At the sound of the door opening, Yeong turned. A faint smile briefly touched her lips, but it quickly faded as she saw Seong's troubled expression. Without a greeting, he strode forward and demanded, "Why did you hide it?"
"Hide what?" Yeong asked.
"You knew," Seong accused. "You knew that servant was a spy. She's been working for Hwan since long before you arrived."
Seeing her lips pressed together in silence, offering no explanation, Seong took it as confirmation. "You knew, didn't you?" he pressed.
"Yes, I knew," Yeong admitted.
Her confession was devoid of defiance or remorse, leaving Seong feeling empty.
"Ryang almost died," he said, his voice shaking. "No, he might already be dead. And it's not just him. If Hwan had been determined, House Myeonghyeon and Wicheong Palace could have been destroyed by Dahn long ago. Do I have to hear this from a traitor like Jang'gyeong Yoon? Why didn't you tell me? What were you waiting for all this time?"
Facing the agitated Seong, Yeong calmly asked, "Was the High Councilor's disappearance related to the servant?"
"Yes," Seong confirmed. "She lured Ryang away."
"That's something I couldn't have known," Yeong said. "And even if I had known, what difference would it have made? Are you really this angry over one subject?"
"He's not just 'one subject'!" Seong shouted. "He's my family, who I saved twice! I saved him from those hellish waters, staining my hands with my uncle's blood!"
Yeong remained unmoved. "He may be precious to you," she said, "but to Sahngjon, he's just a tool. I don't see him as anything more."
"A tool?" Seong echoed incredulously.
"A very useful one recently," Yeong continued. "If you had known the servant was a traitor, the High Councilor wouldn't have been captured by Cheon Hwan, and you wouldn't have had to save him. And you might not have your power now. You accuse me of standing by and doing nothing, but that is almost all I have to do. The result of my faithful observation is you, standing before me now."
Seong felt suffocated as he listened to her. Did Yeong accompany me to Haewol Cave simply as a spectator? If I had lost my breath underwater, would she have just watched me and Ryang die?
"Did you know Ryang and I would survive?" he asked.
Yeong shook her head. "Seeing the future is beyond my abilities. I only know the past."
Seong felt a wave of despair. "So you gambled with our lives," he accused.
Yeong's face held a hint of scorn. "'Gamble...' You misunderstand. I have no interest in the High Councilor's life or death. I have nothing to gain from his death, and nothing to gain from his life. I merely..."
"Observe?" Seong finished for her.
"Yes," Yeong confirmed.
"Then what is important to you?" Seong asked.
"The Guardian of the Azure Scripture," Yeong answered without hesitation, her voice clear.
But Seong only felt more confused. Should I be happy? Should I be grateful that I am the only person who matters to the Guardian of the Crimson Star, the one with such terrifying power and a heart so cold? But he couldn't feel happy or grateful.
"I never waited for you," he said. "I never lived my life looking towards the prophecy. It was Wicheong that waited for you, and the people who are still in hiding, serving Sahngjon and the Azure Scripture. They are the reason I endure this title. Do you think they waited for a Guardian of the Crimson Star who doesn't care who suffers or dies?"
"Which chapter of the Azure Scripture says the Guardian of the Crimson Star will be swayed by insignificant lives?" Yeong countered. "The people's hopes are illusions they created, not promises from Sahngjon. It doesn't matter what kind of Guardian of the Crimson Star they waited for."
"I am the Guardian of the Azure Scripture chosen by Sahngjon," Seong retorted, "and it matters to me. It matters to me that the Guardian of the Crimson Star who vowed to stay by my side has human compassion!"
"Why should I?" Yeong asked.
"Because that's what people do," Seong insisted.
"I am not 'people'," Yeong said, her eyes cold and devoid of the warmth Seong believed in.
She still hadn't told him what lay at the end of the prophecy, where the path to the end led. She had said freedom awaited them, but now he feared it might be only his own.
"Should I trust someone who wouldn't bat an eye if the whole world burned, as long as it was Sahngjon's will?" he asked.
"My place is already set," Yeong stated. "There's no need for further doubt."
Seong believed Yeong wasn't lying, but her icy truth was a feeling he couldn't embrace. He straightened, looking down at her.
"I don't need an observer," he declared, turning and walking away.
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Thirty-four sailors had returned to Wicheong Palace with Yoon, and five remained on the Black Wings to guard the ship. Seong divided the sailors who knew the sea routes and how to navigate, keeping only seven, including Yoon, at Wicheong Palace. Ung, following Seong's order, provided Joon with fifty Wicheong soldiers. It seemed excessive for capturing just two people, but Seong attributed it to a father's concern for his son. Despite displaying trust in Joon before the others, Seong was also worried. He stood before Joon, who was ready and awaiting orders, and urged him, "Be careful. Don't act rashly. He's unpredictable."
Joon offered a relaxed smile as if to reassure Seong. "That's what makes him so predictable."
