"She was telling the truth. You are pregnant, and it's been a few weeks. Though I still can't determine whether they're twins; maybe we can trust her on that."

Akira leans back against the chair, hearing the confirmation from the palace doctor makes her feel like it's more surreal, something that she couldn't imagine she'd have to find out alone. Now that she's hearing it from the palace doctor, from another person twice, makes her feel somewhat melancholic knowing that she can't share the news with Seonghwa. She lets out a heavy breath as she nods.

"Thank you," she says simply. "I'm guessing that's why I could see the colours fading sometimes?"

Dr. Kee presses his lips together, mulling over her reasoning before slowly nodding. "Your inability to see colours is way beyond my understanding, but considering when you started experiencing it, it lined up."

She can only sigh as she remembers the last morning the two of them woke up together, while Seonghwa was still well that she had already started experiencing it. She only brushed it away, hoping that it would go away; if only she knew earlier what it meant. Now that all her symptoms are confirmed, she doesn't know what to feel. When she stands up though, the palace doctor quickly reminds her.

"Considering what you've been through," he utters, "Your body might not be accustomed to it, but you pulled through it, even more than other average expectant mothers. It's a miracle that you were able to go through what you did while you were carrying two lives with you. But now," he pauses, "now that you know you're expecting, I hope that you can take it easy. Don't force yourself too much."

She merely nods as she gives a weak smile, her mind going to different places at once, from the condition of the kingdom to Seonghwa, from the fact that she's now pregnant to the knowledge that Sara could only cure one of them. She leaves the doctor's room, pausing every now and then as she walks, unsure of whether she'd be telling Seonghwa about it even though he might not give a reaction.

From what Sara has told her, she's sure that Seonghwa can hear everything she's been saying to him even though he didn't react, and now that Sara has told him how Akira wouldn't be affected by the curse, maybe he won't push her away like he did that day. She decides to go to Seonghwa's room anyway, even more certainly as she has known now that her black blood acts as a protective factor.

She arranges her steps to his room, now becoming more aware of the condition of her body. She has to make sure to not make it that obvious so no one else would suspect it; the doctor has promised her that he'll keep her pregnancy a secret. At least until Seonghwa is cured, until she can tell him the news.

She pauses in front of the door, smiling to the guards who are now dutifully unlocking the door for her. She steps into the room to see the same condition he's in, but she'd like to believe that his eyes now hold more hope, that they recognize her as she walks towards the bed. She smiles as she sits down next to the bed like she always does, this time her lips feeling heavy to even say anything.

She mulls over whether she'd want to tell the news about her pregnancy now, hoping that somewhere in there he's listening to her, and is reacting happily over the news. Instead she merely grabs his hand, relieved that even though it's still cold, he doesn't pull away.

"Thank you," she finally says, "for protecting me even when I wasn't aware." She stops as she wants to say thank you for protecting our future children, as she decides against it and says something else instead. "Sara said she's going to cure you, and after that we can..." she takes a deep breath, "be happy once again, hmm?" She rubs her thumb slowly on the back of his palm, ignoring how cold he feels. "Although..." she hesitates, "I feel bad because I'm only being selfish. She could only cure one of you and- I prioritized you. I hope there's at least someone that can say that I'm doing the right thing."

He stares at her, eyelids slowly fluttering but his mouth remains clamped shut.

"I'm glad, at least," she continues, "to know that the fact the curse is still existing because a royal member of Ileara is still alive, isn't true." She leans forward, enveloping him in a hug as she feels his heart beating against her chest. This time around, she feels like she'd cry tears of happiness just for the fact that he doesn't push her away. "I miss hearing your voice. I miss you. You said that you'd see the first snow every year with me, so I do hope that you can break out before the first snow comes."

Her chest tightens as she can feel Seonghwa moving, fearing for the repeat of the event but her breath gets stuck in her throat as she feels it, although weak, him wrapping his arms around her waist. It's only for a few seconds before his hands drop to the bed again and she pulls back. She cups his face, smiling.

