"Ha-Na, child, come sit next to me."
I stopped in my tracks. Having instinctively moved to sit beside Chi, I realized that I'd maybe made a mistake. "Of course, Your Majesty." I bowed my head and scurried to the other side of the table. There was nothing that I hated more than having to sit next to the Queen Dowager, but I tried to relax my muscles so I wouldn't let on how scared I really was. "What is with this 'child' business?" I wondered.
"My son should be arriving shortly." While she addressed me, her eyes shifted towards the empty seat at the head of the table. Her voice was almost wistful, considering her usual tone that would strike the bridge between authoritative and sinister. Struggling to find something to say in reply, I simply chose not to, hoping that the Queen Dowager's thoughts of her son would make her forget me.
As if on cue, I heard the doors to the dining room slide open again. "Hello, Mother."
"Ju!" The Queen Dowager was clearly someone who ran on emotions. When her emotions got the better of her, her cleanly-crafted decorum shifted. "Why weren't you announced?"
"There was no need. You all know who I am. Well, I suppose except for Ha-Na." I turned at my name, to see a tall, handsome man with lively, chocolate-coloured eyes. "Hello, Ha-Na. I don't know if you remember me from when we were children?"
I stood up and gave a short bow. "Of course, I remember you, Your Majesty."
King Ju smiled warmly. "You've grown into quite the lovely young woman. Although, I surely would have remembered you." His eyes hit the facial scar, but unlike his mother, who always looked at it with a type of empowered satisfaction, I saw a flicker of dismay in Ju's eyes. And something else too; shame, perhaps.
The moment passed quickly. "Well, just as lovely as before. It is a true privilege that our family is reunited with yours again."
I bowed again. "The privilege is mine, Your Majesty."
"I hope you'll speak to me more casually as well. We are all as near to family as those who are not related by blood can be. Besides, Heonae speaks so fondly of you."
I couldn't help but smile when I heard Heonae's name. "I think very fondly of your wife as well. How is she? I mean, if I may ask…"
"Of course, you may." Ju smiled at me. "She's a little tired and is anxious to finally meet our little one, but I think that motherhood suits her already."
"I think it does too," I replied.
"I was not aware of how close you were with my daughter-in-law," came an icily polite voice from the side.
Dang. The Q.D. strikes again.
I managed to quickly put on a bright smile. "I had the pleasure of meeting Queen Heonae a few weeks ago, although I remember her from childhood. You have a very lovely daughter-in-law." There, hopefully that'll shut her up.
"Yes." The Queen Dowager complimented her short remark with a curt, curving smile. "You certainly always knew how to insert yourself in higher positions, even as a child. Positions that you did not belong in."
"Mother." Ju's voice was low, but it held enough warning. "I'm sorry, Ha-Na. My family and I are all a bit on edge, with Heonae's condition. Some of us are prone to saying things that we do not mean."
I returned his warm smile. "Of course. I understand."
The Queen Dowager shot me a cold stare, her eyes bright with pure and obvious dislike at being corrected by her son. "Of course, you would. You were always saying careless things, even as a child. It was only when you were taught a lesson that you finally learnt to bite your tongue." As she spoke, her eyes fixed on Ha-Na's barely-there scar again and I felt my stomach tighten. I'd always known that she had something to do with it but now that it was confirmed, I wondered what I would do with the information. Worse, I wondered how long I'd have to endure living under the Queen Dowager's roof alone once Chi married. The thought felt like a stab right in the center of my already-raw pain.
"Mother!" Ju stood up in protest, but before he could say anything more, a guard stepped in.
"Your Majesty." He bowed low to Ju. "Your wife has gone into labour."
Ju made his way over to him with swift efficiency. "Has the physician been sent for?"
"Yes, but the queen also requests that you be present for the birth, Your Majesty."
"Absolutely." Although the overall tone of his voice was calm, he couldn't keep the excitement out of it. "I'll be right there. Please go ahead and inform her maid that I'm coming."
Once the guard disappeared, Ju turned to us again. "I'm so sorry that our dinner was cut short, Ha-Na. We'll have a proper meal together once Heonae is recovered again."
"Of course. Please send my best wishes to her."
"I will."
The Queen Dowager rose. "Nephew, I will talk with you soon." She didn't even acknowledge me as she moved towards Ju.
"Mother." Ju subtly moved in front of the door as she tried to pass him. "Please rest comfortably in your quarters. I'll be sure to have word sent to you first once the baby has arrived and Heonae is safe."
"I certainly will not. Women do not need their husbands with them as they give birth; they are completely useless in the procedure. I will be there for my daughter-in-law."
"She asked for me." Ju crossed his arms. "I will not let my wife down, nor will I disregard her wishes when she is in the greatest need."
The Queen Dowager opened her mouth, then closed it again. She had an overbearing presence, but when her son was around, she clearly met her match. "Fine. You will be there for her, as she has requested. But I will be there for you, as my son."
Ju looked like he wanted to argue, but finally, shrugged. "Alright, Mother, if you insist."
When the pair finally left, I at last, managed to look to Chi. His face broke into a comforting smile when he saw me, but I could see the strain the fine lines between his eyes. He reached for my hand, and when I took it, his fingers enclosed around mine. "Let's go for a walk." His thumb caressed the top of my hand, a soothing motion against my still-jittery nerves. "I have something to talk with you about."