Jinki pretended to be asleep while breathing deeply as he struggled to loosen his bonds. These men had tied the knots so tightly that no matter how hard he tried, the bonds didn't move even an inch. It had only been hours but Jinki was already beginning to feel rather exhausted. They were obliged to feed him, so at that time, he felt he had a chance to escape. As he glared at his captors' backs, Jinki sensed a movement outside the window. Stretching his neck as much as possible, he was startled when he saw someone with tousled blonde hair looking through the window. He knew that face, but Jinki had no idea how Jonghyun had figured out where he was. Was he dreaming? Was this just his delusion?

As he peered through the window to determine if this was the right location, Jonghyun saw his Jinki gagged and bound. Furious and not even caring how many men were the culprits, Jonghyun unsheathed his sword and kicked down the door. The two men jumped and backed away towards the wall, their eyes wary.

"Get out. Now. Before I run my sword through you vermin"

Wide-eyed, they took Jonghyun's advice and hightailed it out of there. Sheathing his sword, Jonghyun ran to Jinki and removed his bonds.

Jinki felt a surge of love for his husband who had single-handedly scared away his captors. Almost unconsciously, as soon as he was untied, Jinki leaned forward and grabbed Jonghyun's waist, burying his face in Jonghyun's chest.

”Jonghyun, you came”

"Of course I did"

"I thought you'd hate me because of the way I treated you"

"I can never hate you, my prince"

Jonghyun thought he saw a different expression on Jinki’s tired face but chose to ignore it as he helped him to his feet. Wrapping an arm around Jinki’s waist as he swayed, Jonghyun lifted Jinki to the saddle and held the reins in his hand as he walked. They were hailed by his vassals as they approached the castle, and ushered inside by a joyous Taemin who immediately took Jinki inside to attend to him.

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"My Lord, I'm so glad you're back. My master was so worried about you"

For some reason, Jinki felt his heart getting warmed by those words. Jonghyun had worried about him.

"Jonghyun...worried?"

"Oh yes, my Lord. My master didn't want to wait for the army in case they cost him time"

He had to tell Jonghyun his secret first and let him determine if he wanted an annulment from their marriage, which hadn't yet been consummated. Not wanting to do it in the castle, Jinki felt that the inn where there'd stopped the first time may be a better place for them to speak, undisturbed. Striding towards Jonghyun's chamber, Jinki knocked softly,

"My husband, may we dine together?"

The pleasantly surprised Jonghyun almost bounded like a puppy in his haste to grant the request of his handsome husband. As he watched Jinki saddle the two horses, Jonghyun understood the need for privacy. As someone who had just been abducted, it was obvious that Jinki didn't want to spend any more time at his castle. Expecting to dine at Prince Jinki's castle, Jonghyun bade the lad to stay back and take care of affairs till he returned. It was about time he told Jinki of the truth about Taemin as well. Since the horses had been fed and watered, they galloped rather than trotted, which reduced their journey to an hour. As Jinki slowed his horse to take the road towards the inn, Jonghyun did the same.

"There is something I wish to tell you"

"Let's talk after we dine"

This arrangement definitely suited Jonghyun who had no idea of how Jinki would react when he heard that Taemin was royal. There was a high possibility of Jinki demanding that Taemin never be told of the truth. As they sat at the banquet table and ravenously tucked into the delicious food and mead, they heard the sounds of glass breaking, and the innkeeper's wife screaming in fear. Jonghyun took a quick glance at his husband, who had unsheathed his sword, and did the same. All he'd heard was that Prince Jinki hadn't had much experience or training in the skill of fighting, and so knew that he would protect his husband and not let even one person reach him. This time, judging by their clothes and mannerisms, it was obvious that the intruders were highway robbers, who were going to be taught the hardest lesson of their lives. As the swords clanged together, Jonghyun looked at Jinki from the corner of his eye. Jinki, who was fighting with both, skill and finesse. There was something very odd about his style of fighting, as it was something Jonghyun was sure he had seen before. Between the two of them, they routed away all of the robbers and sat back down to finish their meal. Jonghyun couldn't help but try to remember where he had seen this distinct style of fighting when it hit him.

Jinki noticed the change of expressions on Jonghyun's face, which had now become schooled into a mask of feigned calmness, which he most certainly couldn't interpret. Taking a final swig of his jug of mead for courage, Jinki stood up and bade Jonghyun join him in their chamber. As Jonghyun closed the door behind him, Jinki felt a sudden stab of fear, looking at his husband's face. He had never seen this grim expression, and for a minute, didn't want to tell him the truth.

"Jonghyun, I...I need to tell you something"

"I already know. What I want to know is why you did it. Did you think I'm such a fool not to notice?"

"Jonghyun...I"

"Silence. A bandit like you shouldn't be allowed to speak in my presence. Get out and leave me be"

With a sound that seemed suspiciously like a sob, Jonghyun sank into one of the chairs provided and held his head, scaring Jinki immensely.

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Jonghyun just felt so betrayed that he couldn't control the pain and anger that had reached his surface. Why would Jinki, the richest prince in the land, turn to steal from those like him who had to fight to save his people from starvation? He could never forgive this, no matter what explanation he received.