On Card 11 we see the familiar figure of Justice. She has the scales of equality and impartial judgment in one hand, and the sword of decision in the other. This is a time of decision for the Fool. He is making important choices. Will he remain true to his insights, or will he slip back into an easier, more unaware existence that closes off further growth?

The mourning was supposed to be something dignified and stoic in noble clan, but Hae Soo cried like a child, noisily, with running snot and choking sobs. She sank to her knees at the tiny grave, not caring for the damp mud that dirtied her dress. Her tears mingled with the rain and her gasping wails echoed around the graveyard. The pain that flowed from her was as palpable as the frigid winter wind and soon the only person at her side was 13th prince, struggling to keep his tears silent. Myung Hee was their sweet childhood, their safe haven. She was gone leaving them nothing but a raw emptiness.

"I should have come back earlier" Soo whispered when her tears had run dry. Two of them were sitting in a small pavilion after the funeral, waiting for the rain to stop.

"It wasn't your fault" 13th reached out, patting her shoulder to comfort his friend before she started self-blaming. "I should have thought better and asked for the king's permission first." He was referring to the delay of their departure from SongAk.

However, it wasn't what Soo meant.

She thought about the past 3 years. Never once had she visited Myung Hee, though no one had forbidden her from returning to the Hae hometown at that time. It was her who chose not to go, chose to live in her up-tight shell. And now she was regretting every second of it, and would still regret for a long time in the future.

All of sudden, Baek Ah made an abrupt withdrawal. The prince stood up, stared at a group of people approaching them, and Soo's eyes couldn't help following his. She also got back on her feet when 8th prince and the servants reached the pavilion.

"Hyungnim" 13th prince timidly greeted his older brother, yet Wook's eyes was only on Hae Soo, studying her from head to toe.

He seemed displeased, but rather than anger, there was more concern in his eyes. 8th prince pulled her close to put a cloak over her shoulder then turned to Baek Ah.

"Did you manage to take Soo here all by yourself?"

The younger prince was slightly caught off guard by the question but soon rallied.

"Yes, hyungnim" He quietly answered, while lowering his head to avoid Wook's stare.

Soo glanced at her friend, then looked up at her husband, wondering if 8th prince would believe it. When a heavy silence rose between them, she had no choice but speaking up to break the tension.

"Let's go back now, my uncles are waiting for you"

8th prince nodded in agreement. He opened the umbrella, then offered his hand to her. Before leaving, Hae Soo threw a final look at the graveyard. Surprisingly she caught a glimpse of a dark shadow who quickly disappeared behind an old oak tree. Her husband asked if she was alright, yet Soo gently nodded. Together they went back to Hae clan residence.

The Hae elders, indeed had a lot of things to discuss with 8th prince, as they spent their whole time in the meeting room. Meanwhile, Hae Soo got herself busy in the kitchen, so that her mind wasn't occupied with memories of Myung Hee. Just until dinner time, she took a short break to bring the meal to 8th prince.

"4th prince?" Her uncle's loud cry could be heard clearly from the room. Hae Soo immediately ceased her step, silently dismissed the maids, when she remained standing outside the closed door.

"So is the only person that can help Soo leave SongAk without the king's permission" 8th prince responded "I don't know if he had a sincere intention or just to use this chance to get access into Hae clan's ground"

"Why in the world did he want to help our Hae Soo?" The idea was quickly dismissed. "Could it be that he come here to spy on our salt reserves?" Though posing a question, there was much certainty in his voice.

Their discussion soon involved around 4th prince and how they should deal with the infamous wolf dog, unaware of someone having overheard all of their not-so-good plans.

When Wang So explained to her about noble clans' manipulation on salt price, he didn't say a word that the Hae was also one of those wicked people. And now when the truth was revealed by her own uncles' mouths, Hae Soo felt nothing but disappointed and ashamed of her clan's wrongdoings.

Unable to look at them in the same light like before, she skipped the dinner, then went to the ritual yard to built a stony tower, praying for all the miserable souls out there and for the penitence in her uncles.

"You should have a rest." A voice broke the silence of the night and Soo instantly turned back. Standing right behind her was no stranger but the masked prince in his dark travelling cloak. "The funeral must have exhausted you" He stole the pebble in her hand, put it on top of an almost finished stone cairn.

Soo startled, looking around the ritual yard to check if there was any one else then turned to 4th prince, whispered in anxiety "What are you doing here? You said no one should see you here"

She still remembered how Wang So had carefully dropped her outside the entrance to the Hae territory and told both Baek Ah to keep it secret. The fewer people knew he was accompanying Hae Soo, the better, because they were avoiding attention and his presence might cause a stir in Hae clan.

