[C] The Most Beloved Consort || Kookv

Chapter 32 (new)

The war with the Song kingdom at the North border was nearing an end. However, the frequent battles at the South border never seems to cease, with the nomadic tribes situated beyond the border continuously attacking the Jeon Kingdom due to an ongoing territorial dispute since the previous King's time.

Scholar Yoo was thus ordered to leave for the South border after the banquet.

During Scholar Yoo's time in Court, he had learned one important rule - to survive, one must understand how other officials work, and what precautions to take when interacting with each other. For example, Minister Kim is known for his cunning ability to pluck himself out of any damning situation.

General Moon simply does what he wants, does not seem to be close to the other officials, and listens only to the King. It is rumoured he is greedy for riches and indulges in nightly affairs a tad too much, but no one really knows.

Minister Bae has connections all over Court and it is an open secret that he expects a return of sorts with whoever he works with. If there was anyone who said no to him, he would simply oppress them with his wealth.

Hence Scholar Yoo was expecting a difficult time, seeing that he did not prepare any money or treasures to offer. He was not prepared for Minister Bae to simply pass him all the chests of money and bade him Bon voyage.

Minister Bae had even allowed Scholar Yoo to watch as the Finance Ministry's officials tallied the money against the checklist and sealed the chests of money meant for the South Borders. These chests will be kept sealed before General Moon opens them at the South border.

Minister Bae then left for his residence to wait for his wife's return after her visit to Royal Consort Bae.

Royal Consort Bae's mother had lived in the highest conduct since her marriage to Minister Bae. The sister-in-law to the late Queen Bae, she was expected to carry herself in a manner fitting of a high class lady, and never to have a single misstep in public.

She only wears the most expensive silks and jewellery thanks to her husband's successful family business and every movement drips with sophistication. A hint of a smile is what she allows when in joy, and not a furrow of a brow can be seen even if she was startled or disapproving. Always pleasant yet always perfectly distanced to remind the other ladies that she married into the most prestigious family. Many wives of the other officials and nobles looked up to her.

So why was a lady such as her frantically wringing her handkerchief in her daughter's, Royal Consort Bae's palace?

The mother and daughter were talking without any attendant in the chambers.

"Do I not know how important it is to be Queen?" Royal Consort Bae griped. The queenship was all she was thinking about in years, even before her marriage to the King.

As a daughter of one of the most prestigious families in the kingdom, she was set to marry the King, no matter who it was, even if it was Prince Junghyun. Marrying between cousins to continue the bloodline was not uncommon for royals. She was guaranteed a position as a Royal Consort but she had always aimed for the best; she will be Queen.

After Jungkook was given the title of Crown Prince, she was betrothed to him. Seeing that there are no other consorts of her rank, Bae Soohyun thought that she would be given the task to manage the palace and after performing well for a few years, she would naturally be crowned Queen.

Until the late King himself had decreed for Kim Taehyung to be the First Royal Consort.

No one had seen it coming. The rumour was that the late King had visited the Kim family once and was so impressed with their youngest child, he had decided for him to marry Jungkook after he had inherited the throne.

Royal Consort Bae could not see what was so special about the boy. Yes, he was beautiful, but he was naive and she could tell he was not trained to survive in the palace like she was, until he slowly learned the ways of the royals. What was it about him that caught the attention of the late King and why did the current King dote on him so? Even the people speculate that he would be Queen.

And she has to deal not just with Kim Taehyung, but also Consort Moon. As the sister of General Moon who is protecting the borders, Consort Moon naturally has the support of the people as well and is also another popular choice to be Queen.

Even if Royal Consort Bae is pregnant, it does not seem that the King has intentions of making her Queen. After all, the King is young and he could have other children with other consorts. And if she gives birth to a daughter...

Royal Consort Bae huffed in frustration. She was easily irritable these days from the discomfort of being pregnant and the weight of expectations of giving birth to a boy on her shoulders. Moreover, she got news that her family's stores are being attacked recently.

"Tell me again, mother, just how many stores of ours have been robbed and when did this start?"

Lady Bae sighed, worried about the current situation, "it started about two months ago. The robbers targeted mainly our jewellery and fabric stores, followed by pharmacies and restaurants. The stores were thrashed after the robbery and the losses are enough to set us back by two months of profit. It seems that it is the same group of hooligans who did it because it is the same methodology - they break in during the middle of the night, they steal everything of value, then they thrash the store. We hired men to patrol our stores and they reported the culprits were armed and ruthless. Many of our men were heavily injured."

"Two months..." Royal Consort Bae repeated. Did anything happen two months ago that could have triggered these attacks? Moreover, why is there a need to thrash the the store after taking the valuables? As if they didn't want the store to continue operating.

She paced about the room. Two months...

Royal Consort Bae slowed to a stop, widening her eyes in realisation and she looked at her mother, searching for a confirmation.

"Could it be..."

"Your father thinks it might be..."

Her mother mouthed the name of the suspect, not trusting the thin walls of the palace.

"Oh god..." Royal Consort Bae gasped and her knees gave way, her mother springing from her seat to support her. Royal Consort Bae paid her no mind as she grappled at the edge of the table and lowered herself onto a chair. "Oh god, that person is more ruthless than we imagined."

"My child, panicking is of no use. It is too late and we have no way out. We were too naive to think that there would be no consequences to our actions," Lady Bae sighed helplessly. "But even if we did, there is nothing we can do to stop that person. Thankfully, your father has saved enough for us to pull through. All will not go to waste if you become Queen," Lady Bae said, desperation lacing her tone.

"Do you think it is that easy, mother?" Royal Consort Bae snapped, more from anxiety than in anger. She wants to be Queen too, but if the King is not willing and with competitors in the way, what else can she do?

Lady Bae reached over to squeeze Royal Consort Bae's hand in reassurance. She whispered, "no need to worry, my child. We will get rid of the other Consorts. You just need to give birth to a prince and we will handle it from there. Meanwhile, do not get into trouble and protect your child. Can you do that?"

Royal Consort Bae swallowed the lump in her throat. The taste of fear is bitter on her tongue, for failure would guarantee sure-death. She does not have a choice, does she?