* * *
The sun was already setting. As darkness fell, Dojin’s heart grew more urgent.
“Hya!”
He gritted his teeth and dug his heels in hard. He rode faster than he had even on the battlefield. The cold wind rushed past his head. Strands of hair that had escaped from beneath his headband fluttered in the air.
‘If something has happened to Bin Mama…!’
His thoughts kept drifting toward the worst scenarios. Images of Doha’s body covered in blood, his face pale and lifeless filled his mind. Along with the gentle voice that called him “Master.”
‘If that’s the case, no one will return with their bodies intact.’
Dojin’s hand tightened on the reins. He had created new rules to prevent the Chief State Councilor from employing his tricks. He had positioned the participants separately from one another, and had specially hidden Doha in the innermost part of the forest, in the safest place.
The place where Doha was hidden was somewhere even regular soldiers would get lost. The trees were all similar in position and height, and there were no distinguishing features nearby to orient oneself. Only a skilled assassin would be able to find it.
‘If someone found that place, they must be extraordinary.’
At minimum, one would need to be a high-level assassin to locate that spot in the hunting grounds. There was only one person who could employ someone of such skill.
The Chief State Councilor. It couldn’t be anyone else.
It was Jeonghyeon and Lord Kim who stopped Dojin as he tried to enter the hunting grounds. The two had been circling in place, watching the hunting grounds, and as soon as they spotted Dojin, they blocked his path.
“Ungeom, please allow us to enter the hunting grounds as well.”
“Yes, we want to search for our youngest with our own hands.”
Jeonghyeon and Lord Kim grabbed Dojin’s legs from both sides. They had been prevented from entering by the royal guards. Lord Kim, whose hair had turned completely white, bowed his head to Dojin and said:
“I will beg like this. Please, please let us find our youngest.”
Though he had relinquished his official position, Lord Kim’s status was still higher than Ungeom’s. It was unthinkable for him to bow his head to Ungeom. Especially since Lord Kim was known for his fierce pride, to lower his head voluntarily…
The ministers watching from behind drew in their breath.
“…If I let you in, I’d have to let other ministers enter the hunting grounds as well. That could be even more dangerous.”
Dojin whispered in a voice quiet enough that the other ministers couldn’t hear. If he let in Lord Kim and Jeonghyeon, he would inevitably have to allow the Chief State Councilor’s people in as well. In a situation where they didn’t know how many enemies were inside the hunting grounds, he couldn’t take such a risk.
Dojin bowed deeply to Lord Kim.
“No matter what happens, I will definitely find Bin Mama. I swear on my sword.”
His voice was resolute. At Dojin’s answer, Lord Kim raised his head. Dojin’s face showed the same worry as his own.
‘My youngest has certainly made this man his.’
Dojin, wearing the same expression as himself, would never harm Doha. Having reached this conclusion, Lord Kim slowly nodded.
“You must find him, without fail.”
“I will ensure that not even the tip of Bin Mama’s finger is harmed.”
Dojin bowed once more and then led his horse toward the guards. As Lord Kim watched that sturdy back, Jeonghyeon, who stood beside him, asked with concern:
“Is it alright to leave it to him? Shouldn’t we bring in private soldiers and search every corner?”
“If we’re not careful, the situation could escalate. We need to understand what’s happening first.”
“Ah…”
He rubbed his face wearily and turned his head toward the hunting grounds. If only he had attended every royal audience and stopped the Chief State Councilor. If only he had sent secret guards with him. His regrets were endless.
“I hope he’s safe.”
For his youngest’s sake, and for the court’s sake, that would be best. If his youngest were injured in any way, there would be no shortage of people ready to overturn the court. Of course, that included Jeonghyeon and himself.
“He’ll be fine. Doha is not such a weak child.”
“What do you mean he’s not weak? He used to collapse at the slightest thing. He spent his entire childhood in convalescence.”
And that’s where he met that wretched man!
Jeonghyeon cried out to Lord Kim as if deeply resentful. It was Lord Kim who had suggested sending his youngest, whom he loved dearly, away to recuperate. The child was frequently ill and weak, so following his suggestion, Doha was sent to stay with relatives in the countryside.
He never dreamed that his son would return with some strange man in tow. And even less that this strange man would become the King.
Lord Kim seemed to be recalling that time as well, his expression growing distant. His long beard fluttered in the wind.
“He has two allies on his side, so he will be safe.”
Lord Kim, who had been watching the hunting grounds, turned toward where the ministers were sitting. With eyes as fierce as a tiger that had not yet lost its teeth, he took in the ministers. His gaze seemed to say that he would not forget those who were now chatting and laughing.
* * *
Dojin dismounted when he reached the place where Doha had originally been. A secluded area with few bird calls, where wildflowers bloomed abundantly on the left side. This was definitely where he had parted from Doha.
He followed the footprints marked on the ground. The tracks led up a slope toward the inner part of the hunting grounds. As Dojin bent his head, searching for traces, a guard ran up to him and began to speak.
“This is where Bin Mama and…!”
“Close that mouth.”
The guard who was about to ask about Doha’s whereabouts shut his mouth at Dojin’s stern command. Dojin’s nerves were so on edge that he cut off the guard’s words. With an unwavering grim expression, he followed the tracks.
