Finally, Saku, Tokkiz's Prince of the Wolves, announced his departure date after Yujin's birthday. He was appointed Yujin's orbit compass (something like a god-parent), so he attended the young prince's Initiation-to-Heaven Ceremony in the Grand Temple. On the same occasion, the Head Priest gave him the official blessing and assigned him a junior priestess to serve the new principality. After talking to Kazuha, the young priestess who was versatile, wise and cheerful, Saku felt inspired and decided it should be time for him to commence his new journey.

After the announcement, Saku asked Eunbi for the secondment of Anna to assist him in his mission.

"Why do you want to take my maid away?" Eunbi frowns.

Saku breathes in deeply, "Anna is my best friend. She has helped me to survive many crises and..."

Eunbi is suddenly aware of the jealousy churning in her stomach.

"And? I think she should come to talk to me if she wants to leave."

Saku his lips, "no, Your Highness. Anna doesn't know I have this idea. I haven't talked to her yet. She has mentioned a few times about helping me settle down and build up the new household, just like Lady Chaewon did for you. And I think..."

Eunbi raises her brows. "Are you hiding something from me, Saku-chan?"

Saku breathes in a few times before he braves it out, "Anna will remind me of Your Highness when we are apart – I know it is silly, but Anna has your scent..."

Eunbi suddenly bursts into laughter, "it's because she is taking care of almost all my daily chores, including helping me to bathe and dress. I can always send my old clothes in a box if you want."

Saku lowers his head in embarrassment, "I am sorry, noona, but I miss you already."

Eunbi feels a pang in her chest, but she stays composed and says calmly, "fine, Saku-chan, your wish is granted."

***

The night before Saku's departure, Jaeyeon took him to the tavern they often went to.

Jaeyeon is drinking a bit heavily tonight. Before all food is tabled, he is already half-drunk. Saku feels uneasy as Jaeyeon talks a lot when drunk but only beats around the bushes.

"Hyeong, I am leaving tomorrow. You can tell me what is truly on your mind." Saku says boldly.

It still takes Jaeyeon a while. Finally, he says, "You know what, Saku-chan? I truly envy you."

"What do you mean, hyeong?" Saku creases his brows.

Jaeyeon waves his hands, "no, I don't mean I envy you coming to power at such a young age, but I wish I could lead an army away and protect our kingdom just like you."

Saku sighs, "but your duty – "

"Is to stay behind the future Queen and raise her son as a loving father." Jaeyeon cuts in before Saku can finish and quickly gulps another cup of wine.

"Don't get me wrong, Saku-chan." Jaeyeon shakes his head when Saku fills up his small wine cup. "I am a knight. It is my greatest privilege and honour. But as a husband, I think I deserve a little more respect."

Saku looks confused. "What do you mean?"

Jaeyeon gulps down more wine before he speaks again.

"Saku-chan, can you keep a secret?"

Saku puts his right palm on his chest, "Yes."

Jaeyeon moves his face close to Saku and whispers to his ear, "we have not slept in the same bed since Yujing was born. You understand what I mean?"

Saku nods. Jaeyeon then leans back and continues, "she didn't allow me to touch her soon after she was pregnant, and she treated me even cold after Yujin's birth. We only act intimate in front of other people."

Saku's brows furrowed deeply, "but why?"

Jaeyeon shrugs and raises his brows sarcastically, "how can I know?"

"Is it because you fight a lot?"

"Maybe. But I'm always the one to back down. Maybe women do not respect men who cannot conquer them."

Saku becomes more confused, "hyeong, does that mean you and noona do not love each other?"

"Love?" Jaeyeon looks as if he has heard a joke. "Saku-chan, you read too many novels. I was chosen by His Majesty the King to be his daughter's husband, the man to be used to give this kingdom offspring, and that's all."

Saku frowns deeply. The Princess and the Prince Consort didn't get married out of love – he knew that nearly on the first day he was brought into the palace. There is nothing new. But the way Jaeyeon puts it makes him uncomfortable.

"Aren't you supposed to develop a loving relationship after marriage?"

"No," Jaeyeon replies bluntly while gulping another cup of wine down. "Well, I think we were fond of each other at the very beginning. But after I gave her a baby, she dumped me like orange peel. She treats me even worse than when I was her knight."

Saku finds himself lost in words. He feels very sad after hearing Jaeyeon's confession because his last hope for Eunbi and Jaeyeon to be on good terms is shattered.

"If you don't love her," Saku hesitates for a long time before he goes, "why do you still want to sleep with her?"

Jaeyeon is slightly taken aback by Saku's question, but he soon refutes, "because we are husband and wife. We – I have needs too. You know what I mean, Saku-chan?"

Saku shakes his head, "no, I don't."

"Come on! Why do you look so upset because of me and Eunbi? The adult world is ridiculous, and what happens behind the palace walls is even more ridiculous. You should be glad that you are leaving this extravagant jail tomorrow." Jaeyeon says when pushing his wine cup towards Saku. "Try one sip, and you will forget about your unhappiness!"

