Soojin awoke to a commotion from downstairs. She had a restless sleep, and almost thought that someone was trying to enter her room when she was being lulled into slumber. She clambered out of bed, shushing the guard that was stationed outside her room when he opened his mouth to speak.

The guard allowed her to walk down the stairs, where she heard an argument involving the Byuns and her parents. She remained hidden by the banister, straining her ears to listen.

“Why do you not believe me?” Baekhyun asked loudly. “Baekbeom hyung indeed attempted to poison Princess Soojin!”

“It could have been a mistake, dear. Perhaps the taste-tester made an accidental mistake,” Queen Byun said in an attempt to reason with her son.

“I can very well assume that he is also the one who put walnuts in our breakfast with the royal family of Daegu when he was in charge of the food! It is him! Please, do something about it.”

Baekbeom spoke. “Why on earth would I want to poison the Princess? What motive would I have?”

There was a silence. Soojin could only imagine the look on her friend’s face as he kept mum. He could not spill the beans unless he wanted to oust himself at the same time.

“Oh, I understand what is going on here. You are trying to frame me!” the older prince burst.

“What on earth?”

“Your Majesties, I have absolutely no motive to kill the princess, but perhaps Prince Baekhyun does. He has another lover,” he explained, stopping momentarily as everyone gasped. “He could be trying to kill her in order to escape this marriage.”

No, no, no! The only one wanting for the marriage to be called off was Soojin, and now Baekhyun was receiving all the blame for it. However, she did note that Baekbeom did not mention who his lover actually was, and she was thankful for that.

“Is this true, Baekhyun?” King Byun asked.

“Of course not! I have never had any intention to kill Princess Soojin. Ever.”

“Well then,” said King Oh after a terse silence. “There is no evidence that there is any foul play involved here. So if this is all there is, I am willing to consider this incident another accident. The Kingdom of Bucheon seems very… prone to accidents.”

The other king chuckled nervously. “Do not worry, my friend! I will have my Royal Guards run an investigation.”

“Very well. I do hope I am not going to be disappointed.”

“Of course not! Bucheon is a righteous kingdom and everything is usually under control. For now, let us enjoy breakfast in the dining hall. Where is King Park?”

Soojin heard them thanking each other, probably bowing, and she gripped the railing in panic. If they were to move towards the dining hall on the left, they would probably catch her listening to their conversation. She heard Baekbeom mention something about going upstairs first, which meant she could not retreat to her room. The only way to save herself was to go backwards as fast as she could.

She sprinted off in order to avoid them, and found herself standing in front of a huge door. There were no guards standing outside it, but she could hear footsteps nearing. Without a second thought, she entered the room, which turned out to be a mini library.

Closing the door, she spotted a figure standing by the windows. She realised who he was with a gasp, and quickly bowed. “Good morning, Your Majesty, King Park.”

“As to you, Princess. At ease.”

“I deeply apologise for the sudden intrusion, Your Majesty,” she said as he waved an easy hand. He did not seem to mind the fact that she was still in pyjamas.

“It is alright. I could hear them arguing, even from inside here. It was not very clear, but I caught your name a few times. You have a very protective father.”

She almost snorted as words escaped her. Lack of sleep must have made her careless. “Ah, yes. Protective. I am surprised myself.”

Before she could apologise for speaking out of line, and also speaking ill of her father, King Park spoke. “You should not doubt a father’s love. Perhaps he has a different way of showing it. I should know, since I am a father myself.”

What did he even know about her father? Throughout her years, he had barely shown any affection, and even now, he was plotting to overthrow King Byun. All she could do was nod politely.

“I have children who I love very much, and I love my wife as well. They give me strength each day, and I am sure they feel the same way.”

By the way he was speaking, he gave off the impression of a very gentle sort of man. He was most likely not the reason Chanyeol had left home. Could it be his wife? “Frankly speaking, Your Majesty, I never expected you to go dragon hunting with your gentle and righteous nature.”

“Something just… drew me to it.”

“Was it Chanyeol?”

