“My sister, the empress, is dead.” 

The words seemed to hang in midair before turning into a weight that slammed into Jinyoung and froze him in place. His heart pounded loudly in his chest, the words seeming to echo and ring repeatedly in his ears as he struggled to take in what Eunseong had just said. Slowly, Jinyoung reached out and grabbed Eunseong’s collar with trembling hands.

“Say that again?” He demanded, “What was that?” Eunseong swallowed hard and let out a shaking breath.

“Soyoung is dead.” He repeated, “What I feared came true. The poison was too much for her.” Jinyoung shook his head.

“Impossible.” He insisted, “That’s impossible! Isn’t Soyoung immune to poison? How could she fall to poison of all things?” Eunseong seemed to be fighting back tears as he closed his eyes and turned away from Jinyoung.

“Answer me, Jang Eunseong!” Jinyoung shouted, “Answer me! Tell me that you’re lying!” Eunseong grabbed Jinyoung’s arm and dragged him further into the room before throwing him to the floor.

“Take a look for yourself!” He answered sharply, “And see if I am lying!” Jinyoung slowly picked himself up from the floor and found that Eunseong had thrown him down next to Soyoung. The empress was lying completely still on the bed, her eyes closed. Slowly, Jinyoung reached out to his wife and touched her face.

“Soyoung.” He whispered, “Soyoung, look at me, please.” The empress gave him no response even as Jinyoung repeated his plea, her eyes closed in eternal slumber. Jinyoung shook his head as tears began to fill his eyes even as he tried to deny the truth in front of him.

“Eunseong!” Jinyoung crawled over to the Grand Prince and grabbed his hands, “Please wake up your sister! Please! Her skin is still warm! She can’t be dead yet! Aren’t you the best physician in the entire empire? There must be something you can do!” Eunseong trembled as Jinyoung repeated his pleas.

“I’m sorry, Brother in law.” He finally answered, “Even the heavens can’t change what has already happened.” 

“Why are you so insistent on saying she’s dead?” Jinyoung demanded, “Have you checked everything already? It’s not possible! She is the warrior empress, the one who reigned over the battlefield and emerged from one of the bloodiest rebellions to take the throne! She can’t die just like that!” Eunseong finally seemed to snap, and he grabbed Jinyoung by the collar with a rough shake. 

“Wake up, Park Jinyoung!” He shouted, “My sister has already been taken away by the messengers of the afterlife! There is nothing that I can do to change that, nor will your continued denial make a difference! Can’t you see that?” Tears flowed down Jinyoung’s cheeks as Eunseong’s firm words sunk in, and he felt his limbs grow weak as he collapsed to the floor next to Soyoung’s body. A sob broke free from his chest as he reached out to touch Soyoung’s face again.

“You liar.” He whimpered, “You said we’d spend the rest of our days together. You are such a liar!” Jinyoung collapsed into a sobbing heap on the ground as the truth finally took hold, and all that could be heard from outside was the young prince’s anguished scream.

“Soyoung!!!”

___________________________________________________________________________

Jinyoung wasn’t sure how long he lay curled up in a sobbing ball on the floor, but before long, Eunseong and some maids shook him gently and told him they had to take Soyoung’s body away for cremation. Jinyoung had fought to keep them away from his wife, but to no avail. It was the rule, they had explained, for someone who had died from poison. Even the empress was no exception to it.

Jinyoung was left in the room by himself, and after a bit, he crawled to one corner of the room and folded himself into a ball, his arms wrapped tightly around himself. If he closed his eyes for a little while, just a little while, perhaps he would hear the sound of light footsteps, followed by the sound of Soyoung’s amused laughter as she gave him a gentle shake and woke him up as she always did when he fell asleep in the library. 

But this time, even as the morning sun moved across the sky, and turned into the golden rays of dusk and finally night, Soyoung’s voice didn’t come. 

Soyoung…oh Soyoung…

If I had known you’d leave so soon, I wouldn’t have been so stubborn with you in the beginning.

If I’d known, I’d given you just one more hug, just one more kiss before I left the room.

If I’d known, I would have held you tighter at night and told you that I loved you just a few more times.

