Park Jin Young spent days at home thinking about how to kill Ji Hoon without witnesses.
Princess Ji Hoon sat by the window and the sunlight shone on her grey hair strands. In the past, she would pluck her grey hair, but she knew there was no need to anymore.
Princess Ji Hoon heard the door open, she raised her head and she was surprised to see Park Jin Young as much as she was surprised to see flowers blossomed during autumn.
A few nights ago most of the maids and servants ran away from the Park Manor. Only the older maids and servants stayed because there was nowhere else for them to serve. So the Park Manor was quiet enough for a door creak to sound loud.
Park Jin Young threw the edict of the emperor in front of Ji Hoon. "It's the emperor's edict, you can kill yourself."
"Why should I?" Princess Ji Hoon asked. "Didn't the emperor ask you to kill me?"
"You should have killed yourself long ago!" Park Jin Young said.
"Why should I die before you?" Princess Ji Hoon said.
Park Jin Young didn't want to admit he would be killed after Ji Hoon died. "I told you, I'm not going to die with you!"
Princess Ji Hoon laughed coldly.
Park Jin Young regretted he couldn't kill someone with his own hands. "If you kill yourself, I'll take care of your bastard child."
Princess Ji Hoon prolonged ingesting the bottle of poison because her heart wasn't at ease about Park Sang-Hee.
Princess Ji Hoon didn't get a chance to accept Park Jin Young's bribe, an old maid entered the chamber.
"Master, fifth prince's wife is here," the old maid said.
Park Jin Young ignored the resentment in Ji Hoon's eyes.
"It's your choice," Park Jin Young said and left the chamber.
Seorin was surprised at the quiet and dirty state of the Park Manor. It was different from the first day she arrived at the Park Manor four years ago. That day the arrogant Princess Ji Hoon and Sang-Hee waited for her at the entrance of the Park Manor. Afterward for four years, Princess Ji Hoon and Sang-Hee always reminded her that she was eating and living in their home.
An old maid escorted Seorin to the courtyard and she sat opposite her father.
The old maid poured tea for Seorin, she drank it and thought it didn't taste half as delicious as it did two months ago.
"Seorin, this is a bad time for you to visit," Park Jin Young said.
Park Jin Young didn't want his daughter to see the poor state of Park Manor.
Seorin smiled gently at her father. "Father, a few days ago I was unwell and I couldn't come to visit sooner."
Park Jin Young saw how much his daughter grew up and he sighed sadly. "Seorin, all these years have you ever resented me?"
Seorin was surprised by her father's question and quietly drank tea.
Park Jin Young knew his daughter's silence meant she did resent him. "You have the right to resent me. I'm to blame for everything that has happened."
Seorin didn't want to hear her father's regrets. "The emperor... did father receive an edict from the emperor?"
Seorin knew her question was as rhetorical as her father's earlier question.
Park Jin Young wanted to leave at least one good impression of him in front of his daughter. "I don't know what the emperor will do. But I've resigned and the emperor gave his permission for me to return to Daegu."
Seorin felt a little pity to see an old man chased away from the imperial court. "That's good. When I married fifth prince, people told me to live a peaceful life. Father, distancing yourself from the imperial court will let you live a peaceful life. Having power is good but it comes with anxiety."
Park Jin Young lowered his head and drank tea. He didn't think his daughter could be that kind.
"I heard little sister's health is poor," Seorin said. "I came here to visit little sister."
"Seorin, there's nothing good for you to see," Park Jin Young said.
"Father, she's still my little sister," Seorin said.
Seorin put the cup on the table and she walked to the gardens.
In the gardens, Sang-Hee was dribbling and smiling at the sky like a fool. She saw Seorin in front of her and grabbed Seorin's hanbok.
"You hurt me!" Sang-Hee said.
Seorin felt guilty seeing the beautiful Sang-Hee become a fool. But Park Sang-Hee's shrieks scared her and she stepped back from her.
"Sang-Hee, let go of my dress," Seorin said.
Sang-Hee tore off a sleeve of Seorin's hanbok. The dress was one of the new expensive hanboks Lady Han's dressmakers delivered to Taehyung's manor. She didn't get to pity her dress because Sang-Hee was touching the collar of her hanbok.
Sang-Hee thought she found a treasure.
"What a beautiful hanbok," Sang-Hee said.
Seorin felt relieved Sang-Hee wasn't going to tear the other sleeve off her dress.
Suddenly Sang-Hee grabbed Seorin's collar. "This is my hanbok! Take off my hanbok! You're a bad person! You stole my hanbok!"
Seorin pushed Sang-Hee away from her and took many steps back.
Sang-Hee fell to the ground and cried loudly. "You're a bad person! You want to hurt me! Why do you want to hurt me? Why? I'm the crown prince's wife!"
Seorin heard Sang-Hee was insane but she didn't know how insane until she witnessed Park Sang-Hee's crying one moment and laughing the next moment.
"Sang-Hee, I'm truly sorry," Seorin said. "I didn't think I'll cause you to become like this. But don't worry, after she dies, I'll take good care of you."
Seorin left Sang-Hee in the gardens to look for her mother's killer.
