Yeon Hwa admired herself in the mirror as her maids continued to make sure that their princess was ready for the day. They were given specific instructions to dress her exceptionally well today, as they received word earlier that the princes were visiting.

The 4th prince was included among them, and Yeon Hwa wanted to make sure she was dazzling. Men were all visual creatures, weren’t they? She simply had to catch his attention this time around and everything would fall into her hands.

At last the maids stepped back and Yeon Hwa appraised their work one last time before standing up from her seat.

“Go and make sure the tea and pastries are ready to be served. Bring them immediately to my brother’s study.”

“Yes, your highness,” the maids all chorused before they rushed out of the princess’s room. 

Her temper was well known among all the servants at the 8th prince’s residence, and no one dared to make her cross. To do so would guarantee an immediate beating; they had witnessed it too many times before.

Yeon Hwa gracefully made her way to her brother’s study, a smile making its way onto her pretty face. It had been a while since she had seen her royal siblings, and she wanted to make a good impression after such a long time. 

Her silk skirts brushed along the wooden floor as she walked into the study to meet the eyes of her brothers. She was displeased to see that Hae Soo was present, but she kept a dainty smile on her face, greeting her brothers and keeping her eyes on Wang So.

“Oraebeoni, you should have told me you were inviting esteemed guests over. You know it is only proper that I prepare ahead of time for our brothers.”

Her greeting was met with an awkward silence, and her smile faltered slightly as she looked at all the members in the room. It was only then that she noticed some were avoiding her gaze, while others had frowns on their faces. 

Yeon Hwa tried not to show she was fazed, and continued to speak in a pleasant tone.

“Do you not see it, Oraebeoni? My brothers are displeased that I have not prepared anything for them in advance. Please forgive me, but your refreshments are on their way.”

Wook cleared his throat before speaking.

“They are not displeased about the refreshments, Yeon Hwa. My brothers are not petty enough to care about such things.”

“Does something else displease them, perhaps? Do you bring unsettling news from the palace?”

Yeon Hwa was curious as to why they came to visit now of all times. From what she surmised, it had been years since the rest of the royal family was amiable with her brother. They had stopped visiting long ago, so it was strange that they all decided to come together now.

It was especially strange that Wang So and Hae Soo came along as well. She imagined they would have been the last people to visit her brother.

Again, there was silence after she spoke, but it was Wook who eventually answered her once more.

“Yeon Hwa, we know you were behind Hae Soo’s kidnapping, and the attack on Wang So’s quarters last night.”

Yeon Hwa forced laughter from , hoping she was hearing things wrong.

“Surely you're joking, Oraebeoni. Why are you accusing me of such atrocious things?”

“Reveal yourself,” So said with a low voice before Hyeon Joon stepped out from behind a bookcase.

Yeon Hwa suppressed a flinch when she saw the guard she had hired to dispose of Hae Soo and her daughter. He had betrayed her! However, she steeled her nerves; she would not give in now.

“Who is this man that you have brought here? Are you saying that he accused me of doing this?”

She shot a sharp glare at the guard.

“You must not value your life to accuse a princess of doing all of this.”

The guard bowed his head before Wook raised his voice.

“Yeon Hwa!”

Yeon Hwa looked at her brother in surprise, startled that he had raised his voice at her. Everyone looked on in shock, never hearing their 8th brother raise his voice before.

“Oraebeoni…”

“Do you take me for a fool, Yeon Hwa? Did you think I wouldn’t notice when you left the house during the late night to meet with your lackeys? Once I found out where you were having them hide her, I was the one who led So to Soo’s location after her kidnapping. Furthermore, don’t think I turned a blind eye when you came to the palace either. I know you have been meeting again with Queen Yoo.”

Yeon Hwa clenched her fists, her long sleeves hiding signs of her anger. She tried to keep her voice even as she spoke.

“Why are you doing this to me? Surely you have been mistaken.”

“He is not, your highness.”

Yeon Hwa turned her head in shock when she heard the 14th prince speak. He continued to frown as he continued.

“I noticed you visiting eomoni several times, but did not think much of it until now. I wondered what you would have to say to her, and it turns out you have been turning to her for poison and assassins.”

“This is all nonsense! How dare you accuse me?!”

Wook stood up from his desk following her outburst, and after pulling out several items from his desk, he made his way over. He walked to the table in front of Yeon Hwa and tossed the items harshly onto the wooden surface. 

Yeon Hwa saw a sack of gold, several letters she had penned, and a seal of the royal physician. She was forced to keep the bile from rising in . When had her brother gotten these?!

“We would not accuse you without evidence, Yeon Hwa. These are letters you have been sending to the assassins, and the Damiwon court lady you had feign illness when you tried to poison Hae Soo. And that seal? It’s from the royal physician who treated you years ago after you and Queen Yoo tried to poison the crown prince years ago.”

The royal physician? But she had made sure to have him killed to erase all evidence!

“I managed to save him before you sent your assassins on him,” Wook replied dryly, as if he could read her thoughts. “ He has been living safely away from the palace for years now, along with the Damiwon lady who you tried to bribe in order to poison Hae Soo.”

