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“Shit,” Prince Daehwi cursed under his breath. Profanity was by no means a habit the prince indulged in often, yet it felt utterly appropriate. General Park had acted out unpredictably. The officer’s tawdry idea for a gift could easily jeopardize everything. Daehwi’s fingers rapped against the mahogany of the sitting table in his quarters as he mulled the situation over. He’d been writing letters when his informant rushedly dropped the detrimental news onto his desk. The note read:
“The black bird has been caged; to be a gift offered onto the highest power at the discretion of the prideful hare.”
“Surely, he will reject the gift, no?” Daehwi spoke rhetorically. He glanced at his concubine, Samuel, who stood dutifully by the door. The exotic boy leaned lackadaisical against the artfully painted wall, spinning a dagger in his hands idly. He glanced over at his Master, quirking an eyebrow. Though no words had been used, Daehwi discerned the other’s thoughts from the gesture and he agreed: precautions ought to be taken.
The Prince sighed, stroking his chin in deep thought. Originally, he had planned on bribing a servant - someone who would be in equal standing with the new entrant. However, given the strange realm of status that concubines occupied, it seemed unsuitable. Concubines did not conventionally commune with servants often, and some Masters even adamantly insisted that their precious wards seperate themselves from such lowly people.
No, Daehwi thought, it must be a concubine. He eyed his own for a second.
“It can’t be you,” He remarked, regarding his own ward. “You’re too close.”
“Are you sure, Master? You know my capabilities, my skills are-”
“No, no. I will not put you anywhere near this. We are too intimately connected,” The Prince cut the other off.
After a moment of consideration, Samuel replied with a nod, “Prudent, Master.” Sheathing his dagger, he crossed his arms and joined the Prince in his deliberation. “If your description of the man is proper, then my watching him would be suspect. I would be a gnat, tailing an older concubine - and for what? Hm…”
“But it must be a concubine - yes?” Daehwi pursed his lips as he continued digesting the information, “Someone close yet isolated. Someone I can control…”
“There are few concubines that I would consider trustworthy, unfortunately,” Samuel noted. “Not many have anything worth losing - other than their life. Still, if we pressure them too much… Well, they may be unable to bear it.”
“Few is better than none. Samuel?”
“Yes, Master?”
“I have a task for you.”
“Yes, Master,” The concubine pushed off of his perch on the wall, standing upright and at attention to address his superior.
The Prince turned to look the other earnestly in the eye, emphatically imparting his duty, “Find me a concubine who will not compromise us. He will be our eyes, someone who will gently guide the black bird implicitly while keeping us informed.”
“Implicitly?” Samuel quirked an eyebrow curiously.
Daehwi sat upright, folding his hands in his lap before nodding, “Well, these are pirates we are dealing with. One cannot merely trust them to stand in formation and bark on command like a trained dog.”
“You intend to spy on him,” The concubine chuckled wryly.
“Only to assure he is on the proper path and assuredly understands exactly who is in control.”
“Without his knowledge,” Samuel stated. He did so without any sort of judgment or discrimination.
“Precisely,” The Prince responded with a mischievous smile. “I do not anticipate any complications, but should the arise I want to know. I want to know what that man is doing with whom and when, and I want to know just as it happens - if not before. If he wishes to turn on me, I intend to have advance notice. So!” Daehwi clapped, “I would like a name before I retire to bed this evening. The black bird lands in mere days, and I must assure all is in place prior.”
“Yes, Master,” Samuel bowed deeply in acceptance of the task. “Please excuse me, then.”
“You are excused,” The Prince nodded as he dismissed the other.
Sungwoon shuffled into the sitting room nervously. He’d been fetched by a servant an hour prior, relayed a message that he had an urgent summoning to attend. When the concubine had pressed about it, he’d not been given the privilege of deliberation. The messenger merely pointed to the wax seal on his summons - the Kang family crest.
Initially, the thought had excited Sungwoon. He believed that, perhaps, Jisung had arranged for a summons to spend some time with him in the afternoon. However, upon further deliberation, Sungwoon realized how unlike his husband that would be. Jisung preferred to arrange things with more notice and without any intermediaries. The few and far-between day meetings the two carved out happened after mutual planning in their bed chambers, not letters.
