.thirty six.
They left the lake with the sun setting behind them, having spent hours in each others arms, and as they emerged from the row of trees together, they were ambushed by a group of armed palace guards that were waiting for them. They pointed their swords at the two teenagers menacingly, forcing them to get on their knees in surrender as they surrounded them in a circle. Minji screamed in fear and Jung wrapped an arm around her shoulders, trying his best to conceal her from view. Just then, a space broke out in the circle of guards and up walked Yeon Hwa, along with Ji Mong and Eun.
"They were planning to run away together tomorrow morning." The princess accused, but her words were not at all resentful, nor were they full of hatred. Instead they were of genuine concern.
Jung had gone to his older sister days earlier, begging for her help to run away with Minji. He never suspected that Yeon Hwa would turn around and use that information against them. But she did because she didn't want them to leave. Now she was exposing them to the whole kingdom, knowing that the consequences for that were dire, but the consequences could even turn lethal if they actually went through with their plans to run away. Yeon Hwa preferred to have her friend and her brother punished lightly for planning it than to be punished harshly for actually doing it.
The guards grabbed the two teenagers and dragged them back to the palace, and forced them on their knees in front of the king.
The King appeared disappointed as he regarded his youngest son. "I told you not to interfere in your brother's wedding, and I warned you there would be a punishment for your actions. There will be punishment for her as well, for betraying your brother." Both Jung and Minji struggled in the hold of the guards, Jung more so, as he tried to get to Minji to shield her from any punishment. Minji had tears streaming down her face, but said nothing. There was nothing she could say in that moment, as the King wouldn't listen to her anyway.
"Its not her fault, your majesty. You have to believe me." Jung tried to defend Minji, although his words weren't a lie. In order to spare him any punishment, she had refused his offer to run away together several times. "I planned all of it on my own, and I planned to take her away with me whether she wanted to come or not. But she told me she would go through with it and marry my hyung even though she didn't want to."
The king wanted to make things quick, knowing he had to do something to keep the wedding going, that was if Eun was still willing to marry a woman who was having a secret rendezvous with his brother on the eve before their wedding. "Take him away and lock him in one of our palace cells until after the wedding." He instructed. The palace cells were almost like animal stalls in the deep ends of the palace. Jung had only been there once with his father when he was explaining something to him and his other brothers about behaving, otherwise he would throw them in there. Back then, it had been a harmless joke. Now he was doing it to keep Jung from interfering any further. The guards nodded and started lugging him away.
All the while Minji cried and tried to go after him, her hands trying to reach out to him. Their finger tips grazed each other ever so slightly for a fraction of a second before he was taken away. Her own set of guards held her down and in place to prevent her from moving any more.
The King now regarded her with a cold expression. She had never seen him like that, as he was always warm and parental towards her. He was always welcoming and kind, since she was the daughter to one of his generals.
"Eun-ah," He started his expression softening as well as his tone. He was now looking toward the tenth prince who wore a worried expression on his face. He jumped slightly when he heard his name being called, as he had been scared out of his thoughts. "If you want to cancel the wedding and have this woman punished, you will be in your full right. I leave it up to you to decide what will happen."
