"This is a royal order! You have no choice but to follow."

Those words triggered Dong Hee's moral dilemma. Walking down the palace grounds, looking at the vast diamond night skies, she had confusion regarding whose orders to follow. If she followed the Queen, that would mean treason for disobeying the King. On the other hand, if she granted the King's orders, this would inflict an eternal burden to her heart; her conscience would definitely make her sleepless forever.

She prayed fervently to the Heavens, gazing at the skies while remembering what she and the King had discussed.

"Please Heavens, help your humble servant."

~~•~~

"Now we have something to discuss," Jae Joong said.

"Yes, Sire? What do you want to discuss?"

"When will the Queen give birth?"

"Most probably tomorrow, Sire. Around the time of Hwasi."

"And the interval of the twins?"

"I am not certain, Sire. Half an hour is the maximum in her case."

"All right. Know that I am doing this just in case things go wrong. This is a one-step plan ahead against my enemies."

"What do you mean, Your Majesty?" Dong Hee asked in confusion. Half of her wanted to hear it already to stop her agony, while the other half told her to stop listening.

"Whether the eclipse happens or not, do as I say... When the first twin comes out, bring him to me quick. I would be waiting at Minister Dae Wong's house. Your travel time will be short. I will teach you a shorter route."

She breathed heavily and continued listening.

Jae Joong added, "I have a feeling that the Prime Minister's troops would be on high alert inside the palace because a royal member will be born. That is why you would meet me outside. I do not want the twins to stay for long in the palace. I will let you think your own way on how you could sneak the Prince out of the palace."

Those statements gave her a tremendous feeling of shock, hardly believing those commandments.

"Going back, when I have received the baby already, go back quickly to the palace and assist the Queen for the second twin."

"Now, listen very carefully! This twin must be proclaimed dead."

She gasped upon hearing the dreadful statement. Time stopped. She realized that she was half-numb already, barely twitching a single muscle. This was definitely against her principles and practices as the Head Nurse.

"You need to sneak out of the palace... and... and claim the baby as your own," Jae Joong stammered, snorting to hold back any tears that might fall from his eyes.

"Your Majesty?"

"Yes, claim the baby as your own. If you do not want, just give it to someone else, far from the palace."

Observing the King's stammered way of speaking, she realized that his strong and intimidating presence was a huge act. He had pretended to be strong and sturdy as a boulder, but deep inside, he had a very soft heart for his children. This move would definitely kill and break his heart into pieces.

She reminded the King about the Queen's side, "Sire, Her Majesty will not agree with this."

"Why would she need to know this? The Queen shall not know about this! Like what I have said, proclaim the death of the other twin!"

Glaring at Dong Hee, the King hid his cold, quivering hands under the table, "This is a royal order. You have no choice but to follow."

~~•~~

Dae Wong and his two nangdos traveled continuously to find the monk at Anju Village. They had lit blazing torches to guide them to the deep forest because the moon was nowhere to be seen.

"My Lord, let us settle here for the night. We need to rest," one nangdo suggested.

"All right, we will set a camp here. Get yourself a good sleep. We will continue first thing in the morning," Dae Wong ordered.

About a mile away, Chil Yook, alongside with two red group nangdos, traveled in the deep forest as well. Whatever the purpose was, one thing was for sure: Chil Yook was very determined not to disappoint his master again. He pledged to do his best in everything the Prime Minister had ordered him to do.

"Grand Marshal, how long would this travel take anyways?" one of his nangdos asked.

"Right now, perhaps about four more hours if we would travel fast," Chil Yook replied.

"It is too late already. Could we just set camp for a while and get ourselves a good sleep? Our horses are exhausted," another nangdo butted in.

"Fine. Go set up the camp. This time, I guess Minister Dae Wong's group is resting already. But remember, we need to get to that monk first before them."

The two hwarangs bowed, and they set up the camp while Chil Yook sat on a dead, mossy log, thinking deeply.

~~•~~

"What are you standing there? Detain Lady Jang now!" Jung Ho commanded.

"My... Lord, well," one of the nangdo stuttered, trying to report something.

"What is it? Speak!"

"Well, we thought that you need to know this. We have seen Minister Dae Wong with yellow group nangdos leaving the palace. It was as if they would travel far."

Lady Min butted in, "My Lord, they are going to Anju Village to find the monk that I mentioned who can possibly read the almanac."

"Anju? You mean the remote village in Jinhae District?" Jung Ho asked.

Lady Min nodded.

"Hmm, it would take a lot of time for them to reach that but I know a shorter route. You need to go through Jinju District and cross the Geum River. If you take that path, you would only take six hours," Jung Ho added.

"I am sure that the King had already oriented Minister Dae Wong regarding that path," Chil Yook said coldly.

Annoyed with the cold treatment the Grand Marshal manifested, Jung Ho realized that it was because of Lady Jang's unconscious body on the floor, waiting to be picked up. He decided to order Chil Yook in search for the monk. He must talk to him before Dae Wong. More importantly, the minister must not come back to the palace on time, before the eclipse ceremony.

"Do not let Minister Dae Wong meet the monk. He must not discover the information inside the almanac. Do not let me down this time. You know me!"

"Yes, My Lord," the coldness in Chil Yook's voice continued, avoiding the Prime Minister's eyes.

