The trip to Bucheon was tense. The messenger had not brought any more information, so Soojin would have to find out everything once they arrived. If they would tell her.

Queen Oh was quiet, sniffing every now and then. It was clear that she was not fit for conversation, but the princess was not one for talking anyway. Not surprisingly, Soojin did not feel any sort of sadness for her father. In the past, she would at least have felt a twinge of gloom. But that was before she found out that he was willing to put her life on the line.

All she could worry about was how the Kingdom of Daegu would fare throughout all of this. With their king injured and her betrothal cancelled, their reputation was sinking further into the ground.

However, something was not right. It was unusual that King Oh even got injured at all. He usually had a guard or two looking out for him, always a certain distance from him. Besides that, what was he doing in Bucheon? She had not seen him since the dragon hunting incident, and he claimed to be away for business. Something did not add up.

Lost in her own thoughts, Soojin did not even realise when the carriage pulled to a stop in front of the familiar Bucheon castle. The Royal Guard had to clear his throat several times before she stepped out of the carriage.

“Good day, Your Majesty and Your Highness.” He bowed when the Queen followed her out. “His Majesty, King Byun is waiting for the both of you in the meeting room.”

“She does not have to attend the meeting,” Queen Oh said, waving an airy hand. She looked quite anxious to get in the castle.

“I apologise, Your Majesty. King Byun has requested for the two of you to be present at this meeting.”

“Fine. Where is my husband?”

“King Oh is currently undergoing treatment,” he answered. “Please, follow me this way to the meeting room. It is urgent.”

The guard led them to the meeting room, which was deep inside the castle. Soojin was sure that she would not be able to find her way out by herself.

He knocked on the door thrice before opening it at the sound of the King’s permission. Inside the room, it was bright and grand. There were maps on the wall, bookshelves by the sides and even a three-dimensional map of the neighbouring kingdoms in the corner. However, the grim looks on the faces of the Byun family contrasted the bright décor of the room.

She and her mother curtseyed. Queen Oh spoke, leaving her eyes downcast. “Good day, King Byun and family.”

“Yes, yes. Please sit.” King Byun gestured towards two empty chairs at the end of the long table. “I believe we have some urgent matters to discuss.”

“Please go straight to the point. The only message I received that my husband was attacked here in Bucheon, and that he is undergoing treatment! Have you arrested the perpetrator yet?”

He stared at her grimly. “I will go straight to the point. My eldest son is the one who attacked King Oh. And for good reason.”

“What?!” It was Soojin who could not help but exclaim. She turned to look at Baekbeom, who had no hint of any guilt on his face. He stared back at her calmly. It was unnerving. “Sorry.”

“We have received reports that King Oh has been plotting against the Byuns with plenty of evidence. It is not in the nature for the Kingdom of Bucheon to react with such violence, so I apologise for that. My eldest son will receive repercussions for his actions.”

“I am deeply sorry for resorting to violence,” said Baekbeom, not looking very sorry at all.

Eyes ablaze, Soojin’s mother hit her fists on the table and stood up in the most unladylike fashion she had ever seen. “What utter nonsense! How dare you treat the King of Daegu like this! And you even have the nerve to call us out here for a discussion! Where is my husband?”

“Queen Oh, please calm down.” King Byun looked unfazed. “As I have said earlier, we have plenty of evidence. After your husband heals from the attack, he will be taken to court for judgement.”

“Well, how will we know if the trial is carried out fairly? You could tip it to your benefit, since the officials are of Bucheon descent.”

“The rulers of nearby kingdoms will be present as well, since this is a matter concerning the royalty of two nations. The trial will be carried out as fairly as possible, so I hope you manage to prepare the heir to the Daegu throne well.”

“What has my husband done that is so vile that you have to go this far?” she shouted, not missing the underlying meaning behind his words.

“He is plotting to kill me, though I think you already know. We cannot, however, bring you and your children to court as well since we do not have evidence to support that claim.”

Soojin froze at the idea of being brought to court. Her father had told her about his plans on the night of the banquet. She was guilty. On the other hand, she had also warned Baekhyun about it in the end, so that balanced it out. But that also meant that Baekhyun had to be the one to tell his family about it.

