72- Mother and Daughter

Myung Yu's mind wander off, staring at the view in front of her. A mountain, wrapped with soft cottony clouds by the tip of it. Serene much to calm a wavy heart. But, that was not enough to shoo the nightmare away.

A week had been past since the tragedy. And those two days never went in cool. Hwa Sa was caging herself in the room, refused to eat or drink, or having any visitors. Including Myung Yu. At nights, she screamed and wailing like she lost her mind and the Blue House needed to call a physician to calm her down with some medicine.

"How's it, Gisa Ahn?" Myung Yu asked with a weak tone whilst looking at Uk, entering the chamber politely. The man knitted his brows and fall his sight down to the floor.

"They failed to reach Seja Mushim. His whereabout is too hard to reach as he goes mobile all the times. But, we did manage to send the pigeon," he said. "All we need now is wait," Uk hissed when he slowly spurred the word wait, as he knew, Myung Yu hated to word so much right now.

"By the time he got back, maybe, manora jaga will gone..." Myung Yu sighed. She stood up from where she sat just now and walked towards Uk in poise. "I can't recall how many times manora tries to kill herself..."

"We can still talk to jeonha mama, gongju..."

"I know he will take action againts this. But, you should know, this is a family matter. Any interference by the kingdom will lead to a big dispute between two kingdoms," Myung Yu tried to justify her passive action towards this matter.

As they were talking, Myung Yu stared deep into Uk's face. Her eyes fix on him until the man felt awkward. She seemed to have a lot in her mind, something that she couldn't express just like that. It was a meaningful stare and full of emotion in deep.

"I always thought the feeling that I have for you is love. Growing up within the palace wall, I assume that I am too dumb actually..."

Uk's face fell in shock when Myung Yu boldly spurred those words at him. But, he stood there with full of respect at the princess as she calmly looked at him before she began spoke again.

"Little that I know, love is more than just liking a person. Love is larger that that one short word, it's more sacred. For a long time, I slowly grasp the idea of true love. And now, I know what it is."

"What did you, gongju jaga?"

Myung Yu stared at Uk, in care.

"When orabeonim asked me to drag you here, I was thinking of winning you over him. I did realize that you have drawn a line between us, which I shamelessly discard. But, knowing you while in this journey, I realized that I was being crazy to think that distance can change someone's heart for their love ones," said Myung Yu.

"I don't get it, gongju..."

Myung Yu sneered. She looked at the door of Hwa Sa's room, tears beaming in her eyes.

"No matter how much they separate them, Hwa Sa's love for Mi Rae never ends. She rather suffered than fighting the endless war, for Mi Rae's sake," Myung Yu turned her head, facing Uk.

"Do you know what she told me the day when I drag her from the Gold House?" Myung Yu asked. Uk shook his head in tiny.

"She said, only the grim reaper can snatch my love towards Mi Rae," Myung Yu replied.

"Till die do us part..."

"Only death can separate us..." Myung Yu sighed as she looked back at the room, where inside, Hwa Sa was crying her eyes out, grabbing Mi Rae's blanket in her embrace. She shut her eyes as she recalled the day when they snatch the baby away from her.

It was the most dreadful day in her life, that even her sister's funeral day couldn't be compared to this.

***

"Announcement from the king!"

Hwa Sa lifted her head as she saw an eunuch, in yellow robe, standing between two guards from the Gold House.

"Sejabin Hwa Sa from the Blue House, here is the indictment from the royal council..." the eunuch stared at Hwa Sa, who was still on her knees on the cold slab ground in front of the Gold House. There's a sympathy look in his eyes, no matter how the man masked it, it still visibly shown.

"You have been accused of child neglect which resulted in an accident that could lead to death," the eunuch carefully read the indictment, with his hands shaking subtly while holding the scroll. "However, in order to investigate you or even put you up for a trial, we have to gain a permission from Seja Mushim, as you're under the protection from the Silver House as you are the sejabin."

Hwa Sa looked down, realizing her path won't be so easy after this.

"So, the royal council have decide, since it will take some time for the grant from jeoha mama, in a meantime, Mi Rae gongju will be under the care by The Gold House. Sejabin Hwa Sa will be put in a house arrest until the grant provided by the Silver House for the investigation to begin..."

Tears stream from Hwa Sa eyes, the epiphany of losing slowly ate her alive. In the end, she lost Mi Rae, the reason of her still alive until now. The true love that she failed to protect.

