The storm lasted about three days, and they were all restless, hungry and drenched by the end of it. People were especially irritable from lack of “real” food, having eaten nothing but stale bread, cheese and whatever could be foraged from the forest for days. But Hajin couldn’t complain. If she hadn’t run into these people, who knew where she’d be right now?

Myunghee was even kind enough to lend her some shoes and “proper” clothes on the morning of her second day. She was grateful she had Myunghee, whom she now referred to as Unnie , to turn to because she had no idea how to dress herself in hanboks. Her uncle who raised her after her parents died hadn't been the most traditional of sorts.

It was when the storm passed that Soon Deok finally woke up, lifting the company’s spirits considerably. A few routinary checks later and Hajin was happy to inform them all that the patient would make a full recovery. Everyone was thrilled.

Or almost everyone.

Considering the 10th Prince’s diligence in taking care of his wife while she was unconscious, Hajin was surprised when his first words to her were, “Yah! Are you trying to embarrass your husband? Who told you you could get in between me and that sword? Did you think I wouldn't be able to take care of myself? You're always looking down on me and causing me problems!”

Before the poor woman could so much as wince, he had stormed out of the cot.

Hajin found him a little ways away into the forest some minutes later, drawing random figures on the sodden ground with a fallen twig.

Her feet had healed somewhat during her stay, making walking through the uneven terrain much easier. She found a relatively dry space of foliage to sit on under a tree and watched him.

“You draw very well,” she remarked. The little animals were drawn realistically in various stages of movement, giving them a lifelike quality. She figured this prince would do well as a graphic artist in the modern world.

Prince Eun shrugged his shoulders but didn't say anything.

Hajin continued to watch him, and when she saw him drawing a pair of ducks in flight, inspiration struck. “Did you know that some species of birds mate for life?”

At Prince Eun’s scandalous look, Hajin snorted. “Oh, come on. We're both adults here. Such topics should not be off-limits.”

Flustered, he cleared his throat. “A man should not speak of such things with a woman.”

“I’m not going to go into detail about it,” she rolled her eyes. For all his perceived innocence, this little prince was quick to jump into naughty conclusions.

“I am a married man. I know some of my brothers have multiple wives, but I am not the type to just-”

“What I wanted to say was…” Hajin cut him off in a loud voice, “even if a goose were to fall injured and die, its mate wouldn't leave its side. In a way, you and your wife are similar.”

“Are you calling me a goose?”

“I'm calling you loyal.” She eyed him steadily. “You hardly left your wife’s side in three days while she was unconscious. You were quick to act like you didn’t care the moment she woke up.”

“Of course I would take care of her, she saved my life. What of it?” the prince snapped. “I know how to repay my debts.”

Amused, Hajin lifted her eyebrows. “But you haven't repaid the debt. You gave her drink, made sure she was warm, helped me change her bandages, cleaned her up… but anybody can do those things. Not everybody can save a life. Even rarer are people who risk their lives for another.”

His frown was deep, his lips pouty. “Then what else am I supposed to do? All I know are toys and games!” At these words, he flung the stick aside and buried his face in his knees.

“For starters,” Hajin said matter-of-factly, “get back in there and make sure she's comfortable. She will live, but she is still in a great deal of pain. Until I can find a way to help her, you're exactly what she needs.”

“Me?” he asked, surprised. “What do you mean? What can I do?”

“Your wife loves you very much,” she replied with unblinking certainty, “just being in the same room with her while she's awake will make her happy. They do say laughter is medicine in its own right.”

Minutes later, she watched, satisfied and pleased with herself, as the prince headed back into the cot. Hajin realized that the young prince was just shy and possibly still unaware of his own feelings, but his wife, Soon Deok, seemed like a nice girl. After facing death for his sake, she didn’t deserve to hear such harsh words upon waking.

“Interesting conversation.”

The sound of the 4th Prince’s voice made her jump. It took a bit of searching, but she finally spotted him perched on the branch of a nearby tree, and glared at him while he jumped down.

“Are you married?” he asked bluntly.

Shocked, Hajin instantly yelled out, “No!”

Clearly amused, he crouched down in front of her and said, “I’ve never heard an unmarried woman talk about intimacy between partners so casually before.”

