Chapter Text
The last two weeks were a fog to Tae-woo. He didn’t remember much of what had transpired because, for a great portion of the time, he was either in a feverish daze or unconscious due to the effects of various medicines. The last thing he clearly recalled was being shot down with arrows but after that, the rest was a smudge in his memory bank. He vaguely remembered spilling the slave trade secrets to Joon-gi, which must have been why he was lying in a bed in Hiryuu palace, currently.
Tae-woo thought he underwent another surgery when he arrived, but couldn’t remember many details. The only thing that lingered in his mind was the agonizing pain as the king’s physician ripped out Ayame’s stitches only to replace them with his own. However, his fever went down, and his mind cleared afterwards, so perhaps there was some merit to whatever the court physician had done. Since then, what Tae-woo remembered was the court physician visiting him, each time handing him a cup of foul-tasting medicine, telling him to drink, and then falling unconscious immediately after doing so. This event must have happened daily, or maybe multiple times a day, but Tae-woo couldn’t be sure. Time didn’t exist for him, presently.
Sun was streaming in through the windows as Tae-woo woke on this occasion, falling on his face in a small square. Was it morning? Afternoon? Tae-woo sat up in his plush sickbed. “Hello?” he called out, hoping anybody that might be outside his door would answer. There was only a pressing silence. A cup of water and a bowl of rice were left next to him, as if someone had brought him food while he was sleeping. It took him mere seconds to gobble it down. Farther away on a table was a small cup of medicine with a note underneath, which Tae-woo ignored completely, knowing it would only put him to sleep. “Hello?” he called out again, before struggling to his feet. He wobbled slightly, his thickly bandaged left thigh throbbing. Tae-woo gritted his teeth and ignored the pain.
Then, the door to Tae-woo’s room slid open, certainly in response to his calls. It was the court physician, the one that had been ministering to him this entire time. What was his name? Tae-woo strained his mostly empty memory. It was Min-soo, wasn’t it?
“Young master Tae-woo!” Min-soo said, hurrying to his side with a small pot of ointment. “You should be careful when standing up! Your wounds are still very fresh.” Min-soo seized Tae-woo’s shoulders and forced him back into his bed.
Tae-woo gripped the side of his head to stop the room from spinning. “What happened to me?” he asked.
“General Joon-gi and his daughter brought you to the palace when you didn’t recover from your surgery in the Wind Tribe.”
“Didn’t recover?”
“Right. Even two days after your first surgery was performed, your fever didn’t go down and the swelling never stopped. There was a pus problem as well,” Min-soo explained. “Joon-gi and Lili insisted you were brought here for a more, um, professional surgery. It was a good decision, seeing as we found several flecks of arrowhead still lodged inside your muscle layer.”
“Are you saying Ayame’s a poor doctor?” Tae-woo said defensively.
There was a pregnant pause as Min-soo selected his words. “Medics like Ayame excel in battlefield treatment.”
“That sounds like a backhanded compliment.”
“Ayame and I have different skillsets.” Min-soo unwound the bandages on Tae-woo’s leg. It suddenly came to Tae-woo’s attention he wasn’t wearing any pants; only a very short robe meant for sleeping, and certainly convenient for exposing both his wounds for medical care. “I could never treat anyone under any amount of stress like she does, or with the limited resources she works with. Now, hold still while I apply this ointment,” Min-soo told him. “It might sting.”
Tae-woo hadn’t had an opportunity to see his wounds up close until now. The one on his thigh was the size of a small coin, with smaller tears in his flesh radiating outward. Two long, thin scars shot out from initial wound, where Ayame must have cut in to remove the arrowhead. The entire wound was neatly stitched together, and luckily, it looked as if it was in the beginning stages of healing.
“This is good,” Min-soo said, pointing at Tae-woo’s leg. “Look, there’s no more pus, and the edges of the wound aren’t enflamed anymore.” He smeared on a large glob of ointment. “You’re well on your way to a full recovery.”
After Min-soo finished with his leg, he moved aside the left shoulder of Tae-woo’s robe and began working on the wound underneath. As Min-soo rubbed in the cold ointment, Tae-woo asked, “Where is Lili?”
