Decisions

The Attack

The moonlight was his only beacon when Hyeon Joon left the palace that night. He crept stealthily as he vaulted over the palace walls, and made sure to stay within the darkest shadows.

Hyeon Joon made sure that no one else was following him when he arrived. It was dark and the person he was meeting stood even further in the shadows, as if they did not want to be seen by even him. He gave a bow and stood silently waiting to be spoken to.

"I received word that you have been brought into the 4th prince's quarters. Is that correct?"

He nodded wordlessly.

"Things seem to be going better than planned. It will put you in direct target of that wench and her daughter."

By those words, Hyeon Joon knew that this person was referring to the 4th princess Soo and her daughter Seol.

For as long as he had been working for this person, Hyeon Joon did not understand the hatred directed towards the 4th princess. From his experience, Princess Soo carried herself very well and was compassionate. Despite being born into a noble family, she treated everyone equally, no matter their standing. If someone had committed a wrong, the 4th princess would not hesitate to put them in their place. Even then it was not a harsh punishment, but rather a reprimand and advice for future improvement. Still, he supposed things ran differently in the royal circles. Even brothers and sisters could not get along amiably without having the thought of harming each other.

"How long have you been guarding their quarters?"

"Three weeks now, your highness."

"Then you should be ready within a week to proceed with the plan. Someone will send for you."

"Will there be anything else, your highness?"

"That will be all. Leave."

With a retreating bow, Hyeon Joon made to leave but he was stopped.

"Ah, I forgot. I wonder what will happen to your mother this time if you fail."

Those words made his entire body stiffen, and Hyeon Joon froze. He should have been used to these threats by now, but whenever the topic of his mother came up he was helpless.

"Of course, you should know the consequences by now."

The person turned to leave, and when Hyeon Joon could no longer hear footsteps, he finally let out the breath he was holding.

Hyeon Joon stayed silent as he quickly left and made his way back to the palace. He had a few close run-ins the the guards near the gates but he was able to make it back to his room without being caught.

As he changed and got ready for bed, he wondered if what he was doing was right. He knew that he was simply a pawn in this game ran by the royals, but at this point he was too deep in. If he valued his life, he had to follow orders and hoped that his superiors would be merciless if they decided to turn their backs on him. It was times like this that he knew he had committed a sin in his past life; how else could he explain his current circumstance?

As he settled down to bed, his thoughts drifted to his mother who was living by herself in the village. He had been able to afford better medication for his ailing mother's health with his current job, but he was unsure of how long this would last. Although her condition was improving, and he had found some neighbors who were willing to check in on his mother for him, he was unsure of what would happen to his mother if he were to be gone forever.

After a few minutes of despair, he shook his head and turned on his side to get more comfortable. He could not think this way; he would not. He had come too far now to fail.