‘What did you tell Jusang-Jeonha?’ Kim Hyun-Joong demand from Seungri. The last time he receive the hard look from the chief guard, he earn a hard blow to his face. ‘Answer me!’

‘What you expect me to tell?’ Seungri reply calmly not to make the chief guard angrier.

‘What you need to do,’ Kim Hyun-Joong said, ‘is show your loyalty to Wang-seja jeonha. He—’

‘— will be the King,’ Seungri said. ‘But until then, aren’t we need to follow his uncle’s rule?’

There was a long, cold pause silent.

‘I hope you can walk.’ Kim Hyun-Joong said.

Seungri throw a confused look.

‘Jusang-jeonha has summoned you to the high court,’ he snap his fingers and with that several slave entered the room. They began to prepare him. They bath him while carefully handling his healing back, then paint his whole body with gold paint. Seungri look at the brush while the servants paint his face. He had not suffered humiliation of being paint since they captured him in his country.

One thing that Seungri notice, the Soron noble people like to show off their richness thru their pets, who had been lavished with gold and jewelleries. This mean that Seungri who was paint in gold and wearing a lot of jewelleries, will not be mistaken for nothing but what he was. In the crowded place, he stand out.

And so did his master. Seungri fix his gaze at the crown prince. The room slowly fell into silent as the crown prince made his way to his place.

Seungri feel his back ached and throbbed. He force himself to detached his gaze from the crown prince and look at the end of the long red carpet. The King already sit on the throne and behind him is the member council, all full dress with their country ceremonial dress.

A messenger call the crown prince’s name complete with all his titles.

Seunghyun continue to walk forward and past his slave and the guards. Seungri’s mind starting to view the carpet as his endurance trial. It was not just the presence of the crown prince but the kneeling and the bowing he need to do at the end of the throne seem specifically designed to ruin a week of healing.

Seungri knelt into his knees and Seunghyun bent his knee slightly. From behind his back, he heard the audience murmured about his back. He suppose the gold paint made it looked like his injuries appaling. But then, suddenly he realised maybe that was the whole point.

‘Daewongun-Mama,’ Seunghyun said while straightening his posture. His face remain calm but there was something about his restrained shoulders. .

‘My dear nephew,’ General Choi said. ‘I think you can guess why you’re summoned to be here.’

‘Please hear me, Daewongun-Mama.This slave disobey me and I had whip him as a punishment.’ He said calmly.

‘You do it despite my orders. Against the guard’s advice that it might ki