After a month of endless riots by the people, the King and the Court can no longer stand by without meeting the demands of the people. A decision is eventually made about reopening Minister Jun's treason case fifteen years ago. Within a few months of the investigation, Jungho came forward to provide an extremely detailed witness account of State Councillor Park, Minister Park and Minister Kim's crimes. Even though he would eventually be arrested along with them, Jungho is happy with the outcome of the investigation. Finally, justice is served for Minister Jun as well as his whole family. 

As soon as Jungho's account of the events related to the case was given to the authorities, the King ordered a full investigation into State Councillor Park, Minister Park and Minister Kim and their families. The scale of the investigation is large enough to scare bystanders and anyone involved in the matter alike. With the King's strict instructions for interrogation, other witnesses from fifteen years ago also came forward about the case. Eventually, enough evidence is gathered about State Councillor Park, Minister Park and Minister Kim's crimes, and with extreme pressure from the people, even their status and influence in the Royal Court cannot save them. 

After the investigation ended and State Councillor Park, Minister Park and Minister Kim were convicted, they were sent to exile in Jeju Island, where they would be working in a labour camp as prisoners. Jungho was also sent to exile in Jeju, but he would never make it to the labour camp. Jungho was assassinated on his way to the island. As reported back to the King, he was tortured before being killed, which seems like a crime committed out of revenge. But the Court did not have the time and resources to investigate the death of a convicted prisoner. Jungho also did not have any family or friends left to pressure the authorities into opening an investigation, so the case remained unsolved. 

The Yangjae bandits were convicted on multiple accounts of murder, robberies, and assault on a member of the Royal Family. The head of the gang, along with its essential members, were executed immediately after being convicted. The rest of the servants and other non-essential members who did not take part in the murders and robberies were spared their lives and sent to noble families to be slaves. This put an end to a gang of bandits that terrorised a whole region for a long period of time, which brings peace to both the authorities and the people around Yangjae.

Park Bin and Jang Sugui were convicted of colluding with the Yangjae bandits, benefiting from their crimes, and planning an attack on another member of the Royal Family. They were both stripped of their titles and sent to live in the Cold Palace for the rest of their lives. The Cold Palace is a place for royal spouses and concubines who fall out of grace with the King or who commit a serious crime in the Palace, so those who live there are either mentally unstable or dangerous. Jang Sugui committed suicide a few months after coming to the Cold Palace, allegedly due to the guilt, the shame and the stress which arise out of being sent to the Cold Palace. Although Park Bin was never heard from again, security guards in the Cold Palace often shared stories of hearing weeping at night or screaming of an insane person ever since the two concubines were sent there. Undoubtedly, the Cold Palace was far from the extravagant lifestyle that Park Bin was accustomed to, being born into a noble family and living in the Royal Palace throughout her whole adulthood, so for her, living there must be the closest definition of what Hell is.

Six months after the beginning of the investigation, Minister Jun's case can finally come to an end. One day, Kyuhyun returns to his parents' graves in the forest near Seowangmyeong. Upon his arrival, he is surprised to see three freshly picked purple flowers, placed neatly on the three Graves. He immediately knows that Sungmin has been here.

"Abeonim, eomeonim, I'm back." Kyuhyun kneels down before his parents' graves. "I can finally bring justice to your name."

Which is something that he had sworn to do since he was five years old. Something that he had decided to do due to a promise to someone.

"But you're not here anymore." He continues. "You can never come back to me. No matter what I do."

Neither can the person whom he made the promise to, for he has left him for a greater purpose. And even though he could not have cleared his parents' name without that person leaving him and joining the enemy, it still hurts. And his parents who are gone can never come back to life again. As he looks around himself, he is still surrounded by the loneliness and the darkness which he has been left in ever since that night fifteen years ago.

