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

제 41 부

The desiccated air in the garden combined with the Prince's crimson-hot gaze pushed the dew of sweats out of Jin Ri's pores, accumulating all on her forehead. Contrary to the physical weather outside, her sweats were surprisingly cold as ice caps, melting and dripping down her face. Waiting for the Prince's condition, her heart drummed loudly. She felt the strong bass of every throb, overpowering the treble of her head's static sound.

"Yo-your Highness, what is it that you want me to do?"

Sae Joo did not even blink when he blurted, "Confess. Go to the King and confess all of your sins. Clear my name, Jin Ri."

"C-co-confess?" stammered Jin Ri.

"Yes. If you are indeed apologetic of what you did, I think this is just the right thing to do. This is just fair, do you not agree?"

Jin Ri's eyes dashed sideways, her body swinging in a tense, irregular beat. "Uh, Your Highness... I know that but uh, the King might punish me more if I admit what I did... Please, I do not want to experience another beating."

The Prince's eyebrows met at the center of his nose bridge in a scowl. "Beating?"

Without any hesitations, Jin Ri quickly pulled her skirt up and removed the extra layers of clothes in her leg part. She did not even care if the Prince could see her bare skin. At that moment, the only thing that mattered to her was to show Sae Joo her bruises on her hips and lower back. Upon exposing the young lady's skin, the Crown Prince's eyes rolled in shock, seeing the purple blots on his cousin's white, delicate skin.

"The council members had decided to punish me—fifty beatings using a thick paddle."

Sae Joo suddenly took one step back when he heard Jin Ri's statement, alongside with a visual validation supporting her claim. "What? They did that to you?"

"Apparently, yes, Your Highness. They punished me for what I did, for my mistake."

"I did not know," said Sae Joo, shaking his head.

"I understand, Your Highness. Are these bruises still not enough for you? I have already paid for my sins. Please, let us just forget about this and start a new. After all, I am still your best friend, am I not?" she trudged closer to the Prince and wrapped her arms around his neck. Sae Joo was half-paralyzed; half of him wanted to let go and half of him wanted to comfort the sobbing young lady. Confusion about his feelings started to cloud up his head. He did not know what to feel anymore. For a few moments, he just let his cousin wrap him with her warm embrace.

"Your Highness, please answer me. You are still my best friend, are you not?"

The Prince deftly dodged the question. He pushed the young lady gently and held her shoulders. "Jin Ri, I am sorry that you had to experience that. I guess that was enough punishment already. Alright, let us just forget about what had happened and move on with our lives."

After a quick faint forced smile, Sae Joo patted her shoulders and left.

Lumbering down the stone courtyard, the Prince could not omit the young lady in his head. Her bone-tingling embrace lingered in his mind, blurring his head out of focus. Little did he know, the minister saw him from afar and approached him. "Wangja-nim, what happened?" Upon hearing the minister's voice, his senses suddenly landed back on earth, and he replied, "Minister Dae Wong, I have no idea that Jin Ri was beaten fifty times."

"Oh, about that? I forgot to tell you, Your Highness. Please, forgive me."

"No, it is perfectly fine. She showed me her bruises, and I felt so sorry for her."

At that moment, Dae Wong knew that what he had been fearful about the Prince's slow change would happen—consistency was indeed questioned. He knew that Sae Joo's emotion would be easily swayed by just using emotional appeal, especially that his doubt and mistrust to the whole Prime Minister's clan was not established fully yet. Because of the situation, he tried to get the Prince back to his motive. "Wangja-nim, I know that you feel sorry for her, but uh..."