Soo would think that he’s everything a prince should be… is what Hae Myung Hee thought to herself when she met the Eighth Prince Wang Wook. Not haughty like her brief memories of the Fourth Prince Wang So, or too casual like Baek Ah. This was a bit unfair to both men, since Wang So was a child when she and Soo had met him, and Baek Ah was in disguise, but still. Myung Hee couldn’t imagine the man in front of her pelting little girls with acorns or wandering the country as a vagabond.

No, the man who was greeting her right now was handsome and courteous. His clothing was of high quality but not ostentatious, his eyes were warm and intelligent, and there was a bearing about him of quiet self-confidence. Baek Ah had spoken well of his Eighth brother, and Myung Hee could see that he had not lied. And if she had not met Baek Ah first, if it was Wang Wook who caught her attention, then she could have liked him. But when she looked at this man all she could think of is the sweetness of Baek Ah’s smile, the way he could make her laugh and draw her out of herself, the way her heart raced when he touched her. It was too late; she had already given her whole heart to Wang Baek Ah, and she could not be happy to meet the man who was here to keep them apart.

It wasn’t the Prince’s fault. He had no way of knowing that his brother had already fallen in love with the woman their father wanted him to marry, but ultimately it didn’t matter. Even if they said something to him now, Myung Hee knew he couldn’t interfere with a royal command; none of them could.

Myung Hee of course let none of whatever she was feeling show. Her heart felt numb and her face was a perfect mask of courtesy (what Soo called her ‘poker face’) as she bowed to the man she was supposed to marry. Baek Ah on the other hand seemed wound so tight that he might snap at any moment. She wanted to comfort him, but what could she say?

Her sister was off to the side, and Myung Hee was pleased that she managed to behave herself. Years ago she may have thrown a fit, or otherwise be rude to their guest. But she knew Soo was unhappy on her behalf, and she loved her sister for her concern.

The only one who seemed happy with the situation was her father. She knew he thought he was doing a good thing by marrying her into the royal family. In the practical sense he was, and if it was Wang Wook she’d seen first she may have been for it. But now…

“I am very happy to meet you, Lady Hae.” The Eighth Prince said. “Tales of your beauty have been told even in the palace, and I see they do not exaggerate.”

“Your Highness is too kind.” Myung Hee said, bowing her head as her father looked on proudly.

Wang Wook smiled at her. “I know this is sudden, and I wish I could stay and let us get to know each other. But our Royal Father wishes me to discuss military strategies with the General against the Khitans. I can only stay a few days. But I will return and bring you back to Songak for our wedding, and we can talk on the trip. I think you will like my home, and my mother looks forward to meeting you. So does my sister.”

Myung Hee wouldn’t mind seeing the palace again. She had vague memories of meeting the king when she was a child. He was kind to her then, and she was sure he would be kind to her again. But this was the wrong man to return with, it was just wrong.

“We are grateful for His Majesty’s generosity. I look forward to us becoming family.” The General said.

All she could do was bow as her father and her fiancé left the room, leaving her with her sister and the man she loved.

0-o-o-o-0

Baek Ah followed Myung Hee and Soo back to the girls’ sitting room. The household staff made a point of not looking at him. With his brother here there was no point in him pretending to be a stable hand any more, and so he was now dressed more befitting of a Prince, and had a room in the main house. He regretted this. He’d made some good friends while living in working in the General’s household, and now those relationships were gone. He could still talk to those people, but the fact of his royal birth would stand between them and things could not be the same.

Soo was furious. The minute they entered the room she started ranting, and throwing things. Pillows at first, but when she reached for the tea service Baek Ah grabbed her hand. He appreciated her indignation on his and Myung Hee’s behalf (and was rather impressed at some of the colorful language she used), but Myung Hee’s hands were shaking as she reached for the tea pot to pour for them. She didn’t need this right now.

“Hae Soo…please, calm down.” He said, then lowered his voice. “Can you leave us alone for a little while? Your sister is upset.”

Soo looked like she wanted to throw something at him too, but then glanced at her sister. “Okay.” She touched Myung Hee’s shoulder briefly in a comforting gesture, then left the room. She closed the door but he didn’t hear any footsteps walking away, and so he knew that she was keeping watch for them.

Ever since Wook made his announcement, Baek Ah felt like his heart was on the verge of shattering. He got along with all of his brothers, but being on the lower rung of the latter as far as status went, he was used to not asking for things and was usually content to go along with what his brothers wanted. With fewer expectations, there were fewer ways to be disappointed. This meant that he’d led a fairly simple but happy life. Up until now.

For the first time in his life he’d found something he truly wanted, more than anything in this world. But she was not intended for him. Baek Ah knew what would be expected of him if anyone in his family found out about his feelings for Hae Myung Hee. He was supposed to back away, offering the new couple his congratulations and treat her respectfully. But for once in his life he knew that he could not do what he was supposed to do. The idea of calling her ‘sister’ for the rest of his life made him feel sick inside. He couldn’t do it. For the first time in his life he was ready to truly fight for something he wanted. But first, he had to know.

