Author's notes: Thanks for reading everyone! If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please leave a review or send me a message! I'm re-uploading this chapter because it seems like there's something wrong with my account.


Ever since the marriage of Wang So to Hae Soo, the palace has been in a topsy-turvy. Even when the king was a prince, he was known as someone who didn't care for the rules. Now that he had the feisty Soo as his queen, the unusual tendencies in the palace have doubled. Hwangja and Hwanghu made the eunuchs and court ladies positively mortified. The former consorts of Taejo shook their heads disapprovingly. But there were some who expected such unusual changes, especially the king's brothers.

On the night of their wedding, the consummation ceremony was expected. Per tradition, the king should be the one to visit the queen's quarters. However, after the grand banquet, the couple exited the hall and told the guards, eunuchs, and ladies-in-waiting that they will be taking a short walk around the palace. What surprised the king and queen's servants was when they walked hand-in-hand and started heading towards Lake Dongji.

"Hwanghu and I would prefer it if our attendants would maintain their distance while we are taking a walk," So said.

"Ye, Pyeha."

As their servants distanced themselves for a few meters, the couple visibly relaxed and smiled at each other. The king let go of his wife's hand and held her by the waist, pulling her closer to him while they walked. Soo leaned her head on the side of her husband's chest, savoring his scent.

"Pyeha, you know, I preferred your hair without the sangtugwan. I loved seeing it flow," Soo randomly told her husband.

"Really? Well, I preferred seeing your hair in a half up-do or a braided band. Similar to the style you wore when we were younger. It made you look innocent," So smiled naughtily to his wife while pressing their bodies even closer.

"Your Majesty!," Soo hit her husband's chest chidingly, laughing in the process. "Our attendants are watching us."

True enough, they were being observed keenly, even though the eunuchs and ladies-in-waiting were several meters behind. The ladies-in-waiting were giggling quietly upon seeing the affection of the king towards the queen. In all their years of service in the palace, they have never seen royals openly expressing their love. They were not even sure if royals do fall in love.

"There's something about a husband who is so manly yet so affectionate, ne?," one of the ladies-in-waiting whispered. The giggling continued.

"Shush! Don't be insolent!," a eunuch scolded.

"Aish, sangseon! I wouldn't expect you to know anything about manliness anyway," one the ladies replied and laughed while looking at the midriff of the head eunuch. He look scandalized as the ladies laughed together. However, They quickly suppressed their giggling when the royal couple turned their heads to look at them.


"Pyeha, it is time for the consummation ceremony," the head eunuch approached the couple while they were walking back to chondeokjeon. "We have already prepared the queen's quarters."

"Eh? My quarters?," Soo was confused.

"No. We will proceed to my quarters, from this night henceforth," So firmly told the eunuch.

"But P-Pyeha, that is unheard of. A man and a woman sleeping in one bed... You're not commoners...," sangseon said, obviously appalled but at a loss for words.

"This my decree," the king said with finality. "If you are worried about the security implications of our sharing the same room, then double the guards in my quarters. Also, fetch my sword and place it near our bed."

"I... ah... Ye Pyeha."


So and Soo quietly walked back to the king's quarters, or rather, their quarters. Although the atmosphere wasn't awkward, it sure was tense. Soo could hear her heart beating in her ears, she even felt her cheeks reddening although she couldn't see them.

"What are you thinking of?," So looked at Soo worriedly.

"Nothing."

"Are you nervous? It's not our first time, you know," So laughed boyishly while biting his lips and reminiscing that night. The night they were finally reunited after two long years of pain and longing.

"Pyeha!," his queen was absolutely mortified. "Can you not? I am already embarrassed and conscious and...,"

"What ever are you conscious for? I love every part of you. I could kiss them al-,"

"PYEHA!," Soo punched her husband's arm while trying very hard to look angry. She looked behind her, checking if their attendants could hear them. It was a good thing they maintained their distance. She looked back at the king who was laughing at her.

"Araso, araso. I'm not going to talk about it anymore, I'm just going to do it," So inched his face closer to his queen, teasing her and snatching a smack on the lips.

The queen stomped her way up the stairs of their quarters. Walking behind her was her naughty husband laughing heartily.


As the couple entered their quarters, So proceeded to walk towards one of his cabinets, taking out something wrapped in white silk. So approached Soo and held her by the hand. They sat on their bed as So proceeded to unwrap the item.

"I got you a gift."

"You shouldn't have," Soo looked at him lovingly as she accepted the small wooden box.

"But I should. I cannot surpass the gift that you have given me,"

"Hmm? What did I give you?," Soo was positive she hasn't given So anything yet. She was still preparing it.

"A life."

So looked at her intently, studying every detail of her face. Every mole, every line, the pinkness of her lips and cheeks, the brightness of her eyes, the way her eyelashes flicked upwards, he wanted to memorize every bit of it. Tears threatened to fall from Soo's eyes, but before it could, So kissed them away. His lips traveled to her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, her chin, and finally, her lips.

"I love you so much," So told Soo in between the kisses. He opened his gift. The wooden box contained two identical gold rings. Soo's eyes shined upon seeing the jewelry. She quickly put one on her husband, and So did the same.

"Thank you," she kissed her husband once again, closing the gap between them and putting her arms over his shoulders. "You know, you're saying that I gave you life. But you, pyeha, you gave me a reason to live. Words aren't enough...," she kissed him once again, "To tell you," and another one, "how much I love you."

Their kiss suddenly shared a sense of urgency and intensity. So moved his hands to the front of Hae Soo's robes, meaning to remove them quickly. However, realization dawned upon them; they were both so heavily dressed and accessorized. Soo snickered at her husband who looked like a little kid who didn't get what he wanted.

"Come, my husband. Let's remove these unnecessary items," Soo told him, a flicker of raciness in her eyes and smile.

She motioned for So to sit in front of the dresser. As she was behind him, she carefully removed his sangtugwan and top-knot. She combed his hair and let it freely flow over his shoulders. In return, So told Soo to sit also so he could help her remove the wig and golden ornaments on her head. He carefully removed them one-by-one, wondering to himself why on earth women bothered themselves so much. With or without them, his wife looked breathtaking anyway. He didn't untie her real hair, which was in a bun. He thought of a better opportunity to remove her bun and let her hair freely flow. As Soo got up and faced her king, they smiled at each other with all the love they could muster. Finally, they helped each other out of their heavy ceremonial robes, and they were left with only their white undergarments.

This time, Soo was the one who initiated the kiss, placing her hands once again on her husband's shoulders and tiptoeing so she could reach his head. So's right hand were firmly placed on her waist, while the left one caressed her side, her hips, and squeezed her breasts. Soo breathed heavily due to her husband's actions. They cut their kiss short and looked at each other's eyes, both of them heavily lidded with love and lust.


That night, the eunuchs and guards stationed at the king's door suddenly wished for a device to cover their ears. Surely, they thought, the couple is bound to get tired. But it was already beyond midnight, and the couple showed no hints of tiredness or stopping. Meanwhile, the ladies-in-waiting who were stationed at the same place suddenly wished to get married someday since the king and queen surely sounded like they were enjoying their marriage.