[Seol, Hwangbo Su, Wang Chi, and Wang Ju goes to the Shinju Kang’s household to help the Lady Kang with her health. While trying to pick a beautiful wild flowers for her, Seol and her friends were followed/chased by assassins and they escapes.]

“Seol, are you sure about this?” Jung asked.

Seol, Hwangbo Su, Wang Chi, the Crown Prince Ju and Jung was going to Shinju as Lady Kang’s health was getting worse. The king couldn’t go but as her adoptive son, he decided to send Jung, his younger brother, to send the medics for her and let the children visit along. As Seol knows about herbs like her mother Soo, she could help Jung with herbs to collect. Now that Seol has enough herbs, she was sure the lady will heal.

“Of course. I bet lady will get well soon.”

In truth, he heard that long time ago the clan of Kang’s used to held the king, Wang So, as a hostage and threw him at the wolves cave to get rid of him. He was inwardly afraid they will do the same to her. But thanks to her charm and kindness, Seol had literally had all the elders of the clan wrapped around their fingers. Whenever they see her, their stern expressions melt into a warm, genuinely welcoming looks. Even the lady Kang smiles whenever Seol was around. Her creative stories and kindness kept her accompanied and no longer lonely. In other words, they were completely in love with her.

Seol approached to the royal doctor and handed the herbs. Looking at them, the old physician smiled in approval, implying that she had picked the right herbs.

“Your daughter’s very intelligent. Knowing these herbs in such young age.”

Jung smiled proudly.

“She got the traits from her mother that’s why.” He muttered so no one could hear him.

Seol was also the one serving a herb tea to the Lady Kang. She put the tray on the table and handed the cup to an ill lady.

“Thank you, child.”

Seol bowed. The lady drank the tea and smiled in satisfaction. Drinking them had always made her feel much better. When she inspected the girl, she smiled sadly.

“What’s wrong, milady? You don’t like them?” Seol asked, concerned.

“No, my child. It’s just…your face….you looked like a young woman I met many years ago. Her name was Hae Soo.”

At that, Seol perked up.

“You know about my mother?” She asked.

Her questions caused the lady’s eye grew a bit wide.

“My…such coincidence! Yes…yes I met her. She was an odd sort. Such lively, selfless girl who has no fear of his majesty. Your mother always spoiled him, you know.”

Seol kept listened as Jung tried his best not to laugh at every word that talked about the most embarrassing thing about the king. Seeing no problems, he decided to leave the two until Seol finished her servings.

“You see..I sometimes wish your mother was the one to become a queen.”
Seol was confused.

“Why do you think so?”

“Because if she becomes a queen, I know she will develop the motherly affection towards the country. You see, being a king means it is becoming the father of the country. And becoming the queen means being a mother. His majesty become a king because he developed his parental instincts on Goryeo. Whenever I see your mother’s interaction with other people, it’s almost looked like a mother raising her children.”

Being no less than eight years old, Seol might not understand wholly, but she understood what are the true duties king and queen has to their country. It is becoming the parents of the land they rule. She have known that Wang Ju, as a Crown Prince, will become a king someday. It means, he will be Goryeo’s new father. The girl smiled at the thought of Ju becoming the king after his father.

“Thank you for telling me a lot about my mother.” Seol bowed slightly.

“No need,” Lady Kang smiled, “you must be exhausted. You are allowed to be excused for today.”

Seol bowed and left her room. Unbeknownst to her, the masked man with black suit was on the roof, inspecting her every move then disappeared.
Jung saw his daughter left the room. Seol looked a bit tired, but at the same time bored.

“You did great job.” Jung assured.

“Thank you father.”

“Now you can go play with others. They were waiting for you.”

With that, Seol skipped towards Chi, Hwangbo Su, and Ju. They all called out for her. The other members of Kang clan’s expression was softened by her presence.

“Are you finished?” Ju asked.

“Yes. The lady drank the teas. She’s getting better.”

The elders sighed in relief.

“Thank you,” the representative of the Kang’s smiled, “you saved our lady’s life.”

Seol only giggled bashfully. As the elders left, Seol walked to the three.

“Thank you for escorting me and father to Shinju.”

The Crown Prince only shook his head.

“No need to. I already earned permission.”

“From who?” Seol asked.

The Crown Prince smiled, but it was in a form of anxiety.

“My mother.”

Seol only nodded her head and dragged Hwangbo Su and Ju, unaware of the uneasiness from Chi’s expression as he followed them.

