Moonbyul rarely questioned herself. Indeed, one of her greatest strengths was her resolve. Once she decided to do something, usually after great deliberation, she always saw it through. And so far, that quality always worked well for her.

But tonight, things were different. Byul didn’t know what was the right thing to do. Should she go against Yongsun’s rule and help Soojin and her friends? Or should she turn Soojin in and tell Yongsun where the other rebels were headed?

“Moonbyul?” called a timid voice.

Byul turned to look at Soojin. Before the coup, they were on good terms, even friendly ones. Byul had been in charge of Soojin’s group of recruits when Soojin first joined. Byul wasn’t a captain yet, only a lieutenant. But all that meant was she had more time to frolic with the lower ranked guards. Soojin was her protégé. Already skilled in martial arts prior to joining the Royal Guard, Soojin showed exceeding promise and Byul had taken her under her wing. It was through Byul’s recommendation that Soojin had the opportunity to join the King’s Guard as the Princess’s personal guard, despite not having come from a noble family.

“Are you mad that we’re on different sides?” Soojin asked quietly.

Moonbyul considered the question. No, she didn’t feel mad. What she felt was more along the lines of regret. Politics didn’t matter to her. She was a trained sword, loyal to who controlled the throne. Or so she thought.

“I’m mad at the reason why we’re on different sides, but not mad that we’re fighting against each other,” she finally responded to Soojin.

“Do you not have a sense of loyalty?” Soojin challenged.

“If you’re a Royal Guard, you follow the throne. That is my duty. It is not my place to establish ties.”

But Moonbyul already knew that wasn’t true. If she weren’t human, if she were better at stamping out her human emotions, she’d be able to live by that statement. But she certainly had ties. Her strongest one was linked to Yongsun, her love. She also had ties to Soyeon, someone she frequently collaborated with when overseeing