After a full day of being alone, Jaebeom came and sat with Jinyoung for a while in an attempt to coax him out of his stupor and eat something. Jinyoung didn’t have much of an appetite, but he opened his mouth mechanically as Jaebeom lifted chopsticks to his mouth. One of the maids that had come with them from Khanbaliq had run away, Jaebeom told him, but several groups of soldiers had been dispatched to find her. In the meantime, the twins and Jinwoo were in the care of the Crown Princess and the royal nannies. Jaebeom’s children were in awe of the newborns, and their presence easily served to distract Jinwoo temporarily from his parents’ absence. Jaebeom also explained that the Physician Bureau had deduced how the poison had taken Soyoung’s life. Because it was a slow acting poison, it had likely been slowly added to her food for a while now, but the pregnancy and the changes it brought to Soyoung’s body had accelerated its effects, finally culminating in the events of that night. The maid that had run away was likely the main culprit who had not only added it to her food, but also the fetal nourishment medication slowly over the past few months. 

No matter what Jaebeom said though, Jinyoung sat mutely in the same position on the ground, his eyes fixed on a spot on the empty floor as if there was something there. Jaebeom tried to coax his brother into speaking for a little while longer before realizing that his younger brother was insistent on staying mute for the time being. The Crown Prince left after giving Jinyoung a gentle squeeze on the arm and telling him to call for him if he needed anything, and then Jinyoung was left in silence again. After a little while of sitting in silence, Jinyoung to his side and closed his eyes, hoping that blessed sleep would at least come and take him temporarily from the hell that he was living in at the moment. 

Soyoung…

Won’t you take me with you? 

____________________________________________________________________________

At the same time that Jinyoung was sitting in a complete daze the night after Soyoung’s death, a small figure was running headlong through the forest just outside the boundaries of the capital city. The petite figure was dressed in simple pink robes marking her status as a maid, her hair tied up in a plain unadorned braid that flapped in the wind as she ran. The girl’s chest heaved with exertion as she fled, a sign that she had been running for many hours. Behind her, the girl could see the lights coming from torches that had been lit by the soldiers that had been sent to search for her, the sound of hoofbeats coming ever closer. 

“Search carefully!” A voice barked, “No one is allowed to go back until we find that maid!”

“Yes Sir!” The soldiers shouted in reply, and the girl shuddered as she quickly picked up her footsteps and turned down a different side of the forest. In her mind, she could still hear the chaos that had reigned in the Goryeo palace just a few hours earlier, the sound of the Prince Consort screaming as he was told of the empress’ death. The empress’ beautiful face was still etched deeply in the girl’s memory, her elegant movements always capturing the maid’s attention whether she was writing or sparring. The girl squeezed her eyes shut in a failed attempt to block out the memories.

Please forgive me, Your Majesty! This servant will pay for my crimes in the next life! 

The girl’s footsteps skidded to a stop as she saw torches appear a short distance ahead of her, and she froze in a panic as she realized soldiers had arrived from the other direction as well. 

I’m trapped!

Suddenly, the maid was yanked from the side, and a hand clapped over as she let out a muffled scream. Within seconds she felt herself picked up and slung over someone’s shoulder like a bag of flour.

“Shut it, unless you want to die!” A male voice snapped, and the girl quickly clamped shut. The young maid was carried off for some distance before she and her captor arrived at a cave and she was dumped unceremoniously onto the ground. 

“Finding you sure is troublesome.” A male voice grumbled, and the maid looked up to see the face of her captor for the first time, “Stopping you from getting killed is even harder.” The girl’s jaw dropped as the moonlight illuminated the man’s face.

“You!” She gasped, “Lord Hyojun!” She clapped a hand over as the man glared at her.

Then, he laughed.

“A mere maid still remembers the face of the traitor of the empire?” Hyojun scoffed as he pulled the hood off his head, “That’s funny.” The maid peeled up hesitantly as she seemed to realize he wasn’t here to take her life. 

“Why did you take me here?” She asked hesitantly. Hyojun chuckled dryly.

“Yes, why did I bother?” He mused, “You killed the woman I loved and admired the most, and yet I haven’t taken your life yet.” The girl squeaked in surprise as Hyojun suddenly reached down and grabbed the girl by her collar.

“Listen, you brat.” He said coldly, “There are two groups of men looking for you right now, one from the Goryeo palace and one from the Grand Preceptor. If you fall into either group’s hands, you are finished. But if you tell me the truth, then I might keep you alive for a little while longer.” The girl trembled so hard she dropped the bundle in her hands, sending pieces of gold scattering over the ground in front of her. Hyojun scoffed as he watched her scramble to pick up the gold.

“You betrayed the empress for a few pieces of gold?” He scoffed, “How ridiculous.” The girl shook her head nervously.

