Forever It's You (It's You Series #2)

23 ✽ A Wildflower

As soon as Yul and Eun-bi arrived at the King's bedchamber, she picked her skirt off the ground and charged through the opening doors. The King, who was amid reading some documents, remained unfazed at their sudden appearance.

"My dear children," he greeted them happily. "What brings you here at this late hour?"

"Your Majesty," Eun-bi grumbled, "I need advice. What should I do when I'm stressed and angry?"

Searching around, she grabbed the first item she saw–an antique, flowery porcelain vase–and held it up high above her head. "Does breaking things help?"

The King's smiling face faded a little. "No, no, no! Put that down, little lady. That belongs to my late great-grandfather. You can't break that! You might anger our ancestors lying in their graves."

"In that case, I'll ask their ghosts to haunt you instead, Your Majesty!"

"No, you don't! I don't have a talisman to ward off ghosts. Son–" He turned towards him, who remained awfully calm and nonchalant at the ruckus she was causing.

That was when realisation dawned on him. "Ah, I see. You've already told her."

Eun-bi placed the vase back on the table, irritated, her eyes searching for her next target. She bolted past the King's bed and towards the cabinet at the back, discovering several hidden wine bottles just as Yul had told her.

She uncorked a bottle and took a sniff. "It smells...exquisite. Must be expensive. I can't believe you didn't invite us for a drink and kept these treasures to yourself, Your Majesty."

"It's because I work late at night and am left all alone. When a man is all alone, wine is his best friend—no!"

She held the wine bottle up high, appearing as if she was about to smash it onto the ground, but the King jumped to his feet and grabbed hold of his wine bottle. "Oh no, no. Not these precious goods!"

They wrestled for the bottle in the air and the King mustered a helpless smile. "You're furious at me, aren't you? Please let go of this, little lady."

She smiled sweetly in return. "No. Too much wine is bad for your health, Your Majesty."

That sprouted a choking laughter, one that was a mix of helplessness, shame and amusement. "Please, my precious daughter-in-law. Won't you listen to my explanation first?"

Eun-bi glared at him. "Precious, you say. But how could you leave me out of most of the fun?!"

He let loose a breathless laugh. "Because I know that you're sharp-witted to sense that something is amiss without me telling you first. So, did you?"

"I did," she said, but her voice cracked with hurt and disappointment. "I thought we were getting along well. Why put me in such a situation and risk my life?"

The King watched her sombrely, his gaze softening when he noticed her unhappiness. "You really think that I would have let both of my children walk around with my protection?"

When Eun-bi shot him a sceptical look, he lowered his voice. "I'll tell you a secret of mine—I don't just own the Royal Army, I've secretly trained my own men. None of the ministers or officials know about them. They never reveal their identities in public and I've already assigned them to both of you."

While Eun-bi had never seen his men before, she couldn't doubt the sincerity in his words.

Her arms were aching, and she lowered the wine bottle just as Yul cut into their conversation. "That doesn't completely excuse your action, Father. If Mother meant dearly to you, then you must know how much Eun-bi means to me."