Yeon Hwa tried her best to keep herself from shaking in anger. How did Wook find out all of her movements? And why was he revealing it in front of the others? What could he possibly gain from this? She looked again at Wook, and felt fear for the first time; he had never looked at her so coldly before.

“Will you continue to refute your actions, Yeon Hwa?” Wook asked in a chilling tone.

“Oraebeoni, do you know what will happen if this is revealed? Why are you doing this to me?”

 “If this is revealed, you will be punished of course. It would provide grounds on why I should not join hands with the Hwangbo clan, for their precious princess has tried to not only harm the current crown princess, but also the crown prince years ago. Do you think you will escape with your life?”

Her face froze, hearing those words from the 4th prince. Why would So do this to her? When had she ever done anything but showed him her feelings? Glaring at Wook, she accused him.

“Oraebeoni, this is all your fault! If this is revealed, the Hwangbo clan will fall once more! How can you do this to me and mother again?!”

So stood up and walked towards Yeon Hwa slowly. She felt herself shrink away as he approached. His expression could be described as nothing short of vengeful.

“Wook is not at fault here. If he were to reveal this to the court, he would be rewarded for turning in a traitor. Your brother and mother will be fine, and although the Hwangbo clan will lose favor with Paeha slightly, they will not be shunned. I cannot say the same for you, Yeon Hwa.”

Yeon Hwa felt her legs give away, and she landed on the ground in a heap. Her actions had finally caught up to her, her greed leading her down the wrong path. She had blood on her hands, and if it were not for her brother, she would have continued to stain them.

“S...So oraebeoni, please save me….”

“You can save yourself, your highness.”

Yeon hwa lifted her head to see Hae Soo step beside So. She gritted her teeth, venom pouring from her lips.

“Did you bring yourself here to mock me?”

“I came here to give you a choice,” Soo said simply, “and if you are smart, you will take it.”

“I refuse to bargain with the likes of you!”

“It is not simply a bargain, your highness. This is your life we are talking about,” Soo said coolly.

Yeon Hwa kept silent, fuming at the ears and eyes glaring back at her. Soo smiled grimly before continuing.

“You will tell the Hwangbo clan to retract their offer to have the 4th prince marry you. You will no longer let your greed for the throne consume you, and only if you do so shall you live. If you do not, we will reveal this to Paeha, and we cannot guarantee your life after that.”

Soo felt a twinge of remorse at having to be so mean, but she knew that Yeon Hwa had done much worse. She had to do this in order to make sure So had no more trouble ascending the throne, and to preserve her own status as his wife.

Yeon Hwa could no longer contain her anger and lashed out.

“How dare you?! I was born a princess and you a measly girl who was lucky enough to be related to the wife of my brother! What gives you the right to--!”

“Yeon Hwa, that is enough!”

The room was silent as Wook raised his voice once again. He let out a breath before he spoke again, now with a calmer tone.

“The 4th couple has been generous enough. They have no reason to be this kind, but they are. You will be confined to your quarters until we hear a reasonable answer from you. Until then, I refuse to see you. Guards!”

Upon their master’s voice, the guards of the 8th prince’s residence entered the study and bowed.

“You called, your highness.”

“Lock my sister in her quarters. Do not let her out until she is ready to speak to me with a clear head.”

The guards were taken aback by such orders from their master, someone who rarely, if not ever, did anything with force. However, they could see the circumstances were dire, and they did not dare disobey.

“Yes, your highness,” the guards chorused before they carefully lifted Yeon Hwa from the ground to take her away. 

“Let me go! How dare you put your hands on me! Let me go at once!”

The royal siblings looked away as Yeon Hwa was taken from the study, and waited till they could no longer hear her screams. They all looked at Wook afterwards, who suddenly seemed very tired.

“Are you all right, Wook hyungnim?”

Baek Ah reached out to put a hand on Wook’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. Wook nodded stiffly, letting out a deep breath.

“I will be...this isn’t the first time I have had to deal with Yeon Hwa. I am not innocent either, since I was the one who hid her schemes last time.”

Wook looked up at Soo remorsefully.

“I know this is too late, but can you ever forgive me, Soo ya?”

If this were the Soo from years ago, she would have felt anger. Because of Yeon Hwa, and Queen Yoo, Court Lady Oh was forced to sacrifice herself. Because of them, Soo herself was imprisoned, and So had to drink poison. There were so many things to be angry about, and the fact that Wook had gone out of his way to hide that incidence was even worse.

However, Soo was no longer that person. She knew now why he had to abandon her. Time had passed since then, and there was no changing the past. She found her current self simply feeling sad, and even a bit of pity towards the 8th prince. He was just as powerless as she was back then.

“That is all in the past, your highness. I hope you can one day move on from it as I have.”

Wook gave a tight smile before he looked over at So.

“And you too, So ya....you were right when you called me useless years ago…”

So shook his head.

“That was only because I did not know why you chose to hide the facts. I have forgiven you since then.”

Wook nodded wordlessly, grateful for their forgiveness before lowering his head into his hands, weary of that morning’s events; everyone else also stayed silent. These recent days had not been easy for them, but they knew that they had overcome a huge obstacle. Time would only tell if their efforts would be met with success.