Ji Hyo twist and turns, scratching her messy head. Something heavy held onto her, preventing her from much movement. Her eyes squint open and she sees a few thick blankets laying over the bed and floor. She nudges and faces the sleeping Jong Kook keeping her in his arms.

She sighs, she takes it back. It wasn’t that nice sleeping next to him. His heavy weight suffocates her and his tight hold was too much. Whoever sleeps in the same bed with this man must be unfortunate.

After berating him for her tiring sleep, she turns her back to him and tries to loosen his grip. But he shifted closer, snuggling towards her as his nose touched her nape. His body glued next to hers.

She decided to stop moving as she could hear the wind rustling and soldiers warming up outside. His calm breath tickles her ear, yet his touch was assuring. As much as it stopped her from moving too much, it held her securely.

Her hand covered his, interlocking her fingers on top of his. Time ticks away as she fell back to sleep.

Later, Jong Kook wakes up and sees Ji Hyo’s back facing him. Her clutches his bandaged wound but the pain has decreased greatly. His hand moves back and holds her waist, interlocking fingers with her.

He snuggles closer and lightly kisses her revealing shoulder. Her white skin reminds him of the past, a blank piece of paper. How he wish to rewrite their encounter and marriage.

His mind wanders to an imaginative future.

If he had actually met her after returning from his proudest war, maybe they would have known each other better. If he had not been a coward and run back to the military post on the same day, maybe he could have been a better man. If he had not promised to care for Ara and reciprocate her feelings, he could’ve been a good husband towards Ji Hyo. He should have not married her and let her marry someone who was worthy of her.

Though he was jealous because of the relationship between her and Yoo, he knows that Yoo would never dare to do something like that, knowing fully well what kind of person Yoo is.

Yoo seems like the perfect man for her. His status, his actions, and his motto in life as a man.

‘Loyal for life, faithful for eternity.’

Maybe Yoo was meant to be with her. Seeing how well they interacted and how much she had trust him to run with him back to the capital although Jong Kook had sent a letter to come back and fetch her.

Yet, yet this is what made him afraid of Yoo the most. He trusted Yoo more than anyone. When Yoo came to the Song mansion and threatens to steal Ji Hyo away, he felt his body turn cold. 

Thinking about this made his head hurt. He can let her go, or he thinks he can, to anyone… as long as it’s not Yoo. He made her a promise, to let her go to someone she loves. He couldn’t keep his promise to be a doting husband but he will try his best to let her go for her own happiness.

Jong Kook gently turns her towards him and helps her to sleep on the inside of the bed as he gets up. He changes his clothes before he gets out of the tent while she stays soundly asleep.

He walks towards the line of soldiers and inspects the coast before striding towards the horse shed in the back. He opens the door and enters cautiously. Moving the packs of hay, he stops.

“Let’s get you out of here,” he spoke to the coward figure. The coward figure nods weakly.

***

Ji Hyo had instructed the use of the newly modify weapons to the military and the soldiers starts training. In every battle, there will be nurses and doctors on the field to help the injured soldiers at the camp. She looked over and assign the useful medical information to her assistants.

She hadn’t seen Jong Kook all day. Maybe he was busy…

She enters the tent only to stop as she sees a quick-witted Jong Kook cover himself with his robe quickly. Seeing that it was her, he relaxes.

She strides towards him and tightly closed the tent drapes. He was cleaning his wound and struggled to do so as there were too many people entering the tent, asking for his presence.

“Let me help you,” she asks, grabbing the wet cloth.

“It’s fine,” he retorts, trying to stop her.

She stops his hand and looks up at him sternly. “Let me, or else you would like another scar place on your body.

He stops resisting and she gently wipes away the medicinal herbs from his wounds. He leans back, letting her do her own thing. Watching her focus so much on something as a wound… was somewhat attractive. Her focus was impeccable.

He finds himself staring at her for a while.

She reapplies the herb and starts bandaging him. Just then, a soldier came running in.

“General!-“ only to stop as he sees the scene in front of him.

Jong Kook had grabbed Ji Hyo to hide him, taking her by surprise, falling over him onto the bed.

With her on top of him, what a sight.

The soldier stutters and looks away, turning bright red.

“Knock and report first!” he yells at the soldier, making him apologize endlessly and retreated.

Making sure the soldier was gone, Jong Kook looked back at Ji Hyo who lied on top of him. Her shoulders were not the overly petite minimum frame. She had muscles yet a slim figure.

The image of her back and body flashed in his head as they stare at each other.

“Sire,” she whispered. She shifted out of his grasp, sitting up.

He got a hold of himself and sat up, aware of how the image of her made his heart tumble, blood rushing in his veins.

