Two Sides Of The Same Coin

Out of place. That’s exactly how he feels and how he -should- feel anyways. In comparison to his siblings, he’s a dirty stray with worn clothes and a personal history that makes his family be ashamed. 

But he has to see her. It’s something that drives him, a force that pushes him to do it even if he knows he might be treated like trash, and that’s something that is probably going to happen. Because he is trash. He’s a disgrace, useless. But surprisingly so, the Queen allows him to enter and the boy, practically a teen, steps slowly towards his mother and kneels, deeply bowing at her presence. 

“I hope you are in good health, Queen Yoo.”

It’s the best he can come with. He can’t bring himself to call her ‘mother’ and when he lifts his gaze, he’s expecting to see any of his siblings but there aren’t to be seen anywhere. 

“I came to pay my respects.”

 -- She’s surprised to see him. Despite knowing that he’s here,      she still can’t quite comprehend the fact that      he’s standing in front of her. He looks filthy, dressed in rags      that even a slave would turn their nose at.

     She resists the urge to reach out and touch him.      She can’t, not at the moment at least. Instead, she moves      towards him until she’s only a few paces away. She      clears her throat.

   “ I.. am glad you’re here. I want to speak to you. “

-- She wasn’t expecting his name to come from her servant’s     mouth. She’s  entertaining Jung when it happens, watching him practice     his calligraphy. He holds the pen awkwardly, and his strokes     are messy, but it still makes her happy to see him     write.

    A servant girl clears her throat and fidgets nervously.     Yoo wrinkles her nose at the interruption, but goes to     see what she needs nonetheless. She places a gentle hand     on Jung’s shoulder, assuring him that she’ll be be back before     following the girl to a different room.

   “ What is it? “    “ Your Highness, the Fourth Prince would look an audience with you. “

     She pauses, a bit shocked to hear his name or that he wanted      to see her. Something stirs in her, and she wasn’t quite sure      if it was rage or guilt. Shortly after Jung was born, her mistakes began      to eat at her. He looked so much like his brother, it only served as      a reminder of the son she cast away. She attempted to petition Taejo      to bring him back, but it fell on deaf ears.

     Perhaps now she would get the chance to try and correct things.

   “ Bring him in. “

give me an au where yoo stops being a cunt and rebuilds her relationship with So and treats Yo better.

His smile falters just a bit, but he won’t allow her to push his face down on the mud like usual. She won’t ignore him any longer. Almost sixteen years have passed since the last time he saw her rejecting him. Well, too bed. She’ll have to get used to see him around now. 

Whether she likes it or not. 

“None of your other sons would have given that to you.” 

It’s true and she knows it because they wouldn’t have thought about it. Yoo is too busy thinking about himself and himself alone, even if he does like to please their mother for selfish reasons. Jung is too deep into his fights, still a child at heart, much like Eun. But of course, she would dismiss anything from him. Still, he has a plan. 

“You haven’t changed. You love power more than anything in the world. Without your looks, you’d be nothing for our father. That’s why you’re so careful about it. So, think twice before speaking, mother.”

-- She can see his smile falter, and for a moment, she thinks he’ll     run away with his tail between his legs as usual, but he doesn’t.     Instead, he responds quicker than viper, and for once she is     out of words. He has her wit and her cunning, it seems. There’s     a stirring in her, something almost like pride.

    She scoffs, turning to look from him so that he wouldn’t see her     surprise. He was right, and while she is impressed with his     quick thinking, it makes her angry that he seems to know her     so well.

 “  You’ll do well to mind your tongue, Prince So. Remember where      you are.” Though she scolds him, she doesn’t dismiss him , nor      does she try to argue against his statements.

-- She doesn’t recognize him, and that scares her.        He’s changed, and that scares her. Her baby, her       little boy. Her Wook. This is not him.... this is someone        else.

    Her hands tremble, and she resists the urge to go to        him, to hold him like she used to. Instead, she watches.

    And finally, she speaks.

  “ Wook.”

“An ship with the finest silks from China has arrived and I ordered the best for you, before Queen Hwangbo gets to see them.”

And that is, indeed, very important news because he knows how much the two queens fight for their husband’s attention. They use then, all kinds of weapons including their looks, and his mother is known for the most luxurious items in Goryeo. 

“You’re on the winning side of the court, Mother.”

-- She laughs. Though she is rather pleased with his     gift, she will not show it. The silks were invaluable,     and would be used to attract her husband’s gaze.     A hidden, much softer part of her is happy he did     this. Happy he took the time to please her. She would     never tell him this. She had gotten rid of him for a reason.

    Rather than face her guilt of hurting her child, she     tossed him out. Besides, he was no use to her now.     So it was best to keep treating him coldly.

