Seven

They ventured into the forest shortly after dusk. The only source of lights came from the waning gibbous moon and the sparkling stars above, somewhat illuminating their path in the darkness.

"The night sky is more beautiful at the palace," Eunuch Hong mumbled to Kang Eun Soo. "You can definitely see the moon and stars better."

Focusing on the path before him, Kang Eun Soo remained silent. Although there was a small lantern that hung at the front of the carriage, the viewing range before them still wasn't too great.

"We could've stayed in that hut another day," said Eunuch Hong, breaking the silence once again.

"The world is asleep at this hour," replied Kang Eun Soo. "His Majesty is wise for traveling at this time as there are less distractions."

Eunuch Hong made a face and shifted his focus back to the road. Earlier, Hwi had allowed him to sleep the entire day so he could accompany Kang Eun Soo throughout the night. Despite the two of them leading the way, Eunuch Hong felt as though he was by himself at times because of Kang Eun Soo's introverted personality.

"It's so dark," he groaned.

Inside the carriage, Noh Ha Kyung stared at Hwi as he slept, head tilted back against the carriage walls and arms folded. It reminded her of the time when he fell asleep under a tree in the palace. He looked peaceful although she knew there was a lot on his mind.

After leaving the palace, Noh Ha Kyung never expected to ever see Hwi again. Although the feelings she had for Hwi remained the same, she also felt strange at times ever since he had revealed his true identity to her. She'd become so smitten for Lee Hwi and Lee Hwi only that it was difficult, or rather, impossible to detach those romantic feelings from him, or her.

Despite the strange feeling, her heart still fluttered when they made eye contact. The more she stared at him, the more she felt... he was the right person for her. She was proud of him, proud that he chose to embrace Lee Hwi.

"So brave," she whispered, admiring his good looks.

She still found him as handsome as ever. As she leaned in to kiss him, she paused and ultimately decided against it as she was unsure of how he felt about the last kiss she had stolen. Not only was he speechless, he seemed rather normal about it. She wanted to know, did his heart flutter, too? Afraid to ask him, she allowed him to walk away without saying another word.

Soon, the tall trees no longer obstructed the view of the moon and stars, much to Eunuch Hong's content.

"Finally," he said, looking up at the brilliant night sky. "That's more like it."

He glanced at Kang Eun Soo, who rode as still as a statue.

"You can't tell me nature's beauty doesn't impress you," he said to the royal guard.

"My duty is to serve His Majesty only," the guy replied. "And right now, my goal is to get him to the next destination safe and sound."

"You don't have to be so serious all the time," Eunuch Hong made a face.

"I witnessed my father's execution at a young age," Kang Eun Soo began. "Perhaps that drained away all of my emotions."

"Now is the time to heal," Eunuch Hong replied. "Because you're not alone anymore."

Hwi woke from his sleep a little after dawn to find Noh Ha Kyung on his shoulder. He glanced at Yu Gong, who was still asleep while Taeyeon was coo-ing away in the little wooden bassinet they placed him in. After carefully moving Noh Ha Kyung to the side, he scooped the infant up and looked out the window. Kang Eun Soo was nowhere in sight. The loud snoring, Hwi assumed, must be from Eunuch Hong in front of the carriage.

With the baby in his left arm, Hwi used his right arm to push open the right side of the carriage door. Eunuch Hong woke with a start and jumped up at once.

"My lord! You startled me!"

Hwi jumped off from the carriage and glanced at the Taeyeon, who was staring at him without blinking.

"I was gonna ask you where Kang Eun Soo is but I don't think you happen to know," said Hwi, gently patting the baby's back.

"I'm here, my lord."

Kang Eun Soo returned with meat buns and water for everyone.

"This small town is not one of our destinations," he told Hwi. "The trading port marked on the map is just over this mountain so we should continue our journey after breakfast, and expect to arrive by noon."

Hwi nodded and looked down at Taeyeon's face.

"Not sure what to do, huh?" Eunuch Hong teased, taking a bite of his bun.

This was the first time Hwi actually held a baby, and honestly, he always thought it would be his own baby that he'd hold first. He didn't want to leave Taeyeon in the carriage so picking him up seemed like the most logical option.

"My lord."

Noh Ha Kyung and Yu Gong emerged from the carriage and joined them outside.

"There's a town up ahead," Yu Gong pointed in the direction of the hustle and bustle in the distance.

"We won't be entering," Hwi told her, retrieving his hat from the back of his horse.

"But Taeyeon needs some rice soup," said Noh Ha Kyung.

"Bok Dong, you and Yu Gong can go into town and buy some," said Hwi.

He handed the baby to Noh Ha Kyung and was immediately struck with second thoughts about traveling with an infant. There was this sudden rush of fear.

"Is everything alright, my lord?"