"I know you're somewhere in there, listening to me," she utters as their eyes collide. "I hope that you're ready to hear happy news once you're cured. I don't know how you'll react but," she smiles, "I'm sure you'd be delighted to hear it." She does a playful tone as she lightly shakes his head in between her palms, "You better be cured fast because I'm going to make sure you know all about it after you are."

She gets up; visiting his room becomes a daily thing for her alongside ruling the kingdom on her own that she's starting to get used to it. Although it hurts, it's at least assuring that she can see him in the palace. Whenever she's done she'll walk out with a heavy heart, but this time around she's convincing herself that she has finally found a cure for him, and that she'll get him back in no time.

She appreciates how the kingdom is still continuing like everything is normal, despite how their ruler is currently unavailable to run the kingdom's affairs. She knows that the palace is gatekeeping the news about Seonghwa's absence as a ruler, but of course there's bound to be some leaking out despite the efforts to keep a hushed silence about it. She has heard that they're currently holding a winter festival too, and although as bleak as it might seem, she holds a little hope that maybe she can catch it with Seonghwa.

Though she can't get rid of the guilt trailing her as she knows how San might still suffer, yet for once, she wants to be selfish.

She heads for the royal study next, as Yunho had told her that they've received a reply from Jihyun's father at the break of dawn, and they'd need to strategize everything. She arrives in front of the door, already seeing Yunho, Jongho and Jihyun waiting outside of the room and they bow when they see her.

"I'm sorry for being late," she utters as she unlocks the door using the key only she has, ushering them in. "I was visiting Seonghwa."

"It's alright," Yunho utters, although he can feel the slight tension between him and the queen, as he doesn't know what Sara had told her exactly; how he had succumbed to the curse powers and tried to kill the king. Judging from Akira's reaction, he can feel a slight apprehension as she looks at him. He makes a point to remember to talk to her and solve anything between them, admitting all of his faults that he did indeed tried to kill Seonghwa.

When they do enter the room, Akira watches as Yunho uncuffs Jihyun, allowing her to join them comfortably and forgetting momentarily that she's a prisoner. Before sitting down, the queen takes out several files and puts them on the round table, inviting them to read through. She waits as they absorb the information, waiting for all of them to finish before she speaks up.

"Know that by inviting all of you into the royal study, means that I trust each and every one of you. No matter if," her eyes flick from Jihyun and then to Yunho, even though her eyes only rest for a moment on Yunho. "No matter if you attempted to kill the rulers for whatever reason, I've forgiven you. And," she takes a deep breath, "you're the only few people I can trust fully with these."

Jihyun nods, already having a firm resolution but Yunho looks down at the table, too ashamed to even face his childhood friend. Jongho looks confused; he isn't aware that Akira had come to know about how Yunho acted in the room teeming with the curse.

"I've been told that you've received the reply letter this morning," the queen addresses Jihyun, to which the latter nods slowly.

"My father was worried that I didn't write back to him when I was supposed to, but I assured him that everything is fine." She slides over the envelope that she has been holding on to since she came. "You can read through everything," she glances over at Yunho, "General Jeong has read it too."

Without a word, Akira takes the letter as she pulls it out of the envelope, immediately reading every line in under a few seconds. Even within a few seconds she's been supplied with vital information; when they're planning to launch an attack on the Lucida palace.

"It seems that," Yunho starts, "her father voluntarily told her about the plan. He wanted to make sure that she's prepared and wouldn't be hurt in the attack."

"So in the end he's still a father who cares about his daughter's safety," Akira utters before she addresses Jihyun, "this is my last time asking you. Are you really sure you're planning to go against your father? There won't be any turning back and," she pauses, "there's a possibility that your father might be hurt, or killed in the attempt to counter their attack."

Jihyun looks at Akira, smiling slightly as she nods. "I'm sure of it. The moment that my father decided to attack this palace is the moment he exposed himself to danger. I'll just," she closes her eyes, "treat this as something that I cannot change."

