Center Of The Palace

Epilogue I

Feifei's POV

I pouted as I sat in the carriage with my brothers, awaiting the long journey to meet the boy I was to marry. I was only upset at the fact that I had to leave my home, and to travel to a place so vastly different from my own was terrifying. I heard stories that they were very nice and gentle people, but I knew that in the palace was a different story.

It always was. No matter the country, there was always strife and wars within the walls of the palace the Royal Family resided in. And I was scared to have something terrible happen in a foreign land.

The only comfort I had was that my brother would be there to make sure I was alright, even if it was for a short time. I didn't have to travel alone, and that made me relax a little more.

"Princess Feifei, greetings to Your Highness." The king kindly greeted us, making me feel better as his sons came in and lined up in a row to greet their newest member. "These are my sons, you will be marrying the eighth one, Wang Eun."

"Greetings, sir." I softly said to each one of them, blushing at how handsome each of the twelve were. I smiled at the eighth, memorizing his face with a sense of peace. "Good day, My Lord."

"To you as well, Your Highness." He softly replied, his innocence making me giddy. We were to be two innocent doves with one another, and that was cute to me.

"My brother carries the gifts and the authority to my being given in marriage." I gently informed the ruler of the nation, motioning to Rui ge to give him the papers he requested.

After the wedding ceremony, I bid farewell to my brothers, who were continuing their journey to another country. I knew I would miss them, and I looked forward to seeing them again one day.

"Bibi, can you, can you teach me Mandarin?" I turned to see the one I married, smiling at his little accent upon my name. It was cute, something I liked a lot from only him. "I want, I want to say your name correctly."

"I prefer your way of saying it. It's really adorable and feels affectionate when coming from you." I replied, earning a blush from the boy. "But, if you'd like, I can teach you the language so that we can have our own little world, even when surrounded by others."

"Could we?" He asked, trying to hide his excitement. I nodded, and off we fled to our residence to go learn each other's language.

We were both children forced to become adults, so it was a shelter for us to rely on one another. We grew close very quickly, which was against my own original prejudice of him. This made me joyful, that I could call his arms my home.

Two Years Later

The boy was happy he wasn't eligible for the throne, because it meant he could spend more time with me rather than his studies, but I worried for him and his life that I held dear.

"My Lord, I fear for your safety in this palace." I softly said, holding him close as we laid together in his bed. He chuckled and brushed my hair from my face.

"Why do you have anything to worry about? I'm perfectly fine, and I won't leave for the next life until I am old." He asked, looking into my eyes with humor.

"I've read the history books of both your and my own palace. Lots of kings, when reaching the throne, would kill their brothers in order to ensure the crown stays in his own bloodline." I answered, sighing as I held his face in my hands, gently rubbing my thumbs across his jawline. "I, I'm scared for you, my dear husband."

"Hyungnim wouldn't ever think of hurting us. He loves us all, even granting us land to move to when we grow older." He explained, kissing my forehead. "If it would make you feel better, we can move there now."

I nodded and pouted, earning a chuckle from him. He softly rubbed the swollen stomach between us, making me blush as he smiled with pride.

"I will protect you both then, and we shall set off in two days' time. Does that sound good?" He asked, making me smile and kiss his cheek happily.

We didn't go to the land his brother had provided, instead hiding in a small village out near the borders of my home country. I sighed with both mourning and relief as my thoughts had come true, and the eldest boy shed the blood of his brothers in order to keep his throne.

Wang Eun held my hand tightly as I went into labor early due to the stress his brother was causing. The neighbors, fortunately, were very kind and understanding, helping us despite not knowing our full story.

"You two were blessed with a son as your first child!" The woman said, happily smiling at us as we breathed out a laugh of joy. "You were also given a daughter to share his gift of life."

"There, there were two?" I asked, earning an excited nod as her daughter came in, carrying another child wrapped in a blanket.

Seonghun and Seonghyeon were around six years old when we received news that the new king had died, and since he had no heirs, the Palace was in an uproar on who would be the next king. Since Wang Eun was the last heir to the previous king, he was in line.

"Is it okay for us to return?" He asked, holding me close and kissing me softly as we watched our children play with the villagers, not knowing their blood was royal.

"Do we have a choice? You would be the best king compared to anyone those court eunuchs would decide upon." I replied, earning a sigh and a nod from him as he couldn't help but agree.

We decided to be the change the country needed. Wang Eun took no other wife nor concubine and only kept me by his side. We were blessed to have many children, and we made sure to raise them to be the best people they could become.

My brothers were very proud of what I had accomplished without them watching me, and that made me smile as I watched them improve their own countries as well.

Fu ge made our homeland a peaceful one, with many riches and people. Rui ge helped make Edo a prosperous country, even cutting back on childhood deaths by adopting so many of the orphans left behind by those who didn't want or couldn't afford to raise the children.

The three of us united the different countries and made a strong national tie between the three regions. And we all were very happy with our work.