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

제 33 부

Upon hearing Sae Joo's confessions, Shun's eyes grew large, and his eyebrows scrunched in confusion. The Prince gazed at him biting his lips—eyes curled with guilt. The speechless rugged boy looked at the other cells and exhaled heavily.

"What a good joke." his lips twisted into a sly smile.

Shun nudged Sae Joo playfully as he contained his laugh. "That was a good one! You, a prince? Oh, Heavens!"

The Crown Prince became annoyed with his companion's reaction. He knew that the boy would react like that initially so he continued his explanation. "Hey, I am serious right now. Why would I even joke about this when I know that there is a high-ranking Tang official who wants to talk to me?" frowned Sae Joo.

"All right, my bad," said Shun, lips still shaking because of his uncontrolled laughter. He coughed before he resumed, "So, how are you going to prove that you are the Crown Prince?"

Struggling with the ropes tied into them, Sae Joo forced raising his arm. He showed the eagle figurine with the red threads to the skeptical boy. "This—I am not certain if you are familiar with the royal family, but this one is the symbol of Silla's Crown Prince. This was handed to me by my father when I was young."

"Wait a moment. I am not familiar with that but I will start believing you. Tell me more," said Shun.

"That young lady who fell into the river—she is my cousin, Lady Jin Ri, daughter of Silla's Prime Minister Lord Jung Ho, my uncle."

Shun nodded his head slowly but his eyes were still a bit dubious regarding the story. "Then, why are you disguising as a commoner? How did those Tang bastards know that there is a prince in here?"

"My father is very overprotective. He does not want me to go out of the palace until my fifteenth birthday which will be in a few days. People of Silla see me as their savior—their luck. My birth was considered a new era in Silla. I do not know what happened exactly in the past, but that is all I know. Regarding the other question, do you remember when we stumbled a while ago? I think one of them has seen my eagle figurine."

"Oh, so you just escaped, wanting to see the world outside?" asked Shun.

"Yes. At first, I was hesitant because I know the King would be mad at me, but then my cousin promised me that we would be back before anyone could ever find out. But then, here I am... stuck in a ship... with you."

"Hold it right there! Your birthday is in a few days? Mine too. I will turn fifteen as well." Shun smiled.

"Is that true? Daebak!" Sae Joo was surprised as well with the coincidence.

"All right then, so what are we going to do? If you are really the Prince, you need to talk to that Tang official in order for us to be free." Shun reminded.

Sae Joo's face partially lost its colors as his heart raced a bit in anxiety. He was afraid about what could lie ahead in that conversation as if he would be facing an unknown creature in the darkest shadows. Whether if it was a friend or a foe—he did not know.

"Err, as a matter of fact, I am nervous."

Shun scoffed. "What? Why? This would be like a simple conversation."

"You know nothing about diplomatic relations; the word, conversation sugarcoats the words, deals, bargains, terms, and conditions. I overheard those from my father and uncle's conversation once. One thing is for sure—that Tang official would not let us free that easily." Sae Joo worried.

"You would be fine. It is in your blood. Trust yourself. I know you could play with words. You are a Prince, for Heaven's sake," smiled Shun, cheering up the anxious prince.