Rise of an Empress

Run Away

Soon Consort Kim gets separated from the squad of palace guards guarding her with the help of a faithful Kim family's hidden soldier. After getting a safe shelter they start a conversation.

"Your Highness, it's my honour that you trust me. I will save you no matter what."

"The Head Lady of the Andong Kim clan was planning something using black arts. She even killed our former head. The black artists are planning to sacrifice the royal twins to the Black Dragon. I, Consort Kim Myeon Hye, will not let someone harm the royal twins on behalf of His Imperial Majesty. At the same time, I don't want the Andong Kim clan and the Kim household to be executed for such unforgivable black art practices. If I can't complete my promise, then you will complete it on my behalf," She starts her journey in another way about which she never even imagined before.

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According to Consort Kim's aunt, the intruder in the palace to kidnap the babies was a wagon owner who was carrying old curtains of the palace which were discarded as preparation for the upcoming festival next month.

The pet black mongooses of the black artists were used to kill the fierce golden snake and the babies were dragged from their cribs through the back door by the mongooses. The intruder collected both the twins and the mongooses from the back door and delivered them outside the palace inside the discarded curtains. The wagon owner himself is a follower of the black arts. So, right now Consort Kim's destination is now the wagon owner. The babies will be taken to the mountain on the map just before the solar eclipse. So, it's better to investigate this black artist wagon owner before going to the mountain. What if the babies are still near the wagon owner?

She feels a bit relieved as the wagon owner is someone who has worked for the Kim family several times before and her aunt revealed the wagon owner's identity just before getting killed. Otherwise, it would be difficult to locate that person.

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"Kill him," Consort Kim orders with an expressionless face. The soldier of Kim immediately obeys her order by running a knife through the wagon owner's neck.

The black artists could not trust anyone and they took the babies away the same night they were kidnapped from the palace. But now they are demanding the wife of the wagon owner to take care of the royal twins. The wife of the wagon owner is also lying lifeless on the floor of this room. Myeon Hye doesn't have any way other than ordering to kill them just to destroy all evidence that can connect black arts with the Andong Kim clan.

If any connection with the Kim family is found, the whole family will face execution irrespective of involvement. She feels tears forming in her eyes. Maybe being born in the Kim family is a curse. If she was not born in the Kim family, she would not have to bear so many curses of innocent people who have died just to protect the name of the Kim family.

But Consort Kim knows that she can never forgive herself if she remains silent to these completely illogical killings of the innocent royal twins.

Kim Myeon Hye is someone who was born in the Kim family, tried to be an ideal Kim her whole life. But actually, her heart was always hesitant to obey the cruel and unnecessary things that her family used to do in the name of protection of the Andong Kim clan that they controlled.

Everything is happening just like her previous birth. She was born as a siren, but her features were more like a mermaid rather than a siren.

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It wasn't so hard to make these lunatic black artists believe that the wagon owner has sent his mistress rather than his childless wife as his mistress is someone capable of taking care of babies more. According to Myeon Hye, the wagon owner has sent her here after making a blood promise to the Black Dragon. To prove it she showed them the wound on her hand opening the bandage. 

The group of lunatics were already exhausted from taking care of the royal twins. They couldn't stop the babies from crying or making them eat anything. That's why they easily let her come inside.

"We will kill you if the babies get sick. If you so much as scratch and make them bleed a single drop will make us murder you by stabbing you a thousand times. Their single drop of blood is more precious than your life. Do you understand?" A man in a black robe escorts Myeon Hye to the corridor of the cave.

Consort Kim prays that the soldier of Kim will deliver the message and map to the palace as soon as possible. She has warned in the message to reach as early as possible, at least before the solar eclipse to stop this sacrifice.

Tomorrow is the day of the solar eclipse.

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Consort Kim can't resist taking the babies in her lap who wouldn’t stop crying in the straw-made bed on the floor of the cave. "It's okay, babies. Mother is here. I will protect both of you."

Now it's time for her to just wait for help from the royal palace. She unpacks the bottle of milk that she has brought to feed the babies.

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It was a long night. Consort Kim has spent the whole night without sleeping a bit. The royal twins are sleeping now and she is praying that royal soldiers will arrive as soon as possible to save them.

Sudden screaming makes her happy thinking that royal soldiers have arrived to save them. The screaming and begging for life could be heard until everything became so silent suddenly.

Myeon Hye waits for the footsteps of royal soldiers, but so much silence makes her curious that she takes steps towards the corridor holding the babies.

Suddenly she trips over something on the floor, she controls herself not to fall. But looking at the blood-soaked dead body that she tripped on, Myeon Hye is petrified. She keeps walking until reaching a portion of the cave where the floor is scattered with dead bodies and blood. Only one person is kneeling in front of a giant black dragon statue. He is alive and mumbling something in a lower voice.

Suddenly one of the babies wakes up and begins to cry. The crying sound of the baby makes the person in a black robe look back. What Consort Kim knows now is that she has to run away from this person who has killed all the fellow black artists in greed of power with help of few followers and lastly he also killed his followers. He doesn't want to give a share of the reward of the black dragon to anyone. Last night, a massacre happened among the black artists. This person left standing is the most clever one who was the mastermind and the only one who has survived this massacre. 

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Consort Kim Myeon Hye doesn't know how long she has been running. It is not easy to run when she doesn't know her surroundings. The morning sun is rising in the sky above the mountain. This sun will get engulfed today by the black dragon. Right now she plans to hide the royal twins at least until the solar eclipse ends.

But Myeon Hye stops suddenly as the road ends. She is standing on a cliff now. Now death is waiting in both the front and back of her.

She kneels on the cliff holding the babies tightly.

"Someone please help," She screams at the top of her lungs as suddenly someone stabs her from behind.

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