Each footprint carried a faint trace of Doha’s scent. It was the scent he smelled every time he guarded the bedchamber. Dojin could never forget the Eumin’s scent that had been so strongly imprinted in his mind. He pushed through the trees, following the scent. The guards silently followed behind him.
“Gasp…!”
It was then that the corpse of a horse appeared between the trees. The guards drew in their breath at the sight of the brutally slaughtered horse. The brown-colored horse was clearly Ungeom’s mount.
With a composed face, Dojin approached the horse. Blood splashed from the pooled blood on the ground, but he paid it no mind. The hem of his military uniform became soaked with blood.
Dojin knelt before the horse and pushed the body with both hands. As the body moved, a gush of coagulated blood poured from a wound beneath the neck.
“A sword wound.”
It was evidence that someone had stabbed it with a sword. He inserted his hands into the fur and probed the wound.
“Judging from the shallow depth of the wound, the attacker wasn’t originally a swordsman.”
“Are you saying Flower Bin Mama killed the horse?”
A guard who had approached asked with a shocked expression. At the term “Flower Bin,” Dojin’s previously impassive expression twisted.
“No, Bin Mama would never kill it.”
He wouldn’t treat the horse I gave him so carelessly. Above all, the Bin Mama I know is a delicate person. Someone who seemed incapable of killing even a single person. Dojin had never seen someone so pure.
Dojin’s hand moved from the horse’s neck to its belly. He stroked the exact spot in the middle of the belly where the fur stood on end. It was the trace of someone having lain there.
“Bin Mama probably came running as soon as the horse was stabbed. He would have sat right here.”
“Then who stabbed it?”
“Someone trying to kill Bin Mama.”
As he pronounced the words “kill Bin Mama” with his own lips, Dojin’s head turned cold. The situation was more horrible than he had expected. His gaze returned to the horse’s corpse. If it had been Bin Mama lying here instead of the horse. If Bin Mama had been stabbed…
Increasingly negative thoughts filled his mind. The more he thought, the more force he put into his hands. The muscles in his arms beneath his military uniform tightened as if about to burst.
“Damn it.”
Dojin stood up and drew the sword from his waist. His blade gleamed coldly. At his movement, the guards waiting behind him bowed their heads.
“From now on, we’ll comb through the hunting grounds to find His Majesty and Bin Mama.”
“Yes, sir!”
“We must find them today, without fail.”
The soldiers of the guard swallowed hard at Dojin’s fearsome, demon-like expression. The sound of gulping could be heard from all around. He glared slowly at the guards with eyes so fierce they justified his battlefield nickname, “Sword Demon.”
“Otherwise, your heads will fly.”
He raised his sword as if ready to behead them at any moment. Frightened by the gesture, the guards moved quickly. As they scattered in all directions, Dojin mounted his horse again.
Then he rode back into the forest. He galloped forward, following Doha’s scent that was imprinted like a brand in his mind.
* * *
Inside the cave, the two were in the midst of a cold war.
It couldn’t have been colder even if they were actually freezing. Not only was the wind blowing in from outside the cave chilly, but the atmosphere between Hyunseo and Doha was equally frigid. After their heated argument, the two sat far apart, watching each other.
Doha stole a glance at Hyunseo, who was sitting on one side. Leaning slantwise against the wall, he had had his eyes closed for quite some time. Judging by how his eyebrows furrowed whenever there was a sound, he wasn’t asleep.
‘Earlier he was so clingy and wouldn’t let go.’
Doha had wondered what was happening. He thought their usually prudish Confucian boy had undergone a complete transformation, but it had been only temporary. Now that he knew it was part of a plan, Doha felt rather deflated.
Doha rubbed his wet clothes and rustled through the leaves. It was perfect weather to die of hypothermia. He needed to gather dry leaves to start a fire. He crawled around the cave, collecting branches and leaves in one place.
As he worked, he felt inexplicably angry. A plan, he says. Stay still, he says! It didn’t make sense that after making Doha into a powerless consort to keep him under his control, he now wanted him to just stay put. A disgruntled look was again directed at Hyunseo.
“You tell me not to do anything, but why aren’t you starting a fire?”
“…”
“Good grief, you said you’d keep me confined to the palace, but I’ll freeze to death before then.”
With his hands thrust into a pile of leaves, Doha waited for the imminent reply. But even as time passed, no answer came. Only the sound of labored breathing echoed through the cave. Sensing something was wrong, Doha called out to Hyunseo again.
“Your Majesty?”
“…”
Doha shook off the fallen leaves and approached Hyunseo. As he got closer, the labored breathing transformed into rough gasps. Alarmed by the ominous signs, Doha grabbed Hyunseo’s shoulder.
“Your Majesty! Wake up!”
Hyunseo breathed heavily as if he couldn’t get enough air. His shoulders rose and fell dramatically. Startled, Doha sat down on his knees and cupped Hyunseo’s cheeks. The face beneath his touch was burning hot.
“Hyunseo!”
The moment Doha called Hyunseo’s name, something burst like a dam breaking, and Hyunseo’s scent filled the entire cave. It was even more intense than before. Simultaneously, Hyunseo’s closed eyes slowly opened.
Doha’s gaze met those pitch-black eyes. Desire and longing were nakedly mixed in those eyes that reflected Doha’s image. Doha was completely trapped in his gaze.
While Doha couldn’t tear his eyes away, Hyunseo’s dried lips slowly parted.
“Get away.”
The command escaped from his lips.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
