Toxic Roots - II

"Enjoy your stroll master Li," Seo bids him a tenacious goodbye. "We ride early tomorrow."

"We do?" Seol's eyebrows raise. "Are you in a condition to ride?"

They have left the envoy so far behind them that the old man could no longer hear this exchange. Apart from the trees that rustled over head and the swinging beam of light from the lantern Seo carried, the night is unremarkable.

"Your highness handled that well," Seo tells her instead. "In Songak falling into a treasonous trap is as easy as falling asleep - especially when there are so many people intending to pit you and donggunnim mama against one another."

"I have no intention of usurping Yong," Seol sighs. "I don't want the throne. For so long, I've always believed if I live like that, if I remain loyal, hold up my end of duties - I won't be betrayed or hurt."

Seo pauses on his tracks, examining her face. The hurt wouldn't be apparent to someone who did not knew her the way Seo did.

"Yong maybe a very good crown prince - but sometimes he forgets to be an equally considerate brother. I learned that only today. I learned what makes him more suitable for the dragon throne. I couldn't bring myself to leave you. For Yong it would have been another decision in the larger scheme of things - but for me, you will always be a moot point. Not even open for discussion."

Seo finds himself unable to answer her sincerity. Seol as he knew her, wouldn't have been so open about what had hurt her, not unless she believed he could remedy that. And he couldn't. He wished she wouldn't ask him to.

"You told me I shouldn't feel the way I do," she continues, ignoring the way Min Ha gasps behind them. "You said you shouldn't matter to me. You said we cannot return to how things were without putting a lot of people into trouble. I understand that now. There are a lot of people willing to draw that line between us. And you want to allow them.

"Will you make a promise in return?"

The silence stretches. He makes no promises in advance.

"I don't wish to go through what I did today. In return of us drawing this line between us, of me abiding by the rules everyone is so inclined to force upon us, I want you to make me a promise Kang Seo. You shall never put yourself in mortal danger for me again. No -" she presses on when he moves to speak. "No - let me speak, either you stay away from danger or I will erase this line you have drawn between us. Either you stay safe, or I shall keep you safe - No matter what it takes to ensure that. The choice is yours General Kang, choose wisely."

Seo watches her. The lantern dangling from his arm throws odd shadows against his face and deep in his eyed a strange greed flickers. He attempts to speak but bites back the words, his free hand flexing and then curling into a fist. He drops his eyes, tracing a pattern embroidered into the toes of Seol's shoe instead of meeting her gaze.

"I've never been given such an ultimum before," he says in the end. "You have a generous heart, mama."

Seol sighs.

"You may take your time and consider," she tells him, as if she had put forth a business proposal instead. "You have the entire winter to decide."

He nods, jerkingly. Tips of his ears straining pink. Seo delays a moment before joining her on the walk toward the princess residence.

"Would you agree for a suggestion mama?" He asks after a moment, his voice still strained with the earlier sense of discomfort but his thoughts already straying to other matters. Seol returns a questioning glance. "Invite your third brother to accompany us North."

"Ha," Seol says drily. "Another chaperone?"

"Not quite," Seo says in a low voice, his brows knotting. "I'm concerned about what sort of learning the third prince is exposed to under the tutelage of Physician Jae."

Seol draws to a halt, frowning, they stand in the shadow of the first gate leading to princess residence, grown thick with bushes bearing summer berries.

"What has he done? That envoy said he wishes to see him."

If only, Seo's frown deepened.

"We would know in the morning," he said cryptically. "But the man seems to be haunted by ghosts of his own mind. Such men are a danger to everybody. An impressionable child should not be left in the care of such a man."

"I will speak with Yul." Seol nods promptly.

"Don't tell him of what we suspect mama."

"Tell him you miss him, and nothing would please you more."

"Seo -" the doubt clogging her throat she is unsure how it should be worded. "Physician Jae, is he - do you think he is responsible for what happened out there?"

"I don't think he summoned the Sleep Stealer Mama. But he may very well have. Tonight he revealed a face, I don't think many knew he had been hiding."

*