Ryang walked through the dimly lit streets, heading towards the prison of the government office. A small, forlorn figure huddled in the shadows, her silhouette barely visible against the weathered wood of the prison wall. Kyeong'ui sat motionless, her head buried in her arms, until she sensed his approach. She quickly straightened up. Ryang saw the half-empty bowl by the cell door and felt a flicker of relief. The silence, punctuated only by the chirping of crickets, was broken by Kyeong'ui's sudden question.
"Did you find him?"
"My sister saw to his burial."
When she didn't respond, Ryang asked, "What exactly happened?"
"I killed him," she confessed.
"I know."
"He suggested a walk along the coast before we set sail," she explained. "Then he suddenly killed all the guards and attacked me. When I regained consciousness, I was in the middle of nowhere. He said both Birahng and Sunyahng were death traps for me, and urged me to flee with him. He promised to protect me. But I couldn't leave with him. So I stabbed him and returned to my camp. Only to find my soldiers being slaughtered. Myeonghyeon Ryang, I wanted to find you and kill you myself, but you were nowhere to be found."
Kyeong'ui finished her tale and looked up. Ryang met her gaze steadily.
"What's that look?" she spat.
"Not everyone was meant to wield a dagger."
Ryang's gaze was unreadable. Kyeong'ui scoffed.
"Not everyone...," she mused "Yes, not everyone gets caught in this cesspool. Hongyoo was a warm and kind man. Except for the fact that he deceived me for ten years."
"You call a man who murdered five people without hesitation warm and kind?"
"Why, does that sound like you?"
Ryang sighed, then turned to the guards. "Give me the key and leave us."
"But, High Councilor," Seomok, the leader of the guards, the soldier who had come to Seong for blessings for his first child, hesitated.
Ryang's voice hardened. "There's no need for concern," he commanded. "Leave us. No one is to approach until I summon you."
Seomok bowed his head and reluctantly led the other guards away.
As Ryang began unlocking the cell door, Kyeong'ui tensed, pressing herself against the pillar. Ryang stepped into the cell. Before he could face her, a small fist connected with his jaw. The impact sent Ryang reeling, his body twisting away. He steadied himself against the pillar. He tasted blood, his lip split and stinging. Kyeong'ui scoffed, her eyes gleaming with triumph, as Ryang glared back at her in disbelief.
"What? Did you expect me to just sit here and wait?" she said.
Ryang wiped the blood from his lip. "If you had the courage to strike me," he challenged, his voice laced with annoyance, "why not go for biting my neck to death?"
"Myeonghyeon Ryang is only valuable alive. I can't waste that," Kyeong'ui countered.
Her words were a slap in the face. Ryang pressed his fingers against his bleeding lip, momentarily tempted to abandon all pretense of conciliation. He questioned the futility of appeasing her, but then reminded himself that this was what he had been doing since her arrival on Birahng. Ryang reached into his coat and retrieved Hongyoo's ring.
"Take it. I recovered it from his body."
Kyeong'ui stared at the ring, momentarily stunned. Ryang's outstretched hand hung in the air. Hesitantly, she took the ring, her eyes widening as she recognized it.
"What is this?" she demanded.
Ryang remained silent, and Kyeong'ui glared at him with even greater intensity.
"Why are you giving me this?!" she demanded louder.
"Hate Hongyoo. Hate him with all your being. What Sung and Hongyoo did to you was unforgivable. Does this ring evoke fond memories of him? It wasn't unique to him. Every spy Sung has planted carries one. It's nothing special. Perhaps it will serve as a reminder of how easily you were fooled."
"What do you know about us?!"
"Us?" Ryang's voice faltered.
Kyeong'ui continued her outburst. "At least he risked his life to save me! He loved me...!"
"You were only sixteen when that monster first laid his hands on you!" Ryang shouted. "Do you have any idea what kind of depraved individuals lurk in Yeonyahng, seeking children? Can you even fathom the poison he's been feeding you all these years? That wasn't love! It was manipulation! Don't you dare speak of 'us'! There never was!"
Ryang cursed his outburst, his hands clenching into fists. He hadn't meant to lose control, but her defiance ignited a fury he couldn't contain. He shook his head, trying to regain his composure. Tears streamed down Kyeong'ui's face, her lips trembling with suppressed rage. The sight of her vulnerability, her pain, only fueled his anger.
"Had you doubted Hongyoo as much as you doubted me, you wouldn't be in this predicament," he retorted.
"Doubt?" Kyeong'ui echoed. "Do you know the depths of our bond? The secrets I shared only with him? The dreams we built together? Those were real. They couldn't have been lies. How dare you dismiss them as lies?"