Suddenly, Saku feels that a boulder is crushing him, and his inner world starts crumbling. His throat feels so tight that he cannot breathe while wanting to throw up. Without hesitation, he grabs the cup and gulps the wine in one shot.

***

Eunbi wakes up in the middle of the night feeling uncomfortable. Before paging the midnight staff, she observes her symptoms and realizes that despite having studied magic and medicine for over a decade, she cannot diagnose her problem. She then goes to check herself in the bathroom. Her period hasn't come yet; her is clean; there is no fever; she doesn't need to poo. She inhales deeply and doesn't feel any difficulty in breathing.

She then hears some noise. She opens the door and sees Jaeyeon being taken to his chamber by two knights. There is a strong smell of alcohol in the air. When the knights leave the chamber after settling, they are startled to see Princess Regent standing in the middle of the living room in her pyjamas.

"What happened?" Eunbi asks.

"Prince Jaeyeon was drunk, Your Highness. He went to drink with Prince Saku, and both of them went drunk, and..." Jaeyeon's knight replies hasty and turns his head to Saku's knight.

Saku's knight looks anxious. "Prince Saku does not feel well. We will send him to the duty doctor if Your Highness may excuse us."

"Where is he now?"

"In the carriage outside..." before he finishes, Eunbi has already been running downstairs towards the door.

Saku is curling up on the passage seat, hissing and , and is in great pain.

Seeing Sakura in pain, Eunbi gets furious, "what happened?"

"We don't know. He was on the floor when we entered the private room," Saku's knight lowers his head. "We thought he was merely drunk..."

"Take him to my lab," Eunbi orders.

Seeing Saku being moved onto the examination table, Eunbi's sense of time suddenly reverses to when Sakura, the slave girl, was first brought to the lab, with her whole body covered with injuries and trembling with fear. tightens when she thinks about the suffering that Sakura has to endure throughout her young life. Yet, she bites her lips to hold back the tears.

"Kkura?" Eunbi whispers to Sakura's ear, "can you hear me? Can you open your eyes?"

With her eyes tightly pressed shut, Sakura can only make a sound from .

"Kkura, can you tell me how you feel? Can you respond when I check your body?"

"Eung..." Sakura whines when Eunbi touches her lower abdomen.

Eunbi gives Sakura a brief check-up and quickly mixes a potion. She tries several times to pour it into Sakura's mouth but fails – without hesitation, Eunbi takes a sip of the potion and "shoots" it into the girl's mouth.

As if a miracle, Sakura receives the potion well. She slowly opens her eyes and leads out a long sigh.

"Unnie..." Sakura whispers. Her voice is so weak that it makes Eunbi's heart aches.

"Yes, Kkura, I am here."

"I remember..."

Eunbi's eyes widened, "w-what do you mean?"

"Unnie," Sakura smiles with all her strength, "I now remember...everything."

"The potion...fails? How did it happen?"

Sakura tries to answer, but her eyelids feel so heavy that she can't help and falls asleep.

In an instant, Eunbi feels her efforts to suppress her feelings for the past ten months fail like a dam failure. All the accumulated emotions burst like a sudden, rapid, and uncontrolled release of water.

She backs away and drops onto a chair, gasping for air and feeling that she may faint at any time. Her mind goes blank, not knowing what to think and not knowing what to do. She only wants to kiss and hug the sleeping lad in front of her.

"Oh, Kkura...what should I do?" Eunbi murmurs. Her heart now hurts more severely. She has to band down and hug herself.

What happened to both of us tonight? Eunbi thinks while a thought suddenly pops up in her mind.

Without hesitation, Eunbi jumps up and climbs onto the examination table. She backhugs the girl, and just in a short while, the pain in her heart disappears.

The truth strikes Eunbi as if a flash of lightning.

***

Eunbi is woken up by her inner clock when the day breaks. A blissful happiness fills her whole being when she first sees Sakura's angelic face. Unconsciously, they have been hugging in their sleep. Only at this moment did Eunbi understands the feeling of love, loss, and found. She wishes this moment will never end, though she is also aware that this is a luxury she can't afford.

Gently, Eunbi withdraws her arms from Sakura and climbs down the examination table. Sakura squirms a bit and immediately falls back to sleep.

"Such a sleepyhead," Eunbi smiles sweetly with a hint of bitterness, then teleports back to her chamber.

The Princess rings the bell, and her new maid, Aoi, immediately knocks on the door.

"Has Jaeyeon awake? I feel stinky with alcohol from dealing with these drunken men. I need to take a quick bath." Eunbi complains while handing Aoi a small bottle, "make sure Jaeyeon takes this remedy when he wakes up. Also, Saku is in my lab. Ask Nako to arrange hands to take him back to the Infante House. Give him the same remedy after he wakes up."

