A\N: Hello everyone! Crazy times, huh? My classes were suspended for two months now, which should have meant I'd write more, but sorry, I can only write when I have something important to procrastinate at.

That being said, I hope you continue enjoying these chapters, even though they take so long that it makes it hard to follow whatever is happening.

Whenever Baek Ah plays for her, Hae So feels that her life is peaceful and that there are no reasons for her to worry or to fear back at her house.

She feels that she's not even in the 8th Prince's residence anymore, but somewhere far and remote. Somewhere that the palace's intrigues cannot reach her, and death and treachery are just a story people will tell about the days of old. If she stretches her imagination as she closes her eyes, she can almost feel the 4th Prince's presence next to her, and that makes things even more perfect.

But then the song ends, the final note echoes in the garden of her husband's house, and she has to open her eyes and face her reality.

It feels like she just woke up from a very nice dream, so she blinks rapidly as the eerily feeling around her dissipates gradually.

When she turns her face to her side she sees the 13th Prince watching her expectantly, and she smiles politely, silently asking him to go ahead and say what he has to say, and not to worry for the always vigilant eyes of his brother.

Baek Ah pauses slightly and lowers his gaze, tapping the base of his gayageum twice softly, as if uncertain of where to begin, and then he takes a deep breath and looks into her eyes before asking, "Did he touch you?"

Her expression softens at his question and she feels herself melting on the inside – the somber feeling that had started to settle on her heart fades away once again.

"I am fine, Wangjanim," her smile grows even bigger as she reassures him, "I can live just fine. Don't worry."

Baek Ah nods silently, his solemn expression saying that yes, he has understood that and will now move on.

"Sometimes I want to take you out of here," he speaks as if he's only musing or entertaining a passing thought, but Soo knows very well that he actually means what he's saying, and if she doesn't discourage him, there is a chance of this running out of control even more than they already have.

"And go to where?" She raises an eyebrow, amused by the remark that she knew would come eventually.

"Anywhere you want," Baek Ah says immediately, and Soo sighs, looking to the far sky and the far lands she wouldn't ever be able to visit as long as she was wed to the 8th Prince and Jeonjeong was on the throne.

"That would be bad for you." Her words come out in a sad tone. It's not easy for her to keep denying this, and it always makes her wish for things to be easier.

The 13th Prince keeps watching her in silence, and, after she doesn't say anything, he has the look of someone being forced to jump down from a cliff into a nest of snakes.

Soo looks down to his hands, his finger laying unmoving on the base of his gayageum, on the same spot he was silently tapping before, and then back to him, an expectant gaze, imploring him to cut the suspense and just say what he has to say.

"You asked me if I missed you," Baek Ah finally speaks after sighing in helplessness, his voice in a reluctant tone, "Did you really want an answer?"

Soo wants to laugh, especially after seeing the tortured face that the 13th Prince makes when he has to go through such situations. But she still can help herself from teasing him even further.

"I already know it," she says, and then she can't hold back the laughter at the betrayed look he gives her, "Don't worry."

Then his gaze softens and he speaks normally once again, "Don't tell me not to worry, and I won't tell you either."

Soo giggles at the ready response he has and then she, boldly, leans a little bit close and speaks in a lower voice.

"Then, can you please dream about me?"

Baek Ah's eyes bulge and he blushes, turning around from her and shaking his head vividly.

"No, that's too embarrassing," he breaks out of character and just keeps on refusing to look at her, so her tears won't move him, "Ask something else."

"What? Baek Ah-nim!"

She had actually spent a lot of time coming up with that message for the 4th Prince and hadn't had the time or peace of mind to think about something else that wasn't completely ordinary. If Baek Ah didn't send it to him at all, then she wouldn't have much.

"Sorry, I can't. It's too much."

Soo sighs and yields to Baek Ah's insistence, lest the man gives up on sending their messages back and forth because he decided their PDA was just too much for him.

