"I want to leave this place.'
And then he finally saw her.
Her dark, flickering eyes, gleaming with tears of fear that seemed to spill of their own accord, the shaky breaths that jerked out of her body, the uncontrollable trembling of her petite frame underneath the heavy garments of a court lady.
"I want to go far away from the palace, wherever that is."
Her eyes finally latched onto his with an intense ferocity as if he was the only person left in the world, her only anchor, her only saviour, before her gaze lost focus as fear overtook her once again.
Wook looked in despair at the broken woman in front of him before fiercely pulling her into a tight embrace, hoping that he would be enough. His own hands trembled ever so slightly as they gently stroked her back.
"All right, let's do that. I'll do that for you."
His voice shook with the intensity of his resolve even as her body continued to shiver in his embrace.
"Don't worry Soo. Calm down. You'll be alright Soo."
He repeated the words like a chant to both Soo and himself, praying that his words would ring true. He would get her out of the palace that had so thoroughly broken her underneath her bright facade. He would fix this.
He had to.
For the woman he loved, he would do anything.