“The Grand Preceptor…he said all I had to do was take the poison and put it into the empress’ medicine!” She said, “He said he’d give me money and let me live my life in peace! Why would he want to kill me?” Hyojun sighed.

“Naive, foolish girl.” He said, “Do you really think he’d let you walk out of the Goryeo palace alive after you’d stopped being useful?” The girl shrank back as Hyojun leaned close.

“Remember, the only type of person who can keep a secret is a dead one.” He warned, “That goes for you, and that went for me when I worked under Jang Jaewon. If you had fallen into the hands of his men today, you’d be dead by now.” The girl sank to the ground in fear, then looked up hesitantly as a thought came to mind.

“I thought the empress killed you.” She said in confusion, “Everyone in the palace said she killed you and threw your body off a cliff.” A dangerous glint came into Hyojun’s eyes, and the girl shrank back in fear. 

“And now you know something else you shouldn’t.” He said, his voice icy calm, “Now little girl, I’m going to ask you one more time. Are you going to talk or not?” 

____________________________________________________________________________

At the same time, a lone carriage rushed along a worn dirt path, the capital city of Goryeo quickly becoming a speck in the distance. 

“Hyah!” Han Yeojin’s voice rang sharply into the air as he slapped the reins on the horse, urging a pair of horses to continue rushing down the path.

“Yeojin, is this the fastest we can go?” Eunseong’s voice came from inside the carriage as he peeked out from behind the cloth curtain, “There isn’t a second to waste!” 

“Don’t you think I’m well aware of that?” Yeojin snapped as she turned her head quickly to glare at the prince, “This horse is already getting pushed to its limit! If we make it go any faster, we’re going to run out of horses before we meet up with Yi-en!” 

“We only have three days!” Eunseong insisted, but Yeojin paid him no heed this time. The Grand Prince sighed and ducked back into the carriage. His chest clenched worriedly as he looked down at the precious cargo that he was watching over inside the carriage.

“Sister, I hope you know what you’re doing.” He murmured as he ran a hand over his sister’s face, checking for any signs of abnormalities, “I can’t believe I went along with this.” His other hand clenched tightly around a precious box of medicine in his hand.

I can’t believe I agreed to this.

Eunseong felt a guilty twang in his chest as he thought back to Park Jinyoung’s horrified expression as Eunseong had told him of Soyoung’s demise just a few hours earlier. 

“I’m sorry, Brother in law.” He murmured, “This was all for the bigger picture. You’ll understand once everything works out.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Time seemed to pass in a blur for Jinyoung as he sat there silently on the floor of his room. He dimly seemed to notice the sun rising and falling, and could hear the sound of servants and soldiers passing by, but he didn’t even bother thinking of what day it was or how many hours had passed. He simply didn’t care enough to think about it. His family continued with their efforts to draw him out of his stupor, but the prince was unreceptive to it all. The only thing that could fix him seemed to be the one person who could no longer return.

Then, at last, one day, Jinyoung faintly picked up on the sound of tiny feet running along the wooden path outside his room. Hushed whispers sounded outside the door, and a few moments later, a familiar, high pitched voice rang out from outside. 

“Papa!” Jinyoung jolted slightly as the voice reached his ears, his eyes sluggishly lifting towards the wood and paper doors to the room. Just outside, he could make out the silhouette of a small, petite figure. 

“Papa!” The voice came again, and Jinyoung’s heart stirred as his foggy mind finally recognized who was calling out to him.

Jinwoo…?

“Papa!” The little boy’s voice grew increasingly anxious, its pitch growing higher as tears seemed to thicken his throat, “Papa, Papa! Papa, open! Please Papa!” The boy began to wail from outside the door, and Jinyoung’s body began to move on instinct. In seconds, he had dragged himself to the door, his fingers trembling as he pushed open the wooden frame for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Sunlight streamed into the room, almost blinding his eyes that had grown accustomed to the dim lighting inside the room. Slowly, Jinyoung made out the tiny prince standing in front of him, fat tears rolling down his round cheeks as he sobbed. Jinyoung swallowed hard as his chest tightened at the sight of his son’s tears, and silently he reached out and pulled the boy into his arms. 

“Shh.” He murmured softly, “Papa’s here. It’s okay, Jinwoo-yah.” The boy sobbed harder as he hugged Jinyoung tightly.

“Papa don’t want Jinwoo?” He hiccuped between sobs. 

