"What did you just say?!! His Majesty DID WHAT?! Concubine Ok shrieked in fury, angry frown lines appearing on her heavily made-up and beautiful face.

Her previous good-spirits were dashed the moment when one of her ladies-in-waiting rushed in her chambers, out of breath from running and coming all the way from the main palace. News of the Royal Edict had spread throughout the palace like wildfire and it had finally reached the "old witch" of the palace, as Queen Myung-hee so scornfully called her arch rival.

The aforementioned 'old witch' reacted strongly to the news-She lost her temper.

To say that her court ladies hadn't seen her lose her cool before would not be a lie. She did a near perfect job at hiding her emotions behind her diplomatic smile which could win over even the most stone-hearted men yet appear cold and fearsome to her foes.

Nothing ever seemed to faze her; and she never did wear her heart on her sleeve so one couldn't guess her true intentions or what was going on in her head by merely looking at her. This made her seem even deadlier and more cunning and astute than any other royal concubine ever known.

Concubine Ok almost always did a flawless job at masking her true feelings. This trait she had passed done to her son, Prince Tae, for he too was just like his mother in that particular aspect.

The lady suddenly got up from her chair and overturned the wooden table kept in front of her; and the porcelain vase smashed and broke into tiny pieces on the carpeted floor. The vase had been her favorite one, with cherry blossoms painted on it by the most skilled artisans in Goryeo.

"My lady! Please don't move, you will hurt yourself!" one of her maids hurried forward boldly, while the other court ladies stood away from their mistress, cowering in fear.

The one who had so daringly rushed forward was Concubine Ok's most trusted confidante and her right-hand woman called Bong-hui; the one who had saved her life once, all those years ago...

"Bong-hui, ask someone to summon my son here at once!" the Concubine bellowed, clenching her fists in rage.

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Wang Tae loathed the woman who had brought him in this world.

He stood in front of the woman who was supposed to be her mother. It looked as if his mother was trying her level best to reign in her temper and not to shout at him.

His mother's part of the palace was the most lavish one; and one could even go as far as to say that it's grandeur was that of a queen's; even though his mother was just a concubine.

The sole reason for this was that Concubine Ok was the King's most beloved. Since his childhood, his mother had expected him to be as proud of the fact as she was and to use it to his advantage in the fight for the throne. However, he had no interest in the royal throne; much to his mother's consternation.

His mother was pacing back and forth while her ladies-in-waiting stood at one end of the room with varying degrees of wariness and fear on their faces. Even his mother's most trusted lackey Bong-hui looked at her mistress with apprehension in her eyes.

Prince Tae had never before seen his mother so restless and shaken-up. Her usual icy demeanor was gone and it its stead, she seemed agitated. Very agitated. And she wasn't even trying to hide it.

"Your Highness, did you hear-?" his mother began, her voice steely as usual but Wang Tae could detect antagonism in her tone. He cut in before she could complete her sentence,

"Yes, mother I heard about Father-King's Royal Edict on my way to your palace." His mother stared at her son for a few seconds and he stared back defiantly, both engaged in a silent conversation with their identical pairs of obsidian eyes.

"Everyone, leave." His mother commanded and her ladies-in-waiting exited the room at once, save one named Bong-hui. She was always with Concubine Ok, it was understood that she'd stay inside even when the mistress commanded everyone to leave.

"My son..." Wang Tae's mother stopped referring to her son as 'Your Highness' once they were alone even though she still addressed him formally, too formal for a mother addressing her son.

She pinched the bridge of her nose (a habit which both the prince and the concubine had in common) and a long drawn out sigh crossed her lips. Her shoulders drooped in exhaustion-

'Was it mental exhaustion? Or simply because she had reached a point where the heavy  sinful atrocities that she had committed for power were now too much for the formidable concubine to handle?' A small part of Prince Tae wondered, which even he didn't know he had after being used as a pawn by his mother to climb the ranks of the Palace and the Inner Court.

Yet, his hardened heart begged to differ. He had been fooled and emotionally swayed by his mother one-too many times when he was a child. Not anymore, never anymore-he had promised himself.

'One could not afford to sympathize or emphasize with Concubine Ok; one would always end up in disappointment of broken promises or end up being back-stabbed by her' This was what he knew.

He didn't even consider her as a mother; never had. She had never shown her motherly love or affection for him and had always used and discarded her own son. On the contrary, she had often harmed those close to him...

He was sure she didn't care one ounce for anyone in the world except herself. He couldn't see why his father adored her so much.