With his silence, she finishes bandaging him. Ji Hyo stands up, ready to dispose of the old bandages. Suddenly, she was pulled back, landing in Jong Kook’s lap. She was about to scowl about his clumsiness when she caught his expression.

An electric shock zapped in her body. 

His eyes were different, calm and soft. Lovingly.

He leans closer and pinches her nose, “Don’t forget to breathe,”

Her face reddens and she breathes deeply, realizing that she was holding her breath. She shifted in his lap, turning her head away but didn’t push him away either.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

He smiles, “I promised to tell you everything, didn’t I?”

She turned around and faces him.

He thinks to himself then spoke up. “These past days, I’ve been traveling to the border. Patrolling, guarding, and protecting the base.” He looks back at her, “But that was only part of a façade.”

With brows raised, Ji Hyo listened attentively.

“I helped slaves escaped.”

Her eyes soften by his confession. Jong Kook hugs her closer as he lies his head on her shoulder.

“It was difficult,” he sighs, “I thought I was going to die…”

“You’re the General, you won’t die easily,” she answered though a glimpse concern washed over her face.

He snuggles on her shoulder, “Because I am the General, I can’t die. But I live… because of you.”

Ji Hyo paused for a moment. What is wrong with this man? Happy then cold. Secretive then innocent. What is the truth anymore? She can’t keep up with his ever-changing moods.

“No, you live because of your own will.”

He lightly shook his head.

Ji Hyo turns to look at him as he kept his head on her shoulder and his arms wrapped around her. His face showed a slight change. She holds his chin as he looks at her.

In a low voice, she looked into his shifted eyes, “What happened?”

That wasn’t the end of the story. What really happened last night?

In his eyes, she finally sensed fear, a cold expression that he had always used, similar to the time when he caught her reading the diaries in the back of the library and order them to be burned.

She pulled him into her embrace and pat his back. It must have something to do with his nightmare last night. What could have he been afraid of?

His arms tighten around her body for assurance. His breath became deep and stable.

All the while, a hand clenched the tent drape.

With angry tears in her eyes, Ara steps away, rushing back to her tent.

She stops and glares back at the tent. She could hear a group of soldiers gossiping about how lucky and in love their general is with Lady Song. She ran inside her tent and shut her drapes tightly.

Finally, she breaks down and cries with tears glistening down her face. The fear of losing Jong Kook poked at her. He had really changed. From promising to not fall in love with Ji Hyo or show her marital love, Jong Kook seems to be doing every single one of them.

She thought that if she had become his official concubine, it would keep him from swaying towards Ji Hyo.

Ara muffled her cries as she sits alone in the room. She was wrong, he was attracted to Ji Hyo before their marriage. How his mother scolded her of her incompetence to be Jong Kook’s wife degraded her.

She hated the fact that Ji Hyo was not only from a high status, one that can support Jong Kook in the future with his position. She wasn’t like those bratty, spoiled rich girls who flaunt their privilege. Her willingness to not interfere with her Jong Kook made Ara bothered even more.

She did like Ji Hyo. But her qualities are what is swaying Jong Kook all the more.

Ara only clenched her hands into a fist. Jong Kook’s affection towards her had decreased all because of one person. It’s all because of Ji Hyo. She needs to disappear. She needs to make Ji Hyo disappear.

***

Ji Hyo hands Jong Kook a cup of tea as they sit across each other. They examine the political intervention of the newly organized military weapons. No words were exchanged. It was all until Ji Hyo stood up and turns to leave the tent when she glance at him.

“Take care of yourself, General,” and leaves.

Jong Kook looks up from the papers and sighs.

*Flashback to moments ago*

“What happened?” Ji Hyo stares at him as she whispered in a low voice. With his silence, she wrapped her arms around him.

It was a silent moment for them. His muscle relaxes and his breath stabilizes. Seems like he can never her embrace. Her embrace of him all the way from the bath tub last night to the bed throughout the whole night.

How he misses her endearing hug. Those nights she would ask to stay beside him and cuddle in his arms in her sleep at the Song mansion.

The day of the attack on the hunting trip…

He hugged her in the cave after she was poisoned. How he piggybacked her on their way back to the find the troop and at the Song mansion.

Those times, his heart pounded and soften towards her.

“I rescued the slaves from slave traffickers, two of them were Ara’s siblings.”

“Are they safe now?”

He shook his head. “One of them… one of them was caught by the slave traffickers’ dogs… died.” He sighs deeply, “The other one barely survived as we ran back to the training camp.”

“For her,” her voce became tiny, “you’re willing to risk your life?”

He looks up at her. He could see her surreal expression, “I didn’t get the wound from the slave traffickers.”

