"Your Highness, that's—"

  Kyeong'ui cut Hyeok off. "Don't even try to make excuses. Did you use my name, or did you manipulate the soldiers in some other way? Choose your words carefully, because the punishment depends on it."

  Her tone was low and firm. Though Kyeong'ui's expression remained composed, both Hyeok and Hongyoo, who was also present, could feel the fury simmering beneath the surface. Cornered, Hyeok yielded meekly.

  "I told them it was your order. So, please, don't punish the soldiers."

  "You're truly insane," Kyeong'ui rebuked. You're only my betrothed; you're not the Prince Consort yet. Even if you were, you wouldn't be above my command. How dare you mobilize my father's troops without my knowledge?"

  "It was all for you! I suspected those siblings had ulterior motives. How could I just stand by and do nothing?"

  "Did you have any proof to justify such a reckless action?"

  Hyeok flinched. "That's... just my intuition..."

  "Did you just say intuition?"

  Hyeok knew his excuses were becoming more and more pathetic, but his desperation to appease Kyeong'ui's anger continued to fuel his hasty justifications.

  "But I wasn't the only one who felt that way!" he argued. "It was Hongyoo who came to me and instigated me, saying they were suspicious! Why are you only blaming me, who wanted to protect you, and not suspecting the Myeonghyeons, who even have a secret passage inside their house?"

  Kyeong'ui's restraint finally shattered. "Will you be silent?!"

  Hyeok immediately clamped his mouth shut. Kyeong'ui's chest heaved as she fought to regain her composure. Hyeok's pale face dropped to the floor. Having regained her composure, Kyeong'ui warned him in a calm, measured voice, "This is the first and last time. If something like this happens again, then it won't matter if you're my betrothed, the Prince Consort, or anything else."

  Kyeong'ui paused. Hyeok, startled, raised his head, and Kyeong'ui finished her sentence while staring directly at him.

  "I won't spare you."

  Hyeok lowered his head again. "...I'll keep that in mind."

  "You're dismissed."

  Hyeok withdrew, stepping backward. The atmosphere in the tent, now occupied only by Hongyoo and Kyeong'ui, was even more charged than before, a lingering echo of the storm that had just passed. Kyeong'ui sat in silence at the table. Hongyoo finally spoke.

  "Your Highness—"

  "Are you about to make excuses?" Kyeong'ui interrupted, her voice frigid.

  "At least, allow me to explain," Hongyoo pressed.

  Kyeong'ui said in a low, measured voice, "It was my father who granted you the authority of the Royal Attendant, and it was I who upheld it. And you used that authority to do such things behind my back?"

  "Your Highness, it's a misunderstanding."

  "Tell me what the misunderstanding is. If she lied in front of me, why couldn't you refute her? What am I misunderstanding?"

  Hongyoo's insides boiled. If he denied Seon's words, he risked his identity being exposed, but if he admitted them, he couldn't bear to watch Kyeong'ui's heart break in front of him. Cornered, like Hyeok, who looked pathetic even to himself, Hongyoo was driven to desperation. He recounted only the facts Kyeong'ui could verify.

  "I was dead drunk that day. I didn't ask for the boy to be sent in. Myeonghyeon Seon sent him in on her own. I felt sorry for the child having to do such a harsh job, so I just laid him down beside me and let him sleep comfortably for a night. Nothing improper happened, as you're implying."

  "If nothing happened, then how do you explain the boy's injuries?"

  Hongyoo faltered. If Seon had noticed that he had drugged the boy that day, she must have exaggerated it. There was no other way to explain that.

  "That... I don't remember."

  Even as he spoke, he felt despair. Kyeong'ui, too, was stunned by the absurdity of his excuse.

  "Don't act like that idiot. Do you call that an excuse?"

  "Please, Your Highness."

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  Hongyoo, about to plead further, froze, his mouth agape. His gaze was caught in Kyeong'ui's, her eyes blazing with fury. Kyeong'ui said, her voice thick with pain, "I don't know who I've been trusting all this time."

  Tears welled in her eyes, clinging precariously to her lower lids. Hongyoo felt a wave of dizziness. Someday, if by some cruel twist of fate, Kyeong'ui were to discover my true identity... if she were to learn the extent of my deception... what then? Kyeong'ui's tear-filled gaze offered a chilling glimpse of that potential reckoning. His insides burned with a familiar ache. Hongyoo approached Kyeong'ui, knelt before her, and gently enclosed her cold hands in his.

  "You may not believe me, but please, I beg you. I have never betrayed you."

  Kyeong'ui roughly wrenched her hands away. "Don't touch me."

  "Your Highness—"

  "Get out. And send her in."

  Hongyoo felt another wave of dizziness. This was not a welcome one-on-one meeting. It was better for him to bear the brunt of Kyeong'ui's anger than to leave the uncontrollable Seon alone with her. Hongyoo bowed his head heavily.

  "I will bring her as you command, but I dare say that I must be present as well."