But tonight, he seemed to throw all the caution in the air when showing up in plain sight with her.

"It should be me who asks that question. What are you doing here?" He glanced around the yard, where stood stony cairns people built to pray for the living. So it was odd that the lady came here after the death of her cousin.

"I'm sorry for what my clan has done." Soo uttered under her breath.

4th prince needed not much time to catch on to what she was saying, then turned to study her unfinished cairn again. It was high, almost reached his waist. Whoever built it must have spent their whole evening. "You've known." His reply was simple, followed by a sad smile. At least she wasn't immersed in the grief anymore.

"Is there anything that I can do to help them?" she referred to people suffering from the salt crisis, yet the offer was turned down by 4th prince.

"Everything has been fine without you doing anything." Then realising his words sounded like a mockery, Wang So quickly softened his voice "What I mean is you've never been interested in those affairs before."

Now the guilt weighted Soo down even more. She had tasted the deep regret of doing nothing, then come to realisation that she shouldn't live like that anymore. She truly wanted to do something to redeem for her clan's greeds.

The prince, meanwhile, tried to make it clear that no one could do anything in this issue. Even the king couldn't intervene in noble clans' businesses. That was the reason he had to seek new sources of salt instead of ordering the noble to lower their price or opening their salt storages to help poor people.

"This monarchy is more complicated than what we can see, my lady. You have to learn how things work first, before being able to do anything. One cannot change the world simply as his desire."

He might want to appease the guilt in her, at the same time, telling her to open mind and learn the word around them. But there appeared to be more than that in the way he was talking. His words, his tone seemed to show the prince's dislike of noble clans and the power they held over Goryeo. He would like to change the country.

Soo had no doubt that everything would change if 4th prince became the king. He wasn't the man who would easily close an eye to the nobles' dirty tactics. Wang So would have them going through the court of justice. All the clans having done bad deeds would be punished. Hae clan was no exception.

Suddenly a cold shiver ran down her spine, at the thought of punishment falling on her family. Then the question of several days ago rang in her head. Was she truly indifferent to which prince sat on the throne? Would she still help 4th prince, knowing her clan and 8th prince were against him? What should she choose between family-ship and moralities?

Lost in contemplation, Hae Soo didn't notice someone running toward her. Until a maid asked what she was doing outsides all alone, the girl was snapped back to reality. But Wang So had already been out of sight. There left behind only the praying stone tower that he helped her finishing with a few last touches.

"8th prince is looking for you, lady. He said we needed to prepare for your return to SongAk."

After giving a slight nod, the young lady followed her maid back to the main house.

Both of them were clueless to a dark shadow sitting on the top of an old tree nearby, observing their every move. "Wang So and lady Hae of 8th prince" The man whispered with a evil smirk on his lips "Her Majesty would love to hear about them."

Hae Soo's travel the next day was engulfed in a tensing awkwardness with a reluctant companion, her sister-in-law. It was Wook's idea that they parted in different roads. When others thought he was escorting his lady home, actually Yeon Hwa and Hae Soo were taking another path to SongAk. That way could distract the assassins and protect Hae Soo.

"I didn't like you" After hours of silence, Yeon Hwa finally broke the ice. "Though your marriage with my brother brought benefits to both families, it's you that was a problem." Despite the scornful tone, Soo could sense the genuineness from the princess. "Insensible, uninformed, clueless to deal with the world, you are too innocent to be a part of our family. Strangely my brother preferred you that way, wanted to keep you untainted from all the dirty things in the royal family. It was too much of a burden to me, to be honest." Yeon Hwa sighed deeply, recalling 3 years sharing the same roof with the Hae girl. "But in the critical time, you had stayed by my brother's side. That was something I am grateful for." She concluded, expected silence to fall over them on, yet surprisingly Soo raised her voice

"How about you, sister-in-law..." Yeon Hwa had almost jumped off her seat in a great shock. It had been years since their last proper conversation and not Yeon Hwa's monologue. "Enlighten me on the dirty things happening in the palace?" Hae Soo said softly, but firmly, determined. She had thought throughout the night, then found that her quiet peaceful life as 8th prince's wife was just an illusion. Blindly believed whatever people said, she hadn't experienced the real world herself. So this time returning to SongAk, she would live differently. She would learn everything to know what she should do, and make the decision of her own, without being pulled by strings like before. "For the benefit of our family, I shouldn't be kept in the dark all the time, should I?"

