“As a father, I would like to ask for your understanding to give some privacy for us to grieve.

As King, I would like to thank your condolences and prayer.” The King ended his speech and left the room, followed by the rest of the royal family and the palace attendants.

Director Min looked at the content of the transcript of the King’s speech Daeun typed, “Hmm… good, you wrote down almost everything.”

Daeun bowed, “Thank you Director Min.”

“Such a great lost, the crown prince is well liked, when he finally got a son he wanted for so long, they have to left the world,” the director sighed.

“Moreover, the grand heir is barely two years old,” Kang Chulsoo, News Kyunghyang Royal News Photographer, said.

“Did the police released a statement yet?” Daeun asked her superiors.

Director Min shook his head, “Just like the usual, they said the investigation is still on going, so they cannot reveal any details yet.”

“It is suspicious that the car just lost control in a perfectly sunny day,” the photographer rubbed his chin.

“Isn’t it more skeptical, that out of crown prince’s seven children, none of them lived past the age of five?” Daeun asked.

The director pulled Daeun’s arm, he looked around to see if any other reporter was listening to their conversation, “Stop talking about nonsense!” he whispered in hurry, “We should leave now, and publish the article as soon as possible.”

“May I go to the ladies’ room before we leave?” Daeun asked.

“Yes, but you have to start writing the article in the car,” Director Min answered and made time ticking gesture on his wrist.

After drying her hands, Daeun reached to her pocket to reapply her lipstick, instead of her lipstick, she found a similar shaped object, her recorder, “, I mistook the recorder for the lipstick in hurry.”

Daeun was walking to the parking lot, even though it was only her sixth time in the palace, she could already remember the short cut from the conference hall to the press parking lot through the west side garden, courtesy to Prince Kim Jongin. The garden was pretty secluded, with almost only the gardener as the frequent visitors, but she was in a hurry and there was no restriction for visitor not to walk through it.

As Daeun was about to turn to the entrance of the garden, “What should we do next?” a deep voice was heard.

“Nothing,” the interlocutors answered. Daeun could not help to wonder, that the second person’s voice sounds familiar, however she could not pin point who was it.

Out of instinct, she took out her recorder in the direction of the voice, “After all we have done, is this not the time for us to receive what we worked hard for?” the first voice seems to be in anger.

The people talking were either a royal or palace attendant, Daeun noted, or just outsider that was really into the environment of being in the palace, she added.

“Do not count your chickens yet,” the calmer ones answered. “Jusang Jeonha would not be selecting the new Seja so soon, it will take at least a couple of months.”

“Is the choice not obvious? We should haste before Jusang Jeonha do anything unreasonable.”

The respond to the statement was so quite that Daeun barely able to hear it and she was sure the recorder would not be able to catch most of it, but she decided to keep recording.

“Mind your words!” the person who was more composed hissed, “The reporters are still here, we will talk about this later.”

Then there was only rustling sound followed by silence, Daeun took a step from behind the wall to see at least one of the participants of the conversation, but luck was not on her side, she saw no one in the garden.

Daeun looked down to her recorder that kept recording, she knew something did not add up.

❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧

Daeun was cutting the spring onion for the garnish of the soybean paste stew, Kyungsoo flipped the last portion of the vegetable pancake, while Jinjoo prepped the side dishes and utensils.

The door bell rang, “I’ll get it,” Jinjoo said while she ran to the door.

Jinjoo opened the door and was greeted by the married couple and man she never saw before. Ignoring the men, she hugged Seyeon, “Oh my gosh Seyeon, I hope you are feeling better now.” The lotus nodded, but her tight hug said the opposite.

“Come on, let’s continue the reunion inside,” Jongin prompted and pushed Seyeon on her lower back with a little force. “We brought soju, lots of them,” he announced.

“Are fasting royals allowed to get drunk?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Are royals not human? We are grieving, not abstaining,” Jongin answered, he turned to the man following him, “By the way, I hope you don’t mind that I bring my cousin along, he just finished double shift, and he was too tired to drive.”

Baekhyun bowed, “My name is Baek Hyun, pleased to meet you,” he showed his infamous eye smile.

Daeun walked to the table with the stew in her hand, “I’m Daeun, Welcome to my humble abode,” she greeted.

Kyungsoo pointed the spatula to the journalist, “Savour this moment well, this will be last time she acts nice to you,” he offered his elbow, Baekhyun awkwardly shook it, “The name is Kyungsoo, pardon my greasy hands,” he danced his fingers.

“Forgive me for not greeting you by the door, my name is Jinjoo,” she w