Set in the early Goguryeo (AD30-35) during the era of the Three Kingdoms in Korea, this BinJin Sageuk tells the tale of love, trust and betrayal between a Goguryeo Crown Prince and a Nakrang Princess.
It is loosely based off the tragic Korean folkta...
Lifting the hemp drape at the entrance to the tent, Gwang Beom quietly walked inside, trying not to make a sound just in case the young maiden was resting.
The men had just returned from yet another treacherous search attempt, having combed the rocky escarpment of the cliff where the royals had supposedly leapt off.
In a way, the Major was glad that the search had yielded nothing. Today's operation had been conducted to seek bodies, or skeletons, should Hyun Bin and Yejin had fallen directly onto the stretches of sharp rocks at the bottom of the cliff.
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Thankfully, he and his men had found nothing.
"Your Excellency...?"
The feeble feminine voice caught him by surprise; he hadn't expected her to be awake, not when she had spent the majority of the last two weeks in a deep slumber.
"I'm here. How are you feeling?" Urgently, the young man strode over to where the makeshift bed was.
Struggling to prop herself up on an elbow, Hyojin asked in a raspy whisper, "Did you find them?"
"No." Gwang Beom opted for honesty, his face downcast at seeing the lady's disappointment.
Eyes welling up with tears, the imperial handmaiden sniffled and nodded, well-knowing that finding the royal couple out in this unforgiving wilderness was easier said than done.
Given how resourceful and highly-skilled the Crown Prince was, he would have been able to find their way back much earlier. The Princess, being extremely intelligent and logical, would certainly have found a way to inform the imperial palace if they were alive.
Numerous moon cycles had gone by since the Crown Prince's entourage had been attacked, and still, there were no signs of the royal couple.
Summoning her courage, Hyojin asked, "Do you think..."
"No." The Major's voice betrayed no hints of uncertainty. "Do not allow your mind to entertain that thought. The Crown Prince and the Princess consort will be alright."
Watery eyes met his, before the imperial handmaiden nodded helplessly. "I am willing to give everything in exchange for them to return safely...please promise me you will find them."
The young man had neither wished, nor imagined, that his close interaction with this lovely maiden would come under such poignant, desperate circumstances, but Gwang Beom nonetheless reached for Hyojin's hand and held it in his.
"I will do my best."
Seeing that Hyojin's face remained clouded with worry, the Major continued, "There are no signs of bodies, and till date, no one else has stepped up to claim responsibility for the assassination attempt."
Suppressing an involuntary shiver, the handmaiden nodded.
"If it had been successful, those vile rebels would certainly announce that they had taken the lives of our Crown Prince and Princess consort in order to throw Goguryeo into chaos. We have sufficient reason to believe that the attempt...or attempts, on their lives had failed."
