Twist of Fate and Turns

Necessary Time and Space

"Your Majesty, the fourth prince is here to see you," reported the attendant as King Taejo reading over the scrolls.

"Fourth Prince? Let him in." He wondered why his son had come to see him suddenly. Of course, he was always happy to see his sons, but he was worried because he knew So wasn't the type to drop by just to say hello.

"The fourth prince greets you, Your Majesty," So said as he bowed to his father.

"What brings you here today?"

"Your Majesty, Soo and the baby were almost put in danger."
"What? Who dared to do such a thing? How did they dare to?"

"I'm sorry to say, Your Majesty, but eighth prince Wook sent bags of tea to Soo as a wedding gift and as congratulations on her pregnancy. When the physician examined the bags of tea, he stated they contained plants that would've cause Soo to lose the baby and her ability to conceive more children in the future. The baby and Soo are alright, but this incident scared my wife tremendously. As a husband and a father, I cannot let this go unanswered."

The king was baffled, why would the eighth prince do such a thing, especially when he used to care for the girl. It suddenly dawned on him. Wook used to care for the girl; he had feelings for the girl; this was his revenge. As much as he was angry that Wook had almost harmed his grandchild, the emperor couldn't help but feel sorry for his son. He looked at So again, "And tell me, what would you like to do?"

"Your Majesty, I request that you look into this matter personally and investigate the entire situation. And I ask that you do this as an emperor, not as a father," and then he left the emperor's court.

Taejo was stuck deep in thought at So's request. So and Wook were both his sons, so he didn't want to harm or disappoint either of them. So had gained a true sense of happiness because of that girl and their unborn child, but Wook had become unhappy. How would he manage to solve this dilemma? He wished that it was all a misunderstanding, that it was all untrue...

"Your Majesty, the eighth prince is here to see you," the attendants said from outside.

"Wook? Do let him in."

The eighth prince entered and bowed before his father, "You called to see me, Your Majesty?" He sounded rather subtle and empty.

"Wook, I'm going to ask you once. I already know all the details, so don't dare lie to me. Is it true that you tried to harm Soo's unborn child? Did you send tea to try and have her lose the child?" Taejo asked in a rather nervous voice.

"...Yes, Your Highness. I tried to kill Soo's child." He answered calmly in an as a matter of fact tone.

The emperor closed his eyes as he tried to come back from the shock of what he just heard. He barely managed to ask in a weak voice, "And why did you do such a thing? Is it because of So? Why can you not be happy for him? What is that girl that you would do such a thing? Trying to kill your unborn niece or nephew..."

"Your Majesty!" Wook yelled so hard that his veins were popping out of his neck. "You know how I felt... How I feel about Soo!!! Why can I not be happy for him? Because he took the one thing away that I ever wanted! I was never greedy, Your Majesty, always following responsibilities and duties. And for one time that I try and claim some happiness in my life, that... THAT ANIMAL TAKES IT AWAY FROM ME!!! That girl, as you just referred to as, Father, was my everything! And do not call that animal's child my niece or nephew because I refuse to have anything to do with it!"

Taejo looked blankly at his son. He felt as though his heart was going to be torn into pieces. What could he do? He wasn't going to take the girl away from the fourth prince, they were so happy together, not to mention there was a baby on the way. And he definitely wasn't going to leave this matter unattended to, but he couldn't bear to punish his son... Maybe the boy needed some time away from the girl. Maybe he needed some time to cool off. He called Jimong into the room.