Jinyoung

Jinyoung stirred as the sound of birds chirping reached his ears, his eyes fluttering open slightly to see soft warm sunlight streaming in through the crack under the windows. He sighed softly, then stretched and sat up in bed, rubbing one eye sleepily. Surprisingly, he had slept well for having spent the night in an unfamiliar room and an unfamiliar bed. Jinyoung cast a glance at the sofa and found that it was empty, the pillow and sheets Jang Soyoung had been using the night before folded neatly at the foot of Jinyoung’s bed.

When did she…?

Jinyoung carefully swung his feet over the bed and slipped his feet into the silk slippers waiting for him. A eunuch stepped forward from where he had been waiting near the corner of the room and slipped a dark blue robe around Jinyoung’s shoulders. Jinyoung nodded his thanks to the servant.

“Where is the Empress?” He asked. The eunuch bowed his head as he responded.

“Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress is in the next room.” He said, motioning around the far corner of the room where a hallway led to the next part of the royal chambers. Jinyoung nodded and rose to his feet. 

What’s she doing over there?

Padding carefully around the room, he peered into the area next to the bedroom and his eyes widened as he saw Jang Soyoung standing in the next room over. She stood still with her arms slightly outstretched, a large entourage of maids surrounding her to help her dress. The gown she had chosen was a soft lilac gown designed to have what looked like three layers of silk cloth. The sleeves were made with delicate transparent cloth, and the rest of the gown was patterned with dark purple butterflies that had been carefully sewn into the fabric. A cream colored band of cloth wrapped around her waist, allowing the dress to flare out at the empress’s hip and emphasize her slim figure. The royal tailor had included a tall collar made of white cloth that wrapped around the empress’s neck, held in place by two small buttons. Her golden beaded official crown had been set aside on the table next to her, traded out for a crown made by welding together pink colored hairpins that sparkled in the growing sunlight. Nearby, a few maids had hung the long golden dragon robe on a tall wooden rack, it’s golden silk shimmering in the sunlight.

If Jinyoung hadn’t known better, he would have thought a fairy had descended from the heavens above. 

Then, Jang Soyoung’s gaze slipped to her right ever so slightly, and with a start, Jinyoung realized he had been caught staring. A slight, polite smile turned up the corners of her lips, barely batting an eyelash at having her husband see her getting dressed.

“Good morning, Husband.” Jang Soyoung greeted, “Did you sleep well?” Jinyoung coughed awkwardly, turning his head away. 

“Yes, in fact I did, Your Majesty.” He said, “Thank you for asking.” The maids finished helping Soyoung dress, and Soyoung dismissed them with a wave of her hand. As the maids left the room, Jinyoung could hear the soft sounds of giggles coming from outside the door and felt his cheeks flush slightly. 

No doubt they’re laughing about me.

It was only to be expected though, given that Jinyoung had gotten embarrassed seeing his lawfully wedded wife getting dressed. After all, what was getting dressed when last night they were supposed to have…? 

“Park Jinyoung.” Jang Soyoung’s voice drew Jinyoung’s thoughts out of the rabbit hole he found them going, and he looked up to see the empress waiting for him. 

“Come break your fast with me.” She said, motioning at the little table laden with small breakfast dishes. Jinyoung nodded carefully and walked over to sit on one of the chairs placed next to the table. The two ate in silence for a few moments, the room devoid of sound except the soft clink of chopsticks against lacquered bowls. Jinyoung snuck a look at his wife as he nibbled on a piece of vegetable. Jang Soyoung looked annoyed with something; the young empress was good at hiding what she was thinking, but today Jinyoung could see that her brow was furrowed ever so slightly, as if something was bothering her.

Did something happen while she was gone?

“You woke up early this morning, Your Majesty.” He commented, searching for something to fill the silence. 

Silence is golden in some situations, but this is certainly not one of them.

“Yes.” Jang Soyoung replied, “Morning court begins at 7 a.m. every day, so I make sure I get up by 6.” Jinyoung’s eyes widened as he cast a glance outside the window, nearly choking on the tea he was sipping on. Given the angle of the sunlight, it was certainly around 9 a.m. already. He gulped.

