The Queen's Affection || Jungwon

27 - With My Tears

jk this is the second to last chapter <3

another disclaimer: in this chapter and the next, nothing is historically accurate. everything is purely fiction :)

enjoy!

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The next morning

- Yeona PoV -

I sit in front of Queen Dowager at her chambers waiting for her to tell me whether or not we will continue with the suitor ceremony today. I wait anxiously looking down with my hands gripping my dress.

It feels as though no one got sleep last night. Well, I certainly didn't. Sleep isn't even a thing to me anymore. My eye bags are just my natural accessory.

After seeing Jongseong's corpse yesterday, I imagined who else Councilor Yang is willing to kill. 

Guilt arises in me when I picture Jongseong's face. I hated him when he felt so sorry, and when I think about it, there wasn't anything for him to be sorry for.

I should feel sorry. To question him when he was really just trying to help, and for him to die, when if anything, it should have been me.

He didn't deserve it.

Queen Sena is hurting. Who wouldn't when a piece of your heart and life is gone forever? Everyone who passes by the infirmary can hear her weeping... 

This uneasy feeling is going to stay with me until Councilor Yang is dead. 

I want to do it myself... stab him in the neck... twist my sword and see him suffer... 

"We will continue with the suitor ceremony today," announces Queen Dowager.

My head snaps up to look at her, "What?! We should behead Councilor Yang!"

"And we will, but what's important is for this nation to have a new King and Queen," she explains. "Get prepared."

I scoff, shocked that man gets to live another day. 

"The last thing I want right now is a husband," I mutter.

A whole night without Jungwon was torture. With everything going on, I only wish to be embraced by him. I think everything would seem a little less horrible if he was here to smile at me and give me little kisses.

I try to shake the feeling of him. Going forward, I have to forget about him. 

He chose to leave me... forever.

In my room, I paint endlessly on a canvas with no thought in mind. I always painted when I was stressed, bored, and anxious... funny, when I was with Jungwon, I didn't pick up a paintbrush once...

Park Yeona, what did I say?

"How are you feeling your highness?" Sieun approaches me.

With everything going on with Councilor Yang, Queen Dowager decided to delay her punishment for now. Even so, I advised Sieun to stay hidden. Who knows what Minister Sim would do if he were to see her out of the dungeon.

She gets closer to me, "You miss him... don't you?"

I scoff, "No! I mean... who are you even talking about?!"

Sieun grabs my hand to stop painting, "Your highness..."

I look at her then back at my painting... that's when I realize it's not the usual dandelions that I would paint, well that's all I knew how to paint... that's what I thought.

When you enter my room, all you see are canvases of dandelions spread throughout my room. I've never painted anything else... until today.

I stare at my painting stunned.