Poor Dae Wong—carrying a drunk, babbling man on his back while fighting his tipsy brain and reeling gait. In all fairness, he was doing it as if he was just carrying a six-year-old toddler. He still had the energy to keep up with Sae Joo's speed and stories as they walked down the empty marketplace. Only the lanterns from the closed stalls and lamps from every corner were their guides from the harsh cold night.

"Lord Dae Wong, why didn't you just call some nangdos to carry him? We're just a few paces from our barracks," asked Sae Joo.

"They're tired, Your Highness. Besides, they're not even included with our little celebration. It's power abuse," chortled Dae Wong.

"I mean, look at you—you're just as unstable as him. I'm worried about you. It's not like we are ordering them; it's asking them a friendly favor, which doesn't hurt."

"Alright, Prince. You win," surrendered Dae Wong; his mind was not in the right frame to argue like he used to do every council meeting.

Sae Joo turned to the minister and asked, curious about one thing, "Why are you so nice to Shun?"

Dae Wong paused; the alcohol shot from his liver up to his mouth in an off-guard question, "What do you mean, Your Highness?"

"You treat him quite differently from the others like you have some special relationship."

"He's your best friend, Your Highness. Besides, I've grown close to him not only because he was a good warrior but also a good person."

"I couldn't agree more. He's one of the people that I trust so dear. Guess I have to thank Jin Ri for abandoning me in that forest. If it was not for her, I wouldn't have met Shun."

The two continued walking, "Speaking of Jin Ri, Your Highness—what's your plan?"

"I don't know, Lord Dae Wong. I'm actually anxious right now. I don't know how I would feel the moment the results of the council deliberation came out tomorrow."

"Just be prepared, Prince. The King has already approved your marriage. We are only looking for the right candidate as your bride."

Sae Joo's steps became heavier as smoky cold air escaped from his dry lips. The selection of his bride troubled him more than the marriage per se. He had a strong gut feeling that it would be Jin Ri, his blood cousin. Horrible, dreadful, terrifying! Just an association with their dirty bloodline scythed Sae Joo's flesh, down to his bones. What more if he was married to their family? He would certainly die—physically, emotionally, or both.

A few more unnoticed paces passed, and they had reached the Yellow Tigers barracks. Thank Heavens, Hwarangdo Jun Pyeong was still outside, practicing his swordsmanship skills with the wooden cross poles. Sae Joo called him, and the hwarangdo opened the gates for them.

"Jun Pyeong-rang, Shun will sleep here tonight."

"Your Highness, have you lifted his suspension already?"

Even though he already had a firm decision about Shun's future as a hwarang, the Prince just pretended like he was still pondering about it. The effort and impeccable skills that Shun had demonstrated during that hell week of fighting off the illegal miners impressed him. He gained more respect for his best friend, not just for being a good follower but for being an exemplary young warrior.

"Not yet. I will announce it to your clan formally if I have.

The hwarangdo bowed and called two of his subordinates. "As you say, Your Highness." the nangdos unclamped Shun from the minister's back, and they carried him inside (they were not carrying a human but a frozen rock—bet even the pealing sound of temple bells would not wake him up).

Sae Joo and Dae Wong left the barracks to go back to the palace. Dried yellow leaves from tall trees flew and swept into the thin cold air, not knowing their destination. Were they going back to the ground and be recycled to another life or would they just travel into the wind and sing alongside the autumn birds for eternity without having a real purpose?

Finally, the gates of the palace seemed to have resurfaced from their sights as they walked. A sudden punch of the deceitful body pain electrocuted their nerves, sucking off their energies. Why was it that you would not feel tired when you were traveling but the moment home comes to view, all the pain in the world would just jab you in the face like you were in a boxing match? Dirty little mind tricks, huh?

"Goodnight, Lord Dae Wong."

"Have a pleasant night, Your Highness."

The Prince strolled to his chambers, excited to wallow in his bed. He entered his private sanctuary and was surprised to see his father, sitting patiently and seriously at his visiting table. Jae Joong's rock hard stare made him gulp his bitter bile-mixed saliva.

