A/N: This chapter is kind of short, but consider this a bonus since I had updated yesterday without realizing what day it was. I blame my MiL being at my house and the fact my husband is in Texas for work training this week, so I've been a bit flustered. There is only 6 more chapters to go. I am going to put the placeholder up for the sequel later today so be on the lookout for that and do subscribe! 

A heady scent filled the house, mixing in with the smells of people, cooking food, and a slight stench of sweat. In the main room of the house, a group of women sat in a perfect circle, eyes closed and hands joined as their humming echoed softly around the room. In the center of the circle sat a young woman, quietly rocking back and forth to the humming. Her eyes were closed and arms stretched out to each side as if to embrace something in front of her. Outside of the circle, the women's hanboks were all neatly hung, waiting for when they were ready to go back out into the real world. A servant girl dashed quietly around the outside of the circle, ensuring that each woman was sitting with her back straight.

Another servant girl walked behind the other, stopping to smooth out a stray hair on one of the women in the circle. The entire process had been carefully planned and meticulously practiced by everyone. Not a single mistake was to be made this night, the consequences too dire for anyone to speak of them.

“Yes…” The woman in the middle of the circle hissed, her fingers stretched out similar to a cat stretching his paws. “It happens as the Mother promised….”

The atmosphere in the room grew darker, colder, yet warmer with the statement. Sitting in a far corner of the room, a girl was carefully concealed behind a screen so she wouldn’t be hit with all the effects of the room. The grin that spread across her face betrayed her innocent looks.

The longer the ceremony went on, the more and more sure the girl was that this would work. The stench of sweat grew as the women channeled their energies into the woman in the circle. ‘Just a bit more…’ The girl thought gleefully, practically tasting victory in the air.

The sound of doors slamming open and loud voices jolted the girl out of her reverie. “NO!” She cried, her voice too powerful to be stopped as the word was ripped from .

The concentration of the circle collapsed, the woman in the middle choking suddenly and falling over, her lifeless eyes staring into nothing as the women in the circle screamed as they broke apart. The primal life force that they had been channeling backfired, the power of the force enough to knock several of them against walls. “Arrest them all!” A male voice cried.

The girl in the corner of the room was slumped over, blood trickling down a corner of .

There was chaos as the city guards burst into the room, surprising many of the women who’d managed not to be knocked out by the backfiring of the spell they’d been performing. Screams permeated the air. Women struggled as they were bound up in red ropes that signified they were being arrested. One man in a guard uniform knelt down at the head of the dead woman, shaking his head as he felt for any signs of life. “This one’s dead!” He called out.

“There’s another one back here, alive!” Another guard called out, dragging the screen away so she could be seen.

“A little girl.” The disgust in the guard’s voice was palpable. “Be gentle with her, but she gets arrested as well.”

“But…” The guard next to the girl protested.

“It doesn’t matter her age. She was involved in this evildoing.” The first guard said, arms crossed. “Everyone involved is to be arrested and interrogated as per the Magistrates orders!” He commanded.

“Yes sir!” The others saluted, the reminder of why they were there reinforced. The house was cleared quickly, the dead taken away to be disposed of, but only after their heads had been chopped off. Rumors claimed a heretic witch could come back to life if her head was still attached, even though no one had ever seen it happen, but no one wanted to find out if the rumors were true, so they kept chopping the heads off the dead witches before disposing of the body and head separately. The ones arrested would be put on trial, found guilty for disobeying the King’s laws and then beheaded.

**

While the Lee/Choi wedding was going on, the King had given his orders to his secret guards to carry out missions to protect the crown, including breaking up the witches who had managed to infiltrate the city without the shifters being alerted to their presence. The king didn’t know they were actual witches, only suspected. The interrogation of the man who had attacked Lee Donghae had been short lived. The man had bitten his own tongue off to prevent the King from getting any information about the possibility of a Japanese invasion out of him.

With the wedding finally going off without any more problems, the King hoped there wouldn’t be any more surprises at the celebration. He was becoming more paranoid about the Japanese since one of their ships had been spotted just off the eastern coast a month ago.

The King felt the hand of his wife slip into his with ease, squeezing his hand gently as if she knew the thoughts that were keeping him preoccupied during the wedding and after as they rode to the Lee household.

“Just relax and enjoy the rest of the day.” His Queen said, staring straight ahead. “Our troubles can wait a few hours before we attack them again.”

The reminder that it was supposed to be a day of enjoyment didn't do much to relax the King. The rest of the ride was silent, both people absorbed in their own thoughts, not knowing that their days together were numbered.