“You didn’t even bother to read the note she wrote you? It’s under the medicine I left.”
“Oh,” Tae-woo said sadly, taking the note. “I thought the note was instructions from you. That’s why I ignored it. I didn’t want to be put to sleep again.”
Min-soo tied off the bandage. “I put you to sleep because I knew you would move around too much otherwise, which hinders the healing process. Also, to dull the pain.” He felt Tae-woo’s forehead. “Your fever has broken, and I think you’re fine to get less rest now. Just be gentle on your leg. No running around.” Min-soo went to the door. “Now read the note from Lady Lili,” he said before sliding it shut behind him.
Unfolding the note, Tae-woo’s heart leaped when he saw familiar handwriting carefully penned on the inside of the letter. It read:
Tae-woo,
Don’t hate that I didn’t stick around after your surgery. You aren’t exactly thrilling company and standing guard at your bedside won’t accomplish anything. I’m going back to Suiko where my work is waiting for me. I’m sorry I got you hurt. Please, send for me when you wake up.
Love, Lili
Tae-woo couldn’t drag his eyes away from the word love. A flood of memories came rushing back, memories from the other side of his injury, the same night he and Lili ran into the slave traders. Had they kissed again? He remembered everything happening in the tent, her in his lap, her on top of him, but it seemed so surreal that at this point he wasn’t sure if it was just another fever dream to join all the others. Surely, it was as real as his wounds if it happened just before. Tae-woo heated up just thinking about it.
Suddenly, the door to Tae-woo’s room opened and Joon-gi stepped in. Tae-woo hastily shoved the note underneath his pillow.
“Good morning!” Joon-gi greeted. “Min-soo told me you were awake.”
“Only just.”
“I bring good news. The king has been filled in on the Xing-Kai trade and thinks it is most urgent. Whenever you feel ready, he says he will grant you audience.”
“Whenever?” Tae-woo thought an immediate audience with the king was an immense privilege.
“Well, within reason. Whenever he’s finished with whatever meeting he might be in,” Joon-gi said. “It’s not like we can interrupt a meeting he’s already in.”
“Right,” Tae-woo said before his stomach growled loudly. The one bowl of rice hadn’t done nearly enough to fill him since he had last eaten, whenever that was. In his medically-induced fog, he didn’t have any specific memories of eating, but certainly he had if he was alive.
“You sound hungry,” Joon-gi noticed, going to the door to fetch him some food. “After I have the palace staff bring you some food, I’ll bring the king to you.”
“Wait—”
Joon-gi went to the door. “Or perhaps I’ll have you go to the king. It might be good for you to start exercising that leg.”
“Joon-gi, wait—”
Joon-gi opened the door and stepped outside.
“I need to ask you about L—” Tae-woo began, but was cut off entirely as Joon-gi closed the door behind him.
As it turned out, walking to the king’s location in the council room wasn’t as difficult for Tae-woo as he thought. It took him much longer than he anticipated, and his limp embarrassed him deeply, but he got there eventually without anybody’s help. Tae-woo and Joon-gi sat at the vast wooden table in the dim council room across from the king.
“Ah, I see you’re recovering,” the king said. “Min-soo is quite the miracle worker, isn’t he?”
Tae-woo leveled an icy stare across the table. “Right.”
The king acted unperturbed by Tae-woo’s seemingly unprompted hostility. “Well, let’s start our meeting.” The king shuffled around some papers. “Joon-gi has informed me of the trade. He has told me South Kai has been stealing people from Xing and trafficking them through Wind Tribe territories to avoid stronger military resistance in Xing, am I correct? And then the slaves are brought into South Kai seaports?”
“Yes,” Tae-woo confirmed.
“That is quite the circuitous route.”
“It’s safest because Kouka has a nearly nonexistent navy. Your entire military is focused on land, currently, and even on land the Wind Tribe—the tribe with the smallest military of all the tribes—is too weak to engage one, let alone two countries at once.”
“And you decided to not inform me of the trade because…” the king trailed off.
Tae-woo began sweating. “Previously, I thought it was a conflict between two countries that did not involve me, and I thought I was sparing lives by staying quiet. Lili convinced me to come forward, to do what is right.”