"Look at me! If you are truly concerned with Lady Jang's safety and felt guilty about your negligence, do as I say... Yes, they have the almanac but knowing what was inside makes a significant difference."

Chil Yook leveled his head down in a bow, acknowledging the Prime Minister's statements.

Jung Ho resumed, "Bring me the almanac at all cost but do not kill the monk or the minister. Bloodshed is not necessary for this mission. Tomorrow noon, I will wait for you in the forest. You know where specifically, do you not?"

He squinted before continuing. "Understand?"

Chil Yook had a thought for a while, "Yes, My Lord."

"Now, Go!"

~~•~~

In the middle of belated juncture, the King visited the Prime Minister in his bedchambers. In fact, it was not a brotherly visit. The mere intention of the King was to confirm the reports regarding the coincidental departure of Chil Yook with two red group nangdos. He thought that the Prime Minister had ordered his henchman to follow Dae Wong who was on a journey, searching for a monk.

Jung Ho removed his uniform robe and changed to his white night robe. Removing the pin from his top knot, his hair fell on his shoulders perfectly. He placed all accessories on a wooden chest, and he went straight to the bed, straightening the bedsheet.

He suddenly heard the announcement of the lady-in-waiting about the King who demanded an audience. His eyes narrowed in extreme displeasure.

Two trivial things could make him sufficiently annoyed. First, disturbing him while reading. Secondly, disturbing him with his private bed moments. Well, he could be a bit considerate sometimes, if and only if, the reason for disturbing him was acceptable.

"I barged in already without your consent," Jae Joong said, walking to the center table in the middle of Jung Ho's bedchamber.

"Sire, what made you visit here in this hour?"

"Sit," Jae Joong glanced coldly.

Bothered with slight annoyance, Jung Ho dragged the chair and sat. The two remained silent for a few seconds, their eyes shooting fiery glances with each other. Jung Ho could not handle it anymore. He was annoyed because he was interrupted just to have a staring session.

"What do you want, Sire?" Jung Ho spat out, failing to console himself.

"Where is Chil Yook?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just answer the question. How dare you talk back to a king?"

Jung Ho did not sugarcoat anything, answering in full honesty, "I sent him out of the palace. I ordered him to follow Minister Dae Wong. I want to know what was written in that almanac."

Hearing those vile words from his brother, Jae Joong stood quickly and slammed the table with his two hands. He pointed his trembling finger to Jung Ho, shooting a hawkish glare.

This hasty action did not make the Prime Minister shudder in fear. He reciprocated the King's glare, not daring to give a single blink. He looked directly at him with no sense of fear at all.

"You knave! I am warning you. Do not ever dare to touch Dae Wong, or else..." Jae Joong yelled.

Jung Ho just scanned the King's red face, bursting neck veins, and stiffened body. He bowed his head a little, and he spoke, "A piece of advice, Sire. Please think about this rationally. I would not stoop low for those silly tactics you thought I would do. Your mind is always populated with doubts and paranoia."

He continued, "Guarantee this. Minister Dae Wong shall come back to the palace alive! Honestly, I was disappointed. It seemed like you do not trust me at all... as your brother."

Jae Joong ardently disagreed with what he said; not about the trust, but about being his brother. He had stopped considering him as his younger brother. As a son of a royal concubine, Jae Joong once had thought that he was just a one-night sin. His perceptions had changed as they grew older, giving his brother a chance. However, as the years had gone by, he had witnessed how Jung Ho evolved from being bad, odious, and eventually, to evil. The furious king could not seem to fathom the reason why a heinous person like him would even dream to become the ruler of their Heavenly Kingdom.

"It was hard to consider you as a brother. I have tried, but it was tiresome. If I have not pledged to our Father King in his deathbed, I would have abandoned you before. When your mother passed away, leaving no one to protect you, I tried loving you, but it was no sense. Your heart is full of envy."

Jae Joong continued, "Honestly, you were, and you are still a daunting person. I do not know the full extent of the things that you can do. Funny, is it not? A king is frightened to his subordinate."

Hearing those, Jung Ho scoffed, eyes filled with mockery.

The King's words did not falter the Prime Minister's realm of conscience, which had completely vanished a long time ago. Instead, it made his anger worse. Those sudden word daggers served as burning fuel for his desires and dark aspirations. He even felt disrespected for bringing up their past, especially his late mother.

It was a one-sided story, summing up that the Prime Minister was a despicable and terrifying person. He did not bother to explain his side, believing that the King's beliefs would not change.

"Please stop, Sire. I do not want to talk about this. It was getting far from our main concern here. I want to wrap this up already... I assure you that Minister Dae Wong will come back safe to the palace."

The King sighed deeply, "I will try to hold on to that. I do not want you to mess up with the solar eclipse ceremony in any ways possible. That includes Dae Wong!"

Leaving the chambers without saying a formal goodbye, the King swaggered coldly and slid the door in an instant. The Prime Minister, who was left inside the chamber, swore that he would win this battle that had started years ago when they were still young princes.

I swear. One day, I will rule this kingdom!

__________

NOTES:

Hwasi (화시) - a fictional depiction of the time between 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Geum River (금) - a fictional river in Silla.