It didn't take long for Kang Eun Soo to see right through Hwi, who walked away from the carriage to think.

"We don't know what we will be facing on this journey," said Hwi, hands crossed behind his back as he stared into the mountains ahead. "The more I think about it the more I feel we have to plan as carefully as possible about Taeyeon being the heir."

"It'll be tough to persuade the court officials," said Kang Eun Soo. "We just have to decide, do we really want to keep another secret?"

Hwi scoffed.

"Apparently secrets run in this family," he replied. "I just want to reverse my grandfathers' doing."

"You say that's your grandfathers' doing," said Kang Eun Soo. "Why do you feel that you are the one to make up for their sins?"

Hwi let out a heavy sigh and attempted the simplest explanation.

"Technically, my grand uncle was supposed to be king," Hwi replied. "My grandfather stole that from him so if anything, Prince Wonsan's descendant should be the rightful heir."

"Even if that's the case, that's decades from now," said Kang Eun Soo.

"Which is why I have to plan carefully because...

Hwi briefly paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

"... because if anything happens to Noh Ha Kyung and Taeyeon, I don't think I can forgive myself," Hwi admitted. "She lost her entire family because of me. Prince Wonsan lost his rights to the throne and his life because of my grandfathers."

"I guess this is a lot more difficult than we thought," said Kang Eun Soo.

"I think messy is the word we're looking for," said Hwi, adjusting his hat.

The pair headed back towards the carriage where Noh Ha Kyung awaited with Taeyeon in her arms. The look on her face told Hwi that she was upset. Having already felt awkward around her, Hwi was still unsure of how to make conversation with his ex-wife... especially after that kiss on the lips.

At this point, Hwi wasn't even sure anymore if he was any better or had gotten worse since he dedicated himself to becoming the best version of Lee Hwi. Moreover, he didn't expect to run into Noh Ha Kyung again and become entangled in yet another royal affair.

It wasn't long before Eunuch Hong and Yu Gong returned with a wooden bowl of rice soup for Taeyeon.

"Dried plums?" Eunuch Hong offered Kang Eun Soo a skewer of the fruit snack he bought.

The royal guard shook his head and hopped back on his horse. Hwi mounted his horse, too, and Eunuch Hong didn't have a choice but to follow suit.

As Yu Gong fed the infant in the carriage, Noh Ha Kyung sat quietly for nearly the remainder of the journey to the next destination.

"When we reach our destination, the women and baby will have to be hidden at a nearby commoner's home," Hwi said to Kang Eun Soo. "Considering we'll be near a military base, it is best not to draw attention with the former Queen, especially now that she has a baby in tow."

Although the royal wedding was less than a year ago, Hwi vividly remembered the palace being flooded with royal officials from all over the country. Surely, they'd remember Noh Ha Kyung. After Hwi had sentenced her father, Noh Hak Su, for his crimes, appeals to remove the queen from her position closely followed. Hwi didn't have a choice but to secretly arrange for her departure from the palace.

"I heard Minister Baek Yung Woo is a conniving official," said Eunuch Hong. "We have to be careful if we run into him."

Hwi smirked.

"That's why I didn't announce my arrival in advance," he replied.

He was very much looking forward to ousting the guy.

"I secretly investigated him while investigating Lord Sanghyeon," Hwi told them. "Not only he is abusing his power at this trading port, he also may be in affiliation with corrupt Ming officials by supplying them with young women for Ming courtesan houses."

Kang Eun Soo shook his head in discontentment.

"Why is it that the corrupt officials outlive the loyal ones?" he questioned.

Hwi let out a sigh and turned to his guard.

"I can promise you that we will cleanse our kingdom of corruption and build upon the world our fathers dreamed of," he said.

Kang Eun Soo nodded and gave a half smile. For many years, he was lost without direction and filled only with revenge. He'd almost killed Hwi in the process, but after unearthing the truth regarding his father's death, he had turned over a new leaf.

"We have to leave the past behind," Hwi added.

"Indeed," Kang Eun Soo agreed, giving a gentle nod at the carriage behind them.

"I owe her as much as I owe you," said Hwi. "But the situation with her turns out to be more complicated than I anticipated."

"If I learned anything at all during my darkest times is that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel," said Kang Eun Soo. "Perhaps, she is that light at the end of the tunnel for you, but it'll just take you a while to get there."

Hwi scoffed.

"I didn't know you were so poetic," he complimented.

Kang Eun Soo's words reminded Hwi of the kiss Noh Ha Kyung had stolen from him just the day before. He should've tried to stop it but he didn't, and now that he gave it more thought, he didn't understand why. Perhaps that's what Noh Ha Kyung was upset about. Did he really owe her an explanation or analysis of the kiss?

Honestly, he didn't know how to feel.