Here with you

Only one way out

As she heard the soldiers' boots getting louder, Yi Hwi pulled the veil closer to her and turned to the ocean to hide her face from them.

"Have you seen Princess Yi Hwi?" They kept asking as they bustled around the crowded boat. Yi Hwi even saw a few elderly women forming a huddle and glancing at the soldiers with narrowed eyes. Remembering the time a few of them had dared to speak down the princess herself into submission, she shuddered at the thought of the soldiers coming in their path.

 "The Princess? Why? Shouldn't she be in the Palace?" The passengers asked, their brows furrowed. A few of them who knew of the successful uprising pursed their lips and turned away, much like Yi Hwi herself.

"She's trying to escape through the ferry," The soldiers shouted at last, catching everyone's attention. "The new king demands she be brought to him. You'll be handsomely rewarded if you catch her."

Surprised murmuring erupted from her people, as they looked around with speculation gleaming in their eyes. Meanwhile, she saw the soldiers move through the initial throngs and make their way toward the end of the boat.

Her fists tightened around her veil as they approached her perch. She couldn't make out earlier, but he prayed with all her might that they wouldn't be checking women's faces, an act that was considered particularly offensive to noble women.

The boat rocked beneath her feet and her heart leaped with anticipation. As far as she was aware, there wasn't much time for the boat to take off, and she could escape if she managed to remain undetected till then, for even soldiers could not travel on the boat without booking prior passage.

Get out of here, Yi Hwi! Escape the Palace and save yourself!

That word triggered an onslaught of nightmarish memories as her father's echoed in her head. Her body shook with unshed tears, and she gritted her teeth in frustration at her emotions. It wouldn't do to think of her captured father. Not when she had to flee her kingdom so that she could take revenge.

To distract herself, she glanced at the inside of her wrist, where the tattooed timer was tingling. It had been inscribed on her wrist since she could remember, and she vaguely recalled her mother telling her that it was a timer; a timer until she met her soulmate.

Currently, it informed her that there were two more minutes left before the fated meeting. But in this dire situation, a soulmate was the last thing she wanted to fuss over, so she tucked her arm into her sleeves and impatiently tapped the railing with her knuckles.

Just when the boatmen began hoisting the sails, and she felt the sweet taste of momentary hope, the stomping of boots sounded behind her, and her body tensed. She could her them talking to women and asking them to lift their veils. Knowing that she was doomed if they so much as saw her face, her mind started racing with escape routes, and started grunting when she realized that none of them were practical enough.

After a few tense seconds of brainstorming, she was considering jumping into the sea when she felt a rough hand on her shoulder.

"Agashi," a guard said, sending chills down her spine. "Can I see your face? We're conducting an investigation here."

Everything came to a standstill as Yi Hwi stood up shakily and turned halfway, attempting to comply with the order while covering a majority of her face. She tried to portray shyness by constantly turning her face away after allowing a glimpse, but he seemed to catch on her act and began insisting on seeing her face.

Her arms began to tremble with the effort of twisting the veil in an odd position, and the guard noticed the movement. Yi Hwi realized that the guard wouldn't budge without confirming her identity, and her hand moved to her waist, where a dagger was hidden in the stitching, just as his hand moved to uncover her veil.

At the last possible moment, another hand caught the guard's arm and pushed it away. Before she could realize what was happening, her rescuer held her arms and spun her around towards him, making her face his broad chest and hiding her face from the guard. She blinked in surprise and was about to push him when he tenderly stroked her head, making her catch her breath.

"My Lady, are you that upset with me? You left so quickly, I didn't even have the time to explain myself," he said, staring down at her with wide eyes and an innocent pout. Her frazzled mind somehow put the pieces together and told her to keep quiet, so she went with the flow.

"I told you that I wasn't looking at other ladies," he continued, gesturing to a group of young women standing at the dock and watching them. "Please forgive me?"

Yi Hwi's mind finally caught on to the impromptu plan, and a relieved smile ghosted her lips, brightening it considerably. The man, happy that she'd caught on, turned his attention to the guard.

"Hey, you. How dare you try to look at my wife?" he demanded, eyebrows drawing together in a vivid display of anger. "She is already angry with me, and I'll have a tough time calming her. Please don't anger her further."

"But..." the guard said, and Yi Hwi could sense the frown on his face. "It's an order from the General. We have to check every woman's face..."

"Hey mister! Can't you see that they're married?" she heard a few old women yell, and for the first time she appreciated the meddlesome nature of the wizened women. "Leave them alone. They already seem to be fighting. Don't worsen their problems!"

She heard the guard huff in exasperation, and felt his looming presence disappear as his heavy boots stomped across the boat. She heaved a sigh of relief and extracted herself from the stranger's arms, gazing up at his face to thank him, when her breath caught in her throat.

He was beautiful. Her gaze met his doe eyes framed by lashes so long, they even made her jealous. His lotus-shaped lips widened in a shy smile as he caught her staring, painting his defined cheeks in a pretty blush. Her own lips parted in surprise, and when she realized that, she hastily shook her head and smiled in embarrassment.

"Thank you for helping me out," she managed to say, forcing herself to focus on her words, and not his expressive, dark eyes. "If not for your timely intervention, who knows what would've..." she broke off abruptly as the tattoo on her wrist burned, indicating that her timer was up.

She grimaced slightly and began rubbing her wrist when she heard him grimace as well. She turned to him at once, and the sight of him rubbing his wrist confirmed all her suspicions. He seemed to realize something at the same moment, and his gaze shifted upward and caught hers, locking them in place with an intense stare.

He was also the first one to look away and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. She laughed as well, because this situation was too ludicrous, and he took it as a positive sign and inclined his head in greeting.

"Our meeting has been rather unconventional, so let's start all over," he said, clearing his throat. "Hello there, my soulmate. Please to meet you. My name is Jung Ji-un."

Yi Hwi hesitated at that. This man was supposedly her soulmate, but she still couldn't fully trust him. Not when she'd been through so much already.

"If you don't want to tell me yet, that's okay," he said softly, noticing her downcast eyes. "For now, let's just get out of here. We can figure out what to do after we've put some distance between us and the soldiers."

Yi Hwi turned to stare at the horizon as the soldiers got off the boat and the sailors raised its oars to push the vessel from the dock. "Yeah, let's first get away from here," she whispered to herself, leaning on the rough wood of the railing. Ji-un joined her and intertwined his pinky with hers, bringing a small smile to her lips. She would figure this out with him and take back what was hers. Someday.