Twist of Fate and Turns

Mosaic Happiness

"Bring these bags of tea to the fourth prince's residence," Eighth prince Wook told one of his servants, "tell the servants that the tea is to be served to Lady Hae Soo every day, morning and night." The servant nodded, and left the room, carrying the bags of tea out with her.

"Wook, what is going on? What are those bags of tea for Soo?" Princess Yeon Hwa came into his study, worried that what she feared was correct.

"It's my... Wedding gift to the new married couple," he said with a dark, eerie smile on his face.

"Older brother, you've got to stop obsessing over that girl. She's moved on from you, and she's clearly happy. Please get a grip, and focus on the bigger picture."

"What bigger picture!?" He got up, slamming the desk as he did so, "All I ever wanted in life was to be free. I was always caught in between my family and responsibilities. And Soo was the only one who could free of them, even if it was a short time... What bigger picture is there, when out of all people, I LOST HER TO SO!!!" He glared daggers at his sister, who looked afraid but also intrigued at this new side of her brother.

"Aim for the throne. Leave the girl and love. Those two clearly have no greed or ambition for the throne, so you grab it. Hold onto power; the kings move the heavens, not the other way around," she said with a sly smile on her face.

"Explain to me more..." He said as he sat back down, telling Yeon Hwa to sit down as well.

"When the prince found out that the owner of the glass slipper was Cinderella, he immediately brought her to his castle and married her," said Soo as she played with So's hair. He wanted to hear another story, so there was, lying on her lap. She was running out of fairy tales to tell; one could only remember so many. Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Robin Hood, she had told So all those fairy tales, probably more! He loved them all, like a little child. He was fascinated by her stories, and mesmerized by her beautiful voice. She found it adorable that his expressions changed as the story changed. So if a part in the story was sad, he'd be sad, and when it was a happy ending, he'd break out into a large smile. She found it all way too cute. When she finished telling a story, he'd write them all down so he could tell it to their children in the future.

"Would you have done that, Soo?" He asked suddenly, taking her hand in his.

"Done what, Your Highness?"

"Married the prince just because you were the owner of the shoe. You don't even know the guy. How do you know that you're going to like the kind of person he is?"

"Hmmm... Well I'm married to a prince right now, aren't I? A very quick-tempered one who sometimes has anger issues. But I've managed to get along fine, so I believe that she'll be alright too."

"Maybe you're right... And I am not quick-tempered, nor do I have anger issues."
"Okay, but you're petty now," she said with a little smirk. He playfully hit her knee, probably denying that he was petty too. The two of them lived for moments like these, just the two of them. And soon, it would be the three of them, with their son or daughter. Neither of them could wait.

The servants in charge of Soo were worried. There was something suspicious about the bags of tea that were delivered from the eighth prince's residence. They were still serving it to Soo, but something was telling them that they should stop. She liked the tea, and she drank it every morning and night. But they were worried about the unborn baby...Not only did they care for Soo, but they were afraid for their lives. If anything were to happen to the baby or Soo, the fourth prince would make them pay with their lives. One of them suggested that they bring it to the fourth prince and tell him about their suspicions, but they didn't want to be executed for blaming the royal family. So they decided to bring it to the royal physician to take a look at it.

"You must stop serving this tea to Lady Soo immediately," the man said after he looked in to the contents of the tea bag.

"What's in the tea, Sir?" One of the servants asked.

"The leaves in this tea will not only cause Lady Soo to lose the child, but it'll prevent her from being able to have children if she continues to drink it." They gasped, and could feel themselves shaking from fear.

"H-How do we know if the baby is safe?" Another asked nervously.

"I'll be going to see her later today. I'll know when I feel her pulse. Burn and get rid of every one of those tea bags that you have." They nodded and left the physician's quarters. As soon as they returned, the first thing the servants did was burn every tea bag that was sent by the eighth prince. He'd sent them for days, so there were an endless number of tea bags, but they managed to burn them all. They looked through every cupboard, shelf, drawer, and cup, and cleaned everything out.

"Your Highness, Lady Soo, I'm happy to tell you that the child is healthy," the physician told the couple, "but I must advise you to stop drinking the tea that was sent by the eighth prince."

"Tea sent by the eighth prince?" So looked at Soo confused, "Wook sent something?"

"Yes, a servant delivered it about a week or two ago, saying that it was his wedding gift to us," Soo answered.

"Well, I must tell you to stop drinking that tea. If you continue to drink it, not only will you lose your baby, but also your ability to have more children in the future."

Soo gasped, and her hand naturally went to her stomach. She had almost killed her baby. Tears welled in her eyes. Eight Prince... How could you...

"How did you know about all this?" So asked the physician.

"Your servants came to me this morning, and brought the bags of tea with them. They were worried about Lady Soo. I'm glad they brought it to me, because if they hadn't, it would've been a problem."

"Alright, you may leave. Thank you."

"Yes, Your Highness," and the royal physician left their chambers.

So took Soo's hand in his and stroked her face, trying to calm her down. He was thankful that Soo and their child was alright, but it was still a close call. He held his wife close to him as she cried.

"Soo..." He said as he soothed her.

"Your Highness... I'm such... Such a bad mother... I almost killed my own baby... Our baby..." She barely managed to say in between tears.

"That isn't your fault, my love. You didn't know that Wook poisoned the tea. Although I do wish you would've told me that he sent tea. I wouldn't have been angry, you know. To be honest, I'm surprised that he'd do something like this. Yo or Won maybe, but not Wook."

"I should've told you... I'm sorry..." She said again in tears, burying herself in his chest.

"No, at least it's done now, that's all that matters."

"Your Highness, I... I can't forgive him for this. He tried to harm our baby. We can't let this go unanswered, I refuse." So was surprised at his wife. He was angry at Wook too, but he didn't want to see Soo hurt, so he was holding it in. She was a mother, after all.

"Very well, Soo. I'll look more into it, and speak to the emperor. But for now, get some rest, you and the baby." He said as he laid Soo down and tucked her in.

"Will you stay... With us, Your Highness? I'm afraid to stay alone right now..." So smiled softly, and got into the bed with her. He held his wife close, as she fell asleep in his arms. He kissed her forehead, and closed his eyes. You'll pay for this, Wook... You won't dare take my wife and child away from me...