The pair found Cheolyong sitting outside the barracks. The youngster didn’t have time to curse as he fell backwards onto the floor. He started to yell then and there from the pain and the aftershock. Changsun and Sanghyun helped him up.

“-I’ll kill him I’ll really kill him!” He exclaimed red faced. “How dare he sleep with Jinkyong and leave her all alone to take responsibility!”

“Maybe he doesn’t know how to,” Sanghyun sniggered trying to be sympathetic to Seungho.

Cheolyong rolled up his sleeves. “Where is he? Where is the bastard?”

Sanghyun clasped a hand over his mouth as a guard stirred almost about to wake. “We are to not act in haste.” Changsun told him with a reprimanding tone to his voice. “What’s important is that we find Seungho and bring him to the palace to explain the situation.”

“But Changsun,” Sanghyun started. “It won’t end favourably for him.”

Changsun reluctantly nodded. Cheolyong found his voice again. “Ahem, he can’t be executed until I kill him first.”

The pair looked at the other with amused smiles. Changsun clasped a hand on Cheolyong’s shoulder after giving it a pat. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure that nothing bad happens to her and we will let you have your revenge on Seungho.”

This cheered up Cheolyong and they went to borrow some horses from the stables and then started their journey south to where they would find Byunghee and hopefully find Seungho.

After a day and a half of riding almost nonstop through the nights except for short breaks to give their rides a rest they arrived in the village where it had all begun.

“Anyone see them?” Changsun called to the other two from their vantage points.

Sanghyun shook his head. “No, it’s too busy in the crowds to see anything clearly.”

“Does he still live here--?”

Cheolyong cut off with a yell as someone grabbed him from behind. Sanghyun started to draw his sword but Changsun stopped him. The attacker started to laugh and then they realised why they saw him.

Byunghee hadn’t changed much except for getting thick facial hair adding a year or two to his age. “You should have seen how shocked you were.” He said releasing Cheolyong. “What brings you three to this area? It’s it official guard business?”

“Close to it,” Sanghyun said. “You should have stayed on as a guard.”

Byunghee shook his head. “I couldn’t, I couldn’t keep away.”

“Keep away from what?”

Byunghee indicated to a woman standing at a stall in the market admiring some bathing oils. She turned her head for a moment and the other three found themselves completely alarmed.

“M-M-Minjoo?”

“You love the e?” Cheolyong’s tongue had failed to stay silent. As if she heard she blushed and went back to her browsing.

Despite his friend’s reactions Byunghee’s smile had not departed his face. “We’ll be getting married within a few days.”

“Congratulations,” Changsun told him. “I hope her owner wasn’t too displeased.”

“He shouldn’t be with the amount of money I had to give him for her.” Byunghee answered. “Unfortunately for me I won’t be gaining any wedding gifts from my parents as I’ve been disowned by my father.”

“We’re sorry to hear that.”

“I’m not,” Byunghee didn’t seem bothered. “So why are you here? You don’t look like you’re on duty.”

Changsun, Sanghyun and Cheolyong shifted glances. “That’s because we aren’t. We came because we have to find Seungho. So we decided to seek you out first.”

Byunghee’s attention was diverted for a moment as Minjoo came up beside him. She may have had a face without the slightest dab of make up yet she was glowing from love.

“What has he done to cause the need for such attention?”

Sanghyun and Changsun struggled to find the words. Cheolyong decide to let out. “The princess is pregnant!”

“Shhhhh,” his mouth was covered and they had to retreat from the area. Byunghee hustled his fiancée along while she watched them in question.

They found privacy behind a shed. “She’s with child?!” Byunghee whispered harshly. The others nodded. “And you’re sure it’s Seungho’s?”
“Do you want me to explain how—“

“Cheolyong that’s enough,” Changsun stopped him. “So do you know where he may be?”

Byunghee paused. Minjoo spoke while he was thinking. “I think we saw him a few days ago. Didn’t he speak with you recently?”

He remembered and went, “ah yes he’s gone fishing again. I think I may know a few fishing spots where he might be.”

 

“Your highness, this insolence that the princess has brought upon you and your family should not be tolerated.” A councillor said as they sat gathered together in an urgent meeting.

“The princess should be executed to defeat the child that was immorally conceived within her.”

“That is not what the law says.” A man from the opposite side stated. “It says we are to just banish her.”

Arguments broke out between them. The king sat back in his throne, visibly troubled by the dispute unfolding before his eyes. When the quarrelling became too much he clasped the sides of his throne to stand up.

“That is enough foolish bickering!” He then sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. “The law is the law and so the princess will be banished for the palace and taken to Cheongju where she’ll live the rest of her life in exile.”

The news came to Jinkyong quickly and she found herself in a mixed state of emotions. Tears of relief pricked her eyes. “Oh my life has not been forfeit after all.” She dabbed them with the backs of her hands. “My father is indeed merciful.”

“But you’ll be forever living a life in solitude with only the servants who loyally tend to you as your only company.”

Jinkyong made a smile which shattered with more tears. “I should be so grateful that I even get the chance to keep breathing and the same for the child whom I haven’t even thought much of recently.”

Her hands went to her belly. “Even if… Even if I never see his face again I’ll still have our child to tend into a fine person. I’ll see him in the face of my child.”

 

There’s been a lot of shocking stuff happen recently. One of the things is with MBLAQ. Unfortunately it seems what happened with Kara will occur with them too. I’m going to miss Joon doing music and with Thunder leaving too it won’t be the same but I wish them the best with their careers whatever direction they take.