The palace was thrown into chaos after the news of the royal concubine's disappearance. Guards were sent out in groups to scout the palace grounds, making sure to check every nook and cranny for any trace of her. Attendants wandered around as well, calling out, hoping ot find their faithful mistress. In the General's office, a worried Dong Wook sat at the bench, his face buried in his hands as his mind was flooded with possible locations and suspects. The doors to the office were pulled back and General Ji walked in with a stern looked.

"What the hell is this ?!" The General fumes, slamming his palm down on his table as he shot a glare at the guard. Dong Wook gazed up with a quiet expression, looking back at his hands guilitly when he had no response. "I asked you to guard her! And you lost her! Usless bastard!" General Ji shouted angrily, picking up the nearest book and harshly throwing it at Dong Wook, hitting him squarely in the head making him stumbled to one side. 

"I..I am sorry, My Lord..." Dong Wook stuttered, unable to look up from the floor as he hung his head in shame.

"Sorry?! Her Ladyship is gone! We lost 2 guards! And all you can say is sorry?!" The General made no effort to calm down and conitnued his scoldings, making a mess of the office by tossing everything angrily onto the floor. He let out a curse under his breath as he clenched his fists against the tablecloth. "A messenger had gone to inform His Majesty, I suggest you hurry up and search." He sighed finally, rubbing his temples from the major headache.

Dong Wook perked his head at the last sentence. "H..Hi..His Majesty?" He stuttered in shock. //Good Job Dong Wook-ah.. You are going to be murdered for losing her.// He thought anxiously before bowing towards the General and rushing off, wasting no time in joining the search parties. 

At that time, a horsed guard was seen galloping quickly, the rider's hands tightly on the straps as he dug his heels into the horse's flank, urging it to move faster. The dun coloured horse let out a tired whinny as they turned the corner and was nearing the temporary housing estate for government officials. The guards that stood outside were bewildered in seeing the guard looking so frantic that they grabbed his horse steady as the rider leapt off and marched in, sweat dripping down the side of his face.

By coincidence, the King was standing outside in the courtyard, speaking with the Chinese Emissary, joking with each other. They both turned their heads to the heavy breath's the guard took as he bowed deeply towards them.

"Ah.. What is the matter?" Jong Kook said with a smile as he folded his arms behind him, looking at the Emissary who smiled back. 

The Guard nervously fumbled with his fingers, glancing over to Jae Suk who watched him curiously before back at the King. Seeing his frantic behaviour, the King leaned in, gesturing for him to speak it softly. 

Complying with the gesture, the guard covered his mouth with his hand as he whispered, "Your Majesty... Lady Song is gone!" 

With his words, Jong Kook's eyes widened as his mouth fell agape in shock. "WHAT?!" he shouted in disbelief, grabbing the guard by his shoulders, facing him with wide eyes. "How!" he yelled, tightening his grip on the guard. The Guard helplessly looked down, he himself was not given much information about the missing concubine. 

Jae Suk , seeing the commontion, strided over and pried the guard away from the infuriated King. He looked over to the Chinese Emissary who was also taken aback by the sudden outburst. "My apologies, Your Excellency. Please excuse His Majesty for the time being." He said politely, bowing towards the stunned Emissary who merely nodded and shuffled away. 

As soon as the Emissary was out of earshot, Jae Suk whipped around to the guard. "What happened?"

"Lady Song is missing.." The Guard whimpered, looking shamefully at his hands. Triggered by the words, Jong Kook pushed them aside and walked quickly towards the exit, an unreadable expression on his face. Jae Suk gritted his teeth and pulled the guard along as they followed the quick steps of the King. By the time the walked outside, he was in the process of saddling his horse, tightening the straps around the stallion's belly. 

"Your Majesty." Jae Suk began only to be silenced by a raised hand from the King. 

"Dont stop me." Jong Kook muttered, swinging his leg over the saddle, looking down at the two guards with sudden determination. The guards nodded obediently and mounted their own respective horses. Jong Kook let out a clicking noise with his tongue and they began to move, breaking out into a hard gallop as they rode the trail back to the palace. 

Moments later, the palace gates were drawn back at the sudden arrival of the King. Everyone who was in the midst of searching turned to see him, quite shocked he had cut his trip early by a couple days. As soon as he arrived, he swung off his horse, trudging heavily towards the chambers of the concubine. Ji Hyo's attendants who were searching by the chambers, looked up at the imperial figure that was striding towards them, bowing immediately. 

Jong Kook didn't even bat an eye towards them and rushed up the steps. He suddenly stopped in front of the chamber doors, closing his eyes as he prayed that what they were saying wasn't true. That if he opened the doors, she would be there, sitting behind her desk, greeting him with the warm smile of hers. Holding his breath, he pushed the door opened, to come face to face with the rice paper curtain she had positioned in front of the door. With a heavy heart, he peered around the corner, all hopes of seeing her were vanished as the room was completely empty. His heart sank as he staggered further into the room, looking around with wide eyes. Tears slowly formed as he gasped for air, the shock hitting him hard. 

"Ji Hyo-ah..." He called quietly, stumbling onto his knees, his tears free falling down his cheeks. His chest rose and fell irregurlarly as he wept in her chambers, clutching onto her desk, trying to stabilize himself. But nothing could make him stable, his thoughts and heart feeling empty without her. He let out a sob as his hand brushed against something. He looked up and saw the book he had given her to read, noticing a buldge between the pages, possibly a bookmark. He flipped the book opened, swallowing his tears before they came rolling down again as he picked up the item she used ot bookmark the pages. It was the bracelet he had given her. He picked it up carefully, letting it sit on his palm as he touched it with his other hand, crying silently. 

"Ji Hyo..."He cried as he clutched the bracelet dearly to his chest, covering his face with his hand as his shoulders heaved from his sobs. "Ji Hyo-ah!" He yelled as anger suddenly took over him, feeling angry at whomever was responsible for her disappearance. He narrowed his eyes as he frowned, his sobs slowly calming as his fury grow. 

Outside her chambers, everyone looked at her room at the sound of the crying King, feeling the same sorrow he felt for they also had lost a faithful mistress. Maeri and Jung who had heard the news earlier were standing by the steps to her chambers, silent tears trickling. Maeri bit her lip, trying to stop the tears but nothing would stop them. Jung noticed and patted her gently, she herself also tearing from the loss of her close friend. 

Everyone seemed to be in sorrow for the presumed abduction of the Royal Concubine... except one person.

"Bahahaha!" A cunning cackle echoed the Queen's chambers as no one else but the Queen sat in her throne, rocking back in laughter. "Look at those fools! Searching for their so called beloved Lady...." she chuckled as she glanced towards the small windows by her desk. 

There was no one in her room yet she spoke maniaclly to herself, laughing and talking casually. 

"Aigoo.... That poor child... This wouldn't have happened if you didn't love the King." she sighed with a smile.

"She wouldn't be alive for much longer..."

okay! I am so sorry for all these late updates! its been a hectic weekend and it is going to be an even crazier week! Good news and bad news..

Bad News: I will be taking a 4 day break later in the week (Going to Thailand! :D)

Good News: I have a free day tomorrow so that means... CHAPTERS! :DD

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!