"Those were his orders," Ryang countered. "For ten years, he groomed you, fueled your ambitions, hoping you'd turn against your family, just like your father did. He planned to make bastards with you and use them as leverage, to make you a puppet ruler. Do you think I'm lying? Stop spouting such nonsense."
"Who are you...? What right do you have to say such things, you pathetic traitor!" Kyeong'ui spat the words, her voice thick with tears.
Ryang's voice, tight with suppressed fury, responded, "It pains me to see you suffocatingly naive like this."
"How dare you pity me?!"
Kyeong'ui sank to the dirt floor, her hands muffling her sobs. Ryang watched her weep, his own thoughts a maelstrom of confusion. He had come to break her spirit, to crush her defiance. Yet, the sight of her tears stirred something within him, unsettling his resolve.
He pushed aside the unwelcome empathy, reminding himself of her ruthlessness. She killed my uncle, Ung, struck down the Guardian Crimson, and plunged arrows into Joon's heart without hesitation. She even sacrificed her lover to reclaim her rightful place. My own compassion blinded me to her deception, allowing her to escape with the sphere and the fund.
But why is this fearsome woman, who killed her betrayer with her own hands, now weeping so brokenly?
"I have no right to condemn Hongyoo," Ryang admitted.
"Then get out," Kyeong'ui spat.
"I understand your desire to see me torn apart," Ryang continued. "I know it sounds like an excuse, but I had no choice. I have a nation and a lord to protect. You and your country are my enemies. You asked why I bothered with talk of loyalty and righteousness. Even as your enemy, I found your dreams beautiful. When you spoke of the future, your eyes shining with hope, I forgot I was deceiving you. I still believe that your dreams were your own, regardless of Hongyoo's manipulations. In those moments, when I spoke of your dreams, I wished my words were true. You may not believe me, and I wouldn't blame you. But I hope you do."
Kyeong'ui's sobs subsided as Ryang spoke. She looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen. Tears had streaked the dirt on her cheeks, leaving clean trails against the grime. Ryang continued.
"The Guardian will treat you with the respect due to a Princess. If you need anything, ask the guards to inform me. If it's something you'd rather not discuss with me, tell my sister. I'll send a physician tomorrow to tend to your wounds. Cooperate."
"I see my words frighten you," Kyeong'ui mocked.
"The general you killed was my uncle. I'm not doing this out of kindness. Think whatever you wish. Perhaps that will help you understand how to survive in here, who to trust, who will support your claim as a princess. Live as a princess, die as a princess. As you've seen, there are those who believe the princess barely breathing is valuable enough."
Ryang stood for a moment, watching her, then exited the cell, locking the door behind him. As he turned to leave, Kyeong'ui's voice stopped him.
"What did you do with the dead soldiers?"
"We burned them."
"How many survived?"
"That's none of your concern."
Ryang hesitated, then turned back to her. "If you must keep that ring, so be it. But keep it hidden. It could be dangerous."
Ryang departed, and the guards returned to their posts, encircling the cell. Kyeong'ui clutched the ring tightly, her knuckles white, burying her face in her knees.
"Viper," she hissed.
Survival be damned. If he dared to enter her cell again, she would gladly sink her teeth into his throat and drag him down with her. Despite Ryang's presumptuous advice, Kyeong'ui remained consumed by guilt, not hatred. The memory haunted her: the tremor of the blade as it pierced his flesh, the warmth of his hand guiding it deeper, his unwavering gaze as his life ebbed away. Even with her eyes open, she was trapped in a nightmare.
It couldn't have all been a lie. If Ryang's words held any truth, then perhaps Hongyoo's affections were genuine as well. Is it a foolish delusion? A trick of Hongyoo's manipulation? Had he poisoned my tea, as Ryang suggested, despite his impeccable service? Was that how he had ensnared me? She recalled Ryang's gentle suggestion to brew her own tea while on Birahng. Why has he done that? To protect me? Or to prevent Hongyoo from disrupting his plans, just as he had ultimately betrayed his organization? The truth was lost in a whirlwind of confusion, leaving her stranded in this cramped cell.
The truth no longer mattered. Unless she could summon Hongyoo's ghost, his truth would remain forever shrouded in uncertainty. She couldn't dwell on the truth any longer. Imprisoned and alone, she had no way of knowing the rebels' plans. She had to focus on survival. She couldn't escape on her own. Hongyoo was dead. Hyeok in Sahpung was beyond her reach. As Ryang had suggested, her only hope for survival lay with House Myeonghyeon.
Ryang's words echoed in her mind: "If it's something you'd rather not discuss with me, tell my sister."
If life was an inescapable maelstrom, she wouldn't be swept away. She would ride the currents, become the maelstrom itself. She would command the chaos, bend it to her will.