  Kyeong'ui glared at him. "What are you doing?"

  "Young Master Gahngyun's words were not entirely false. Many houses in Sunyahng prepare hidden chambers for emergencies. However, no one constructs a secret passage leading beyond the city walls. If that's accurate, you were in grave danger during your last visit. I understand you wish to avoid my presence, but please, allow me to protect you."

  Hongyoo placed his hands on Kyeong'ui's stiff knees and bowed his head lower. There was no response from Kyeong'ui. Hongyoo closed his eyes tightly, searching for a sign of acquiescence. Can I interpret this silence as consent? Normally, Hongyoo would have been confident in his ability to read Kyeong'ui's unspoken intentions, but now, uncertainty gnawed at him. He rose from his kneeling position and withdrew, bowing once more before Kyeong'ui.

  Kyeong'ui's stiff back slumped. Her head felt heavy as she rested her forehead on her clenched fists. The chill quickly replaced the warmth where Hongyoo's hands had been. Alone in the tent, Kyeong'ui felt utterly alone. Her father tested her, her mother ignored her, and her brother threatened her. Even her betrothed, Gahngyun Hyeok, so unreliable from the start, had secretly mobilized troops, and Hongyoo, her companion of ten years, now seemed like a stranger. Myeonghyeon Ryang, on whom she'd pinned her hopes for a trustworthy ally, had disappeared. If Seon's account of his disappearance was accurate.

  "Your Highness."

  As she fought back the rising tide of loneliness, Hongyoo's voice called from outside. Kyeong'ui straightened and allowed them entry. Seon, standing before Kyeong'ui, clasped her hands politely and bowed her head.

  Kyeong'ui said, "Come closer and have a seat."

  Seon bowed again and took a seat in the chair opposite Kyeong'ui. Hongyoo remained standing behind Kyeong'ui, his hands concealed within his sleeves. Kyeong'ui's stern gaze swept over Seon, taking in every detail. From her tightly pressed lips to her restless eyes, Seon radiated anxiety. Kyeong'ui began.

  "Today's incident was reckless in many ways. You know that, right?"

  "I have nothing to say. I was beside myself with worry for my brother..."

  "I won't hold today's incident against you. Etiquette should be tempered with consideration for feelings."

  Seon bowed deeply. "You are most gracious."

  "Judging by your expression," Kyeong'ui continued, "it doesn't appear you fabricated the story about your brother's disappearance."

  She gestured with her chin towards Hongyoo standing behind her and asked, "Did you have any other suspects besides him? Running a merchant house and inn of this size, and enjoying the protection of the Lady of Nahmgyo, must have bred some jealousy. And dealing with such vast sums of money, you must have made enemies."

  Seon shook her head. "My brother isn't the most likable person, but he wouldn't do anything unjust enough to make enemies."

  "If that's the case, then what exactly did my Royal Attendant do to that boy that caused this conflict?"

  Seon was startled by the sudden question and involuntarily looked up. Hongyoo's gaze from behind Kyeong'ui was burning. It was natural for Kyeong'ui to want to know the details since it was about her lover. What lie should I tell? Seon didn't know what had been said between Kyeong'ui and Hongyoo earlier. If her words contradicted Hongyoo's explanation, then even if she found Ryang safe and sound, her family would be in danger. Seon answered firmly,

  'I apologize, Your Highness, but it's against our custom to discuss internal matters outside its walls. It's an unspoken rule in this business."

  Kyeong'ui sneered. "Have you developed such a strong sense of friendship with him in such a short time?"

  "Your Highness, that's not—"

  "If that's not it, then I suppose it's something you can't tell me."

  "...I apologize."

  Kyeong'ui seemed displeased with Seon's answer and gave her a sharp look, but she soon changed her mind and steered the conversation in a different direction.

  "I once asked him about the scar on his left hand. It has quite a story behind it."

  Seon, relieved to have safely navigated a difficult situation, replied, "I've heard Father tell that story countless times while I was growing up."

  "Do you still have the doll that the six-year-old Ryang carved for you? He wasn't sure if you still had it."

  Kyeong'ui's question caught Seon off guard, bringing back a lifetime of memories with Ryang. Her eyes welled up with tears. Seon managed a sad smile with her watery eyes.

  "I do."

  Kyeong'ui said, "To be honest, I struggle to grasp the depth of your worry and anxiety. If my brother suddenly vanished, I doubt I'd feel such grief. My father ascended the throne by murdering his older and younger siblings. Perhaps something similar awaits me and my brother. Brotherly affection is a luxury the royal family can't afford.

  Kyeong'ui's eyes held a deep loneliness. She continued, "You have a good brother, Lady Myeonghyeon. I haven't envied many people in my life, but I envy you for that, at least."

  "Your Highness."

  Seon could offer nothing but a steady gaze. Kyeong'ui's sorrowful expression soon hardened into its usual sternness. She declared, "I will help you, Lady Myeonghyeon. I will dispatch two hundred soldiers to find him."