(Hyunhui Mansion, Goryeo)

~Hyeong's POV~

Instead of me visiting Prince Won at Okrin Palace, today he and his mother Lady Dongyangwon came over to my residence. Her Ladyship wanted to catch up with my lady mother so they chatted away, whereas Won talked to me about my engagement.

"I was wondering why you haven't talked to me about it yet whereas my 14th brother has," he said casually. "How do you feel about it?"

"Well, it happened so quickly. If I could choose, I wouldn't want it to happen so soon because I'm not ready for marriage. I recognize that. Now I've got a whole new set of shoes to step into," I shook my head. "But I guess overall I'm glad."

"Mainly because you're going to be my sister-in-law; that must be why you're glad," he grinned cheekily.

"Mm hmm, whatever helps you sleep at night, Won-ah," I drawled singsong, laughing. "You said Prince Jung went to you to talk about the engagement?"

"Yes. Figured he needed some marriage advice," he shrugged.

"Great. If His Highness takes your advice then my marriage is for sure going to be a catastrophe," I face-palmed. "Everything's ruined now."

"What, you don't think I'm eligible to give him advice? He's my little brother after all. And hey, my marriages aren't that bad, really. I get along well with my wives, there's no rivalry between them, and we have children — basically the purposes of the marriage have been achieved, and that pleases all of us," he explained.

"Is that enough though?" I asked skeptically.

"Oh, Hyeong-ah. Don't you think you know me well enough already than to have to ask me that?" He chuckled. "In terms of what I expect my marriages to generate for me, I'm largely satisfied. I'd like to have more children, but not too soon."

Before I could reply, Woljin had informed us that it was time for lunch! We therefore proceeded from the tearoom to the dining hall. Eat first; chat later!

(Songak, Goryeo)

~Geolha's POV~

Finally, the exorcism rite was to be held today. The Crown Prince Mu had spent a lot of time preparing for it. Choi Jimong was in charge of swapping His Highness' role with the 4th Prince So's. Tonight we would find out if there really would be an attempt on the Crown Prince's life.

Equipped with a shield and a spear, the Fang Xiang Shi appeared. On the spectator stand, King Taejo was seated in the middle, a Queen on each side. Princess Yeonhwa was standing next to her mother, while my family and other clans and courtiers assembled nearby.

Funny. From this angle, Princess Yeonhwa did look quite pretty.

Now the remaining Princes showed up, playing the roles of the Jin Ja, dressed in red with a black belt and half-red, half-white mask. Other performers, such as the Chang Soo — who used spells to cast away evil spirits — also appeared.

Choi Jimong, with his booming voice, announced the commencement of the ritual. King Taejo raised his hand majestically, which signalled for the drummers to do their job. Following the rhythm of the drums, the Princes performed their sword dance.

Clad in black, the 'monsters' jumped onto the arena from the rooftops, doing somersaults every now and then. The ceremony itself was actually entertaining to watch, but this time I had to watch out for a possible assassination attempt, so it was difficult to enjoy myself. My family members, in particular my younger siblings, looked fascinated and looked on, completely absorbed in the performance and unaware of the potential dangers. Their ignorance was their bliss, but the responsibility would be on me to protect them should anything bad happen.

"The Crown Prince is very good at his role," Queen Hwangbo commented to the King.

"He has practically lived on the battlefields," His Majesty replied proudly, totally confident and feeling safe in the belief that everything would be fine and his eldest son would do a good job as the Fang Xiang Shi. He really did think that the Fang Xiang Shi was Prince Mu. Prince So was doing a really good job, then.

As the drums gradually slowed and stopped, the 'monsters' fell to the floor, rolling as if they were weakened and incapacitated. When silence fell, I shivered. Not because it was winter but because I had a bad feeling. My hunch was shared by the King's astronomer as we exchanged a brief pessimistic glance.

Suddenly, more 'monsters' fell from the sky, assaulting the Fang Xiang Shi. But this was not part of the rite; this was not how it should've been. These were the assassins!

Jimong cried out for the guards to protect the King. Everything was a mess. All of the courtiers panicked and most began to leave the arena. His Majesty stood up and glowered intently at the Fang Xiang Shi whom he still believed to be his eldest and favorite son. Queen Hwangbo also bolted from her seat and faced me. "Escort the Princess to safety!" She instructed urgently, and pushed her daughter toward me with all her might. But I couldn't just attend Her Highness and abandon my family. I threw a glance over my shoulder at my father who apparently agreed that the Princess was my responsibility now and ushered me away, whereas Hyeong was already leading Geolsang elsewhere. Desperately, I gripped Her Highness' wrist and thought hard of somewhere with better shelter and security.

