Chapter 6: The Turn

"Your majesty!" I hear from outside, waking me up from my peaceful rest. It must still be really early considering the fact that the sun hasn't even risen yet. I turn my head to the side and check on Grace who's wrapped up in her blankets, looking like a caterpillar in a cocoon, one eye open.

"What the hell?" She groans as she raises the blankets to cover her whole head.

"I'll go check," I insist as I lazily slide my feet into my slippers and grab my robe. I peek outside the door and see nobody there. Shutting it behind me, I make my way to his majesty's room where I find the Hwarang teacher Mr. Wi standing at the end of the king's bed. The young master stumbles out of it, and I realize I've come just in time.

"What's going on?" I ask. They both turn to me.

"We've captured the two guards who helped the culprit kidnap Princess Sookmyung!" explains Mr. Wi.

"So, she was kidnapped?" I ask in shock.

"Jade, help me get dressed. Quickly," orders the king. I obey and grab his royal blue robe along with the golden belt, head ornaments; everything necessary.

"I will be outside, sire. Lady Jade, please be quick." I nod, and Mr. Wi steps out.

I lay down all the king's clothing on the long couch and pick up the first layer. When I turn back around, his majesty stands shirtless, watching me. Doing my best to keep myself  together, I quickly begin to prepare him. He stands in silence and lets me do my job.

"You should go now," I insist once I've set his golden crown in place. As I reach my arm to grab his nightwear, he grabs my wrist and then fine-tunes his hand so he's supporting mine from below. He gently rubs his thumb across my knuckles, sending chills down my spine. Then it hits me.

"It was you," I say in a near-whisper. "The one at the market. That's why you were so interested in my new ring."

He smiles. "I, um, have to go but can I see you later?" he asks softly.

"Of course, your majesty."

He plants a soft kiss on the back of my hand then goes off to the interrogation room. I bring my head back down to Earth so I can finish cleaning up his nightwear and bed. Then I go back to my room where I find Grace sat at her mirror, doing her makeup.

"So, what's going on?" She asks as she applies mascara.

"They've captured the guards who apparently helped the culprit kidnap the princess. This is big."

She halts her hands. "Damn, I wonder how they figured it out."

"I don't know, but hopefully they find whoever those rascals are working for as well as the princess. I hope she's safe..."

Thirty minutes later, Grace and I are having breakfast when his majesty and Pao walk in. We both jump up to bow down to him.

"They were two trusted guards of mine," the king sighs. Poor thing, he must feel so betrayed and confused.

"Is there anything we can get you, your highness?" Asks Grace.

"Jade, you need to come with me now." He orders. "We're going to go talk to the Hwarangs and tell them what we found out through talking to the shop owners at the marketplace. Since the guards can't be trusted, the boys are the only ones I can depend on now."

"Yes, your majesty," I respond. "I'll see you later, Grace," I greet her.

"Wait! At least finish your Earl Grey," she insists. I smile and gulp down the last of my usual a.m. tea.

She gives me a weak smile but I can tell that she's not enjoying being left out lately. As soon as I get up, I feel slightly dizzy and grab hold of the table before I could collapse.

"Jade! Are you okay?" asks Grace.

"Fine. Maybe I'm coming down with something."

"Well, take it easy."

"I will. I'll see you later, Grace."

I step outside to where the king awaits patiently. "Your majesty," I call on him as I urge closer. "Why don't you ever ask Grace to join us? She has the same job that I do."

"I hired you two so I can choose one of you eventually. And I've already made my decision," he explains as he hurriedly leads the way to the courtyard. What does he mean by "choose one"?  He doesn't plan on... No. There's no way he would do that. He wouldn't fire her eventually, would he?

When we reach the Hwarang men who practice fighting in their usual spot,  Suho notices us and jogs over. "Jinheung, have you come to fight with me?" He teases.

"Not today, Suho," he replies with a smile. "I need to talk to you and the others about a crucial matter. It's about my sister." Suho's smile turns serious and he nods. Then he jogs back to notify the boys.

Once they're all gathered together, his majesty starts explaining his plan. "An hour from now, we're splitting up in three's to begin a thorough search for my sister. The guards can no longer be trusted, which means you guys are all I've got now." The boys nod in agreement. "This morning, I interrogated the two guards who've been helping the culprit. They say they had 'no choice but to follow orders,' which means it's someone who works in the palace. Now, go get ready. And make sure all newbies stick with the old ones. I'm going to go speak with the guards again and try to get a name out of their mouths."

"Old ones?" Sun Woo clarifies, offended.

"You know what I mean," the king responds.

The boys all scatter back to their rooms to prepare for the big search.

"What can I do, your majesty?" I ask.

He turns around to face me and lays his hands on my shoulders. "You go back inside where I know you're safe."

"But I should look around too. I can't just stay here and do nothing."

"It's too dangerous."

"You're worried about my safety, sire?" I smile.

He smiles back. "Yes. Stay in the palace where I know you're safe. I need to get to the interrogation room with Pao now." He holds my face and plants a gentle kiss on my forehead before he goes off to take care of business.

"Lady Jade," calls Court Lady A-Ro.

I turn around and smile at her. "Court Lady, is everything alright?"

"Well," she begins as she inches closer. Then she tones her voice down to a whisper. "I just overheard Lady Grace and Marquess Bae speaking in his room- I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I was just passing by and overheard..."

"Well, what did you overhear?"

"I- You probably won't believe this, but I heard Marquess Bae saying to Lady Grace, 'did you do it?' And Lady Grace said, 'Yes, father. Everything is going as planned so far.'"

There's a silence.

"Court lady, I'm sure it has something to do with... Well..." I burst into laughter as what the court lady is clearly suggesting is the most ridiculous thing I've ever contemplated - or even considered. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"I hate to cross the line, my lady, but it's to ensure your safety. You know Lady Grace and her father are after the throne as you and your father are. I am only asking you to be careful, Miss. 'It' could mean, well, poison, for one! "It" could mean anything dangerous!"

"Fine. I will be careful. But Lady Grace is my best friend and I trust her with my life. What's more important is to make sure the taster is with the king at all times. I haven't seen her around lately, and with the culprit still on the loose it's not safe for his majesty to be drinking freely without a taster."

"Well, actually, miss, the taster swallowed poison and collapsed several days ago when tasting his majesty's breakfast."

"What? He didn't tell me that." 

"I'm sorry you were not informed, Miss." A-Ro apologizes.

"This is bad. It could be the culprit. We need to catch them before someone gets killed. Do the Hwarang know about this?"

"No, Miss. You are the first to know aside from the maids."

"Okay, well, keep-" The same dizziness I felt this morning returns.

"Are you alright, Lady Jade?" A-Ro reaches out her arms, ready to catch me.

"I'm fine. You and your maids have to keep this incident to yourselves until we find out who's doing this."

"Yes, Miss."

And hire a new taster before the king's dinner tonight."

"Yes, Miss." A-Ro bows down to me and steps out. I stumble my way back to my room to rest. Gosh, I must be tired or something.