22 That Sly Fox 2

"Report." The desperate Shinrae muttered as she walks back and forth while thinking of a way how she will snuck-in into the cold palace, just as she told the second princess.

"The princess's head court lady, Ki Joo-In assisted the the imperial princess to the cold palace, mistress."

She stopped on her tracks as she turned her gaze at Wangyu. She nibbed on her finger before uttering a word;

"Make sure that you get to be her night guard. That will be enough, no... that will be more convenient in fact."

"As you wish, mistress. I am in your command." Wangyu replied.

"Ah! And make sure to suggest putting bars on her windows so that she won't escape. It will be troublesome if she escapes." Then she walked back and forth as she is lost in her thoughts once again.

"Pardon...? Your highness?" The startled Wangyu asked.

"Did you not hear me? Bar up her windows. Who knows what might be of outcome if she escapes. Either way, if she ends up running away, she will be just pressed as guilty of poisoning bought the grandmother empress and the. crown prince. I trust this to you Wangyu..." Princess Shinrae walked towards Wangyu and continued as she places her right hand on the kneeling Wangyu's right shoulder, "...Because I know that you are capable."

"I understand your highness." Wangyu bowed his head before leaving the room.

First princess Shinrae just watched Wangyu's broad back as he left, and then, once he exited the door, she walked to a drawer and opened it. Princess Shinrae pulled out a brown pocket bag and placed it above the molave drawer.

"Hwayoung, when the dawn comes, deliver this bag of silver ingot that I have promised, too that young lad... Min Wangyu." Princess Shinrae ordered as she makes her way to her canopy bed. She smiled while brushing her hair.

'Haaah... who would have thought it would turn out this way?' She asked to herself. The smile that was plastered to her face earlier slowly fade, and there replaced by a frown. Her expression turned grim.

"Yes... your highness. I shall do so." Hwayoung replied to the first imperial princess. She reaches for the bag of ingot as tries to control her trembling hands. She gulped hard like there was a lump on her throat, when she got hold of the brown pocket bag.

The first princess Shinrae can't help but notice the unbearable trembling hands of the young lady. She buried deep her stare at Hwayoung before asking;

"Your hands." Shinrae paused, and waited for the assistant court lady's response will be. "What has happened to your hands?" She added.

"Ah! I apologize, your highness." Hwayoung apologized as she bowed to the princess.

"Answer my question truthfully. What has happened to your hands." Shinrae repeated.

The reluctant Hwayoung took a glimpse onto head lady Cheonyu with a nervous expression plastered on her face. "You made me repeat myself twice already. You... sighs... I am being very patient this past few days... now speak before I misunderstand and cut off your trembling hands." Princess Shinrae warned.

"Your Highness, I think it would be best if I handle this situation. You have been feeling unwell since this morning." Head lady Cheonyu butted in, into the conversation with a worried look.

"No, Cheonyu. I can handle." Her Highness, princess Shinrae smiled at her before looking back at Hwayoung.

Hwayoung then noticed the piercing stare that her mistress is giving her. " Th-this is because I... I... I received my punishment from head lady Cheonyu." She stuttered.

Shinrae then glanced at head lady Cheonyu, waiting for her response. " It was all fit to her, Your Highness, for her tardiness." She reasoned out.

"Cheonyu... didn't I told you that it was all right?" Shinrae glared at Cheonyu.

"Yes, Your Highness. Even so, she must be discipline. I was only doing my duty, Your Highness."

"I see. Was duty is it disobey my words?" Shinrae questioned her. Annoyed.

"N-no Your Highness! I... This subject dares not to." Cheonyu faltered, as her eyes shakes in nervous.

" Lies. Get out of here!" Shinrae yelled. But as soon as she does, her head ached a lot that made her out of balance. But thankfully, she was able to get a grip on the table near her for support to remain standing. She caress her forehead.

"Your Highness!" The worried court ladies yelled in unison as they rushed to their mistress.

"What the... Didn't I said get out of here?! All of you!" Shinrae yelled once again. But was more furious this time around.

" Do as Her Highness says. Leave the room first." Cheonyu told the court ladies.

Although the court ladies does not want to, they left the first princess's chamber quietly.

"Your Highness, they are all-"

"That includes you too, Cheonyu." Princess Shinrae cut Cheonyu off.

Head Lady stared at the first princess for quite a while before saying; "Yes, mistress." and there, he left the room just like the other court ladies did.

"Haaah... How troublesome. A fever in the middle this kind of situation, this is giving me more headache than what I already have." She murmured to herself while caressing her forehead.

Sighs...

"Now that I think about it, was head lady Cheonyu has always been like that?" Shinrae asked herself. "Cheonyu and Hwayoung... seems like there is a tension between the two." Then she sighed once again.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!

Shinrae was startled with the loud knock that made her froze in to her spot.

"Shinrae, open up."

'Ah, that voice... it must be him.'

"Come on in..." She paused as the door slowly revealed the person behind it as it opens. "It has been a long time... Taejoo." She ended her sentence.

"Yes, it has been." He agreed.

"What brings my lovely sister's husband here?" She asked in a 'lovely' manner.

"Stop feigning ignorance." Taejoo said as he sat on the couch, not far enough to the princess.

"Sitting comfortably in my couch without even asking my permission for you to do so." The irritated Shinrae fussed.

"Well, unlike you, spying around me. Haaahh... really, at first I was kind of amused on how he was trying to be unnoticeable as possible. But... Sighs." Then Taejoo exaggeratedly caress his forehead as if annoying the first princess.

"He's just like a lousy mouse that was about to be caught on a trap." Then he chuckled.

Shinrae's eyes widened. "So you found out already. Hahaha as expected no less from you Taejoo." Amused, she said it as she walks to her canopy bed.

"Worry not. It is just to make sure that you are not acting on your own." Then Shinrae smiled.

"Haah... to be honest, I really don't think that it is necessary." Taejoo smirked at the end of his sentence.

Unknown to the princess what the prince consort was talking about, she just stared at him for a while.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

Taejoo beamed a smile at the first princess as he stand up and walked towards her.

"I propose an alliance between the two of us. Your goal is the same with 'mine', is it not?" After Taejoo said those words, the corner of his lips arch up and formed into a smirk.

"What else can I say? You've already found me out, of course I wouldn't decline such an offer. After all, you're right." Shinrae replied.

"Ahh... now then, I guess I need to go! And one more thing. Tell that lousy mouse stop following me. He even keeps an eye on me even when I'm bathing! Ah! He's giving me creeps!" He complain like a child throwing a tantrum while leaving the first princess's room.

"Ah, and another one more thing, how do you plan to outwit the mother empress's schemes?" Taejoo asked.

"Don't call her mother empress, when she is not even your mother. You just married off to our Ye Beom, and the matter with mother empress... I... still do not know... of why she's doing this to Ye Beom. She used to be the warmest person ever to Ye Beom, but now." Shinrae muttered in a sad voice.

"It doesn't matter to me how the Empress changed towards Ye Beom. What matters to me is to protect Ye Beom against her mother, the Empress." Taejoo then left the room in silence after saying those words.