74: Black Sheep / Who's Fault It Is?

"How dare you accuse wangja agissi so vicious like that?!" Wangbi Yu almost stood up from her throne. Indra's eyes squint, as if he wanted to throw a hand on her to shut the queen up.

"Never say wangja agissi is the one who poisoned his sister..."

"Why did you call him a perpetrator then?!" asked Wangbi Yu.

"Cynically, I did called him that. Because he was on urge to find the vail as if it's a matter of life and dead situation. Of course the first reaction will mark him as the suspect," said Indra.

Eyes on Mu now. Everyone was paid a full attention to him; a young, so innocent eight years old prince. The pressure felt surreal, with a glance, his face was full of terror, like a rabbit surrounded by foxes.

Mushim squatted down, turned Mu's small body so he could face his father earnestly. The young prince lookes at Mushim, eyes in tears.

"I know, I can count on you. I put a trust on you as much as I love you. I promise sejabin; your mother, that I won't harm you and gongju agissi," Mushim talked to Mu with a soft tone, making the prince sobbed faintly.

"Sejabin... I miss her..."

"Everyone misses manora jaga, wangjanim..." Mushim wiped Mu's tears away. "I miss her too.."

"You lie! You wanna marry that woman! How can you said that you miss sejabin!?" Mu pushed Mushim away. Two guards almost haul him, but Mushim stopped them immediately.

As much as Mu acted rude on him, wangja agissi is his prince. And he was just a small, broken child that lost his mother. When someone took her place, of course he willl get confused and angry. Especially when he had a strong bond with his mother.

"Hwa Sa sejabin loves you, as much as sejabin loved you, wangja agissi. She promised her to take care of both of you. She did all she had to, just to protect us," Mushim explained to his prince full of care and love.

"No. She just want to have the throne. She wants to be a queen so her family can control everyone!"

Mu's rant made everyone in shock. Myung Yu and Uk exchange looks as they couldn't dismiss the awe on how Mu could ever think about that.

"Why are you accuse manora jaga like that?" asked Mushim.

"I read in a book, once when sejabin becomes Wangbi, their family tend to use the relation to rule in shadow. Manipulating the decision made by the kingdom for their own good. We got history to prove," Mu's words sent Mushim out of the roof on sanity. He's too shock to even digest them properly.

"That's why you put the poison in gongju agissi's milk?" Indra bluntly asked Mu, ignoring the fact that he was talking to a prince.

"I didn't mean to kill her! I didn't mean to maketoo sick! I just want to get rid of Hwa Sa!"

Indra sighed as Mu frowned, staring at Mu with glassy eyes. Everyone in the main hall gasped for the truth.

"I put just a bit amount of the liquid in this vail so gongju will be more sick than before Hwa Sa left the Blue House. If she got sick, the Gold House will take away her custody, and perhaps charge her with negligence," Mu started to explain everything.

"I never want gongju to be too sick or almost die! They said, one drop could only make her temperature raise a bit, but do nothing harm her!" the young prince slowly losing it.

"They? Who are they?" asked Indra. Mu turned his head and look at the man. He then looked at everyone in the hall, some with a dreadful stare and some, with fear.

Mushim could sense his prince's uneasiness so he softly grabbed him by his small shoulder and made Mu looked at him.

"Just tell them. There's nothing to be afraid, especially for the truth," Mushim coaxed Mu with his words. Hearing that made the young prince silently cried before his father.

"Mu, I know you're a good son..."

The prince lifted his head, looking at Mushim. The crown prince never called him by his real name, it's always wangja agissi or wangjanim. For Mushim to call Mu like that, it felt that a father was talking to his son, instead of a crown prince to his prince. There's a reason why Mushim casted aside the title. He wanted to appear humane in front of his son. A father to his son. Not a royal subject.

"If I told you everything, would you promise, nothing will change?" asked Mu. Mushim's forehead crinkled as he took his time to answer the question.

"I believe, I can't promise you that. But, there's one thing for sure," Mushim paused a bit, staring at Mu with full of love. "You're always my son, no matter what..."

Mu shut his eyes tight. He took a deep breath and collected all the thoughts in his head. Finally, turned his body, facing Wang Yu and slowly bend down and sat on his knees.

"Pyeha, will you forgive wangja?" he suddenly asked. Wang Yu sighed before he nodded, looking at the first born prince; his grandson, with a convincing look.

Mu bit his lower lips. He knew people were waiting. He wanted to keep everything but, somehow at times like this, no one that he expected to help, standing next to him. Except for people that he hurt.

