The final gong of the execution bell resounded across the palace grounds. The rain poured torrentially, almost as if the sky itself were in mourning. The 4th Prince, Wang So, had gathered Hae Soo's thrashing body, broken, sick and wounded from torture and cold rain, in his arms, before she eventually fainted from over-exertion as he cradled her. His large form attempted to shelter her from the downpour. Prince So scanned the palace grounds, and nobody could be seen, having retreated back into shelter from the bite of rainfall.

He carefully lifted her injured form in his arms, taking care not to harm her already damaged legs, and carried her back to the Damiwon. The rain was still falling heavily, and she was limp in his hold, her damaged body burning with fever. None of the court maids were in the Damiwon now that night was underway, and So had taken it upon himself to find her a room where she could rest and recuperate. The first room he'd found appeared to have a comfortable and inviting bed. Yes. That would be the best place for her considering her current condition.

The Prince laid her down on the mattress, careful not to jar her legs, and slipped out of his own sodden cloak, discarding it to the floor and began searching the room for dry clothes for Soo. He finally found some white garments made for sleep, taking care to dress her in something dry and comfortable as modestly as possible. He left her wet clothes on the floor next to his cloak. After he dressed her, he pulled the warm, dry blankets up around her shivering form. He lit candles he found in the room to bring some light and hopefully warmth from the flames.

There, he nursed her as best he could with what knowledge he'd gained over the years about herbal remedies when treating his own wounds after harsh training with Grand General Park or from the wolf attacks. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. He dried her off while she thrashed weakly, still in the slips of consciousness to unconsciousness, mumbling out Court Lady Oh's name, barely there and fighting fever. He spoonfed her an herbal remedy that Baek Ah had taken upon himself to have delivered to the Damiwon to help curb her fever and help her sleep. He tended to the wounds on her face and legs, towel-dried her hair, but there wasn't much he could do.

The 4th Prince was definitely no court physician, and he couldn't properly treat her like a real physician could. Instead, So hoped with all his heart that this was good enough to help her at least heal if only a little. His heart clenched when he had seen the damage done to her legs. He knew she'd have permanent issues after the torture she'd received and worried about the lasting effect it would have on her.

After what seemed like an age, the miserable furrow in Soo's brow began to smooth, her closed eyes relaxed, her face softened and her breathing evened out. She was lucky to be alive after all she'd just endured. So breathed out a sigh of relief as he ran a hand over her feverish forehead, gently caressing her, and Soo didn't flinch.

She's finally asleep…

He sat at the foot of the bed, leaning against the wooden window paneling, feeling his own eyes begin to droop from exhaustion. He fought to keep them open, but the form of Soo in front of him began to blur, and soon the 4th prince found himself drifting off to an uneasy, fitful sleep.

He awoke abruptly, unsure of how long he'd been asleep, to the sounds of sobbing, soft and pained. So blinked a couple of times, to make sure he wasn't dreaming, before he looked in front of him to see Hae Soo sitting up in bed, her form hunched over, long strands of hair falling into her crumpled face.

He blinked again and watched her for a few moments. Tears were rolling down her face and hitting the bedsheets fast. Her thin arms wrapped around herself as though she were doing all she could to hold herself together, and So could no longer stand seeing her like that. His heart twisted. He scooted closer to her on the bed, and reached a tentative hand out to cup the side of her wounded face, her hot tears coursing over his fingers. He stroked her cheek carefully with this thumb.

"Soo-yah? What is it? Are you in pain?" his voice gentle as he searched her face. "What can I do?"

Soo tried to look up at him, her sobs only growing louder, her shaking getting worse, and her eyes clenched shut tightly, tears still sneaking out of them. So pulled her toward him, keeping his hand on her face and continued the stroking of her wet, marred cheek. He rested his forehead against hers.

"Tell me what's wrong. Tell me what I can do to make it better. Let me help you as you helped me," he implored her, but Soo could only cry harder.

Of course… Court Lady Oh… she's suffering, and I can do nothing to ease her pain…

The Prince knew. He knew how miserable she felt. He knew how tattered she was. There was a time ago he'd been the same, grieving silent tears for the love of a mother he'd never have and for the lives he'd taken for her unappreciative sake. He had barely known her then, but Hae Soo had been there to offer him words of comfort and understanding. It was the first time anyone had ever treated him like a person and not a beast. It was the first time someone didn't fear him but rather treated him like he mattered, who understood him and how he felt. So felt his heart clench in his own chest, and he swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Between desperate sobs, Soo finally spoke to him. "W-Wangjanim. Why are you here? You shouldn't be around me. You shouldn't be here. You could get into trouble. I don't want anyone else taking any falls for my sake. If someone else were to-because of me-I just," her words came out jumbled up and in pieces, but the prince understood them. He understood what she was trying to say.

So just sighed as he pressed his forehead harder into hers, his other arm coming up to wrap around her body in an attempt to quell her tremors. She did not tense up, nor fight him. In fact, surprisingly, she leaned into him and soaked up in any all comfort he had to offer.

"Always lecturing," he replied softly, sounding amused, still stroking her face. "Don't worry about that. Tell me, Soo-yah. What can I do for you?"

"T-this is her room…"

His heart leaped as a wave of guilt rushed over him. He hadn't realized or known. It was the first room he had found, and the bed looked like the most comfortable for an ailing girl. Was he wrong for bringing her back to the Damiwon? It was the only place she had to go now. He could've taken her to the astronomy tower, but Ji Mong and the King...

