Author's Note:
Still angsty, but milder than the previous one.
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Ten minutes after Jo Yeong left, Min Ho decided he couldn't wait and went with his guards to fetch her himself. It was a long walk between Jin's palace to his former palace, and he became even more eager to see her soon, knowing she would be so happy that Jin had regained consciousness.
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Once he jumped inside, Jo Yeong heard the screams.
Two women were screaming their lungs out, asking whoever it was to stop, let go, and don't touch.
He knew women only screamed like that when they were being or about to get assaulted.
Jo Yeong unsheathed his sword and ran as fast as he could, jumping over the dead bodies of his friends, two near the guards' shed, the other four near the princess's chamber.
There were no wounds, so they were poisoned.
There were around eight guards guarding the main bedroom. He knew by sight it was Park Hae Soo's guards.
He burst and ran to them all, waving his sword at them without looking at the result, kicking at the door.
Sung Kyung was pinned on the ground by four guards, screaming out "LET HER GO!"
Jo Yeong saw that she was not being raped so he immediately turned his attention to the princess, pinned on the bed underneath none other than Hae Soo himself.
Jo Yeong rushed to them.
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Min Ho arrived in his former palace three minutes after Jo Yeong burst into the bedroom.
No!
He saw no guards were on the gates and immediately knew something was wrong.
He brought another six guards with him and they were failing to open the gate. It was locked from the inside.
"The back entrance," he said, running before hearing any answers.
His heart beat so fast he could drop dead. Go Eun was in danger. He knew it. Oh why was he so stupid to leave her alone? He should have always stayed by her side!
He saw the guards who were assigned to guard her lying dead everywhere, and he ran to the main chamber, his guards behind him.
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Hae Soo screamed in pain before Jo Yeong even touched him.
He sat straight and cursed, "You whore!" writhing in pain above Go Eun.
Go Eun managed to push him off of her and crawled to the corner of the bed.
Jo Yeong jumped to reach Hae Soo and pull him away.
But someone else was faster than him.
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Min Ho reached the doorway in time to see Hae Soo writhing in pain and sitting above Go Eun, screaming "You whore!" at her.
He rushed inside, not minding the guards from two sides that were fighting each other, and almost got hit by Jo Yeong's sword, not even saying a word to Go Eun.
Before anyone could blink, he was already reaching Hae Soo's body, punching him, making him lied on the bed, and strangling him as hard as his hands could do it.
Go Eun was staring, paralyzed.
Jo Yeong gaped for a moment before he realized the consequences.
Prince Min Ho was about to kill Park Hae Soo. And no matter what, under the law, under all government officials, the prince was a bad man. He would be sentenced to death for murdering the Left Councillor.
Around them, the twelve guards of Hae Soo were fighting the six guards of Min Ho.
Jo Yeong jumped at his master, trying his best to pull him away from Hae Soo.
"My Lord, you must not kill him!"
Hae Soo was whimpering in a strangled sound, writhing underneath Min Ho, pinned to the bed and got Go Eun's dagger stabbed deeper into his back
Jo Yeong managed to pull Min Ho's body but he threw Jo Yeong away and continued to strangle Hae Soo until the councilor's face turned blue.
"My Lord! There's still the queen! The Queen Park! If you kill him now, she'll make sure you'll be sentenced to death!"
"Stand back, Yeong-ah! I swear this bastard's life will end now!" he vowed, strangling harder.
Hae Soo fought but the wound on his back made him weak and he couldn't do anything more than pushing Min Ho weakly.
Sung Kyung ignored everything else and grabbed Go Eun's body, half-dragging, half-carrying her to a chair, far from the fight.
The princess was sobbing and trembling, the whole understanding of what she just went through was overwhelming.
Hae Soo was gasping already and Jo Yeong knew he was an inch from death, so he used all his strength to pull Min Ho's hands away.
"LET ME KILL HIM NOW!!!" Min Ho bellowed, running to reach the bed again.
"MY LORD! YOU'LL BE SENTENCED TO DEATH! YOU CAN'T KILL HIM! THERE IS STILL THE QUEEN!"
"HE RAPED MY WIFE, YOU LUNATIC! WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?"
"YOURS! I HAVE VOWED TO PROTECT YOU, MY LORD! EVEN FROM YOURSELF!"
Hae Soo's guards took their master's body from the bed. He was still alive though he's in pain and was blue in the face.
"HE'S ESCAPING! HE MUST DIE NOW!"
"He'll die in your palace, My Lord! The queen will create a trial and you will be sentenced to death!" Jo Yeong said, holding Min Ho's body while signaling another guard to help him.
Min Ho's guards were winning, killing eight of Hae Soo's guards, but the four guards ran away with the councilor.
