Queen's presence at the Lunar Harvest festival.
The Lunar Harvest festival was a yearly event, celebrated by the people of Baekmin, to welcome to Gods of rain, to bestow upon them the blessing of water to flourish their crop yield.
Baekmin was an independant Kingdom.
They relied on no external powers or neighbouring territories for their livelihood.
This festival was of prime importance.
The King attended the event every year, drawing his majestic sword onto the land of the seed sown crop field, as an inauguration.
The past few years hadn't been particularly easy on Baekmin.
Yun Ki had alienated his Kingdom from the others, when he took control.
He was a firm believer in self-sufficiency.
One of the many reasons why he wasn't heavily admired by his people was also because his arrival as the heir of the Kingdom had brought about scanty rainfall and poor crop yield.
The elderly population had associated him with misfortune many a times, but their rumours and foresight had been rubbished and hushed down.
"Your Majesty, The Greatest of the Great, The Mightiest of the Mighty, may we bestow upon the Queen Consort, the honour of blessing us with her pious presence at the Lunar, this once. She, who has grown out of the soil, must confer upon it her favours. She has been coined as the Face of Fortune in Baekmin. It'd be a long standing gift to the people of your reign, Lord!"
Indeed, Soojin had been coined as someone with the lucky touch.
Her arrival into the life of the Majesty had changed things in the Kingdom.
It had alleviated the status of villagers.
It had created a whirlwind of curiosity amongst the people.
Who was the Queen, who'd risen from the stature of a poor coroner and had risen to the ranks of royalty, an incarnation of the Goddess, perhaps?
Or an ancestor that had returned after scowling at the cruel and less than worthy King Min Yun Ki.
Soojin's eyes were lowered, as per instructions.
Her hand grasped by her husband, who sat back on his throne, adorned in his mask and placing firm yet reassuring caresses over her knuckles.
"The Queen will attend the ceremony! I, however, need to be guaranteed that my woman ought to be treated the way she deserves, like a Queen." He lets out, his hold tightening.
Soojin's heart throbs at this declaration.
The masses let out cheers and promises of an extravagant treatment.
Yun Ki was different.
His approach before the masses was of love and admiration.
A little did they know what happened between the King and his 'Woman', behind closed doors.
Their marriage hadn't been consummated.
Sure, in the eye of his subjects, they were two bodies one soul but behind this outrageous facade, they went about their own lives, living as strangers under one roof.
Ending the meeting, Yun Ki grabs Soojin by her waist, turning her towards him.
Her eyes stare down at her own feet, riddled with confusion.
What was Yun Ki trying to do before his masses?
Leaning into her, he drops a soft kiss over her parted lips, leaving her utterly confused and wide-eyed.
The crowd, goes wild, nonetheless and begin chanting the two names that had found each other as one.
They were enlightened to see their King and their Queen displaying acts of admiration towards one another.
After all, didn't everyone just love the idea of love?
Dismissing themselves, Yun Ki's hand continues to lie on her waist as he pulls her into his chamber, ushering the helpers out, immediately.
The doors close behind them and there is a shift in the atmosphere.
Clouds of tension thicken between them.
"What gave you the right to kiss me like that before your people, Yun Ki?" Soojin asks, pushing herself free from his stubborn grasp.
Walking towards her, Yun Ki corners her against the sturdy red wall.
Staring into her burning orbs, he holds her feeble chin between his fingers, forcing her to look into his own dark eyes.
"Our people, Soojin. Our people. The day we made this relationship official, I became your lawfully wedded second half. You belong to me, Soojin and for the sake of looking the part-"
Yun Ki breathes out, lip brushing against her flushed cheeks,
"I can touch you-"
He trails his fingers along the back of her thigh through the satin material, dangerously close to the swell of her ass.
"-wherever I desire." He mumbles, grabbing the flesh of her ample thighs, pushing her hips into his own, causing a gasp to spill out of her mouth.
He wasn't done, though.
His breath was hot and heavy, fanning over her plump ones, is intense gaze catching hers.
"I sure as hell I can kiss you anywhere and anytime I want, can't I, my dear wife?" He mumbles, enveloping her lips in his.
Sloppy and messy sounds leave his mouth as he leaves wet kisses against her pursed lips, grasping her lower lip in his teeth, clawing at it, almost, a smirk visible on his face.
Her hands find their way to his shoulders, pushing him away, causing him to release her bruised lower lip with a lewd pop.
She hadn't been pinned against a wall and stimulated, ever.
This was a first.
She hated herself for enjoying what was unfolding before her as her hormones were raging wild and a stray heartbeat pulsated through her ribcage, which Yun Ki caught on to, rather fast.
She's flushed and her heart beats at an insane rate, against his hard and tense chest, that rubs against her mounds, almost teasingly.
She could swear, her nubs were hard.
It was only right to overcome these overwhelming emotions and gain a hold of her feelings before they let her go all the way, to a point of no return.
This was the man she loathed.
The man who had forced her to live a captive life.
"You're sick!" She spits in rage, causing Yun Ki to let out a devilish laughter in response.
"Guessing from your heightened heart rate, you're enjoying this, aren't you? I just want to please my Queen." He whispers, inaudibly, tilting her face to the side, so her fair unmarked neckline comes into his view.
Licking his lips wet, he runs his thumb over her heated skin.
"My Queen, if I don't mark you, my people will think I'm not treating you just. They'll be wondering why your womb remains dry with no sign of the future heir. Let us play the part and look convincing int the least?" He says, bringing his lips to her neck.
Sucking, biting, lapping, he decorates her neck with love bites to reflect upon their sexually active consummated marriage.
Soojin claws at his torso, backed into a wall as her thighs quiver from the sensation, her weakest spots being targeted.
It was becoming a challenge for her to hold up a strong, callous front before the man who's hands caressed parts of her so roughly yet in a way, she was starting to secretly enjoy.
She can't help but let out strained whines as her body has been hoisted and supported entirely by Yun Ki's hands around her waist, holding her up.
The sounds that leave her throat are felt as vibrations along her neck, encouraging Yun Ki.
Peeling away from her, Soojin's knees feel wobbly and he holds her tight.
"Virgins. Their bodies are just too fragile. One touch from me and you're mere putty." He laughs, grazing his fingers along the wounds.
Wincing in response, Yun Ki lifts her up, her head dizzy from the high.
Placing her down on his bed, he sits next to her.
"Sensing from your reaction, you must really be sensitive here."
Soojin lays still, swallowing her pride, mind running in circles.
How could her body take over her resolute mind?
"Listen loud and clear, at that Festival, you're representing me. Look and play the part, flaunt the love bites, graciously, laugh in moderation and hold yourself in dignity. I want the mass to think their King treats his woman right, you should look satiated. Speak formally. I'll have the Head Mistress pass on the gown you'll be wearing tonight. Talk to the masses but don't get too over friendly. If you try doing something behind my back, I'll know so don't even attempt to outsmart me."
With that said, he walks out the chamber, allowing the mistresses in, who blush at Soojin's disheveled and worn out state, visible parts of her body flushed, warm and fresh with his remnants of love.
Why was her body refusing to listen to her mind?
Why were they behaving as separate entities?