“Of course not.” Jinyoung’s voice cracked from disuse, but he forced a small smile to his dry lips as he reached out to wipe Jinwoo’s tears, “Why would you think that?” 

“Papa never come to see Jinwoo or babies!” Jinwoo sobbed, “Mama didn’t come too! The maids said Papa don’t want Jinwoo anymore!” The boy began to wail again as he explained his misunderstanding, and Jinyoung felt his heart break as he hugged his son tightly again.

“No baby, of course not.” He murmured, “I’d never abandon you, or your siblings.” 

“Really?” Jinwoo sniffled, his tiny hands wrapping tighter around Jinyoung, “Mama too?” Jinyoung felt a lump rise in his throat, and for a long moment he struggled to find a way to answer his son’s question.

“Jinwoo-yah.” He finally said with another forced smile as he brushed away a few loose strands of hair from Jinwoo’s face, “Mama…Mama has to go on a trip somewhere. Somewhere very far away. That’s why she hasn’t been visiting you.” Jinwoo frowned in confusion.

“Then when Mama come back?” He queried curiously. Jinyoung felt tears fill his eyes, and he turned his head away quickly to brush at his face before facing his son again.

“Not for a long while, little one.” He said softly, “Not for a while.” Jinwoo tilted his head in confusion, not seeming to understand how his mother had gone on another trip away from him.

“Why Mama didn’t bring Jinwoo and Papa?” He finally asked. 

“Because…because it’s a place neither of us can go.” Jinyoung answered patiently, “Only Mama can go there.” 

“Will Mama bring me present?” Jinwoo asked, his eyes lighting up as he thought Jinyoung meant his mother had gone somewhere special. Jinyoung bit his lip, then nodded.

“Of course, little one.” He answered, “She’ll bring you a lot of presents. Because Mama loves Jinwoo just as much as Papa loves Jinwoo.” Jinwoo clapped his hands in delight, seeming to have been entirely distracted from his worries from just a few moments ago.

“Jinwoo love Papa!” He declared as he threw himself into Jinyoung’s arms again. Jinyoung ruffled Jinwoo’s hair and hugged him tighter.

“Papa loves you so, so much.” He murmured. Jinyoung felt bad about lying to his son, but there simply was no way to explain it to a three year old child. The only thing he could do was slowly let him realize the truth as he grew up. 

“Papa is itchy.” Jinwoo suddenly declared, patting Jinyoung’s face. Jinyoung chuckled as he realized that he couldn’t even remember when he had last shaved. Glancing briefly at the bowl of warm water a maid had left for him to wash his face, as Jaebeom had ordered them to do every day even though Jinyoung never touched it, Jinyoung was startled to see the reflection looking back at him. The person looking back at him in the water was grizzled and unkempt, hair falling half out of the bun it had originally been pulled into. Stubble lined his chin, and the person’s eyes were shadowed by dark circles indicative of a person who hadn’t slept properly for a long time. Jinyoung could only laugh dryly as he touched his face, and the reflection moved along with him. 

“What a mess.” He muttered, shaking his head, “What have I done to myself?”

“Papa stinky.” Jinwoo said frankly, wrinkling his nose. Jinyoung couldn’t help but chuckle at his son’s frank statement.

“Jinwoo, can you go and ask a maid to draw some bath water for me?” He asked, “Papa needs to clean up.” The little boy nodded and dashed off, and Jinyoung saw Jaebeom step out from around the corner.

“You brought him here, didn’t you?” He said, “Hyung.” Jaebeom smiled faintly.

“You saw through me.” The Crown Prince answered honestly as he approached his brother. Jaebeom reached out and clapped a hand gently on Jinyoung’s shoulder.

“I’m glad you’ve finally picked yourself up.” He said. Jinyoung smiled faintly and shook his head.

“No, hyung.” He answered, “It will be a long time before I’d say I’ve picked myself up. Without Soyoung here, there will always be an empty spot in my heart that I won’t be able to recover from. But seeing Jinwoo and hearing his cries, I remembered something.” Jinyoung sighed softly as he thought back on what Soyoung had said to him before he had closed the door that night. Even when her life had been on the line, two things had always been on her mind: the court, and their children. 

“Even if I can’t rule for her, if I fall here, then who would care for Jinwoo, Jihun, and Ji-hye?” He said softly, “They’ve already lost their mother. I can’t let them lose their father too.” Jaebeom squeezed Jinyoung’s arm gently.

