That evening, Prince Young-Sik found a spot by a tree, extending his hands toward the flickering fire he had made for warmth. "I've got to get back to the capital before the first snow comes, or I'll be in serious trouble," he reflected. He buried his face in his hands to absorb some warmth. As the cold crept in, Young-Sik wrapped his arms around himself, rubbing his shoulders to keep the chill at bay.
Suddenly, Young-Sik's instincts kicked in, signaling that someone was nearing. He turned his gaze to the right and noticed three shadowy silhouettes emerging from the gloom. "Good evening, stranger! Do you mind if we warm ourselves by your fire?" one of the men inquired, his voice laced with haughty confidence, as though he were informing the prince rather than asking for permission.
Young-Sik nodded, and he observed them as the strangers took their places. They were wearing thick animal skin jackets to ward off the cold. They were men of medium height and build, their hair coarse and unkept, probably they were probably nomads or travelers like himself, he thought. When one of the three men, was positioned behind him, Young-Sik grinned "I thought you were cold, why not position yourself closer to the fire, like your friends" he asked the man
The man with Young-Sik scoffed lightly, "I'm doing just fine, so don't worry about me," he said.
Young-Sik pursed his lips and nodded, "I guess the cold doesn't bother you; those thick hides must be quite effective. But I'm curious, what brings you here?" he asked the men.
"No need to be suspicious, stranger," one of them replied. "We're merely here to share the warmth of the fire."
"Oh really?" Young-Sik said, scratching his head. "Then why is that guy behind me pulling out a dagger?" His words caught the men off guard, plunging them into silence as they exchanged glances, clearly trying to assess the unfolding situation.
Out of nowhere, the man charged at him with a dagger in hand. Young-Sik swiftly rolled to his right, dodging the lethal blow. Rising to his feet, he faced the three men and cautioned, "Let's not escalate this. If you think I have anything worth taking, the only possessions I have are the clothes I'm wearing."
A man pointed at Young-Sik's necklace, exclaiming, "That necklace appears to be jade! Surrender it to me, and I assure you, you'll live to tell the tale." He flashed a confident smile at the prince.
Young-Sik looked down at the necklace, then tucked it back into his shirt. "It must have slipped out, but I'm afraid I can't part with it," he said with a relaxed demeanor.
"If you don't hand it over, we'll take it—and your life will be the price!" another man threatened, his voice booming with intimidation.
As he rubbed his hands together, the prince exclaimed, "It's getting quite cold, so here's the deal: if you leave now, I promise not to break your necks. How does that sound?" He grinned at the trio, clearly amused.
"Arrogant jerk! Fine, let's finish him!" one of them yelled, motioning for his friends to attack Young-Sik.
The prince let out a disappointed sigh at their choice and braced himself for what he expected to be a very brief skirmish. The first attacker lunged at him with a dagger, but Young-Sik skillfully stepped back with his left foot while pivoting on his right, easily dodging the attack. He then struck the man's chin with his open palm, sending him crashing to the ground with a thud.
The second man lunged at the prince, his furious screams echoing in the air. Young-Sik remained calm, observing the approaching threat. As the attacker closed in, he effortlessly raised his foot, allowing the man to collide with his boot, rendering him unconscious in an instant.
Young-Sik smirked at the last thief, "Two down, buddy! You're the final contestant in this game of 'Who Wants to Steal My Necklace?' So, what's it gonna be? Still interested in my jade necklace?"
The thief, red-faced and ready to explode, bellowed, "You think you're so clever, don't you? I'll make a coat out of you!"
The thief charged at Young-Sik with his dagger, but Young-Sik was too busy playing dodgeball, avoiding every jab and slash with some fancy footwork. Eventually, the thief was panting like an exhausted dog in summer. "You little rascal, stand still! I can't hit you when you're prancing around like a gazelle!"
"Let's put an end to this," Young-Sik called out, bringing his left knee up to his chest and then launching his foot forward in a swift snapping motion. The strike connected with the third thief's stomach, knocking him back a couple of feet before he fell to the ground, collapsing like a stack of wood.
The man fought to rise to his feet, limping over to the other two thieves to wake them up. Young-Sik advanced with a threatening demeanor, causing the trio to drop to their knees, pleading for mercy. "Please, don't harm us! We swear we won't trouble you again!"
"Aish! Just look at you fools. Not long ago, you roared like ferocious dragons, and now, after just one blow, you resemble timid chickens... Just leave," he commanded, watching as the three thieves bowed profusely before scurrying away.
"Hold on!" Young-Sik yelled, prompting the three men to come to a sudden stop and glance back at him. "I need your coat!" he instructed one of the thieves.
"Right away, sir!" the thief responded nervously, swiftly shedding his coat and presenting it to Young-Sik. "And if you want my straw hat, you can have that as well!"
The three took off fast, and Young-Sik slipped into the coat, only to be greeted by an aroma that could make a garbage dump blush. He leaned over, taking a big whiff of the fabric, and his face contorted like he just bit into a lemon. Gagging slightly, he thought, "Well, I can hold my breath for a bit longer than I can survive the freezing weather!"
