Taeyeon closed her eyes, exhaling deeply, feeling all the weight she was having for the past few days to lift off from her shoulders. Even though it wasn’t her doing, being so close to Master Kim made Taeyeon feel a little responsible for what he might have done when he was alive. To finally know that he didn’t do what she thought he did, Taeyeon felt so much lighter and relieved.

Miyoung was sitting beside her bed, listening to what Taeyeon was saying. Even though she was close to her bed, Taeyeon felt Miyoung was distant at the same time. Especially her fingers, which Taeyeon wanted them to be her hair, but they were actually collected above Miyoung’s own knees.

“Master Kim… killed King Jaeyong?” Miyoung seemed perplexed with that information.

“It’s what Nam Yong-Su told us. Master Kim was the one giving the killing blow to King Jaeyong on his final day.” Taeyeon said, recalling the events to Miyoung just beside her.

“Wasn’t Master Kim a knight or something?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know if he received the title of Knight Commander before or after he slayed the fallen king.”

“Still… That’s… insane. A knight slaying off his king? Isn’t that an act of betrayal and dishonour?”

Taeyeon just shrugged her shoulders, not really caring for it. “By the time Master Kim killed the fallen king, Jaeyong wasn’t the king anymore. So I don’t think this honour code had any validation.”

“But King Jaeyong being innocent in the whole ordeal… then… that means Master Kim killed the one true king of Joseon. The one he was supposed to protect and serve his knighthood...”

“But he did not know that. So you can’t really blame him for that.”

Miyoung blinked, frowning, looking back at Taeyeon. “You don’t care?”

“About what?”

“That your Master Kim slayed King Jaeyong?”

Taeyeon looked at the ceiling. “King Jaeyong was a grown-up man. He had ways to protect himself, guards and men who could fight for him. Guilty or not, the act of killing King Jaeyong isn’t that shameful. Considering that most people back in that time believed he was indeed guilty of the invasion and the Japanese Occupation, I can’t really blame Master Kim for that.” She started saying, trying to explain her reasoning. “That is not the same for his children. Especially if they had been disguised as common borns and had to be split apart throughout Joseon in order to survive. His children had no fault in the events that happened, and being young as they were, they shouldn’t pay for his crimes. They couldn’t defend themselves, they couldn’t fight for their lives. Hell, the youngest one was two years old! Could she even speak? So how could it be acceptable to slay a child as young as a baby? That’s just absurd…”

Miyoung nodded, seemingly understanding her point of view. “I see…”

“I’m fine with whatever Master Kim did with King Jaeyong. It’s when you go to kill off innocent children that you lose me. I can’t accept that. I couldn’t really forgive him if he had done it.”

“So you forgave him?”

“For killing King Jaeyong? Damn sure I did! Taeyeon said without any troubles. “I don’t really care for that !”

Miyoung nodded her head once again. “You sure have a different approach in all of this.”

Taeyeon looked at her. “Do I?”

“For most people, especially for High Scholars and Maesters and men from the Military, killing off the King you’re supposed to serve is a much more cowardly act than killing children. So it’s kinda funny that you think the other way around.”

“I’m a bastard child.” Taeyeon said, lowly. “And I would hate to pay for the sins and crimes that my father committed. Have you ever imagined if my real father was a thief or betrayer of our land and brothers? Should I pay for those mistakes as if they were on my own? Even if I had never met him and grew up all alone in the brothel house? Wouldn't it be really fair, would it?”

“No.” Miyoung agreed.

“I think it’s the same for Jaeyong’s children. Whatever their father did, they weren’t at fault. Especially the really young ones. So, killing them off when they couldn’t even understand what the hell was going on is so low and disgusting.” She looked at the ceiling again. “I can’t believe there were men who followed those orders just blindly without any sort of self-consciousness.”

“Yeah, military hierarchy is indeed something…” Miyoung sighed. “So...after Master Kim slayed the king, he never went back to Hanyang?”

“Seems like it. I think he might have felt guilty for killing King Jaeyong and didn’t even bother with the court anymore. And decided to retire from the Army and live in Ironstow.”

“But if had retired from the Army, and didn’t bother with the task of searching for the children of King Jaeyong’s… then what was he doing in Jeolla’s Province?”

“Starting a new life.” Taeyeon answered, confident of that answer. “Starting a new life somewhere really far away from Hanyang.”

“I see...” Miyoung hummed. “Do you think he knew about this rumour?”

“No.” Taeyeon said, shaking her head. “Officer Yong-Su said the military never knew his Queen Consort might have been pregnant so I don’t think Master Kim knew that either. I think the rumour began to spread sometime later everything happened. If Master Kim never bothered with anything military again, that rumour wouldn’t really reach him.”

Miyoung turned her head a little to the side, not really convinced.

“You think he knew about that?” Taeyeon asked, curious.

Miyoung blinked. “I don’t know. I mean… Seems odd for a high ranked member of the military such as Master Kim to not know about that, don’t you think so?”

“He might have thought it wasn’t true.” Taeyeon reasoned.

