Seon entered Ryang's chamber. He was packing a large wooden chest with various items, carefully wrapped in paper, seemingly oblivious to her presence. Among the items yet to be packed, Seon noticed the crescent moon-shaped tiara that had adorned Princess Kyeong'ui's head.
"Are you planning to escape?" she asked.
"I'm burying these, just in case," Ryang replied without looking at her.
"Why not bury our sword as well?"
"I need to keep that with me."
Is he planning to commit suicide with the family heirloom if the city falls? Seon had many questions for him. What does he mean by "just in case"? Why is he only keeping the sword? When and why has he taken Kyeong'ui's tiara? But she couldn't bring herself to engage in a lengthy conversation with him now. She had been avoiding confrontation with him lately, and though Ryang noticed the change in her demeanor, he didn't pry.
Ryang finally met her gaze. "What is it?" he asked.
"The ships from Dong'gyeong have arrived," Seon replied.
"And why are you looking at me like that?"
"Those heathens refuse to unload the cargo," Seon reported.
"What about Baek Ryucheon?" Ryang demanded.
"He's the one who ordered them not to."
Seon led Ryang towards the harbor. Along the way, they saw Sungian sailors and soldiers with their elaborately braided hair, but the harbor itself was eerily quiet. The ships, their hulls sitting low in the water, were anchored with their sails furled. The commander of the fleet was nowhere to be seen.
They easily spotted Ryucheon among the few soldiers and sailors gathered on the docks. He was smoking his pipe, occasionally giving curt instructions to those who approached him, the smoke curling through the gaps in his veil.
Ryucheon greeted the Myeonghyeon siblings with a bright smile. "It seems Yeonyahng in Hyangdo will be enjoying a windfall today," he remarked.
"Why aren't you unloading the supplies?" Ryang demanded.
"I only allowed the sailors to disembark and rest," Ryucheon replied casually. "Both the men and the supplies will return to Dong'gyeong in three days."
"The Guardian is alive and well," Ryang argued.
"The journey from Nahmgyo to Hyangdo takes less than half a day by sea," Ryucheon countered. "I have to prepare for the worst. And right now, it's the most likely outcome. Those ships aren't carrying just supplies; there are weapons as well. I can't hand those over to Soyeolish seals, can I?"
"Can you handle the consequences of making such a decision on your own?" Ryang challenged.
"I make the decisions in Birahng, and I bear the responsibility," Ryucheon retorted. "The only consequence I cannot bear is inaction. Speaking of consequences... it's rare for a man to cheat death twice, wouldn't you agree? And I'm not looking to test that luck."
He glanced at Ryang. Ryang, seeing no point in arguing, turned to leave. He would report the situation to Seong. Though things were looking grim, Ryang seemed determined to fight, though whether for survival or a glorious death, Ryucheon couldn't tell.
"That man has no fear, even after staring death in the face," he mused.
Judging by Ryang's behavior, it seemed Seon hadn't revealed Sung's true intentions to him. Ryucheon sent a small boat towards Sunyahng before the ships reached Hyangdo, carrying a message about Hwan's impending arrival. He had already informed Dong'gyeong, but he wasn't sure if Sunyahng was aware of the threat. If their plans were even slightly misaligned, everything could fall apart. Though he appeared calm, Ryucheon was acutely aware of the danger. He didn't care about Ryang's resentment or the conflict between the siblings.
"I've set a deadline," he said to Seon, who remained on the docks. "Persuade your brother before then, or I can only guarantee your safety."
Seon's sigh echoed through the harbor, mingling with the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.
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Many of the houses in Hyangdo resembled those in Sunyahng. They had been built by settlers who, unfamiliar with island life, had constructed their dwellings as they would have on the mainland. However, after enduring a summer or two, some had returned to the mainland. Those who remained had observed the houses in Nahmgyo, Dongrahng, and Seorahng, adapting their own homes accordingly. The summers in Birahng taught them adaptation.
Even in Sunyahng, summer was a season Kyeong'ui simply endured. To suffer through the harsher summers of Birahng as a captive was agonizing. After settling into their own quarters, House Myeonghyeon requisitioned a nearby house for Kyeong'ui, who had been temporarily staying at the guesthouse. Though they had chosen a house similar to those she was accustomed to in Sunyahng, it was no different from a prison. Guards surrounded the low fence, and whenever she tried to open a window to alleviate the stifling heat, the townspeople would gather, peering inside. The air within grew thick and humid, like a furnace day and night.
Ryang, wary of Kyeong'ui's sharp tongue, tried to prevent Seong from visiting her, but Seong insisted on checking on her every five to seven days. He wanted to ensure that Ryang and Seon wouldn't be subjected to further scrutiny, and he also felt a sense of duty to treat her with the respect due to a royal. Kyeong'ui, however, never showed any sign of weakness during his visits. Then, a month after their arrival in Hyangdo, she collapsed.