(The Damiwon, Songak)

~Yeonhwa's POV~

Lord Geolha had opted for the Damiwon as our hiding place since it was the closest to the arena and even though there weren't many guards stationed here, at least there'd be court matrons and maids around.

Perfunctorily, he asked, "are you alright, Your Highness?" Of course he didn't care, but he asked just to make sure he wouldn't be blamed in case I got hurt.

"Fine," I muttered brusquely, focusing my thoughts elsewhere. I was most interested in knowing who was behind this attempt on the Crown Prince's life. Not that I cared, either, about him.

Who could've hired the assassins? The Yu clan of Chungju or the Park clan of Seungju, supporting my 3rd brother Yo on the throne. The Kang clan of Shinju; you'd never know what they'd be up to. The Kim clan; less likely, but they were still allied with my 9th brother Won. The Ham clan, with two royal concubines and my 10th brother as their pawns. I was even suspecting my own Hwangbo clan, capable of doing this without enlisting my mother's help. I wanted to carry out investigations, but I couldn't do it right now. I had to wait till the storm had passed.

I knew that Lord Geolha did not like me much, so he wouldn't talk to me unless it was absolutely necessary. I had to be the one to initiate a conversation then.

"You don't like me much, do you, my Lord?" I decided to be straightforward with him.

He gulped in agony. "How could you say that, Princess?"

"Is it because you like somebody else?" I inquired. I had a feeling this was going to turn into a full-on interrogation.

"I — what?" He choked. "I beg your pardon, Princess Yeonhwa?"

His reaction, not his words, was really the answer that I needed. "Who is it?" I pressed on. "A noblewoman, I presume?"

"No, Your Highness. There's no one," he said forcefully. Not a very good liar, was he?

I smiled at him slightingly. "It must be tough for you to have to deny it."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Princess," he insisted tensely. The standard response to getting exposed.

"I might be able to use my influence to enable you to marry her," I offered. We both knew our relationship would not really end in a marriage. I just needed it to go on until I could safely become Queen or Wook could be King.

"Thank you, Princess Yeonhwa," he gritted his teeth. "ut I don't need Your Highness to do anything for me. If I needed somebody powerful to grant me a favor, I could easily have asked Prince Mu, and I wouldn't have to trouble Your Highness."

"Then why hasn't His Highness? Is it because he doesn't consider you worthy? Or maybe," I said derisively. He was taking this all too seriously, while it was fun for me to mock and humiliate him, especially with this bold, dramatic guess. "It's because not even the Crown Prince has the power to arrange for you to marry a woman who already belongs to another man."

His jaw tightened. The fire in his eyes had given away more than he dared speak. However, his expression of indignation had turned into a sneer as he shook his head and turned the tables.

"You need me, Your Highness," he declared boldly and assuredly. "You need to marry a man who lives and works at the royal court, so that you can use him — me, actually — to get what you want the most: more power. You've told me that that's what you're after, and it'd only be characteristic of an ambitious woman like Your Highness to stop at nothing. You may be privileged in many ways, Princess, but when it comes to marriage, given the options the King is considering, for you it's either getting married to me, or leaving Songak, or even worse: off to Khitan you go. Our borders with Khitan isn't that well-guarded. Some of the lords from the Hae family have been straying from us and allying with Khitan. You can't wield power if you're not at the center of where the politics are, so you need to stay at Court, and you have a better shot if you marry me. You need me more than I need you, so you don't feel secure, and you need to gain leverage over me, so that you can ensure that I'm not going anywhere. But here's what you ought to know, Princess Yeonhwa. I may be a mere lordling and you the lofty Princess, but unfortunately for you, you're not the one with the upper hand. If you so desperately need to keep me around, despite knowing that I strongly dislike you because of our differing values and clashing personalities, I suggest that you think twice about antagonizing me. Calling me a fool and acting like you're so much better than me will not get you what you want," he seethed. "Of course I want out of this courtship. Of course I want my freedom back. I'd rather stay single my whole life than be your pawn, because I know ultimately you want to be the Queen. No one likes to be walked over and manipulated and exploited for others' gain. Not to mention nothing about you makes me feel like you'd be worth any sacrifice on my part. But Prince Mu has expressed that what he wanted was for Your Highness to marry well, and His Highness reckons I'd make a good candidate. I serve no master but the Crown Prince, so I'm doing it for him, in addition to what the King's Majesty has decreed. Not everything is about you, Your Highness. Get off your high horse."

