WHEN THE MARRIAGE COLLAPSE

forty-two - "The diamond shoes."

Yeonbyul wiped her damp hair with a towel after she was done showering. She put on a new outfit for the day and sat at the edge of her bed, checking for the latest news on her phone. The entrance door was knocked and Soeun walked in with a few boxes of shoes.

She stood up as she looked at the shoes in confusion, "What is all this?"

"You're getting married, right? Jake is going to help Sunghoon find the best suit. Of course, I'm going to help you find the best dress."

"It's not like it's my first wedding. We don't have to go all out," Yeonbyul said shyly, folding her arms. Soeun sat on the floor as she opened the boxes, "But it's Sunghoon's first. We can start all over again, Yeonbyul. We could make this wedding even better than your first. It could be the most special day ever in your life, who knows?"

Yeonbyul sat next to the Queen as she watched her checking out the heels. One of them was designed with lace, some of them with diamonds and more. A pair of heels from a black box caught her attention. It was designed with Swarovski diamonds, which reminded her of the ball gown that Sunghoon designed for her.

She smiled and held them. Soeun smiled, "Would you like to try it?"

She tried it on and looked at herself in the mirror. That was just the shoes. What about the dress? If she was already in love with the shoes, imagine Sunghoon seeing her walking down the aisle with a beautiful dress. Just imagining it made her blush and shy.

Soeun chuckled and tidied up the boxes, "Maybe you're excited and happy because this is your first wedding where the people are actually in love with each other."

Yeonbyul frowned and put the heels back into the box, "It's just a wedding. I don't see any difference."

"Of course it's different. Instead of imagining Heeseung's poker face, imagine Sunghoon's excited smile, watching you walked towards him with a bouquet in your hands. It'll make him the happiest man alive."

"It will?"

"Of course! Now, let's see your dress!" Soeun said as she called the court ladies to bring in the dresses.

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Heeseung stared at the wedding invitation card in front of him. Yeonbyul and Sunghoon's names were written on it, announcing their wedding date and venue. He scoffed and tolled his eyes before picking up the card. He was hesitant about throwing it away so he tossed it on the desk and leaned back against his chair.

The office door opened, revealing Haesun who was lowering her gaze and frowning. He smiled softly, "I'm sorry for what happened yesterday. I didn't mean to scream at you. I was just stressed about the kingdom problems."

She rolled her eyes and forced herself to smile, "It's okay. You're a King anyway."

He examined her carefully, noticing a tiny red liquid dripping from her diamond ring. She noticed him and acted like she was rubbing the back of her neck, "I'm quite tired, I'm gonna go rest."

"Where were you?" He finally asked. "I met my old friends. We decided to have a small reunion. I hope it's okay with you."

Heeseung nodded and dismissed her, watching her leave. He was suspicious about the red liquid, was it...blood?

"If the father is a murderer, there's no doubt that it may have passed down to her," Yeonbyul's words passed through his mind. His heart started to beat nervously as he thought about it deeper, "Did she kill someone?"

Haesun rushed into the bathroom and washed her hands aggressively, rubbing them with soap. She glared at the diamond ring and threw it away because the blood wouldn't come off. She looked at herself in the mirror, "Pull yourself together, Haesun. You didn't do anything wrong. You're just trying to make your life better."

She nodded and talked to herself to calm down, "That's right. I deserve better."

The baby in her belly started kicking and she held it, groaning in pain. She wanted to punch it, kick it, whatever she could do to stop it.

"Can you just stop it?! It hurts!"

"Is everything alright?" Heeseung approached her as he leaned against the bathroom entrance. She forgot to close the door and looked away to hide her frown. She turned back to him and faked a smile, "Yeah."

"Did you just scream at our child?" He asked again, this time seriously. She sighed, "It just kicked. It's a bit painful."

He looked at her before smiling softly, squatting so that his face was the same level as her belly, "Don't hurt your mom. She'll be in pain if you that."

She turned away, "It's pretty weird. Please stop doing that."

"Why? I saw everyone does that. I wanted to try too," he pouted and thought of something. If the baby wasn't his, then why does he have to put in all effort as a father. The person who sent the papers and pictures of her remained anonymous and it was driving him crazy.

But then again, the proof that the person sent was too much to not be true. He decided to keep his guard up and have his private investigator stalk her. She glanced at him, "Is something bothering you?"

"No. Just thinking about Sunghoon's wedding invitation. You do know he's getting married to Yeonbyul, right?"

Haesun stopped wiping her hands and frowned at him, "What?"

If Yeonbyul becomes the Queen again, what if she has the full power to defeat me? I'm not even married yet to Heeseung because of his stupid emergency work. I can't believe she beat me to it, she thought. She smiled at the King, "When will we get married? We've been engaged for so long and I feel like I already take enough lessons to become Queen."

"When my work is done. You do know how the kingdom is not in great shape now. I need to take care of it first. Then, we'll get married," he kissed her forehead before leaving the room. She scoffed and kicked the trashcan aggressively before lying down on her bed.

"Park Yeonbyul, don't think that getting married to Sunghoon will make your life easier and powerful. Yes, you always win. But don't you think that I could change the game?"