“Let me know if you need help.” He said softly, “It won’t be easy to raise those three on your own.” Jinyoung smiled faintly and nodded.

“Thank you, hyung.”

____________________________________________________________________________

By the time Jinyoung drew himself out of his stupor, he realized that almost a month had gone by in a flash. The twins were already far more alert than the night he had given them to the Crown Princess, their tiny fists waving in the air and bright eyes flashing around the room curiously at everything around them. Despite his attempts to keep collected, Jinyoung couldn’t help but cry again as he held the twins in his arms. These two were the ones Soyoung had done everything to protect even at the cost of her own life, and Jinyoung swore to the heavens as he held the tiny babies to his chest that he would protect them and give all three children enough love for both parents. After visiting the children, Jinyoung began making plans to return to Khanbaliq. The decision was made to keep all three children in Goryeo for their safety while Jinyoung returned alone with the imperial guards. Jinyoung was sure that chaos waited for him at the palace, but he had promised Soyoung that if anything happened to her, he had to return to at least keep their side from falling into a complete disarray. As he gathered everything for their return, Jinyoung was informed that Eunseong had been missing since the night of Soyoung’s death, but Jinyoung didn’t pay it much attention. Eunseong was Soyoung’s twin brother; if she wasn’t there, it wasn’t surprising that he didn’t want to maintain the imperial lifestyle. 

Finally, the day came to make the trip back to Khanbaliq. The mood stood in stark contrast to the way it had been when the imperial caravan had set out from the imperial palace at the beginning of their trip. The air had been filled with excitement and anticipation, with the sounds of Jinwoo’s happy chatter and Soyoung’s stern but gentle voice. This time, the only sounds that could be heard were the thunks of luggage being loaded onto horse carriages and the low, hushed whispers of servants as they went about their work. Jinyoung felt a soft tug on his robes, and he looked down to see Jinwoo gazing up at him tearfully. 

“Papa, I don’t want to stay here.” He whined, “Take Jinwoo with you!” Jinyoung forced a smile to his face and crouched down to be eye level with his son.

“Jinwoo-yah.” He said gently as he caressed his son’s cheek, “Papa has some things to take care of at home. When it’s all done, I’ll come get you, okay?” 

“No!” Jinwoo clung to Jinyoung as if his life depended on it, his tiny hands even tighter around his robes as he flung himself into Jinyoung’s arms, “No no no! Papa don’t want Jinwoo again!” Jinyoung swallowed down tears as he patted his son on the back.

“No Jinwoo.” He answered gently, “Papa will come back for you, I promise. Stay with your Royal Uncle and Aunt for just a little while, alright? It won’t be for too long.” His attempts to coax his son only made Jinwoo cry harder, and Jinyoung had no choice but to pull away from his son and plunk him into the Crown Princess’ arms. 

“I’ll have to trouble you, Sister-in-law.” He said with a deep bow. The young princess smiled and  shook her head.

“It’s no trouble.” She answered, “Don’t worry about the children. They’ll be safe and healthy here, waiting for you.” Jinyoung nodded and gently ruffled his sobbing son’s hair before turning and entering the carriage. The sound of Jinwoo’s sobs could still be heard from inside the carriage, and each wail for his father tore at Jinyoung’s heart. Still, Jinyoung knew he had no choice. Jinyoung reached out and gently touched the box that had been placed on the seat next to him containing Soyoung’s ashes.

“Let’s go home, my love.” 

____________________________________________________________________________

It took another few weeks to arrive in Khanbaliq, the journey made slower by persistent rain as if even the heavens were mourning Soyoung’s death. But by the time they entered the capital gates, Jinyoung was startled by how everything had changed in the little time he had been away. He hadn’t expected a large elaborate welcome; after all, news of the empress’ death naturally would have reached the capital a long time ago. The city was appropriately decorated with white flags, from the lamp posts to the city walls to the smallest storefront. At the same time, there was something in the air that felt different to Jinyoung. Below the mournful atmosphere was a simmering sense of fear and anxiety, and every person the imperial procession passed on the street seemed to be eyeing them strangely. 

Jinyoung entered the imperial palace without any difficulties, but every maid and eunuch they passed seemed intent on getting away from him as soon as possible. 

Finally, when Jinyoung entered the main hall, he realized what had happened.

“You!” His eyes widened in shock as he saw the person sitting on the dragon throne, “What do you think you’re doing?” 