Looking in the direction of the capital, Young-Sik puts on the hat and says "I'm too awake to sleep, might as well trek a little further" and he starts to march in the capital's direction
Early the next day, Jin-Ri wakes up to a hazy and cold morning. She put on her winter coat and got out of the prince's house. On her way to the King's residence, she noticed a halo around the barely visible sun "It's going to probably snow soon" she thought
She continued on her way when she heard a voice call out to her "You, court maiden" The voice called
She turned to where the voice came from and saw Queen Ji-Hye and her entourage, with a court lady calling her. She immediately approached the Queen and bowed to her "You called your Majesty?" she humbly asked the Queen.
Ji-Hye looked at the court maiden with a scrutinizing glare "Where are you off to?" she asked, her voice betraying her animosity towards the court maiden
Still bowed, Jin-Ri replied to the Queen "To the King's residence to join the King's entourage, your Majesty"
"Your audacity is astounding, and your thick skin is almost impressive. How dare you linger in this place after your master has been killed?" Queen Ji-Hye spat at Jin-Ri, her disdain palpable as she belittled the court maiden. "If you dare claim you're not here to snatch up the late prince's riches, I will call you a liar to your face."
"Your Majesty, I beg your pardon for any misunderstanding, but I promise that once Prince Young-Sik's funeral rites are complete, I will take my leave," Jin-Ri replied, her voice steady and defiant despite the Queen's scorn.
"I see through women like you—greedy, power-hungry opportunists. You bring shame to those of us who embody true elegance and grace," Ji-Hye declared, her gaze piercing and unforgiving.
"You were always hovering around Prince Young-Sik, and now that he's disappeared, you're trying to weasel your way into the King's inner circle. Let me make it clear: it'll be a bitterly cold day in hell before I let that happen", Queen Ji-Hye announced.
Jin-Ri absorbed the harsh words, but the sorrow for Prince Young-Sik had numbed her feelings, making her indifferent to the Queen's judgment. "I beg your pardon again, Your Majesty, for any misunderstanding. I want to emphasize that once the funeral rites are complete, I will willingly leave the capital."
Ji-Hye leaned closer to the court maiden "The funeral ends at sunset, make sure you are gone by then or I will have the guards drag you out of the capital" The Queen warned her. With an expressionless reaction, the court maiden bowed to her.
The Queen continued on her way followed by her entourage, Jin-Ri did the same and hurriedly marched to the King's residence. Upon arriving at her destination, Jin-Ri joined in line along with the other court maidens. When King Man-Ju emerged from his mansion followed by the chief eunuch and the head court lady, everyone bowed their heads in a show of respect.
King Man-Ju paused for a second when he saw Jin-Ri in line with the other court maidens. He then leaned over to the court lady and whispered something, before he resumed towards the royal court room. His entourage immediately followed him to his destination.
Outside the courtroom, the court maidens all stopped and watched as the King and the head eunuch proceeded to enter. The head court lady then walked towards Jin-Ri "Court maiden Hong!" she called out,
Jin-Ri peeked out of line when she heard her name "Yes madam?" she asked, looking at the old lady.
The head court lady gestured with her hand that she followed her. Jin-Ri stepped out of the group to follow the head Court lady to a different entrance of the courtroom.
"E-excuse me, madam? Where are we going?" She looked left and right then curiously asked the old lady leading her
"The King wanted you there to hear the decision they are going to make about the late prince's estate" The old lady coldly answered,
They passed through a side door that led to a room behind the King's throne. The room was elaborately decorated with a lot of expensive furniture and decorations. The room was designed so that every word and voice from the courtroom could be heard clearly.
In the courtroom, King Man-Ju asked, "What did the Guiong emissary say about those weapons that the Aranese possess?"
Minister Lim quickly responded "The emperor sends his sincerest apologies that they could not send help during the invasion and that he does not condone the actions of the Aranese. About the matter of the weapons, he promises to interrogate everyone involved"
King Man-Ju raised an eyebrow "Did the emperor say why they could not send military support during the invasion?" he inquired of the minister
"Unfortunately, Your Highness the Emperor did not give any explanation about the subject," Minister Lim said in response to the King
King Man-Ju waved his hand dismissing the minister "Enough, if the emperor does not have an explanation, then so be it, the war is over"
One of the right-wing ministers expressed great concern regarding the Guiong Emperor's position on the invasion of Chiongsun. "Your Majesty, shouldn't we demand an explanation as to why they did not honor our pact with them?"
King Man-Ju stood up from his throne and said "Enough of that subject, what is important is that I won that war, I defeated the invaders without any help or intervention!"
The right-wing ministers shared glances, fully cognizant that the late prince's contributions were pivotal in their war victory.
Minister Gi, catching their disapproving stares, immediately informed the king, "Your Highness, it looks like the right-wing ministers are not convinced that you were the one who secured our triumph. Perhaps they believe someone else should take the credit as the war's hero?" He pointed this out with a rat-like shrewdness.
The King directed his eyes toward the ministers to his right. "Is that so? Do you truly think I'm not the main reason for our triumph in the war?"