"O-oh-oh, Your Majesty, good evening! I didn't know you were here," he grinned but deep inside his bladder wanted to explode a volume of suppressed urine.

"What time is it?"

"I—I don't know, Sire. Just late-night, I guess? So, uh, what makes you visit? You miss me, right?" he joked, swaying in front of the King. The King!

"What? Late? Of course, it's late. What are you a commoner? Sae Joo, not because I'm being quite lenient means you can do whatever you please. Know your limitations! That's not how a future husband should behave."

"I'm sorry, Father." he lowered his head into a bow, his lips bent downwards.

"Go to sleep. We have to be early tomorrow."

Sae Joo plodded to his bed; he suddenly realized that his father had no intention of leaving. "Uh, are you going to make sure that I will really sleep, father?" he cast an embarrassing monkey smile.

"Just go to bed. I'm sleeping here."

"What? Why?" the Prince removed his cloak and sat on his bed.

"Jung Min is sick. He collapsed in my chambers a while ago. He'll rest there for the meantime."

"I didn't know that they have arrived. I mean, the Prime Minister has missed his duty as the master of ceremonies for the Hangawi. No letters, no messages of whatever... But, err, how is Jung Min-hyung?"

"He's now fine. He was just exhausted. It's like traveling to a completely different world. Poor Jung Min."

"Sire, do you think it would be nice if Jung Min-hyung was my brother? Or maybe if I really had a brother. I wonder how it feels."

Jae Joong chewed his lips while hiding his stunned face from his son. Sae Joo really had this habit of asking random questions out of the blue. It could either make them laugh or shocked. Obviously, it was the second option—after only twenty-three years of existing, the Prince verbally expressed his thoughts about having a brother.

The King breathed heavily and turned around, "Sae Joo, what did I tell you? Go to sleep! Heavens, I feel like I'm still talking to a child. A big, big, child!"

Sae Joo frowned, pouted his lips, and banged his body to the bed—without changing into his night robe. Jae Joong then ordered the ladies-in-waiting to turn the lights off.

~~•~~

The rise of the morning star had only drained Sae Joo's blood as he was grumpily preparing for the council meeting. Not a single streak of excitement fueled up his veins of dry desert. With a face as pale as ghoul and eyes dangling with black circles like a panda, he could not consider himself as a human, but only a levitating soul in an elegant green durumagi robe. His father had left early, leaving his visitor table empty.

He dawdled down the courtyard depressed; the sun's rays failed to brighten up his face. When he entered the council room, all members seemed to have waited for his arrival. A eunuch announced his presence, and he scanned the room, looking for someone. Jung Min was missing.

The King beckoned him to sit beside him while the nine council members prepare their voting seals in their round table. Jung Ho stood and bowed before Jae Joong to formally commence the meeting.

"Our dearest King and Prince, the council shall start deliberating the rightful bride for our Prince." he sat and stated his concern. "Three weeks ago, while Lady Seol Ji and I were praying in the shrine, she came up to me and said that the upcoming Hangawi festival would not be as festive as before. By that, she meant a nefarious premonition. The second and the fourth star in the Taeyanggye lined up—the union of a male and female royals."

He surveyed the faces of the council (various emotions) and continued, "It happened in the upcoming harvest festival, so it means there should be a marriage between a young male and female royals. The only male royal that we have in the palace is Prince Sae Joo. Now, the main agenda of this meeting is for us to discuss the most fortunate Jingol of all, who would rise to society as a Seonggol. This table is now accepting suggestions."

An old council member snickered; the very essence of the whole meeting made him laugh his toes out, "Should we really vote for this? We have a law about this. In case there is no available female Seonggol to be the Crown Prince's wife, the highest-ranking female Jingol would be his automatic wife. Let's just proclaim the Prime Minister's lovable daughter, Lady Jin Ri.

Upon hearing the supportive statement of one of his loyal minions, Jung Ho smiled and gazed at everyone with his lips raised up in a crocodile smile. "Oh, yes. Jin Ri is actually a very suitable candidate."

