WHEN THE MARRIAGE COLLAPSE

twenty-two - "I will show you who's the real villain here."

Yeonbyul lowered her gaze as the ministers put white roses in her father's coffin. They all had a funeral in the throne room, all the guests dressed in black. Heeseung looked at her and held her hand to comfort her. It was her turn to put the roses into the coffin.

She walked towards the coffin and looked at her father's body.

Who did this to you?

Tell me. Please, dad...

At least, give me a sign.

The entrance door opened and her mother walked in, with her current husband and two children. A boy and his younger sister. The children bowed to her before hiding behind their mother.

"I'm sorry, Yeonbyul."

Her mother hugged her but she stood there, frozen like a statue. Her mother, Mrs Seo sighed and put a white rose in the coffin. Yeonbyul glared at it before throwing it away.

"Why are you here?!"

"Yeonbyul-ah..."

"Where were you when dad and I needed you?"

Mrs Seo's husband, Mr Kang shielded his wife, "Calm down, Your Majesty."

"Calm down? You took my mother to the East and lived there, not letting me see her and you dared to show up to my father's funeral?!"

"Park Yeonbyul! That is not the way to speak to your stepfather," Mrs Seo said sternly. Yeonbyul scoffed, "Stepfather? I never think of him as part of my family. I never even think of you as my mother. My family only consists of me, dad, Heeseung and my in-laws."

Mrs Seo held her daughter's hand, "Yeonbyul-ah. Forgive me. I know what I did was wrong."

"You left me and my father when we were poor just to marry a rich man. And when my father got promoted to a minister, that's when you act like you still care about him. Why? Do you want his money? Do you want to get back to him?"

"Yeonbyul, people are watching," Mrs Seo gritted her teeth. Yeonbyul scoffed, "Look at you. Acting all elegant and feminine like you own your husband's money. I'm sure when you make him poor in the future you would also leave him. Probably finding the next victim at the West?"

Mrs Seo slapped her daughter's face in front of the guests. The older lady glared at her, "I will not tolerate disrespect! I never raised you like this! Who taught you all this? Must be your dead father!"

"You never raised me at all! It was dad all along! He sheltered me and gave me a nice environment to live in! You did nothing, mother. Nothing!"

She glared at Heeseung, "I want your permission to execute her! Now!"

The guests gasped, including Sunghoon, who was sitting next to his friend, King Jake. Heeseung gulped nervously, "Yeonbyul, think carefully. This is not you."

"Then what about you? You killed an innocent person. My mother did lots of mistakes towards me and my father. I have a reason to execute her."

Heeseung held his wife's shoulders, "You do not want to do this, Yeonbyul. She's your mother. No matter how much you hate her, she gave birth to you. At least just made her go away. Killing is not an option."

Hanseo lowered her gaze and nodded to the King before facing Mrs Seo and her family, "Ma'am, I need you to leave."

Mrs Seo scoffed, "Looks like I'm not welcomed here. Just because you're the Queen doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. You bitch."

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Heeseung held a cup that had hot chocolate in it. He knocked on Yeonbyul's bedroom door, hoping for her to open it. She didn't even let Hanseo and Ms Han in which were making both of the court ladies worried. He exhaled heavily, "Park Yeonbyul..."

From the other side of the door, Yeonbyul buried her face into her knees as she sat at the corner of the room. She sobbed quietly and ignored her husband calling for her. The door opened and he walked in, putting the cup on the coffee table. He walked towards her before squatting in front of her, "Are you okay?"

She looked away and ignored his question. He was fed up and picked her up, carrying her to the bed before putting her down. He handed her the cup, "Drink. You haven't eaten all day."

She pushed the cup away and stood up, "Why are you doing this?"

"What do you mean? I'm your husband."

"Why didn't you let me execute my mother? She even called me a bitch in front of the guests."

Heeseung turned around and folded his arms, "We are not having this discussion anymore. She is your mother. How could you execute her? I thought you are the 'kind' and 'patient' type."

"So you're saying executing an innocent chef is alright? You are such a hypocrite."

Heeseung glared at her before throwing the cup towards the wall. Hot chocolate spilt all over the floor and the cup shattered into pieces.

"How dare you say that to me. Me being a hypocrite? Then what does that make you? Do you think you're a good Queen to the kingdom?"

"I'm not the one who lets go of the real murderer and kills an innocent person just to cover up the murderer's crimes."

He scoffed and walked towards her before grabbing her by the collar of her top, "I think the ones who I need to keep my guard up to is you. I think what Haesun said all this time is true. Who knows what you could've been planning. Probably to bring me down and humiliate me."

He left the room, leaving the door open. Yeonbyul picked up the shattered pieces of the cup before rushing out of the room, throwing them at the King. One of the pieces cut through his skin and he touched the blood that trickled down his neck.

Heeseung glared at Hanseo, "Make sure she has calmed down. Then you are allowed to let her out of her room."

"Just you wait, Lee Heeseung. You trust that mistress of yours too much then you will bear the consequences she will give you. And I will get my revenge then you will realise who's the real villain here!" Yeonbyul yelled, chasing after him but the guards stopped her, grabbing her by the shoulders and waist.

"Let me go!" She elbowed the guards. Ms Han grabbed her hand gently, "Your Majesty, you should calm down first. Let me ask the chef to make you some tea."