The Love They Never Had

"What is this! I have always received 3 boxes of Persian ink for my eyebrows, why did I only receive 1 this year! Somebody explain this to me right now! Haven't I made enough cost cuts that could at least allow me to keep up with my cosmetics?" "The Household Department reported that only 2 boxes were offered as tribute this year due to low production; one of them went to you, The Lady Min and the Mistress Han that she used up in succession." "That bitch! What a minx to have decided my husband away at all! She dares to take away my expensive Persian ink!" "She was rewarded with it as a matter of formality as was your sister, Your Highness. They both drew they're eyebrows down as 'distant mountains' as he liked it." "I always do the same thing with ink that is worth thousands of silver, but my natural eyebrow shape didn't suit it, no matter how much I pluck at it to suit his tastes. But this is not the issue now, I need more money to sustain myself and my crown after this plague is over." "Actually, it is not hard for you to make money for as long as your father regains temporary power." "What do you mean, servant?" "After your father's career reveal in the palace, I have heard that a lot of powerful people want his help to gain official positions which will give him a new set of connections where the old ones have left him. But due to the shocking events, he simply has no time with any official work at all." "So here is my chance to take advantage of this time by recommending them to my husband to help him combat the plague and regain his father's favour and his place in the palace. And they will know how to repay us for these favours that I will bestow onto them, but…it sounds too good to be true, especially now."

"After the plague is combated, The Emperor will resume the national exam to recruit more talent into the palace and if we want them on our side, your husband has to be introduced to them for both of your credits." "Imperial women are not allowed to interfere with national affairs and I am already in so much trouble with my family, but I can certainly pass the message along to my husband, and as to weather they prove themselves as useful or not to him will be decided by him alone. Is he really attaching the farewell banquet before the men deal with this plague?" "Yes, Your Highness, but you will have to dress modestly this time to wave off allegations of your subsidiaries and show that you do not waste palace money."

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

"I see that The Mistress Seo has sent over freshly picked osmanthus from late autumn to send us this handmade wine, I must remember to thank her for his." "Husband, although this wine is sweet, it is also terribly meagre. Surely it is better to treat Imperial guests with fine wines in this farewell banquet, to better demonstrate the style of The Royal Family?" "It was your idea to cut down expenses in case you have already forgotten wife, so of course the inner palace has to follow suit. Replacing expensive wines with this osmanthus wine from our people to help us shows their willingness to serve us even through these difficult times." "Despite the fact that she was just sent Glinting Satin fabrics during this dangerous times? It doesn't;t sound like she is cutting down expenses at all to me." "And how on earth would you know about that wife, unless you continue to want to embarrass me time after time in front of my own family." "Forgive me husband, I am merely pointing out the fact that she received expensive material with shu silk jade shoes to match. This luxury can be matched to nothing that she has ever received before, so I am curious as to who sent it to her?"

"Do you know have an issue with her husband gifting his wife such luxury items as a reward to his service to me?" "I just wonder how such a lowly man can afford it at all." "Maybe you should look to your own issues before looking at someone else's, wife." "Just like how you have stoped handpicking ingredients for my incense that you always made for me?" "Well there is no need anymore now, is there?" "Despite the need for frugality, one cannot be so uncaring about one's own appearance. Who doesn't wan t a young woman like Kim Hyeon, who is so obviously eye-catching and attractive?"

The banquet ended up as a complete disaster due to my husband's evasive nature and I was forced to return to my quarters early to figure out my financial issues to help my man instead of letting this issue drive us apart even more. "I need money and quickly, and just for my husband's expenses but my own! I need silver to reward the servants, I need new jewellery and clothing, and I need expensive gifts for my husband's men, or I may not give away any at all, now that the plague is being kept under control in the palace. Let me visit my sister, maybe I shall get some ideas from her."