No wonder she was changing out of her official robes earlier.

“Your Majesty certainly is an early riser.” He said with an awkward laugh. Jang Soyoung chuckled and placed a piece of food on his rice.

“You don’t need to feel bad about sleeping in later.” She said, noting the expression on his face, “There’s no need for you to keep up with my schedule.” Jinyoung chuckled awkwardly.

“I thank you, Your Majesty, but I do feel like I shouldn’t spoil myself this way every day.” He said, “I did not come here intending to live a lazy life.” Jang Soyoung smiled slightly as she placed a small piece of lotus root in .

“Oh?” She said, “And which scholar taught you that, little poet?” Jinyoung grinned.

“All scholars praise those who work hard to earn their place in life rather than depend solely on others while sitting back and doing nothing themselves.” He replied seriously. Jang Soyoung turned her head away slightly at his comment, and Jinyoung thought he saw her hiding a small smile.

Is she laughing at me?

The expression was gone as quickly as Jinyoung had seen it, replaced by the empress’s ever calm expression as she placed another piece of food on his bowl. 

“If you want to be helpful to me, you can start by going to the royal library.” She said, “You will find all sorts of books there on the country, as well as the history of the royal family. You won’t be able to help me until you understand more about Yuan.” Jinyoung’s eyes widened in delight.

“Can I really go into the library as I please?” He said in delight, “Can I take out any book I want?” An amused smile turned up one corner of Jang Soyoug’s lips.

“Of course.” She replied, “You are the Prince Consort of this country. You can go anywhere in this palace as long as you want to. The library doesn’t have anything that you shouldn’t be seeing.” Jinyoung grinned and stood up to give the empress a quick bow.

“I thank Your Majesty for your grace!” He beamed. Jinyoung had long missed the warm silence of the library, the comfort that he felt in being surrounded by shelves and shelves of books holding infinite knowledge. Ever since he had left Goryeo, it had been nothing but nonstop movement, training, and events; he had barely any time to sleep, much less curl up in a chair with a book. Jang Soyoung waved at him to sit down.

“It is a small matter.” She replied, “You are exaggerating, Prince. Did you miss reading so much?” Jinyoung grinned shyly, feeling embarrassed at having been seen getting excited over books in front of the ever serious Empress of Yuan. 

“Was it obvious?” He asked. Jang Soyoung raised a finger and pointed it at his face.

“It’s written all over your face, Prince.” She replied with an amused smirk. Jinyoung’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment, and he cleared his throat as he quickly changed the subject.

“How was morning court?” He asked as he sipped on tea to calm himself down, “You looked troubled earlier. Is there anything I can help with?” Jang Soyoung looked startled at the question, the amused look sliding off her face in an instant as her pretty face darkened.

“You noticed?” She asked. 

“Just a little.” Jinyoung replied, starting to think he shouldn’t have asked. Jang Soyoung ran one slender finger around her cup before speaking.

“They asked if I had a good wedding night.” She replied flatly. Jinyoung nearly choked on his tea, completely thrown off by the sudden comment. 

“That’s very...direct of them.” He said, his cheeks flushing pink again, “What did you tell them?” Jang Soyoung scowled slightly.

“I told them they had no business asking about what happens behind the closed doors of the empress’s bedchambers.” She replied flatly, poking in annoyance at her rice, “And they promptly stopped asking.” Jinyoung laughed awkwardly.

“You are very direct, Your Majesty.” He noted. Jang Soyoung smirked slightly.

“As you will learn, little poet, nothing gets done in this palace by running in circles.” She replied, “There are things you can say and things you must refrain from saying, but holding back in everything will get you nowhere.” Jinyoung smiled and dipped his head.

“I will remember your words, Your Majesty.” He replied.

