Ryang's silence only fueled Kyeong'ui's scorn. "I suppose the one who lost his hand to you is also unaware," she sneered.
"Do you think you can threaten me?" Ryang challenged.
"Absolutely," Kyeong'ui affirmed. Despite her bruised and swollen cheek, her eyes pierced Ryang with a fiery intensity.
Ryang fought the urge to silence her, to crush her defiance then and there. The desire to wrap his hands around her slender neck and squeeze the life out of her was a dangerous whisper in his mind. Kyeong'ui continued her taunts.
"At least your swordsmanship is good enough to sever a hand," she scoffed. "Or perhaps that brutality is your true nature?"
Ryang tamped down his rising fury. It's a petty provocation, not worth the blood, he thought, reminding himself to remain calm, to trust no surge of emotion. He forced his heartbeat to steady, then replied, "You should be thanking me for ensuring your safety, for preventing further humiliation."
"Don't you dare speak of thanks," Kyeong'ui hissed. "Preventing further humiliation? Look me in the eye and spit that out again."
"You brought this upon yourself. What's there to be aggrieved about?" Ryang retorted.
"Brought it upon myself?" Kyeong'ui scoffed. "Yes, I was a fool. A fool to trust a treacherous viper like you, to send my soldiers to their deaths. Did you enjoy the deception? Did it bring you pleasure to see those who once bowed their heads in respect lying lifeless on the battlefield? If this was your intention all along, you should have gladly offered your riches, sold your smiles like your courtesans. There was no need for your honeyed words, no need to cloak your deceit in promises of loyalty and righteousness. When you disappeared, when you finally returned, clinging to life... I..."
Kyeong'ui's voice cracked, her words catching in her throat. She bit her lip, fighting back tears, her eyelids trembling with suppressed rage. Ryang met her gaze, his own emotions a turbulent storm within. Kyeong'ui's voice, thick with anguish, broke the silence.
"I trusted you," she choked out.
"No, you only trusted our wealth," Ryang said. "You tested us, doubted us until the very end. That's why you sent your soldiers to seize our home, confiscate our wealth, and order us to abandon everything and follow you to Sahpung, all while deceiving us about the departure time. It was the right decision, of course. Your only mistake was not being suspicious enough. We both deceived each other. I owe you nothing."
"Your silver tongue still wags. You seem to think you can use me, a living Princess, as a bargaining chip. You're gravely mistaken. My father doesn't bargain with the lives of his children, nor with the interests of this kingdom."
Looking at Kyeong'ui, so resolute, Ryang recalled the secret letter he had found in Hyangdo. He wondered if she had believed in her brother's incompetence as firmly as she believed in her father's ruthlessness? Ryang pitied her.
"Don't you find it pathetic to say such things?" he asked.
"It's pathetic because you're a fallen noble. I am a Princess."
Kyeong'ui's animosity, burning with an intensity that threatened to consume her small frame, stirred a flicker of pity within Ryang. Yet, her taunts about his fallen status stung, and he longed to retort that had she acted with the intelligence befitting a royal, she wouldn't be in this predicament. But he held his tongue, knowing further provocation would be unwise.
"Our forces in Sahcheon and Sahpung will soon learn of this situation and send reinforcements. How long do you think your meager forces can hold out against them?" Kyeong'ui declared.
"That's a problem you'll solve for us, so I wouldn't worry about it."
"I repeat, my father wouldn't..."
"Don't resign yourself to abandonment just yet. The King of Dahn's paternal love might be stronger than you think."
A tightness constricted Kyeong'ui's chest. When will my parents learn of my fate? She truly hoped, as she had declared, that the Dahnian army wouldn't be burdened by her plight. Yet, a childish part of her longed to run to her father, to seek solace in his embrace. She yearned for her father, her brothers, even her cold, distant mother. What will my father think when he learns of my capture? Will he grieve? Or will he turn away from me, the daughter who has lost her troops and ships, who has failed to fulfill his expectations? No matter how she tried to rationalize it, the latter seemed more likely. To see her father's proud face again, she would have to return to Sunyahng, bearing the heads of the Myeonghyeon siblings and their leader. She had to finish the battle her grandfather had started, on the battlefield where the flag of tiger-bird once flew.
