Prince Jung was furious with the whole situation.

He summoned Kim Minjun to his room immediately after he returned from the meeting with the King. He could only watch and protest at the side as the King agreed to the Crown Prince’s request. He was wordless with rage, smashing almost everything on his table until Kim Minjun finally showed up.

“Your excellency,” Kim Minjun was clearly breathless from running to the Prince as soon as he heard the orders. He glanced around the room to assess the damage and took a step back when he saw the look Prince Jung gave him.

“What happened? Were you plotting behind my back? Did you betray me?” Prince Jung questioned angrily as he shoved Kim Minjun in the chest, causing the latter to stagger backwards.

“No, your excellency. I would never,” he replied, quickly going down on all fours to plead. “My loyalty is only with you, your excellency.”

“Then why does the Crown Prince know your sister’s name?”

Kim Minjun jerked his head up in confusion.

“That bastard told the King that he wants your sister to join the selection process for the Crown Princess’ position,” Prince Jung said, slowly walking back to his desk. “And the King allowed him to do as he pleased. And he knew her name.”

“I have never interacted with the Crown Prince before,” Kim Minjun quickly defended himself. “I don’t know how his highness found out about it.”

“So what can I do now? I am going to become a laughing stock to the people when word gets out about this,” Prince Jung let out a sharp laugh, one that is so sinister that it didn’t reach his cold eyes.

Kim Minjun kept his head lower and said, “Your excellency, I will make sure that she fails the test and comes back to become your bride.”

Prince Jung scoffed and said, “You think I would want her after that? I don’t want my brother’s leftovers.”

“Your excellency –”

“You can leave now.”

“But–”

“Leave!”

Kim Minjun quickly scurried out of the room when Prince Jung grabbed a book to throw at him.

“Your excellency, her majesty the Queen has asked to see you in her chambers,” his attendant said from outside the door after Kim Minjun left.

“What again,” he muttered under his breath as he pushed open the doors and walked out of the room. “Clean up the mess. I want it to return to normal when I come back.”

“Yes, your excellency.”

The moment he reached the Queen’s room, he was surprised to see his grandfather sitting in the same room.

“Good evening, mother,” he greeted the Queen first before turning to greet Vice Premier Hak. “Grandfather.”

“Jung, Eunuch Kim had briefed us about what happened earlier. But we need to hear it from you, how did that happen?” the Queen asked her son.

“I think Tax Minister Kim had betrayed me. He probably introduced his sister to the Crown Prince behind my back,” said Prince Jung. “But he claimed his loyalty lies with me and that he didn’t know what happened either.”

“How can you let this mess happen? I told you to be careful of making allies, what happens if Minister Kim tells everything he knows to the Crown Prince?”

“I am sorry mother. I thought we shared the same ambitions, but I realized that I chose the wrong ally.”

“You should have known to trust someone else other than Minister Kim,” Vice Premier Hak finally spoke. Prince Jung cowered in fear when his grandfather spoke, he feared his grandfather more than his mother. “What is his sister’s name?”

“Kim Taeyeon,” Prince Jung replied. “She’s an exceptional beauty. But Minister Kim mentioned that I have to tame her because she’s disobedient.”

The Queen gasped and said, “Then why would you choose her to become your bride? Disobedient and the sister of a sly and disloyal man even.”

“But I believe I can tame my own wife. It just takes time.”

The Queen pinched the bridge of her nose as she leaned back on her chair, disappointed by her son’s decision. Prince Jung then glanced at his grandfather. Vice Premier Hak seems to be in deep thought, trying to think of a plan to solve this.

“Any idea why the Crown Prince chose the sister of Minister Kim then?” his lordship asked after a silent moment.

“No. I don’t even think that the Crown Prince has met Kim Taeyeon before,” replied Prince Jung.

“Let’s make sure she fails the test,” said Vice Premier Hak.

“What? I don’t want his leftovers,” Prince Jung scoffed in disgust.

“Father,” the Queen pleaded for her son as well.

“No, let’s make sure she fails the test so that we can find out what the Crown Prince is really plotting. To see if his highness and Minister Kim have really become allies,” Vice Premier Hak explained. “If she fails the test, we will just find a way to get rid of her. She wouldn’t be able to step into the palace anymore.”

“Okay, I will tell Minister Kim to help me with that. He will think that I would actually take his sister back after she fails the assessment,” said Prince Jung.

***

Kim Minjun was b with anger as he banged on Taeyeon’s door in the middle of the night. The guards quickly helped him to unlock the door from the outside to let him in. Taeyeon swiftly got off her bed when she heard the loud commotion, just in time to see her brother barging in.

“What did you do?” he growled.

“What do you mean?”