Jang Jaewon was sitting on the dragon throne, as comfortably as if it had been his for years. The older man’s eyes were cold as he looked down at Jinyoung as if he was a bug that could be squashed with the flick of a finger. 

“How rude!” One of the court officials scolded Jinyoung, “How could you speak to His Majesty the Emperor like that?” Jinyoung stared at the man in shock. He recognized this person as one who had been against Soyoung in the past, but still he could barely believe what he was hearing.

“What are you talking about?” He demanded, “My wife never named him as the successor! This man has been demoted to a commoner and exiled! He has no right to the throne!” 

“What absolute rubbish!” Another court official sneered, “We have all seen the imperial decree naming His Majesty as the successor to the throne!” Jinyoung stared in shock as the eunuch standing next to Jang Jaewon approached Jinyoung and unrolled a golden scroll. There, in neat black ink and stamped with the dragon seal, was an edict restoring Jang Jaewon to the imperial family and giving the throne to him. Jinyoung felt so taken aback by how incredulous the entire thing was, he could barely speak for a few moments.

“You dare to falsify an imperial edict?” He demanded at last, “How dare you!” Jang Jaewon rose to his feet and slowly descended the stairs until he was standing in front of the young prince.

“Do you have any proof that I did, Goryeo Prince?” He sneered, “It is your word against the imperial edict I have in my hands. Who do you think all of these people believe?” 

“Your Majesty, this man dares to defy your word and your honor!” Another court official interjected, “Please punish him heavily!” Jinyoung could only laugh at how ridiculous the entire situation was unfolding. 

“So that is why you fled from exile!” He said, “To steal the throne and make it yours!” Jinyoung felt almost lightheaded as anger filled his body.

“My wife was right all along!”  He cried, “All of you! All of you are willing to turn on the person who treated you well in an instant, all for superficial titles and wealth! Which of you can close your eyes at night and not feel guilty for betraying the ruler who gave you peaceful days and good lives?” 

“Enough!” Jang Jaewon declared, and all eyes returned to the new ruler. 

“I have already promulgated my first edict.” He said calmly, barely fazed by Jinyoung’s outburst, “The country is to mourn for my niece for one year.” Slowly, Jang Jaewon’s eyes settled on the box in Jinyoung’s hands.

“As for my niece, she will be buried in the royal mausoleum under the title of a princess with her sisters and brothers that have gone before her.” He continued, “There will be no funeral.” Jinyoung staggered as he heard the edict. To only have one year of mourning for a ruler was almost unheard of, and it was a sign of utmost disrespect for the empress. On top of that, to bury her not as a ruler, but as a princess? It was almost like Jang Jaewon was attempting to erase everything about Soyoung from history!

Several guards approached Jinyoung, and although he screamed and fought against them, he was eventually overpowered and had the precious box of ashes taken away from him. Jang Jaewon approached Jinyoung again as the prince collapsed into a heap on the floor.

“You and your wife should have just given the throne to me in the first place.” He sneered as he lifted Jinyoung’s head forcefully, “Then you could have been spared a little of this suffering.” Jinyoung glared at the older man sharply.

“You killed Soyoung, didn’t you?” He snarled, “You’re the one who poisoned her!” Jang Jaewon smirked and leaned in so that only Jinyoung could hear what he said.

“So what if I did?” He whispered, “My foolish niece didn’t even know what killed her, and you don’t have any proof. And now, I am the winner. As for your children, I hope they are living a good life, wherever they are. Because before long, I will find them, and I will make sure my niece has no living descendants.” 

“You bastard!” Jinyoung screamed as he lunged at Jang Jaewon, but he was quickly held down by several imperial guards.

“It seems that the Prince Consort has gone mad over the loss of his wife.” Jang Jaewon said as he stood up and calmly brushed off his robes, “Take him away and lock him up for the rest of his days. I don’t want a lunatic running around the palace.” 

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Jinyoung was dragged to his feet once more and dragged from the main hall, his efforts to resist in vain.

“Jang Jaewon, you bastard!” He shouted as he was taken away, “The heavens will punish you for this!” Jang Jaewon sneered as he watched the Goryeo prince disappear into the distance. 

“Foolish boy.” He said, “Even the heavens cannot stop me now.”

