Chapter 11. Plans.

Jisoo was holding arms with her brother Seokjin, there was a lot of snow in the floor and it was being difficult to walk towards Pranpriya’s villa.

"Can you stop moving so much, Jisoo?" Seokjin complained-. We are going to fall.

"It’s you who cannot walk straight."

"I am avoiding the ice blocks, silly."

"I am not silly."

"Yes, you are. Remember the other day when you confused the foreigner priests and said they were twins?"

"But they look so alike, Jin!" Jisoo complained.

"They don’t."

"Yes, they do."

"NO!"

"YES!"

They both noticed how uncomfortable the guards at the front gates felt seeing the two young nobles arguing as if they were little children.

"Forgive our behavior." Seokjin apologized. "We are here to visit princess Pranpriya."

"The princess is sick and her mother does not let anyone see her."

"And the princess has always let her friends, lady Park Jisoo and lord Park Seokjin, heir to the Parks of the West and son of the former left State Councilor, visit her, even when she was sick. So, please, could you tell the mistress of the house that we would like to see her daughter?"

"Follow me, please, milord, milady.

Jisoo was always in shock when her twin brother decided to act all serious and imposing, because, it was something it didn’t happen often. So, seeing him using his “deep voice to intimidate people” (that’s how he called it) was always a funny experience, and Jisoo had to control the urge to giggle. Especially because every time one of the soldiers who was guiding them turned his back, Seokjin made a funny face to try to make her laugh.

"Stop it, brother." she whispered.

"Not until I see you a bit more relaxed, sister." he also whispered. "Everything will be fine and your suspicions will be in vain."

Jisoo nodded and waited with Seokjin in one of the guest’s rooms, blankets and warm tea helping them to get a bit of color on their checks again.

"Thank you for the tea, Minnie." Jisoo smiled to the young maid who had just given her some warm tea.

"Do you remember my name, milady?" she seemed surprised and thankful. 

"Of course, you are always there for Pranpriya and make sure princess Chaeyoung and I are comfortable when we visit the villa."

"Thank you, milady."

"You are welcome, Minnie."

Pranpriya’s mother arrived a few minutes later, looking quite altered and with her clothes stained with blood.

"Forgive me for my appearance, but, I had been taking care of my daughter all night."

"You have blood, princess! Is everything alright?" Seokjin asked.

"I am afraid my beloved daughter, Pranpriya has tuberculosis, milady. She is been coughing blood all night. I am so sorry but it is really contagious, you should leave this house, I do not want you to get sick…"

"But… but…"

"The princess is right, brother, we should leave."

"But… you wanted…"

"If my best friend has tuberculosis, we should let her mother take care of her and go back to the Palace to ask the best doctors to prepare remedies for her. You are the heir of our Clan, Seokjin, you cannot get sick."

"Your sister is right, lord Seokjin." the princess insisted.

"But, princess, can I ask you a favor, please?" Jisoo seemed scared.

"Of course, lady Jisoo."

Without any warnings, Jisoo hugged Pranpriya’s mother and hid her face on her shoulder, trying to control her sobs.

"Lady Jisoo!" the princess was startled.

"Since I cannot hug my best friend… Can I hug you instead, please?"

Jisoo left the room followed by a confused and concerned Seokjin, who patiently waited until they were back home, in the safety of their rooms, to ask his sister why her sudden change and lack of insistence to see her best friend. He knew Jisoo too well to know something was going on.

"Alright, sister, tell me what’s going on."

"Do you remember, Minnie? The maid who served me the tea…"

"Yes, I do."

"There was a message in the tea leaves she served me. I noticed she was shaking when she gave me the tea, which was strange, Minnie is Pranpriya’s maid and she is always so efficient."

"What did the message say?!"

Jisoo got closer to Seokjin, whispering in his ear: even the walls in their home were not safe. If Pranpriya’s was a prisoner in her own house and her own mother was inventing excuses to keep her away from her friends, everything could be possible.

"Help. Wait a second before you freak out or start babbling stupid questions, hold on a little." she warned Seokjin, who was starting to freak out. "At first, I thought Minnie was the one with the problem, but, then, I saw the blood stains in Pranpriya’s mother. I might not like to study, but I listen to you when you need my help to memorize things. And, I think you once mentioned that when a tuberculous person coughs, the blood tends to be dark brown, and when it dries, almost black…"

"Right..."

"From the distance, I could not guess the color, so…"

"You hugged Pranpriya’s mother to check, right?"

"Yes, and the blood was bright red. So, the loyal Minnie was trying to send us a message. I do not know if that blood was Pranpriya’s or something else, but, our friend is in danger, Seokjin."

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Seung-wan hugged her mother and stepbrother, Koo Jun Hoe, once everyone let them alone. She might be the Crown Princess of Joseon, but, only in public. Behind closed doors, she was still the young kid who needed her family’s support and advice.

"Mum, it is too hard sometimes. Honestly…"

"You must be stronger than ever, my little Seung-wan. The Crown Prince has a big burden in his shoulders now. He needs to be the King but has not yet the authority needed to do it."

"I know! It seems that everyone in the palace prefers not doing anything and keeps things on stand-by until King Seung-hyun recovers. There are urgent matters to resolve, like the new silver truce the Imperial Crown Prince and the Emperor are suggesting. What do you think about that, brother?"

Koo Jun Hoe became the Chief of the Royal Investigation Bureau (also known as the lord of spies) when their father, lord Kim HeeChul became the new Left State Councilor and Seung-wan married the Crown Prince. Everyone said he was too young, but, for the princess, her step-brother was the most capable man, and he was always there to help her taking hard decisions.

"My little birds have told me that, apparently, this Silver Truce was the Imperial Crown Prince and our ambassador’s idea but the Emperor didn’t authorize it. So, I don’t know how our ambassador, lord Kwon Seung-hyun, gave us false information. Maybe he has a double spy betraying him."

"I have known lord Seung-hyun for years and I can guarantee you, daughter, that the letter you received yesterday was not written by him. The handwriting does not match, I have already checked."

"I will tell my husband when I get home. That this information should not be trusted and that we must warn lord Seung-hyun about the possibility of spies."

"Well done, daughter."

"Do we know something about Chanyeol and Baekhyun, Jun Hoe?"

"That they intercepted the messenger and killed him" he reported "but, unfortunately, the Emperor already knows about the King’s illness."

"Damn it!"

"Language, daughter!"

"Sorry, mum. It is frustrating sometimes, not being able to curse anymore.

"Bad language has never been an option." Hyori changed her soft expression and stared at her daughter and protégée. "Should we send Chanyeol and Baekhyun to the Imperial Court? To see if the ambassador needs help and protection."

"Chanyeol told me they found princess Chaeyoung and lord Jungkook on their way and will help her