Here's the update I promised! I am a few minutes late; it's barely after midnight here my time so the weekend is technically over. However, I hope you enjoy this chapter none the less :)

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After So finished getting ready, he lead Soo and Seol to Lake Dong Ji so they could add to the prayer towers. The weather was getting cold again and the sun was setting, so they made sure Seol was wrapped up warmly before they departed.

 

It didn’t take long for the prayer towers to accumulate. Soo visited them almost religiously, every day when she had time to. They took turns praying and then setting new stones on each tower. When So had finished his prayers, he held Seol while Soo made hers.

 

“I still can’t believe that I’m standing here with you, and with a daughter no less,” So said quietly after Soo finished her prayers.

“Is it that hard to believe?” Soo asked jokingly.

 

He looked over at her and smiled. When Soo held out her arms, he gently placed Seol into them.

 

“It is a bit. It was only a few years ago that I was the one knocking over prayer towers instead of building them.”

 

Hearing him say that made Soo remember back to that night. She had been walking back to her room, but saw a dark figure destroying the prayer towers that Myung Hee had so lovingly made for Hae Soo. All she could think about first was stopping him from destroying the towers, trying to pulling him away as he acted upon his anger.

 

“Stop, please stop!”

“Move!”

 

Somehow she found herself on the ground after he pushed her away. Surprisingly, that didn’t scare her; it only worried her. What had made him so angry to do this? Was this how he was all the time when he got angry? Lifting up her hand, her own blood ran cold when she saw what was on it.

 

“B…blood!”

“Yes, its blood!” he said hysterically. “It’s the blood of those that I killed today!”

 

Looking up at him, she finally saw his face was streaked with the red liquid, and so were his robes. Why was the wolf prince covered in blood? Sure she had heard the rumors about his fearsome personality, and the exploits that were associated with him, but at that moment, despite the blood, all she could comprehend was the amount of anguish and sadness radiating off him in waves. Slowly she stood up as he continued to speak, turning around to point at the half destroyed prayer towers in disgust.

 

“Mothers build these for their children?! She should not come to these things. She should come beg me!”

 

He lunged forward to push more of the stones off the already ruined tower, but Soo found the strength in her to pull him away once more.

 

“Let go! Let me go!”

 

He tried to throw her off but she kept a firm hold.

 

“Please stop now!”

 

He turned his face towards hers and sent her a scathing glare as he growled out his words.

 

“Do you want to die too? Let me go!”

“You’re injured!”

 

She let go of his torso and brought his hand towards the light to examine his hand further. It didn’t look too deep, but she wondered if he was injured anywhere else.

 

“Do you have any other injuries?”

 

He tore his injured hand away before reaching for the collar of her robes with the other hand and pulled her close to him. It seemed he had a habit of doing these things when he felt threatened.

 

“I told you that I killed people,” he said in a low voice.

 

Ha Jin was surprisingly calm about all of this. Here she was, a blood-covered prince was threatening her, holding her collar as he spoke to her, yet all the fear she should have felt was strangely nonexistent. Somehow, she knew that he was past all the initial anger, and all that was left was sorrow and misery.

 

“Then tell me why you killed them.”

 

His eyes flickered back and forth across her face as his expression grew into one of disbelief.

 

“Did you…do it for fun?” She continued calmly as she saw his lips quiver, holding in a sob that threatened to burst out. After what seemed like forever, he finally released her, pushing her slightly away from him.

“Go!”

 

He tried to be forceful, but without his previous anger, it just seemed like a desperate plea.

 

“Go!”

 

He said it again with a bit more force, before turning around. But Ha Jin couldn’t go right away. She couldn’t help the tears that sprung to her eyes. What kind of world was Goryeo, one that forced a prince to kill coldheartedly, even though it was clear he didn’t want to?

 

“This is that kind of a place, isn’t it?”

 

It was only then that she realized how cold it was, seeing her own breath in the night air as it escaped her lips.

 

“You have to wield a sword at a very young age…you have to kill others if you want to live.”

 

It was getting increasingly harder to speak as the emotions overcame her, but Ha Jin pushed on.

 

“What can you do? It’s not a crime to want to live!”

 

He still kept his back turned to her, but she could see his shoulders droop as she continued to speak.

 

“You probably won’t be forgiven. Still, I understand you…how you’re feeling right now. It must be so miserable. I think I can relate.”

