Yongsun hurled the goblet of wine against the portrait of Moonbyul hanging in her bedroom. The wine splattered over the canvas, dripping down and mixing with the oils in the painting. It looked like Moonbyul was crying tears of blood.

“Argh!!!!!” she screamed.

Her room scarcely resembled the neatly laid out royal suite a day ago. Before, a horde of servants kept the place tidy, despite Yongsun spilling food and drink all over the carpets. But she ordered them away a few hours ago, after the botched attempt to claim the rebel’s lives. The result was a mountain of ripped clothing and rotting food strewn all over the room, pierced pillows vomiting feathers onto the floor.

“Curse you,” she growled.

She picked up the bottle of wine sitting on her writing desk and upended it over . The bitter dregs flowed smoothly down and she kept chugging, until she the bottle dry. Yongsun tossed the bottle over her shoulder and heard it splinter into a thousand shards against the wall.

Byul-ah, why did you have to do this to me?

Yongsun slumped against the wall and slowly slipped down, until she sat in a pile of her skirts. She could still see Moonbyul standing in the throne room, covered with wounds. Yet she stood without help, begging for Krystal and Soojin’s lives. That was an act of treason.

Wasn’t it?

When her guards came back and announced that Jimin, a name she only recently learned, had sacrificed himself so that the rebels could escape, and that her soldiers couldn’t kill Moonbyul, Yongsun withdrew into her room. Her soldiers didn’t even think to send a force after Krystal and Soojin, instead coming to her for orders.

Imbeciles.

Now, Shuhua would be long gone.

A timid knock sounded on the door. Yongsun briefly looked up. Should she let them in? What would they think if they saw this mess? But after a second’s deliberation she realized she couldn’t find a shred of care.

“Come in.”

A short soldier poked his head in and gave her a small bow.

“Minister,” he said hurriedly, eyes roving around the messy room. “There are reports of an enemy force a few hours ride from here!”

Yongsun regarded him with hooded eyes. She raised one finger and waggled it at him. He gulped and inched closer.

“So, what do you think you should do then, soldier?” Yongsun asked in honeyed tones.

It was comical, how hard he thought.

“Um, we could meet them in battle.”

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back so that it rested against the wall.

“How? When the lot of you are so green and wet behind the ears that even I could slay you all?”

The soldier didn’t say anything and Yongsun let a momentary wave of h