Yes, ik I'm late.....I promised to update at 12am KST but it's 12 am IST now lmao....anyways whatever...at least it's still Jin day.
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"YOUR MAJESTY, THIS IS A MURDER ATTEMPT! PRINCESS AHYOON SHOULD BE CAPTURED AT ONCE!" The dowager queen rose from her seat and said.

Princess Ahyoon was too shocked by all these, "T-this can't be-"

"Your highness, I can ensure that my wife is innocent." Seongjin came to her defense.

"I don't think so. The wine is specially made in Baekje, isn't it? Besides that, the wine was in your room. No one went to your room, isn't that so?" The dowager queen asked the princess.

"How do you know that no one went to her room, mother?" Taeheong asked.

"Well were you trying to take revenge on my husband because he put your bodyguard to death?" Yeong asked angrily.

"Stop it Yeong! I think someone is plotting against her just like someone did with me." Inhyeon glared at the dowager queen and said.

"ARE YOU-" The dowager queen was cut off.

"STOP! STOP EVERYONE." Ahyoon closed her ears with her hands and knelt before Namjun, who was listening carefully and observing the whole situation calmly this whole time. "Your Majesty, I've nothing to do with it. I don't know how all these happened."

"One day," Namjun said calmly.

"Huh?" Ahyoon and everyone else were confused.

Namjun picked some meat with his chopsticks and said, "You've one day to prove your innocence, princess Ahyoon. I do believe that you are not at fault here but the pieces of evidence till now say otherwise. So I'm giving you a day to gather more evidence to prove your innocence." He started eating casually.

"That will be enough!" Seongjin bowed at Namjun and smirked at the dowager queen, who furrowed her brows at Seongjin.

"Get up, Ahyoon. I promise that I'll prove your innocence." Seongjin pulled up Ahyoon by her hand. The dowager queen approached him and whispered.

"Are you suspecting me, son?" She asked.

"I'm suspecting everyone. Unless and until the truth comes out, everyone is a suspect." Seongjin replied.

"Huh? How could you suspect your mother? I've raised you!!!! What happened to you, son?" She cupped his face. "You were my perfect son...you..you always listened to me. After marriage, did the princess brainwash you?-"

Seongjin removed her hands from his face and said, "After marriage, I decided to finally speak up for the wrong things you have been doing for all those years. " Seongjin glared at her.

"But-"

"TAEHEONG COME WITH ME!"

"But Jin hyungnim, the food is delicious. Let me first finish my food-"

"YOU ARE COMING WITH ME RIGHT NOW!" Seongjin grabbed Taeheong's arm.

"Aish!!" Taeheong picked up his plate and followed Jin while eating.

....................................

Baekje

"Your suspicion is indeed right, your Majesty. If you connect the dots, then it indeed indicates that the dowager queen planned all these since the very beginning." Jeongguk clenched his jaw after listening to what all happened at the 'games of love'

"Yes I was quite shocked to see queen Inhyeon failing in all the games but now everything made sense when you told me what she did to you and Seyeon. But I'm just glad that you all were able to save Seyeon." Hoseong said rubbing his temples.

"Well I've not seen this dowager queen of yours but she must be cunning. She just killed two birds with one arrow." Yunki smirked.

"What are you saying, Yunki hyungnim?" Jeemin asked.

"First she sent prince Jeongguk away and then used that opportunity to defeat both his lover and his sister," Yunki said. "But fortunately one bird is fit and fine. " Yunki gestured at Seyeon.

"Both of them are, your majesty," Jeongguk smirked.

"How?" Seyeon asked

"I know my sister well. She will reply to her back and get back what belongs to her. So I'm not worried about her." Jeongguk said.

"But I'm worried about my sister." Hoseong sighed. "Before coming back here, she told me that the dowager queen wanted me to attack king Namjun because she wants Seongjin on the throne," Hoseong added.

"Oh! So now she wants to use you to overthrow Namjun hyungnim. Haha....anyways, don't worry your Majesty. Seongjin hyungnim will protect her." Jeongguk assured and Hoseong nodded.

"Now if all this is over. Can we please talk about how to get my kingdom back?" Yunki asked with a poker face.