She sighed heavily. “I was talking about ducks and loyalty. Really, I had no idea the great Princes of Goryeo were such erts.”

He scoffed but did not seem offended. “And after I came all the way out here to thank you.”

Hajin had not been expecting that. She frowned and waited for him to continue.

“I realize no one has thanked you properly yet for saving Soon Deok’s life. So, thank you, Hae Soo-shi. You have managed to keep your life… for now.”

Hajin rolled her eyes. She had an advantage this time and decided to press it. “I’ve told you, I’m not a spy. I just saved your sister-in-law’s life! How do you still not believe me?”

“You only saved Soon Deok because it suited you, not because you wanted to.”

Hajin had no idea how old or young Prince So was but she took offense at this, enough to drop formalities and snap, “Yah! How heartless of a person do you think I am?”

Instead of replying, he narrowed his eyes and studied her even more carefully, finding her reactions interesting. “You don’t even know who I am.” She wanted to tell him she knew exactly who he was, but before she could, he said, “The people of Songak have been taught to run for their lives whenever they see me. But not only do you stand your ground, you even talk back. You don’t fear me because you don’t know any better… because you’re not from here,” he leaned in closer to her, prompting her to pull back in surprise, “which begs the question… where are you from?”

“I…” she swallowed hard and edged away from him. His sharp eyes were intelligent and piercing, seeming to look right into her very soul. “I’ve already told you… I don’t remember.”

She couldn’t glean any of his thoughts. She couldn’t tell if he believed her. Something told her he didn’t.

Dreading the thought of having to answer more questions, she was surprised when he straightened up instead, apparently satisfied with the answers he’d managed to get today. “I still have my doubts about you, but you’ve proven yourself capable of carrying your own weight. I don’t know who you are but I don’t think you’re a spy for the king, and as things stand, we need someone to look after Soon Deok and treat the men’s wounds like you’ve been doing. Travel with us and you will be protected. That's my best offer.”

She couldn’t believe it. One minute, she thought he was going to start chewing her out and reading her mind, and the next, he was inviting her to stay with them.

“So… I get to stay on condition that I treat every single one of you whenever you’re injured? And if I’m unable to save all of you during a major battle, will I lose my life then?”

He shrugged. “That depends.”

She hissed at him. “You’d better not get everyone into trouble then. There’s only one of me and two dozen of you! I can’t possibly treat you all at once by myself, I’d go mad!”

To her consternation, he leaned over again and rapped her forehead with his knuckles, making her gasp in pain.

“You need to work for your living,” he said, almost mockingly.

He was strong. Just a little tap was enough to jangle her brains. Rubbing the sore spot, she glared at him. “Is it a habit of yours to rile people up while negotiating?” she asked, not bothering to hide the resentment from her voice.

He smirked, showing off rows of perfectly straight, white teeth. Dental care in Goryeo must be world-class. “Only to people who interest me.”

Had that been a compliment? Or a backhanded insult? She tried to make sense of him as she watched him leave.

“Soo-yah, you must never… never insult the 4th Prince,” Myunghee admonished that night as they got ready to sleep. “He has a nasty temper.”

“Who is he anyway? And why does he wear that stupid mask?” Hajin grumbled.

To her surprise, Soon Deok was the one to shush her up. “Lady, sister Hae is right. You need to be more mindful of your words.” From her prone position on the makeshift bed, she winced in discomfort and pain.

Hajin made to help the woman, but Myunghee pulled her back, “Sit still and let me finish. Deok-ah, stop moving so much, you’ll pull your stitches. I’ll help you the moment I’m done fixing Soo-yah’s hair.” Speaking of Hajin’s hair, Myunghee sighed, “What happened to your long, straight hair, anyway? Why is everything so unevenly cut?”

“Oh, I… well, I think I remember getting some tar on it and it wouldn’t come off… so I had to cut it with a knife myself,” Hajin lied through her teeth.

Thankfully, Myunghee wasn’t the suspicious type. She just brushed Hajin’s hair again and continued where she’d left off, “Anyway, as I was saying… the 4th Prince is a powerful man with two powerful families. He’s not someone anyone should take lightly.”