"Then, what did you have for dinner?" She asks grudgingly, blurting out the first time that comes to her mind.

"Rice and grilled fish," he replies promptly and smugly.

"What?"

"He did say he got a feeling you would ask this," Baek Ah breaks out of character once again, solving Soo's confusion. His voice amused, as he didn't expect she would actually inquire about his brother's eating habits.

"What else did he say?" she blurts out and her hand is about to reach him and make him spill every single word he heard the 4th Prince utter when he was in Seokyeong. But one warning look from him is enough to make her stop, take a deep breath, and rephrase her question in a much calmer voice. "Then, Baek Ah-nim… tell me something fun from the world you saw out there?"

"Next time," Baek Ah says and taps his gayageum softly once again, signalizing the end of his messages and he starts to stand up, "Now, I really must go. If I stay too long I'll miss the time and won't be able to leave town with the sunrise tomorrow."

"Wangjanim!" she calls out before he takes his instrument away, and he looks back at her with attentive eyes, "Be careful out there."

Baek Ah nods slowly, to show he understands this is another message for him to take to Seokyeong, "Very well."

After Baek Ah stands up and takes the gayageum away, there is a small piece of paper on the floor, right next to her skirt spread out on the floor. Pretending to be leaning down for balance as she stands up, she puts a hand on top of it, grasping it tightly so it doesn't draw attention. And then, acting as if she's fixing her skirt, she slides it into the folds of her hanbok and walks back to the dining room, where she'll offer some food to her brother-in-law.

She's eager to open the letter, even though she knows it won't have too much information about him on it. Since Baek Ah had started to visit, the 4th Prince would sneak in a few poems he wrote for her – never signed, never addressed, never giving any hint as to who wrote to whom.

And yet, just like the one he had written for her the day he married Hyejong's daughter, she already knows she'll treasure it. She'll read it over and over again until she has it memorized on her heart. She'll lay it next to her when she's in bed, tracing over the traces of the ink, imagining his deep voice repeating it to her until she fell asleep.

It's just a piece of paper, and it's a very small comfort when compared to his physical presence. But it filled her with hope as she went back to the shadows of her husband's home.

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The poem is still safely hidden during dinner with her husband.

Some would think that, after five months of fruitless attempts to make her share a meal with him, the 8th Prince would have gotten tired and given up already. Or that Hae Soo would have been the one to break in and started to at least eat along with him, even if in silence. Others wouldn't be surprised that, just like the day of their wedding, he was the only one eating and she was quiet the entire time.

He does say much, but he's visibly not pleased with her. Or with anything at all.

When he allowed Baek Ah to come and visit her from time to time, she had thanked him out of decency, but she noticed the glint on his eyes. He saw her display of good manners as a sign of progress and believed that it meant her feelings were rekindling and that soon they would be together again. Her skin itched at that idea and she felt compelled to correct his mindset. However, she decided that it would be best to keep him in a good mood, even if it was a result of his delusion.

Her decision soon proved to be a good one, because after a couple of reunions with the 13th Prince her husband had also allowed him to play for her in private, certainly sure that this action would only contribute to his plan of winning her back.

She had thanked him for that as well. Politely, and yet with a soft smile. It didn't hurt to smile. A smile didn't mean anything. If he was fool enough to be deceived by a smile, that was his problem.

However, months later there was no sign of progress, no further demonstrations of affection. And now Soo could see that he was getting impatient. Just the way he would look at her during his meal, and the tone of his voice whenever he made an unanswered comment would be a clear signal to anyone.

Well, that was also his problem.

Hae Soo's problem, on the other hand, was him - him and his tyrannical brother who wouldn't leave her alone. And her main focus right now was how to survive both of them, fight them off each of her sides. If he was suffering from romantic delusion and heartbreak, that would hardly be of any consequence for her.

She just had to keep him mildly entertained, just enough so that he wouldn't lash out at her.

