Night cloaked the kingdom in silence. Only the faint glow of lanterns lit the path as King
Younghae made his way through the minister's estate. He wore no crown, no robe of
state—only a plain dark cloak to shroud his presence. A king could not move so carelessly in the dead of night, but tonight he came not as a sovereign.
He came as a grieving husband.
The guards recognized him instantly but did not dare announce his arrival. Wordlessly, they
let him through. The heavy air of mourning still lingered in the house, thick as smoke.
Younghae entered the chamber where Minister Jang, father of the late queen, was resting.
The old man sat upright on his bedding, his eyes sunken, his face pale yet burning with a fire of hatred that grief had kindled.
When he saw Younghae, he did not bow.
He did not even acknowledge him as king.
"Your Majesty," an attendant whispered in alarm, kneeling immediately. But the Minister's
sharp gaze silenced everyone in the room.
Younghae stepped forward, his voice trembling.
"Father-in-law… I—"
"Do not call me that." Minister Jang's voice was like steel. "You are no son-in-law of mine."
The words struck harder than any blade. Younghae lowered his head, swallowing the pain in his chest.
"Please… forgive me," he said. His voice cracked. "I know I failed her. I know her suffering was because of me. I cannot undo it, but I beg for your forgiveness—"
"Forgiveness?" The Minister's frail body trembled as he forced himself upright. His eyes gleamed with tears and fury. "You dare stand before me and ask forgiveness when my
daughter lies cold in her grave?" His hand shook as he pointed at Younghae. "She died
because of you. You killed her with your cowardice and your lies. You murderer! I hope you are satisfied now. I should have paid more attention to her, she is the type of a person to shoulder everything on her own. To think my daughter was unable to live free like a bird..... she wasn't even able to experience what it meant to truly love someone. I thought she loved you that's why she decides to live this kind of life but I didn't know the love she was talking about wasn't romantical love but that of a friend. I was so stupid not to notice anything... And now she's dead?????"
Younghae's knees nearly buckled under the weight of those words. His lips quivered as he
whispered again, "I am sorry… I am so sorry…"
But every apology scattered like dust before the storm of the Minister's grief.
"My grandson," the Minister spat the word like poison. "Your child is cursed. Do you not see?
Even the heavens reject your bloodline. They even cursed your child not to live long. Do not think of him as my heir. He will never be a
part of my house. Take your cursed child and your guilt away from me."
Younghae's tears blurred his vision. His throat tightened, but he forced himself to move
closer. With trembling hands, he placed a sealed letter upon the table between them.
"She asked me to give this to you," he whispered. "Her last words… for her father."
The Minister froze, his breath catching. His eyes flickered to the letter, to the handwriting he knew so well—the delicate strokes of his beloved daughter. His hand shook violently as he reached for it, but before he could break the seal, Younghae turned away.
There was nothing more he could say.
As he left the chamber, the sound of the Minister's weeping followed him into the night—raw, broken, and endless.
Younghae pulled the hood of his cloak low over his face. The letter would speak the words
he could not, but no parchment, no ink, no final message could erase the truth.
Saha was gone, and her father's heart would never forgive him.
The chamber was silent except for the faint crackle of the oil lamp. Minister Jang sat alone,
the sealed envelope trembling in his hands. His daughter's handwriting stared back at
him—soft, delicate strokes, just as he remembered. His throat tightened. He had thought himself ready, but when he broke the seal and unfolded the paper, his hands shook so hard the parchment nearly tore.
Her voice seemed to rise from the ink as he read:
"Hi Father.
If you're reading this letter, it means I'm dead. Funny, isn't it?, that I left before you, this old
man."
A tiny sob escaped Jang's lips. In his mind he saw her smile—the one she always wore
when trying to lighten his mood. That smile flickered like a candle in the dark.
Her words continued:
"Knowing you, Father, you will never forgive Younghae. His Majesty is really selfish. He
imprisoned me just because of his love for me. Who would have thought that he had fallen
for me…. I guess he couldn't resist my charm ha ha ha.
I'm sorry, Father, for always saying I'm okay when I'm not. I'm sorry that I didn't turn out to be the daughter you wanted to watch grow old, and I'm sorry for leaving you behind. I had never thought I would leave this world before you… I guess Life always does things we never
expect as well as I had never thought I would give birth to a wonderful son from a bad
husband.
I know that you will also hate my son, Taehyung, but please don't hate him too much. The child is innocent. He had nothing to do with Younghae, even though his blood runs through his veins. When you see him you will also come to love him as he looks like a sun and burns like one. Out of everything I have done, the only thing I regret is not seeing him grow and protect him so I'm leaving him to you to look after him…. Please protect him.
Father, I'm sorry for leaving you in this cold world. You must have missed me a lot. I'm sorry for not being able to laugh with you anymore. To think things turned out this way was really unexpected, I'm really sorry father that I had to leave, I truly wanted to live at least for you and my son but my willpower was too weak and I could only fade away watching my son. His presence warmed my body and he became the reason why I could smile till my final moments. That is how much i love Taehyung so I beg of you to please love him the way I love him, it wasn't easy but loving him is what made me going till this day Father.
I'm sorry for being the only child Mother gave birth to. I hope Taehyung will fill that void that I'm leaving you . I'm sorry once again.
Please be my father again if there's a next life, and I will make it up to you then. I love you papa . I am genuinely sorry"
The words blurred before Jang's eyes as tears streamed down his face. His breath came out
ragged. He clutched the letter to his chest, curling over it as if he could pull his daughter
back from the grave by sheer will.
A broken cry escaped his throat—half curse, half prayer. "Why… why did the heavens take
her this way?"
He cursed the sky, cursed the throne, cursed the merciless fate that had taken his only child.
His tears fell onto the paper, smudging the ink as he wept, alone in the lamplight.
Outside the chamber, the night carried his wails like a ghost's song, echoing through the
estate.
His daughter was gone, but her words lived on—each apology a blade twisting in his heart,
each plea a thread pulling him toward forgiveness he could not yet give.