“Do you like him?” Baek Ah asked, watching Myung Hee carefully. His brother Wook was better than him in many ways. He was a kind, intelligent, thoughtful man. His family was richer and more powerful than Baek Ah’s, and he seemed to be smitten with Myung Hee. Baek Ah had no doubt that his Eighth brother would treat her well, and if she wanted to be with Wook, then it would probably kill Baek Ah inside, but he would back off. He would continue on his journey, but this time he would keep going, and not return to Songak.

Myung Hee set down the tea pot. “He seems very nice.”

“…that’s not an answer.”

“What am I supposed to say?” she asked, turning to face him. And while Baek Ah hated to see his beloved in pain, the anguish in her face gave him hope. “Does it matter if I like him or not? The King has spoken. I am to marry him.”

“It matters to me. You are not married yet. Do you like him?”

“I could like him…if you were not in this world.” Myung Hee said, stepping towards him. “But you are here and in my heart and there is no room for anyone else.”

Baek Ah took her hand and pressed her fingers to his lips, breathing in the scent of her skin. Her words healed some of his pain, and he couldn’t help but draw her to him.

“I cannot spend the rest of my life calling you sister.” He whispered, brushing his mouth over her cheek. “Do you hear me? Not even once. The word will break my heart.”

Myung Hee ran her free hand up his arm, embracing him. “I know, but what can we do? The King has made a decree, and Father has accepted it.”

He wound his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. “I will go back to the palace with Wook. I will talk to His Majesty, to my mother and some of my brothers as well. If I get enough support maybe he could be convinced to withdraw his decree and let us marry.”

Even as he spoke the words, Baek Ah knew they were lies. There was no benefit to the King in tying the daughter of one of his favorite generals to a prince of Baek Ah’s low status. If his father changed his decree then General Hae would take it as an insult, as would the Hwangbos. There would be no point in talking to the King. Baek Ah knew what he needed to do, but first he needed to return to Songak. There were people he needed to talk to. What he was considering scared him, but it was nothing compared to the thought of a future filled with longing and regret.

“Do you really think so?” Myung Hee sounded a little doubtful. Baek Ah knew she was right to feel that way, but she was anxious enough already so he didn’t want to make it worse. No, better to let her think this could work.

“I hope so.” He said, kissing her. How could anyone expect him to give up this person? She was too precious. He loved his brother, but he did not think that anyone could appreciate Myung Hee the way he did.

“Don’t say anything to your father. I will go back to the palace with Wook, and when we return pray that I will have good news for us.” Baek Ah said between kisses.

“I will pray.” Myung Hee said, her eyes shining.  Was there anything that he couldn’t do for her, to have her loving and believing in him? Baek Ah didn’t think so.

“So will I. And we will be together, and I will show you everything wonderful in this world.”

0-o-o-o-0

Myung Hee was right: Soo thought the Eighth Prince Wang Wook looked a real prince, a man stepped straight out of the dramas she’d watched as a child. So handsome, well dressed and polite; and with the way he smiled at Myung Hee it seemed he’d fallen in love at first sight. Soo could have been happy for her sister, but she’d already set her heart on having Baek Ah for a brother in law. She couldn’t imagine anyone else making Myung Hee as happy as she did. And watching the two meet, she could tell that Wang Wook had not touched her sister’s heart. Which meant that this engagement was a terrible idea.

But who cared what the bride and groom thought?  Soo knew how these things worked. Marriage in rich and powerful families, especially royal families, was all about building connections and fortunes. Baek Ah, Myung Hee, even Wook; they were all pawns on the family chessboards. Unfortunately Wook seemed to be the only one of the three who was happy about what he was getting. Soo was sure he was a nice person, but handsome princes like him could always find somebody else. Hae Myung Hee was already spoken for.

It was a shame she couldn’t tell him that. Walking with Baek Ah, she glared at Wook’s back a day later as he walked ahead of them with her sister. They were taking a walk over the fields at night and he was pointing out the constellations to her. She nodded as he spoke, but Myung Hee was good enough at her poker face that Soo didn’t think he could tell that she was only being polite.

Soo wasn’t the only one giving the newly engaged couple dirty looks. Baek Ah looked like he wanted to drive the two apart. Soo knew he wasn’t angry at Myung Hee. It wasn’t her fault at all and her sister had already told her that he was going to try to talk to the King when he returned to the palace. Still, it couldn’t be easy watching the girl you love walking with another man, especially when it was your brother. Soo had not fallen in love yet, but she thought she’d go nuts if something like that happened to her. So she definitely gave credit to Baek Ah, he had a lot more self-control than she did. She was wondering whether he really could talk the King into letting him marry Myung Hee instead, but he seemed confident about it, and he knew his father better than she did, so she’d have to trust him.

They ended up by the pond, where they all sat down by the water. It was the same pond where Go Ha Jin had emerged into this world all those years ago, and the girl who had accepted her fate to live as Hae Soo found herself wondering about where her life would lead. Myung Hee’s engagement reminded her that her life was not her own here. She was subject to the whim of her father and the King, and now that she was of a marriageable age, it probably wouldn’t be long before a match was made for her as well. No one’s life was their own here, not even the Princes. If Wang Wook had come here and found that he didn’t like Myung Hee, it wouldn’t matter; he’d still be stuck marrying her.