Opening the note had gleaned little more. It merely bore his name, a time, and meeting place. Time: “three o’ clock this afternoon” as it said; place: “green meeting room on the second level of the west wing”. Nothing else had been written. No signature, no date - not even a rogue fleck of ink or smudged fingerprint. The concubine wrung his hands as he plodded into the sitting room slowly. Though he typically kept his finger on the pulse of court happenings, he came up blank regarding his summons.
Nothing could have prepared him for the sight before him.
Sungwoon’s jaw dropped and his eyes blew open when he crossed the threshold.
“Please close the door behind you,” Prince Lee Daehwi said coolly from a plush brocade chair across the room. True to it’s moniker, the sitting room he’d chosen to commune was covered in green. Pale green draperies festooned the walls, silken tassels hanging from the edges like a curtain of spun gold. Genuine gold had been painted onto the ornately carved furnishings - from the twirling legs of the chairs to the intricately crafted door frame. More peculiar than the room’s grandiosity was its location. Far to the west, it stood fairly remote from the rest of the castle. Not even servants traversed the halls during the afternoon, making the entire meeting feel all the more eerie.
In spite of the surrealism surrounding the entire ordeal, Prince Daehwi looked the picture of tranquility. He sat in the gold and green damask chair, legs crossed and lips upturned into a serene smile. Between his seat and one identical to it sat a table, and atop it, a few papers. Sungwoon began to wonder just what this meeting was truly about. Was he being accused of something? Had the prince found out about his marriage? Was he in trouble? If so, where was Jisung? Surely they would both be confronted at the same time - yes?
Anxiety slowly seeped into Sungwoon’s blood, but he kept a cool visage. All the while, he prayed his suspicions were wrong. Deferently, Sungwoon closed the door as he’d been commanded, eyes fixed to the ground as he stepped in.
“Thank you,” His highness said. “I suppose you are wondering why you have been summoned here.”
Sungwoon did not answer. He fidgeted with his hands a bit, sneaking a peek at the Prince from above the glass of his specs.
Prince Daehwi appeared almost amused; with a smile, he nodded, “You may look up. I am not the blinding sun nor am I some biblical entity.”
Sungwoon obliged, taking his eyes off the ground. Still, he did not dare look his highness in the eye. He settled for focusing on the finicky trim around the neckline of the boy’s doublet. Though the Prince’s tone sounded in no way malignant, he still did not feel assured in his security.
“Very good,” The Prince chirped. “Time is of the essence, so I will hesitate no longer and speak forthrightly. First of all, you will not speak of this meeting to anyone. Do you understand?”
Sungwoon nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“You can speak, can you not?” The Prince’s tone dropped into something more stern, “I will ask just one more time - and, please give a verbal response. You understand that you are not to speak of this to anyone, is that clear?”
“Yes, your highness,” Sungwoon replied softly. His gut twisted and toiled all the while.
“Good. All of the matters that we are to discuss are completely confidential. You are not to tell a soul. Not your concubine cohorts, not the King, not a priest- not even your dearly beloved husband, Advisor Yoon.”
Sungwoon gasped as panic stabbed him in the stomach. His hand shot to cover his mouth to cover up what could be seen as a profane gesture. It made him sick to know his ill feeling had been right - Jisung was somehow involved. Fighting the tears that stung his eyes, he shakily lowered his hand in an attempt to seem more collected.
“Y-your royal highness, I- I-” He tried to recover.
“Please,” Prince Daehwi lifted a hand to halt the concubine, “Do not mount any sort of protest or objection. I know your linking to be true, and the Advisor’s choices are of little concern to me. This has nothing to do with the profane bonding with which you two are linked.”
The words gave the concubine little relief. They merely spurned his anxious curiousity further. What did the Prince want, then?
The Prince continued, “I merely emphasize that no amount of dedication, no vows you take or have taken will usurp the discretion of this meeting. Understood.”
“Y-yes, your highness,” Sungwoon responded with obedience.
“Excellent. Ha Sungwoon, I have a task for you. This undertaking will be long, it will occupy you for a number of months. I understand the Advisor doles out bits of busy work here and there. My assignment for you is to take priority over all of that.”