“But that mask… why does he wear it? Is he hiding something? It looks ridiculous!”

The effect of her words was immediate: Soon Deok grew even paler and Myunghee clamped a hasty hand over .

“And whatever you do,” she murmured, eyeing Hajin seriously, “do not mention his mask when he’s within hearing distance.”

Hajin frowned in confusion and turned to Soon Deok, who explained in a whisper, “Rumor has it that his mother gave him a terrible scar when he was a young boy.”

“His mother?” Hajin whispered back after Myunghee released her.

Soon Deok nodded. “No one knows the truth, and no one’s ever really seen his face, so it’s all hearsay. My father taught the 4th Prince martial arts, but even he won’t talk about it.”

“Speaking of martial arts,” Myunghee cut in after tying Hajin’s hair, “the 4th Prince has also been hailed by many as being the best warrior in all of Songak. A little girl like you can’t take him on, so I suggest you don’t try.”

At these words, Hajin thought back to the moment she arrived in Goryeo and remembered how surprised she had been that so many men had been sent to dispose of a single man. He had come out of that encounter unscathed. “I wasn’t trying to take him on,” Hajin protested, “I was just defending myself.”

“People who cross the 4th Prince usually end up dead,” Myunghee said flatly, silencing whatever other protest Hajin was about to make.

“D-dead?” she stammered.

“Dead,” Soon Deok grumbled, closing her eyes and measuring her breaths. “He even almost killed his older brother about two years ago.”

“Almost?”

Soon Deok nodded. “The same brother returned months ago and unseated King Hyejong. He currently occupies the throne as our Third King. But before that, we all thought he’d died because the men all reported he’d been stabbed and fallen over a cliff. Before he finally went down, he killed dozens of soldiers. If it weren’t for Prince So stepping in, who knows how many more would have died that day?”

“So… Prince So is good?” Hajin pointed out, “He got rid of a traitor… for a time.”

“He’s loyal to King Hyejong, so it would depend on to whom you are loyal.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Myunghee shushed them, kneeling beside Soon Deok to give her a drink of water. “Our topic of conversation is hardly appropriate. And it’s treasonous. Soo-yah, don’t go around calling the King a traitor either, unless you have a death wish.”

Hajin pouted but decided not to argue. She had become very immersed in the conversation. The Professor would have been so thrilled to hear all of this.

At the thought of her time, Hajin grew once more nostalgic. She will have to think of a way to get back… there had to be a way. She refused to believe she was stuck here forever.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny jar the 10th Prince had provided her earlier in the day. “I found some herbs in the forest and made you this poultice. It’ll help with the pain.”

Soon Deok looked up with bright eyes. “Why couldn’t you have given it to me earlier?”

“You were asleep then and this is made primarily of mugwort… so, buin, I need to know right now… are you pregnant?” Hajin asked seriously. Even in the candlelight, Soon Deok’s face looked red. “If you are, I can’t give this to you. It’ll make the muscles of your uterus weak and you’ll suffer a miscarriage.”

Soon Deok tried to stutter a reply, but was unable. In the end, it was Myunghee who cleared and delicately informed Hajin that the 10th Prince and his wife had never consummated their marriage.

“Oh!” Hajin exclaimed, surprised. That explained Prince Eun’s embarrassment. “That’s great, then! This will numb the pain. I found plenty of it in the forest. I’ll collect more tomorrow. It should be enough to last you until you’re fully healed. Are you very newly married?”

At this, Soon Deok blushed even deeper and buried her face in her pillow. “No.”

Myunghee cleared , silently scolding Hajin for her visibly dumbfounded expression. “The affairs of married couples are not for outsiders to scrutinize, Soo-yah. You have your answer, now help the poor girl so we can all get some sleep.”

Hajin snapped out of her trance. “Of- of course.”

Applying the poultice onto Soon Deok’s back, Hajin couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. But of course, it would have been a marriage of convenience rather than of love.

She watched Myunghee silently and wondered about her own marriage. The 8th Prince had been the one to intercept Prince So and herself back at Cheondeokjeon Palace. That meant he and Myunghee were fighting on opposite sides.

What could have happened between them?