Would Soo like whoever was chosen for her? She didn’t know that many men, and it was hard trying to imagine marrying a stranger.

“It isn’t fair.” She muttered to Baek Ah. Wook and Myung Hee sat a little ways apart, enough to give them some privacy but still close enough for propriety’s sake. The moon shone out over the water and was lovely, but she couldn’t enjoy it.

“I know.” He sighed. “But this is the world we live in.”

“It won’t last forever.” Soo said wistfully, looking out over the water and remembering the world she’d left behind. “Just wait a thousand years. There is no one above any other person. There is no one below you. Prince? Pfft. You could be living well, and still end up dying one day.” She’d had a good life, right? They were an average family, but there was a roof over her head and food on the table. School , but it wouldn’t have lasted forever.

“You can fall right out of the sky then end up living in a place like this.”  Soo turned her eyes away from the water and looked at the man she wanted to be her brother. “So just follow your heart and live. Do everything you want to do and live however you want.”

Baek Ah looked at her. “You’re a strange girl, Hae Soo.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“I think when I get back to Songak, I’m going to tell my brother So that I’ve found his childhood nemesis.” He smirked. “Maybe he’ll want a rematch at acorn throwing.”

Soo made a face, but inwardly she was pleased. She would not mind seeing the Fourth Prince again. She wondered what kind of man he’d grown up to be. Did he still have that scar on his face? She’d only seen part of it, but it didn’t seem that bad, not enough to condemn him to the life of cruelty and ridicule he’d lived in Shinju.

“Hopefully his aim has improved.”

0-o-o-o-0

The next day Wang Wook left to make the trip back to Songak, and Baek Ah joined him. General Hae was surprised when he made the announcement that he would return to the palace instead of continuing his wondering, but didn’t question the excuse Baek Ah gave that seeing his Eighth brother again made him realize how much he missed his family. Frankly he thought Myung Hee’s father was just glad to see him gone. Maybe if Wook hadn’t arrived with the King’s decree he might have welcomed Baek Ah as a son in law, but now he was a potential rival for his daughter’s affection.

His public parting from Myung Hee was perfectly polite, far different than their private one earlier, when they’d held each other as if it were for the last time. He hoped that that would not be the case, that he would return and never be parted from her again, but anything could happen in life. His parting from Soo was more cordial. It was no secret that they were friends, and there were several times during Wook’s visit that he’d laughed at seeing her and Baek Ah’s playful antics.

His Eighth brother about this as they rode away from the General’s estate.

“You and Hae Soo, you get along so well. Should I tell His Majesty that you’ve found a good match? We could have a double wedding.” Wook smiled at him.

Baek Ah shook his head. “No, thank you. I like Soo, but she feels more like a sister to me than a potential wife. Besides, I have a better match in mind for her.”

“Oh?”

“Our brother So. It turns out that he and Soo were playmates when the General visited Shinju years ago. From what she says, they had an interesting time together, but he’s never mentioned her. I’m going to see if I can convince him to come with us when we go to bring back your bride.” Calling Myung Hee his brother’s bride left a bad taste in Baek Ah’s mouth, but he couldn’t let his true feelings show. There could be no suspicion aroused in his family if he wanted to get away with this.

“Hae Soo and our Fourth brother? She’s such a lively girl; I never would have pictured her getting along with So.”  Wook mused.

“Stranger things have happened. I want to see his face when I mention her name. That will tell me if we need to have them meet again.” Baek Ah suspected that Soo was just what So needed. He’d come to care for them both, and since Soo would become his sister, he wanted to see her happy as well as So.

Songak was pretty much the same as when he’d left it. His family was surprised but happy to see him, and Baek Ah visited his mother briefly before going in search of So. Before he left, So was living with Wook and his family, but now he’d been invited to live in the palace. Baek Ah was surprised to find him residing in the Astronomy Tower.

“What are you doing all the way up here?” he asked, panting as he reached the top of the stairs. “If you wanted to stay away from things, you could have just stayed at Wook’s. It would be easier to get to you.” And not so many damn stairs.

So looked up from the book he was reading. “Ah, but then it would be easier to get to me.” He said, and smiled. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d decided to see the world?”

Baek Ah flopped down into one of the chairs. “I did, but then I found something better than the world.” He grinned. “And I can’t wait for you to meet her.”

“Oh? Did the prettiest man in Songak finally find one girl worth settling down for?” So teased. “But Wook is marrying too now, right? Will there be a double wedding?”

This is when Baek Ah’s smile faded. “No, there will only be one wedding.”  Sliding from his chair, he dropped to his knees in front of the person who’d quickly become his favorite brother and who now was the only person he trusted to help him.

“Her name is Hae Myung Hee, and I love her more than anything else in this world. Brother, I want you to help me steal Wook’s bride.”