That's why, after dinner is over and he bids her goodbye for the night, she doesn't turn her eyes away sharply, but bows and maintains her expression polite although not gentle. She doesn't make one sign of protest when he informs her that they will be going out to distribute food and clothes tomorrow. And when he leaves, there's no hint of annoyance at his presence or relief at his departure in her attitude.

She's doing a good job.

Hae Soo then retires to her quarters (Myung Hee's, she always reminds herself) and dismisses the servants that follow her. One of them, however, insists on accompanying her a little longer, to help with her night routine, and Soo doesn't refuse it. Soo allows the girl to come inside her bedroom, fuss with her boxes of jewelry, organize her make up trays, and even help to remove her hanbok. They even talk casually about the day, maintaining an amicable atmosphere, and Hae Soo smiles kindly, just like she used to with Chae Ryung.

When her hair is finally down and her face clean, the servant has no other reason to stay. Daeun bows respectfully and leaves, ready to give another throughout report to the 8th Prince: there's nothing out of the ordinary in her mistress' room, nor had she said or done anything suspicious. And since she's clearly very close to the lady of the house, the Prince will have no reason to doubt her.

It's tiresome to live like that, but Hae Soo is getting used to it.

She waits a few minutes after she's alone, to make sure the servant is not coming back with some excuse - prying eyes, perked up ears - and she's been truly left alone.

And then she waits just a bit more before she feels it's safe enough to retrieve the letter sent by the 4th Prince from inside her sock.

There's a candle burning next to her bed, as usual. She always leaves it burning, even if Baek Ah hasn't visited and she has no new letters. That's why she's not afraid that the dim light will raise suspicions from any passerby (spy) and feels safe enough to finally unfold the paper.

Soo reads it carefully, tracing over the strokes with a light touch, engraving each and every word on her mind and her heart, to the point that she can cite every single character without having to look at it - until she is satisfied.

She hasn't seen him in so long, and Baek Ah's messages and the scarce candlestine messages aren't enough to fill the hole he left in her heart. But it's better than nothing. It's better than the radio silence she would have otherwise.

As the candle approaches its end, however, she has to move on from his calligraphy, so she stands up and silently walks to her writing desk. The black inkstone resting on the side was a wedding gift from Woo Hee, and it has a concealed drawer underneath. Of course, the space in it wasn't much, but it was quite enough for the few poems the 4th Prince has managed to send to her, so no one would find them.

It would be enough to keep the 8th Prince's temper at bay.

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To make things short, Hae Soo had been doing just enough things to keep her husband content with her behavior, but committing enough rebellious acts to keep feeling like herself.

It takes weeks until he finally loses his cool. Although she had expected to have a little more time in this standing, she actually manages to trick him for almost two months. And she feels a little victorious for evading her husband's censure for six months.

Oh, how low has her bar sink.

But yes, she had lived the past months in anticipation as she felt the shadow get closer, ready to do something in the case that, when he finally snapped, his outburst was more on the violent side.

Thankfully, he voiced his disapproval rather than demonstrating it with some sort of violent action. Although his attitude was as controlling as ever.

"I do not wish to see you alone with Baek Ah anymore," he said during dinner, managing to gain a reaction from her at last, "Ask for another musician next time."

She wants to remain silent, as usual, but they both know that this is something she won't ignore. And although she knows he marks it as a win, she won't see it as a loss.

"Very well," she nods, still looking away, as there is no reason to fight over that, he'll get what he wants in the end, "But I do not wish another musician. I'll find something else to do during my free time."

His new musician would certainly be another spy. And even if that wasn't the case, she knew if she accepted his arrangement, soon enough he would be accompanying her during her free time. And then it would be nearly impossible for her to keep doing her own business.

"You could always visit the other Hwangbo relatives," Wook suggests unsolicited, smiling as if he just had the greatest idea, "They haven't met you since the wedding."

