Futile Love

The emperor’s decision was in line with Ruhae’s request to abandon his name, but he was still nervous. Deleting his name had plenty of room to be interpreted in many ways.

He tightened his grip on her hands. Lying face down, she didn’t move.

There were numerous numbers of cases in his head during that short silence. All the royal family members present in Daejon couldn’t think straight, at a loss about how to interpret his ruling.

At that moment the emperor declared, “Carry out their capital punishment as soon as the day breaks tomorrow.”

Capital punishment!

Ruhae closed her eyes quickly. The emperor’s ruling was clear.

“Your Majesty!”

“Please forgive their sin!”

The three women who came forward to plead for his forgiveness raised their voices, but he ignored their petition. It seemed he never paid attention to their request.

“Tomorrow we’re going to celebrate Dohwan Taehwanggun’s third birthday and his crowning ceremony as the heir to the next emperor, so carry out my order quickly and secretly.”

He looked around Daejeon. And as soon as his gaze turned to a woman, she got up and opened her mouth with a clear voice.

“I’m going to go back to my parents’ house outside the palace.”

It was Yomin, Ruhae’s official wife.

While the three women supported Ruhae and Kyosul, they didn’t care about her at all. Although they were begging the emperor to let them leave the palace, they couldn’t look at her. In fact, they couldn’t afford to think about her.

Although she was forgotten by all, with the man she served as her husband and another woman officially recognized as a couple, she did not seem sad at all.

She was so cool as if she didn’t care at all.

She seemed to have already forgotten Prince Ruhae.

“It is Prince Ruhae, not me, who has gone against the moral law of family relationship. And it is also Prince Ruhae, not me, who has ended our relationship as husband and wife.”

The emperor nodded and said, “You’re right, but you can’t leave the palace.”

“I don’t have any reason to stay at the Imperial Palace as a princess. Please dispose me as a princess.”

Even facing the emperor, she spoke clearly without fear, but his reply to her pert request was was totally unexpected.

“I won’t dispose you as a princess.”

She, who faced him confidently without trembling, wiggled her eyebrows.

She protested as if she could not understand at all, “How can a princess exist without her prince?”

The name of Ruhae was supposed to be deleted from the royal lineage. It made no sense for her to remain as his wife.

“Just like you said, you are not to blame at all for all this. Why should I depose you?”

“I don’t want to serve a prince who has betrayed the morality of family relationship. I’ve given up on him. I’d like to be relieved of my position as a princess for my refusal to serve him. I can’t recognize him as my husband.”

Yomin looked at Ruhae sharply. After showing her hatred of him for a moment, she begged the emperor.

“I don’t care when I will be recorded as a deposed princess. I just want to leave the palace. Please grant my request!”

The emperor looked at her, stroking his chin with the back of his index finger.

“I recognize your strong courage!”

Opening his mouth belatedly, he praised Yomin and issued a brief order.

“I grant your request!”

“I’m so grateful for your decision. Please allow me to leave the palace without observing Dohwan’s crowning ceremony. As soon as the day breaks tomorrow morning, I’ll leave the palace.”

After bowing to the emperor, Yomin sat down again quietly.

In no time, Ruhae’s fate was decided. The whole meeting, which lasted less than 15 minutes, was awfully heavy and choking.

Perhaps because they knew the emperor’s decision on Yomin, or perhaps because they confirmed her existence that they had forgotten up to then, even those who supported Ruhae and Kyosul didn’t open their mouth now. There were none who would come forward to beg the emperor to lessen the punishment. Nobody couldn’t do so in front of Yomin.

Silence in Daejon became longer. It was only the emperor who could break the silence.

“I will not talk about the birth of Dohwan anymore. Crown Prince Bipaan will be in charge of Prince Ruhae and the Crown Prince’s execution.”

He firmly reaffirmed his decision.

The controversy flared up like gust and rocked the imperial family was ended perfectly.