Ryang allowed Kyeong'ui a moment of silent contemplation before breaking the silence.
"Where is Hongyoo?" he asked.
A flicker of panic in Kyeong'ui's eyes quickly erupted into full-blown distress. Ryang assessed her expression, the sorrow and fear mingling with defiance, and surmised the situation.
"It seems I asked the wrong question." He rephrased his question. "Where have you left Hongyoo?"
Kyeong'ui evaded his question, instead demanding, "When did you know?"
"Know what?"
"When did you find he was a traitor!"
Ryang faced Kyeong'ui's fury with composure.
"I learned of it shortly after I had given you the perfumed oil," he explained. "His mission was to ensure your survival, to keep you out of the battle and deliver you to us. It seems he made a different choice."
Ryang's words aligned perfectly with Hongyoo's dying confession. A wave of despair and confusion surged within Kyeong'ui. She questioned her actions, wondering why she had been so consumed by anger and fear, why she hadn't simply fled with him. Did I truly have to kill him, the man who had deceived me for ten years, yet risked everything to save me?
Kyeong'ui spoke. "Five of my soldiers lie dead on the road from our former camp towards Dongrahng. Hongyoo is dead too, somewhere further down that path, in the forest. I don't know the exact location, only that it's on the way to Dongrahng."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Find them and give them a proper burial."
Ryang frowned. "He betrayed us both. Yet you order me to retrieve his body?"
"If you care about your future, do as I say. I won't bargain with my nation's interests, but I'm willing to bargain with my life and your wealth."
Ryang was momentarily speechless. He couldn't tell if she was grasping at straws, or if there was a deeper motive behind her words. After a moment's consideration, he replied, "I'll grant your request. But you will eat, starting today. If I hear you haven't finished your meals again, I'll force-feed you."
Kyeong'ui responded with a weary sneer. "Fine. I'll eat. I can't die before I plunge an arrow through your heart."
Returning home after his unsettling encounter with Kyeong'ui, Ryang stormed into his chambers, the door slamming shut behind him. He discarded his outer garments with a frustrated sigh. Gripping the back of a chair, he let out a shaky breath. His pent-up anxiety escaped in a rush of ragged breaths. Though he had maintained his composure before Kyeong'ui, her threats were far from empty. Now aware of his complicated relationship with the Ministry, Kyeong'ui could easily expose his secrets of the military fund. He wasn't concerned for his own safety. Protecting his sister Seon, who held no official position and rarely visited Wicheong Palace, was his primary concern. Seon, who was far too trusting, far too vulnerable. But he couldn't simply comply with Kyeong'ui's demands. The tension coiled in his temples, a growing headache. He had to find a way to break Kyeong'ui, to crush her defiance before it destroyed them all.
Instead of mobilizing Wian troops, Ryang dispatched household guards, led by Seon and U'nso, to the location Kyeong'ui had described. Seon seethed with anger upon learning of Hongyoo's senseless death. Following the coastline, they discovered several fallen Dahnian soldiers. The guards collected their weapons. The guards spread out as they ventured deeper into the forest. After a while, one of the guards called out to Seon and U'nso. They found a gruesome sight: a corpse ravaged by animals, its remaining flesh crawling with insects. They identified Hongyoo by the ring dangling from his skeletal finger. Seon stared down at the scattered remains.
"I should have killed him myself... He died as he lived. A filthy creature."
U'nso felt a phantom pain in his shoulder, where Hongyoo had stabbed him.
"Should we bury him?" U'nso asked hesitantly.
"Leave him. Let the animals have their fill."