“You don’t think it’s true?” She asked, interested. “The story about this lost prince?”

Taeyeon closed her eyes once again. “I don’t know. I don’t really care about that either.”

“You don’t?”

“Why should I?”

“Well, a new king brings a lot of changes to a nation. It’s the beginning of a new era. If this boy retakes the throne everything could change...”

“For highborns? Sure! However, I really doubt whoever this dude is will bring any changes to bastard born or common people.” She spoke, matter-of-factly. “He's being raised by his own mother, the ing Queen, for God’s Sake! Do you really think he will care about the lives of common and low-born people?” Taeyeon asked her, shaking off her head in denial. “That’s just nonsense! That won’t really affect me whatsoever so there is no need to waste energy minding that stuff.”

Taeyeon felt Miyoung gazing at her with profound attention. So much so that it started to bother her a little bit. Taeyeon opened her eyes and looked at Miyoung. “Something wrong?”

She stood silent, thinking about something Taeyeon couldn’t really tell.

“What if... he isn’t being raised by his mother, the Queen?”

Taeyeon blinked obliviously.

“What if... he’s being raised amongst common and low born people?”

Taeyeon thought that was really hard to believe.

“What if he is a really good man with a deep sense of duty and honour?”

Taeyeon scoffed, dismissing it. “That’s just nonsense! A highborn wouldn’t be like that... The moment this boy realizes he is a prince, he will feel entitled and have his head far up on his !”

Miyoung blinked. Her eyes looked away for an instant.

“You think it’s true?” Taeyeon asked her, curiously.

Miyoung gulped, still in deep thoughts. Took her a couple of seconds to answer. “Would I be crazy...if I say yes… wholeheartedly?”

Taeyeon chuckled. “Are you sure that isn't just a wishful dream?”

“What?”

“This lost prince might change things for you and your class. Isn’t that why you’re so keen to believe it? The dream of a new hope?”

“No.” Miyoung answered, collected. “I really believe it’s true.”

“So you will support the rebellion?” She asked, interested.

“The rebellion?”

“Of those family clans from Andong City that Officer Kim mentioned…”

“Oh, I don’t really care for that!” Miyoung said firmly, shaking her head. “I just wanna retake Rosegarden.”

“What if they ask Hwang’s Province for support in their cause? Wouldn’t you support them?”

“I will support you.”

Taeyeon raised her eyes to the lady at her side. “Me?”

“You.” She confirmed. “There’s no one else to support in this case other than you, Taeyeon.”

Taeyeon felt her heart skip a beat, feeling like that had a deeper meaning. She was sure that Lady Miyoung wanted to mean something else with that, but Taeyeon couldn’t manage to grasp what it could be.

When their eyes met, Taeyeon felt a little warm inside. There was a second there where Taeyeon felt like she wanted to kiss Lady Miyoung, a fuzzy feeling running from her chest till the tip of the fingers.

When a sudden knock on the door was heard from the outside, Taeyeon took the opportunity to not relive the feelings she was having, allowing the person to enter. Officer Kim slid the door sideways, walking inside, the blue feathers located on either side of his hat grazing the top frame of the door.

“I was looking for you, kid…”

“Yeah?”

“You alright? You left the gisaeng house so suddenly, caught us off guard…” He said, concerned.

Taeyeon smiled. “I’m fine. Thanks, Officer Kim.”

“Are you sure you're alright?”

“Yeah!”

“Nam Yong-Su was left confused after you left the place. He also met Knight Commander Kim Minseok when he was alive, so he was very interested in knowing more about you, given that he never knew Kim Minseok had another child.”

“I see…”

“He will probably bug your feet about it, if you’re not careful enough.”

Taeyeon chuckled. “I’ll talk to him about it. Don’t worry. I just needed some space to reorganize my thoughts and feelings.”

“You are like him.” Kim Mun-Sae said, suddenly. “Your father, the Knight Commander. You sound like him.” Taeyeon smiled.

“Thanks, Officer Kim. I’m very grateful to you.”

“Aye, you don’t need to be.” He said, gently.

“You helped in many ways, we wouldn’t be here without your help, so...Thank you.” He smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes ever so vividly. “Your friend also answered my questions… So I’m grateful for that too.”

“Good to know you’ve got your answers. I, on the other hand, got myself an awful lot of questions.” Taeyeon chuckled. “Anyway, I was told there are some ships on the way to Busan, scheduled to arrive next week. Not under the brink of the military however. So before I forget, I’m giving you this...”

The officer pulled a small parchment scroll from the insides of his robes and gave it to Taeyeon. She unrolled it and saw a text written in chinese. Taeyeon did not know how to read Chinese, so she didn’t know what it was about. At the foot of the letter, there was a red stamp mark, serving the scroll as an official document sealed by a member of the military. She gulped and pushed the matters to the side, only nodding her head, in a false pretense that she knew exactly what that gift was all about.

“If you show it to any ship you wanna board, they will grant you a place for you and your horse.”

Oh, that was nice. “Thank you, Officer Kim.”