Kyuhyun then turns to look at Jun Taekyung's grave. The headstone is slightly smaller than his parents' headstones, but is just as covered in dust and spider webs. Kyuhyun carefully cleans off the dust and the spider webs. His heart suddenly becomes heavier.

"Abeonim, eomeonim, I could come back to being Jun Taekyung now. I can finally stop hiding and running." Kyuhyun whispers as lowly as he could, as if for himself to hear. "But then I thought, Jun Taekyung is dead. He has been dead for fifteen years. He died along with you on that dark and gloomy night fifteen years ago. The person that I am now is no longer that innocent boy who used to be a happy and mischievous young master that terrorised all the servants but was still his parents' little boy. That little boy is long gone, and just like you, he can never come back again. So how can I ever be Jun Taekyung again?"

As he whispers the words to himself, he recalls a memory from the past. At the time, he was only around five years old, but all the servants in the Jun residence had a nickname for him: The Master of Evil. He was the most playful young master that anyone had ever seen and served. On his study session, he would sneak out to play with a few of the servants' kids. He dragged them to the mountains, the forest, the river, the lake, or anywhere that he wanted to explore. But during his sleep time, he would bring out books to read and practise martial arts. That was why despite his distractions outside the walls of the Jun residence, Kyuhyun still excelled at his studies. Even though he was constantly punished by his parents for sneaking out of the residence and skipping study sessions, they knew that nothing could keep inside the walls of their home forever, and so they were never too worried.

Kyuhyun nostalgically smiles at the piece of memory he recalls in his mind, but realizes a tear has suddenly rolled down his face without his notice. How can he deserve to call himself by that little boy's name now, when he is no longer anything like him? It would be an outrage and a disgrace to Jun Taekyung's name. Jun Taekyung should forever be remembered as that innocent little boy with a tremendous thirst for knowledge and exploration, not as the dark and twisted man with a heart filled with rage and the lust for revenge. 

Kyuhyun stays beside the three graves until there is no longer any light in the sky, until all the birds have ceased singing and come back to their nests for the night. Only then does he stand up and gets ready to leave. Before he leaves, he reaches out to touch one of the purple flowers, which spreads its sweet scent in the air. A few dews still left inside the flower feels cool and playful in his hand. He gives them a soft smile. 

"Nice flowers, Sungmin." He whispers to himself as he turns around to leave. A spring breeze slightly blows through a few leaves, making a rustling sound. Kyuhyun's dark and tall figure is slowly swallowed by the trees and leaves and darkness of the forest until once again, the silence is returned to the graves. 

********

Back in the Palace, on the other hand, it seems like this is only the beginning of chaos. 

After the investigation, there was no evidence of the Queen's involvement in State Councillor Park' crimes, as well as in Park Bin and Jang Sugui's attack against Sungmin, so she was not convicted of any crimes. There was no evidence that she even had any knowledge of her father and cousin's crimes altogether. However, as the law in Joseon stated, a person's crime is considered their whole family's crime. This is the reason why the whole Jun family and servants were executed alongside Minister Jun fifteen years ago. But this time, the King has spared the Queen her life and her title, considering the years she has served the King and the future of the Crown Prince. The Prince is still young and needed the care and guidance of a mother. Besides, it would not look good for the Royal Family to have a King in the future whose mother was deposed.

Today, the Queen invited Sungmin to her Palace for a morning tea. The morning greeting with the Queen has long been cancelled. The Queen can no longer leave her Palace. For the rest of her life, she can only have visitors from inside the Palace, but she can no longer go outside of her residence to other palaces. As Sungmin walks to the Queen's residence, he could not help but feel sympathy for her. He is, after all, responsible for everything that has happened to her. She had never done anything wrong in her life. She was a great Queen and mother to the Crown Prince. She has always been kind to Sungmin ever since he entered the Palace. But what does she get in return? A broken family. A ruined reputation. And now, stripped of her freedom and responsibilities as a Queen.