“   Am I supposed to be impressed? I would’ve gotten first     pick of the silks anyway. “

“If it pleases Your Majesty, then your servant is humbled to be invited to the palace.” The young lady is much too humbled and honored to be a friend of a member of the Royal Family is no ordinary thing. And to be someone that the queen has personally invited, now that is indeed some recognition. Unexpected, but still it is recognition.

“I shall come visit as often as you would like, mama. It would be discourteous of me if I only shared Yeon Hwa gongju my travels. If you have some time later, I can come back so I can tell you stories as well. Father just wants to see me for a little while. Would you be alright to welcome this humble lady back, Your Majesty?” Coming back would also give her time to get the queen a present just as she has given her friend Yeon Hwa.

-- Hwangbo is glad to see Miharu so enthusiastic. In truth,     the Queen didn’t get many visitors, nor did she leave the     Palace that often. Besides her own children, and Myung Hee,     she wasn’t visited by anyone. Of course, Baek Ah, or Eun would     see her occasionally, but they always stayed close to the palace.     It would be nice to hear stories from someone who traveled.

   Reaching over, Hwangbo gave Miharu’s hand an affectionate pat.  “ I wouldn’t want to keep you from your father, Lady Jeong. Come    back whenever you’re done. “ She stood, making her way over to    a box on her vanity. From it, she pulled a beautiful plaque, dark wood    engraved with gold.

  “ Take this pass with you. It says you are my guest. You may enter freely.”

It can take several years until the scars heal but for him, they can take an eternity and they’ll remain open for all he’s concerned. The first time was a fiasco, but now, he has more than enough motives to speak with his mother. The one who gave birth to him. The one who despises him with her very core. 

The servant bows as she allows him in and the prince makes his way to the Queen’s chambers. She’s not even looking at him, as expected. 

“Today, I’ll be your favorite son.”

-- Yoo let out a sigh. It’s an annoyed sound, one you     would expect to hear when an inconvenience presented     itself, not your son. But the Queen didn’t consider Wang So     to be her son. To her, he was nothing more than a pest, a     fly buzzing in her ear. She would listen, however.

    Finally looking at him when he spoke, she raised an eyebrow     in amusement. He must be more delusional than she thought.

 “  And why is that, Prince So? ”

It is an honor to finally meet someone so high in ranking, and her heart flutters in both nervousness and elation when the queen addresses her. The vulpine is just about to leave the palace after a visit to her friend the Princess Yeon Hwa with gifts she brought along from her most recent trip to the land once known as Baekje. A courteous bow, a nod and a smile are returned.

“Ye, Mama. I hope Yeon Hwa Gongju tells you delightful ones. I‘m honored to be her friend.– You look well, if I may say so.”

-- Hwangbo nodded.” Thank you. She enjoys your company. “

   She was glad Yeon Hwa had a friend. The Princess didn’t socialise as    well as Wook, probably due to the lack of girls her age to play with when she   was younger. Unlike her brother, she was rather possessive and demanding,    the Queen knew as much. It was one of her daughter’s short comings,    and Hwangbo partially blamed herself for it.  Still, she was always happy when    Yeon Hwa got close to others.

  “ You should come to the Palace more often, and tell us of your travels.”

-- “ Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince is here to see you.”

     The Queen wrinkled her nose at the mention of her      son’s name. With a small roll of her eyes and a wave      of her hand, she dismissed the maid. She would entertain      him for now, if only to give her something to do. She      wanted to see what he had to say. He was so desperate to      meet with her, despite making it abundantly clear that she had no      want or use of him.

  “ Send him in, then.”

-- “ Baek Ah! You’ve gotten so much taller.”

      Her tone was cheerful, and her smile was equally as bright.       Unlike Queen Yoo, Queen Hwangbo was rather fond of the       King’s other sons. Each had their own unique personalities,       their own quirks. She had known all of them since they were       young, and even though she wasn’t their mother, she still treated       them as if they were.

-- The cup was brought to her lips, but never once did     Queen Yoo break eye contact with Hae Soo. The jade     was cold against her skin, much different from the fire     the wine brought.  Coal black eyes looked the girl over     from top to bottom, thoroughly scanning every inch of her,     as if she were a cow sale. Finally, she spoke.

  “ So. You’re Hae Soo? I remember you. You’re the girl who     fought the Tenth Prince.”

-- “ Lady Jeong. Yeon Hwa tells me many stories about you.       She says you’re a good friend.”

     The Queen offers Miharu a soft smile. It’s clear by how      open she is that she is comfortable with the fox spirit,      though she doesn’t know much of her identity. She only knows      what her daughter tells her, and so far, she likes what she hears.