My Ultimate Ambition

Jae joon went berserk on Hiroshi on hearing her encounter. He brushed him down and went to kick him once more when Myung OK rushed over to stop him.

"You let master stay alone in the same room with that beast?" he shouted still, his blood was boiling with rage and needed venting out.

"Allow me to deal with him , master," he begged her breathlessly.

"It's enough now, it's not his fault," she told him in her commanding tone. Jae joon didn't hit him again and obeyed. Myung OK had never approved of violence especially among her people so he understood her intention perfectly well.

Hiroshi stood up from the cold ground, a cut from his lips bled a little blood but that pain didn't compare to the one in his heart. He had vowed to protect her but it was he that led her to danger .

The self-blame he felt didn't compare to Jae joon's own. He didn't blame jae joon and repeatedly begged for forgiveness from them both and sought penance. If he had read the book Jae joon gave him, he would have at least seen the man's face and warned his lady beforehand.

Last few months, he begged to be relieved of his duty so as to punish those that almost killed him. In his absence, Jae joon had compiled lots of information for him, listing names of foes and allies with their pictures, but he didn't open the book as he hated reading with passion. He made a mental note to read and memorize everything.

That evening, Myung OK had a great surprise.

A rose bloomed in winter, the view was breathtaking __ that's what Daejong showed her. Frost covered the land leaving it barren and cold, yet Daejong tended to the empress' garden every day and personally.

Myung OK hugged him tightly and possessively, his devotion touched her heart and soul. She remembered telling maids not to change the last empress' garden when they changed the furniture but didn't know Daejong was there. She knew how much the garden meant to her and how she personally watered and took care of them.

Daejong felt he had given her a precious gift and beamed with pride, while his most precious gift laid in his nervous hands.

For Myung OK, no expensive gift could touch the beauty of the rose in winter. As she was lost in the beauty of the flowers, Daejong disappeared behind the tree and laid wait.

She exhaled deeply and turned to say something to him as he had become unusually quiet, but he was gone.

From behind the tree he entered with a flute in his hands and sang a lovely tune. He knew how she swooned over romantic gestures and wanted that moment to be one she would never forget.

He set the scene for his romantic display and led her through the garden to a romantic tree swing worthy of a romantic movie , and among the branches above, petals of flowers dropped down forming a canopy underneath her feet. Collecting a bouquet from him, she breathed in the magical scent of winter flowers.

No romance novel could describe the perfect beauty of that moment.

Myung OK marvelled at the romantic display, her face was almost fixed with a smile as there was no more expression left in the world to quantify her feeling.

She saw him fidget with something, his nervousness was adorable and his childish movements cute. He finally came closer to her, looking into her eyes an object slipped inside her index finger.

Awestruck was the feeling that attacked her when she saw the glistening phoenix ring on her hands.

"Your Majesty!" she cried in excitement as her hands wrapped around his neck in a tight hug. Her tears of joy soaked through his white robe which matched her white peony robe, making him relax in relief.

"I guess I would drown in your tears before I see your lovely face," he teased lovingly after she had calmed down a bit.

A faint blush formed on her face as she tried to wipe his robe dry.

Holding that hand , he said to her, "Be my official wife and keep me company for the rest of our lives."

She was lost of speech as she never knew the day would come sooner.

"Yes my darling, I will be your wife and your companion!"

The eunuch who remained forgotten on top of the tree clapped unconsciously, drawing attention to himself.

They both looked up and laughed, he looked menacingly at the eunuch who jumped down in haste.

"Arrrrrrrghhhhhh!" he cried from the impact of the jump.

Myung OK rushed to see if he's hurt but Daejong held her hands. "You're exclusively mine. Don't look at another man," he said .

"Sorry for disturbing, Your Majesties!" he shouted as Daejong's gaze threw daggers at him.

The eunuch dared not wait any longer as he scampered away in fright but happiness.

"So my lady, where do you expect to spend the rest of the day; your place or mine?"

Myung OK didn't know how to react, what type of absurd question is this?

"Your Majesty, stop over thinking and go to your place. Dirty thoughts will keep you awake for the better part of the night!" she pouted.

"But I just asked innocently, why are you over reacting?" he accused her.

"If you asked innocently, why is your body not acting innocently?" she defended.

He didn't feel embarrassed but rushed towards her to grab her shoulders, "Since I have already been caught, why don't we pretend you didn't see anything and just go to bed together?"

She shrugged off from him and threatened playfully, "Do you want to be acupunctured?"

He recalled his last experience and shook his head vigorously. "No, my lady. I will sleep by myself!"

Myung OK laughed boisterously at his reddened face. Poor child, must have been scared silly.

They later ate dinner together as Daejong pleaded endlessly, but unlike other days, they ate openly in his palace; the maids serving both respectfully. The eunuch must have gossiped.

After dinner, Myung OK went to give the grand dowager the good news. It seemed she was the only one in the palace who would genuinely be happy for her aside her own people.

In expectation, the dowager was truly overjoyed, she only had one advice for her.

"The news should be kept under lock until Daejong announces it himself. The west faction and especially the Chois will fight against it with all they've got."

Myung OK assured her it would remain so as Daejong promised to announce it after she had gone home and returned. She pleaded with him to let her inform her parents first as she wants them to hear the news first.

Grand dowager nodded in understanding but felt apprehensive on her visit outside the palace protection. She recalled one of her maid telling her Choi sang-min met with her yesterday.

What was the meeting all about?

"Lady Kim, did minister Choi find out you are with the emperor?" she asked.

Myung OK chuckled and said, "He had always known, but not to worry, he's an old acquittance and we know each other very well!"

Know each other very well?

What does that mean? but she didn't ask anything further. Still, she felt something was not right.

Myung OK left home after exhausting her tea and cookies, at the rate she was being fed cookies she would soon grow fat.

She informed Jae joon of the latest development and her family visit. He volunteered to escort her but she asked Hiroshi to do that, while Jae joon should mobilize the arrows on a 24/7 protection of her family.

Once she returns to the palace and the imperial edict is made known, she will be protected by Daejong's guards but her family would be vulnerable.