"Convince your father that you're on his side until the very end," she replies. She takes a moment to think, "Since he's planning to launch an attack on this palace anyway, and we're only defending ourselves, it's inevitable that there might be a lot of casualties, including your father. But," she adds, "if he surrenders at any point of the attack, I promise you that his life will be spared. The most I'll do is lock him away."

Jihyun nods wordlessly, her heart unfaltering even though the queen has presented her with a possibility that her father might lose his life in the fight.

"I hope that you can understand my position," Akira utters, her voice softening. "I understand that he's your father, but he's still a person who has tried to harm us, and I can't let that be. Not when he's planning to attack the very core of our kingdom."

"I understand, Your Majesty."

"Thank you," she utters as she takes one last look at the letter, confirming the date the attack is planned. She'd like to put her trust in the plan; once and for all she wants to get rid of any threat the kingdom is facing and start anew.

Apparently Jihyun's father and his crew had planned to launch the supposed surprise attack on the palace four days from now, which means that they don't have much time to plan everything. A feeling of hopefulness that Seonghwa might be cured by that time comes to her- but that brings her to another thought.

How am I supposed to fight when I'm pregnant?

She's reminded of the palace doctor's advice to her, how from now on it's better for her to not exert herself that much, yet she's itching to grab her sword and go down to the battlefield. It's an important fight for Lucida; she has the urge to join in, but torn between making sure that her babies could grow healthily and protecting the Lucida palace. She finds it hard to relay the news to every other person with her too; it's like she fears that their treatment of her would become different once they found out that she's carrying another two lives with her.

"As you can see," Akira starts again. "I've sent some of my spies to observe your father's pact. What surprises me is that he has at least five hundred under him," there's a slight curve at the corner of her lips, "I had no idea that there were a lot of people against our rising onto the throne. But that's fine," she shrugs, "we'll just have to deal with them the hard way."

Jongho helps to gather all the files and puts them away, as Akira says something final to them.

"Although it might not seem like it," she refers to Jihyun, "I do hope that you know I appreciate every single help you've given to us. I wouldn't be able to plan anything if not for you, and I would still be in the dark about a lot of things if not for you."

"Your Majesty," Jihyun says. "Please send me your gratitude after everything is over. Everything is not confirmed until it's over. To be honest, I feel worried that he might catch on and I'm the one being fooled instead."

Akira takes a moment to think before deciding, "You've done your part, and from now on, let us take over. As for you," she looks over at Yunho, "we have a lot to discuss. Both our personal and our strategy for the attack." She stands up before thanking them for gathering here, then turns to Yunho again. "You can send Jihyun back and we can have a talk."

---

Yunho feels melancholic how the place she'd like to meet him at is their secret meeting place when they were children; where the three of them used to gather to avoid the eyes of the late queen. He arrives at the place to see the queen already sitting at the outdoor table, two cups of tea already served on it.

She's crossing her legs, looking at the garden that's almost lost its colours, but standing strong despite losing its vibrancy. She turns to look at him as she hears him approaching, smiling and inviting him to sit with her. She leans over the cup, looking at the untouched tea. She waits for him to take a seat in front of her before she lifts up her cup, drinking the warm tea.

Yunho looks at her drinking her tea calmly before she puts the cup down, the material clanging against the ceramic saucer.

"There's nothing in your tea, idiot," she finally says, already knowing what he's thinking of. "This is not a punishment for you, not that 'drinking tea with the queen' tradition. I'm literally just trying to talk to my friend in a relaxing environment. Gosh," she chuckles, "you're really making it more stressful."

"Don't you think," he starts, still eyeing the tea. "That I deserve that punishment? For trying to kill your husband; that tells me I'm a traitor on its own."

She presses her lips together, the liquid coming down her throat feeling bitter all of a sudden. "Jeong Yunho. Why did you think I called you over here?"

