Soojin nervously chewed her lip as she sat on her horse.

“Shouldn’t Krystal be back by now?” she asked Soyeon.

Soyeon didn’t reply but Soojin could see a vein jumping in her jaw. They were all mounted and ready to leave. Soyeon had told them that Krystal was bringing the Royal Guards back to the castle and would come back soon. But “soon” had stretched into an hour. Their horses stamped and Minnie’s whinnied quietly. Soojin clucked her tongue and rode over to Shuhua. She reached out and took Shuhua’s hand. Her warmth made Soojin feel calmer.

“Soyeon, should I go look for her?” Soojin finally called.

Soyeon sighed and turned to look at all of them.

“We can’t risk it. If she’s caught, they’re bound to be waiting for us. They might even be headed this way too. I think we need to leave now.”

Muttering broke out as the group looked at each other. Minnie and Miyeon seemed fine with Soyeon’s plan, but that was because they were used to taking orders from her. But Yuqi and Shuhua both shook their heads.

“We can’t just abandon a teammate!” Yuqi said hotly.

“Krystal helped Jjin-Jjin escape! She’s as good as family!” Shuhua agreed.

Soyeon looked at Soojin.

“She did save me and I promised that I would help her rescue Amber,” Soojin stated, looking back at Soyeon steadily.

Soyeon pursed her lips. At this moment Moonbyul cleared . Everyone looked at her as she swept her hair back with her hand. Soyeon insisted on bringing Moonbyul with them. She thought that Moonbyul, would prove useful as a bargaining chip with the neighboring countries, considering her infamy as head of the Royal Guard.

“She probably went to see if she could break Amber out,” Moonbyul began. “And Yongsun probably has her cornered. If you guys went alone—no, even if you all went as a team, it would be impossible for you to rescue her. However, if I go, I can negotiate with Yongsun to have her released.”

“How do we know you won’t betray us and keep Krystal?” Yuqi shot back.

“You don’t. You’ll just have to trust me.”

Soojin glanced at Moonbyul. Although wounds