____________________________________________________________________________

After breakfast, Jinyoung excused himself and made his way to the royal library with the help of the retinue of servants following him. Taking a mere walk around the palace, however, as the ruling empress’s husband was more than a simple task, he found. The large retinue of servants following him attracted attention for what seemed like miles, with servants bowing to greet him every time he passed. Overall, Jinyoung felt rather uncomfortable with all the attention; when he was in Goryeo, everyone lower in rank was polite to him, of course, but this was an entirely different level. He could almost feel the weight of their expectations for him bearing down on his shoulders, he who had been hand picked by the Empress of Yuan to be her husband. 

I might as well get used to it.

Jinyoung dismissed his servants after he entered the library, and began wandering the shelves for the right book to read. The library was massive, and Jinyoung could only begin to imagine the amount of knowledge that was hidden within it.

“Hmm…” He mused as he ran his finger down the spines of various books, but none seemed to capture his attention in particular. Then, Jinyoung’s finger paused on one book in particular, his lips parting slightly as he read the title on its spine. 

Records of the Royal Family.

The empress had mentioned that he should learn more about the royal family. There was certainly no better way than to look through the records located in the palace library. Jinyoung walked down the shelf until he reached the most recent record book, then slipped it free from its place. The book was rather thin compared to the rest due to the early nature of the young empress’s reign. Something told Jinyoung, however, that it wouldn’t be staying thin for long.

Jinyoung settled into a nearby chair, and began reading. The first few pages of the records detailed the royal descendants related to Jang Soyoung, starting from her father, the emperor prior. As Jinyoung’s fingers slipped over the pages, his eyes widened at what he saw on the family tree. 

That’s odd.

Over the little blocks marking the names of every one of Soyoung’s brothers besides Eunseong was a little slash, meaning that the prince had died. On the other hand, most of Soyoung’s sisters was marked as having survived. It was normal for some royal children to die young, but for all but one of the princes to have died…

Jinyoung gulped as he turned to the next page.

When the 15th Emperor of Yuan passed away without having named an heir, a bloody battle for the throne began, setting off a long and violent period of warfare over the Yuan continent. The eldest surviving prince, the third prince, took the throne by default, but the other princes were not content to let him take it. Every prince who had some political power in court took his turn at fighting for the most coveted seat in the empire. In the end, brother brother, and the princes destroyed each other in the course of fighting for the throne. The empire was plunged into an era of darkness that had never been seen before.

In the end, the only surviving son was Prince Eunseong, who had not taken part in the rebellion due to his age and naturally weak body. He and his twin sister, Princess Soyoung, had been taken out of the palace by their mother, Consort Hua, when the war over the throne began, and fled deep into the forest. However, rebels chased after the consort and the young children, and in the end Consort Hua was killed protecting her children. When the royal guards finally arrived, they only found the young princess standing in front of her brother, holding a sword that was nearly twice the size of her young body. 

Due to Prince Eunseong’s weaknesses and refusal to become sovereign ruler, the lords of the court decided to crown Princess Soyoung as the next ruler of the Yuan empire. 

And so, the first female ruler of the Yuan empire, Jang Soyoung, rose to the throne at the mere age of thirteen. 

Although the rise of the new ruler settled the worst of the wars, in the years following her ascension to the throne, the empire continued to be rocked with rebellions. Many Mongol tribes were not satisfied with having a woman as a ruler, and one group after the other attempted to take the imperial palace by force. However, unknown to many outside of the capital, the young empress had been trained in military arts since childhood, and repeatedly led her army to one victory after the other against the rebel forces. In three years after taking the throne, Jang Soyoung had stabilized the entire Yuan territory, opening the empire to a new era of prosperity that had not been seen for many years. 