“She is quite gifted in the art of persuasion,” Joon-gi said. “But I believe she is correct. Allowing a slave trade in Kouka could only lead to disaster.”
“I did make an agreement with Kouren and Tao to supervise their country,” the king remembered. “Permitting a slave trade would be a massive oversight on my part. I’m highly disappointed in you for not alerting me of this activity in my kingdom earlier.”
Tae-woo couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How dare the king scold him about ethical leadership practices? “I was doing what I thought was best at the time,” Tae-woo said through clenched teeth.
“Now that we have established we will not ignore the issue,” Joon-gi interjected, “what is the best course of action, going forward?”
“We will use Wind Tribe forces to systematically destroy all South Kai seaports,” the king said without hesitating. “I have been thinking about this for some time.”
Rage poured into Tae-woo’s veins. This ridiculous plan could only be designed as a punishment to the Wind Tribe. It was reckless, unrefined, and designed to maximize casualties. Additionally, the destruction of an entire seaport—every seaport—was needless. Wouldn’t it be more prudent to gather information on the slave trade before picking a fight? Kouka had barely survived their last conflict with Kai, and that was with the aid of the dragons. No, this plan of the kings was calculated to reprimand Tae-woo, to subjugate him, to make sure he obeyed in the future.
Tae-woo steeled himself. “With all due respect, Your Highness, I believe an alternate plan may be more suitable,” he said, digging his fingernails into his good thigh.
“Oh?”
“We have no intel on who is responsible for running the trade. Perhaps obtaining that information would be a more logical first step than running in and sweeping South Kai in a needlessly dangerous and costly campaign.”
The king gave a false smile. “You’re right. Determining the supply chain is an excellent idea. I suppose you would volunteer to travel to Xing and operate undercover to obtain that information.”
“What—”
“Yes, you seem quite willing, don’t you, Tae-woo?”
“I—”
“Otherwise, I’d have to send in all your Wind Tribe soldiers. Imagine how many would die. So many orphans. It would be a pity.”
At this point, Joon-gi was glancing back and forth between them, barely able to keep up, incredibly concerned about what the king was forcing Tae-woo to do. Tae-woo glowered across the table.
“Right,” the king said. “You’ve twisted my arm. I’ll allow you to go to Xing.”
Tae-woo leaped up. “I have duties here! Leading your people! Being a general for you! Send someone else! Send a spy who knows how to obtain information tactfully!”
The king remained level-headed despite Tae-woo’s outburst. “No, I don’t think I will. You wanted to help Xing, so our interests overlap, don’t they?” the king said. “I could temporarily appoint Han-dae as general in your place. Hopefully he will be sufficient at reining in your unruly tribe. It would be a shame if your tribe stepped out of line, and I had to send them to Kai regardless of your best efforts in Xing.”
“No!”
“And perhaps you shouldn’t be alone,” the king pondered. “I’ll send Lili with you. She has certainly showed interest in the matter.”
Joon-gi went white, but otherwise showed no signs of losing composure.
“You can’t do this!” Tae-woo shouted.
“As you so helpfully pointed out, sending one small army into a military stronghold is ‘not a good idea.’ I could increase the Wind Tribe’s military by drafting younger men and women if I really felt like it. Don’t you have a younger brother and sister?”
“I’ll go to Xing,” Tae-woo said, gripping the edges of the table so hard he swore it indented the table. “Just don’t involve my tribe.”
“Great! We’re in agreement, then,” the king said grinned. “I’m sure the Wind Tribe will be happy…but their future is completely reliant on your performance, I think. Oh, don’t forget, Lili will be in your company. She is quite excellent at obtaining information.”
Joon-gi began to show signs of weakness, but it wasn’t as if he could disagree with the king, either.
“Right,” Tae-woo seethed. “I won’t forget.”
The king got out a paper and brush and began to write a to-do list. “Let’s see…so many things to prepare. Perhaps I’ll establish contact with some friendlies in Xing. Maybe I’ll make a budget for getting you started there. Joon-gi, you should send for Lili. I’m sure she would like to be involved in the goings-on.”
Joon-gi muttered something that sounded like yes.
“Ah, I forgot,” the king said, adding another thing to his list. “I should gather the other generals to gain their approval. Additionally, we’ll need to induct Han-dae. Mundok should come along for that, too.”
