“Taehyung,” the king signaled his guard to approach, “I want you to find out who that performer was. search every entertainer house if needed! And bring her to me!”

Taeyung picked a handful of men and rushed to the stables. He did saw the girl slipping away during all the commotion so she couldn’t be that far away. “We’re looking for a young woman that came with the entertainers! She’s younger than the rest. She left the palace not that long ago, so she can’t be far,” he spoke after getting on his horse, his men paying close attention to him. “We need to find her no matter what! Ha!” He just snapped the reins, forcing his horse into a sudden gallop.

And as the horses passed by her hiding, Sunji felt her heart skip a beat when a hand covered from behind, pulling her backwards, deeper into the darkness of the shadows.

“It is I, my lady,” Jungkook whispered, “I’m going to let go now, so please don’t scream.” And as promised, his hand came off. He was expecting her to turn around with a frown, yet instead she remained with her back him, her shoulders trembling.

“What did I do? Just what did I do?” She sobbed softly.

“There’s no time for that now. We must hurry if we want to make it out alive. Come, this way!” He just grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her away. Her obedience further troubled Jungkook as he led the way out of the palace, on paths known only by him.

They walked hand in hand in complete silence, with only the moonlight lighting up the way ahead of them. but Jungkook’s steps were steady and Sunji needed only to put her trust in the way he was holding her hand. She knew he would never let her fall, so her thoughts wandered away from the darkness she was facing. For she knew that now, by her own choice, a decision had to be made and the paths ahead were lonely no matter what.

“We’re safe now, my lady,” Jungkook pointed out as they came into clearing on top of the hill from which their village spread along the valley in between the tall and dark mountains. “My lady?” He was surprised she was still holding his hand, her fingers actually squeezing it as she used to when she was just a child.

“What should I do, Jungkook? What path should I take?” Her eyes mirrored the starry sky above when she finally looked at him.

The man sighed, suddenly feeling much older. It was as if the family he was serving was cursed, followed around by the same damned thirst!

“Let’s first go home. There’s nothing in this world that cannot be sorted out over a cup of tea. Now, careful with your steps, my lady,” he led the way down the hill, while Sunji hid behind the darkness of her mantle.

Much to their surprise, one of the servants was waiting in front of the gates with a troubled look.

“My lady!” The man ran to them, keeping his voice shushed. “There’s a visitor, my lady and he’s been waiting for a while now.”

Sunji looked at Jungkook. There was no way she could appear in front of anyone wearing the clothes she was dressed in.

“What did you tell him?” She inquired while her mind worked fast.

“That you were away to master Jung’s residence and you should be arriving anytime soon.”

“You cannot go inside wearing that,” Jungkook stopped her from approaching the gates. “You go in and tell her nana to bring out some clothes there,” he then pointed out at the far end of the stone wall surrounding the residence. “We’ll be waiting there. Let’s go, my lady!”

The servant too disappeared inside the courtyard while they turned right, hiding in the darkness of a tall tree.

“Jungkook, I want you to sneak in and see who is this visitor that’s waiting for us,” Sunji pushed off her hood and looked at her bodyguard. “I need to be prepared,” she added when the man opened his mouth to protest. “And my nana is here, look!”

Indeed, the woman was walking fast in their direction, holding tightly onto a wrapped package.

“My lady, I thought Cho was crazy when he told me to bring out some clothes for you,” the old woman’s eyes widened in surprise when Sunji pulled her by the arm in the shadow. “What are you wearing?! A noble young lady –”

“I know, I know,” Sunji passed her the mantle, “hold that around me. I need to change.”

“Where’s that Jungkook? I’m going to murder him for allowing you to dress like that!”

“Allow me? No one could’ve stopped me from doing what I planned. Not even father if he were still alive!” She frowned while pulling down her attire and putting on her own clothes. It was as if she was slipping out of a different person’s skin and back into her old one. Suddenly, the fear and nervousness left her and tranquility filled her. Everything was clear. “Help me with my hair,” she instructed while pulling ou long hair needles, her hair falling heavily down her shoulders and back.

“Merciful Buddha help me, you had your hair up like a !” Her nana frowned while deserting the mantle on the ground and grabbing a hold of long strands of Sunji’s hair, her dexterous fingers beginning to braid them. “What would your poor mother say if she’d see you?! Young lady, you have to promise me you will never ever do anything like this ever again. Promise me!”

“I promise you,” Sunji said obediently, while wiping away the make up using the blouse of her former attire.

“My lady,” Jungkook landed soundlessly in front of her, “the Prime-Minister is waiting inside.”

››۝‹‹ 

After  a servant brought her some water to wash her face, Sunji confidently headed for the pavilion where the Prime-Minister was waiting.

“Prime-Minister Kim, I wasn’t expecting you after our last discussion,” she walked to him graciously, followed by servants with tea and snacks for the visitor.

“I too wasn’t expecting the need to visit you, Lady Hwang and yet here I am,” the man smiled pleasantly, his eyes never leaving her face.

Sunji smiled while she poured him tea as the servants retreated. Only Jungkook remained, hidden by the shadow of one of the pillars. “You Excellency visiting a maiden’s house might raise some questions, especially this late at night, so how may I help you?”

“You know, not so long ago, I read a poem which went something like this: ‘On my way back from the forest, I saw a small red bird harassing an eagle; what a rare sight I was seeing, magnificent wings being pierced by such small claws! Unbeknown to me, my fingers released an arrow. To which I aimed, I do not know, yet such a small nuisance could not be forgiven, so I had its heart’,” the Prime-Minister recited with a grave voice, his eyes never leaving Sunji’s face.

“Ah,” she smiled inhaling the sweet smell of the tea, “that poem. Wasn’t a second part to it published not so long ago? ‘Although long buried in dirt, I heard it in my slumber: badum-badum badum –badum… Whose flight did I shoot down I did not know; for in my st