Promise- Minsung

Chapter Thirty Seven

Minho slept in his old room, the one he had slept in when he first arrived at the Han Palace and before he married Jisung, his daughter tucked into his arms.

He had returned the night before without saying another word to anybody, ate the food that had been taken to his room, and turned into his bed for the night, Hei-ran fast asleep by the time he was done eating.

"Hei-ran-ah..." Minho murmured, brushing her thin hair out of her eyes. "You're going to hate me when you're older..." he lay back in the silks, cradling the small child. "You really are..."

Minho didn't sleep well that night. The thought of what might happen in the future to this small child he had claimed his own and his husband as well made his head hurt.

And again, in the night, a man dressed in all white, and certainly not a Black Mask Assassin, arrived at the palace unnoticed by the guards. This time, he did not go to see the Lee prince, but instead the Han King, who was sleeping in his own room, his wife on a separate bed a few feet away.

The man in the white mask shook his head as he stared through the window at the small teenage-king among the silks that he slept in. "What have you done?" he murmured. "I knew I should have intervened sooner."

"Indeed you should have," the White Mask whirled around to find Master Kang standing behind him, nodding slightly. "He has become foolish with his own power. I was hoping that together, King Han and Prince Minho could grow and mature, but this child..." Master Kang winced. "Has driven the poor older prince away."

"I can see that," the White Mask nodded, staring at the woman who slept to the side of Jisung. "Is she with child?"

"He has not touched her," Master Kang answered softly. "Not once."

"Really?"

"Yes. I wonder if..." Master Kang shook his head. "Never mind."

"And what of that child the Lee prince now has with him? That is not his biological daughter, is it?"

"Of course not. There is no way-" Master Kang stopped himself. "That is not his. I'm not sure where it came from or why he has it. Would you like to get rid of it?"

The White Mask stood there for a moment, before shaking his head. "I fear that if we take his new child away, it may do more harm than good."

Master Kang nodded. "You should be going, sir. It's not good to be here so late. We should speak some other time... somewhere more private."

"Indeed. I will wait for your message in the mountains. Stay safe, friend," and with those words, the White Mask turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Master Kang standing alone before the sleeping king. He stared at Jisung for a minute longer, before he turned away. "What a foolish child..."

~oOo~

Yongbok woke early, warm for once in someone's embrace. He looked over his shoulder and found Changbin stirring as well, rubbing sleep from his eyes with his fist. "What is it?" he groaned as he shifted to lay on his back, dragging Yongbok over to lay on his chest.

"The baby," Yongbok listened for a moment before concluding that it was young Prince Yeong who was crying, and not Hei-ran. He had woken many mornings lately with another baby crying throughout the entire palace.

This one was worse though. Maybe because Hei-ran was older, but there was a shrill shrieking factor to this baby's screams. New vocal chords.

"We should get up," Yongbok tried to pull away and sit up but Changbin pulled him back to his chest. "Don't get up!"