"I don't feel comfortable with your family. I do not wish to see them again. Ever, if it's possible," her answer is blunt, "If you think that's a problem, you can always divorce me."

"That's not a problem at all," his smile trembles, but doesn't fade, "I just want you to do things you like."

"Then, can I divorce you?" She looks deadpan at him, her retort slipping with ease from her lips, and his mouth twitches as his elated face turns into a frown.

There are a few moments of silence in the room, and she's happy that she spoke, happy that she showed a bit of reaction this time around. Because the mild surprise she demonstrated earlier is a small price to pay for his flabbergasted and annoyed face.

"We've talked about this, Soo-yah."

"No, we haven't, Wangjanim."

There's silence again as her husband puts away his chopsticks. He is clearly in a foul mood, and she's glad that even when she just lost her moment to (sort of) talk with the 4th Prince she still got out with the upper hand over her husband.

"You just need to give me a chance. And be patient. Give it some time."

"You've had your chance. I told you before, nothing you do will change anything."

"We'll see about that. We'll see."

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Ever since their last meeting, the Hwangbo Princess had started to act more cordially with Hae Soo. And although the woman was glad for that, she wouldn't believe for a second that her sister-in-law had turned into a decent person and harbored no ill intents towards her.

So Soo doubled her attention whenever Yeon Hwa was around.

The Princess seemed to know everything that happened between her and the Prince, although Soo could see that Wook never told her anything. But she noticed that every time they interacted she would base their entire conversation on how her brother had been treating her.

That's why, later on, on the same day that Wook forbade Baek Ah from playing to her, Soo was not surprised when Yeon Hwa arrived in her bedroom with a servant carrying a large chest.

"Orabeonim sent new hanbok sets, you should try them out." She smiled politely, "There is new jewelry for you to choose as well."

Soo smiled as well - for the sake of poor Minsoo, who was visibly afraid of witnessing an argument between them -, but her tone was rigid and cold when she spoke.

"Perhaps another time. I'm not in the mood to see new clothes right now." She dismissed them with a wave of her hand, not even bothering to stand up.

"It's been more than a month since the tailor last visited. And you still have the same accessories from when you were single," Yeon Hwa wasn't discouraged by Soo's refusal, and starts nagging as if they were close friends, "That's not very adequate."

"Yes, but no one needs to know that."

Soo averted her gaze back to the painting she was working on, which the other woman took as a sign to sit beside her and continue talking.

"They're the purest silk of the richest color, they have the finest embroidery you couldn't even dream of having while working in the palace. Why be so down and petty about a gift?" She continued the friendly banter and then sighed, as if Soo was the one being problematic, "Just dress them. It's not like you would be making a statement."

"Tell me, Gongjunim, did new clothes make you feel better during your exile? " Soo retorted immediately but absentmindedly, still not looking at her, "I'm in no need of new clothes of jewelry. Tell my husband that he does not need to keep sending them."

Instead of leaving, however, Yeon Hwa made a sign to Misso, who gratefully placed the box on the floor and excused himself out of the room, leaving the two women alone.

For a long moment, there was no sound in the room besides the soft swipes of the brush on the ink and then on the paper. The Princess kept looking straight at her, but Hae Soo didn't bulge under the prying eyes, didn't even allow herself to be intimidated nor insecure. She thought of it as a staring game, and the first one to flinch or show the slightest reaction would lose.

It was a stressful game, but she was getting better and better at it.

Finally, the woman grows tired of staring (she lost) and started to speak her mind.

"You're planning something, aren't you?" Her tone was taunting and she spoke in a low voice, as if they were confidants, "Orabeonim might not notice it, but I do. I just don't know what it is."

"I'll tell you, then." Soo puts the brush and lowers her voice, almost whispering back to the woman, "I'll just annoy him until he begs me to divorce him."

"And what would you gain with that?" Yeon Hwa continues the little play of whispering back and forth.

"Someone like you wouldn't know."