A woman who had brought her dinner found her unconscious. It was unclear how long she had been lying there. She remained unresponsive even when Seong and Ryang rushed to her side. Ryang, trusting Ryucheon's medical skills more than any physician in Birahng, reluctantly asked for his help. Ryucheon briefly examined her and declared that she was suffering from heatstroke. Ryang, whose world had been limited to Birahng, couldn't comprehend how a robust royal could collapse from the summer heat within a house. But Ryucheon's words were ominous, suggesting that she might have died had she been found any later.
Ryucheon abruptly pulled open Kyeong'ui's clothes, exposing her arms and legs. Her garments were soaked with sweat, her skin clammy.
"Sir Baek," Ryang protested, "she is a royal."
"And I am a physician, of sorts," Ryucheon replied dismissively. "If you have objections, find another one. Or leave if the sight offends you."
He proceeded to place cold, wet towels on her limbs and forehead, then began inserting needles. Ryang briefly regretted not having Seon attend to her instead, but he couldn't fully trust his sister. As Ryucheon lifted the towel covering Kyeong'ui's stomach, Ryang shifted in his seat, considering leaving.
"It's ironic," Ryucheon remarked casually, "trying to save someone destined to die soon."
Though his voice was low and Kyeong'ui's eyes were closed, Ryang worried that she might have heard him. Ryucheon, with his veiled threats and subtle barbs, was a dangerous presence. Ryang remained, watching him intently. He tensed every time Ryucheon touched Kyeong'ui's wrist or neck, his eyes following every needle. He remembered her strong hands pulling back the bowstring, but now, in Ryucheon's grasp, her wrist was limp and lifeless.
Following the incident, Seong instructed House Myeonghyeon to take better care of Kyeong'ui. Though neither Ryang nor Seon visited her personally, they relocated her to a Birahng-style house from one similar to her residence in Sunyahng and sent her ice water several times a day, a rare luxury even in Sunyahng during the summer. Kyeong'ui, though she couldn't express it, was relieved. The ice was easily made with Yeong's powers, though she was unaware of this. The Birahng-style house had a higher foundation, a wider open hall with an unobstructed back, and a roof with deep eaves that provided ample shade. House Myeonghyeon sent hemp cloths to cover the hall, ensuring Kyeong'ui wouldn't be forced to confine herself to the hot, stuffy room to avoid prying eyes.
Meanwhile, Ryang sent Kyeong'ui a book every time he finished one, often including those he had read multiple times. Their conversations, devoid of personal interaction, consisted solely of these exchanged books. He sent them so frequently that Kyeong'ui wondered if he spent his days reading, avoiding work in the sweltering heat. Most were books she had already read, but she had nothing else to do besides read and brood. And brooding brought back the phantom scent of blood on her hands, a torment she couldn't bear.
Kyeong'ui sought distraction in the pages, trying to decipher Ryang's thoughts. Though she considered him a traitor, his thoughts, as revealed in the books, were no different from the Ryang she had known as the owner of Yeonyahng. She had only read the Azure Scripture in secret back in Yeonghwi Palace, but the numerous commentaries on Wi texts that Ryang sent were filled with attempts to reconcile the Azure Scripture with the light of Reason and Intellect. The authors were the same scholars she had dismissed as heretics at the Sanctuary of Intellect. Their efforts, she realized, were desperate attempts to rekindle the extinguished flame of Wi. Ryang, confined to a small island, seeking truth in books, loyal to a fallen dynasty, was no different.
'Truth cannot contradict truth.'
Perhaps Ryang had more sincerity than deception.
At times, her identity as the King of Dahn's daughter felt distant. In those moments, she would take out the jade orb, the only possession she was allowed to keep, and trace its smooth surface. The orb was a tangible reminder of her past, but her life in the highest echelons of the royal court felt like a distant dream. If she couldn't survive Birahng, those memories would remain a dream, and her current reality, dressed in common clothes, drenched in sweat, would be her last. Even if she did survive, returning to Sunyahng as a defeated prisoner would only mean another kind of death awaited her.
Clutching the orb, dressed in coarse clothes, Kyeong'ui carved her ambition into her heart. She would become king. The desire, once so clear, now wavered in the humid summer air. A life dictated by others was unacceptable, both in Sunyahng and in Birahng. She believed the key to her survival lay with House Myeonghyeon, but as if reading her thoughts, neither Ryang nor Seon visited her throughout the summer. She only vaguely remembered Ryang's voice by her bedside when she had collapsed.
Autumn arrived with a change in the morning air. A few days after the cool breeze began to blow, Kyeong'ui woke to find a sealed letter by her bedside. Her heart pounded as she listened for any approaching footsteps, then carefully opened the letter.
It was from Gahngyun Hyeok.