"I'm with you Yunki. I'll help you in every possible way to get you back on your throne." Hoseong smiled.

"And I promise that I'll convince Namjun hyungnim to help you too." Jeongguk smiled.

"Ok now that everything looks fine somewhat. Can I please take some rest? I'm tired" Jeemin pouted

"Yes sure. The servants will show you all to your rooms. Please make yourselves comfortable here and feel free to ask for anything you need." Hoseong said.

"Thank you for your kindness, your majesty." Everyone except Yunki bowed.

"Thank you, mate." Yunki smiled and Hoseong smiled back.

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Goguryeo

"So you kept the wine here?" Seongjin asked Ahyoon and she nodded in response while lighting up the candles in her room.

"Anyone else came to your room except me?" He asked.

"Umm...the dowager queen's maid came to inform me that the queen mother was willing to see me."

"Tell me in everything detail. I'll protect you no matter what."

"The maid informed me of the dowager queen's message and I left my room with the maid to-"

"So you left with her, right?"

"Yes"

"Ok. Then?"

"Then we went to the dowager queen's room where we had a very awkward tea ceremony along with queen Inhyeon."

"Yeong wasn't there?"

"No. She was not feeling well."

"Ok. Anything else? Anything weird you saw?"

"Ummm....oh yes!!! When I was returning to my room, I saw consort Yeong in the corridors. She was looking fine to me."

"So, when you went to the dowager queen's room, that time someone must have mixed poison in the wine. I think the dowager queen did this again because you refused to help her. I should have seen this coming-"

"HYUNGNIMMMMMMMMM....." Taeheong rushed inside the room.

"Why are you screaming, Taeheong?"

"Hyungnim, I got some interesting news to share with you." Taeheong smiled happily.

"What is it?" Seongjin raised a brow.

"Come in," Taeheong said and a pregnant lady came in

"T-TAEHEONG, IS IT WHAT I THINK IT IS?" Seongjin's eyes widened and so did Ahyoon's.

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Baekje

Seyeon was sharpening her sword in her room.

"Maid, bring me some fruits please," Seyeon said.

"Yes, my lady!" The maid said from outside her room.

After a few minutes, she heard a knock on her door.

"Woah! How did the maid manage to bring the fruits so fast? Or is it someone else? Who is there???"

No one replied but the knocking continued.

"I ASKED WHO ARE YOU?"

Still no reply.

Seyeon tiptoed in front of the door and tried to listen through the door but she couldn't hear anything. She smirked and opened the door.

"You can't fool me every time, Prince Jeon Jeongguk." She held her sword against his neck.

"Oh is that so?" He smirked at her and looked at the sword that was against his neck. He traveled his hand through Seyeon's neck and to her cheek, sending chills down her spine. Seyeon closed her eyes. Suddenly he pushed her against the wall, twisted her hand, and now her sword was against her neck.

"Huh?" It took a moment for Seyeon to realize what just happened.

Jeongguk closed the door with his leg and whispered while smirking, "Don't let your opponent distract you, darling."

"But you're not my opponent, my prince," Seyeon said looking deep into his eyes.

"Right!"

He threw the sword on the bed and crashed his lips on her.

Seyeon grabbed the back of his head and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss.

After a while they both pulled apart to catch their breath, smiling. That's when a pigeon flew into Seyeon's room.

"A pigeon messenger?"

The pigeon sat on Jeongguk's shoulder. Jeongguk grabbed it gently and looked at it, "It's my pigeon. No matter wherever I am. it always finds me."

"Oh! Your hyungnims must be missing you." Seyeon resumed sharpening her sword

Jeongguk untied the small letter from the pigeon's fragile leg and started to read it. As he was reading, his face turned pale. Seyeon noticed that and became worried.

"I'm coming in, lady Seyeon!" The maid came in but Seyeon was too worried about Jeongguk to notice her presence.

"Jeongguk, are you ok?"

"OH MY GOD! SEYEON!!! I'VE TO RETURN TO GOGURYEO AT ONCE!!!!" Jeongguk freaked out.

"What happened????" Seyeon got more worried.