"Fine," she chuckles, as if getting tired of a silly game and stands up, "I'll just keep watching you. You'll have to make a mistake eventually."

"Then watch me closely, Gongjunim. And in return, I'll pay attention to you as well."

Yeon Hwa smiles cordially again before leaving her alone, and Hae Soo can finally continue to paint a random waterfall.

She wonders how long the Princess would take to strike.

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The strike actually comes in the very next morning. Which was not that surprising, now that Soo thought about it.

However, at the moment, she was caught out of her guard.

Wook and Yeon Hwa arrived early in her bedroom, as they would always do whenever she claimed to be too unwell to get up and out of bed. They brought a few servants carrying food and medicine to make her feel better and exchanged the basic pleasantries one would to their unwanted husband and jealous sister-in-law. But, when they were just about to leave, the Princess suddenly called out in a glee voice.

"Oh, Soo-yah! Where did you get this?"

Soo's eyes involuntarily moved to the woman, who was holding the old and rusted hairpin the 4th Prince had left behind.

"I found it in the garden." She replies careless, anxious to make them leave at once.

"You just found a hairpin laying around in the garden?" Yeon Hwa asks incredulous and yet excited, as if there must be a secret story behind the simple accessory that Soo's keeping to herself, "That's absurd."

The 8th Prince turns around to where his sister is standing, next to the drawing table, and that's when it hits Hae Soo.

She was sure the hairpin was inside her box of make-up. She was sure, because just last morning she had held it for a while, already missing his letters. And she vividly remembered keeping it back in the same place, which was nowhere near the table where Yeon Hwa had found it.

Her eyes squint a little bit, as she wonders what exactly could the Princess achieve by making her confess the story of the hairpin, and she replies slowly.

"It is absurd, but I did. A while ago, actually."

"Sure, you did," Yeon Hwa chuckles, amused. Then she walks closer to her brother, so he can take a closer look as well, "Doesn't it look like that one So-orabeonim had? When he still lived here?"

Wook's expression of curiosity merges into one of dissatisfaction, and she can finally see where the Princess is getting at.

"So you think he lost this here years ago and only now I found it?" Soo asks with enough scorn so the truth comes out as a preposterous accusation.

"What? That'd be ridiculous."

"Of course it would. But then the only other possibility was if he gave it to me himself, which he didn't since I found it in the garden."

"It is true, Wangjanim." Soobin finally intervened, and Yeon Hwa's gloating face diminished a little bit, "We were accompanying Buin when she found it."

The storm then passes from the Prince's face, as he trusts enough in the old servant to know she's telling the truth. Then he looks to the other girls Soobin indicated and breathes out in relief when he sees Daeun nodding along with the others.

Satisfied, Wook takes the hairpin from his sister and puts it in the bed, next to her hand.

"Lots of people come and go from this house." He concludes, signalizing that he believes her, "Keep it. If no one came looking for it, it's yours."

He finally leaves, and Yeon Hwa has no option but to leave as well, failing to reciprocate Soo's gloating smile. The servants also trail away, leaving only Daeun behind to attend to their lady, and Soo breaths out slowly.

"Daeun-ah," she calls the girl before she starts to snoop and gossip, "I know I just ate breakfast, but could you please go bring some dumplings for me? The ones with cinnamon. I think it will help me take medicine."

"Of course, Buin." The girl bows and leaves Soo alone with her thoughts.

After all, just how many times could Yeon Hwa strike before she got her neutralized?

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The next weeks are torture.

This time, however, is not so much because of the tension of having to live in the Hwangbo house as the 8th Prince's wife, and more because she has no prospects of getting news from the 4th Prince in the near future. With Baek Ah prohibited from staying alone with her, there's no way he'll be able to pass a secret message to her. Which means that there's no way she'll get any other news besides that he is alive.

And so, more than a month passes in boredom for Hae Soo.