It astounded the concubine the manner in which Prince Daehwi could change; transformed in mere seconds from a cool, collected youth to something much more sinister. The Prince had always come across as rather meek - a quiet, smart youth with a playful streak who spoke eloquently and carried himself with regality. Yet, beneath the surface lurked something more sinister, something calculating. Sungwoon had only heard stories; he’d never gotten to bare witness to the shadow lurking beneath the Prince’s serene surface. Though the boy’s tone remained relatively light and upbeat, a malicious edge outlined his words.
“Understood, your highness,” Sungwoon said. He knew not what this boy would ask of him, only that - at least in that moment - he ought to play along. Nothing could assure the concubine’s discretion once he left the walls, and surely Jisung would have something to say about the Prince’s strange, inappropriate summoning.
“Good, good,” The Prince nodded, apparently satisfied with something. “Yes, you will do perfectly.”
Sungwoon wanted direly to ask “for what”, but he did not dare.
Prince Daehwi gave a small grin, “From what I know of you and have seen of you, I am quite pleased. You are not like the other concubines here: young, naive dullards content to laze around and enjoy the fineries of life until their Masters have tired of them. You are intelligent. You have experience in life and wit, intellect.”
The concubine swallowed nervously. He waited for the other edge of the sword to be pressed to his neck. Surely such complimentary language would not precede anything good. His hands felt clammy from sweat, and he swore he could hear the palpitations of his heart thrumming in his ears. If only the sound could drown out the Prince’s words. Alas, it could not, and so the concubine listened, temporarily paralyzed - powerless to do anything other than remain dutifully in place.
His highness went on, “I trust you will serve my cause well- I- My utmost apologies, Sungwoon. I am prattling. Quite obviously I did not ask you to meet me so I could praise you. Your curiosity must be tormenting you by now. Why- You musn’t look so nervous. Truly this will be of no detriment to you! Why, I have no intention of harming even a
single
hair on your head.”
Sungwoon wished he could shake the boy, begging the question: “For what have you summoned me?!” But he could not. He merely watched on with wide eyes, waiting for the exposition of this supposed duty.
“With that in mind, I suppose I ought to tell you what I require of you. It is simple, really,” The Prince shrugged, “All I need you to do is to keep watch over a certain individual for me.”
“You want me to spy on someone?” Sungwoon blurted out. He shut his lips with immediacy, another jolt of panic shocking his body at the rogue utterance.
“Please, Sungwoon, I urge you to relax. You are free to inquire about your task - as a matter of fact, I rather encourage it,” The Prince said with an amicable tone. In spite of his projected friendliness, Sungwoon felt no warmth or genuinity from the boy’s manner.
“Yes, your highness. Thank you, your highness,” The concubine responded deferently.
“Spy is a rather crass word, though, is it not? No, no, what I truly need is for you to be a watchful eye- a guide, really. Yes, a guide! You see, Castle Jeon will soon welcome a new concubine into its ranks. I require that you take this man under your wing. Teach him how to be a good concubine- no, a great concubine. The perfect companion.”
Sungwoon’s brows furrowed with suspicion, “A new concubine?” He blinked confusedly. Typically, he knew of such affairs prior to them happening. He’d heard nothing of new nobles moving into the Castle nor of the addition of any court concubines. What interest did Prince Daehwi have in a new concubine? Why did his highness care that he is an ideal companion? And what about this concubine’s arrival necessitated such secrecy? “Your highness, may I ask a question?”
“You may.”
“Is this concubine to be your companion?” Sungwoon took a safe shot. He felt almost certain that the Prince did not intend to take in this concubine, but it seemed like the least suspicious question to ask.
Prince Daehwi chuckled and shook his head, “No, no. My Samuel is the perfect concubine. I need nobody else. This man is to be a gift. Though I am not certain he will be accepted immediately, he will be. That you must make sure of.”
A gift? That must be accepted? “I must make sure that… That this concubine is taken in?”
“You will do your part in making him irresistible. As I said before: guide him. Encourage him. Assure he is tempting and pliant, prepare him. And, of course, report back to me,” The Prince said.
“Prepare him…” Sungwoon mumbled. He looked at the Prince again, trying his luck with a more prying inquiry, “Wait- You said that he is… He’s to be a gift? To whom?”