Jinyoung’s fingers trembled slightly as he read through the rest of the book, which detailed the many economic and political exploits that Soyoung had done in order to bring the empire back to its flourishing state that had existed before her father had died. He blew out his breath slowly as he finished, feeling rather overwhelmed with everything. He had long heard that Jang Soyoung was a formidable political opponent, and had managed to complete feats that many male rulers before her had failed to do. But all of this, at the mere age of 13, was certainly not what he had expected. And what was this about military training? Jinyoung recalled her mentioning the night before that she had spent her childhood in the military camp, but just how young had she started, that she could lead an entire army to victory soon after taking the throne as a young teenager at the end of a bloody battle for the throne? Jinyoung’s sisters had all been coddled in the palace from the moment of birth, given only the best that money could buy and lead a more than comfortable life. And yet, Jang Soyoung’s life seemed the complete opposite.

Park Jinyoung, just what kind of woman did you marry?

But at the same time, it was no wonder Jang Soyoung was always so calm and collected, even when an assassin was running directly for her. To have taken the throne as a young woman, and held onto it at the same time, just how many pairs of eyes had been watching her, waiting for her to fall? How many people had tried to sway her into making foolish decisions, wanting her to mess up so badly she had to abdicate the throne? How many people had tried to read the smallest minute expressions on her face, wanting to find something to grab onto as a weakness that could be used against her? 

It was no wonder the empress kept everyone, even her own husband, at arm’s length. She treated Jinyoung well enough, and knew what to do to help him adjust to his new life in Yuan, but Jinyoung could almost see an invisible wall surrounding her at all times, keeping him at a safe distance to protect herself. Jinyoung sighed softly.

It’s going to be difficult to break through that shell.

Still, Jinyoung knew very well that in order to survive in the palace, he needed more than his title alone. He had already resolved not to be a vase sitting in the corner of the imperial palace, but he needed far more than resolve. In order to solidify his status and the peace his role brought between their countries, he needed Jang Soyoung’s trust and her backing; no matter how difficult it was to break down the wall she had built up around herself, he needed to break through it. As Jinyoung mused over what to do, he recalled something the empress had said earlier.

If you want to be useful to me.

What did that mean? Did it mean she wanted him to help her? Or did it mean something else?

Jinyoung sighed deeply. 

Jang Soyoung, you are so difficult to read.

 ____________________________________________________________________________

For the next few weeks, life passed by in a rather mundane matter. Jang Soyoung woke up early in the morning, long before Jinyoung did, as usual, and went about her daily schedules revolving around sword practice, court audience with the court officials, meeting with other ministers to discuss political matters, and dealing with smaller petitions in her personal library. She usually returned to eat breakfast and dinner with Jinyoung, but the two rarely spoke about what happened in court, nor could Jinyoung bring himself to ask. It was a particularly sensitive area, the realm of work which belonged to Jang Soyoung alone right now. If she didn’t ask him about it, he didn’t dare to tread too far beyond his place. Their meals together were usually only occupied by simple small talk, with Jinyoung throwing in little bits of information he had read in a book before and Soyoung asking him to tell her more.

And then, one day, something new happened.

As Jinyoung walked by the empress’s library one day on his way to the imperial gardens, he heard the sound of loud yelling coming from inside. 

“What do you mean you have no ideas?” A loud female voice snapped. Jinyoung’s footsteps paused as he heard the voice.

Was that…?

“The country does not pay all of you large salaries to give me no answers!” The voice snapped again, and Jinyoung frowned as he realized it was Jang Soyoung. 

She sounds furious.

It was the first time Jinyoung had ever heard Soyoung that angry before. Although she had made her displeasure clear before in the past, this time she sounded not only angry, but frustrated and exasperated as well. Jinyoung hesitated for a moment, then walked to the door and told the eunuch waiting outside that he was requesting an audience with the empress. The eunuch looked up at him in surprise, then concern.

“Your Highness, Her Majesty is discussing an emergency situation with the court officials right now.” He said, “She has ordered that no one is to be let in.” Jinyoung sighed. At this point, he had two options: turn away and continue waiting for the empress to ask for his assistance, or take the initiative and offer his help to her. If he didn’t want to be a potted plant in the corner, he had only one option. He straightened his back and leveled his gaze at the eunuch the way he had seen his brother Jaebeom do when he wanted to assert his authority, making the eunuch shrink slightly back. 

