Wook sat at his desk while he watched Yeon Hwa pace back and forth in front of him. They were currently at his residence, home after the celebrations of the 9th day of the 9th month were over.

She was anxious because during the day, she went to visit their mother and was informed of some unpleasant news.

“How could she do that without consulting me?! Was she crazy, or desperate? Or maybe both?!”

“Yeon Hwa, calm down,” Wook said tiredly. He really did not want to concern himself with this right now.

She whirled around to face him, skirts flying and an expression of clear rage on her delicate face.

“How can you tell me to calm down?!”

“Whatever happened was only between So and mother. It shall not affect what the court thinks of us.”

“But that is not the point!”

Wook furrowed his brows and stared back at his sister. If that was not what she feared, then what was?”
 

“So oraeboni will never agree to marry me now….”

“And you believe you had a chance in the first place?”

Her glare was back on him, but he looked back at her nonchalantly.

“We both know how much So and Soo love each other. If he was refusing to marry you all this time, what difference does it make that our mother went to see him today?”

He could see Yeon Hwa begin to shake in fury, and he knew he had pressed the right button.

“How could you say that to me? I am your sister! Do you know what I have done for you?!”

He stood up abruptly, sending his chair sliding across the floor behind him.

“I know exactly what you have done for me, and I could care less! It was all useless, and has caused nothing but trouble for me. That includes your stunts on the 9th day of the 9th month.”

His sister’s eyes widened at his words, but she quickly hid her surprise.

“Oraeboni, that was years ago. I have done nothing of the sort since then.”

“Are you certain of this?”

Her gaze wavered, but she did not break their eye contact.

“Yes.”

When did she become so shameless?

He procured a bag of gold from his robes and placed it on the desk for her to see. It was the same bag of gold she had given the court lady who escaped Damiwon weeks ago.

“I did not dispose of her like last time.”

“B...but, why not?! If she is found, then we will be ruined!”

So you admit it.

“Perhaps you should have thought of that yourself. You cannot expect others to voluntarily do the dirty work for you everything single time. I have sacrificed enough to protect our family, and for what? We are no closer to obtaining the throne than we were before.”

Have I ever truly wanted the throne?

“But the ministers will have power! They will force So oraeboni’s hand...they must!”

He scoffed, amazed but also not surprised at Yeon Hwa’s naivety.

“If you think a few ministers will frighten So, then you are sorely mistaken. Were he so terrified, he would have given in by now. But what has happened instead? His will has only grown stronger, and he has been named the absolute heir to the throne.”

Yeon Hwa stepped closer to the desk and turned her nose up at him.

“If you had done something, we would not be in this situation right now oraeboni.”

“I have done the best I could for this family,” he said slowly, grinding his teeth.

“Apparently it has not been enough.”

“If I became King as you planned, I would have never let you marry So. Are you not happy you have a chance to marry him now?”

Wook was not naive. He remembered his hatred for So years ago, and if he had succeeded in gaining the throne, he would never have allowed So to marry Yeon Hwa, even if it would have made advantageous alliances.

Looking at Yeon Hwa now, it was only then that he could see a glimpse of who his sister used to be, before she realized she had to play her hand in the game of thrones.

“Not like this…”

She turned around and began to pace again.

“This is all Hae Soo’s fault! If she had just died from that poisoning, this would not be an issue!”

Thank the heavens she did not.

“Yeon Hwa, this needs to stop. What use will it make? Why can we not align ourselves with So instead of going against him?”

“We cannot because our clan is at risk! If we allow Hae Soo to become queen, the Hae clan will only grow stronger while we grow weaker. Do you not remember how much we suffered when we were banished from the palace? Do you want that to happen again?!”

“Perhaps that is the best.”

“What?!”

“You and mother have become greedy. Your greed will be your downfall; you know Queen Yoo is relentless. Do you think she will leave you alone after this? The poisoning was a failure, and once we are discovered, we will be good as finished. Queen Yoo will not bat an eyelash, for who would dare accuse her of poisoning the wife of her son?”

