'To Your Highness, from Sahpung.
Today, at midday, members of House Myeonghyeon arrived in Sahpung and informed us that you are alive and well in Hyangdo. Hearing this news has filled me with such overwhelming gratitude and relief that tears stream down my face. They promised to deliver this letter to you, so I write with a hopeful heart.
After the recent conflict, we managed to send scouts to Birahng and confirm your presence in Nahmgyo. However, time was short, and we were forced to face the summer without any means of aiding you. Not a day has passed without worry for your safety and well-being. Every night, I am consumed by regret and self-reproach for my failure to see through the rebels' deception, for leaving you alone in that treacherous place.
My brother hastily returned to Sahcheon before the monsoon season, vowing to send an urgent message to Sunyahng. We haven't received any news yet, but I'm certain he has prepared a plan and awaits the arrival of autumn. House Myeonghyeon offered a way to rescue you before the Dahnian forces launch their attack, claiming they cannot guarantee your safety once the fighting begins. Though I doubt their sincerity, their ulterior motives, I will consider their offer while awaiting further instructions from Sunyahng.
My heart aches for you, a longing that burns like a wildfire even in the ashes of my despair. Words cannot express the depth of my emotions. Please forgive the brevity of this letter; they urged me to be concise. On the day I hold you in my arms again, I vow to protect you with my life, never to let you go.
Until then, please remain safe and strong.'
Though Hyeok's letter overflowed with affection, brushed with an elegance that rivaled his paintings, Kyeong'ui's mind was preoccupied with the message from Sunyahng that would have reached Sahcheon and the identity of those who had secretly communicated with the island. Hyeok mentioned that members of House Myeonghyeon had delivered the news, but she didn't know whether it was Ryang or Seon, or if they were acting together. It could be another deception. If so, Hyeok, by readily agreeing to deliver the letter, might have made another mistake.
Her anxiety gave way to self-reproach. She was the reason Hyeok, the King's forces, Song'un Wu, and Seo'oh were in Birahng. She was the one who had sent them to Sahpung, then been captured, leaving them stranded and jeopardizing her father and the court. There was no one to blame but herself. Worrying about her situation as a hostage was pointless, a shameful indulgence.
She thought of Song'un Wu and Seo'oh, who would have spent the summer in Sahpung, and the Sphere she had entrusted to them. Hyeok's letter made no mention of the Sphere or any progress in their research. Having witnessed the powers of Cheon Seong and Yeong, Kyeong'ui no longer doubted the memorandum, and her desire for the Sphere grew stronger. She wanted to believe that Hyeok's omission was due to his concern about the letter being intercepted, but considering his lengthy outpouring of emotions, it was a difficult hope to maintain.
Confined to her small room, she couldn't find any answers. Waiting was nothing new; I have spent my entire life waiting, haven't I? As long as there was a chance to break free, she could endure any wait, however long. She yearned for control, but she had to accept her current helplessness, her dependence on others. Her realization wasn't one of confidence in her ability to become the storm, but a desperate need to seize any opportunity that came her way. But considering that the branch she had grasped had led her to this shabby house in Hyangdo, neither waiting nor acting seemed like a safe path.
At least she knew that Sunyahng was aware of her survival. But Sunyahng wasn't a place where a single letter could change the course of events. She had resigned herself to the fact that any plans made in Sunyahng wouldn't prioritize her rescue. And she couldn't have imagined that someone even further away was watching Birahng.
Half a month passed since the arrival of the letter. It was enough time for several round trips between Sunyahng and Birahng by sea, and Kyeong'ui suspected something was preventing their communication. Perhaps fueled by the hope the letter had ignited, the atmosphere in Hyangdo, visible beyond the fence, seemed even more restless than usual.
Knowing that any visitor would arrive under the cover of darkness, Kyeong'ui spent her nights awake and her days in restless slumber. On the fifteenth night of her sleepless vigil, she heard the faint creak of the door opening. She sat up, her back pressed against the wall. The footsteps that entered the room were slow and deliberate. A dark figure approached, and the door closed behind them. The figure lowered its hood, revealing Myeonghyeon Seon.
Seon bowed, her hands clasped together, her voice deceptively sweet.
"I finally managed to visit you, Your Highness," she said.
She straightened and continued casually, "Your journey has been longer than expected. I trust you've been comfortable?"
Unlike Ryang, who had dropped all pretense of respect since the day of her capture, Seon maintained a facade of deference. Though Kyeong'ui's initial fury had subsided, her eyes still burned with a murderous intensity.
"So it was you," she said. "You were the one communicating with Sahpung."
Seon's lips curved into a smile. "Who else would it be?"
