Secret of the Two Kings (89 CHAPTERS - ON HOLD)

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Chil Yook felt the soft rustling movement of the dirty-white robe beside him. He examined it, noticing that Lady Jang was starting to wake up from almost an hour of sleep, as they continued traveling down the vast forest. With a soft groan and a grimacing face, Lady Jang opened her eyes. She looked around and slowly absorbed the thought that she was inside a carriage. She gasped when she saw Chil Yook sitting beside her, holding a baby.

"Lady Jang, are you awake?"

The woman answered back in a soft, raspy voice, "Grand Marshal, is that you?"
Chil Yook blinked many times, confirming what he saw. "Yes, it is I, Chil Yook. How are you feeling? The coachman said that you suddenly appeared from the woods and almost got hit by the horse."

Lady Jang sighed and told him her story, "Well, when I woke up, we were already on that abandoned thatched storage house. I heard a soft rustle by the door, and I was shocked to see the Prime Minister. He was the one behind all of these!" she exclaimed.

Chil Yook bowed his head and shook his head. "I know. He narrated everything to me. However, you need to understand that he did those tactics to save us. The King wanted us out of the palace, thinking that the Prime Minister would go weak if we were gone."

"That is ridiculous! Everything is crystal-clear to me now. The Prime Minister did all of these because we are threats to him. He wants us out of the palace and never go back again in a way that it would benefit him. Did you not realize that?"

"I have faith in the Prime Minister."

"How could you still say that, Grand Marshal? He does not need you anymore. He does not need us anymore. If I were you, I would go to a very faraway place, where he could not see even a single trace of my existence. This is enough. My loyalty ends here." Lady Jang straightened up and shook her sleeves and skirt, removing some dirt.

Her attention was grabbed when the baby suddenly mewled. "Wait, who is that baby?" the woman paused, pointing to the infant prince Chil Yook was cradling.

Chil Yook's eyes ran sideways, unable to focus his sight to the confused woman. "Uh, uh...."

"Who is that?"

After a deep breath, Chil Yook finally admitted the identity of the baby. "Pay your respects. He is Prince Sae Yoo, the King's second son."

Lady Jang's breath hitched up at the back of her throat. A soft squeal was about to come out but she instantly covered her mouth before she could explode. Chil Yook leaned forward and tapped her shoulder. "Listen to me first. I know this is ridiculous."

"What are you doing?" Lady Jang asked; her eyes widened in total shock.

"It was a long story. I may have ended my duty as a Gukseon—a palace hwarang, but this is part of my next mission as Chil Yook, a plain servant of the Prime Minister," Chil Yook explained.

"Tsk tsk! I really admire your loyalty to the Prime Minister. If I could just erect some monument for you right now, I would do it. Why do you keep on serving him? Do you still think that raising the King's son is still part of his good principle?"

The man lost his words for a while, having a little thought about what the former Head Priestess said. All of a sudden, he recalled everything that happened on the day he met the Prime Minister. "It was almost thirty years ago when I met Lady Manmyeong, the Prime Minister's mother. My father was her personal bodyguard when she became a royal concubine to the King. When my father pledged his full loyalty to Lady Manmyeong, I, as well did the same. Before Lady Manmyeong died, her final words are to take care of Lord Jung Ho, her son."

Lady Jang grabbed Chil Yook's hand and held it. "It is about a sense of gratitude then, just like mine. You are chained to the past, to Lady Manmyeong. I could say that you have done your part already. For the past years, we have taken good care of the Prime Minister by doing all of his orders. We have believed in his principles even for others, his tactics appeared too evil. It is time for us to let go. It is not a healthy relationship anymore."