“To his majesty King Daniel,” Prince Daehwi said calmly.
“Wh-”
“I suppose this would all be much easier if I explained in full. Let me remind you that you have sworn secrecy,” The Prince cut Sungwoon off before he could even utter another word. Sungwoon wondered if Prince Daehwi had merely summoned a concubine from a remote village to present to his majesty. It seemed rather excessive to go to such lengths for discretion, but Sungwoon supposed a surprise gift would explain the secrecy. Still, he had a lingering thorn of doubt scratching at the back of his mind. As much as he wished to believe that he’d been roped into a surprise gift for the King, something still did not add up.
Prince Daehwi appeared undeterred by the concubine’s look of bewilderment; looking the servant straight in the eye, he continued, “In a short time, King Daniel will be taken. He will be taken very far from this place, somewhere abandoned that nobody will care to look. They may kill him, they may choose not to. Their choice is of no concern to me. I have no hand in this entire affair - not officially. Not in a way that can be traced to me, but you?” He quirked an eyebrow, assessing the concubine once more, “You will be my eyes and ears.”
“What?” Sungwoon uttered in disbelief. He could think of nothing else to say, nothing more eloquent to ask. His heart sunk to the ground, and his mind tossed around the words that had been so casually thrown around him. King Daniel? Taken? Far? Kill him - or not?
“There is nobody better suited to this role than you, Ha Sungwoon,” The Prince said. “You have the position and the knowhow, the resources and connections in this castle to get things done and assure our guest is kept safe on his journey.”
“Wh- Wh- I am to- to conspire- with- with a- a- criminal? An- an assassin-”
“You misunderstand,” The Prince shook his head, shaking a finger at the servant. “Your duty is to
me
and me alone. The concubine will know nothing of your involvement. Is that clear?”
Sungwoon shook his head, nearly choking on the air he breathed, “I- I- Is this a test?”
“Hm?” Prince Daehwi raised an inquisitive brow.
“Am- Am I being tested? Is my loyalty being tested or-”
The Prince’s patient tone gradually crumbled away, exposing more of the indignation beneath, “As I said, this is a duty you will take on,” His neatly folded hands began gripping one another with white knuckles as his composure wavered. “Your loyalty is to me now.”
The concubine panicked; he shook his head, gasping, “This is treason. High- high treason!” Turning on his heel, he lunged toward the door and yanked it open, ready to bolt. His mind raced with possibilities; who would he tell? Would they even believe him? He still had his summons note - that could serve as proof? Then what? Would the prince have him killed? Would Jisung be able to defend him? Unfortunately no plan could come to fruition. Sungwoon nearly impaled himself on the drawn sword that greeted him. Wielding it was none other than his highness’s exotic concubine, Samuel. Sungwoon froze, and tears welled up in his eyes. He tried to meet the other concubine’s gaze, hoping for a trace of understanding, of condolence.
He found no such thing.
Samuel, ever the shining example of undying loyalty, matched Sungwoon’s dismayed gaze with a ferocious one. Whatever self-serving cause Prince Daehwi served - Samuel believed in it. Or, at the very least, he’d sworn himself to serve his Master no matter what atrocities that meant condoning.
Sungwoon stepped backward, back into the green sitting room, the dainty space that had quickly become stained with malice. Tears burned his eyes, but he willed them to stay in place, not to burn. Though his body thrummed with venomous anxiety, he pulled himself into composure. Turning around, he faced the Prince once more. The concubine started calculating ways around his supposed “duty”, his forced hand in treachery.
“I understand this may come as a shock to you, so I will forgive you this transgression. I do urge you to handle things more calmly moving forward,” The Prince huffed. His demeanor changed. The thin facade of benevolence he’d upkept dissipated entirely. Animus dripped from his tone, so acrid it practically melted through the floor as it fell from his tongue.
Sungwoon did not respond. He merely stood statue still, hands clasped tightly in front of him and jaw locked shut.
“Better,” The Prince replied. “As I said before: you must do all you can to guide this individual toward his majesty, King Daniel. You will do so and report to me in regards to his progress and any other relevant developments. If he so much as breaths the insinuation of a dissentious word - even the slightest inkling of betrayal - you report to me. Understood?”