She does some stuff, of course. She keeps her eyes open and the mental lists of names frequently updated. She watches as the players move the pieces around, and just like she used to do with doramas, she takes guesses on what's happening next, who's going to do what.

Watching the game from a safe distance is starting to become a game for herself. She just has to keep on wearing the mask of the pawn.

Pawns are weak, so people tend to not care about them and only use them as fodder. Pawns are small and rarely deemed as a threat.

Paws were the opposite of the prized King.

"The king asked for you." Wook kneels next to her after he brings the news, disturbing her tea time, and then advises her with a low voice, "Beware of what you say when you're in his presence."

"What could I say that would be dangerous?" Soo raised her eyebrows as she put the cup of tea aside, her appetite lost.

"He could trick you into a position you're not safe."

"Sounds familiar."

The moment of silence that follows Soo's retort is thick, and she appreciates it very much.

But then he starts speaking again, with that self-indulging tone that always makes her skin crawl and she starts to appreciate the moment a little less.

"Soo-yah, you know that for me, your safety..."

"Pyeha is waiting. I will be leaving now."

She stands up at once, signalizing the girl that was attending to her to come along.

"Yes. Of course." Wook stands up as well and, after a moment of hesitation, orders, "Take one more servant with you, someone you're comfortable with. I think Daeun can accompany you."

"Thank you."

She makes sure that her shoulders relax visibly when he mentions Daeun, even though Soo would have preferred to go with only Bora (she can trust Bora, the girl had come with Myung Hee to Songak). She makes a show that her guard is being lowered right in front of him and nods to Bora to go fetch the Daeun.

Then she waits for the carriage outside, enjoying the fresh air before she is taken once again in the presence of Jeonjeong.

Wook insists on accompanying her until the gates of the residence, visibly shaken by the King's invitation, afraid something is going to happen and she is going to be killed.

After all, everyone feared the King and his power. Even the ones that were planning to kill and overthrow him.

It's a pity that people tended to forget just how limited the King's moves were.

"Interesting. Very interesting." Wang Yo cheers, raising his cup of tea for a toast after Soo is done relaying him the new moves and allies of her husband, as well as his possible strategies and plans, "If I knew marrying you off to Wook would be pay off so much, I would have done it sooner."

"I didn't think I was your only spy on him."

"Oh, you're not, I assure you. You're just the one with a better position to pick up this sort of information so quickly. Although it's hard to find little birdies willing to betray their men like yourself," the King muses as he leans back on his throne, turning his eyes away from Hae Soo, standing by his side, "I guess that there's Baek Ah's girl as well, but she's a bit of a pain sometimes."

Yo makes a pause, waiting for Soo to react, to be shocked or at least surprised. She can see the expectation in his teasing voice and relaxed posture. So she feels a tiny smug satisfaction when she gives him neither and replies in a measured voice.

"It's what tends to happen when someone has their family killed, their home destroyed and their people enslaved."

"I guess that's true. It does tend to happen." He scoffs, but she knows he's annoyed, "How about you, why are you hard to control?"

"Because, after I drowned when I was younger, an entity took over my body and it rebels against tyrants and injustice."

It is the truth, of course, and a truth Hae Soo has spent the past years fighting to hide, afraid of they would when they found out. But claiming that now holds no danger, no risk. On the other hand, her retort only amuses the King, who begins to laugh and cackle until tears are coming out of his eyes.

"That's actually a great story," he comments when he finally manages to take a breath.

"I came up with it last night."

"Oh, what a waste of your talents," he pouts jokingly and pours another cup of tea for himself, "How is your marital life, by the way?"

"Oppressive. It's like I'm a prisoner."

"You would be a prisoner anywhere, remember that."

"But here I would have something to do."

"Didn't I just give you something to do?"

"I want to be free, Pyeha," she refutes his logic, breaking the palace protocol as she stares at him, "I don't want to do things because I'd die otherwise. That's no way to live."