Soo still stared at the princess who hadn't recovered from the shock. However, few seconds later, Yeon Hwa smiled broadly then saying, for years she had wished Hae Soo to be concerned with their family's affairs.

It turned out that 8th prince was right. When people got to know Yeon Hwa, she wasn't cold like she appeared to be. Soo could tell that her sister-in-law had a lot of thing in mind, yet she refrained from revealing too many details and just explained to Soo some basic notions like power and where it came from.

Beside the king who had the utmost power, others had their ways to be powerful too.

Gaining the king's trust and favour was one of the ways. It could bring people to high positions on court, but hard to maintain if they had no strong backup behind. Famous examples in this case were the late crown prince and queen Yoo. Wang Mu, despite sitting on the crown prince seat, had few allies and supporters. Therefore his downfall hadn't caused many controversies. In contrast, queen Yoo, who lost the king's favour, could still have influence in the palace because Yoo clan of Chungju was the most powerful clan in Goryeo. They were the typical example of money buying power.

Therefore, the second way to get power in hand was being wealthy. Other wealthy clans in the country could be mentioned like Jeongju Ryu clan, Dongju Kim clan or Pyeongsan Park clan.

Some clans also strengthened their power through connections, and alliances for benefits such as a political marriage. For instance, the bond between Hwangbo and Hae clan, or Yanggeun Ham clan and Grand General Park Soo Kyung. Though there hadn't official announcement, it was said 10th prince Wang Eun would soon tie the knot with Park Seon Duk, youngest daughter of Grand General. A marriage could be an efficient method to join 2 families and increase their strength.

Nevertheless, the final way to seize power was using pressure point. This one was Yeon Hwa's favourite because it would bring an ultimate power to the holder of other's weakness. And most of all, everyone had their weaknesses, even the king.

"Royal chamber was created to cover all the royal family's secrets, which also are the king's weakness" The princess explained while drawing a casual map showing Soo the governance system in Goryeo. "And if someone doesn't have a weakness, we sometimes can create one for him"

"Just like when you planned to drug 4th prince, then to use it to blackmail him?" The young lady reminded them of their unpleasant memory, which made Yeon Hwa's lips tightened in a thin line.

After a long pause, the Hwangbo girl replied "I had everything under control, that he wouldn't be able to hurt you" Soo couldn't help noticing that until now Yeon Hwa hadn't even admitted that she had been wrong. "He had never drunk my drugged tea, and only drank the tea with sleeping potion of yours. Isn't it odd when he knew the broken tea pot had stimulant drug?"

All of sudden, Hae Soo realised that Yeon Hwa hadn't known she had changed the drugged tea into a pure one. If the princess had, Soo might have got into a lot of troubles with her. That meant 4th prince had pretended to sleep in order to help her? Soo slightly gasped in realisation, which didn't go unnoticed by her companion.

"You also know what that means, don't you?" Yeon Hwa's unexpected question caught her off guard when her mind was still lingering on the old event. Luckily, the princess answered the question herself. "It means there was a spy of 4th prince in our house"

Chaerung was waiting at the back gate, when two women reached their house. Immediately they asked if 8th prince also came back home safely, then sighed in relief when the maid answered that he did.

Wook had already been summoned to the palace. Meanwhile, Hae Soo was told to rest in her quarter, until Woo Hee came and picked her up in the afternoon.

However the maid didn't spare her a second to rest that morning. Right after Yeon Hwa was out of sight, Chaerung kept asking how was her trip with the princess, if she had forced the lady to do anything or had spoke any offensive words...

All the strange actions raised the suspicion in Soo, as she demanded to know what was going on.

"Nothing, my lady. I'm just worried princess Yeon Hwa has bullied you" Chaerung responded. But the lady knew her well enough to realise when she was lying.

Eventually, the maid had to telling the truth about which had happened few weeks ago, when 8th prince was visited by the people of Hwangbo clan. Accidentally, Chaerung had overheard their talks that his clan had wanted him to have a second wife. With Hae Soo rarely at home, and the rumours of her unable to bear his child, it was a convenient time for the prince to engage in another political marriage.

Seeing all blood drained from her lady's face in shock, Chaerung quickly added "But our prince said no, my lady. 8th prince said he only had one wife that was you, and he would never get a second wife"

Even 8th prince said so, the lady knew she couldn't rest assured that her husband wouldn't marry another woman. Hwangbo clan might pressure him if they found a second marriage was necessary for their family. All went down to the power game.

