The dining room was set for three people when Jaejoong arrived. Lady Hye-Kyo and her other guest was not yet there. He sat on one of the chairs without waiting for the assistance of one of the maids. He had not forgotten the proper etiquettes and behavior drilled into his head by his mother, Lady Na-young. He just chose to ignore them since after everything he had been through and all his wanderings around Haldor, these things had become unimportant to him.

If Dara had not refused, he would have taken her to this lunch, and damn all of Lady Hye-Kyo's sensibilities. Dara had shown that she was an equal to the regents in the fight that occurred twenty years ago in the Oracle's inner sanctum. Dara deserved to sit beside him. But he didn't want to argue with Dara and she had decided to have lunch with Bom and the others.

And since this lunch was formal, he also had to dress like a prince with all the ts that his station required. He wanted to appear wearing regular clothes, but the ever efficient household staffs had instantly produced a white suit for him. So, now here he was, stiff as a pole with this suit and frilling.

He didn't have to wait long. The arrival of Lady Hye-Kyo was announced by one of the footmen standing beside the door of the dining room.

Lady Hye-Kyo was a small, red-haired woman with a fiery temper. The years had not been kind to her. She had become thin, and wrinkles now marred her lovely face. Even her famous red hair had lost its color and was now peppered with white. But she still carried that elegance about her. Her face gave off an aloof air of a woman used to having her commands followed.

But Jaejoong was taken aback when she saw the woman who followed Lady Hye-Kyo into the dining room. She was none other than Jessica! Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were red as if she had been crying. But she still held herself regally.

Part of Jaejoong was not surprised to see Jessica here, Lady Hye-Kyo was after all, her aunt and the one responsible why she was married to Donghae. But her presence in this lunch didn't bide well for him. Lady Hye-Kyo must have already been made aware of his participation in the troubled marriage between Donghae and Jessica.

Disregarding the knot in his stomach, he stood up and gave the two women a slight bow of his head, respecting their presence. He helped Lady Hye-Kyo to her chair, while Jessica was helped by one of the footmen standing by.

The maids began serving lunch. Lady Hye-Kyo first asked if he and his companions were treated well by her household to which he answered by praising the servants. Jessica remained quiet, barely acknowledging his presence as she began eating her food daintily.

Jaejoong could surmise that her presence here meant that Donghae had finally followed his advice. Jessica's crying was also proof that Donghae was going to annul their marriage. Though such personal matters shouldn't concern Jaejoong, he had this nagging feeling he would be dragged into the process of the said royal annulment.

"I hope you don't mind, Milady, if I inquire about Lady Krystal? Has she gained consciousness?" Jaejoong asked, breaking the silence.

"No. And she never will," Lady Hye-Kyo answered.

"What do you mean?" Cloud assured Jaejoong that the amount of information that was given to Krystal was just enough to knock her out for at least a day. That she would only suffer headaches after waking but would have a clear mind. Donghae and the other regents could then begin interrogating her about everything she knew about the Cult of SooHyuk.