WHEN THE MARRIAGE COLLAPSE

twenty-eight - "Divorce me."

"What?" Heeseung asked in disbelief. Yeonbyul exhaled and ran her fingers through her hair, "Let's get a divorce. This isn't working, Heeseung. I've wasted my five years being suffocated and miserable. My dream was to be queen but not like this. I'm not happy, Heeseung. I'm not happy with our marriage."

"Stop blabbering nonsense, Yeonbyul."

"Marriage consists of trust between the wife and the husband. We don't have that. You don't even trust me. You weren't the one saving me from dying of being shot. You didn't even believe me when I said the culprit was Haesun. We have no chemistry, Heeseung. Please, let's get a divorce."

"I'll think about it," he said before leaving the office. She screamed out of frustration and threw the bowl towards the door, "There's no time to think! Just divorce me already! You don't even love me then why do you keep torturing me like this?!"

She kneeled on the floor and grabbed a fistful of her hair, screaming and sobbing. Hanseo and Ms Han rushed into the office, "Your Majesty!"

Hanseo hugged her as Ms Han rubbed her back gently to comfort her.

"I'm tired of living like this."

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Haesun read her magazine silently, drinking her tea calmly. The door to her room opened and revealed Heeseung who looked tired and stressed.

"Your Majesty!" She called, surprised by the sudden visit. She stood up to walk towards him but he immediately pulled her into a hug, resting his head on her shoulder. The mistress patted his back in a comforting way, "What happened?"

"I don't know who to trust anymore."

She pulled away and sat back down on the couch, "What's on your mind?"

He sat next to her and held both of her shoulders, "I'm asking you one more time. Answer carefully and don't lie, did you shoot an arrow at the Queen?"

She pushed his hands away and ripped her magazine apart before throwing it away, "Why are we still arguing about this? I did not. I'm tired of you not trusting me. If you don't trust me at all then we shouldn't even be in a relationship like this."

"Kim Haesun!" Heeseung raised his voice, "I just asked you a question. And you dared to answer me like that. Aren't you aware that you are being rude to the King?"

The mistress gulped in fear and held his hands, "Your Majesty..."

He pushed her hands away before leaving the room. Haesun stood up instantly before reaching for her phone, dialling her father's number, "Dad! I think Heeseung is suspecting me of trying to kill Yeonbyul."

"Keep lying."

"What? I can't! If they find out I keep lying, I'll get my head cut off."

"I thought I told you to not kill her before the hunting began. But you ignored my words and shot Her Majesty. So this one is on you."

The call ended and she threw her phone at the wall, watching it break into pieces.

"Dad, I don't think you're a good help anymore. Why don't I get rid of you?"

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Yeonbyul stared at her hands, holding the teacup tightly. Me Choi smiled softly, "Your Majesty, you need to take care of your health. Your father would be sad if he sees you like this."

"Mr Choi, how to get a divorce?"

The minister was taken aback by the question. He cleared his throat and fixed his posture, "The royal couple must agree to a divorce and signed documents. There are three levels of divorces. The first level is when the King and the Queen are allowed to get married again to each other if they wish to be together again."

"The second level is if the King and Queen wish to get married again, they must wait for at least five months. I don't know the reason but it was decided by the first King of the South."

"The third level is quite complicated. The King and Queen shall not get married again after the divorce. So if they wish to be together again, it is against the law and they cannot rule the kingdom anymore."

Yeonbyul scoffed, "Why do the citizens can divorce and get married all over again as they wish to. But the royal family can't? The royal laws are so complicated."

"It was decided by His Majesty's great-great-grandfather. I can't change that."

"I understand, Mr Choi. Thank you for explaining it to me."

"Why did you ask, Your Majesty?" He asked, feeling confused and nervous at what he was about to hear. She let go of the teacup and let her hands rested on her lap.

"I wish to divorce the King. But he doesn't want to. Is there any way for me to get a divorce?"

Mr Choi widened his eyes in shock, "Your Majesty... I don't know what to say..."

"In the meantime, prepare the divorce documents. Just in case His Majesty agrees with me, then we'll both sign it."

He bowed, "Yes, Your Majesty."

He got up and excused himself before leaving the gazebo. She stared at the butterflies that were flying towards the flowers. The garden became her favourite place to escape when she feels stressed. It was a gift from Heeseung to her when they were teenagers.

Her father kept coming to the palace for work and he couldn't leave her alone at the house so he had to bring her with him. Heeseung asked his father to create a garden just for her so that she wouldn't feel bored strolling around the palace over and over again.

"Your Majesty, the concubine has come to visit you," Ms Han announced. Haesun took a seat across her and glared, folding her arms. Yeonbyul drank her tea, not bothered by the concubine.

"You told Heeseung that I shot you?" Haesun scoffed. Yeonbyul put down her teacup and wiped her mouth with a napkin, "I don't lie. I never lie so it's understandable that the King trusts me or at least, doubts your honesty."

"Cut it out, Park Yeonbyul. Do you really want me to kill you?"

"If you didn't do anything wrong then why bother coming here to provoke me? Remember Haesun, I will make the whole world know what you have done. And mark my words, if I'm going down, I'm taking you with me."

She got up and took her teacup before pouring the tea on the mistress's head. Haesun grabbed her hand, "Park Yeonbyul!"

Hanseo pushed Haesun away before blocking the Queen, "Stop it, Lady Haesun. Or I'll call the guards to escort you out of the garden."

"No, no. Let her be. She needs to cool down anyway. Maybe it will improve on her bad attitude," Yeonbyul said before leaving the garden, followed by Ms Han and the other court ladies.