<Prince Ruhae and Crown Princess Kyosul shall be executed. Taehwanggun is officially declared as the Crown Prince’s blood.>

Nobody could overturn the emperor’s public announcement.

Whatever the truth, Dohwan’s lineage was clearly recognized.

Now, any attempt to suspect his lineage was tantamount to challenging the emperor’s

“Long live the emperor! I’ll carry out your order.”

Bipaan sat down on one knee and raised both hands above his head.

There would be no overturning of his order, nor his refusal to carry it out.

The emperor turned around and left the place.

Again, those who had forgotten the existence of Yomin for so long began to sob.

On the other hand, Dukwol screamed, unable to overcome his anger. Oran’s shoulders trembled.

Kyosul and Ruhae just joined hands. He folded his fingers between her thin fingers as if he would never let go.

What was supposed to take place in the palace tomorrow was terrible.

Bipaan had to carry out the emperor’s order to execute his official wife Kyosul.

She and Ruhae would be executed and their bodies would be thrown into the field.

Ruhae’s wife, Yomin, would go back to her parents’ house after her husband was gone from the palace.

Taehwanggun Dohwan, officially the son of Bipaan and Kyosul, would celebrate his third birthday tomorrow, and would be crowned as the heir to the next emperor on the same day his biological mother died.

Darkness clouded the palace.

***

Crown Prince Bipaan was smart.

It was he who first requested the emperor to let them leave the palace.

In such a situation, how could the emperor order him to execute them?

Ohyulje knew Bipaan very well, so did Bipaan. Although the emperor could not say everything he wanted to say at the royal family meeting, Bipaan could read his mind accurately.

Bipaan did not go to bed until it’s quite dark. He let out all the palace people in the East Palace and stayed alone.

Even night bugs fell asleep.

He raised his body, but he headed outside, not to his room. Hidden in the shadows of the clouds, he carefully crossed the palace, taking the moonlight as a lantern.

Ruhae and Kyosul were detained in a prison designed to imprison the royal family, to which even royal family members could not easily get access. The only men who could gain access to it were Ohyulje and Bipaan who was authorized to execute his order.

Although Ohyulje took the throne after killing all his brothers, he could not kill his favorite son Ruhae. Bipaan was well aware of that. Heading for the prison where they were taken by imperial soldiers, Bipaan burst into feigned smile.

“Weak old man! As he grows old, he has become a softie. He killed all his brothers, but he can’t kill his son?” Bipaan ridiculed Ohyulje with a sneering smile, or he might have been sneering at himself for protecting his official wife who had an affair.

Tomorrow, when they had Dohwan’s crowning ceremony, everybody would be absent-minded with paying attention to the ceremony, so nobody would pay any attention to their execution. Arriving at the innermost place in the imperial palace, Bipaan let out the soldiers guarding the prison. Now, there were only three people in the prison: Bipaan, Ruhae and Kyosul.

Hard stone steps led to the underground. He didn’t know how far he went down. Finally, when he found it difficult to breathe, he arrived at the farthest prison.

Ruhae and Kyosul were detained together in one jail. Discovering them, he stopped.

They were holding each other tightly.

Looking at the shadow in the darkness, Bipaan dropped his eyes and didn’t sneer at them. He looked expressionless as before. It was time for him to wear a mask.

“Crown Princess!”

Wrapped in Ruhae’s arms, she suddenly opened her eyes slightly and confirmed Bipaan outside. Surprised by his unexpected visit, she looked at Bipaan for a moment and suddenly pulled away from his arms.

“Your Majesty!”

In response to her hurried greetings, Bipaan asked with a cold voice, “Do you know why the emperor ordered me to carry out his order?”

Her face grew dark.

She could be executed by him anyway, so what could she say before him holding her life?

Looking at him silently waiting for her answer, she shook his head.

Clank!

Following the sound of the old lock spinning, the door made of solid wood opened. The squeaking noise of the hinges made of iron was sharp.

The prison door was opened.