Soojin clapped her hands against right after the words escaped her. She did not expect to say that at all! The king flinched, mouth twisting in such a way that amplified his disbelief.

He was almost frozen. “I have not mentioned this name to anyone outside of Busan in years. I-”

She pulled herself into the deepest bow she could muster. “Good day, Your Majesty. I am afraid I have to prepare myself for breakfast before my family goes searching for me. Good day.”

Despite the impertinence, she exited the room immediately, sprinting up the stairs in record time. If Chanyeol wanted to go home, it would be on his own accord. He was a grown man, and he definitely did not need her meddling in his family life. Speaking of him, where was he? Did he manage to get the remaining journals with Kyungsoo?

There was no time to worry about him. Soojin had to go back to her chambers before anyone realised that she was missing. The guard from earlier was still there outside her room, nodding slightly at her when she walked past him.

Her chambers were just as how it was left. Breathing a sigh of relief, she flopped back into bed. She was not particularly hungry, nor was she too keen on seeing anyone at the dining hall. The Byun family would be quite awkward to be around, her father would give her chills, and King Park might ask some uncomfortable questions. She decided to close her eyes in an attempt to get some actual rest.

She managed a full fifteen minutes in bed before reluctantly getting up to prepare herself for the day. Purposely taking her time, she made her way to an empty dining hall. There was hardly any staff around as well, most of them probably taking time off after the grand banquet from the previous day.

Wondering if Chanyeol was down in the hidden kitchen chambers, she made her way down there easily due to the lack of staff around. King Byun was really a lenient ruler. He was not there, but before she could leave the empty chambers, someone’s voice made her stop in her tracks.

She strained her ears to listen as her father spoke from outside. “I must say, you took a calculated risk, and now things are turning out in our favour. When the people of Bucheon hear that their future king is a heartless killer, they will not stand for it.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. They would support a virtuous and powerful leader such as yourself,” said a new voice. Soojin held back a gasp as she realised that it was Advisor Lee.

“How did you manage to convince him to supervise breakfast that day? And also, to bring her the soup last night?”

“He trusts me fully,” he answered. Soojin could imagine the smirk on his face. “Although, now there is an unexpected turnout. The younger prince is rousing suspicion as well.”

“It does not matter. As long as my daughter is made the victim, the subjects will lose faith in their rulers. And once King Byun is out of the picture, things will go smoothly.”

Soojin leaned backwards in shock, making the door rattle. The two men paused their conversation as she held her breath. What would they do if they found her in here? As part of the Ohs, her father would most likely let her go, but after listening to their conversation, she was not so sure whether to trust him with her safety or not.

“Who goes there?” Advisor Lee called out, footsteps getting louder by the second.

After a moment or two, the two men left, muttering about how most of the staff were not in the kitchens anyway. She could finally seethe properly; her own father would jeopardise her safety in order to secure his own power! She had listened enough to put two and two together.

Thinking that it was safe, she exited the chambers and padded out of the kitchens slowly. Suddenly, she was stopped by someone pushing her onto the wall by the arm.

“I know you heard us, Your Highness.” Advisor Lee’s snake-like eyes scanned her trembling figure as he spoke. “Though your father does not, I will be making sure you do not get in the way of his plans. Judging by the look on your face, it seems that you are not in support of your family and kingdom?”

“What are you talking about? Release me at once!” she commanded, trying her best to look dignified.

“There is no use for acting now,” he sneered. “I could hear you, and so happens that you were the one to exit the kitchens right after us when the castle is practically empty.”

“Why are you doing this? Why are you working for my father?”

“Correction. I am not working for anyone. I am working for gold and land. And if anybody gets in the way of that, they get killed. I am sure your father would not mind too much if he lost a daughter. You know what they say; lose a battle, but win the war.”

“You are despicable!”

“And you are not? Your Highness, you are not even intending to side your kingdom.”

He let go of her arm and she slumped against the wall. Leaving as suddenly as he came, she was left to ponder over what had just conspired. Minutes ago, she found out that her father wa