Her smile was bright, as if she had never caused Kyeong'ui any harm. But Kyeong'ui needed answers, not loyalty or remorse. Seon's smile, rather than repulsive, was a welcome sight. She was someone Kyeong'ui could speak to, someone who might understand things Ryang wouldn't.
"I've wanted to visit you," Seon continued, "but there were too many eyes watching."
"Those eyes haven't disappeared," Kyeong'ui countered. "Why have you come here tonight, after contacting Sahpung? Are you, like your brother, desperate for your family's assets?"
Seon laughed. "I don't expect to recover them, and I don't particularly care about them. Even if we left them untouched, they would eventually be used to fund the war effort. We wouldn't see any of it."
"So it's your life you're concerned about," Kyeong'ui said with a sneer.
Seon, unfazed, said, "There's no point in hiding it. The situation is dire. The enemy will land in Birahng in seven days. Nahmgyo has already been persuaded to surrender. Hyangdo will likely fall within ten days."
Kyeong'ui scoffed. "My father wouldn't negotiate with rebels."
"I wasn't referring to Dahn," Seon corrected her. "I'm talking about Soyeol."
Kyeong'ui's face hardened, and Seon pressed her advantage.
"I'm sure you have many questions," she said. "Why Soyeol is suddenly attacking Birahng."
"You summoned them," Kyeong'ui accused.
"We may have inadvertently instigated it," Seon admitted.
Kyeong'ui glared at her. "What have you done?"
"We tried to borrow Soyeol's strength," Seon explained. "Someone else succeeded, however."
Kyeong'ui struggled to contain her growing frustration. Though it was a thought unbefitting a royal, she had always considered the royal family of Wi and the Celestial Scions as her own people. The royal family of Yeongshin had once been subjects of Wi, and the people of Dahn were once the people of Wi. There was no reason for them to hate and seek to destroy each other simply because times had changed. That was Kyeong'ui's naive, youthful belief. But the royal family of Wi and their handful of followers, desperate to reclaim their past glory, were willing to ally with Soyeol, a band of pirates, within Birahng.
"You dare involve Soyeol in your petty rebellion?" she spat at Seon. "And you call yourselves rightful rulers of Sunyahng?"
"Soyeol are followers of Sahngjon," Seon countered calmly. "Why wouldn't we seek their aid?"
"Do they know about Sahpung?" Kyeong'ui asked.
"I haven't told them," Seon admitted. "But they'll find out soon. Sunyahng will send orders."
"Orders from Sunyahng?" Kyeong'ui's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"You're aware of Sung's involvement in this rebellion, are you not?" Seon asked. "Or rather, their long-standing involvement in your life."
Kyeong'ui glared at her, demanding an explanation.
"Sung's plan is to lure Soyeol out of their territory and annihilate them," Seon explained. "And Dahn will have to participate. We initiated this rebellion with the promise of Sung's support. But their true intention was to use us as bait, then pressure Dahn to crush Soyeol with their navy. They get to achieve their goals without lifting a finger."
Seon's voice was laced with a chilling anger. Kyeong'ui realized that she, too, had only recently learned of Sung's betrayal. Her mind reeled from the implications. What have I gotten myself into? Have I misjudged the currents, or am I the one who has created this storm?
"Who leads this Soyeol horde?" she asked. "Is it Jongwon Soh of Ju?"
"Jongwon Soh is dead," Seon replied. "The leader is the Guardian's twin brother."
Kyeong'ui was surprised to learn of another surviving member of the royal family of Wi, her mind racing with questions about his hidden existence.
"His name is Cheon Hwan," Seon continued. "He's our cousin. He looks very much like my brother and me, so remember this. If you ever encounter someone who resembles us, run."
Kyeong'ui scoffed. "If I encounter him, he'll be the one running from my arrows."
"You'll be grateful for my warning when that time comes," Seon said, pitying her bravado.
Even though she remembered Kyeong'ui's arrows piercing her uncle's head and nearly killing Yeong, Seon feared Cheon Hwan more. Kyeong'ui realized that this fear was the reason Seon had come to her, seeking another path. If Seon feared Cheon Hwan more than the strange powers she had witnessed in Cheon Seong and the Guardian Crimson, then this newly revealed brother was a threat unlike any she had encountered before.
"Tell me," Kyeong'ui asked, "why did the brothers become enemies?"
"He wasn't chosen," Seon replied. "He left four years ago."
Her words, a dismissive summary of a lifetime of sibling rivalry, sounded like a petty squabble to Kyeong'ui. Yet, she felt a pang of sympathy for this brother she had never met.
"So he was cast out," she said.
Seon's next words, however, shattered her sympathy. "But it seems he was chosen by Sahngjon."