“I will stay on this island for a couple of days more and then we’ll be returning to Gwangju. In case you need something else in the meantime, look for me, okay? Or Nam Yong-Su, he could help you as well.”

Taeyeon nodded. “Alright.”

“Excuse me, I’ll leave you to reorganize your thoughts and feelings.” He pulled the rim of his tall hat downwards. “Lady Miyoung…” He greeted her, bowing his head lightly to her. He then left the room, leaving Taeyeon and Miyoung by themselves once again.

“Do you think he knows about us?” Taeyeon asked her, a little afraid they could be giving too many hints.

“Us?” Miyoung looked at Taeyeon, and the way her dark eyes stared at her gave Taeyeon goosebumps. “There is no us, Taeyeon. Or did you forget your own words?”

Taeyeon gulped, the words she said days earlier, ghosting her whole being. “I don’t. I don’t feel the same way.”

Miyoung seemed to be bothered with something else as her chest started to rise at a faster pace. “Are you alright?” Taeyeon asked, frowning her brows as she noticed Miyoung’s confusion state.

Miyoung scoffed, looking away, standing up from her seat. “You’re unbelievable sometimes!” That didn’t sound like a compliment so Taeyeon dared to stay silent, not really saying anything. “Did you really feel the need to do that?” She asked, somewhat angrily towards Taeyeon.

“Do what?” Taeyeon was confused.

“You reject me in my own face and then you go looking for in a gisaeng house?”

Taeyeon blinked, taken aback by what she just heard. “What?”

“Couldn’t you have a little more decency inside of you?”

“Miyoung…”

“Your words were enough, Taeyeon! You really didn’t need to go that far to prove a point…”

“Miyoung...listen, whatever you’re thinking in your head, it didn’t happen!” Taeyeon rose up from her bed.

Miyoung scoffed, shaking her head sideways. “There’s always and gisaeng houses between us, innit?”

“Miyoung, it’s not what you think! Officer Kim made me go to the Gisaeng House! He took me to that place in order to meet his friend! That’s all!”

Miyoung shook her head once again, her eyes now looking downwards. “It doesn’t matter.” She said, turning her back to leave. “It doesn’t really matter…” Taeyeon felt her heart sunken in her chest. She quickly grabbed her hand before she could leave the room.

“Miyoung!” When Miyoung lowered her face and her hair covered her eyes, Taeyeon gulped, feeling a little guilty. “Miyoung....please. Don’t think this way about me…”

“What difference does it make, Taeyeon?” She asked, raising her eyes to Taeyeon’s. “Why do you even care what I think or feel about you?” She asked, a tad of anger in her voice.

Taeyeon didn’t answer, her innards twisting around. Miyoung dismissed her arm, her eyes shimmering with tears.

“Miyoung…”

Miyoung gulped and shook her head. “I’m fine...” She said, but Taeyeon wasn’t convinced. “I’m fine. I uh…. I just need some fresh air…” When the lady left the room, Taeyeon cussed lowly.

She sighed, feeling heavy on her shoulders. “Well, I guess she needs some time of her own…” Taeyeon spoke to herself.

~~*~~

Miyoung’s time of her own took more than what Taeyong was ever expecting. She couldn’t find Lady Miyoung throughout the whole day. And by the evening, Taeyeon was worried that Miyoung would treat her like that for the rest of their journey.

“I don’t. I don’t feel the same way.”

Should she apologize for that? Should she reveal to Lady Miyoung that it was a lie?

Taeyeon sighed, feeling the breeze of the cold wind hit her face. When she saw a man approaching her, Taeyeon turned her face and looked at him. He was somewhat familiar but Taeyeon couldn’t really tell who that man was. He was wearing a big straw hat, big enough to cover almost half of his face, his waist bearing a long sword and his dark green military hanbok made Taeyeon realize he wasn’t one of the soldiers from Officer Kim Mun-Sae.

“Can I help you?” Taeyeon asked, trying to be polite.

The man scoffed. “Do I look that different when properly wearing clothes?”

Taeyeon thought for a second. “Officer Nam Yong-Su?”

The man smiled, taking the seat at her side without even asking for it. “At least you remember my name. Not sure if those gisaengs could do the same...”

“They could.” Taeyeon said, her head in an affirmative. “You would be surprised by how much information and gisaeng girls can retain from a single client.”

The man chuckled, removing his straw hat and placing it on his lap. He didn’t seem to like his hair tied up all on his head as it was the custom of military men; as he had his hair all loose up to his shoulders. “You seem to know your and gisaengs.” He said, cheeky between his teeth. The bottle of soju he was carrying on his waistband made him look more like a drunk man than a military officer.

“I am very familiar with their practices.” Taeyeon answered, not wanting to reveal the real reason.

Yong-Su smiled. “A young boy is a young boy regardless of time, innit?”

Taeyeon didn’t make a move to answer that.

“What’s your name, son?”

“Kim Taeyeon.”

“Kim Taeyeon, son of Kim Minseok?” Taeyeon nodded. “I wish Mun-Sae had told me more about you, but that man is so boring, he doesn’t ev