“And if I do not cooperate? If I swear myself to secrecy but refuse to take part in this?” Sungwoon ventured to ask, his tone slightly shaky from both rage and nerves.
Prince Daehwi sighed, “I thought you would have such curiosities. Surely you do not think me an imbecile,” He laughed humorlessly. “You are an upstanding man. I trust your first instinct is to run to your precious husband and tell him everything.”
“So your insistence that you would not harm a hair on my head - those were empty words?” Sungwoon frowned deeply, still laboring to keep tears at bay.
“No, no, not at all,” The Prince replied, “As I promised, no harm will come to you. But…” Slowly, he reached toward the table beside him. He lifted a piece of paper to his gaze, scanning the contents as he spoke, “There is a farm on the outskirts of Urcapitis-”
Sungwoon’s blood went cold.
“-seems that they grow- Oh, let us have a look… Potatoes and rice- leeks, too. An adorable little place, really- at least, according to my men.”
The concubine shook his head.
“Run by an old farmer who, rumor has it, once had a grandson,” The Prince finally looked up from his paper to regard Sungwoon once more. Like a Gorgon he locked the concubine with his gaze, paralyzing him. “However, his grandson ran off many years ago, it seems. An awful pity, isn’t it?” The Prince paused as if waiting for an answer. When Sungwoon did not dignify him with one, he kept talking. What could he say? The Prince essentially presented two options to Sungwoon:
His kin or his King.
To any righteous, genuinely dutiful subject, the answer ought to be obvious; but, Sungwoon could not honestly say he’d ever been one of those. He had always found himself disenchanted with aspects of the Kingdom’s law and order. He had deliberately sought out a loophole just to be present in Castle Jeon. Though he knew he ought to lay his life down for his King, he could not rightly lay the life of his grandfather down for the same reason. His grandfather had nothing to do with politics or internal feuding - he was innocent. None of that involved him. All he’d ever done was try to provide for his family. The man had completely disowned him, and yet, Sungwoon still loved him. He stubbornly held onto the foolish hope that, one day, he could return to that place and be accepted. That he
and
Jisung could. Fantasies of reconciliation aside, he could not bare the thought of sentencing one of his few blood relatives to death. Perhaps it was selfish, perhaps it indicated that he was not a good, loyal subject.
But, in that moment, Sungwoon felt weak. He’d been cornered, and he had the lurking suspicion that Prince Daehwi would not stop at killing a mere farmer in his pursuit for power. No, Sungwoon thought, this cannot be stopped. Not here, not now.
“He hasn’t seen the boy for years-” The Prince said, “Well, I suppose he’s a man now. What a shame it would be if he were to die without ever seeing him again. Wouldn’t it be a shame, Sungwoon?” He waited for his answer - or, more rightly, his confirmation that he had the concubine corner.
“Yes, it would be,” The concubine choked out.
“Would it not lend you much more security knowing that he can be safe, unbothered, allowed to live his life contently in lieu of a job successfully done?”
“Yes, your highness.”
Prince Daehwi smiled with satisfaction, “It relieves me that you feel the same way. So, we are in agreement, then?”
“Yes, your highness,” Sungwoon replied rotely.
“And you understand if you were to run to your precious husband right now - or even the King - that it will be your word against mine. Do you think the court will take the accusations of a concubine to heart over the integrity of the Prince?”
“No, your highness.”
“Then I believe we have reached a mutual understanding. My messengers will keep you informed. Make preparations for your fellow concubine’s arrival. Samuel-” His highness nodded to the younger concubine, “-please escort Sungwoon to his chambers.”
“Yes, Master,” Samuel bowed. Sungwoon bid an automatic, vague farewell. He recalled bowing, but little else truly registered to him.
Not a single word was uttered between the two concubines as they took the walk toward his quarters. Sungwoon felt all too conscious of the hand Samuel kept poised on the hilt of his sword. The older man felt numb. His mind reeled, recounting his meeting with Prince Daehwi ceaselessly. Bits and pieces of their meeting bounced around violently. The clashed and overlapped and intertwined until nothing but a tangled mess remained; the scraggly heap of words, threats, and implications filled his head.
Prince Daehwi intended to end the reign of King Daniel.
And Ha Sungwoon was going to help.