After Seorin left, Namjoon stepped out from the shadows. He watched Sang-Hee sit on the ground while tearing petals and leaves off flowers.
"Oppa, I love oppa," Sang-Hee said to the flower. "Oppa, do you love me?"
"Um," Namjoon said.
"Then in the future will you marry me?" Sang-Hee asked the flower.
"Um," Namjoon said.
Namjoon couldn't believe the Sang-Hee in front of him was the same young girl with bright eyes in his memories. He thought those early childhood years were beautiful.
Sang-Hee felt that someone was standing behind her. She turned around and smiled. She stood and grabbed Namjoon's sleeve. "Oppa, you're here. I knew Oppa would come."
Namjoon let Sang-Hee wrap her arms around his neck.
Sang-Hee felt happy. "Oppa crown prince, do you know long I waited for Oppa? I thought Oppa wouldn't come. Oppa crown prince, why isn't Oppa talking? Is it because you don't love Sang-Hee? Oppa crown prince, you can't hate me. Sang-Hee is the crown prince's wife."
Namjoon's eyes are void of any emotion, his hands moved slowly and then squeezed Park Sang-Hee's neck.
Sang-Hee tried to push away the hands around her neck, but the hands were too strong. She gasped for air and felt like she was slowly choking.
A while later Sang-Hee stopped struggling. She silently cried, suspicions were gone and everything beautifully died. A tear escaped from Namjoon's eyes. Why was the crown prince crying? She wanted to wipe his tears but she had no strength left.
Namjoon's hands let go of her neck and he cried profusely.
"Forgive me for this Sang-Hee~ah, but if you remain alive the whole state will make your life hell, and your precious aunt will make you suffer most, for you dying is better than living, I can't watch you getting hurt more than this in front of my eyes," Namjoon said. "If you die, only then you can escape."
Afterward, the body of one of the imperial city's beauties fell into cold water. But Park Sang-Hee's eyes were wide open as though she was asking, "Oppa, why did you kill me?"
Namjoon stood in the gardens, pulled out an old letter, and tore it to pieces, "Crown prince, I'll open the small back door of the Park Manor. If Oppa wants to meet me, Oppa can come there to find me. I'll wait for you."
Seorin entered in Princess Ji Hoon's chamber.
The chamber was quiet and dusty. Princess Ji Hoon glanced at Seorin and Princess Ji Hoon laughed coldly. She couldn't believe Princess Ji Hoon wanted to enter a grave arrogantly.
"Why did you come here?" Princess Ji Hoon asked coldly.
"I came to see how you'll die," Seorin said.
Princess Ji Hoon pursed her lips.
Seorin noticed the white fabrics on the table. "The past few days I thought about how you're feeling. Do you feel like you've lost everything?"
Princess Ji Hoon heard Seorin's condescending tone. She turned to look at Seorin who no longer acted gentle instead looked down on her. The way Seorin smiled coldly was the same way Seorin smiled at her on Park Sang-Hee's wedding day.
Princess Ji Hoon stood straight. "It was you!"
"What do you think?" Seorin asked.
"Why?" Princess Ji Hoon asked.
"Why?" Seorin asked. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you why?"
Princess Ji Hoon took a step back.
"Why did you poison my mother to death?" Seorin asked. "My mother never fought with you. Why did you kill my mother?"
Seorin couldn't control the pain in her heart. She couldn't kill Princess Ji Hoon and couldn't stop her tears from falling.
"She deserved to die!" Princess Ji Hoon said. "Who is she to dare to compete with me? She's only scum."
"You're scum!" Seorin said. "You stole someone else's husband. You broke a happy and lovable family. You committed adultery, you're deceitful and shameless!"
"She deserves to die!" Princess Ji Hoon said. "She's scum. how can she deserve him? I'm a princess, why do I need to lower myself under a scum and be a second wife? It's an insult to me! Scum like her deserves to die! I should have killed her earlier! Each day she lives is another day of insults to me! You should die too! You and your mother are scums and deserve to die!"
Seorin slapped Princess Ji Hoon's cheek.
"You're the one who deserves to die!" Seorin said. "You're a woman who has a venomous snake-like heart!"
Princess Ji Hoon was startled by Seorin's slap.
"This is your retribution," Seorin said. "Your elder sister betrayed you and your only daughter is insane. The husband you stole is the man who gave you this edict to invite your own death. You've lost everything and left with two empty hands. Ji Hoon, do you know how I wanted you to die after I found out you killed my mother? Didn't you want your daughter to be the crown prince's wife? I stopped your daughter from marrying the crown prince. Didn't you want to steal my mother's husband? I made certain he turned his back on you. Didn't you always want to maintain your arrogance? I kicked you onto the dirt. I won't let you die peacefully. I want you to lose everything you cared about. I want you to die suffering. I want you and everyone you care about to pay for killing my mother."
"You're dreaming-" Princess Ji Hoon said.
"Second miss fell into the well!" an old maid cried out from outside the chamber. "Madam, second miss died!"
Princess Ji Hoon pushed Seorin away and ran outside.
"What did you say?" Princess Ji Hoon asked.