Tae-woo swallowed the lump in his throat. The king was unfolding his plan however he wanted, no matter what Tae-woo or Joon-gi might say. Tae-woo might as well not be sitting there at all.
After Tae-woo hobbled back to his room after his doomed meeting with the king, Joon-gi met him there, wanting to discuss what had happened.
“This can only be punishment for the Wind Tribe’s belligerence in the past, and my silence about the slave trade currently,” Tae-woo told Joon-gi as he collapsed on his bed.
“Yes,” he agreed. “It is quite obvious.”
“He would send the Wind Tribe to a certain death,” Tae-woo said, massaging his leg as he stretched it out. “It makes no sense. Why would he want to destroy a portion of his own forces?”
“What use are disobedient soldiers to him?”
“I suppose none,” Tae-woo dropped his head into his hands. “And now I’ve gone and endangered a whole tribe, plus Lili.”
“No, Lili will be safe as long as she is with you,” Joon-gi assured. “That, I believe.”
Tae-woo gave him a lukewarm smile. “You think too highly of me.”
“You’re a good warrior,” Joon-gi said, “Even if you are distractable.”
“Thanks?”
“But we need to think about what we will tell Lili.”
“I’m assuming the king will tell Lili it’s our idea to go to Xing,” Tae-woo said. “We should proceed with that in mind. We’re not sure what he will say or how he will involve her, going forward.”
“You make a good point,” Joon-gi assented.
“Also, I need you to do me a favor. Please, watch over the Wind Tribe while I am away,” Tae-woo said with a deep sorrow in his voice. “You will have my everlasting gratitude.”
“It’s the least I can do while you are keeping Lili safe.”
Over the next several weeks, Tae-woo—and Lili, once she had been sent for—spent hours convincing each general in turn that penetrating a foreign country wouldn’t create conflict within their own tribes. Geun-tae was the first general to arrive, then Joo-doh, and finally Kyo-ga. Geun-tae didn’t give Tae-woo’s ‘proposal’ a second thought before accepting; the trade didn’t go through his tribe, so he didn’t care. Joo-doh seemed suspicious, but ultimately agreed with the king, to whom he was unwaveringly loyal, and allowed Tae-woo to leave. Kyo-ga was harder, especially since the Fire Tribe was neighboring South Kai and the Wind Tribe and he therefore felt some responsibility, but Tae-woo managed to end the meeting before Kyo-ga volunteered to help him at all. Involving more people is the last thing I need, Tae-woo thought.
Tae-woo assumed the king would bring Han-dae and Mundok to the castle first out of all the generals since they had to induct Han-dae him, but apparently the king was in no such rush. This made Tae-woo terribly uneasy as he had no idea what the king could be plotting by delaying Han-dae and Mundok’s arrival.
The only bright spot among the endless planning sessions was Lili’s presence. She had been filled in, and Tae-woo swore her attendance was the only reason Joo-doh ever agreed with their plan. Joo-doh was highly skeptical and sensed something was amiss, yet Lili had a way with words that Tae-woo did not, and Joo-doh caved in the end.
Regrettably, Tae-woo only ever saw Lili in these meetings; the moment they ended, she was bustled off in a crowd of attendants and Tae-woo was hurried into yet another meeting. As they were both hustled from the room, they were usually able to catch each other’s eyes, but that was the most private contact they had while they were at the castle.
Not even Joon-gi knew where Lili was staying during the preparatory meetings; it seemed to be a secret kept by the king. This was distressing to Joon-gi, until Tae-woo had the idea to pay off one of the castle attendants.
“I’ve heard rumors Lady Lili is lodging in Kuuto,” the attendant said, glancing around in fear.
Tae-woo handed the attendant a large sum of money, obtained from Joon-gi. “Thank you. I won’t tell anyone you told me.”
That evening, Tae-woo went to the castle gate to find her, wherever in Kuuto she may be.
“Sorry,” the gatekeeper told him. “I’m not to let you leave. The king’s orders.”
“What?”
“Don’t ask me why,” the guard said, hefting his axe. “I don’t make the rules.”