"Seongjin hyungnim wrote that princess Ahyoon is accused of attempting to kill the king. They have only one day to prove her innocence. This is too much, Seyeon. I must return at once to help them."

"I will also go."

The couple was unaware of the fact that the maid behind them was shaking in fear as her face turned pale.

"No Seyeon. Things will become more complicated if I take you there. You are still a criminal in front of the king's eyes and I can't risk losing you again. I'll go there and find a way out to prove both your and princess Ahyoon's innocence. Believe in me ok?" He cupped her cheeks and said.

"I trust you with all my heart, Jeongguk." She smiled holding his hands.

Jeongguk nodded, "Oh, and one more thing, don't let king Hoseong know about all these. He might panic and take a wrong step." He added.

"Don't worry, Jeongguk. I'll take care of everything here."

Jeongguk patted on her head and left hurriedly but bumped into the maid and the fruit basket fell from her hand.

"I...I'm sorry, y-your highness." She gulped and bowed.

"No, it's not our fault. I was in a hurry." He said and left hurriedly.

The maid glanced at him and gulped. She picked up the fruits shakily.

"Are you ok?"

"AHHHH" the maid flinched and saw Seyeon standing in front of her. Seyeon crouched down and helped her pick up the fruits.

"Don't be afraid. Jeongguk is a nice person. The rumors about him are not true-"

"I should apologize to him, my lady!" She cried.

"Oh don't worry. He has forgiven you already!"

"No! Not for this but for something terrible I did to him!"

"What do you mean?" Seyeon stood up and raised a brow.

"I-I...I killed his mother."

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After a few hours in Goguryeo

"Prince Jeon Jeongguk is here." The servants announced.

"Ohhh at last he is here." Inhyeon looked happy.

"Ahhh finally." Namjun stood up from his seat to greet him.

The door slid open and Jeongguk entered the room.

"Welcome brother." Inhyeon greeted him with a warm smile. Jeongguk let out a sigh of relief seeing his sister with Namjun.

"Greetings to the king and queen!" Jeongguk greeted them.

"Welcome back brother! Is the dispute solved?" Namjun asked.

"Dispute?"

"You were out of the palace to solve a dispute, right?" Namjun raised a brow.

"That's what prince Seongjin mentioned," Inhyeon said because she understood what was going on.

"OHHHHHH yes yes..dispute! Yes, hyungnim. Everything is solved. Don't worry."

"Hmmm...I'm sure you've heard by now that Seyeon-"

Suddenly the door flung open and the dowager queen entered.

"I heard that Jeongguk is back-OH MY GOD JEONGGUK, MY DEAR SON!" The dowager queen came close to Jeongguk.

"My son, thank God you weren't here to witness that witch's death who somehow did magic on you and you fell in love with her."

Jeongguk had no expression on his face. The queen mother got confused by his reaction and continued.

"Here....here is the witch's dagger that she used to kill me but thank God she is gone now. We are all safe, isn't it Namjun?" She looked at Namjun who looked the other way not knowing how to respond.

"Brother-" Inhyeon was about to say something.

"Can I have the dagger?"

"Oh sure..." The queen mother handed Jeongguk the dagger.

He took it and tilted his head to glance at her neck.

"Oh...you're examing this wound? Yes, that which made it with this!"

"Right!" Jeongguk said while twirling the dagger in his hand but the next moment it was against the dowager queen's neck.

"Huh?" Inhyeon's eyes widened.

"Jeongguk what are you doing?" Namjun asked getting shocked.

"H-he has lost his mind. He needs to be put to death too-"

"Hahahahahahahahaahahahaha....." Jeongguk started laughing and everyone went silent.

"Brother?" Now Inhyeon looked confused too.

"Hyungnim, come here," Jeongguk said and Namjun came near him.

"Look here, I'm holding the dagger against her neck. Now if I cut, it'll be in a diagonal way, isn't it?"

"Right!"

"Then ask her, your majesty, why is her wound horizontal? In no way the attacker can make a wound there in a horizontal way!"

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Happy Jin day everyone.😊💜

My exams are still not over...and they'll continue till Christmas...so I'll update after Christmas or IF I get time, then I might update before that too.

(I don't own any of the pics and edits used in this chapter...CREDITS GO TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS)