What stretched before their eyes wasn’t a river, but a cliff. A cliff with a river flowing below.
Exactly the kind of cliff where protagonists would throw themselves as a last resort.
“This goddamn cliché!”
Doha, realizing they were in a scenario, shouted. Unable to hit his own chest, he slapped Hyunseo’s back instead. With a smack, Hyunseo’s waist bent like a bow.
“It should be my waist bending like a bow!”
You son of a bitch!
Doha glared at Hyunseo, who was being carried on his back. What should I do with this luggage of a king? Even unconscious, the effects of the aphrodisiac were still strong, as Hyunseo groaned.
Seowoo, who had caught up, dismounted from his assassin’s arms. Looking at the two standing before the cliff, he drew his sword.
The sword pointing to the ground was deep blue. The remaining horse’s blood dripped onto the ground. Seowoo whispered in warning:
“Flower Bin, hand over His Majesty quietly.”
“…I can’t do that.”
Doha tightly embraced Hyunseo’s body that he was carrying. It was a desperate struggle to survive, but unintentionally, it provoked Seowoo. Gripping his sword, Seowoo glared at Doha.
“Then die quietly.”
So you shouldn’t have bothered me.
You should have just withered away as the flower of Siyeong Palace.
The assassins standing behind also slowly surrounded them. As the assassins closed in, Doha hesitantly stepped backward.
‘This is also a scene I’ve seen somewhere before.’
It was exactly the formula of historical dramas to step backward and fall into a river. As an actor who had filmed several seasons of historical dramas, Doha knew what would happen next.
Doha caught his breath.
Seowoo approached until he was right in front of them. He had long since thrown all the daggers he was carrying. Doha looked to the left and right, turning his head, but all escape routes were blocked. In this situation, there was only one option.
“Your Majesty, are you a good swimmer?”
Doha whispered into Hyunseo’s ear. Instead of an answer, only groans came back. It was a question Hyunseo, having lost consciousness, couldn’t answer.
“It doesn’t matter if you can’t.”
“If you don’t want to die, hand over His Majesty!”
With eyes wide open, Seowoo raised his sword. As if ready to charge at any moment, he bent his body. Following Seowoo’s stance, the surrounding assassins also gripped their daggers and prepared for battle.
Not taking his eyes off them, Doha stepped back once more. He held Hyunseo tight.
“The protagonists won’t die, so we won’t die.”
Doha’s body fell backward in an instant. The two people, attached like one body, fell into the river. With a splash, the two were swept away by the rapid currents.
* * *
The icy cold seeped through their entire bodies.
“Gulp, hic.”
The water current was strong. Doha had thought he could grab onto something, but far from getting out of the water, even holding onto Hyunseo’s body was difficult.
The water swept Doha and Hyunseo’s bodies away with rapid force. It was a powerful force. Having run continuously, Doha was short of breath and his mouth kept opening. Water was slowly pushing into his nose.
‘At this rate, we’ll both die.’
Under the water, he could see Hyunseo’s face. Even in this situation, there was no sign of him waking up. Using all his strength, Doha pulled out a cloth from his chest. It was the green knot Eunsung had given him.
With the knot, he tied his left hand to Hyunseo’s right hand. It was to ensure they wouldn’t lose each other even if they were swept away by the current. After firmly tying their hands together, Doha looked at Hyunseo with his blurring vision.
‘If we die like this, we’ll be virgin ghosts.’
Wake up, you idiot.
He could no longer hold his breath. As he let go of everything, water invaded Doha’s body. With that, Doha lost consciousness.
* * *
“Find them! No matter what, we must find them!”
Standing at the edge of the cliff looking down at the river, Seowoo shouted. Veins bulged on his neck. At Seowoo’s command, the assassins who bowed their heads scattered to their positions.
The river was calm. Perhaps because of the strong current, there was no trace of Doha and Hyunseo. Seowoo stretched his body as if he might fall, glaring at the river.
“This time it was really almost done… it was all set…”
“Your Excellency. This is not the time for this.”
The man who had been carrying Seowoo around spoke to him as he muttered like someone who had lost his senses. Taking off his sweat-soaked mask and throwing it away, he grabbed Seowoo’s shoulder.
“The Chief State Councilor will be shocked if he finds out.”
Feeding the aphrodisiac, chasing after Hyunseo on his own—it was all Seowoo’s plan. If things went wrong, it was obvious that the Chief State Councilor would frame it as something Seowoo had plotted alone.
Quickly thinking, Seowoo turned to look at the man.
“Where is my uncle?”
“He’s at the western hunting ground. It’s quite a distance, so he probably hasn’t heard the news yet.”
“We can’t not inform him.”
At Seowoo’s words, the man fell into thought briefly. After counting the assembled personnel, he spoke again.
“…Most of the assassin group are the Chief State Councilor’s men, so that would be difficult.”
At the man’s answer, Seowoo rose from his place. There was no more time to look at the river. He had to stop the news from reaching the Chief State Councilor somehow.
‘Otherwise, I’ll be discarded.’
Eumin who lost their usefulness are discarded. That was the law he had learned growing up. This law was meaningful both in the marketplace where he was born and raised, and in the Chief State Councilor’s house. Glancing back at the river, Seowoo approached the man.
“Kill anyone who tries to deliver the news.”
“If we kill them, it will surely be noticed. It would be better to tell the truth…”
“Better for it to be noticed later than sooner. If anyone tries to go to the Chief State Councilor, make sure to kill them.”
At Seowoo’s fierce gaze, the man bowed his head. He thought of the man who had been assigned the role of messenger. He had said his wife was pregnant this year and needed a lot of money. He had joined the job after hearing that the Chief State Councilor’s commission was expensive.
The man pulled out a dagger from his robe. He intended to leave Seowoo in a safe place and then run straight to the messenger. Seeing the man’s stance, Seowoo blocked his way.
“Before that, there’s something else to do.”
Seowoo looked at the man with a resolute face. Seowoo’s gaze shifted to the dagger the man was holding.
“Stab my shoulder with that dagger.”
“Your Excellency!”
“Hurry!”
“How could I harm Your Excellency!”
“It’s not harming, it’s a strategy. If I return unscathed, I’ll obviously be framed as the culprit.”
Seowoo placed his hand on the man’s hand holding the dagger. He slowly directed the blade toward his own shoulder.
“So I’m trying to become a victim too.”
Finally, the man thrust the knife into his right shoulder, a non-lethal part. The man’s blade dug into the flesh. Despite the terrible pain, Seowoo, who didn’t utter even a single groan, continued speaking.
“The one who stabbed me wasn’t you.”
“…”
“It was the Flower Bin, that man.”
As Seowoo spoke, the dagger twisted. With the motion tearing the wound, blood poured out. His hunting clothes became soaked with blood from the wound. It was a hunting outfit whose original color could no longer be seen.
Enduring the intense pain, Seowoo looked up at the man. Strangely, the corners of Seowoo’s mouth turned upward. The dagger was pressed with force once more.
* * *
Until the other ministers left the hunting ground, there was no sign of Doha, Hyunseo, or Seowoo. It was only when the Chief State Councilor, who had caught a fox and a wild boar, was about to leave the hunting ground that everyone realized something was wrong.
“Why, why hasn’t His Majesty come out?”
“Even the Chief State Councilor, who is always slow, has already left the hunting ground…”
“Come to think of it, I don’t see either of the two consorts.”
The ministers’ whispers filled the banquet hall. Among them, Jeonghyeon and Lord Kim also looked at the entrance of the hunting ground with worried faces. At the entrance, Dojin was waiting on horseback for Doha.
‘Something must have happened to His Majesty and the consort.’
Dojin, on horseback, gave orders to the guard unit that was waiting. They were the royal guards closest to the king. As he signaled, the members of the guard unit immediately prepared themselves.
“Split up into east, north, and west to find His Majesty and the two consorts. The last ten on the left side, follow me.”
“Yes!”
“Both His Majesty and the consorts must be safe. Send a messenger immediately when found.”
“Understood!”
Dojin, who had given the orders skillfully, grabbed the reins again. From the moment there was a delay, Doha’s face had not left his mind. Nor had Doha’s voice calling him “Master.”
Just as he was about to strike the reins to turn his horse toward the hunting ground—
“Look over there!”
Someone standing behind the guard unit pointed at the hunting ground. Something bright red was staggering out of the hunting ground entrance. As the pungent smell of blood reached him, Dojin’s heart sank.
“Your Excellency!”
There was no time to think about whether it was a consort or someone else. Dojin’s body moved faster than his head. Riding his horse, Dojin reached Seowoo in an instant.
‘It’s not my lord.’
Confirming Seowoo’s face, Dojin exhaled in relief. His expression was so relieved that it was fortunate Seowoo’s vision was blurry. Noticing Dojin, Seowoo slowly parted his lips.
“Gen… eral.”
With a face wet with sweat, Seowoo looked up at Dojin. His complexion looked like he might collapse at any moment. Despite his wretched appearance, Dojin was relieved by the fact that it wasn’t Doha.
Quickly dismounting his horse, Dojin supported Seowoo.
“What on earth happened?”
“Attack… there was an attack.”
Seowoo answered with dry lips. Leaning on Dojin’s body, Seowoo was pale to the point where it was a wonder he was still alive. It was because he had lost a lot of blood on the way.
“You’re bleeding too much. It would be difficult to ride a horse, so lean on me.”
“Thank… you.”
He leaned on Dojin and walked to the hunting ground. They walked slowly for 10 minutes on a distance that should have taken 5 minutes. When the two finally arrived at the banquet hall, everyone was lingering at the entrance.
“Your Excellency!”
The ministers rushed over when they saw Seowoo stained with blood. Even the Chief State Councilor, who had been watching from afar, came running, shaking his large belly.
“Your Excellency! What, what!”
The Chief State Councilor, with the face of an uncle worried about his nephew, grabbed Seowoo. The ministers who approached were thrown into confusion at his shocking appearance.
“Someone, someone call the royal physician!”
“Bring water quickly, hurry!”
“He’s losing a lot of blood! Bring some cloth to stop the bleeding, quickly!”
The ministers called out to the court officials loudly. The court officials, stunned by Seowoo’s appearance, ran to their assigned places. Even amidst the chaos, Dojin stood guard behind Seowoo. He was hoping to hear about His Majesty and Doha’s whereabouts.
Perhaps because he had lost a lot of blood, his vision was blurry. Seowoo, who had collapsed to the ground, slowly closed and opened his eyes. The face of the Chief State Councilor who was holding him appeared and disappeared.
But I still have to deliver my final line.
Looking at the Chief State Councilor, Seowoo parted his lips.
“Uncle…”
“Yes, yes! Your uncle is here.”
“…”
“Who did this to you! Who would dare to the Chief State Councilor’s nephew!”
The Chief State Councilor, who had caught onto Seowoo’s scheme, shouted with exaggeration as if reciting lines. At his loud voice, everyone turned their heads toward Seowoo.
“Flower Bin… he and His Majesty…”
Dramatically, Seowoo’s head dropped. The Chief State Councilor shook Seowoo’s body, which was as still as death.
“Your Excellency! Your Excellency! Please open your eyes!”
You should finish your sentence before dying! The Chief State Councilor swallowed his words and shook Seowoo. The firmly closed eyes showed no sign of waking despite the shaking.
The royal physician, Jihun, who had hurriedly arrived, looked at Seowoo’s condition and his face hardened. He took out Seowoo’s wrist from the blood-soaked hunting clothes and checked his pulse. Soon, Jihun’s face turned pale.
“We must take His Excellency to the palace immediately. Time is of the essence.”
He shouted, looking at Dojin. At Jihun’s cry, Dojin picked up Seowoo.
“Can I ask His Excellency about His Majesty’s whereabouts?”
“If we hurry, I might be able to wake him up, but I can’t be certain.”
Dojin placed Seowoo, who was light to carry, onto his horse. The last person to see His Majesty and the Flower Bin was Seowoo. Seowoo might know their whereabouts.
“I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, I will do my best to wake His Excellency!”
Jihun, who had mounted the same horse as Seowoo, nodded. Soon, he grabbed the reins of the horse and spurred it on.
“Damn it.”
Dojin watched the two of them ride away. Over the blood-covered Seowoo, the image of Doha overlapped.
Without realizing that his heart was now worrying about Doha more than His Majesty, Dojin rushed to the hunting ground. Not knowing that the master of his heart had changed.
* * *
Meanwhile, Dojin’s master was just opening his eyes.
What he saw as he opened his eyes was Hyunseo deeply kissing him.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
