"Well, you must know about the fashion of other countries. Do you know what country's fashion is the clothes he is wearing?" She asked to Jihoon.
Jihoon glanced at the kid, he knew about that fashion when he said,
"Malaan, I think, it's from Malaan."
"Malaan..." Jang mi narrowed her eyes, thinking."tsk, yes. Malaan too but I think there was this another country, if we can find out where is he from, we can find his parents."
"Mostly in South these attires are worn by royal families, it could be any country from south." He said while jang mi hummed thinking about how can you find his parents.
If by any chance, he is from a royal family, how can they lose him just like that? Jang mi was thinking about that when Jae young came out of his room holding a long sword in his hand for some reasons.
As her gaze fell on him, the kid let go of Jihoon and ran towards Jae young, hugging his legs exactly like he hugged Jihoon.
"Brother!!!" He exclaimed.
Jang mi sighed. Is he serious? Jae young is a brother, too? She thought. Do I look that old? I hope, he doesn't call me mother in front of Jae young or else I will die out of embarrassment. She chewed her lips nervously.
Jae young gazed down at the little figure clinging to him,his tiny arms wrapped around his legs.
He squat down, grabbing the kid by his shoulders. He moved back softly, giving him a dark stare he asked,
"Who are you?"
The kid turned his head around and stared at jang mi.
"What are you doing!?" She asked, walking over to Jae young. She grabbed the kid by his hand. He gripped on her gown.
"Are you trying to scare the little kid?" she asked.
"What?" He said, surprisingly. "He is a stranger kid"
Jang mi met Jae young's gaze as she replied,
"So what? Should I have left him alone?"
Jae young was staring at the kid, his gaze quite solemn, he didn't look happy.
"Look at him. He is dressed like as if he has to trick someone, he's suspicious, he can be-"
Jang mi was tired of hearing the same thing again and again.
"I know. I know. He could be spy. He could be a con baby. He could be here to kill us!?" She cut him off and spoke in a sarcastic tone."He is a kid who was lost, look at him, you think he can be a spy? I couldn't leave him alone there! Why are you all suspecting him for no reason?!" She said, annoyingly.
Jihoon lowered his head meanwhile Jae young stared at jang mi.
"If you want to keep him with you, you can. If you think, he is not suspicious then I will not tell you to leave him out there alone." He said.
She was relieved to hear that he understood. How could she leave that little helpless kid alone and she would also not allow Jae young to investigate him.
Although found him suspicious, he didn't deny what she wanted.
"Why did you go to the market? If you needed something, you could've just ordered the servants to bring it for you."
"I needed to buy some herbs and I also wanted to go out."
"It is not safe, did you go without the guards?" He still couldn't trust the people. According to him, they were all royal pawns.
"Yes, because I went there as a common citizen and not a princess consort. No one recognised me so don't worry." She assured. "And I can protect myself even if they would've recognised me"
That made him smirk. He was glad how she was so fearless now. He had belief in her since the first time he met her. He was sure she was much stronger than she thinks. He nodded slightly.
"Good to hear that." That barely visible smirk didn't leave his face.
Then he left with jihoon somewhere and now jang mi was there with yerin.
She squat down at his level, smiling at him she asked,
"Are you hungry?"
He nodded his head adorably. He was so cute that she couldn't stop smiling and looking at him. His pinkish cheeks. Glossy pink lips, cat eyes, he was truly lovable.
"Okay. But before that you need to know something. I am not your mother." She said, speaking slowly. "And those were not your brothers" Pointing towards Jae young and jihoon who just left.
"Mother?" He said or asked. Puzzled. She didn't know why was he calling her his mother maybe because he was missing his family a lot and was mistaking everyone as his family members or something.
"Did you mother look like me? She asked, frowning. "You really like calling me mother?" Letting out a deep sigh. "Well... it's okay if you like it so much."
Maybe if my father had not kept me in that house like a prisoner and had hit me married on time. I would have had a son of your age today...maybe. She thought and then flinched.
That thought too just grew in her head. She thought it was really something she wanted, marrying a common person in your early twenties and having kids untill your late twenties. That definitely would have been a different life.
Now she was married in her late twenties that too not to a common man. Life wasn't something she expected it would be. She just wanted to become something by which she could save her mother from her father. She knew a powerless person could never do that.
When Minhyuk came into her life. Her dreams sort of changed, she dreamed of a happy life with the person she lived and then her mother would also live peacefully but it was almost the same as the dream she had before. She wanted to become someone important and powerful.
And marrying minhyuk would have done that too for her just like marrying Jae young did.
Power is like a drug with time, you desire for it more and more. The more you get it. The more you want it.
