THE CONCUBINE || TAEKOOK ||

FIFTY EIGHT

The King's Chambers — Night

Jungkook stood at the window, looking out at the garden below. The cherry trees were bare, their branches dark against the night sky, their blossoms long since fallen.

He pressed his hand to the glass, and he prayed.

The door opened behind him. Jimin entered, his steps soft, his voice low.

"Your Majesty," he said. "The search parties are ready. They will leave at dawn."

Jungkook did not turn. "I should be with them. I should be searching. I should—"

"You should rest," Jimin said. "You are still weak. The poison is still in your veins. If you go out there, you will collapse, and then there will be no one to lead the search. No one to bring them home."

Jungkook closed his eyes.

"I cannot lose them, Jimin," he whispered. "I cannot lose my Taehyung. "

Jimin stepped forward, placing his hand on Jungkook's shoulder.

"You will not lose them," he said. "We will find them. We will bring them home. I swear it."

-----

The Palace Gates — Afternoon

The old woman stood at the gates, her back bent, her hands gnarled, her eyes sharp as flint. She had been standing there for an hour, arguing with the guards who blocked her path, her voice rising with each refusal.

"I have told you before," she said, her words clipped, impatient. "I have something important to say to the king. I cannot come here every day. I live far from this place. It takes me half a day just to reach the gates."

The guard who stood before her crossed his arms, his face set. "Listen, grandmother. As I have told you before, His Highness is very sick. He cannot meet anyone right now. Come back another day. Now move along."

He reached out to push her aside, to clear the path for the riders who were approaching the gates. But the old woman did not move. She stood her ground, her eyes fixed on the riders, her hands clasped before her.

Hoseok reined in his horse at the gates, his men fanning out behind him. He looked down at the old woman, at the guards who surrounded her, at the stubborn set of her jaw.

"What is happening here?" he asked, dismounting.

The guard bowed quickly. "This woman insists on seeing the king. I have told her he is not receiving visitors, but she will not leave."

Hoseok studied the old woman. Her clothes were simple, worn, the clothes of a peasant.

"What do you want with the king?" he asked.

The old woman met his gaze without flinching. "I have information. About the man he is looking for. The one with the baby."

Hoseok's heart stopped. He turned to the guard. "She comes with me."

He led her through the gates, through the courtyard, through the corridors where servants pressed themselves against the walls to let them pass. He did not speak. He did not ask questions. He simply walked, and the old woman followed, her steps slow but steady.