"Yes, My Lady"
U'nso directed the guards to search Hongyoo's belongings, using sticks to lift his blood-soaked garments. Aside from a small amount of gold and silver, he carried nothing of value. Before nightfall, they returned to Nahmgyo. Seon returned to the house and presented Ryang with Hongyoo's ring, cleaned of blood and grime.
"You wanted this, didn't you?"
The large ring glittered ominously in Seon's small hand. Ryang took the ring, his gaze fixed on Seon.
"Don't tell Ryucheon about the body or the ring," he instructed.
"Do you trust me?"
Ryang looked up at her, surprised by the question.
"Do you think I'll stay silent just because you asked?" Seon asked again.
After a long pause, Ryang replied, "I want to trust you."
Seon simply stared at him. Ryang pressed, "Can I trust you?"
"You have no other choice."
Seon's response was ambiguous. She turned and left.
Despite the approaching nightfall, Ryang, with the ring Seon had given him tucked securely inside his coat, went in search of Ryucheon. As always, Ryucheon's chamber was filled with a thick haze of tobacco smoke. Ryang paused at the entrance, allowing the smoke to dissipate before stepping inside. Ryucheon burst into laughter upon hearing Ryang's account. Ryang watched him, his brow furrowed, unable to discern the meaning behind his laughter. When his laughter subsided, Ryucheon remarked, "More of a man than I thought. Indeed, a true man should be willing to betray his country for love."
Ryucheon tapped the ash from his pipe. "Fools blinded by love," he mused, "they commit the most idiotic things, don't they? Did you find the body?"
"I did not. It seems wild animals have scavenged it." Ryang's hand instinctively moved to his chest, where the ring lay hidden. He could feel its weight, a constant reminder of his deception. Ryucheon relit his pipe, taking a long drag and exhaling slowly before speaking. "Hongyoo was born in Dahn, but he crossed into Dae-Sung alone before he turned ten."
"What were the circumstances?"
Ryucheon shook his head. "I only heard the story recently, during my visit to Gahng'ahn. It couldn't have been pleasant for a child to cross the border alone. Perhaps it's fitting that he died in his homeland. Regardless of his origins, he served Dae-Sung. His death is a loss we didn't anticipate. I must hold you accountable for this loss."
Ryang objected. "It wasn't our fault."
Ryucheon smiled. "As I am your protector to Dae-Sung, it's good for both of us to relieve me from the responsibility of the loss."
"What do you expect us to do about it?"
"Don't fret. I'll provide a solution before I send my next report."
Ryang sighed, then changed the subject. "Has the news reached Dong'gyeong?"
"It has already been sent."
"Did you report everything you witnessed?"
"Of course. I can't deny what I saw. Especially not such sorcery." Ryucheon leaned back, his gaze distant, as if recalling the events he had witnessed.
"There's nothing you can do about it," Ryang said.
"Indeed. I'm not sure what to make of it myself. I'm almost afraid my superiors will think I've gone mad. Perhaps they will surprise us with their wisdom. Let's see what Sahngjon has in store for us."
"Do you still doubt, even after what you witnessed?"
"Faith is a complicated matter. If Sahngjon exists, I doubt he favors Dae-Sung." Ryucheon looked at Ryang, a bright smile playing on his lips.
"You don't seem to be a believer either," he remarked.
Ryang remained silent. Ryucheon changed the subject, asking casually, "How are you feeling these days? I hear you severed the hand of a high-ranking Emissary. Are you always so eager to draw your sword?"
Ryang's eyes narrowed, recalling Kyeong'ui's taunts. Pushing aside his thoughts, he replied, "I've been preoccupied lately."
"Since you're here, why not let me treat you? I'm free at the moment."
Ryang's hand instinctively went to his chest, where he had hidden Hongyoo's ring.
"I'm afraid I'm busy today. I'll be sure to visit tomorrow."
With that, Ryang rose to his feet. Ryucheon gave a casual wave of farewell.