“I am Her Majesty’s husband.” Jinyoung said firmly, “If there is any trouble in the empire, I should be by her side helping her overcome any obstacles she has run into. Now go and announce my presence.” The eunuch gulped and bowed before pushing open the doors to the empress’s library. Jinyoung caught a quick glance of his wife before the doors shut again, his heart clenching slightly with nerves as he took in her furious expression. 

What happened?

____________________________________________________________________________

Soyoung

Soyoung leveled her gaze coldly down at the eunuch who had been guarding the door to her library as the young man hurried in and bowed before her. 

“What is it?” She snapped, “Did I not tell you that I would tolerate no interruptions?” The eunuch trembled slightly. 

“I am sorry, Your Majesty.” He replied, “But His Highness Prince Consort Jinyoung is outside asking for an audience with you. I tried to explain that you were busy, but he said if something has happened, he should be by your side as your husband.” Soyoung raised an eyebrow, her irritation fading briefly as she took in what the eunuch was saying.

The little poet wants to help me?

She had held back on asking Jinyoung for anything in the days following their marriage. While Soyoung was becoming increasingly certain of his intellectual capabilities, there was no need to rush into giving him things to do. On the one hand, giving him space allowed him to acclimate to his new life and learn more on his own about her and the royal family. On the other hand, showing her preference for her husband too early risked drawing unwanted attention on the young prince before he was able to handle it. It was better to wait and allow him to show on his own where his loyalties lay before Soyoung made a move.

And now, it seemed like the young prince was ready to help her.

“Let him in.” She said with a wave of her hand.

Perhaps he will be more useful than these annoying old men.

The eunuch went to let the prince in, and Soyoung watched carefully as Park Jinyoung entered the room and bowed to her.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.” He said politely.

“Park Jinyoung, you have come just in time.” Soyoung responded, “I have run into some trouble with resolving an important military issue, and the lords of the court are completely out of ideas. Perhaps you will have some fresh ideas.” A soft startled murmuring spread quickly among the court officials standing in front of Soyoung. She wasn’t surprised about their reaction; although her husband, the prince was a foreigner and had next to no experience in the country’s affairs. At last, her uncle spoke.

“Your Majesty.” Jang Jaewon said, “Please forgive me for being frank, but the prince is still rather inexperienced. To allow him to participate in what we are discussing right now…” Soyoung turned her glare onto her uncle.

“Then, Royal Uncle, perhaps you can give me an idea about what to do?” She stated, “As I recall, you were also out of ideas a mere moment ago, short of surrendering part of our territory.” She watched as Jang Jaewon hesitated, then bit his lip and bowed before returning to his place in the line of court officials. Still, the older man’s gaze flickered ever so slightly to Park Jinyoung as he passed by the young prince. His thoughts were as clear as day.

Let’s see just what this little scholar can come up with.

“Prince.” Soyoung said, “The Tibetan people have long been our enemies who threaten the borders of our territory. News has just arrived that a large group of Tibetan soldiers have cornered one of my best generals on the border and are holding them hostage. They have stated that they will not let our soldiers go unless we give them two sections of our territory by the border. Of course, I do not intend to give in so easily, but the lords of the court have no ideas. If I do not rescue our soldiers soon, they will starve due to a lack of supplies. What do you think I should do?” Jinyoung thought for a few moments before speaking.

“Your Majesty, what would be wrong about leading soldiers to fight back against the Tibetan forces? If you led them personally, you would certainly be victorious.” He asked. Soyoung chuckled.

“I would.” She replied, “If the new commander of the Tibetan forces was not well versed in Mongolia battle tactics.”  Jinyoung raised an eyebrow.

“In that case, may I see a map of the area where the Yuan forces are cornered?” He asked, “I think that will make it easier to come up with ideas.” Soyoung snapped her fingers, and a eunuch ran off into the hallway adjoining the room they were in. The eunuch reappeared a few minutes later with a rolled up map in his hands, and Soyoung motioned for him to give it to Jinyoung. The young prince took the map and began examining the intricate lines detailing the features of the Yuan border territory. For a long time, the room was silent as the court officials waited for Jinyoung to speak. Then, Jang Jaewon spoke again.