"…you are saying that someone tried to use the plague to harm me? It could only ever be my sister, only she could do this to me. The only thing that was replaced in my quarters was the tea set by the Internal Affairs department. It doesn't even fit my standards as a Lady, but I didn't;'t quarrel about it due to the trouble that I was in." "The plague is known to transmit quickly and to avoid this, we have to avid contact with the infected patient or their objects." "I know of someone that can treat plagues back in my hometown, but I need your help in getting me there, Lady Min. He has already thought the prescription over, but he simply needs more time to experiment with more ingredients." "So the one that my sister has come up with is ineffective? Really?" "Her team of imperial physicians must have stolen common decoctions and come up with temporary solutions? They are not experts on treating plagues anyways…"

"Servant! Who is that with my sister!" "Is the maid who betrayed you, she wants to go home with The Lady Min before she was infected by the plague." "For what? So she can defy my orders and reunite with Nam Seon-Ho? Forget it, make sure that she is equally infected as well. And find this physician that she is talking about and…" "…and bring him here?" "No, kill him." "Your Highness?" "My husband will depose me as soon as this plague is over, what do you expect me to do! I would rather swallow this nation whole rather than be separated from my husband! Let my order be known!"

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

"Your beauty is rather incomparable through this world, or is this glowing effect on your skin a side effect from this pregnancy?" "It is your attentiveness and constant company makes me glow, husband." "You are at the very centre of my heart, how can I not accompany you when I have the chance to." "Will you be this overjoyed if I birthed a girl? Truly?" "You know that I long for a daughter, wife." "This life is probably what happiness is, isn't is? And peace?" "Your skin is truly as radiant as snow, you do not need any makeup…but let me try something." "What is it?" "The adorned pear on your forehead will remind you of myself in your absence."

"Husband, I have thought of a way for you to break away from The Third Prince during this plague outbreak, will you be willing to hear me out?" "Already? What is it?" "Where is your friend? Shouldn't we include him in this discussion? And Moon-Bok, since this involves him as well? "Very well, let us take this discussion into the courtyard." "Help me up please husband, your son is bruising my stomach with his constant movements." "That is his way of greeting you I guess." "What a fine greeting it is." "Do not blame my son, he must be as impatient as you are."

I savoured these moments where I curl have my husband to myself until I had t share him with the world and his friends, contacts, work colleagues and so on and so forth. I always held onto him as tightly as I could and I always inhaled the scent that I infused his hair with first thing in the morning to remind myself of his scent whenever I missed him dearly. He had become my whole world and it was getting harder to part myself from him.

"Have you all heard about the rumours of The Third Princess Consort's team of physicians accepting bribes from noble servants privately and where their prairies lie whilst ignoring the weak which delay their treatments and have caused a high rise in death statistics?" "Half of this town were once connected to her family, how can we not hear about how disappointed they are in her?" "A doctor shud have the heart of their patients and ye these people only possess copycat skills." "Copycat skills? What makes you think that?" "If their remedy truly worked, they wouldn't accept bribes like this. Who doesn't want to impress The Emperor and cure everyone if it gives them and their families a chance for higher promotions?" "So this is the reason why we are still stuck in this plague situation." "And it is due to us still suck in it that they have become representatives to cure it, so nobody can do anything to them yet." "Unless Moon-Bok finds someone who can; a well-known physician in my hometown that can treat plagues." "So why doesn't the palace recruit them?" "Because The Third Princess Consort knows her life is over if the plague is actually treated and she will go that far for her beloved husband to keep him with her, is isn't like we don't know how delusional she is." "And nothing is more dangerous than a delusional person in power."

"It is said that people who were treated by him in the past have had a much faster recovery time without the common side effects like nausea and fatigue." "So this team must have used a common remedy with more ingredients with a temporary fix." "I know where these physicians are, they follow The Third Prince around all of the time." "Very well, Jeong-Beom and Chief Park will dispose of them wither arousing any suspicions and we can use this as a sign of rebellion and take down The Third Prince, who should be on his way here soon. And we all know what to do when that happens."