Seong returned a lukewarm smile and nodded. Joon bowed respectfully and departed with the soldiers. Divided into groups of five, they headed towards Seobyeok where the Black Wings was hidden, the moon shining overhead. The Black Wings waited patiently amidst the black cliffs, bathed in the red glow of the rising sun. Joon marveled inwardly. How have they found a way to safely conceal the ship on the reef-filled western coast? On the other hand, the numerous reefs kept other ships away, making it the perfect place for Hwan to slip in and out of Birahng unnoticed.
They descended a gentle path down the cliff, finding three small boats perched on the black rocks. Joon and the soldiers launched the boats and crossed over to the Black Wings. After two trips back and forth, everyone boarded the Black Wings, and they set off, towing the small boats behind them.
Despite the headwind, the sailors skillfully maneuvered the sails, slowly propelling the ship forward. Not long after leaving the coast, Joon, like the other Wicheong soldiers who were experiencing sea travel for the first time, found himself clinging to the railing, retching repeatedly. The Black Wings sailors, their faces blackened by the sun and sea, smirked, bruising his pride, but he couldn't calm his churning stomach. After several bouts of vomiting, he was drained of energy. He rinsed his mouth with a gourd of water brought by a soldier and collapsed on the deck.
To be exhausted by seasickness before even meeting Hwan – have I been overconfident? If Ryang, who knew a little about the ways of the sea, had been there, he might have prepared them. But Ung, Seong, and Norahn, despite living their entire lives on the island, were almost entirely ignorant of the sea. If everyone remained in this state until they reached their destination, it would be a serious problem. Joon's anxiety deepened as he observed the Black Wings sailors, who were brimming with energy compared to the Wicheong soldiers.
He recalled his father's drooping eyes, unable to hide his worry as he helped Joon prepare for the journey.
Ung had been sharpening Joon's sword, then casually said, "Be careful."
"Yes, Father," Joon had replied.
"Don't take it lightly," Ung had warned. "The Guardian's order is to capture them alive. There's no need to fight them to win."
Joon felt touched and saddened at the same time. "This is the first time I've seen you so worried about me," he remarked.
"How can I not be worried?" Ung had replied, returning to sharpening the sword in silence. Then, he stopped and said, "Even if you return empty-handed, you must finish the task you were given."
Joon didn't reply, and Ung looked at him. "Why that look on your face?" he asked.
"Can I do that without the Guardian's order?" Joon asked.
"He's impossible to persuade on this matter," Ung explained. "Do you want to stand by naively and let Wicheong be devastated again? It's a hundred times better to disobey the Guardian now than to regret it later."
Joon glanced at the sailors, whispering and chuckling amongst themselves on the deck. He would have to return to Wicheong Palace after drowning three-tenths of them in the sea. They seemed like mindless creatures. They probably hadn't given much thought to following Hwan or returning with Jang'gyeong Yoon. It wasn't easy to kill those who simply lived at the whim of others, just because they were a potential threat.
Despite his renowned martial prowess, Joon had never killed a man. It was said that taking a life changed one's existence irrevocably. Joon feared the unknown life that lay beyond a bloodstained blade. Hwan had no such fear. He was the same before and after he brought that first severed head to Wicheong Palace, horrifying everyone. Is Hwan's unrestrained cruelty his unassailable wing? During their training days, Joon could never surpass him. Even after he grew far taller than Hwan, he never once defeated him.
During sparring sessions, Hwan would wait, crouched low like a frightened leopard cat, maintaining distance. His eyes would glare from beneath raised brows, his arms and waist taut with tension. Yet, a faint smile played on his lips. Hwan would weave through the spear thrusts from Joon's long limbs like an acrobat, exploiting every opening. When he finally had Joon off-balance and on the ground, pinning him down with strength that seemed impossible for his small frame, Hwan would ask leisurely, "How long can you hold on?"
Joon would become even more determined, but in the end, Hwan's wooden sword would always reach its mark, touching Joon's neck, and Ung would raise his hand to separate them. Ung never scolded or expressed disappointment towards his son for losing to Hwan. There was only admiration for Hwan.
"Well done," he would say.
Joon yearned to hear that admiration, always directed at Hwan, from his own father. But he wasn't stronger than Hwan to satisfy his father, nor was he weaker than Seong to be protected by his father's hand. For Ung, the royal twins always came first. Even when his eldest sister died from the plague, Ung remained by their side.
Seong, perceptive even as a child, noticed the growing rift between the father and son, and always included Joon when he had to be with Ung. That's why Joon couldn't hate Seong for stealing his father away, and his frustration was solely directed at Hwan. Ung had said capturing Hwan was enough, but Joon wanted to defeat him.
Joon didn't go down to the cabin but slept on the deck. Three soldiers stood guard beside him. He woke frequently, his body uncomfortable, unable to recall the nightmares that had plagued his sleep. Meanwhile, dawn broke over the sea.
"Young Master, I see an island," a soldier's voice chased away Joon's lingering drowsiness.