Dae Wong immediately butted in, sick of their disgusting lies, "Yes, you are right, Minister Kyunmyeong, but we can only finally decide on Lady Jin Ri if and only if she was never involved in any scandalous affairs, especially if it was connected with our dearest Prince," his eyes clashed with Jung Ho in a fiery mockery.

The Prime Minister lifted his brow and rebutted calmly, "Minister Dae Wong, the issue that you are pertaining was never proven accordingly. Remember—the real culprit confessed. My daughter had nothing to do with the Prince's abduction case."

"I didn't say she had. What I was saying is that she's the one who started it all. If it wasn't for her, the Prince wouldn't be able to leave the palace premises, and those bandits wouldn't have abducted him."

The rest of the council nodded in agreement with Dae Wong's point, which trembled the Prime Minister's fingers hidden under his cloak. They might not have discovered Jung Ho's real involvement with the bandits, but it was for certain that Jin Ri had orchestrated Sae Joo's escape, which threatened the noblewoman's chance of being selected as the Crown Prince's bride.

"So, if not Lady Jin Ri? Do you have anyone in mind? A woman with a decent bloodline and someone who has known our Prince for a long time? We all know that Prince Sae Joo doesn't mingle with a lot of women. Do you know someone whom we could trust to handle his personality? Speak up."

Yoo Min suggested, barely making a movement from his chair, "How about the daughter of our first rank Pungwolju, Lady Yura? She's a second line Jingol, educated, and helps children in their province."

"His father is indeed an honorable man but Lady Yura is not what you think she is. She lives independently in her house in Jeonju Province, but we have found out that the house was not declared accordingly to the local government registry. It was named under a man named Jung Song Kyu, his secret lover. We have a file here from the Treasury Department of Jeonju as evidence."

Jung Ho presented the ledger to the council. The legit one. This Lady Yura was indeed involved in a property evasion case. Though it had been resolved a year ago, still, her reputation and candidacy as the future bride of the Prince have been tarnished. She was canceled! For the last two weeks that Jung Ho was gone, he made sure that all eligible candidates' dirt and issues would be revealed. Thanks to his tentacles who researched discreetly. They hunted for shreds of information in every community of every single noblewoman despite of rank. No exceptions! No room for leniency. 

The nomination continued, and it seemed like all noble young women in the palace had major issues in the past. Majority of them were financially related. Gold-digging, conniving tramps! Where could they even find a pure, dirt-free, noblewoman? Good luck if there was. Summing it all up, Jin Ri was still on the leading spot—her bloodline and her relatively clean record.

"Are there any nominations?" asked Jung Ho, confident about the result.

No one raised their hands. They all lost. Suddenly, Sae Joo stood and spoke up, grasping the attention of the council in front of him. "Enough. I've made my decision. You can all stop now. I'm going to marry Lady Jin Ri."

He finally accepted his fate. His tired spirit had already collapsed the moment his father opened up the arranged marriage. The deafening nomination process did nothing but fuel up his despair, like slapping him in the face, "Go Prince. You shall marry her, you should do this and that or else—or else—How mind-tearing! Being a slave by the Heavens, who was he to contend? Long as his heart was beating, he should do anything to please the Gods—to be grateful to the Almighty deities who still let him live despite his horrible prophecy. If he was to marry someone, he realized that it must be someone whom he has known for a long time—someone naked down to her innermost color—someone he could calibrate and read. Jin Ri was the only woman that fell on those conditions. He must marry, not to thrive as the next king with a queen, but mainly to survive and save the kingdom from the wrath of the Heavens.

"You heard me. Lady Jin Ri would be my wife." his pale thin lips and worn-out eyes told them all. He bowed his end and exited the council room.

The Prime Minister hid his victorious smile and focused on concluding the council meeting. He stood and formally announced a verdict. "Well, the Prince has spoken. There's no need for nominations, no need to cast votes." he turned around to Jae Joong, finalizing the whole council's judgment. "Your Majesty, the council has already decided. Lady Jin Ri will be Prince Sae Joo's wife."

He picked up the gavel and hammered the sound block once again. As Jung Ho returned to his seat, Dae Wong straightened on his chair, giving him a malevolent, icy stare. Right. Push it, Jung Ho. Let's see how long you can make it. 

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