 

He still didn’t say anything, but she heard him sniffle and take in a deep breath. Ha Jin figured it was time she left, and when she turned to leave, she heard the sound of stones again. Turning around slowly, she saw that the 4^th prince had dropped to his knees and held himself up with one arm on the tower.

 

Eventually, she turned away to leave, making her way to her quarters. Luckily it was late and no one was around to see her stained clothes. As she stripped her outer robes, she decided to hide them, planning to discard them in the morning so others wouldn’t question how she had gotten those stains.

 

As she slipped under the covers that night, she wondered if what she said was true. Could she truly relate to someone like him? They came from different roots, and she never had to wield a weapon or kill before. Still, something in his expression struck a chord in her. She had definitely felt miserable before, and although the cause might have been different, perhaps she could relate.

 

Now in the present, Soo shook her head.

 

“True, but I saw you rebuilding them the next night.”

 

He scratched his head in embarrassment.

 

“I suppose I did feel a bit guilty for destroying them. The prayers of all the other mothers in the palace didn’t deserve my anger. But truth be told, if you hadn’t been there to stop me that night, I don’t know what else I would have done.”

 

It just occurred to Soo that she never asked him about why he was covered in blood that night. She had just assumed that he had done the deed for a certain reason. She supposed that the topic never came up again after that; she knew how much So dwelled in the past, and she tried not to remind him of things that would make him feel sad or guilty.

 

“I admit, I was terrified of you up until that night.”

“I would be surprised if you weren’t, considering all the things I did to you,” he said with a grimace.

“I suppose something in your voice and expression made me reconsider what you’ve been through, and how much you suffered. It wasn’t your choice to grow up in this world. You were simply born into it.”

“There were many things I had a choice in, Soo ya.”

“But that night wasn’t one of them, was it? You were forced to do what you did.”

“Soo ya…”

 

Before he could continue, they were interrupted by a eunuch, who announced that the 10^th prince and princess would be visiting their quarters soon.

 

“Would your highnesses prefer that I direct them here?”

“No, that is all right. We were heading back now anyway. Please inform them we are on our way, and should they arrive before us, to have snacks and tea prepared,” Soo said.

 

The eunuch bowed and hurried away. Soo turned to take one last look at the prayer towers before heading in the same direction of the eunuch. So followed quietly, clearly still hesitant about telling her the truth of that night.

 

“So ya.”

“Yes?”

“You don’t have to tell me what happened. And if you do, I want you to know that you don’t have to be afraid of how I’ll think of you.”

“But...”

 

She turned around abruptly and faced him head on. Him, noticing she had turned around stopped walking just in time not to bump into her.

 

“It does not matter, So ya. That was all in the past. You did that years ago, and if I knew any better, if you had not done that, someone important to you would have been hurt.”

“How can you have so much faith in me?”

“I did back then, and I still do now. It hasn’t changed. I wish you would understand that; it’s a bit frustrating I have to tell you all the time,” Soo said with a frown.

So reached out to caress her face gently, his expression apologetic.

 

“I’m sorry. I’m trying, I really am. But it’s still really hard for me to believe I am deserving of all of this. It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just me having a hard time accepting everything that you’ve given me, whether it be love or faith. I will try harder from now on, I promise.”

 

Soo looked into his eyes and could see that So truly meant what he said, and that was enough for her. Smiling, she nodded in approval.

 

“All right, I’ll take your word for it. Come now, I’m sure Eun-ie and Deok-ah have already arrived and are eager to meet Seol.”

 

So chuckled and followed Soo as they began to walk towards their quarters again.

 

“If I know anything about Eun, I think he’s probably pacing nervously as he’s waiting. And he’ll have a box of toys to boot.”

 

They both chuckled as they continued on their way and finally arrived at their quarters. True to So’s prediction, Eun was pacing back and forth with a box of toys in his hands, and once he saw them enter, he nearly cried in relief. Soo also noticed the presence of Baek Ah and Woo Hee, and she smiled in silent greeting.

 

“Hyungnim, Hyungsoonim! How could you make us wait this long?!”

 

So pulled out a chair for Soo to sit, and she put a finger to her lips, scolding Eun gently.

 

“Keep your voice down, Seol is sleeping right now.”

 

Eun gasped and covered his mouth with his hand, nodding quickly. Soo could see Soon Deok roll her eyes, but smiled affectionately at her childish husband, before taking the box out of his hands and setting it on the table.