____________________________________________________________________________

As if to mock him, the room Jang Jaewon locked Jinyoung in was filled with shelves after shelves of books and scripts, and included a table with ink and paper. As if to mock him even more, Jang Jaewon wrote an entire imperial edict demoting Soyoung to princess status and instructed servants to deliver a copy to Jinyoung. Guards were sent to watch Jinyoung day and night, so closely that not even a fly could have gotten in without approval. Jinyoung didn’t even understand why Jang Jaewon bothered to keep such a close eye on him; the Goryeo prince didn’t have the ability to run away even if he wanted to. Still, despite how the world seemed to be falling down around him with every passing second, Jinyoung stayed calm after the initial bout of hysteria. Despite having seized the throne, Jang Jaewon wouldn’t lay a hand on Jinyoung, not if he wanted to keep Goryeo in check. If anything, keeping Jinyoung alive was like a fake sign of kindness to the spouse of the former ruler despite everything else that he had done. No matter what, keeping Jinyoung alive was more beneficial than killing Jinyoung on the spot. 

Of course, that also meant that Jinyoung was likely facing a future of being a captive in his own home for the rest of his life. At the same time, Jinyoung slowly began to see the silver lining of his current circumstances. Guards made sure Jinyoung didn’t take a single step out of the room, but at the same time, Soyoung’s method of running the palace had instilled enough loyalty among the imperial forces that more likely than not, the guards outside his door were more loyal to the former empress than the new emperor. The soldiers and servants leaning in his favor would whisper news to the captive prince from outside the door when no one was watching, telling him of how Jang Jaewon was running the palace and the empire as a whole. Occasionally, Yeojin would swing by during the night and give him news about what was going on beyond what the servants could hear. Jang Jaewon hadn’t been able to unseat Yeojin from the imperial army, nor did he dare to. Yeojin’s position was high enough that if anything happened to her, the soldiers under her command would become uncontrollable. Jang Jaewon quickly became aware of that, and that fact alone gave Yeojin some room to do as she liked. And as it became clear that the only goal was to keep Jinyoung inside his room, not supervise what he was doing, the lines of information only grew broader.

From what Jinyoung could hear from his various informants, Jang Jaewon had no idea how to run the imperial palace, much less a country. The new emperor often turned a blind eye to improper behavior that Soyoung would have never tolerated, and that meant several methods of bribery and open blackmailing quickly became commonplace and acceptable behavior. If any noble family dared to speak against him though, punishment was sure to come. If Jang Jaewon was feeling merciful, the lightest punishment would only be demotion. If it happened to be a bad day, that court official would never be seen again. The court quickly became fearful of the new emperor, not out of respect and honor like it had been with Soyoung, but because they all feared for their lives. Rather than focus on political matters at hand, Jang Jaewon indulged in his harem at all times of the day, leaving all problems big and small unresolved. Those problems naturally trickled down from the emperor’s desk to the commoners across the empire, and Jinyoung’s heart ached every time he heard how the empire’s citizens suffered out of their tyrant emperor’s neglect. Still, because of their fear, even the commoners didn’t dare to say a single bad word about Jang Jaewon, especially after a few small rebellions were slaughtered mercilessly. No news came about Jinwoo and the twins though, and Jinyoung felt slightly comforted to know that his children had likely been safely hidden away by their aunt and uncle in Goryeo.

In an effort to keep Soyoung’s legacy alive despite her uncle’s attempts to erase it, Jinyoung took to writing down everything he knew about his wife and her accomplishments. No matter what it was, Jinyoung wrote it down, starting from her childhood all the way until her death. At the same time, he wrote down all that he heard about what Jang Jaewon was doing inside the palace. He portrayed the material as anonymous songs and poems about an unnamed emperor that he then gave to more daring maids and eunuchs who would pass them to Jia’er to be sold across the capitol, and before long, the material spread through the city and throughout the empire. Despite avoiding a name, it didn’t take long for people to figure out who Jinyoung’s words were talking about. It also didn’t take long for Jang Jaewon to realize who's penmanship the material had come from, but by that time, it was clear that if Jinyoung died, then the people truly would revolt against the imperial family. In the end, Jinyoung was given a harsh beating and suffered for a few days without food, but his life was left intact. As for Jia’er, he was too clever for the new emperor, who, unlike Soyoung, was unable to use the hidden lines of information that stretched across the city.

In the time he had outside of writing, Jinyoung revived efforts to investigate the mysterious black rose symbol that had been seen on several assassins and people that caused trouble for him and Soyoung in the past. In a bold move, Jang Jaewon included it in his imperial seal used on the edict, which only evoked Jinyoung’s curiosity more. Now that no one seemed intent on keeping an eye on what he was doing, Jinyoung made good use of the books in the room he was trapped in, often spending hours poring over entire shelves of historical records in an effort to trace the past of the mysterious symbol.