Steaming, he abandoned his plans to visit Lili. Tae-woo briefly considered escaping before he realized he didn’t have enough strength in his leg and shoulder to climb over the sizeable castle wall, and quickly gave up the idea. To rectify this, over the next few weeks he spent his free time outside of meetings taking brisk walks in the garden. Each day his leg grew stronger and hurt less. Peeking under the bandages when Min-soo changed them, it looked like less of a disaster each time.
Though his body improved, his mind began to wear. As immaculate as his prison was, he loathed being trapped inside the castle, distanced from Lili. He began having doubts as to whether the kiss in the tent ever happened. Could his memory from that time be trusted? In fact, could his emotions from then be trusted? He was awfully upset by Lili’s engagement, and many other events surrounding it. Their first kiss was out of convenience. Was their second one out of desperation? He wasn’t sure what anything meant anymore.
As time marched on, the fear of abandonment settled in. After six weeks of little personal contact, did Lili care about him still? Tae-woo wished he could talk to her about it, but he couldn’t, and he grew increasingly lonely and agitated.
Then, as Tae-woo was opening the large oaken doors to the council room, heading in to yet another meeting, he ran into Vold. Tae-woo thought Vold looked thinner and more ragged since he had last seen him over a year ago. This raised concern, but he couldn’t bring it up while they were inside the castle.
“Long time, no see!” Vold greeted cheerfully.
“Are you here for the meeting?”
“Yes. In fact, I’ll be here until you’re ready to leave for Xing,” he told Tae-woo. “I’m your escort.”
Tae-woo held the door open and they walked into the council room together, both taking their seats. “Really? That’s great! I need all the help I can get.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” Vold said. Tae-woo could tell he was smiling through his mask.
The king and Lili took their spots across the expansive table from Tae-woo and Vold. “Ah, it looks like our correspondent from Xing has finally arrived,” the king greeted. “Welcome to Kouka.”
“Thanks,” Vold said stiffly.
Damn, Tae-woo thought, Vold sounds awfully chilly towards the king.
“I suppose we’ll get right to it.” The king looked through a handful of letters he had. “You said you had some information on the slave trade? Could you share with Tae-woo and Lili?”
Vold nodded. “A cursory investigation leads me to believe the village of Peifan is an exceptional target for the human trafficking you mentioned.”
“Do you have any suggestions for how we proceed with Tae-woo and Lili’s undercover operation?”
“I suggest we obtain a property where they can pose as residents. Locals are closed off and distrustful of outsiders. Most real estate in Peifan is inexpensive, luckily, so it should be easy to obtain. For other materials such as clothing, I suggest we buy in Kouka and carry to Xing.”
The king looked over his notes. “Given the figures you’ve sent, the budget I’ve allocated allows for a small property and provisions should more than cover it.”
Lili cleared her throat. “Excuse me. A small property? Singular?”
“Yes,” Vold confirmed. “It makes the most sense for both of you to live together and pose as a married couple to avoid suspicion.”
Tae-woo leaped up. “That’s going too far.”
“I can’t force you to do anything, but your operation will be at risk if you draw attention to yourselves,” Vold said.
“Sit down, Tae-woo.” Lili rolled her eyes. “It’s not like it’s real. We’ll do it.”
Just as the meeting was ending, Tae-woo was about to make a fresh attempt to catch Lili but was foiled once again, this time by Vold seizing his bicep and guiding him out the door.
“I have more to discuss with you,” Vold whispered in Tae-woo’s ear as he steered him into the garden.
“We were just in an hour-long meeting,” Tae-woo groaned.
Vold towed Tae-woo to a bench underneath a lush trellis in the palace gardens. It was sufficiently far from the palace entrance and the guards posted thereat. Seemingly satisfied with the privacy they had obtained, he said, “I wasn’t telling the entire truth during the meeting.”
“You’re kidding.”
“What I said in the meeting was the sanitized version. The version that was okay for the king to hear. I need to talk to you and Lili alone.”
Tae-woo laughed. “Even I haven’t been able to see Lili alone, and the king won’t let me leave the castle to find her.” Tae-woo felt his wounds. “I’m not sure if I’m up to an escape yet, either.”