"Madam, second miss died," the old maid said.
"Where is she?" Princess Ji Hoon asked in a shaky voice.
"Second miss... she's in the gardens..." the old maid stuttered.
Princess Ji Hoon ran to the gardens and a shocked Seorin followed Princess Ji Hoon.
At the well, the old maids and servants were finding a way to pull Sang-Hee out of the well.
Park Jin Young stood away from the well, he didn't know if he was happy or sad.
Princess Ji Hoon pushed the old maids and servants out of the way. She looked down at her daughter who died with her eyes opened and she screamed loudly.
"Sang-Hee!" Princess Ji Hoon cried out. "My daughter! Who did this? Who?"
Princess Ji Hoon looked at everyone around the well.
"Madam, I don't know who," Park Sang-Hee's personal maid said. "Earlier fifth prince's wife came to the gardens to see second miss. Then I went to brew medicine for second miss in the kitchen. When I came back here, I didn't see second miss anywhere. So I walked around the gardens and found second miss dead in the well. I don't know who killed second miss."
Princess Ji Hoon turned around and she wanted to kill Seorin.
Seorin stepped back away from Princess Ji Hoon.
"I didn't kill her," Seorin said.
"She's like this and you still didn't spare her!" Princess Ji Hoon said. "I want to kill you!"
Princess Ji Hoon pulled out a dagger and stabbed Seorin's chest.
Wung jumped out of the shadows and pushed Princess Ji Hoon away from Seorin.
"Seorin!" Park Jin Young cried out.
Princess Ji Hoon stood up from the ground. "I should have killed you sooner! That year I killed your mother, I should have killed you too! You're cruel than a demoness! I want to kill you!"
Park Jin Young thought he misheard Ji Hoon's words. What that year killed your mother? What did that mean?
Seorin's chest hurt and her face whitened. "Didn't you try to kill me? You used Blue lotus seed poison to poison me."
"Blue lotus seed poison?" Princess Ji Hoon asked and looked confusedly at Seorin.
Seorin was confused why Princess Ji Hoon didn't know what Blue lotus seed poison was.
"Seorin, how did your mother die?" Park Jin Young asked.
"How my mother died?" Seorin asked. "She ordered widow Kang to poison my mother to death!"
"Widow Kang?" Park Jin Young asked. "How is that possible?"
Seorin laughed coldly. "My Father, didn't you know you've been living with a cruel woman for many years? Even now, do you truly don't know you married a witch?"
Park Jin Young was saddened by his daughter's look of hatred toward him.
Seorin cried. "I have a good father. My father let my innocent mother be killed. My mother was killed by you and that woman!"
"That's why she wants to take revenge on her father and me," Princess Ji Hoon said and she laughed bitterly. "Jin Young, did you hear your daughter say she hates you? Jin Young, you're in your position today because of your good daughter. Everything was her plan. She sent the letters, she's the one that ruined our marriage and she's the one that killed Sang-Hee! Park Jin Young open your eyes and look at your good daughter. She destroyed everything you have."
Park Jin Young heard everything and his heart froze. He didn't want to believe his daughter did everything Ji Hoon said. At that moment he felt like he lived his whole life in vain and everything bad that happened was his retribution.
"Seorin, go home," Park Jin Young said and looked at his daughter for the last time.
A lot of blood flowed out from Seorin's stab wound. She felt her body weaken, the world darkened and she fainted.
"Mistress!" Wung cried out.
Wung ran to Seorin and carried her to the horse carriage. He knew after they returned to the manor, fifth prince was going to skin him alive.
After Seorin left the Park Manor, Park Jin Young ordered the servants to bound and lock Ji Hoon in her chamber.
Later that night Park Jin Young gathered all the old maids and servants. He poured wine for everyone until they were all drunk and collapsed on the table. Then he used a rope to make a noose and suspend it from the ceiling of Ji Hoon's chamber.
Park Jin Young wrapped the noose around the bound Ji Hoon's neck. Park Jin Young picked up the small bottle on Ji Hoon's table, lit the Park Manor on fire, and ingested everything in the small bottle.
Before Park Jin Young died, he remembered the ten years he studied and Shin Hye was by his side. She loved him, cooked for him, and supported him. He wanted to give her everything in the world, money, status, and for everyone to envy her. He studied day and night and thirsted for success. Finally, he passed the imperial examination, earned money and status. But afterward, his fate changed for the worst, he lost her... he watched the fire burn everything and everyone inside the Park Manor and he laughed. Everything that happened in the past became a dream. If that was so then he accepted all his wasted energy to pursue everything was pointless.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N -- (Random Thoughts)
:'( Feeling too sad when uploading this chapter because of Sang-Hee and Namjoon, they didn't do anything wrong in their life but remained as a pawn for others. They really didn't deserve all of this but the war of succession is cruel even than Fate or Karma, it never even leave an innocent person. If you are innocent then you are destined to die in this war for the throne... :'(
By the way, My Precious Readers... Let me know if you enjoyed this chapter or not, as you all can already understand the whole story will gonna take a new turn from now on... so let me know what you speculate to see in the upcoming chapters.....
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