Then again, his father was just as selfish as her so it was a match made in heaven as both his parents were cut from the same cloth. Thus, this was also the reason that he was never informal with both of them aside from the palace rules which stated that the members of the royal family should address each other formally.

Only Second Prince Wang Won never paid any heed to them; the stubborn rebel prince did as he pleased and seldom got caught because everyone overlooked his mistakes, including his brother Wang Tae. Prince Tae deeply cared for his younger brother, even if he rarely showed it. Even though they both had different mothers, and those mothers hated each other's guts.

The brief tiredness which had crossed his mother's face was replaced by her usual resolute and unreadable expression which could intimidate even the most brave-hearted soldiers. 

"Son, what exactly are your thoughts about the edict?"

The Prince took a few minutes to reply,

"May I ask as to what you mean mother? I cannot understand."

"You very well understand!" his mother lost her cool for the second time that day when she raised her voice when she heard him answer her in an indifferent tone.

"Son, you know what this means right? You are getting robbed of your right as the first son of His Majesty! You are the eldest prince, you should be crowned as the Crown Prince of our mighty kingdom, not that stupid frivolous prince!"

"Mother, saying such words, you are aware that this can be seen as treason again His Majesty, Father-King, are you not?" Prince Tae replied taciturnly, his tone cool and aloof. He knew that it would rile up his mother and he was proven correct,

" At least be on my side! Do you not wish to ascend to throne? Do you want to forever remain a mere prince who leads our armies for battle while your younger brother is crowned in your stead?!Do you wish to serve your younger brother when he is crowned as the King of our nation?!"

Prince Tae remained silent, for he knew that answering her questions would just anger her more. Those words were being deliberately flung at him by his calculating mother; she wanted him to react to them.

However, he didn't want to give her the satisfaction to see that her words even affected him in the slightest so he chose to just stare back at her with his usual stone-faced and unreadable expression.

" You are not only an unfilial son, but an unfilial prince and a brother too!" Wang Tae wanted to laugh out loud without humor at that particular statement, seeing how she had never considered him as a son; only as a ticket to the royal throne.

"Prince Won is still childish and immature. It would be too big a burden for him, the title of Crown Prince. Tell me, do you really wish Prince Won to endure the load of responsibilities that come along with the Crown Prince title when he does not know a single thing about politics, when he is unaware of how the world actually works, having lived a pampered and sheltered life? You do care for him, do you not?" his mother tried a different tactic, by appealing to the love he had for his brother. Prince Tae wanted to roll his eyes at her and scoff but just said,

"Prince Won is perfectly capable and I'm sure he would fulfill his duties as a Crown Prince diligently and meticulously. He would be a just and fine ruler when he succeeds Father-King."

"Wang Tae!" his mother yelled. It was the first time he had heard her call him by his name, she only ever addressed him as 'son' or 'Your Highness' . If he had any doubts before, he was now sure of the fact that his mother had finally lost her cool. 

"Milady, please calm down!" Bong-hui pleaded when the concubine raised her hand as if to slap her son hard on his cheek, driven by the intense rage that she was feeling.

Concubine Ok halted in her actions and lowered her hand. Taking a deep breath to gather and compose herself, she spoke up after a few moments,

"Do you know why you are sent off to lead our armies into the battlefields? Why you are the one who is always sent to the North to suppress rebels? Don't you remember how you were sent to fight these battles since you turned fifteen?"

Those words caught the prince off guard, yet he hid his surprise. He had wondered that in the beginning of course, but those actions of the man who he called his Father-King simply proved his impression of the man being a self-centered person who did not care for his subjects, much less his own children.

"It is because you pose a threat to the Queen. That is the reason why you are never in the capital for long, why you were sent to the battleground before being given a position in the court because unfortunately, she has considerable influence and many high ministers and officials on her side, all because of her father. His Majesty couldn't help it, he can't go against the majority of the court nobles."

Prince Tae wanted to believe his mother, he desperately wanted to. But he couldn't bring himself to. He was all too aware of the kind of lady his mother was, of her plots and schemes, of the fact that she was only trying her level best to persuade him with her false accusations and words.

He was convinced that she was lying again, fibbing was as easy as breathing for his mother. That, and manipulating others to get what she wanted.

"Mother, I pray for your long life and health. I shall now excuse myself." Prince Tae turned on his heel and left the room, turning a deaf ear to his mother, who was calling his name, asking him to stop at once.

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A/N

Father-King: The King's sons refer to him or call him 'Father-King' (abbamama in korean)

How is the plot so far? Any suggestions? Okay so who do you guys like more?-

a) Prince Wang Won or Prince Wang Tae

b) Queen Myung-hee or Concubine Ok