One Year

Confessions

"I have loved you the moment I first laid eyes on you. I have loved you with the first stoke on the guzheng you played at Prince Ronin's birthday party. I have loved you when I saw you save King Ryu from the assassination. I knew then, you were a worthy woman to love." Mia said softly trying to hold on. "Like you, I was locked inside, forced to learn all the womanly arts. Ignored and neglected I saw no reason to live. For my life depended on the happiness of my parents and once I was married off, my happiness was depended on my husband. With no real chance of living for myself, I decided to kill myself after Prince Ronin's birthday party. But when you played that beautiful song, you captivated me. Wholeheartedly. Completely. Incandescently. My greatest wish was to live beside you in the Back Palace. My greatest accomplishment is saving you. My greatest desire, is to hear you play the guzheng one last time. That is all I ask from you. Because I know, you only have King Ryu in your heart, like I have you in mine."

Siri was surprise by Mia's confession, but she nodded her head to agree with her request. How could she not? Mia was her life's savior. It would be trampling on her feelings if Siri didn't do Mia's last bidding.

When Mia saw her Queen nod her head in agreement. She smiled brightly as the light became dead in her eyes.

Siri had to cover her mouth as she screamed out in sadness and pain. Although she met Mia a couple of times, she thought Mia was a wonderful young lady. Full of passion, life and possibilities ahead of her.

This young woman, loved her without even knowing it. Jumped in front of a dagger to save her. Because of love.

Ryu crushed Siri to his chest as the doors were opened and Mia's mother came running inside. She knelt down beside her daughter and cried. Tears flowed down her face as she kept calling out Mia's name.

Ryu said some comforting words to Lady Soona, then left with Siri in his arms. Siri's shaking body couldn't stop shivering as she cried. She felt guilty that a young woman sacrificed her life to save Siri when she had so many guards around her already.

Lady Mia was an innocent young woman who got caught up in someone's scheme. Ryu's cold, hard mask tightened it anger as he held Siri until her cries worn her out and she fell asleep on their bed. His anger did not settle down as he held her sleeping form for another 30 minutes. Making sure that his heart could handle the fact that she was alive. That she was safe. That she wasn't hurt.

Ryu slowly crawled out of bed and when he opened the doors, ten out of the twenty of her shadow soldiers who was in charge of watching Siri were kneeling on one knee outside the door, ready to accept their punishment.

"If you want to redeem yourself. Find out who hired the assassin and eliminate them. Bring the head of the snake alive to me. The rest, I don't care what happens to them, just make sure everyone knows that it was the Royal Shadow Guards who did it." Ryu ordered them. "You have 24 hrs."

They all bowed and waited until Ryu left, and it a blink of an eye, they too disappeared as if they were never there.

When word got out that there was an assassination against Queen Siri and the noble young Lady Mia saved their Queen. There were cries of surprise. Their new Queen was a saint. Building several hospitals for the poor, opening food and clothing shelters, opening a job recruitment centers for apprentice occupations, the military, city cleaning...and so forth. All the services she provided for her people made them love her even more, so how could anyone want to kill her.

And the poor Lady Mia, who was still a beautiful bud about to bloom, gave up her life to save the Queen. It was commendable.

Ryu decreed that for Lady Mia's selfless actions, she was decreed Concubine of the First Rank. Her Father would be promoted to Minister of the First Rank and her Mother, Lady of the First Rank. They would be given a three properties and a total of 100 trunks of gold, bolts of cloth, vases, paintings and jewelry for her bride price. She would be given the highest honor in death. For it was her last wish to be his bride.

Everyone was shocked at Ryu's decree. He actually made someone his concubine. But that person was already dead. His first concubine in the Back Palace was someone who could never live back there, but would be given the honor and the title it came with.

When Siri woke up, her clothes have been changed, and her body bathed. She slept right through everything. Her red rimmed eyes looked around her darken room. She opened the door to the room and followed it down stairs where Ryu was telling all the servants who served Siri to take care of her better.

"Your inattentiveness caused the death of a young Lady today because you all were lax in your duties." Ryu told them. "Mind to always keep your Queen's safety first in all times, no matter how safe you think you feel, you will never know when someone will strike at your Queen. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Highness." They all said in unison.

"Should this happen again, I'll bury all of you even if Queen Siri favors you." Ryu threatened.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Ryu's eyes met Siri's as she hid in the stairway watching the scene unfold.

"Dismiss." Ryu told them as he made his way towards her. He scoops her up into his arms and carries her back upstairs. "Why did you wake up?"

"Because you weren't there." Siri told him honestly.

"Let us go back to bed then." Ryu told her as he carried her back into their room and placed her on the bed. As he undressed to go to sleep she watched him with warm eyes.

"Naked." Siri said as she saw him reach for his night clothes. "I need to feel your skin next to mine."

Ryu nodded in understanding and came towards her and helped her out of her night dress. Once naked they slide into bed facing each other as she lies on his shoulder, their legs intertwining and his arm around her waist trapping her inside his embrace and warmth.

"Siri." Ryu whispered after a long time of silence.

"Hmmm?" Siri mumbled not really wanting to talk.

"I made Lady Mia my First Rank Concubine." He told her. "It's what she would have wanted, so she could be close to you."

"Em." Siri said as fresh tears begins to fall again. She couldn't help it. Someone died because of her.

"It's not your fault you hear me?" Ryu told her. "It's not your fault. You didn't cause this situation. You didn't hire the assassin to kill you and put everyone in danger. You didn't force Lady Mia to jump in front of the dagger and save you. It's not your fault."

Siri kept quiet as silent tears kept falling.

"Repeat after me, Siri. 'It's not my fault.'" Ryu ordered her. His heart couldn't take her tears. It started hurting as well because he felt useless.

"I-it's n-n-not m-my fault." Siri said through sniffles.

"Good. Now keep telling yourself that. Because it isn't. We're in the process of finding the culprit. You'll have your answer by tomorrow and we'll deal with them in revenge for Lady Mia." Ryu told her.

"Okay." Siri said as she snuggled closer to him.

Ryu listened as Siri's tears dried up and she no longer cried. Just when he was about to sleep he heard her whisper to him.

"I love you, Ryu."