My Lordship's Alliance

Chapter Thirteen: The Unraveling Threads

The air was thick with tension as Sunwoo, exposed and battered, faced the wrath of Lord Gim's sons. He was dragged across the floor by his hair and coarse soil on the ground scratched his pale skin. His legs were bleeding. Dahee, held back by the unyielding grip of servants, could only watch in horror as Sunwoo endured the harsh punishment for his deceit. Her tears flowed freely, mirroring the anguish etched across her face. Sunghoon, seemingly emotionless, stood beside her as a silent witness to the revelation that shattered the facade of his marriage. The betrayal cut deep, and though anger brewed within him, there lingered a profound disbelief, as if the truth itself was too surreal to comprehend.

Taehyung whipped him along the way causing Sunwoo to whimper with pain and his eyes were filled with tears. He couldn't explain his situation to anyone as no one really gave him a chance. He looked at Sunghoon with a pitiful glance, he just wanted to explain to him at least about why he dressed as his wife. But when Sunghoon and his eyes met, the former turned his eyes away suddenly from the latter as if he never existed there in the first place. A clear sign of breaking any bonds between the two.. This shattered Sunwoo's heart in a million pieces, he couldn't move anymore and abandoned his hope. He gave up any notion he had to defend himself. While Sunwoo was sobbing in pain, Sunghoon's hands shivered as if he wanted to catch the whip from Taehyung and stop the torture. And it is what he did next. Without soaring a glance at Sunwoo, he immediately caught the whip lashed by the younger son of Lord Gim.

"It's enough!" He said, "if you exceed, I will have to report you to the Royal Police for abusing your position!"
Taehyung scoffed at Sunghoon with pure hatred showing across his face. How dare a mere Public servant like him ( Sunghoon has never told that he is an agent from the Royal investigation agency, but a landlord and public servant of the provincial magistrate which he actually is!)

"Gim Taehyung, it's okay. You shall stop!"
Lord Gim, his authoritative voice cutting through the chaos, commanded his son Taehyung, a scholar, to take Sunwoo into custody. He understood that if the matter entered into the Royal court, his corruption may see the light. So he doesn't want to make a huge scene and wants the police to do their proceedings with no further complications.

The enforcement of justice loomed as police officers Podocheong arrived to carry out the order. Sunwoo's mother, grief-stricken and desperate, pleaded with the lords for mercy, her cries never heard in the unforgiving atmosphere.

As the officers moved to apprehend Sunwoo, his mother made a heart-wrenching dash towards Sunghoon, seeking mercy and understanding. However, Sunghoon remained unmoved, a stoic figure amidst the storm of emotions. The servants of the Gim, indifferent to the pleas of the elderly woman, prepared to unleash their wrath upon her. They came rushing towards her to push her on the ground. But Sunghoon, whose emotions remained elusive, found a reservoir of compassion within. With a decisive step forward, he intervened to shield Sunwoo's mother from the impending brutality. The unexpected act of protection created a palpable shift in the dynamics, leaving onlookers stunned.

The Gim family looked at the scene with aversion as Sunghoon took the elderly woman up from the floor and placed his hand around her shoulder pulling her closer. That kindness got the woman in tears and she was saying something repeatedly to Sunghoon. But still under her muffled voices he could clearly hear her words "my Sunwoo... Sunwoo....Sunwoo.."
'He didn't even think about this mother when deceiving others' Sunghoon thought to himself. His mind filled with disgust as he glanced at Sunwoo for the last time as he was pulled away by the police

Abandoned by the Gim family, Sunwoo's mother found refuge under the reluctant protection of Sunghoon. He had decided to take in the woman as she was all alone in this world. Still even after all the betrayals and chaos, Sunghoon wasn't able to accept the fact that he was being played by the daughter of the Gims family. But he could not let her go as Lord Gim refused to take in his actual daughter instead he apologized to Sunghoon for the mishap and asked him to accept Da-hee as his legitimate wife. Sunghoon, torn between duty and empathy, took in Sunwoo's mother and Da-hee.