15 ⚜️🌺 Red Moon
Lady Lim screeched as she was thrown to the ground. A man cackled, pinning her down and licking his lower lip.
"What is this beauty doing outside of the palace gates? Meeting a lover?" the man asked. Not just any man… Seonu's lackey and a low-level minister, Han Jin Gyu.
Lady Lim gasped, struggling to break free.
"Who are you?! Let me go!" she shouted.
Jin Gyu leaned closer to her face, giggling. His breath warmed her cheek with the smell of alcohol.
"Did you see His Highness sneaking in to see his toy?" he grinned. Lady Lim held her breath, muffling. "How about you be mine? His Majesty doesn't seem to care about his court ladies anyway."
He pressed his nose against Lady Lim's neck as she closed her eyes tightly.
"No!" she yelled. If Seon-in comes, she will be next! Lady Lim pushed him to the tree, bruising his head.
"You impudent bitch!" Jin Gyu cursed, touching his head.
Lady Lim reached into her belt, flashing a dagger between them.
"Don't you dare come any closer!"
Jin Gyu sneered at her, crawling closer to her.
"What will you do about it?! Huh! A nobody like you against me! A minister like me!" Jin Gyu taunted. Then he hurled toward her.
She turned away and slashed his hand, marking. He screamed in pain.
"Don't get close to me!" Lady Lim demanded.
Jin Gyu gritted his teeth, blood dripping from his hand. His other hand reached the ground. He noticed the loose dirt on his fingertip and grinned. He grabbed a handful before taking another step closer.
"So what? Do you want to go to jail for injuring a nobleman?!" he replied. Lady Lim pointed the tip of her dagger at him. He stopped and stood straight, whispering. "The palace is dangerous for a pretty lady like you…"
He tossed the dirt at her face. She looked away, pointing the dagger away—
"You bitch!" Jin Gyu called, grabbing her wrists and slamming her down.
"Let go!" she pushed as hard as she could. He ripped her jeogori like an animal, revealing her shoulder and the wrapped chest. "No!"
"I'll take you home with me and play with you all night and day!" Jin Gyu threatened.
Lady Lim ground her teeth. No… Not while I'm alive and have to protect Seon-in! She quickly mustered her strength and marked Jin Gyu's cheek.
He froze, blood trickling down to her face slowly. He glared at her and snatched the dagger from her. Then, without a thought, he thrashed it below her chest. She gasped, unable to breathe.
"How dare you?!" he muttered before throwing another stab.
Lady Lim's hand trembled below his belt, grabbing his ornament before he stood. Blood pooled beneath her body as she didn't move.
Jin Gyu wiped the blood off his hands as he stared at the dagger.
"Should have just listened when I told you…" he stated. Just then, a whistle ascended by the gate. Jin Gyu glanced over his shoulder in panic and ran off. "Fuck… I have to move. Now!"
Seon-in skipped through the gate happily.
"His Majesty will now let me return home because I failed to do a good job!" she celebrated. Then she looked ahead, smiling. "Where is Unnie?"
Seon-in searched everywhere before—
A bag.
She picked it up.
"What's this?" she wondered, opening it. Her eyes widened. "Unnie? Did she buy this for me?"
Seon-in placed it on her palm and smiled. An expensive ink used only by high-level ministers. She glanced around before turning her head to the road, dropping the ink as her face paled.
"Unnie!" she screamed, tears running down her face. Seon-in ran to Lady Lim, grabbing her body. Her breath was uneven. "Unnie… what happened?"
Lady Lim's hand slowly raised to Seon-in's cheek as she faintly smiled.
"Seon-in Ah…" she whispered… then her hand fell.
Seon-in held her breath, frozen. She hesitantly shook her head, panting. She hugged Lady Lim closely.
"N-No… Unnie… I'm here… I…"
While Hye-shik ran back to the Forbidden Library after following Seon-in.
"Your Majesty…" he called urgently.
Baek looked at him.
"Yes?"
"There's… an incident… Lady Park… is holding a bloody body—"
Baek quickly stood and hurried out of the door after hearing blood. He stormed to the North Gate and searched for her. He stopped at her cry.
"Unnie! Wake up! I promise you that I will listen… please!" Seon-in begged, shaking Lady Lim's body. She pressed her face against Lady Lim's cold cheek, covering Lady Lim's chest.
"Lady… Park?" Baek called.
Seon-in paused, turning to him. She choked on the cry and gently placed Lady Lim down. Leaving blood on the ground as she crawled, lowering her head.
"Y-Your Majesty… please… please find the person who did this to my Unnie!" she cried.
Baek slowly bent down to her face as his hand reached for her face.
"What happened?" he asked. He glanced at Lady Lim's body.
"My unnie… someone hurt her… please… I'm begging you, Your Majesty… I will do anything…" Seon-in added, hitting her forehead onto the ground. "Please!"
Hye-shik panted from behind and averted his eyes, unable to see a palace maid's dead body.
"Your Majesty… it's a palace maid—"
"Not just any palace maid! This is my unnie… she…" Seon-in argued. She looked at Baek. "She's my family… please!"
Hye-shik frowned, guilt staining over his face.
"But… what could we do if we don't know—?"
Seon-in shook her head, looking at Lady Lim's body. Her hand. Seon-in reached for the ornament. Jin Gyu's ornament. She handed it to Baek.
"This… this isn't hers… it's a man…" Seon-in begged.
"How would you know if it's not her lover?" Baek asked sternly.
Seon-in bit her lower lip.
"Because… she…" she paused, looking down. She closed her eyes. "She was the one sending you those notes. She was the person that I was supposed to meet… she's… Lim Chu Hyuk's daughter!"
Baek stared at Seon-in, silence staying between them.
"So… you're able to read then," Baek said seriously.
Seon-in pressed her head against the ground, her palms facing the moon.
"I… I'll take any punishment you have for me, Your Majesty… but I beg you… she means no harm. Someone killed her, and she deserves justice!"
"How can I trust you when you lied to me once already?"
"You can use me!" Seon-in argued, locking eyes with him. He furrowed his brow. "I'll be your greatest asset against this bastard who murdered my Unnie!"
"Lady Park, how do you know if it's a murder?" Baek questioned. He stood and looked down. "It's hard to say that… as a traitor's daughter—"
"Is staying true to your morals considered a traitor?!" Seon-in shouted, interrupting. Baek flinched. She kept her knees to the ground and lifted her upper body. "Did putting my grandfather in exile for staying true to his morals help this kingdom in any way? So what if her father was called a traitor! But she… she hasn't even done anything to betray this kingdom!"
Hye-shik tightened his jaw, staring at Seon-in. I can't believe she dared to raise her voice at His Majesty. The ruler of this kingdom… He shook his head.
Baek grabbed her chin and grinned.
"No one has dared to raise their voice at me before… they feared that once I'm angry, they'll get cursed. Aren't you afraid that I'll curse you?" Baek threatened.
Her jaw tensed.
"I would rather die begging you to seek justice… than not to say anything."