Her silence scared him, as if threatening to abandon him if he did not explain himself.

“I met my uncle… ex-Marshall of the military force under Goryeo, before saving them.”

“He stabbed you?!” her shaking voice made lighten him.

“It ought to happen.”

“General Kim!”

He pats her hand, squeezing it light, “Here, my lady.”

“This is not a joke.”

He chuckles, “I know it’s not.”

Her growling eyes made his smile grow wider. “You know… you’re not threatening at all.”

She roughly pushed his hand away and he grunted, holding onto his side. With that, she quickly checks his bandaged wound, making sure it’s not bleeding through.

“Wow, you truly are moody,” making Ji Hyo glare at him.

“Aigoo,” she lightly hits his shoulder. “If only you were not already injured, I would’ve- hwak!”

He laughs at her sound effects, patting her head, “Now this is more like you.”

She pushes his hand away from her head and continues glaring at him. “What are you going to do now?”

He lies on the bed while she sat beside him, “Survive.”

“The books,” she spoke, “it’s about them correct? Han So Yi,”

Jong Kook closed his eyes.

Ji Hyo stands up, walking over to the strategic map of the land.

“There was a story I heard of when I was younger. A prince fell in love with a young lady. He promised to marry her but couldn’t as he was forced to marry another lady who would ultimately support him to rule. In the end, he left the lady and married the other lady, leaving her heartbroken.

However,”

Ji Hyo places a flag on the mountain piece on the map,

“The young lady had caught the eyes of the General, leading to their marriage. Overtime, the prince became the King with the help of the General. But, the torch in his heart for the young lady never passed.”

Ji Hyo darted her eyes up at Jong Kook.

“10 years after his rule, the King terrorized and sentence his General, the Marshal, to death and the rest of his immediate family were stripped of their statuses. His sons were beheaded, his daughters were enslaved… and his wife became the King’s Royal Noble Consort.”

Jong Kook clenched his teeth while Ji Hyo takes down the enemy flag from the mountain.

“Who knew a woman could change the Marshall’s fate. His life was spared and exiled into the far mountains of an island… only to be inform that his wife, the Kings Royal Noble consort had committed suicide after his two daughters died of disease and labor.”

Ji Hyo stares at the map she has created.

“And that Marshall is Kim Mu Ryeok, your uncle. Han So Yi… is your aunt, the young lady.”

*Flashback to present*

Jong Kook looks at the papers on the desk and out the tent entrance. He touched his bandaged wound under his clothes.

His uncle has changed.

***

Last night~

Jong Kook was busy guarding the area only to stop as he sees a similar person in the shadows.

“Uncle,” he whispers.

The breeze set in through the chilly night.

They stood side by side as they overlook the house of slaves.

“I found the Yuan Assassin, Kenji Wu.”

Jong Kook turns his head, “Where is he?”

His uncle put his hands behind his back and sighs. “Do you see that?” his uncle spoke. “A house of slaves. Tch, a house of status.”

His uncle turns to him, “Do you plan to stay under the King for the rest of your life?”

Jong Kook’s ear perk and his face hardens. His uncle faces him.

“Will you stand with me?” his eyes averted strictly and his voice demanding, “Or will you stand against me?”

He falls to his knees. “Uncle, please rethink.”

His uncle looks down at him, “So you’re going to stand against me?”

He clenched his teeth and answers, “Uncle knows that treason will only cause disruption and chaos to the people and family. If you go against the King, only the worse is yet to come.”

His uncle squats down to him, his glaring at Jong Kook in disappointment. “I thought I could trust you. I thought you were different. But you have not become any better after my demise.”

Jong Kook looks down, ashamed. “It’s not like that. Your nephew only hopes that Uncle will rethink carefully before hastily making any moves.”

His uncle nods and stands up. Jong Kook stands up only to feel a sharp pain hit his side.

A knife stabbed deeply into the left side of his body. He falls down to one knee, sweating as the blood seeps through his clothes.

“You knew everything that happened yet you still support him.” His uncle glares at him, each word throbbing in his head.

He felt his whole-body tremble. His uncle pointed to the slaves. “My daughters… your cousins… they waited for rescue yet no one dares to lend them a hand. My children were thrown away like trash by the person you subdued yourself to yet you tell me rethink my decision!”

“U-Uncle,” Jong Kook’s lips quiver as he held onto his side and the knife that sticks out of it.

His uncle turns to walk away before speaking, “In that slave house,” mutters, “is your concubine’s family members. Whether they will be sold or killed tomorrow is up to you.”

Jong Kook clenches his teeth as he watches his uncle walk away into the shadows. He stares at the slave house and takes out the knife from his wound, slicing against his skin. He made his way towards the slave house and escape begins.

***