As they passed through the great gates of the palace, the Daesagan and his father, the elderly Counselor Yi, were escorted by royal attendants to the seats reserved for officials of their rank.
Their table stood directly opposite Lord Min's.
The Chancellor sat leisurely with a cup of rice wine in hand, taking slow, measured sips—the posture of a man utterly convinced that both the palace and the coming coup already belonged to him.
Counselor Yi lowered himself into his seat without betraying a single emotion.
He already knew the men in black had foiled Min's scheme.
But in court, victory celebrated too soon was often the first step toward execution.
So his expression remained stern.
Unreadable.
While the dancers of the Sandaenori performed their sacred rites beneath the glow of countless torches, another battle unfolded far beyond the palace walls.
Deep within the dark forest, silence shattered beneath the thunder of galloping horses.
The riders urged their mounts forward without restraint, racing toward the hidden pier.
There, Haneul and her momjong continued waiting in the darkness.
One of the guards suddenly sprinted toward the officer commanding the vessel.
"My lord! Torches ahead! They're approaching at full speed!"
The officer reacted instantly.
"My lady, inside. Both of you."
His tone left no room for argument.
"We must secure the perimeter before we know whether these are Lord Min's men."
Haneul and her servant disappeared into the cabin.
The waiting began.
Minutes stretched into an eternity.
Then—
Hooves slammed against the wooden pier.
A voice echoed across the water.
"The King needs medical attention immediately!"
Haneul instinctively stepped backward.
Her pulse quickened.
Outside, the same commanding voice rang out once more.
"Help me carry him carefully!"
"Move!"
The officer immediately bowed.
"Yes, General Bujang! At once!"
The title struck Haneul like lightning.
General Bujang.
She forgot every order she had been given.
Ignoring the officer's commands, she rushed back onto the deck.
And then she saw him.
Kang-dae.
Standing only a short distance away.
Alive.
For one impossible moment, the world stopped turning.
Joy flooded her heart so suddenly it almost stole her breath.
Yet her feet refused to move.
She could only stare.
Disbelief.
Relief.
Happiness.
Shock.
Every emotion collided inside her at once.
Her momjong, who had hurried after her, covered her mouth with trembling hands to keep herself from crying out.
The Bujang…
The man they had mourned…
Was alive.
The officer's voice cut through the silence.
"You two! Inside!"
"Prepare the chamber for His Majesty!"
Still, Haneul did not move.
Tears blurred her vision as she continued staring at the man she had believed dead.
Only then did Kang-dae look toward her.
His armor was stained with mud and blood.
His face bore the exhaustion of battle.
But his eyes…
His eyes revealed nothing.
No relief.
No joy.
No recognition.
Only the cold discipline of a commander in the middle of a military operation.
"Did you not hear the order?" he barked.
His voice was sharp enough to cut steel.
"We're transferring the King now."
"Everything must be ready."
"Move."
Haneul felt the words pierce her far more deeply than any blade ever could.
Her momjong grasped her shoulders gently.
"My lady…"
Her voice trembled.
"Please… we have to go."
Like someone walking through a dream, Haneul allowed herself to be led inside.
She could scarcely breathe.
She could not understand the way he had looked at her.
As though she were nothing more than another servant of the Crown.
As though they had never shared a single memory.
As though he had never known her at all.
Kang-dae entered moments later with Counselor Yi's trusted soldiers.
The improvised cabin quickly transformed into a royal sickroom.
The momjong immediately soaked clean cloths in water, carefully wiping the mud from the King's face after the desperate escape through the forest.
Nearby, Haneul hurriedly prepared an herbal infusion to stabilize the monarch's failing condition.
Her hands trembled as she measured each herb.
Not from fear.
But because Kang-dae stood only a few steps away.
Alive.
Close enough to touch.
Yet farther away than he had ever been.
Kang-dae never once allowed himself to falter.
One hand rested firmly upon the hilt of his sword.
His gaze moved constantly between the King, the soldiers, the entrance, and the women treating His Majesty.
Every movement was measured.
Every breath disciplined.
He kept a deliberate distance from Haneul, behaving as though her presence meant nothing.
As though the mission before him was the only thing that still mattered.
Outside, the current grew stronger.
The river struck the hull with increasing force as the vessel entered the deeper waters leading toward the northern mountains.
Inside the cramped cabin, the King fought desperately for his life.
And between Kang-dae and Haneul…
An invisible wall of ice rose higher with every passing heartbeat.
Neither of them was ready to be the first to break it.
Cliffhanger
Night settled over the river, swallowing the last traces of daylight.
Inside the cabin, silence replaced the clash of swords.
Only the King's strained breathing broke the stillness.
Haneul carefully lifted the bowl of medicine to His Majesty's lips, forcing her trembling hands to remain steady.
Yet no matter how hard she tried...
Her eyes betrayed her.
Again and again, they drifted toward Kang-dae.
He stood motionless beside the doorway.
Watching.
Guarding.
Never once looking at her again.
Not once.
It was as though she no longer existed.
The man she had mourned...
The man she had dreamed of seeing again...
Had returned.
And somehow...
His absence hurt less than his indifference.
Slowly, Haneul lowered her head.
A single tear escaped before she could stop it.
It disappeared into the sleeve of her robe.
Unnoticed by everyone.
Or so she believed.
Because across the cabin—
Kang-dae had seen it.
His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword until his knuckles turned white.
He wanted to walk toward her.
To ask if she was well.
To tell her he had survived.
To hear her voice speak his name just once.
Instead...
He remained exactly where he was.
A commander before a man.
Duty before love.
Outside, the river carried the vessel deeper into the mountains.
Far away, beneath the blazing lights of the Sandaenori, Jun-ho stood beside Counselor Yi, watching the dancers move across the palace courtyard.
His eyes never left the performance.
But his thoughts were somewhere else.
"By now..." he thought.
"She knows."
He closed his eyes for only a heartbeat.
Wondering whether, at that very moment...
Haneul was smiling because Kang-dae had returned.
Or crying because Jun-ho had lied to her.
He knew there would come a day when he would have to face her again.
He simply prayed...
That she would still be willing to look at him.
Neither of them knew it yet.
But before dawn broke over Joseon—
Their three lives would collide once more.
And after that...
None of them would ever be the same.