Jeonjeong stares back at her, his face serious as he slowly weights her words. They stand in silence, cautiously gauging what the other could be possibly be thinking of.

Just another staring game.

"And what if I give you your freedom?"

Jeonjeong breaks the silence, but this time it's Hae Soo's loss, as she is caught by surprise. But she manages to hide it well, her senses warning her that this another trap, another test, "I would ask what you want in return."

"Just another twist," Yo's eyes glint just like they did when he announced Hae Soo's wedding, "It's fun to watch."

"Woo Hee-yah."

The woman turns around as soon as Soo calls out her name. The former Sanggung of the Damiwon doesn't smile when she meets her old friend, even though she is glad to have met her.

"Soo-yah." The Sanggung of the Gyobang doesn't smile either, but her eyes glint with relief and joy, so Soo knows she's glad to meet her as well, "It's been a while."

They walk closer to each other, crossing the courtyard and abandoning their tasks at hand for a brief moment in a friendly company. Then they both signal their entourages to wait until they're done talking and give them some privacy.

(Mentally, Soo prepares what she'll tell at home so Daeun's words don't make it look like she's involved in some conspiracy.)

"You're still here," it's the first thing Soo says to her. Not in surprise nor delight, nor even to state a fact. Her words are more of a worried and pitiful remark and carry more questions than answers.

"I have nowhere else to go."

"I heard that the 13th Prince asked you to go to his hometown."

"There's no way I can do that."

"Because you're the Hubaekje Princess?"

Woo Hee knows how to hide her surprise well, and doesn't even flinch when Soo mentions her true identity. There is only a moment of silence as she assimilates the words and calms her mind to come up with the best way to explain her position.

"I left it all behind. A long time ago."

"Not everyone did, apparently." Soo doesn't have to mention names, Woo Hee knows exactly who are the ones who won't let her bury her own past.

Her friend needs a few more moments to maintain her composure, to not break down. Soo knows that she's pushing a little bit, but she also knows how great is the relief of not being the only one oppressed by keeping a secret.

Heaves know just how much she wishes she could tell everyone she was from the future.

"How long have you known?"

"Around a month." Soo hesitates on how to keep talking about the topic and the opts to be cryptic, "You have powerful allies."

Woo Hee scoffs as her eyes fill up with tears, although not a single one drops.

"You know, it took me too long to realize that they had no intents of restoring Hubaekje. And when I did I was already too involved to get out. At least not without affecting the very few people I care about."

She doesn't have to mention names either, but Soo does it anyway this time.

"I'm sure Baek Ah would understand."

Woo Hee shakes her head quickly, stopping Soo from getting any more ideas or making any sort of promises.

"He would try to be a hero and get me out. And that would only end up with him dead." She comes closer, taking Soo's hands into her own, holding them tightly and almost desperately, "No, Hae Soo. I can't tell him. He's already risking too much by getting too close to me, knowing very well that his mother's family wouldn't approve. I can't ask him any more than that."

"You wouldn't have to ask." Soo feels a lump form in her throat, as the girl's hopelessness starts to spread to her as well, and she feels the urge to revolt, "Why don't you do something yourself, then?"

"What could I do? I came to Goryeo with only one intent, only one aspiration, and I failed. I can't fail again, Soo-yah." Woo Hee closes her eyes, as the tears suddenly become too much to hold on, "Before, a failure would only result in my death. Now, even you could be implicated if I stepped out of line. I will do my task."

"Even if it kills you in the process?"

"That's what we're made for." She takes a deep breath and her anguished face merges into a serene look, her hands stop trembling and let go calmly. When Woo Hee opens her eyes there are no signs of a storm on the verge of breaking, "We are just tools, Hae Soo. Tools that build the foundations of their Empire. If a tool no longer works, then it is discarded and a new one replaces it."

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Hae Soo went home with a heavy heart.