“With all due respect, Your Highness, but are you done looking at the map yet?” He asked. The soft sound of snickers filled the air as the court officials laughed behind their sleeves, no doubt thinking that the little scholarly prince from Goryeo was getting confused by the complicated military map. Soyoung stayed silent for a moment, wondering how Jinyoung would respond. The young prince ignored all of the open insults, his gaze serious as he looked over every detail on the map. 

Then, he smiled ever so slightly.

“Your Majesty, I have an idea, if you would be willing to listen to it.” He said. Soyoung smiled as the court officials exchanged startled glances with each other. 

“Lords of the court, you are dismissed for today.” Soyoung announced, “I will be speaking with the prince alone.” The court officials immediately protested, but Soyoung was firm. She wanted to hear what Jinyoung had to say alone, and that was final. After the court officials filed out of the empress’s library and the servants were dismissed, Soyoung rose from her raised seat and went to sit down at one of the lower desks.

“Come and tell me what you have to say.” She said, patting the table in front of her. Jinyoung hesitated for a moment before sitting down across from her. 

“Your Majesty, you said the enemy commander is well versed in Mongolian military tactics, am I right?” He asked. Soyoung nodded in affirmation, and Jinyoung smiled slightly.

“Then, that will rule out all methods of attacking by riding on horseback to meet them directly.” He said, “But there is certainly one way that the Tibetan people, who have also centered their lives on the plains, will neither think of using nor protecting against.” Soyoung raised an eyebrow curiously.

“And that is?” She asked, switching smoothly to the Korean language spoken in Goryeo. Jinyoung’s eyes widened slightly at her sudden change, but Soyoung shook her head slightly.

“It is safer this way.” She stated in Korean. Soyoung wasn’t sure how her soldiers had been trapped by the border, but there was no doubt at least one spy working under a powerful force at court was involved. It was safer to speak in a language that most of her people did not understand. Slowly, the surprise faded from Jinyoung’s expression, and he smiled.

“Goryeo ships.” He replied. Soyoung stared at him in surprise.

“Tell me more.” She said, “What do you mean?” Jinyoung smiled at her answer.

“Your Majesty, do you know why the Mongol people were unable to defeat Goryeo for a long time in the past?” He said, “It is because the Goryeo military is well versed in using military tactics over water rather than on land, while it is the opposite for the Mongol people.” Soyoung smiled slightly, starting to realize where he was going.

“So you think I should borrow the Goryeo warfare tactics and attack the Tibetan forces from the water?” She replied. Jinyoung grinned and nodded.

“The area where the Yuan soldiers have been pushed is right next to the ocean. If the ships are styled as Goryeo ships, then the Tibetans will only think they are merchant ships on their way to the capital to do some trading.” He continued, “But in reality, the ships will be full of Mongol soldiers, just waiting to attack the Tibetan army from behind.” He pointed at one part of the map.

“See this mountain here?” He said, “It is known to be shrouded by mist on a year round basis, and it is conveniently right near the area where the Yuan troops have been pushed. Even if the ships were spotted passing by before they arrive, the mist will cover them from being recognized once they arrive at the site.” Soyoung smiled as the full picture began to solidify in her mind. She hadn’t expected this idea at all, but Jinyoung had a good point. She had been trained in Mongol warfare so borrowing another country’s methods was not something she had even thought about, but that also meant the Tibetan forces wouldn’t have considered it either. 

“Little poet, did you read military warfare books while you were in Goryeo too?” She asked, intrigued. Jinyoung blushed slightly.

“I happened to have read a few.” He replied with a smile. Soyoung couldn’t help but smirk slightly in satisfaction. Slowly, she was becoming increasingly certain that she had chosen the right man to stand at her side. 

“Very well.” She said finally, “We will attack the Tibetan forces by sea.”

