Queen Sun-Hee

"How is he?" Queen Lalita asked the head physician.

She is the birth mother of the second prince, rather than the late crown prince's.

It's been two weeks now since the crown prince's death and the perpetrator's imprisonment.

But yet still, the second prince isn't showing any sign of improvement.

"I'm sorry, my queen, but His Royal Highness will not make it through the night. You may need to say your goodbye to him now. I'm really sorry, but there's nothing else that I and my team can do anymore." The head physician said before he and the other doctors excused themselves, leaving the patient with the nurses and his mother.

"Areum." She called for her head maid.

"Yes, my queen." Court Lady Areum responded.

"Is the king still not done with his meeting?"

Areum shook her head sadly in the negative. "No, my queen. He is done with the court assembly but is currently with some of the council elders in his chamber.

"Hmm." The queen sighed in deep thought. It was not advisable to see the king while he was in a meeting, but their son's life was at stake now.

"Okay. Stay with him. I'm going to see him."

"My... my... my queen..." Areum wanted to advise her against that, but the queen was already out of the door before she could even construct her sentences.

When she reached the door,

Fifteen minutes later…

"No!" The king exclaimed. "You will not take my child to that abominable being's place. I forbid you, too."

Her husband's rejection felt like a sharp knife cutting through her heart. The teary queen went down on her knees before him.

This caused the elders who were in the king's chamber with them to leave the room in order to give them some privacy.

"Honey, please. Let's take him to her and see first. She might be... no, she'll be able to cure him. I can't lose my only child, please, honey.

At my age, what are the chances that I can even carry another seed when I haven't been able to do that again all this while? Please, honey, please." Queen Sun-Hee pleaded once more.

But...

No! My word is final. You will not take my blood to that witch. Period!" The king said and left the room right afterwards, not even bothering to help his wife get off the floor.

Slowly, the queen got up from the floor. She dried her face as she headed for her side of the palace.

She then said to her court maid as soon as she got there.

"Areum. Find me some trustworthy guards to help smuggle my son out of the palace."

"Your Majesty, what are you planning? I'm afraid that someone will tip the king off, and that could anger him very much. I've seen some of the servants of the concubines spying on this place recently."

"I don't care. I'll not watch my son die before me."

"Then perhaps we should seek the queen dowager's help?" Areum tried to reason with her.

"No. She always takes the king's side. And you heard what the physician said. My son does not have much time left. Now, let's hurry up."

"Okay, my queen." The court lady bowed and then left to find people she could trust for the job at hand.

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

"Hm, hm, hmmm hm hmmmm hmmm." Sun-mi hummed to herself.

The corners of her lips slowly went up as she felt the presence of an old acquaintance approaching.

"Ma, you have some visitors. It's the q..."

"Let them in." She cuts her servant, Hwa, off before she could finish with her sentence.

*

"To what do I owe your Royal Highness' presence here? Isn't this place too filthy for her Ma-jes-ty?"

There was an obvious sarcasm laced in her voice. She scanned the people who had come with the visitor for someone, but she didn't see them.

'Of course, they won't come. They would rather die than to come here.' She thought to herself bitterly.

Queen Sun-Hee immediately got on her knees as she pleaded with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please, sister, I … I need your help. Please. My… my son. He is… he is…"

"Dying." Sun-mi completed the sentence for her.

The crying queen crawled on her hands and knees to kneel right in front of her. She then started rubbing her palms against each other in a pleading manner.

"Yes, he is dying, sister. The doctors and the chief priest said that he would not make it through the night. I… please, can you save my so…? No. Please, save my son. He is my only son. I cannot lose him. Please."

"Hmm... hm?"

"Yes, sis. You're my last hope, please."

Sun-mi remained silent for a while before speaking again. "Does he know? The king. Does he know that you're here right now asking for my help?"

The queen shook her head in the negative and said, "He is my only child, sister. The king can choose to ignore my plight because he has other offspring, but I can't. So please help me for your nephew's sake at least. Please."

"Uh." Sun-mi chuckled. She had a lot to vent about after what her sister and her husband, together with that other person, had done to her, but now was not the time for that at all.

"I won't beat about the bush, Sun-Hee. Your son will die. Die he will. So I suggest that you get going before the king hears of your visit to this place."

Queen Sunhee quickly stood up and shouted. "No! I refuse to accept that, sister!"

She then turned to the guards. "Bring him in. Now!"

"It's useless, Sunhee. The child does not have up to midnight. I suggest you two spend the rest of the time left together." Sun-mi said.

She contemplated whether or not she should divulge certain information to her estranged sister.

The queen then knelt before her big sister again and grabbed her leg after the guards laid the dying prince on a mat beside her. "Sunmi, you must save my son. Otherwise, I'll lose everything. He is also your nephew.

Remember, you once loved him as your own son. Please. I'll pay whatever price you demand as long as you're able to save him. Even if that includes... you... you know what I mean."

Queen Sunhee didn't want to mention that particular thing as there were other people with them, but his sister already knows what she was referring to.

Seeing her desperation, Sunmi decided to cave in. "Fine, Sunhee. I'll help you since you insist. Bring me any personal items of both you and his father, but don't you dare say later on that I never warned you about the consequences of dealing with things like this."

"I don't care, sister. I'll pay for whatever price that there is to pay. Please, just help my son. That is all I need." The queen said.

A statement that she would come to regret for the rest of her remaining life.