"To make me receive the punishment I'm supposed to get," he says simply. "I believe that drinking tea with poison is the best way to deal with traitors like me."

"You're not a traitor," she utters as she stares at him. "If you really want me to prove to you that this tea is clean," she reaches out a hand to take his teacup, but he's quick to block her hand.

"No, Your Majesty. I'll drink it and get it over with."

She scoffs in disbelief as he lifts the teacup to his lips, slightly trembling hands before he tilts his head, drinking all of the tea in one go. She crosses her arms as he closes his eyes tight shut, waiting for the poison to take effect. She clamps her lips as she finds that it's inappropriate to laugh at how there seems to be a drop of tear at the corner of his eyes, already waiting for the poison to take its effect while he's almost starting to cry dramatically.

When the effects he had expected don't come to him, he opens one eye before opening the other, finding Akira staring at him with arms crossed and an amused expression.

"Jeong Yunho, you overdramatic idiot." She pretends to look offended, "I can't believe you really thought that your best friend would poison you with tea."

"I just-" he wipes away his tears as he slightly pouts, "I was scared."

She chuckles. "I must be crazy then, wanting to kill my best friend and the leader of my kingdom's army. Yunho, I don't know if you have no idea about this," her voice turns softer, "I'm not going to see you die. I'll make sure you live on," she smiles, even though he has no idea what it means, "you said that you're going to tell my children, and grandchildren about how their mother fell in love. How are you going to tell them that if you're no longer here? Idiot," she repeats.

"But I," his face turns serious, "You must have heard from Sara, how I tried to kill your husband while he was unconscious."

"You sound just like Jihyun, but where she tried to kill me, you tried to kill Seonghwa instead."

He looks down.

"In which I've said that I've forgiven you-"

"Why," he presses on, "are you so forgiving?" He grits his teeth, "Why are you always so forgiving? Why can't you be mad at all the people who have wronged ever since we were children?"

"Because I know my place," she replies slowly. "I tried to understand the reason they did all those things to me."

The general only looks at her in disbelief as a tear rolls down his cheek.

"Living my life in Nyla," she utters, "made me realize something. All the time I was a general, I wanted to be understood, but no one ever did. You," she breathes, "couldn't understand me because we were both facing the same direction. You couldn't look me in the eyes and realize what I wanted, because both of us were too busy trying to survive. But after coming to Nyla, I realized what I had been missing. I actually felt that people understood me, why I was acting a certain way. Remember when I killed the beggar that made me become feared throughout this whole kingdom? I was wrong for taking a life away and I am in no way justifying what I did," she says, "but that's as far as the story went. No one wanted to know why the general was acting out. Because of things like that, it made me realize that my reasonings never mattered, because no one would listen to me anyway."

Yunho takes a deep breath, but he doesn't say anything.

"But after coming to Nyla, I tried to understand people's situations as to why they're acting that way. Seonghwa's hatred towards Lucida?" She takes a deep breath, "I understand because someone from Lucida killed his parents. The late queen and Emira's hatred towards me? I understand because I am the illegitimate child of their husband and father. Even Jihyun's father, I completely understand why he did what he did."

"You're really... letting it all go because you try to understand the reason they did it," he says, sounding almost disappointed.

She sighs. "When I was little, I wanted to take revenge on the monarchy by showing them that I could rise to the throne too, didn't I?" She shakes her head, "But look at where I am now. I have no one to show it to, to say that look at me now, the person whom you've looked down on is now queen. For something that I wanted to treat as sweet revenge, only brought more pain to me. I almost lost my husband, I almost lost my own life. I realize that revenge is not what I'm looking for now. I'm just," she takes a deep breath, "looking for peace."

"But it doesn't change the fact that I," he refutes, "attempted to kill your husband."

"Like I said, I understand why you did so. Yunho," she says, hard, "we've grown up through dirt and grime together, being treated less than humans just because we're deemed servants. If I were you, I would want to push a stranger from the throne too."