"I'm… so sorry, Soo-yah. I didn't-," his voice trailed off, but Soo didn't appear to hear him.

"Wangjanim… I-if I had known… if only I had known! If I had known Court Lady Oh would die because of me, I would not have been so greedy and so desperate to live!" her words jarred and broken as she dissolved once more into uncontrollable sobbing. "She died because of me. Pyeha let her die. All because of me. It's all my fault!" Soo's hands reached up to grip at the folds of his hanbok. Her wounded fingers clenching him desperately.

So couldn't help himself. He pressed his lips softly against Soo's wet cheek tasting the salt from her tears, as she rested her head against his, and she did not even bother to react. He took a breath, hoping, searching for the right words.

"You can't blame yourself for that, Soo-yah. Lady Oh knew what she was doing. She had her reasons, and she made her decisions and that was all to protect you. She protected what she wanted to protect. You. No matter how much that hurts, it was her choice. What she did wasn't your fault. You know what you meant to her."

All she could do was cry in response, fresh waves of grief crashing over her, and all So could do was his best to comfort her in a way he'd once longed for. He gathered her up into his arms, her head finding a comfortable place in between the crook of his neck and his shoulder crying out all of her internal suffering into him as he rocked her gently. Her grief for the loss of her beloved Court Lady Oh was overwhelming. The woman who had become like a mother to her and loved her so deeply made Hae Soo not understand why she would die so readily in her place. Hadn't she wanted to take Soo to her hometown? She chose not to tell him of the hurt and heartbreak of wondering why the 8th Prince, Wang Wook, left her all alone when he promised something else entirely on top of everything else.

She couldn't speak the confusion of her feelings when it came to So, or the fact that he was the one who stood by her in the rain and shielded her, that he brought her here to nurse her knowing he could get himself into serious trouble. Yet here he was, with her now, and doing all he could within his power to help her. There was too much swirling around in her head for her to even properly comprehend and gather her thoughts. And still, she didn't want to let him go.

All she felt was immense pain. Not in her legs, not on her face or her body, but in her heart. The grief weighed like a stone anvil, and she allowed herself to sink into the 4th Prince's comforting embrace, strong and inviting, almost relishing the fact that someone was there for her, that it was him who was there for her. She felt even more confused.

It took awhile, but eventually, her tears slowed, and the jagged sobbing became gradual hitching of her breath. She lay against Prince So's tear-soaked shoulder, and he didn't seem to mind. He stroked her hair, the side of his face resting against her head. He felt her crying stop, and then it was silent. The only sounds heard was the pounding of the rain outside. Soo slowly pulled herself away from him, not daring to look up. The Prince watched her, and she appeared almost shameful as she kept her head lowered, unable to meet his eyes. He tilted his head slightly.

"Soo-yah?"

"Was it… you that brought me here? Back to the Damiwon? Back to… her room?" she asked him quietly, still unable to look at him, her eyes averted.

So huffed an almost amused sigh, closing his eyes he nodded his head. "Yes. Nobody else was around. Everyone had already retreated out of the rain. I carried you here. You were burning up with fever and pain. I knew the King would deny if I pleaded for the court physician to treat you, so I brought you here and treated you as best I could."

"You did all of that… for me? Wangjanim, if the King or your brothers find out… you could-,"

So let out a small laugh at Soo, shaking his head at her. She raised her head to look at him, and that crooked grin of his appeared on his lips. Soo wasn't sure why, but it was a feature of his she'd come to enjoy seeing. The rain had washed away the concealer revealing his scar, and Soo had to stop herself from reaching up a hand to trace it. Despite the ache in her heart, it did a strange flutter and she didn't understand why. He was making it harder and harder for her to stay away from him.

"Ah, Soo-yah. You worry too much. I promise that you and I are both safe. I'll head back to Ji Mong's before the sun rises. Everyone is sleeping now. There's no way I would've just left you out there in the front of the palace in your state. Even if it had stopped raining." he told her firmly, but his tone soft.

"The sun will rise soon," Soo replied even more softly, her reddened, bloodshot eyes boring hard into his own. "And you still need to sleep so you don't end up ill. I… I will be okay here. I… thank you for helping me," she added sheepishly.

The 4th Prince just chuckled gently at her as he raised his hands, taking her by the shoulders, and laying her gently back down onto the mattress. Soo did not protest as he tugged the blankets up and around to her chin and he laid a hand on her shoulder, smiling that lopsided smile just for her, his eyes softened into half-moons.

"I'll sleep soon, but if anyone needs to sleep, it's you. Rest, Soo-yah. I'll stay with you for as long as I can. If it eases your mind, I won't be here when you wake."

Soo sighed sleepily, her eyes slowly drifting closed as the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes were the evident concern and care in the 4th Prince's eyes, and that smirk of his.

"I don't want anyone else to get hurt or die because of me. Don't die because of me, Wangjanim," her voice slurred out as sleep finally took her.

So reached out a hand to brush back strands of hair from her face. This girl. His person. Forever lecturing, forever worrying, forever kind and caring far too much.

"I promise you, Soo-yah, I won't get hurt. I won't die, not because of you or anyone else. I'll find a way to ease the pain in your heart, the way you eased mine."

The corner of Soo's lips turned up in a smile, but her breathing was so deep and even, So was unsure if she'd heard him or not. Though true to his word, he stayed until he knew she was asleep and safe. He left the Damiwon as quietly as possible and headed back to the astronomy tower, vowing to keep his promise to her. No matter what it took.