PUPPET

In the building Lord Chun had just left, everyone is still seated wondering what could have warranted such idea from him.

"Father, what do you think about the man that just left here? What do you have to say about all he said?" Ok Jung asks.

"He didn't act at his own will." Lord Jang replies with a smile.

"Are you sure of that?" Bai asks to confirm.

"Yes." He nods. "He is the queen dowager's puppet, always running dirty errands for her every time."

"Ohhh! I see!" Hae Jae exclaims with a smile. "All of this royal family just seem to have one problem or the other."

"The more I look at it, the more I see so many reasons why prince Yeoning should become crown prince." Lord Jang whispers.

************************

"Your majesty, it is I lady Jung." The queen dowager's chief attendant announces from outside. "Lord Chun is here to see you."

"Let him in." The queen dowager orders, she sits in her room resting her left hand on the small pillow beside her. She is seriously tired of the things going on in the palace especially with the decision on who to be the crown prince.

The queen is also there with her, looking so perplexed and tired than ever, she urges for both his majesty's love and the crown Prince's title for her son. She exhales deeply.

Lord Chun enters the room and bows. "Queen your majesty, queen dowager your majesty." He calls and bows.

"Have your sit." The queen dowager says ignoring his bows and greetings.

"Yes your majesty." Lord Chun sits.

"What did he say? Did he agree to cancel the marriage?" The queen asks anxiously.

Lord Chun closes his eyes in disappointment and shakes his head. "No your majesty."

"What?" The queen asks in annoyance. "Even you could not manage to persuade him?"

"Forgive me your majesty." Lord Chun apologizes and bows. "Lord Jang is already determined, he had made up his mind already and you know how he is, once his mind is made up, you can't change it no matter what. He didn't even listen to me that much, Instead he asked me out of his house in presence of his wife and kids."

"Really? He did that to you?" The queen asks again.

"Yes your majesty." He nods.

"That man is getting so annoying day by day, so unbelievable!" The queen expresses softly.

"Lord Chun." The queen dowager calls after being silent for a while.

"Yes, your majesty." He replies with a bow.

"You seem to have been forgetting how you attained this position of yours." She whispers calmly.

"Your majesty." lord Chun calls with a bit of fear preparing himself for the scolding and insults he is going to receive from the queen dowager. Anytime she makes mention of the statement 'you seem to have been forgetting how you attained this position of yours' she always scold and hurl insults at him afterwards.

"Do you suppose I remind you on how you got this position to yourself?" The queen asks with a sign of mockery and sarcasm in her voice.

"No, your majesty." Lord Chun replies sadly with his head down.

The queen dowager brushes the small iron box on the table right in front of her in extreme rage and screams. "Then how come you couldn't persuade someone?"

Even after being hurt on his head by the iron box and is bleeding, lord Chun remains still, not moving an inch or screaming or even wailing. He keeps quiet and apologizes instead. "I am sorry your majesty, I will accept any punishments."

"Exactly!" The queen dowager says with a smirk look. "I won't punish you now, but if you fail this one task again, I will make sure you return back to the slumps where I picked you from."

"Slumps she says? I wasn't from the slumps." Lord Chun says in his mind but dares not voices out if he values his life. "Yes, your majesty." He says to the queen dowager.

"Good." The queen dowager looks at the queen and nods, both of them exchange smiles at each other then she frowns and looks at her visitor whose head is down. "Look up."

"Yes your majesty." Lord Chun replies and gently raises his head.

"Now, I need you to watch Suk-bin and her supporters very closely,even her son." The queen dowager says whispering. "Report back to me if you find out anything, is that clear?"

Now reduced to a guard that he has to monitor some people, but what can he do? he has to suck up to the queen dowager in order to live. "Yes, your majesty." He says and bows.

"That will be all for now." The queen dowager says with a frown.

"Yes your majesty." He bows an walks out of the room.

"Your majesty." The queen calls and moves closer to her mother in law. "Do you really think everything will turn it well?" She asks anxiously.

The queen dowager nods. "Sure I believe so my daughter." She smiles at her. "Do not worry, your son is going to be the next crown prince." She assures.

"So what do you think I should now?" The queen asks again.

"Don't do anything, just continue to supervise his marriage procedures." She clears her throat. "I am going to see the king this evening, so I will bring up the topic of the crown prince myself, he will have no other choice than to work on it." She smiles. "All I need is for the entire northern ministers to support me and protests if need be."

The queen already brightened up, she smiles whole heartedly. "Thank you mom your majesty, I really appreciate. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to survive with my son in the palace."

"You are going to be the next queen dowager and your son would be the next king, I will give it all it takes, just make sure your son is very careful and does not engage in any shameful acts. You know, if he does anything shameful, it will greatly affect his reputation."

"Yes, your majesty." The queen nods with a very broad smile.