____________________________________________________________________________

After Soyoung made up her mind, the plan was quickly settled. Because the Yuan were not equipped to attack by sea, Jinyoung wrote to his brother in Goryeo to ask to borrow two large battleships. Soyoung traveled daily to the military camps stationed outside of the capital to begin training her soldiers to be ready to attack, particularly in their balance ability so they would not become dizzy on the journey to the border. Naturally, the court officials were less than pleased. The Empress of Yuan listening to the ideas of a young foreigner prince, sending her soldiers to attack using methods they had never used before? It was certainly hard to swallow. But Soyoung was adamant, and the court officials had no choice but to listen. In order to prevent the enemy from interfering with the attack plan, Soyoung ordered that all soldiers were to remain in the military camp until after the successful rescue mission. No one outside those in the camp knew the details of the plan, including the route they were to take. Everything seemed to be falling into place.

At least, it seemed that way. 

___________________________________________________________________________

Jang Jaewon crossed one leg over the other as he leaned back in the tall lacquered wooden chair placed in the center of the room behind his desk, pondering what he had just been told by the man who had secretly come into his large manor an hour ago. That man now stood in front of the desk, his gloved hands folded respectfully in front of him. A dark cape fluttered around the man’s shoulders, matching the black cloth he had tied around his face to hide his identity from prying eyes. Finally, Jang Jaewon chuckled.

“So, that is the path my little niece intends to take?” He said, “It makes sense. If the ships are coming from Goryeo, then that path will be the shortest one to travel from Yuan to the border with Tibet.”

“My Lord, should we send someone to stop the ships from arriving?” The mysterious man asked. Jang Jaewon shook his head.

“No, it would be too obvious if we interfered.” He replied, “I will allow my little niece to have this small victory. But send a letter to our people in Tibet, so their soldiers will be able to keep an eye out for her arrival. That way, even if Soyoung catches a spy, there is no way it will be traced back to us.” A sly small smirk turned up the corner of one lip.

“That is, if she survives long enough.” 

____________________________________________________________________________

One month later

The month-long preparation period went by in a flash, and before Jinyoung realized it, Soyoung was preparing to set off with the soldiers on her rescue mission. The morning before she left, Jinyoung sat watching as her servants helped her put on the shining armor that usually hung unused in a corner of the room. The silver and red armor shimmered in the sunlight when Soyoung moved, a testament to the way she carefully polished it every day even when the country was at peace. The armor gave her an aura of power and authority different from what Jinyoung was used to seeing. Soyoung’s official golden robes gave her the image of elegant strength, a woman that you didn’t want to mess with. On the other hand, the armor turned her into an authoritative military commander, a leader who knew exactly what she was doing, the image of what Jinyoung expected to see standing at the very front of a large group of soldiers as they waited to attack. 

There truly are limitless sides to this woman.

Jinyoung followed Soyoung to the front gates of the imperial palace, where a large group of soldiers were waiting for her. Soyoung reached out to grab the edge of the saddle to swing onto her horse, then hesitated and looked over at Jinyoung. Jinyoung tilted his head slightly, wondering what was happening. Then, a tiny smile crossed Soyoung’s face and she stepped closer to Jinyoung. Jinyoung’s eyes widened as she crossed her right hand over her chest to touch her shoulder, then bowed slightly to him.

“Husband, I will be taking my leave now.” She said, “Please wait here for my safe return, for I will certainly be victorious. And when I return, I will throw a grand feast to celebrate and honor your contributions.” Jinyoung felt his cheeks flush at the sudden movement, nodding his head awkwardly as his heart hammered in his chest. Usually, when an emperor personally went to war, he would bid his empress goodbye in front of all the soldiers before leaving, perhaps granting her a soft kiss as well. It made sense for Jinyoung to receive such treatment, even if it was surely only just for show, but why did he feel so embarrassed by it as well?

Seeming to catch the embarrassed look on his face, Soyoung chuckled softly and turned to leap onto her horse in one fluid motion.

“Set off!”

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Author's note: New character incoming! Like this story? Please comment, upvote, and subscribe!