The morning, the Princess Regent called to halt the Northeast Prairie expedition until further notice. She reschedules a meeting and summons Jaeyeon and Saku's knights. As expected, they don't have much to tell. They must ensure their masters' safety while not intruding on their privacy, not to mention that they must defend their masters' honour, even in front of the Princess Regent. Nevertheless, the fact that Jaeyeon and Saku always go to a tavern in the city to have a drink has already shocked Eunbi.

The knights are dismissed soon after the butler reports that Jaeyeon is awake.

Eunbi storms into Jaeyeon's chamber while Jaeyeon is sitting on the bed, taking the remedy served by Aoi.

After everyone is out, Eunbi slams the door shut.

"What happened?" Jaeyeon asks innocently.

This makes Eunbi furious, "shouldn't I be the person who asks you this question? Don't dare to tell me you don't know what happened last night!"

"What's wrong? I just took Saku-chan to dinner as usual. He is leaving today – oh, damn!" Jaeyeon quickly jumps out of bed, "did I miss his departure?"

"Don't swear to my face." Eunbi darts Jaeyeon a death glare, "he fell gravely sick after having dinner with you. The expedition is now cancelled."

Jaeyeon freezes to the ground, "...What? What happened to him? Is he alright? Why don't I have any memory of that?"

"Because you are drunk," Eunbi says coldly. "You are the Prince Consort, but you don't even bother to set a good example to your subject and let yourself become an alcoholic!"

"Getting drunk is not an alcoholic!" Jaeyeon refutes. He is now upset by Eunbi's accusation. "Any person can get drunk. My father did, your father did, Saku-chan's father did..."

"Shut up! His body is not mature enough to get drunk!" Eunbi shouts.

Jaeyeon stops. Instead, he turns around and gets changed, murmuring, "I must go see Saku-chan."

"Your Highnesses?" Somebody knocks at the door. Eunbi knows that only one person in the palace dares to intervene when she and Jaeyeon fight. She immediately opens the door and finds Chaewong standing right before her.

Following Chaewon's non-verbal instruction, Eunbi leaves and returns to her chamber.

"What happened?" Chaewon locks the door behind them and sits down. "The last time I saw you get so upset was when your parents forced you to have babies."

Eunbi's cheeks are still burning red, "if you have been there, unnie, only if you have seen how Saku suffered after he got drunk, you will feel what I feel."

Chaewon shakes her head, "so you are angry at Jaeyeon getting drunk or Saku getting sick?"

Eunbi grits her teeth, "Jaeyeon took Saku out and let him get drunk, causing him to get sick."

"So you blame Jaeyeon for making Saku feel sick, not himself drunk?" Chaewon raises one of her eyebrows and asks again, "but Saku is not a child anymore. He has his free will too."

Eunbi gulps. She is well aware of what Chaewon is asking.

"Jaeyeonis an adult, and he knows well that Saku is leaving today. He should not have brought Saku with him and let the boy drink. Although Saku has reached the age of becoming, his body has still not fully matured – and I never know Jaeyeon is a heavy drinker. Eventually, he will ruin my reputation." Eunbi quickly rationalizes her anger.

"He has been drinking for a while," Chaewon says calmly, "the staff are gossiping that you are the source of his unhappiness."

Eunbi is a bit taken aback, "I don't know. We haven't talked for a while."

"When was the last time you talked to him?"

Eunbi thinks for a while, "when we discussed Saku's training schedule?"

That was a fight. Chaewon thinks and sighs. "There must be something going on, or you are being bothered by something, Eunbi. Do you want to talk?"

Eunbi turns away from Chaewon's gaze and slowly shakes her head.

Author's notes:

Hi, this is gumgumtara. I am terribly sorry that it took me over 6 months to finish this update. I have been thinking about the plot over and over again but didn't know how to write it. What made matters worse was that I partook in a writing contest and my job suddenly got super busy. I rewrote chapter 1 of Twelve Warriors – Prequel (unlisted in the meantime) and turned it into a short story (I hope that I can translate and re-publish it again one day ). The story was ranked among the top ten and I won 1 USD and 2,000 Like Coins (around 4 USD at the time). Haha.

Back to Precious Slave. I have planned this to be the final chapter. After the writing contest, I decided I should write at least 100 words per day (my original target was 5,000 words), and I worked hard to achieve it. Eventually, the chapter got longer and longer to over 6,000 words, so I decided to break up the chapter into two (hopefully). (Actually, you can check the progress of a story by looking at the "word count" in the Foreward) While circumstances have changed, I also want to finish the story as soon as possible. After that, I want to write a sequel focusing on new characters, featuring the Le Sserafim girls. A reader has reminded me: the Cistumons still have not appeared! Right, that's a bug. In my original planning, the story will end with a huge battle with the Cistumons. But now, I plan to write what I still want to write in the form of one-shots (or 2-3 chapters as one unit) in the sequel. I hope that you will continue to support me. Let me plan and announce it in the next chapter.

Thank you again for your support!