“Then why are you keeping the court lady alive? Why do you want us to fall?”

“I am giving you one last chance, Yeon Hwa. I ask you as your brother to stop this nonsense. Stop having the Hwangbo clan push for your marriage to So. If not, I shall have no choice but to force your hand.”

With those ominous words, he left the room.

_____

Wook walked towards the pond that was part of his residence. He found himself coming here quite frequently while he was home, eager to get away from the palace politics and family drama.

The quiet chirping of crickets could be heard in the darkness, and the small sliver of the moon was reflected on the surface of the pond. If he focused, he could hear the wind as it danced through the leaves and the branches of the trees. Closing his eyes, he focused on the sounds before opening them again.

How did it come to this, he wondered? When had everything gone wrong? He used to think it was So’s fault. If he had not intervened as he did, if he had not shown any interest in Soo, perhaps things would have been better.

But even then, that would have not stopped the Hae Clan from marrying Soo off to the late King. That much was out of their control. And when it did happen, Soo was the only who could save herself, but at what risk?

Not only did she scar herself, she sentenced herself to a life as a court lady. It was only then that she played into the hands of Queen Yoo and Yeon Hwa. But what other choice did she have, other than to marry the King? Truly, her choice was the best one.

Maybe it was never So’s fault in the first place. He had only wanted to protect Soo, but she was simply an easy target for the royal women in the palace; a way to take a stab at So’s tough armour, and an attempt to secure the throne.

Somehow, the two of them survived, and through their struggles, learned to love one another.

Why couldn’t Soo love him like that?

She did once, before you abandoned her in a time of need. It did not matter that it was for the family, you still abandoned her. And in that darkness, So led her towards the light.

Wook thought about that moment many times, countless of times; it ceased to leave his mind.

What would have happened if he had helped her? What would have happened if he had walked towards her, instead of turning his back? Would his family have forgiven him for throwing them into social poverty twice over?

Perhaps not, but that did not stop him from regretting. And now, history came to repeat itself. He knew it was too much of a coincidence when he saw a senior cout lady serving tea during the celebration, to Soo of all people! He prayed that she would not get hurt, and at least the heavens heard his prayer. Despite looking ill that day, she seemed perfectly fine the next day.

He, however, did not want to assume anything. He desperately wished that it was an outsider trying to target Soo, that it was another hand in the game for the throne. But when he caught Yeon Hwa meeting a court lady in the dark of night again, it felt as if a ball of lead dropped in his stomach.

Was she so greedy for the throne that she would pull that stunt not once, but twice? Or was So the real prize, and the throne an accessory? Even if she did succeed, would she ever truly be happy? Even if she could marry So, he would alienate her for the rest of his life.

Furthermore, Queen Yoo had a hand in it yet again. Despite Yeon Hwa’s perceived tactfulness, she did not have the connections with which to procure a deadly poison. Only the Queen could do that, and not be at risk for defamation. Or death for that matter.

Although the deed had been the same, the results had been different. Soo was seemingly not poisoned, and no one else was alerted of such a matter. It had been weeks since that event and there was no rousing suspicion or even a whisper of rumors.

But he feared what else Yeon Hwa would do next. She was desperate now, and desperation premeditated dangerous decisions.

He pulled out the royal seal of the royal physician, and clenched it in his palm so hard it began to hurt.

After killing one court lady in cold blood, he could not find it in his heart to do it again. He had sent the most recent one far away, where she would not be found by the likes of the Yoos or the Hwangbos, just as he did the royal physician who examined Yeon Hwa years ago. Too many innocent lives were threatened in the game played by greedy loyals; he would not let another life go in vain.

Tucking the royal seal back into his robes, Wook turned away from the pond and walked toward his chambers, deciding to turn in for the night.

No matter what happened from now on, he would do his best to keep everyone safe. Even if it was at the cost of his own life.