Soo glanced at Chaerung who was standing restlessly by her side. So that explained her reaction during the weekend she had visited home. The poor girl thought all the problem would be resolved if she had a child with the prince. But it wasn't that easy.

"Chaerung?" She called softly to get the maid's attention "Do you know the female guard always escorts me in and out the palace?" Chaerung nodded, yet confused. "She is my friend, and will be our messenger."

She wanted Chaerung to be her eyes and ears in this house. The maid would secretly report to her everything happening in 8th prince's manor during the time she wasn't there. This time, Hae Soo was determined not to be kept in the dark anymore.

Just a few days had passed, but Dongjin lake seemed to get colder when Soo returned to the small lake house. Opening the door, surprisingly she was greeted by a familiar face that hadn't been seen in a while. The no-scar face of 4th prince.

"I'm here to return the book"

He beckoned to Hajin's notebook which was put neatly on her reading desk. However, all she did was staring at his face. The makeup was perfect. His face was perfect. No trace of the scar at all.

Feeling the inquisitive stare of Hae Soo, Wang So instantly gave an explanation that he had just returned from Cheondeokjeon, then slightly turned the left side of his face from her.

Meanwhile, Soo was struggling inside not to touch his face. Just one touch and she could felt the makeup powder under her fingers. Just one touch and she could wipe off the concealer and see his bare scar. She could exchange a lot of things for that one touch. Unconsciously, her right hand rose and slightly reached forward, but was abruptly stopped by Wang So.

"Don't think about it" His face went stricken, while looking deeply in her eyes. Obviously he knew what she was thinking.

Immediately the girl withdrew her hand and murmured an apology. They remained at their spots for a minute until the prince took a step toward the door.

"If you want to see my scar," He said coldly over his shoulder "tonight come and see me at the top floor of astronomy tower. Secretly"

Didn't wait for a response from her, 4th prince walked away leaving Soo in the house alone.

Hae Soo felt her heart could jump out of the chest at any moment, while gingerly following the secret passage to the astronomy tower. A part of her felt excited. She would soon be able to see 4th prince's scar, which she had wanted for almost a month. The other part, meanwhile, felt extremely nervous. What if someone saw her sneaking out of Dongjin lake? What if court lady Oh caught her in 4th prince's room like last time?

Plenty what ifs popped up in her mind that Soo didn't know she had already set foot on the tower 1st floor. Her footsteps echoed in the empty building. So 4th prince must have ordered people to leave him alone tonight. However, when she reached the top room, it was also empty.

"Your Highness?" Soo called quietly while looking around for a sight of the prince, but found nothing. She was going to raise her voice again when there was someone downstairs also calling for 4th prince.

"So hyungnim?"

Baek Ah nim! Soo realised her best friend's voice right away. When she was about to answer his call, out of nowhere a strong hand clasped her mouth and pulled her into a dark corner that she didn't know it was there. Her arm flailed to break free from her captor. But he held her tighter then whispered into her ear.

"It's me, standstill"

Soo immediately halted, realising the person was Wang So. She turned to face him then suddenly aware of how closely they were standing in the small conner. So close that even in the dark, she could see his un-masked face. Behind the thick fringe covering half of his visage was the long visible scar that was supposed to be hidden from everyone in this world.

"So hyungnim?" Outsides 13th prince was still looking for his 4th brother. He even climbed up to the top room now.

They were just a few steps apart but Wang So shook his head, gestured for her not to make a noise. Unexpectedly, there was a voice responded to the younger prince.

"Baek Ah, you come just in time"

Soo widened eyes in surprise. That was the voice sounding exactly like 4th prince's. It belonged to the mystery man she had never had a chance to meet in direct. He was also in the same room with them.

"Hyungnim" Baek Ah greeted him in a cheery voice as if he had found his brother.

The man started walking toward 13th prince, so gradually he would be in her sight. One more step then Soo could have a perfect view of him. But 4th prince, in a swift, turned her head, forcing her to face him. The girl stubbornly fought back because she really wanted to see that mystery man's face.

Their movements in the conner had made some small noises that risked to give away their hiding. 4th prince was given no option but to lean down and press his lips on the lady's.

Instantly, Soo's whole body went frozen.

The conversation outsides was muffled against her ears as her brain had stopped working.

At that moment, Hae Soo knew nothing but the tender lips moving against her ones, and the heart drumming loudly in her ribcage.