"It's the west family," Mu softly murmured, but enough for Mushim, Hwa Sa, Indra, Myung Yu and Uk to hear. Not only them, but the whole hall as well. Everyone gasped and soon, the whole hall was in ruckus.

Mushim lifted his head and looked at Wangbi Yu, who sat on the throne with a nervous reaction. His sight soon drifted to the West family, the one who stood in line at the right side.

"Guards! Close the door and don't let anyone leaves the hall!" Wang Yu instructed the royal guards. The door; ten of them, immediately shut from the outside, leaving the guards on watch silently inside the hall.

"Pyeha! He's lying! How can we trust a child?!" one of the family member of the west family cried out loud at Wang Yu.

"Shut up. Everybody, stay put in silent!"

The hall slowly got calm.

"Wangja agissi, I believe you're a wise boy. Could you elaborate the whole story?" Wang Yu carefully asked a favor to Mu.

The boy blinked his eyes slowly. He nodded as he took a glance at Mushim. His father nodded once, giving him a permission to continue.

"They met me one day, with a presence of wangbi mama. I told them about Mi Rae's condition. They blame Hwa Sa for not taking care of her properly," said Mu. "They said, Hwa Sa only wants the throne. She only using gongju to win seja jeoha so she can be sejabin."

Mushim shook his head in disbelief. As much as he wanted more explanation about it, he calmed himself down.

"So, what happened next?" asked Wang Yu.

"I told them, I'm worry about gongju. If Hwa Sa really neglected her, she must be in danger. So, I asked them how to bring her out of the Blue House. They said, I need to frame her by putting something in gongju's milk. At first, I was afraid because of the side effect. But, they convince me that they have the antidote. So, there's nothing to be afraid of," Mu bravely continued his story.

"So, that's what you did?" Wang Yu questioning Mu again.

"I didn't mean to, pyeha! I thought gongju will be a bit more sick, and that's it. I never know it was severe until I saw her wailing weakly like that! She looked like she got poisoned, and I ran away immediately because I was afraid to look at her while she's slowly dead!" said Mu with tears rolling from his eyes.

"May I ask a question, pyeha?" Indra suddenly stepped up. Wang Yu nodded, giving the man his permission.

"This vail. Where did you it?" asked Indra to Mu. The boy slowly looked at Wangbi Yu, who gave him a death stare from her throne. He was afraid, but he believed in his father's word.

Never be afraid for the truth.

"It belongs to wangbi mama. When they gave me the poison, I have nothing to store it with. So, wangbi mama lend me this vail. She kept it as a locket, telling me this is a first gift that she had when she joined the North as a wangbi. Courtesy by the crystal miner. One and only design for her," said Mu.

"That explains why you're so eager to find it?" asked Indra. The boy nodded his head with his sincere sight.

The hall focused on Wangbi Yu. She couldn't stay still on her throne. Wang Yu shook his head in disbelief. He balled his fist before giving a stern look, ready to take some action.

"Royal guards! Form a barrier at the west side of the hall! We're arresting them for further investigation!"

Immediately, a long barrier was form around the west side, where majority of them were from the West family, belonged to Wangbi Yu.

"Arrest wangbi mama..." Wang Yu instructed his personal guard to hold Wangbi Yu onto her chair.

"Pyeha! How could you arrest me! I'm your consort! I'm seja's mother!"

"What kind of mother that ruin her own son's life? You almost make me lose my grandchildren, you almost break a family apart!" Wang Yu's anger made the whole hall stunt and silent.

"I'm doing this for the sustainable of this family at the North! This kingdom is never be free from the main family, did you realize that, pyeha!"

"I do. Everyone does. But, you need to remember something. Without the courtesy of Wang Ki, this kingdom, this Yu family will be long gone! They help us sincerely, put a trust on us and you dare ask for more?!" Wang Yu asked, with a sorrow look pierced into his wife's eyes.

"And... Let me remind you something else, wangbi..." Wang Yu shifted his sight to Hwa Sa. The lady shook her head, tears in her eyes felt too painful to see.

"The late Ki, sejabin's old man... He's the reason why we have those courtesy by jeoha mama. He's the one who convince the main family to help us! During war, sejabin's family fought alongside us, died for us! Her old man... He died for me..." tears rolling from Wang Yu's eyes as he recalled the time when The Old Yu; as his nick name that everyone called Hwa Sa's late father.

"Jeoha mama... Is that true?" Mu blinked his eyes, looking at Mushim, as the crown prince crouched down, levelling himself with the young prince and softly nodded.

"Yes. And..." Mushim took a glance at Hwa Sa, who was teary upon hearing her father's name. "Sejabin... If it wasn't for her, you won't be here today, wangja agissi..."