In the past eight months, she had spent as Wang Wook's wife, she thought she had developed the greatest mask, the perfect act to hide her insecurities and faults. She believed to be a magnificent actress, a girl who appeared to be naïve and fragile, but that had a few daggers hidden underneath the soft petals.

Now she realized she just had never seen someone more broken and deformed than her.

Because Woo Hee mask of confidence and grace hid a tragedy worthy of plays and songs. And Soo, in all of the years she knew the girl, had never even imagined that there was such a great shadow weighing down on her. Perhaps not even Baek Ah knew just how deep her wounds were - wounds that had only scarred on the surface, but that still stung as if they were still recent on the inside.

For the first time in a long while, Soo's head wasn't filled with plans on how to keep herself alive, but on how delicate a person's life was.

Soo knew what it was like to feel powerless and eager to just surrender, give up the fight. She had felt herself the weight of someone else's life, but after she recovered her strength, she only ever wanted to live the fullest and for herself alone.

Woo Hee had forfeited her own life so many others could continue to live.

The tearful eyes and painful words of her friend kept replaying in her mind until she got in her bedroom (Myung Hee's, she reminds herself) and she couldn't do anything else.

Thankfully Wook didn't request her company for dinner that day, so she dismissed the servants and asked to be left alone for the night. And looking attentively to her Buin, Daeun knew better than to insist otherwise.

As soon as she was sure all the eyes were gone, Soo took the inkstone from the writing desk and carried it closer to the lone candle near her bed. After dealing with Wook and his spies, then Yo and then Woo Hee, she was craving for the comfort of the poems the 4th Prince had sent to her. Soo knew them all by heart, of course, but she felt calmer whenever she held the letters herself. She felt at ease, closer to him, every time she simply glanced at them.

Soo opens the drawer, careful not to damage the concealed opening and not to smudge her clothes or her blankets with any remaining ink, and her blood runs cold.

The drawer is empty.

Her hand taps the stone anxiously as if she's doubting her own eyes and she has to make sure that yes, her poems are gone, and when she does she feels the despair starting to take over her, because she needed those letters, she needed that one piece of comfort in her chaotic life, she needed those poems to anchor herself back to reality, but they're gone.

Then the despair slowly starts to turn into fear and apprehension as it dawns upon her.

Her letters are gone; not lost nor misplaced, stolen. They were taken away from her, taken away from a secret place.

Who took them?

Who found them?

What would happen now?

She has no reason to believe that whoever took the trouble to investigate every single inch of her room until finding those few pieces of papers had no ill intentions towards her. On the contrary, she's certain that whoever did this was a spy of the Prince or the Princess.

What she would do now?

After a couple of anxious minutes, Hae Soo manages to take a deep breath and calm herself down. She parts from the two possibilities of what happened when she was away and traces down the few possible ways each case would go down. And to each setback, she comes up with a plan of action, until she can be sure that things won't fall on her in the future.

Soon Hae Soo realizes that no matter who took them, no matter what they did, she would end up having to do something more active to clean this mess up.

That would be a problem for tomorrow.

So she puts the inkstone back on its place, as if it had been there the entire time, to begin with, and returns to her bed.

Hae Soo blows the candle and the flame flickers before it dies out. She rests her head back on the pillow, closing her eyes to the troubles that surround her.

She'll be fine.

She tells herself that it doesn't change anything, that nothing will bring her down and everything will be fine.

She keeps telling herself that, hoping that soon she'll start to believe it.

My writing technique is divided into four steps. 1: Spend one month reorganizing the timeline. 2: Spend two or more months figuring out the lines and the key sentences of the chapters. 3: One day of intense writing to turn a 600 words draft into a 6k chapter. 4: One day of intense editing as I check out like a hundred words that I'm not sure I used properly or that I didn't know how to say in English, and then try to find the bits that my brain forgot I wasn't writing in Portuguese and messed up the grammar.

That being said, see you all again in a few months! (sorry about that, btw)