“You were chosen to become a Crown Princess candidate by the Crown Prince! Prince Jung is furious at me now for letting that happen!”

“Wait what? The Crown Prince?”

“Don’t act innocent. You think I am stupid?” his eyebrows rose as both of his hands reached out to his head, as if he was in the middle of a mental breakdown. “You must have done something! When you escaped earlier.”

Taeyeon gaped at her brother in confusion. But the corner of quirked up when she realized that things didn’t go according to her brother’s plan. “So, I have been promoted to Crown Princess candidate?”

Kim Minjun frowned and gave his sister a dirty look. No, he can’t let her win. Seeing that satisfied smile on her face only fed into his b anger. He shut his eyes and drew in a long breath to manage his anger.

“You,” he finally spoke. “You will marry Prince Jung. Fail the test and come back to marry the Prince.”

“Fail the test? How can I fail the test when I am so talented?”

Her brother scowled and took two steps closer to her. Looming closer, he raised his hands and tightened them around her neck, choking her. Taeyeon’s breath quickened, she was running out of oxygen within seconds.

“Let… go… of me,” she pleaded as she slapped on his arms to let go of her neck.

“Fail the test or I will kill you,” he threatened and finally let go of her, causing her to fall to the ground. She gently rubbed as she took in a deep breath, fear took over her as he looked up at her brother. She could no longer recognize him anymore, he became a stranger to her and she realized that it meant that if she continued to cross him, he would not hesitate to kill her.

She’s just a pawn in his game he could get rid of anytime.

“That was your last chance. Don’t, cross me,” he then pivoted on his heel and left the room. She stayed on the ground, inhaling and exhaling in a slow pace to pump the oxygen back into her head. Letting out a scoff in disbelief, she slumped her back against the edge of her bed. She buried her fingers into her hair as her eyes welled up.

She has never been any more afraid and alone than now, is it really the end for her? There were only two choices right in front of her, either she marries the Crown Prince or she goes back to Prince Jung. If Prince Jung doesn’t want her because she’s considered the Crown Prince’s “leftover”, then her brother would get rid of her because she was no longer useful to his plan.

The only way out of this is to escape, but she has to succeed this time as it would be her last chance.

***

“Your highness,” Eunuch Nam called out as he tried to catch up with the Crown Prince. “What just happened in there? Prince Jung seems really furious.”

“Call for Royal Physician Go, I need to change my bandages,” the Crown Prince ordered as his attendants opened the doors for him to enter his room. “I have made some minor changes in the list of the candidates for the Crown Princess selection process.”

“The list?” Eunuch Nam was confused.

The Crown Prince nodded, holding out his arms to both sides as Eunuch Nam started to help him take off his robe.

Not long after, Royal Physician Go arrived at the Crown Prince’s chambers to help him change the bandage around his waist.

“Your highness, the wound has healed up pretty well. But please refrain from doing any aggressive activities,” advised Royal Physician Go as he gently unwrapped the old bandage and replaced it with a new one. “Whoever did this, did a really good job at it. Your highness, which infirmary did you go to after you were found outside the palace?”

“It doesn’t have a name. Just a local infirmary near the forest,” Baekhyun replied.

Royal Physician Go then started to apply some herbal medicine on his wound and the smell weirdly reminded him of Taeyeon.

“Eunuch Nam,” he immediately called out to Eunuch Nam once Royal Physician Go left.

“Yes, your highness.”

“I want you to keep a close eye on the Crown Princess selection process for me,” he said. “Report the progress of one of the candidates, Kim Taeyeon, to me.”

Eunuch Nam was surprised to hear that, but quickly nodded to his highness that he would follow his orders. As Eunuch Nam helped the Crown Prince to wear back his robe, Soo came forward and passed a letter to his highness.

“Prince Jung has been visiting a guest house in Hahoe,” Soo reported, showing a piece of paper that listed out the days Prince Jung had visited the place to the Crown Prince. “His excellency has made more frequent visits starting a few weeks ago.”

“A few weeks ago? Who was he meeting?” his highness asked as he glanced through the list.

“I questioned a few gisaengs that were working that night, but none of them knew who he was, they only remembered his appearance.”

Baekhyun propped his chin on his hand as he drummed his fingers on the table, thinking about a way to find out the identity of the man quicker. “Did she point out any identifiable features?”

Soo shook his head. “She pointed out that he looked like the average man, but taller than Prince Jung. And that he had a scar under his left eye.”

“A scar..." Baekhyun stopped tapping his fingers on the table and said, "Okay, good job. Just continue to keep an eye on Prince Jung and make sure that you don’t get caught.”

“Yes, your highness.”

“Whoever is meeting him outside the palace must be the one helping him,” said the Crown Prince. “They possibly planned the ambush on me a few days ago together as well.”