"CATCH HIM! CATCH HIM AND KILL HIM!"
The six guards chased Hae Soo, but apparently, he had twenty four guards at the ready, ordered to attack if he had to escape. Min Ho's guards were outnumbered but the enemy didn't try to kill them. Once Hae Soo was far enough, they all ran away.
Meanwhile, Min Ho swore he would kill Jo Yeong too.
"Please. You have to understand. If you kill Park Hae Soo-ssi here, all of the Park clan's people will conspire to make you lose in the trial and you'll be dead. The Ministry of Justice is on his side and even the emperor will not be able to help you!"
"HE RAPED GO EUN, YOU IDIOT!"
"Shouldn't you see her now? She needs you, My Lord!" Jo Yeong used his last card, knowing that one would work.
Fury turned into immediate concern and Min Ho finally ran to Go Eun's side, instantly forgetting Jo Yeong.
She was crying in Sung Kyung's arms, and he told her to go, before he held his wife with concern.
"Forgive me, Go Eun-ah. Forgive me for not protecting you."
Go Eun could only sob and bury her head on his shoulder.
"Where does it hurt, Go Eun? Did he go all the way?"
"No. He—he hasn't taken off my clothes yet. But—but he touched my body and k—kissed me........I feel so dirty right now. I'm sorry. Please don't leave me. I didn't want this to happen. So please.......please don't leave me."
"I won't. Sshhhhh........it's not your fault. It's alright, you're safe now."
Min Ho pulled back to take a good look at her. Her hair was falling from the knot, her face was panicked and pale, wet with tears, her clothes were creased and her blouse was torn.
Worse of all, she was still trembling.
"I am so glad you brought your dagger, or else you wouldn't be safe."
"I am glad I have it with me. I just stabbed him without thinking."
"You did the right thing. And he'll pay for this, I swear. I want you to be safe. That's all."
Go Eun flung her arms around him and hugged him tight, refusing to let him go, unheeding of all the guards standing there.
Jo Yeong gave the signal for everyone else to leave the room and prepared to carry the bodies away.
Sung Kyung bowed, and also left the room.
Min Ho carried her to the bed, murmuring, "It's alright now. It's alright."
"He wanted to rape me in order to hurt you."
"I know."
"He wanted to kill everyone you care about."
"I know, Go Eun. Don't think about it right now," he said, lying her on the bed.
"You must stay safe. Swear to me you'll stay safe. You must win this. I won't be.......I won't be able to live without you. If you die, I'll die after you."
"Sshhh......don't say that. We'll live together, how about that? We'll live together until we're old."
She sat up and hugged him again, climbing on his lap.
"You must be safe, Yeobo. You have to. You will, right? Promise me you will!"
"I will. I will also give you more guards."
"I don't matter. It's you who matter."
"Ani, Go Eun-ah. You're the most important," he said, trying to soothe her by rubbing her back.
"It was so disgusting........being touched by another man. Death would feel better. Anything than those hands on me........"
Min Ho killed Hae Soo repeatedly in his head.
"That will never happen again. Trust me. I will protect you better."
She held him so tight. The tightest she ever did.
"I'm yours. Otherwise it feels so wrong," she breathed out.
He caught her lips and impulsively kissed her.
She kissed him back, pouring her fear and emotion into the kiss, pushing at his nape, surrounding him with her legs, pressing her body on him.
He was as ravenous, eating her lips like there's no tomorrow, wanting to forget how he saw Hae Soo sitting above her.
"I love you," she whispered sincerely to him, "Make me yours again and help me forget what happened."
Hae Soo's evilness made them crave for each other that instant, dying to be definite again who they belonged to.
He did help her forget, reclaiming every inch of her possessively. She responded with relief and hunger, realizing that she had to feel lucky to be owned by this man instead of another, for he felt so right, he filled the void inside her and she was willing to give him everything. She kissed him with passion, held him with greed that she had never experienced before, whispering his name and asking for more, leaning and arching into his touches.
This woman had become my life.
Min Ho refused to think about anything else and just followed what she wanted. She was desperate and he almost lost her. He took her with relief, claimed her with pleasure, and made her sure, once more, she belonged to him, and only him.
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After turning his master's attention back to his Princess Consort, Jo Yeong tried to chase Hae Soo with the guards who reported they couldn't stop the Councillor.
He knew a short cut and managed to lead the guards to the west hallways. He knew it was Hae Soo's secret route in and out the palace. Not that it was hidden, just not familiar for other government officials. They saw Hae Soo and his four remaining guards at one end of the hallways and ran faster.
They could see the Councillor falling twice, the effect of the Princess's stab was evident. His guards always helped him up and brought him along with them.