That was how the days passed for Jinyoung, and before he realized it, over half a year had passed by. And then, a new piece of news arrived. Bandits had been terrorizing villages near the border of the empire, but Jang Jaewon hadn’t bothered to do anything about it. Instead, he had poured his energy into attempting to defeat a neighboring empire, with disastrous results. Despite having a little experience on the battlefield in his youth, Jang Jaewon lacked the experience and tactical mind that had allowed Soyoung to excel, and each losing battle was the perfect example of that. Just when the court officials were starting to be concerned that refugees would begin coming to the capitol, a group of young renegades had appeared at the villages to fight back against the bandits. Within a few days, all of the bandits had been taken care of, and peace restored at the border. Among them, the leader of the renegades appeared to be a young woman with midnight black hair and sharp eyes, known for using a silver green sword. Many villagers sought to thank her for the help and give her gifts, but the young woman rejected them all. To this day, no one knew what she looked like, because she hid her face behind a silk mask. The young woman and her group of renegades quickly became the talk of the capital, with praises rising everywhere over her actions. 

Silver green sword…

When Jinyoung heard the news, he couldn’t help but think of another young renegade who used a green sword and stopped at nothing to protect the people of the city, even if it meant staying up all night.

My love, are you watching from heaven? It seems like someone else has taken up your mission.

___________________________________________________________________________

Outskirts of the Empire

Tuan Yi-en walked across the large grassy field stretching in front of the princess consort’s chambers, a large bowl of warm water in his hands and a few towels slung over his shoulder. It was a strange sight for someone of his status, but he paid the servants no mind even as they whispered behind his back. His footsteps echoed slightly on the floor as he strode down the familiar hallways, servants scurrying to bow as he passed on his way to one room in particular. 

“Can I come in?” He called from outside the door. A sound of affirmation came a few moments later, and he pushed open the door before turning around quickly again, startled to see the room’s occupant sitting on the bed with barely a shift on.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were changing.” He said quickly, ducking his head. A feminine laugh came from the bed.

“What nonsense.” The room’s occupant said, “How else am I going to treat an arrow wound if I keep all my clothes on? You’re thinking too much, Yi-en.” Yi-en sighed and put down the things he had brought.

“I’ll leave these here.” He said, “You can come and get them yourself. Don’t forget to wash the wound cleanly.”

“Yi-en ge.” The woman on the bed chided, “You can be such a nag sometimes.”

“I can’t help it.” Yi-en answered with a half amused sigh, “I was the one who took your health into my hands after all.” 

“Alright, alright.” The woman replied, keeping her back to Yi-en, “You can go now. Or do you intend to watch me dress my wound?” 

“Absolutely not!” Yi-en declared, and quickly left the room. As he walked back down the hallway, he heard the hushed whispers of maids gossiping from around the corner.

“Really? The prince said that?” One maid whispered, “He was shy seeing the princess consort’s body?”

“I heard it with my own ears!” Another maid replied, “It is so strange, isn’t it? The princess consort is someone the prince suddenly married out of the blue nine months ago, but they have yet to even consummate their marriage! The only time they slept in the same room, the prince slept on the couch!”

“And I thought the prince was head over heels in love with a woman he had saved!” The first maid commented, “What a strange marriage.” Yi-en sighed and took another few steps forward.

“If you have enough time to be gossiping, perhaps I should give you both more things to do.” He said coldly, giving the maids a sharp look. The young girls squeaked in surprise and quickly fell to their knees.

“Please forgive us, Your Highness!” They cried. Yi-en sighed and waved a hand.

“Get going.” He said, “Don’t let me hear you gossiping about my wife again.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!” The maids quickly rushed off, and Yi-en ran a hand through his hair in exasperation.

“If only you knew why I had to make her my consort in the first place.” He muttered. 

Inside the room, the sole occupant finished dressing the wound on her shoulder that she had sustained while fighting against another group of bandits a few days earlier, and rose to her feet to look at the letter that had arrived from Khanbaliq that morning. Long slender fingers tapped lightly against the wooden table as her eyes ran across its contents. Slowly, a smirk spread across red painted lips.

“The official coronation is already coming?” She remarked, “One year sure passes by quickly.”

I suppose it’s time to make my reappearance.