It takes Sungmin exactly fifteen minutes to get to the Queen's Palace. The gate to the Palace seems more gloomy than usual. Normally, the Queen's residence is always the most lively place in the whole Palace, filled with other concubines and children visiting the Queen and holding small parties. But today, the large residence seems like an abandoned place. From time to time, Sungmin can hear the sound of someone sweeping in the yard, but gone are the lively chatter, laughter, the hurried footsteps of the servants and the commanding voice of the Head Court Ladies. 

As Sungmin steps inside the Palace, his heart sinks even lower than before. The front yard of the Palace looks like a desolate place. All the colourful flowers and the glamorous decorations have been removed. The main building stands alone among the massive yard, which emphasizes its desolation and isolation. When Sungmin walks inside, a few servants sweeping the yard looks up at him, then immediately turn away. Even they seem more gloomy and frustrated with the current situation.

Sungmin takes a deep breath, then enters the main hall. Inside, the Queen is already sitting in her usual seat waiting for him. Hearing his footsteps, the Queen looks up at him. Her eyes are red and puffy as if she had been up all night and crying all day. After only a few months, it seems like all this chaos has added ten years to her age. Sungmin sits down on a seat in front of her, but after a moment, decides to kneel down before her.

"Wangbi mama, please forgive me," Sungmin says as he bows before the Queen.

The Queen does not reply to him. She merely stares at him for a long while, as Sungmin guesses, either out of confusion or contempt for him.

After what seems like forever, Sungmin finally hears the Queen's dry and indifferent voice.

"Why are you sorry?"

"Mama," for some reason, Sungmin hears his voice getting dryer, "I know you and the Crown Prince have been collateral damage in this whole mess. I never meant for you to get dragged into this."

"Didn't you say that you don't regret doing any of this? That you would do this all over again if you had to? That this had to happen in order for justice to be restored? Then, by that logic, you are not sorry." The Queen's voice is cold and every single word is targeted towards Sungmin. Sungmin raises his head to look at her, but still, could not manage to meet her eyes.

"Mama..."

"Lee Sungmin," she interrupts him before he could finish, "today I called you here just to ask you one question. Just one simple question and you are free to leave."

Sungmin's heart feels like it has stopped at the suspense of the situation.

"Why?" After a while, the Queen can finally voice her question. "Why did you have to do this? Why did you have to stir everything up and ruin everything? Do you want my place beside the King?"

"Mama!" Sungmin immediately bows his head to the ground. "I would not dare to. I have never wanted to replace you, mama! You are a great Queen, and you always take care of the concubines. No one could do it better than you." Then after a pause, Sungmin continues. "But this is not personal to me or you, mama. This is about justice for Minister Jun and his whole family, and we are merely people that have been dragged into this. Sooner or later, the truth would come out one day, with or without my interference. It was only by chance that I came across the man involved in the case fifteen years ago, and was informed of the whole truth."

As Sungmin looks up to see the Queen, she gives him another glare. This is far from the mild-mannered and kind woman that he has always remembered her to be. Sungmin lets out a sigh. Life always has a way of taking away people's innocence and kindness. Even the most kind-hearted and gentle person can turn into a bitter and indifferent one overnight, much less after a tragedy like what the Queen has endured.

"Lee Sungmin, are you only pretending to be naive, or are you genuinely this naive?" After a while, she finally speaks up again. Caught off guard by these words, Sungmin could not think of anything to say at the moment.

"Lee Sungmin, you said this is not personal? You are wrong. If there's anything that I need to say today, it's this: Everything is personal, and everything is connected. Today, you ruined my whole family, then tomorrow, I shall ruin everything, everyone you love and hold dear. Mark my words. I never make empty promises."

As soon as the words are spoken, the Queen gets up and leaves the room without even a last look at Sungmin. Sungmin could only stare at her crooked shadow until it disappears out the door. Deep inside his heart, he knows that this would only be the beginning of an upcoming storm.