I sat in silence for a few moments, as I digested what he'd just said. I felt no need to change my facial expression, as it would not please me to let it slip that his words might be enough to have an effect on me in any way. Of course I was displeased that he was rebuking me, because who did he think he was? But he was also making me ask myself: who did I think I was? I needed to look at my situation with a clear head. I might be my father's favorite daughter, but His Majesty would always be a King before he'd be a father. I was just a pawn to him, no different than my elder sister Princess Chuja was. If it pleased His Majesty to put me in a courtship with Lord Geolha, I better make it seem as if I was perfectly happy with this arrangement, even though, once again, Lord Geolha was right to say that our personalities clashed and our priorities couldn't have been more different. This way, I'd be able to stay in royal favor, and therefore keep my place at Songak secure. It did concern my benefit. I ought to care.

"It seems you understand my situation better than I do," I stated. I kept my tone neutral and my expression stoic, but deep down inside, his words did affect me. It was such a strange feeling. I didn't think I'd ever felt this way before. It was as if I was humbled by him, which made me frown at least inwardly. I could not believe it myself. Why should I let anybody affect me this way? Let alone him.

"You wanted an intellectual equal as your future husband, Princess," he replied. He'd calmed down now. "Yet if Your Highness does not intend to treat me as an equal, there's no way a courtship between us would work. Considering what's at stake, I think you'd be more affected should our courtship fail."

"I won't let that happen," I said sharply. Our courtship was not going to fail; it would only be terminated, by me, when I would one day find it expedient. "Are you saying you want to try to make this relationship work then, Lord Geolha?" I enquired. "I had rather thought you were the one who wanted out."

"If Your Highness can recognize how much you need me, then you'll be able to change my mind about you and about this relationship," he said solemnly.

I sighed. "I'm royalty. You're just a courtier. We'll never be equals," I said dismissively. Not to mention I needed to be future Queen. That, or Wook must manage to take the throne.

"In that case, Princess Yeonhwa, if you still expect me to continue you to allow you to treat me like garbage, you're wrong," he said tiredly. "I've had enough of your abuse."

"Don't be dramatic," I snapped back at him.

"I'm sure Your Highness knows why the King only made me court you but not wed you right away. It's because His Majesty still needed you to be available, in case he needed to marry you off for dynastic purposes," he pointed out. "It's like I said, Your Highness. If you want me to stick around as your prospective husband, you'll need to change. It's up to you to decide whether or not I'm worth it. It's entirely your choice, Princess. Is your pride more important than staying in Songak through me?"

"I can't give you what you want," I said in exasperation. "I want power. You might be able to give me that. But you want love. I can't give you that."

I hadn't even finished my sentence when the disbelief had already struck me, like a slap across the face, that I was actually considering giving back. All my life, people kept taking things from me, not tangible objects, but things that I thought I valued, like my dignity. I then learned to guard what I held dear, always taking things from others when it served me, and never to give anything back, because nobody was deserving of it. My own gain was always more important. But what if I needed to give, in order to get? Such a bizarre concept.

"But you can give me your respect," he replied wryly. "Can't you, Princess Yeonhwa?"

(Songak, Goryeo)

~Hyeong's POV~

I had no idea what had just happened. All I knew was that it had to be something very, very bad. Geolha was out of sight with the Princess very soon, while Mother had entrusted me with the task of bringing Geolsang somewhere safe. Hyunhui Mansion was the only place I considered safe enough to be, but the hallways leading to our residence were not safe, as most of the palace guards were off trying to catch, purportedly, a gang of assassins, which left many corridors unguarded. This meant that going home was no longer an option.

"Where should we go?" Geolsang asked worriedly.

I panted and could barely speak. I could only run and motion for my little brother to follow me. I decided to go out to the main street, as there were more civilians, and we were less likely to be harmed. I wasn't even sure anymore if this was wise, but until I was able to come up with a better solution, this was what we would be going with. I felt at a loss as to what I was supposed to do. Sure, I was Geolsang's elder sister and of course it was my duty as an elder sister to take care of a younger brother, but it was always Geolha who took up that responsibility to look after both me and Geolsang, and it had never occurred to me that it was actually a challenging task, until it was up to me to do it. I did not feel the least bit competent and I had the hunch that I was going to screw this up badly, but I had little energy for these defeating thoughts at the moment.

I ran and ran and ran — Geolsang ought to be right behind me — till we could blend in with the common people who were completely oblivious to the mishap in the arena. I was so focused on moving along and going forward that I had neglected to look back. I only turned around when I stopped to catch my breath, but I stopped breathing again when I realized...I had lost Geolsang.

A/n:

Gasp! Looks like Hyeong is in big trouble. Where did Geolsang go? :O

And do you think Yeonhwa and Geolha will ever be able to work things out? Leave a review and tell me what you think! :DD

Thanks for reading! :)))