Despite their caution after the incident with Queen Yoo, the next few months went by uneventfully. Granted, So and Soo took extra caution every day and kept a look out for anything suspicious, but nothing ever came up.

 

Seol grew steadily, and although it had only been several months, everyone around her swore that she was the exact replica of her mother. So took great pride in this, and always promised that he would spoil his daughter just like he did her mother. He was already planning what to teach Seol when she was older, and places he’d take her to. Soo could only agree, only reminding him that he had a lot of time to prepare.  

 

One thing they did not prepare for was the declining health of the King. No one knew what the cause was, but day by day he seemed to lose more strength. Soo racked her mind to figure out what was wrong. His rashes were not acting up, as they took great care to keep things that caused them away from the King. He had been eating regularly, and his food was not poisoned either. Soo could only think that it was something genetic, but at this time and age, there was nothing they could do to truly test for it.

 

It was night time when King Hyejong took his bath, and Soo was standing to the side after preparing the waters as usual. He was more quiet than usual, which was to be expected with his state of health. However, when he spoke up after a period of silence, Soo was surprised.

 

“You must know I am dying.”

“Paeha, I would never dare think such a thing.”

“You do not have to lie to me. I too know my body will not last much longer.”

“There is still time. I am sure the royal physicians will figure something out.”

“I do not want to hope. Therefore, I want you to heed my warning.”

“What do you mean, Paeha?”

“I do not have any sons to pass my crown to. Therefore, it would only make sense that I pass it to one of my brothers.”

 

Soo’s blood ran cold with the King’s words. She knew that this would come, but she did not realize it would come so soon. Surely King Hyejong would not tell her who he decided?

 

“The royal court has been unrestful with my declining health. And although I have been avoiding their hints at selecting an heir, it is time that I give it my attention.”

“Paeha, surely you can postpone this decision. It has not been long since you have grown ill. I believe the physicians ca—”

“Hae Soo.”

 

Soo grew silent at the King’s voice, and held her breath.

 

“I am telling you now because I want you to be prepared. After I announce my decision tomorrow, there will be many hardships in the horizon for you. Please gather your courage and steel yourself for what is to come.”

“Yes, Paeha. I will carry out your command.”

“Please continue to stand by my 4^th brother and give him support as you always have. I believe that the two of you will be able to face anything together.”

“Yes, Paeha. I will keep that in mind.”

 

The King did not say anything else after that, even after she had helped him into his robes and applied his regular poultices.  As she watched King Hye Jong leave Damiwon and back towards his chambers, Soo felt another vision taking over her senses. It had been a very long time since her last vision overtook her, and she gripped the nearest pillar to steady herself.

 

The edges of her vision glowed red, and she saw the figure of King Hye Jong floating face down in the pool at Damiwon. The vision did not last long, but Soo had already seen it before, and as the last remnants of the vision cleared from her eyes, she found herself slowly sinking to the floor, clutching her chest in fear and anxiety. Surely this was a sign. King Hye Jong’s death was growing near, and she had no idea what she could do to change it.

 

Luckily it was at night and Damiwon was clear of its usual population of court ladies. Taking deep breaths to calm herself down, Soo quickly stood up from her place on the floor and hurried back to her chambers. She hoped that So was already back so she could talk to him.

 

To her relief when she walked through the doors, So had already changed out of his royal robes into his sleeping clothes. Dinner was laid out on the table as usual, as they never skipped dinner together. However, seeing the look on Soo’s face, So quickly stood up from his place at the table and walked to her.

 

“Soo ya, what is wrong? Why is your face so pale?”

“I…I…had another vision.”

“A vision?”

 

He looked over her shoulder to make sure the doors were closed and pulled her further into their chambers, lowering his voice as he let her sit down on the bed and followed suit.

 

“What do you mean a vision? It’s been such a long time since you had one.”

“I know…the last time I had one was when we were on our travels.”

 

It took a few seconds for her words to sink in, and So’s eyes widened.

 

“That was about the King, wasn’t it?”

 

Soo nodded, frowning.

 

“I thought we were able to change it with the way things have been going. It’s been over a year since I had that vision, but it came back tonight.”

“Do you know what could have caused it?”

 

Soo had an inkling, and she gathered her courage to tell So. Although King Hye Jong did not tell her directly, she could only surmise what he meant by his words tonight.

 

“So ya, he told me he will address the issue of his heir tomorrow in court.”

“He will what? But it hasn’t been long since he’s been sick. Surely the physicians can help him?”

“That is what I said as well, but he told me he has accepted his fate.”

 

So cursed under his breath.

 

“This will cause an uproar in court tomorrow. I have no idea what he is planning either.”

“He told me to prepare myself, and to serve as your support in the future.”

 

So looked at Soo sharply, not daring to believe what she just said.

 

“Soo ya, surely you do not mean what I think you are implying.”

“Why else would he tell me to prepare myself? What if he….is planning to name you as the heir?” she whispered.

 

So had never looked so surprised before, and if the situation wasn’t so serious, Soo would have laughed. That was not the case however, and she could see the conflict in So’s eyes as he processed her words.

 

“Think about it, So ya. You have been his right hand man ever since he started his reign. You are also the next one in line for the throne anyway. It would cause an uproar if he bypassed you and chose someone else.”

“I would think the opposite. Although I have gained a considerable amount of support in the royal court, there are still many who would oppose of me becoming the heir. Wook has much support on his side as well.”

“But after what happened with Yeon Hwa, do you really think the King would name Wook as his heir?”

 

So reached out and gripped Soo’s arms, pulling her closer to him.

