Chapter 8. The future of the world.

"Please, aunt Chaerin…"

"Do not aunt Chaerin me, princess. So when it interests you, I am your aunt…. Don’t be hypocrite, Chaeyoung!" she scolded her.

"But, Chaerin! Please, understand…" 

"Understand what? That you are eloping with a lord whose father was degraded for corruption?" 

"Elope? No! He only is coming with me because TaeTae insisted, Chaerin!" Chaeyoung corrected her. 

"Insisted on what? Never mind… YOU!" she stared at Chaeyoung so deadly that the princess froze, and it wasn’t because she was cold. "We go back to the palace, NOW!" 

"Chaerin… please! Listen to me!"

But she wasn’t listening at all, threatening Jungkook with her sword even closer to his neck. Chaeyoung panicked and did the only thing she knew it might work: she took a knife from her bag and threatened her own life with it.

"Listen or I’ll kill myself!"

Chaerin panicked for a second, what gave Jungkook enough time to disarm her and threaten the First Palace Lady with her own sword. One of the best swordfighters in the entire Kingdom and the Queen’s best friend, yes, not his brightest plan. “I am so screwed right now…” he thought.

"You won’t dare, Chaeyoung." Chaerin threatened.

And Chaeyoung started to cut a bit , not enough to kill her, but enough to make her bleed and scare the heck out of both Chaerin and Jungkook.

"Try me. Lord Jungkook, there’s no need of a sword. Please." 

"Alright!"

He threw the sword to the snow fast, as if it was burning in his cold hands. But Chaeyoung didn’t seem to put the knife out of her neck.

"Chaeyoung…" Chaerin warned her.

She pressed even more and the First Palace Lady decided it was time to be quiet and listen to what the princess had to say.

"Alright, I listen… why are you leaving?"

"Because my mother is too stubborn to ask the Emperor for the Silver Tree seeds to cure father."

"So…"

"We are going to the Forbidden City to get them."

It took Chaerin a few seconds to realize what Chaeyoung planned to do, because, honestly, even for her that was one of the craziest plans ever.

"WHAT?!" she screamed. "Are you insane?"

"Perhaps… but I just can’t stay in the palace getting manipulated and doing nothing but wait… Hoping that things will be better. They will not, Chaerin!"

Her eyes were full of determination and love for her family and Chaerin suddenly remembered her old friend, princess Taeyeon. She remembered how sad she was when she thought she was leaving to get married at the Forbidden City, but her eyes were full of determination and self-sacrifice. Maybe they had been wrong about how princess Chaeyoung resembled her father… because, at that moment, Chaerin could swear she was watching Taeyeon, the missing aunt of the stubborn princess.

"And? How do you plan to get there? Eh?! The Forbidden City is one of the most guarded cities in the world. Maybe the most warded."

"We’ll figure out something, we almost escaped today without getting noticed."

True. And it amazed her, because, only her, Taeyeon and Jiyong (the lord of the Pirates and former best friend of the King of Joseon, also missing) had been able to do that before.

"Let me help you then, I will send a letter to our ambassador, lord Seung-hyun."

For a second, Chayeoung was about to drop the knife from , because of the shocking revealing. “Why does she want to help us so sudden? That’s fishy?” But she didn’t, to her companions’ dismay.

"How can I trust you?"

"Because you are too similar to that damn aunt of yours who used to be my best friend, and I know no matter what I do, you’ll continue to fight."

"Princess, please, put that knife down." Jungkook begged.

They seemed so genuinely worried that she finally decided she was going to obey and took of the knife from . Immediately, Chaerin approached her to take a look at her injuries.

"Alright, nothing too deep." Chaerin was relieved. "Lord Jungkook…"

"Yes, milady!" he was so scared that the First Palace Lady would attack him at any moment that he obeyed all she said. Just in case.

"Once you are out of the city and in a safe place, please, try to cure the princess’ wounds."

"I will do my best, milady."

"What was your escaping plan?"

"I wanted to wait until dawn to escape, pretending we are some merchants. I have already got the fake documents."