“That’s fine,” Vold said. “I don’t want to strain your body. I’ll find her tonight and inform her separately.”
Tae-woo’s heart dropped when he heard the word separate, but he knew there wasn’t much hope of getting them together privately. “What did you have to tell me, then?”
“The Xing you know is gone,” he told Tae-woo in a hushed voice.
Judging from Vold’s emaciated and tattered state, Tae-woo could have gathered as much. “What happened?”
“After Xing made the deal with Kouka and allowed the king a supervisory reign…well…the king has been neglectful, and Xing has sunken into an impoverished state. Famine has left us destitute, but the king has been too occupied with his many conflicts in Kouka to do give us any aid. The slave trade sneaking in when we don’t have the strength to resist is only one sad facet. Crime—certainly in the name of desperation—has never been higher, bandits abound, and almost everyone knows someone who has died of starvation. As you can imagine, the poor conditions have stirred up the previous division between the Tao or Kouren factions, though Tao and Kouren remain united.”
Tae-woo sat stunned. “I had no idea things were this bad.” And the king had the nerve to call me neglectful for failing to report the traders walking through my land, when he was allowing a second kingdom to suffer, Tae-woo thought bitterly. What a hypocrite.
“We need you and Lili,” Vold said earnestly. “I would go to Peifan myself, but Kouren can’t be without me for long. Assassins from opposing factions are constantly targeting her. It’s horrible, Tae-woo. Princess Tao went missing only three days before I left, and Algira was murdered a month ago.”
“Algira’s dead?” Tae-woo shouted. Sympathy leaked into Tae-woo’s heart. “You can count on Lili and I.”
“Good,” Vold said, relieved. “Finally, Xing is getting the help from Kouka we desperately need.”
Tae-woo felt guilty he had been complicit in inaction, but now that he was finally involved, the king was threatening his tribe. “Is there anything else you need to tell me?”
Vold nodded. “Peifan is a town bordering the Wind Tribe. It’s nearly lawless, and has been stricken most severely by the famine, as it is distant from agricultural communities and wagons carrying food often get attacked by bandits before they can get anywhere near it. Peifan has no local agriculture, because rather than fields and animals, the town’s economy is supported by prostitution and illegal gambling. The turbulent conditions in Peifan could be a reason why multitudes of missing persons reports have gone ignored in the past, especially by those outside of Peifan.”
“Oh my god.” Tae-woo put his head in his hands.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find more information easily enough if you ask the right people,” Vold assured. “If you survive,” he added.
“If I survive?”
“It’s a rough place,” Vold shrugged. “The reason why housing is cheap is because nobody wants to live in such a place, but at least it will be easy for us to secure housing for you two.”
Tae-woo’s expression darkened. “Right. Pretending to be a married couple,” he said through gritted teeth.
“I’m serious, Tae-woo. Avoiding suspicion could be the difference between life and death. If the traders you’re chasing catch on, you could be killed.”
“You’re right,” Tae-woo sighed. “Is that why we need to buy clothing in Kouka? For disguises?”
“Yes. Obtaining clothing and other goods will be much easier here than in Xing. Also, we want to refrain from buying much in Xing and revealing how much money you have,” Vold said. “Frankly, you and Lili appear much too rich and healthy to be Xingese citizens, currently.”
“Rich?”
“When we go shopping together, we’ll find darker, simpler robes with less refined cloth. Also, you’re too well-groomed. Don’t cut your hair anymore. Most men have theirs long and straggly looking now. Make it seem like you’ve given up.”
“You’re kidding,” Tae-woo said in disbelief. He needed his hair cut several weeks ago anyway, perhaps while he was sleeping, but his parents normally cut it for him, so his hair was longer than what he liked, currently.
“You should lose weight, too.”
“What?”
“You asked me for help, and this is what I’m suggesting. If you’re to convince people you’re a Xingese citizen, you need to look scrawny.”
“I’m not sure if I have much weight to lose,” Tae-woo said doubtfully, examining his body.
“You’d be surprised,” Vold disagreed. “Either way, I doubt you will have to try when you arrive in Xing. But for now, eat less. Get used to being hungry.”
“Alright, but I’m not sure how Lili will take it.”
