"Kwon Jiyong you bastard!!!"

Sandara shouted as soon as she came back from visiting Kim Jisoo, startling both Hong and Moo Yeon. Sandara already felt almost everyone watching her with both shock and curiosity from the moment she stepped out of Kwon Jiyong's residence that morning and when she arrived at the queen's chambers, she finally realized why.

Even the queen turned red at the sight of her love-bitten neck!

Wanting to disappear into thin air out of embarrassment, Sandara could only run back while covering her neck to confront Kwon Jiyong. Unfortunately, the man was still in a meeting with the King. And Hong and Moo Yeon who were both behind their fuming lady could just look at each other knowingly.

Park Sandara would be the only person in the world who could curse Kwon Jiyong like this and still would be able to walk out of here alive.

Balling her small hands into fists, Sandara walked back and forth at the porch while waiting for Kwon Jiyong but hours had passed and her feet and calves started to hurt already so she decided to go back in.

Despite her anger, she still was able to finish her lunch heartily that noon. She took a bath at the pool in Kwon Jiyong's residence and changed into layers of thick upper robes which perfectly covered the red marks Kwon Jiyong left on her neck. Unfortunately, it was still summer and the sun was blazing hot.

When Kwon Jiyong returned to his room, he didn't know whether to laugh or scold her for looking so foolish. Still, despite how outrageous she looked, he worried it could be very uncomfortable for her.

"Take that off and change into a proper one." He said as he wiped the sweat off of her forehead but Sandara only crossed her arms over her chest.

"Go away! I hate you!"

Kwon Jiyong's lips curved into a doting smile, unaware of himself of how he gazed at her with pure amusement and so much fondness. When Sandara noticed this, she couldn't help but think he was mocking him.

"Are you that happy? Do you enjoy poking fun at me? Is this your way of getting back at me?" Sandara glared at him in annoyance.

"Stop spouting nonsense and change into a more comfortable set of clothing. We're going somewhere." Kwon Jiyong ordered but it only infuriated Sandara even more.

"What? You want me to parade all over Hanyang with these horrible marks? Kwon Jiyong, you're evil!"

Kwon Jiyong finally let out a chuckle, much to Sandara's surprise. She was annoyed that he was laughing at her expense, but at the same time delighted at the sound of it which only comes once in a blue moon. When Kwon Jiyong realized she had been staring at him for quite a while now, he straightened up and went back to his stoic expression.

"We're leaving tonight. I will let you meet one of former Minister Sun's men who is the lone standing witness. If we fail to get anything from him, then we're traveling to the North. It's going to be a long journey."

__________________

While Sandara's statement played an important role in the progress of the investigation, it clarified the name of Kim Byungchul and cleared Kwon Jiyong's suspicion on the man as well. Sandara said Minister Sun even asked Kim Byungchul to take care of his family, a duty which the Chief State Minister was currently fulfilling. 

Since there was no evidence leading to Kim Byungchul, Kwon Jiyong decided to test the witness' testimony through Sandara, before finding the place where the murder took place.

Sandara tried to read the mind of the witness which was one of the Sun's men, but unfortunately, his knowledge was very limited. He only kept telling that his master had been meeting someone at a tavern in Pyongyang prior to meeting Sun Hae at the temple. When asked to describe the man the Sun elder had been meeting, the witness said he had no idea. Even if Kwon Jiyong tortured him by drowning, they didn't get any more information from him until Sandara attested that what the witness said was true, and instead asked the poor man to tell them the exact location to the tavern his deceased master had been frequenting.

Kwon Jiyong didn't waste time and immediately set out for a journey to the North by midnight. His group consisted of Sandara, Lee Donghae, Hong— since he tasked Moo Yeon to stay inside the palace and send him reports, and much to Sandara's annoyance and disappointment, Zhu Yunhe. 

Sandara got Kwon Jiyong's point in taking the woman with them. Roaming around the vicinity of the Ming and Joseon borders could lead to a misunderstanding between two kingdoms, and having Zhu Yunhe with them guaranteed their safety from Ming's imperial soldiers. The letter that arrived for Zhu Yunhe yesterday contained positive news as well. She had her trusted guards scattered near the boundaries and she's now controlling their movements as well, so that no one would report their activities to the Ming emperor. But despite this, Sandara couldn't keep still.

Riding the same horse as Kwon Jiyong was safe and comfortable but she disliked how Zhu Yunhe kept sending her scornful glances as if she's being looked down upon for not knowing how to ride