 

“Soo ya, what are you saying? Surely you don’t want me to become King?”

“It is not a matter of what I want or don’t want. This is out of my control now.”

“No it isn’t. Just say the word and we will leave. I will refuse my brother’s decree and leave the palace with you.”

 

Soo gently pulled her arms out of So’s grasp and reached up to hold his face.

 

“So ya, we have been in the palace these past years to support your brother. Would you truly feel no guilt if we simply left the palace? Would you have no regrets if you did not become King?”

“If that is what you want, then I shall do it. We can leave the palace and live a normal life instead.”

“I am asking what you want, not what I want.”

 

When So could not answer her, Soo sighed and pulled him into a hug. She felt his arms automatically wrap around her and she patted his back reassuringly.

 

“Whatever you decide to do, just know that I will stay right by your side.”

 

With heavy thoughts on their minds, both of them quietly ate their dinner and made sure Seol was comfortable before they both fell asleep.

 

When Soo woke up the next morning, she knew it was still early. Blinking her eyes blearily, she turned over to her side and saw that So was also awake. He was resting his head on his arm and reached out to caress her cheek.

 

“Sorry, did I wake you up?”

 

Soo shook her head and scooted closer to him, putting her arm around his waist.

 

“No, you didn’t. What are you doing awake so early? It isn’t time to head to court yet, is it?”

“It isn’t, but I had a lot of things to think about. I couldn’t sleep very well.”

 

Soo didn’t really have to ask what he was thinking about, but she figured she should. So tended to keep things to himself, afraid that he would burden her if he did talk about them.

 

“What were you thinking about?”

“About what you told me last night. I wondered what I truly wanted.”

“And do you have an answer?”

“I want to change the world. After traveling and seeing the kingdom, I never thought I would have the opportunity to do that.”

“But you have. Being in the royal court has given you the chance to voice your opinions and to advocate for policies that will not only benefit the royal family but also help the citizens.”

“That is true, but there is only so much I can do as a prince.”

 

Soo knew that with those words So had already decided what he wanted. And she was prepared to follow him till the end.

 

“I have faith that you will make the right choice for yourself. And whatever you do choose to do, remember that I will be right behind you.”

“I don’t want you to be behind me. You should stand next to me. They say that if you want to go fast then you alone, but if you want to go far, then you go together. I want to go far with you.”

 

Soo’s heart couldn’t help but flutter at his words. Although it wasn’t a big deal, So acknowledged that Soo was his equal and wanted her to stand by his side, not follow him as a shadow.

 

“I suppose that means you know what you want then.”

“Are you okay with that?”

“To be honest, it scares me.”

 

So frowned at her answer and she could already see him rethinking everything.

 

“Hey, I hope you have a stronger will than that. You should be convincing me otherwise.”

“This is a decision that affects not only me but you and Seol. How can I not rethink my decision after hearing you say that?”

“You haven’t even listened to the rest of what I was going to say.”

 

So chuckled and brought her hand up to place a kiss on her knuckles.

 

“All right, what is that you want to say?”

“I’m scared of the idea of you becoming King, but I know that you will be able to help many people.”

“What if…I am not a good one?”

“You will be a kind and good King. And if you aren’t, you can be sure that I will lead you down the right path.”

 

So laughed at her words.

 

“I ask this all the time, but how did I get so lucky to meet someone like you?”

“I guess luck had a large part in our meeting, considering our circumstances.”

“Don’t you miss it?”

“Miss what?”

“Your world…your time.”

It wasn’t a topic that came up often, but sometimes So would ask her about her world. It was always random questions, but this was the first time he asked Ha Jin if she missed her home.

 

“It would be a lie to say that I didn’t. Sometimes when I am eating, I remember my mother’s cooking. I didn’t get to eat it much ever since I moved out for school, but it was always nice to come back home to something familiar. There are times when I wish I had the convenience of the future’s technology, but I am still amazed at how people still lived comfortably even without innovations. That is only subjective of course; many people still suffer in the future as they do now from poverty.”

“What was your life like, before you came here?”

 

Ha Jin found herself lost in the memories as she thought about how she was before she fell into the lake. Truth be told, she hadn’t thought about this for a long time, and now looking back, she wondered if the gods were giving her a second chance at life. Albeit, it was an interesting situation, it was change from what she had been experiencing.

 

“It was a sad and difficult life.”

“What do you mean?”

“I found out my boyfriend was cheating on me with my best friend.”

“Your…lover was not loyal to you?”

 

Soo could see So grow angry in her stead but she reached up to brush his cheek and smiled, letting him know she was fine and he took a breath before nodding, allowing her to continue.

 

“He also somehow managed to leave a large debt in my name. I remember I was running away from the collectors and ended up at a lake. After helping rescue a little boy, I drowned and woke up here.”

“So what Eun said about you entering the royal baths was true?”

“Shhh! No one is supposed to know that, remember?”

“Wait a minute, then that night when I saw you in the royal baths, what were you doing there again?”

“I was trying to go back…I thought that if I stayed under the water long enough, I would be able to return.”

“You gave me such a shock that night. It was quite an improper situation you placed both of us in.”

“When has anything about us been proper?”

“Although that may be true….”

 

Soo shook her head.

 

“Whatever has happened is in the past. What matters is here and now…and although some unfortunate events have occurred, I don’t regret being with you. If anything, I am a lot happier now than I ever was in the future.”

 

So smiled and pulled her closer into his embrace. The immediate future was unclear, but just as King Hye Jong said, Soo and So would be able to face it if they were together.