"Where is the mourning attire?" Yeoning asks looking so lifeless.
"Yeoning." Suk-bin calls still in tears. "I don't think we should do that."
"Mom." He smiles bitterly. "Seol Im of all people died and you expect me not to mourn her?"
"It will cause an uproar in the palace, they might think you had something to do with her as a man." Suk-bin whispers.
"I don't care mom." Yeoning whispers. "I have to live the rest of my life all alone now, no friend anymore."
"I don't want you to do this, even Seol Im won't be happy if she sees you acting like this." Suk-bin tries to comfort her son. "I expect you to start thinking of how to bring Gwang Jae to justice."
"What can we do mom?" Yeoning asks looking powerless and hopeless.
"At the moment, there is nothing we can do." She replies sadly. "I was told that he always sexually harasses and assault women, he even forces giseangs to serve him, and if they refuse? He threatens to take their lives."
"Really?" The prince asks again.
"Yes." Suk-bin nods. "He seldom sleeps in the palace at nights, he prefers to spend mosts of his night in the private chambers his mother's political supporters both him in the city with any lady that is going to be serving him that night."
"I don't believe that." Yeoning says and shakes his head in disagreement. "Gwang Jae might look very bad or tough, but I don't think he can be that terrible."
"Are you trying to defend him now?" Suk-bin scoffs. "Don't try that, you can't defend someone that you don't even know. Whether he is that or not, I don't think the lady investigators will lie or make up anything. But to be sure of all, you can make your own private investigations."
"Your majesty, it is I lady Baek. Jung guem from the office of lady investigator is here to see you." She announces.
"Let her in." Suk-bin orders and adjusts herself properly, her son does the same too.
Jung guem enters the room her bows. "Suk-bin your majesty, prince Yeoning your highness, how are you both doing?"
"Have your seat!" Suk-bin orders ignoring her greetings.
"Yes, your majesty." Jung guem says and sits.
Yeoning picks up Seol IM's last words and folds it back in the envelope then faces jung guem. "Why didn't you tell me when all these started?" He asks with a lot of pains.
"Forgive me your highness." Jung guem says and bows. "Seol Im asked us not to mention a single word to you or Suk-bin her majesty."
"Who did this?" Yeoning asks again.
Jung guem raises her head hastily. She already had tears in her eyes. "Prince Gwang Jae did it, your highness." She answers with a lot of Confidence and certainty.
Yeoning bangs his hand on the small table in front of him in annoyance and then clinch his fists. "I can't believe this, I can't believe this is happening, I won't forgive him, I won't forgive Gwang Jae for this." He murmurs beneath his breath.
"Prince Gwang Jae is a man that speaks and thinks so ill and low of women, I do not think he should even have the right or access to any woman." Jung Guem furthers.
"I will repay death with deaths, I will repay tears with blood, I will repay pains with burdens." Yeoning whispers.
"Your highness." Jung Guem calls. "You must become crown prince no matter what." She whispers.
"Jung Guem!" Suk-bin calls to caution. "Mind what you say?"
"Your majesty." Jung Guem faces the royal noble consort of the highest order. "If a man like prince Gwang Jae becomes king, what will happen to people like us? What will happen to our pride of being a woman? What will happen to our dignity?" She asks with tears rolling off her eyes.
"Jung Guem." Suk-bin calls again whispering.
"Your majesty, you must do all it takes and make sure prince Yeoning sits on the throne."
"You shouldn't say things like this, what if someone hears you? It might cause a really great commotion." Suk-bin nags.
"Mom." Prince Yeoning calls calmly.
"Yes, my son."
"I will become the crown prince by all means."
"Yeoning!" She calls with surprise and amazement.
"I will claim that title with everything I have and see to it that he goes to prison for what he did to Seol Im." Yeoning says. "We can't touch him when his mom is still alive, but once I become crown prince, I have an upper hand. I will make sure he pays dearly for ever harassing women."
"Please, do not seek power for revenge. Revenge won't totally ease your pain, it will only make you feel better for a while." Suk-bin pleads.
"I need that power to survive, if I don't become the crown prince, do you think I will survive?" Yeoning asks his mom.
"I will make sure I protect you no matter what happens. No harm shall befall you or my supporters as far as I am still alive." Suk-bin assures.
"You can only protect us when Gwang Jae is still a prince, the moment he becomes crown prince, our lives will depend on his order, and I will never allow that to happen." Yeoning says boldly.
"Your highness." Jung guem calls. " I have an idea on what you can do."
"Really?" Yeoning asks with a lot of interests. "Let me hear it."
"Two years ago, you were attacked by thieves in the market square, isn't it?" Jung guem asks.
"Yes." Yeoning nods. "Which was how I got to know my wife to be Ok Jung, she came to my rescue that day."
"Your highness, I am afraid to tell you that those thieves weren't ordinary thieves."
"They weren't ordinary thieves?" Suk-bin asks.
"Yes, your majesty." Jung Guem replies and bows.
"What do you mean by that?" Yeoning asks.
"Those people were deliberately sent to you by someone, to take your life and then later cover it up as a thief just attacking a man for his money." Jung Guem replies releasing a very heavy bombshell.