Permitted by her father, Seol and her friends went to the safe, secluded place where she could pick some wildflowers for Lady Kang. Of course, she was also escorted by three soldiers sent by Jung. Gleeful, she picked every small flowers and put them on her baskets as Hwangbo Su assisted her as she found more rare flowers. Ju and Chi had their gaze on her with smile.

“I’m glad we bring her along.” Ju said.

“Yes…but I’m surprised the queen mother let you go along with her.” Chi said in enigmatic tone.

Ju turned to him.

“What?”

Chi turned to him, his eyebrows arched with his lip curled up on one side somewhat looked sneering.

“You should’ve known by now why her father and his majesty forbade Seol from seeing queen mother.”

With such cold statement, Ju felt the chill running through his spine while Chi walked towards Seol. All of sudden, he heard the sound of bushes and he spun around, alarmed. He turned to see the spot where Seol, Hwangbo Su, and Chi remained. Behind them, the bushes were moving. His eyes grew wide, afraid of what will happen.

“Seol-ah.”

Hearing the crown prince calling out, she stood up.

“Yes?” She asked, blinked her eyes.

Ju squinted his eyes to see the bushes, and just as he feared, he saw something glowing. Something…that was pointed.

“Run.”

His word alarmed the two.

“What?” Hwangbo Su tilted her head.

“RUN!”

He yelled as the soldiers were alerted. Behind the bushes, dagger was thrown to the direction of the children, especially Seol’s but it missed. The girl froze at the spot, frightened and panicking. As Ju dragged her behind the soldiers, they could see half dozen of men with black suit revealed themselves. 

“Seol, can you ride a horse?” Chi asked.

“Yes…” Seol nodded her head.

“Use mine. And go wherever it’s safe!”

With the help of Ju, Seol managed to ride on with one soldier and the horse galloped towards the forest. Noticing the them, two assassins followed inside the woods.

“Guards! Call General Jung, now!” Ju commanded.

With three defeated, two soldiers complied as they rushed back to the Kang’s residence with Hwangbo Su. Ju and Chi ran through the forest, following the horses’ hoof prints.

After several hours, Seol was hiding deep into the forest as the injured soldier told her to hide somewhere no one could see her. Cold, afraid, and lost, she wanted to run, but feared the men with the mask will come to hurt her. As she heard no sound, she hoped no one was after as she walked out of the small cave only to find one man in a mask spotted her. She collapsed onto the ground, with tears threatening to escape from her eyes. As the man was about to strike her with his sword, she heard the wind swooped behind as the dagger stabbed the mans head, killing him. When the assassin collapsed, Seol saw Wang Chi who ran towards her.

“Seol, are you alright?” He asked.

She managed to nod her head, even though she was amazed with the boy’s knife-throwing skills. Ju followed along and stood beside her, guarding in case anyone would come again. When Seol saw the last assassin with his arrow pointed towards them, Seol quickly acted as she shoved two boys aside with her. They tripped to the side, groaned in pain.

“Seol, why did you—”

Before Ju could ask, he saw the girl restrained her tears as her hand was on ripped sleeve. His eyes were wide in alarm.

“Seol!” Chi yelled.

The assassin was about to shoot again but captured by the soldiers. Jung climbed off from his horse and ran to the children.

“Seol! Are you alright?”

Seol nodded meekly.

“Please, bring her back to palace! She needs help!” Ju asked.

The general nodded his head in agreement as he held his daughter and rode on his horse, followed by the soldiers and two boys. 

Fortunately, the elders from the Kang allowed them to depart to Songak as the lady was concerned with the girl who have been frightened by the assassins. When they arrive back, they all saw the king with his eyes formed a worried expression.

“What happened?! What do you mean assassins had spied along?” the king asked.

Seol appeared behind Jung, whimpering.

“…Seol…?”

She ran towards her uncle with her arms around him crying. She wailed as Gwangjong was froze when he saw the ripped sleeve from her right shoulder. Tiny taints of crimson drop was revealing, alarming the king even more.

“Call the royal physicians. NOW!”

Jung nodded as he called out for the doctors. The princesses dragged Ju away, afraid of their father’s possible anger. Even though he left, Ju was a bit hesitant as he kept looking back at the girl who was crying. Seol continued to sob hanging herself around her uncle as her dear life. Gwangjong held the girl, comforting the girl.

“It’s alright…I’m here…”

The king regretted for letting the girl go along to Shinju. If Jung didn’t get to arrive in time, he would have lost the last piece his person left. Wang So closed his eyes, holding the girl close as if she would leave him alone in hell called palace. Exhausted from the incidents at the forest, Seol finally let herself into a dreamless slumber, letting her uncle held her to her chamber.

‘I’m sorry…’