 

“He was worried all morning about you and Seol. To distract him, I told him to choose some toys for Seol. He’s been waiting on pins and needles all day.”

“Thank you, Eun-ie and Deok-ah. I’m sure Seol will love these when she grows a bit older.”

 

So took a seat next to Soo and gestured for everyone else to take a seat as well. He then turned his attention to Baek Ah.

 

“Baek Ah, I did not realize you had returned from your travels today. How long as it been since you arrived?”

 

It was nearly evening now, the sun finally setting beneath the horizon.

 

“I arrived earlier in the day, and when I did, I received news that Soo was in labor.”

 

Woo Hee had taken a seat next to Soo and reached out to touch her shoulder gently.

 

“Soo ya, are you feeling all right? I would have imagined that after that ordeal you would have wanted to stay in bed, not take a stroll to the prayer towers.”

“You know how I am, always stubborn to have things my way. Besides, I was feeling restless after being in bed all day, so I wanted to get some fresh air. The progress was slow, but So was there to help me every step of the way.”

 

Woo Hee nodded before her gaze dropped down to the small bundle in Soo’s arms, her eyes widening.

 

“Is that her?”

 

Soo grinned and nodded.

 

“Our daughter, Seol.”

 

Woo Hee laughed and looked up at So in amusement.

 

“So it seems that your highness was correct. He mentioned several times in his letters that he was expecting a daughter, though everyone else around him admonished him for it.”

 

Everyone else in the room laughed, but So could only sit there proudly, knowing that his prediction had been right all along.

 

“Yes, he was so insistent on a daughter, and I have no complaints,” Soo continued.

“Is it all right if I hold her for a bit? You must be tired from carrying her,” Woo Hee asked tentatively.

“Of course! She’ll have to get used to her aunt when she gets older. No better time than now to get her acquainted.”

“A..aunt?!”

 

Woo Hee looked startled to be referred to that, and Soo looked over at Baek Ah to see he was currently in deep conversation with So. Soo handed Seol over to Woo Hee before giving her a wink.

 

“Don’t think I haven’t been watching you and Baek Ah. I know something is up, and you can bet I’m rooting for the both of you.”

 

Woo Hee’s cheeks flushed as she held Seol, and shook her head wryly.

 

“I do not know about that.”

“Ayy, anyone who has eyes can see that the two of you have something for each other!” Soon Deok added.

“Who has something for each other?”

 

Eun spoke up and the entire room grew silent. Soo held in a laugh and connected gazes with Soon Deok, who was also trying to hold in her laughter. Okay, so maybe not everyone could see that Baek Ah and Woo Hee had mutual feelings for each other. Soo could practically feel the nervousness radiating off of Woo Hee, and decided to break the ice.

 

“We were talking about a certain court lady and eunuch. It seems they have feelings for each other, but haven’t been able to do anything because of their occupations.”

“Is that so? Perhaps we should help them?” Eun asked innocently, and Soo was glad the rest of the men had not caught on either.

“Maybe! I need to confirm it before I do anything though. But when I do, you’ll be the first to know!”

 

Eun nodded and he turned back to Baek Ah to ask him another question about his recent travels. The women all let out a sigh of relief, which did not escape So’s notice. As Soon Deok and Woo Hee began to coo over Seol, he leaned over to whisper in Soo’s ear.

 

“I heard everything before that, you know.”

 

Soo’s eyes widened and So cracked a smile.

 

“Whatever you have planned, I want in. I’d like to see Baek Ah happily settled down, and Woo Hee seems like the perfect person for him.”

“Sounds good to me. I was thinking I’d need your help anyway.”

“What are you two whispering about over there?”

 

Baek Ah had turned his attention on the two of them, and Soo and So looked at each other quickly before leaning apart.

 

“Nothing of consequence,” So said calmly as Soo nodded, even if a bit too quickly.

“It seems as if there is something though…” Baek Ah continued, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

“Well, if you must know, I was wondering if you would be able to paint a portrait of Seol as a newborn,” So lied smoothly. “I want to keep a record of her growth. Pretty soon she won’t be like this anymore.”

“Oh…in that case, I’d be happy to!”

 

And the conversation was thankfully diverted. Pretty soon, dinner was served and they also received news that her father and Jung would be arriving the next day. As the rest of the night wore on, Soo was simply thankful that she had such a loving family here in Goryeo. No matter what might happen, she wouldn’t have traded anything else for this.