.eighty five.
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"Eun-ie and the kids really hate it though. He's never known struggling his entire life and it kills him to have to sit still for even a bit. He's like my fifth child."
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The days after their escape went by eternally slow and Minji felt like the day of their escape wasn't coming around fast enough. Yo had sent troops to stay posted at his brother's home, in case they were to return. But the couples weren't dumb enough to return home. Instead they were hiding in the palace, the very place where the king himself lived. It had been easy to get in, thanks to an intricate system of caves and tunnels that went to and from the palace. Since they were being searched for through the entire kingdom, Yo had gotten more guards to patrol the house. They were mostly made to look out for the princes, since they it was more commonly known what they looked like.
That meant that Soon Deok could come and go as she pleased, and she used that to her advantage. For the first few days, she stole court lady attire and used that to find a way out of the palace. The caves were no longer a possibility, as Wook had informed Yo that it was a way to go about the palace without being detected. The king immediately had them closed off with large rocks.
On one of her walks around the palace, she had been carrying a tray with tea and snacks to the kitchen when she bumped into someone. The tray slipped from her grasp, but her reflexes were faster and she was able to catch it before it touched the ground. She lifted her eyes and they widened in shock when she saw someone she recognized, but it was someone who recognized her as well. His voice seemed to drop down into a low whisper full of surprise. "Sister in law?" Baek-ah asked, not sure if he was seeing things or not. But it had to be her, since she seemed utterly terrified that she had been caught.
A part of him was glad that she was alive because that had to mean Han was most likely still alive, and so were their children. Another part of him ached for Eun and Hak Soon, since he didn't know about their whereabouts. Then he also feared for their lives. If they were hiding in the palace, and Baek-ah knew security had gotten tighter, he knew it would be extremely difficult to make it out of there alive. Last, his thoughts were in that moment with her. If anyone were to overhear them, they would no doubt run to the king and tell him that the people he was looking for were hiding in the palace.
She looked down to the ground and quickly shook her head. "Prince Baek-ah, I am merely a court lady."
He nodded in agreement, not wanting to insist. "Yes, right." He cleared his throat awkwardly. But he looked around to make sure they weren't being watched. "I just...you look like someone I used to know. Carry on. But...I would like for you to bring me some tea, and some lunch to my private quarters."
The thirteenth prince knew he would be able to talk to her alone there, if only for a few minutes. But that was enough for him to know, to ask if everyone was alright, and if there was anything he could do to help. They were his brothers after all and Baek-ah knew they had done Yo no harm. They didn't want the throne. The king had merely wanted to get them out of the way because they came from one of the most powerful families in the country.
Soon Deok nodded her head quickly and bowed in respect before scurrying off towards the kitchen. Once there, she dropped off the tray of used items and asked the court ladies to prepare another one for her. Another of the court ladies told her with disdain that the thirteenth prince had a set of maids assigned to him, and that they would prepare his meal and take it to him. But Soon Deok insisted that the prince had asked for her personally, and they had no other choice but to comply. As the general's daughter made her way to his private quarters, she noticed how it was in a secluded part of the palace, as most of the other princes' private quarters were. That was to ensure that the noise of the palace would not disturb them.