"You can't take Mi Rae away from me..." Hwa Sa slowly chanting those words while her whole body shaking in anger and displease.

"I'm sorry, manora..."

"Mi Rae is my baby! How could you called yourself a human being after you took away a child from her mother!"

"Manora!"

"Give me my baby! Give me my baby!"

Things got out of hand when Hwa Sa suddenly charged forward, in intend to kill the anyone who stood in front of her. She screamed so loud, that everyone from inside the hall could hear the wail loud and clear.

Myung Yu quickly stood up from her chair and ran outside only to find Hwa Sa, bantering and screaming at the guards and the eunuch who brought the indictment scroll.

"Manora jaga!" Myung Yi screamed as she descended the stairs in hurry and hugged the crown princess from behind. Hwa Sa screamed in vain, crying her eyes out.

The rest of the royal council, even Wang Yu and Wangbi Yu, only gave them a look. They shook their head, but no one cared to help the weak Hwa Sa, who already slid down to the ground in Myung Yu's embrace.

"My baby... My baby.... Mi Rae..."

"Calm down, manora jaga... Shh..." Myung Yu held her tight, trying her best to calm Hwa Sa from crying even more.

"How can all of you do this to me?! How could you?!!!" Hwa Sa screamed as her eyes landed on the royal council members with anger.

"You're lucky that you can still escape the prison, Hwa Sa! We were so close to kick you inside! You should be grateful for jeonha mama. He is so gracious to let you go!" said Wangbi Yu. She glared at Hwa Sa with eyes full of hatred

"Wangbi mama... I swear to God, I am innocent! How can I kill a baby?! I am a mother, too!"

"How can you call yourself a mother, when you poison your own baby–"

"I will never do that!"

"Then, who makes gongju's milk and feed her? It's you, right?" Wangbi Yu inquired. Hwa Sa gulped as she nodded her head.

"It's me. But, it doesn't mean that I'm the one who poisoned gongju agissi!" Hwa Sa upstand herself.

"Fine. But, how could you left your child without surveillance?" Wangbi Yu, again raising up a suspicious against Hwa Sa.

And with that, the poor crown princess shut herself.

Wangbi Yu descended the stairs, with a smirk visible on her face. As she got closer to Hwa Sa, she force her to lift up her head and look at her.

Wangbi Yu dropped down a bit, leaning her crooked lips against Hwa Sa's ear, her voice drops to a venomous whisper, with her lips curling in cruel satisfaction.

"You're nothing but a stain on this royal lineage—a commoner pretending to be a royalty. And now, a murderer. Tell me, does it hurt knowing even your love for that child couldn't save her? Perhaps if you disappeared, the shame you've brought might die with you."

Hwa Sa's tears that dry up before, slowly emerged from her eyes and fell onto the ground. The feeling of worthlessness suddenly ate her alive. Looks like what Wangbi Yu told her, all of that felt like a stab on her chest.

Wangbi Yu stood straight up, staring lowly at Hwa Sa, as she walked away with a victorious smile on her face, leaving the broken princess shuttered alone on the cold ground.

***

"Manora, it's time for breakfast..." a court maid softly knocked the door. There was a tray of breakfast on the side table in front of the room.

Myung Yu walked past by the room, looking at the court maid in curious.

"Why did you knock? The door is unlock, right?" she asked the court maid. The girl bowed down, slightly look fearful.

"Manora perhaps lock the door last night. I can get in, gongju..."

"Let me try..." Myung Yu tried to push open the door, but she couldn't. Panic strike on her face as she remembered the door shouldn't be lock just in case of emergency. With Hwa Sa's poor condition, mentally and physically, she shouldn't be alone at this point.

"What happened?" Uk, who just came back from patrolling questioned the court maid in urge voice.

"Manora jaga... She locks herself in..."

"Let me..."

Uk pushed everyone away from the door, and with one, sharp kick, the door broke down, revealing the empty room.

"She's gone!" the court maid shrieked in panic.

"Find her! She must not be too far. She's too weak to even walk.."

"Gongju! Gongju!"

A scream from the outside added more suspense in the midst of emergency like this. Everyone look at the guard, who was running like a mad man towards them.

"What's wrong?" Myung Yu asked in panic.

"Manora! Manora jaga! She's..."

"She's what?!" Uk shook the guard's shoulder.

"She's trying to kill herself!"