Due to the heavy rain last night, the route to the western side of Pyeong-on was not in its typical good condition.

The road is littered with broken tree branches, making the ride much more arduous.

But it won't be like this for long; the ruler's team has already begun the repair work.

Every route and damaged area will soon be restored to normalcy. That is how the administration in Pyeong-on operates.

The safety and wellness of people are always the priority of the ruling class, and the ruler has always made sure of that.

Younghwa is riding her own horse with her security guard (everyone in the ruler's family has a guard for their protection) in front and Chanyeol in the back.

Chanyeol had dismissed his right-hand men, Yixing and Junmyeon, for the day so that they could help others clean up the risky areas.

Also, he or his family doesn't really require any security inside the Pyeong-on province; it is such a calm place with people living together in solidarity.

Even in the midst of every obstacle on their way, they are riding fast to reach the wounded young man.

As soon as they arrived, they were greeted by all of the residents, as well as some of the army personnel who were assisting the villagers in cleaning up the area.

"I hope you had a safe journey, Your Highness",
One of the chiefs in that little territory respectfully bowed to Younghwa.
They all jumped from the horses, and Chanyeol thoroughly scrutinised the entire area.

The locals and his men have already done an excellent job. They were soon escorted to the medical tent, where the young man lay.

"How is he doing? Are you guys familiar with him? Has anyone previously seen him?" Younghwa asked the chief.

However, it was Pyeong-on's top soldier, Kim Junmyeon, who said, "Not yet, Your Highness."

Younghwa and Chanyeol were shocked to see him there, and they turned to face him.
"Junmyeon, what brought you here? Right, you and your men were posted on the northwest side. Looking around to see if his entire squad had come along, Chanyeol asked his companion and right-hand man.
Additionally, Younghwa walked away from them both and rushed to treat the unidentified man right away because his life was more vital than his identification.

We were, but one of our men here approached me. They discovered some crucial information on the young man. They wanted me to be here."

"What exactly is it?"

That young man has a tattoo on his left hand.
It's the one we see on Seongyon slaves.

"Oh..."
Then there was stillness.

Chanyeol is familiar with the area; his late husband was from there, and while Pyeong-on has no relationship or business with those people, he is aware that slavery is still practised there. Slaves occasionally escape and cross the border. They almost seldom try to flee through the dense forest. Because of the wild animals, and, of course, the length and difficulty of the forest.

However, since the slave is not conscious and heavily injured, it can be concluded that he was left with no other option than to run through the deadly path.

So, do you think the injuries are from any type of animal attack, or are they from humans? Chanyeol asked as he looked towards the tent.

"It seems like he was mistreated by the people there; all the injuries are man-made. Also, there is one more thing: the tattoo is fresh."

That made him understand the situation much better.
I think he ran away as soon as they made him a slave."

"Probably." Junmyeon agreed with Chanyeol. But now the question is what to do about him.

He is not from their land, but that will not prevent him from receiving the necessary medical care.

The concern is for his safety. But first, they need to figure out why they made him a slave and what he did to deserve it.

"What now, Chanyeol? "(Only the lord and his wife are addressed by title. Everyone in the Lord's family is referred to by their given name. It's the Lord's command.)

"The Seongyon people never stop looking for escaped slaves." They'll be here soon looking for him. Perhaps yesterday's rain and the clogged roads are the reason they haven't arrived yet."

Chanyeol approached him with a solemn attitude and stated, "Inform the residents to keep quiet so that everyone is aware of this man."

Tell our men to be aware of Seongyon people; we won't disclose anything about him until he is well.

We will treat that man, and if we find out about him doing any criminal activities, we will send him back.

Otherwise, after being healed, he will decide about himself. This is my order".

"Yes, I got it.

Junmyeon was then dismissed, and Chanyeol walked up to the medical tent.

He slowly opened the door and went inside.

Inside were his mother, a helper, and the injured man. The latter is unconscious and lying on a wooden bed.
His gaze was drawn to the mystery man's feet initially. It was completely bandaged, and Chanyeol sighed as he pictured him galloping through the jungle barefoot.

Then his gaze gently travelled higher, reaching for the face. He was stunned for a minute because even though the man's face was bruised and had a big bandage on his forehead, the man's face was beautiful—no, it was more than that.

And, despite knowing nothing about him, he felt certain that this man was innocent.

Then he looked for the tattoo on his hand, and he found it—the reddish tattoo of a bird cage on h