When he looks alarmed at this, she continues calmly.

"I'm being realistic; what I'm trying to say is I do understand why you feel that way."

He only looks at the empty cup, heart feeling guilty as he lifts up his head, a forgiving stare directed at him. "If Jongho didn't stop me, it'd probably be too late."

"That's why we need to stop the curse before it's too late. Sure, the curse brought out your 'darkest desires'" she makes quotation marks, "but everyone has that. You didn't act on it before even when you had a lot of chances to do so. Yunho... it wasn't you. It was the curse." She leans back, letting out a heavy breath. "But you do have to know that the decision to forgive you entirely is up to Seonghwa." Her eyes flick to him. "If he ever gets cured."

"I had that desire," he tries to argue.

She chuckles. "Everyone has desires. I don't know how much it will take to convince you that you're not wrong for having desires. In fact if there comes a time where I would be the one who had to face my desires, I probably won't be able to control them all the same. Again, it just shows you're human."

Yunho sticks out his lower lip, looking away as he feels tears welling up in his eyes again.

Akira picks up the cup of tea again, taking a sip slowly. She breathes in the scent as she swirls it. "Now that I've got that ironed out with you," she utters, "I still need you as the leader of the army. We have a lot of strategizing to do." She puts down the teacup as she flexes her fingers, "It's been a long time since I've laid out a strategy."

"Are you planning to join us?" he asks as he frowns. "You're supposed to be the one we're protecting. The last time His Majesty was insistent on joining us, it didn't end well with him. Akira," he presses on, "you should be using your position to stay safe."

She hesitates as the reason that she might not want to be involved in the counter attack directly is because she needs to make sure her body is protected from harm, and not because she wants to use her position as the queen so that she won't need to go down to the battlefield. "I wanted to join all of you..." she mulls as she thinks about whether she'd want to tell him about it.

"You can't join us," he says simply. After a thought, he adds, "Your Majesty. I don't know how long you might be planning to keep it a secret from the rest of us, but I don't think you can keep it away too long from me." He looks at her, "You're pregnant aren't you?"

She clamps her lips, but she's not surprised that Yunho has caught on. She's only slightly taken aback that he has said it directly to her. Void of words, she only nods.

"I see," he utters. "I suspected it seeing how you are lately, and-" A small curve of his lips upwards, "I saw you coming out of the doctor's room anyway. I figured it out but I could be wrong."

She chuckles. "I really can't hide anything from you, can I?"

"I'm pretty sharp," he jokes. "To be a lieutenant to you back then, I'd at least need to know how to catch things quickly. Which brings me to my initial intention, with all due respect Your Majesty, you're not allowed to join in on the battlefield. Let me handle that part."

Akira cringes, but she agrees to it. However her eyes slightly light up when he continues.

"If you're insistent on wanting to have a hand in this counter attack, I was thinking that maybe... you can join in without having to move so much and we can place you somewhere out of harm's way." He mimics pulling an arrow before releasing it. "Your Majesty, I believe you can fire arrows from a fixed spot."

She thinks over the idea before she slowly nods, a small smile on her lips. "Sounds good."

"Then we're set." He leans back, "Not even that long before we picked ourselves back up and we're already heading for another fight."

She keeps quiet as she finishes all of her tea. She's only about to say something before ear-splitting screams come to them, the sky gradually turning darker before thunder rages, completely losing the soft, mellow feeling they were in.

Instinctively, both of them turn to look at each other before they push back their chairs, almost tumbling them backwards. They quickly make their way to the main building of the palace, bursting through the main doors.

"Your Majesty," someone cries out even though she cannot locate where the person is. "Choi San has escaped his cell. We don't know where he is now, although we believe he's still in the palace. He was insane."

"Where do you think he's heading?" she asks as she finally locates one of the palace staff.

"He was looking for you, Your Majesty. He was shouting your name." There's fear evident in the staff's eyes. "He said that he needed to kill you so that he can live."