Realising that she was ultimately the one to betray her family, she shrunk in her seat. She knew she would not be given any penalty in court, but it was not much better to be exposed to her family as a traitor. Her deeds would all be exposed in the name of a fair trial. If her father received the death penalty, she would be the one responsible for his death.

Soojin caught Baekhyun’s eye across the table. He shook his head ever so slightly, and he was focused back to the discussion at the table. She did not know whether to brush it off as her imagination or not.

“We will have our officials sent over from Daegu as soon as possible and I will prove to you my husband’s innocence. I will have your son severely punished for intentionally attacking the King of Daegu. Now, where is my husband? I wish to speak to him immediately.”

 “No one is allowed to speak to King Oh until the trial to prevent any funny business.”

She took in a sharp breath. “Why are you even telling us this? Do you not think that I will have my people come after you once I get the chance?”

Frankly, Soojin wondered that as well. If her father was put in the same situation, he would have plotted something that would ultimately strip the other of his land and power. She could not think of why King Byun would do such a thing when her mother would very well side with her own husband.

He leaned forward in his seat. “As I have said before, according to Bucheon customs, we do not resort to violence. This pertains to politics as well. When dealing with these matters, we do so in a diplomatic fashion as to prevent bloodshed and loss for our kingdom. Besides, the Daegu Kingdom is now under the watchful eye of many other kingdoms.”

By the way Queen Oh faltered, Soojin could tell that she was intimidated by the cool front he had put on. “I-”

“Is there anything else you would like to say?” he asked. “I have to see to the preparation for the arrival of our guests. We are expecting the Kims of Seoul to arrive shortly.”

Gone was the man from weeks ago where Soojin thought he was being bullied into everything. Before her was a true king; one who did not resort to violence or bloodshed. Everything was done so cleanly without any room for finding faults. It was astounding.

They all dispersed a few moments after, where Queen Oh and Soojin were led into their respective chambers. Soojin was surprised to see her mother enter her chambers after the guards had left.

“If King Byun is truly calling for a trial, that means that Sehun will be coming here as well,” Queen Oh said right as the door shut, not bothering with any greetings. “We must get out of this predicament immediately. What would your father do?”

Soojin frowned at the thought of her eldest brother representing the Kingdom of Daegu at the trial. She was not very close to him as they grew up, and she did not know how he would handle the situation.

Queen Oh sighed. “Only Sehun and you know of our plans out of all the children. That means both of you have the power to turn the tables if needed.”

That also meant that one of us leaked the information, Soojin thought to herself. Her mother did not need to know that.

“He will be able to save Father,” she said. “Sehun oppa is capable of that.”

“Yes, yes.” Queen Oh nodded, trying to convince herself. “Besides, we have alliances with the other kingdoms. Your sister is married to the King of Seoul after all. You are to be wed to the Parks, which means we have Busan on our side. That is not too bad. Are you still on good terms with Baekhyun?”

She nodded slowly. “I think so. But I do not think he will divulge me with much information.”

“Then, our connections to the other kingdoms should be good enough… ”

“What if they present very solid evidence?” Soojin asked. The King had to be confident for a reason.

“We still have a few days, if your father is in terrible condition. That will be enough time to think of something. Right now, we have to eliminate all possible evidence, starting with Advisor Lee. I will see to it.”

A shiver ran down her spine. This sort of thing was something King Oh would do, and to see her mother do the same thing was unnerving. Come to think of it, Soojin was not close to any of her family members, save for a few childhood memories with her siblings. Most of her company was the royal staff tending to her. If her mother managed to hide this side of her behind a pliant and gentle front, she wondered what else she did not know about her own family.

A few raps on the door interrupted their conversation. A guard spoke from behind the door. “The King and Queen of the Kingdom of Seoul have arrived.”

“Let us go greet your sister.” Queen Oh smoothened out the skirts of her dress, morphing her face into one void of emotion. She motioned for Soojin to come along to greet the guests.

Her eldest sister moved