Jo Yeong's guards chased Hae Soo and the remaining guards well until the edge of the imperial palace, with him at the front, throwing his small knives at them, knowing it hit two of the guards. However, Jo Yeong thought it was unwise to actually capture and really kill him. There were other guards, also ministers and high officials in the palace. How can Min Ho's guards be seen there capturing the Left Councillor? His master would be charged for planning murder. While the truth was the contrary.
Jo Yeong stopped when the enemy escaped through a back way.
It would be bitter to report that he had let Park Hae Soo escaped to his master.
But it was just impossible.
It didn't mean that he didn't want to. Oh, he would enjoy torturing that man, slowly but surely. Death was too good for him.
How could he not hate the man, when he witnessed how vile he was, how his master fought to defeat him, and all those facts the investigation team had gathered about his crime.
If he didn't have to follow any rules, Jo Yeong would just slip to Park Hae Soo's palace, and slit his throat quietly in the dead of the night.
He couldn't. He works for the prince and he must guard his name. Not that Prince Min Ho's name was all noble with all the bad rumors spreading about him, but still.
The time would come, Jo Yeong told himself for the thousandth time. The time would come when Park Hae Soo met his end.
Soon.
For the sake of this nation, it had to be soon.
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Later in the evening, Min Ho and Go Eun visited Jin.
He had woken up from his fever and was then able to eat again, fed by his mother.
They all sat there, fascinated. Watching how the little prince ate, spoon by spoon.
"Praise the Gods," Jung Jae uttered in relief. "It was horrible to see my child like that. I don't know what would happen to me if he really died."
"He didn't. So let's all be grateful for that" Min Ho said, "And you need to choose his maids well."
"The maids were apparently Hae Soo's accomplices. He managed to corrupt the imperial maid's school and made us chose them. Lady Jeon chose Jin's maid herself. But they were Hae Soo's all along. It's hard to believe they helped to raise him since he was born until now only to kill him when they got the first chance."
"Bummie?" the little prince suddenly called.
"Ne?" Go Eun asked, not understanding what the baby was saying.
"Bummie? Bummie!"
"I think he's looking for Kim Bum, his personal guard," Lady Jeon informed.
"Ah."
Intended or not, Kim Bum, the little prince's personal guard, had let him suffered a bad injury. He had failed on his duties. Normally, he would be immediately sentenced to death. But it was Lady Jeon who prevented it, knowing how attached his son was to the guard.
Finally, Kim Bum was only given fifty beatings as a punishment.
The guard accepted the punishment readily, even gratefully. He had sinned and he was even willing to be executed. He saw the beatings as an immense benevolence and endured it almost without uttering a single sound.
The wounds on his back hadn't healed yet, but he'd live. He'd live for Jin Dae Goon. If he were given the chance to serve him again.
The emperor finally relented and ordered to usher him in.
Kim Bum felt like a sinner being permitted to step into heaven.
"Bum Bum!" Jin exclaimed happily, looking tired but much better.
Kim Bum felt tears filling up his eyes and fell to his knees.
You're alive. Thank you. Thank you for staying alive.
Jin was confused because Kim Bum didn't come to him. So he was the one who got up and approached him.
"Ball!!!"
Kim Bum was weeping on the ground, not even looking at his little master. He was immensely relief that Jin was still alive and was not hating him, was even still willing to talk to him, not understanding that he was hurt because of his carelessness.
It was touching.
The emperor and Min Ho decided, if Jin trusted his guard, then they wouldn't change him. He could continue his duty.
"Algesseo, Jin Dae Goon. You will play ball again with Kim Bum when you're healthy. Now, you must sleep first."
" Too?" Jin pointed at Kim Bum. Was Kim Bum going to sleep too, the little prince wished to ask.
"He will be near you. He has to stay awake so you will have good dreams, right?"
"Ne!"
Jin walked back to his bed and his mother covered him with a blanket, while Go Eun patted his belly.
Kim Bum stood at the door with Jo Yeong and the other guards, at the place he belonged to.
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Author's Note:
As I said before, this story was written a decade ago for another ship. I had to edit the grammar though, didn't know that my grammar was so horrible. Not that I'm perfect now, but at least I got better.
I also wonder why I could write such a story a decade ago, lol. It's so angsty.
Jo Yeong didn't let Min Ho kill Hae Soo, because he didn't want history to say that Prince Min Ho was a murderer of a good minister. He wanted Hae Soo to be sentenced for his crimes, not brutally murdered by Min Ho.
Thank you for reading this story. Maybe many other writers could write sweet Mineun fanfictions, but I'm quite confident I'm one of the few that wrote angsty Mineun fanfictions.
Stories that are too sweet bores me. It has no challenges.
It's the angst stories that I usually could keep writing.
Thank you for reading. Give me comments, please.