Vold stood. “She seems like a determined young lady. I think she will be willing to do whatever is required to help my people.” He placed a small book on Tae-woo’s lap. “Here are some basic phrases and vocabulary of the native language. You may want to commit them to memory.”
“When I went to Xing last time everyone spoke the same language as us,” Tae-woo pointed out, before amending it to, “as me.”
“I’m not sure of the linguistic habits in Peifan, but since it’s away from the city I wouldn’t count on everyone speaking your language. But since Peifan is near the border, I’m assuming many residents know both languages.” Vold straightened his clothing and said, “I have another book for Lili to learn from. Perhaps you two can study together.”
“I haven’t spoken to her outside the council room in six weeks! There’s no way I can make that happen.”
Vold smirked. “That must be frustrating for you.”
“It is!”
“If it’s any reassurance, I will try to locate Lili in Kuuto tonight. I’ll inform her of what I told you,” he said, stepping out from under the trellis. Vold nodded at the phrasebook. “Start learning. For now, sit tight and be good for the king.”
Lili was biting her nails and pacing around in circles in her bedroom—well, not her bedroom, but the bedroom of an inn Soo-won was lodging her at. This was her routine nearly every night since she had returned to Kuuto, and it was always followed by a fitful night’s sleep. Not only was she endlessly worried about her nadai business in Suiko—and now Sensui—but her anxiety about Tae-woo grew exponentially each day.
Every morning she banged on the castle gate, begging for entry, but the guards never did until Kye-sook, followed by an all-seeing hoard of attendants, escorted her in and from meeting to meeting. With this bothersome entourage, she doubted she would ever get a spare moment to speak to Tae-woo. But at least his wounds appeared to be healing, and that was the least she could ask for. Lili briefly considered asking notes to be passed onto him but decided against it. Not only was it risky—she didn’t know who might decide to read her private messages—but it could be distracting for him. Lili had borne many years of isolation by pretending she wasn’t missing out on anything. Sending letters reminding Tae-woo they were apart would only make things worse.
But still, from across the oaken table each day Lili could see a troubled look in Tae-woo’s blue eyes and it disturbed her. What could he be upset about? Was he being treated poorly? Were his wounds hurting him? Was he tired? Was he worried about Fuuga? And of course, the ever-present thought, Is he thinking about me?
Just as Lili was making one last lap around her room, about to call it a night, a knock sounded on her door. Reaching for the nearest heavy object (a candlestick holder), she sidled up to the door and opened it a crack.
“Good evening, Lady Lili!” a jovial voice greeted.
“Vold?” Lili put down the holder and opened the door wider. “Is that you?” Lili asked. She invited him inside quickly. “I’m relieved you came!”
“It wasn’t easy to track you down.”
Lili gave Vold a tight hug. “I’ve been so alone, Vold.” A single tear leaked onto the front of his shirt. “I’m hurried into the castle for meetings and hurried right back out by Kye-sook before anybody has a chance to talk to me. I’m sure they want to prevent me and Tae-woo from causing trouble for Soo-won, but I haven’t figured out why.”
“There’s more happening than the king is letting on,” Vold offered, holding her out at arm’s length. “In fact, I’m sure even Tae-woo is hiding something. The reason I came tonight was to tell you I have additional information I couldn’t share in the meeting. I suppose we all have something to hide,” he chuckled.
As Vold explained to Lili the state of Xing kingdom, Lili felt a sinking in her gut. Not only was it a deep sympathy for Vold, but an unsettling feeling of foreboding. She couldn’t help but wonder if tackling a slave trade in a foreign country was a much larger task than what she initially imagined. Lili wondered if she was getting ahead of herself, but she couldn’t help but wonder if the nadai trade was involved in the human trafficking. Narcotics almost always were, and the mention of prostitution raised a red flag.
As Vold gave her a small dictionary and phrase booklet, he asked, “Are you sure all of this isn’t too much to ask of you, Lady Lili? The weight, the clothes, the language? The pretend marriage?”
Lili paged through the phrase booklet. “Tae-woo acted quite immature about the fake marriage. It’s not a big deal,” she said nonchalantly. “If giving up a few comforts, learning a new language, and living with a boy are what it takes to revive a village, then that is what I’ll do.”