"Smart move, milord. But… they might notice you are missing before that."

"I know, but the walls are too high for us to climb them. And there are too many guards now that the King is ill. They will see you."

"Let me show you how I, princess Taeyeon and lord Kwon Jiyong, the pirate leader of the Silver Dragons, were able to enter into the capital."

"Really?! The legendary Kwon Jiyong?!" Jungkook tried too hard to control his fanboy emotions. Lord Kwon Jiyong was a legend among many young men around the country. The Silver Dragon who was able to get the princess and save the nation, even when the world was against him and trying to kill him for being an outcast. 

"No time for silly things… follow me if you want to live!"

Chaeyoung and Jungkook obeyed lady Chaerin, and followed her towards one of the highest defensive walls at the city. She moved some old boxes and showed them a small hole in the wall.

"This secret passage is only used by me and the Second Palace Lady when the Queen sends us to complete her missions."

"Cool!" Jungkook exclaimed with excitement, opening his eyes so wide it seemed they were going to fall.

"Be careful with the guards, because with the snow they might notice you easier. You need to swim the moat and once you reach the edge, cover your coats with snow and crawl, they won’t notice you this way."

"Thank you Chaerin."

"Also, if you follow the Han River a few kilometers towards Incheon, you will find a small green hut. We usually use it to get dry clothes and rest, you’ll get really tired. Rest there, and start your route towards the Forbidden City tomorrow. Use the main road, because nobody will expect you to use it and is safer."

"Aunt Chaerin… I don’t know how to thank you…" Chaeyoung hadn’t expected that she would be so willingly helping them, honestly.

"Just send me a letter when you are able to communicate with our ambassador. And come back as soon as you can."

Both women hugged each other tightly, and Chaeyoung had to control the urge to cry. She was going to miss everyone terribly, and was scared that if she didn’t succeed, they won’t be able to see each other again.

"I will, aunt Chaerin, thank you."

The First Palace Lady waited until Jungkook and the princess were out of her sight to close once again the hole, to avoid that anyone could enter the city without warnings. She waited there for a few minutes, trying to see if there was any suspicious movement, since she didn’t hear the guards shooting their arks to intruders, she knew they had successfully escaped.

"How am I going to explain this to Mi-young?"

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"Jeongwan! Jeongwan! Where are you?!" Seung-wan opened the door of her daughters’ bedroom, and she found her husband brushing their hair patiently. It was a heartwarming scene.

"Make my braid strong this time, father, last time I woke up with my hair all messy and the maids had to brush my hair with too much strength. It hurt, father."

"Alright, alright, Do Yeon."

Seung-wan watched the scene without moving from the door, feeling grateful for the small family she had achieved. When she was around four years old, she was forced to abandon her father and leave with her mother, lady Hyori, far away. All because she had witnessed a meeting she could not remember. For seven years, she lived without her family complete, and she promised she would never do that to her children.

"Girls, your father and I must leave for the Dongzhi Festival."

"Why can’t we go, father?" Mi Na asked.

"Because you need to take care of grandfather and grandmother, alright?"

"Alright!" the twins said.

"Good girls. And... Good night."

Both girls hugged their parents before they left, both ready with their ceremonial costumes for the Winter Solstice Festival.

"You look beautiful, my princess. But, that wig looks so heavy."

"And that hat quite uncomfortable, but, do we have the right to complain, my prince?"

Jeongwan stuck his tongue out at her. Instead of getting pissed for his lack of manners, Seung-wan reminded that twelve-year-old who got mad at everything she said or did. An innocent and ready to conquer the world boy whose reality smacked him in the face when he grew older. So, she ended the distance between them and kissed him. “The things I would do to protect you, my love.”

Seung-wan thought of the time she tried to risk her own life to save him, or how she had managed to control the urge to leave everything behind every time a malicious courtesan asked her if she was pregnant when she had only gained weight. Everything for Jeongwan.

"What was all that about?"

"I love you, Jeongwan. Never forget that."

The Crown Prince smiled, and kissed her back.

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