But with everything that happened with her mother, there was something else written in her destiny and she had to accept it. But the desire to have more power never lessens, it keep on increasing.
The kid is playing with my emotions. She joked to herself, smiling at him. And he is also giving me a feeling as if I'm getting too old.Jang mi thought, scoffing. She softly caressed on top of his head with a wide smile.
She was someone important, she was someone stronger.
Today I have to meet him. She thought. But what will I say to Jae young? I can't go to the royal palace without informing him. She chewed her lower lip in stress and without any reason if I go, he would definitely suspect me.
At that time , an idea crossed her mind when she stopped walking.
Princess Soo ah! Yes! I can tell him that I'm going to meet princess Soo ah.
With that thought she headed to the door and rushed towards Jae Young's chamber. The door was opened but the curtains were closed.She was about to go when she heard Jaw Young's voice, she stopped.
"So, when is the prince of Xue coming?" Jae young asked. It seemed like he was talking to Jihoon.
It became clear when she heard Jihoon replying to him.
"Next week" it made her think what did Jae young mean by that?
Are they planning something for against the prince of Xue? Maybe she didn't want to listen but she became curious for some reasons. She was trying to hear more when they suddenly stopped talking.
She was just standing there when someone moved the curtains, locked both her hands on her back with his one hand and pointed his dagger on her neck with the other.
An audible gasp left her lips.
This is the second time he is pointing his weapon for my neck.
She gulped the air, his solemn gaze staring deep into her eyes,
"Jang mi" he said softly and then moved the dagger away immediately but didn't let go of her hands.
Her breathing was shallow when she spoke
"Why are you always so sharp? Look who you're aiming for at once!"
When Jae young saw it was jang mi, he lowered his eyes seeing them and walked away.
"These things need to be done quickly without any waste of time"
"Let go of me now!" She said, trying to free his hands from his grip that was tighter than the iron chains.
He let go of her struggling thin hands and were staring at her intently.
"Did you have something to talk about?" He asked, referring to why you went to his chamber at this time.
Clearing her throat she replied,
"I'm going to the Royal Palace tomorrow. I thought I should inform you first."
"Royal Palace?" He furrowed his brows. "Why?"
"To meet princess Soo ah. Last time, when we met, I told her I'll go to meet her tomorrow again. I'll also ask about her marriage progress for you?"
"Did you think that I already didn't know about it?" He was definitely more quick to find out the updates and she knew it. Pretending to sound dumb and clueless was the best option now to get out of the situation.
"You can go if you want to meet her"
Jang mi hummed and with that she left.
Jae young turned around. He was staring at her going away. He suspected her behaviour was a bit weird but then he thought he could be wrong about it.
************
Jang mi was pretending to scratch her nose with her fingers to hide her face while walking in the royal palace with a guard who was taking her somewhere.
After a while, the guard took her somewhere in the back side of the palace. It was quiet and there was none around.
What kind of place is this?She thought.
She kept following that guard and few moments later he stopped in front of a wooden door to a mansion. A big mansion. It looked like it used to be a big mansion once but it has been closed for years.
"Is this it?"she asked to the guard but he did a deep bow and left.
She roamed her head around. There were many rooms in a row but there was not even a single person around. No guard, no concubines, servants or any other attended. It was quiet area of the palace, probably the old too.
Then she moved her gaze to the door. On opening the door, she entered in a dark room and saw a figure standing in front of her.
"You're late" he said. He said with his familiar and rough voice.
"It took me long to reach here. What place is this?" She asked to him, walking over to where he was standing.
"This is the old royal palace."
"What? There used to be another royal palace?"
"Yes. When my father ascended the throne, the current royal palace was made and since then this place is left abandoned." He replied.
Jang mi raised a brow at him.
"We could have met anywhere? Did you really have to call me at this weird place? This dirty old room?" She said as her gaze strolled and checked every corner of the room, the dim lights coming from the windows touching the spider webs.
"If I had known you'd want to meet me in such an emergency, I would have ordered to clean this room for you but" he paused as she stared at him.
"I didn't know you'd want to meet and you also wanted me to find a place where nobody could see us so this was all I could think about."
Jang mi rolled her eyes.
"This isn't so bad though" he said while jang mi sighed unhappily.
"Should I have called you in my bedroom then?" He said with a smirk.
Jang mi glared at him.
"Not so soon." She said, fiercely, making him smirk again. "I don't have time for that. I came here to tell you something you'd love to hear" With that a vile smirk formed on the edge of her lips.
"I can't be more excited"
"You can say, I won Jae young's trust"
With that, his lips twisted into a wide smile, those plump lips too were very familiar.
"And I now know some of his secrets" she said with a proud smirk.
He seemed happy to hear that.
"I can't wait to destroy him"