The night had seemed peaceful, a serene calm settling over the Hae estate. Yet, behind the closed doors of their room, Lord Hae Jung Min and Lady Do Hwa were engaged in a tense and urgent discussion. Their voices were hushed, their words too faint to be heard by anyone outside. Lady Do Hwa's eyes were glistened with tears, her voice was quivering as she asked, "What will become of our family?"
The dawn arrived with a sudden and violent upheaval. The tranquility of the estate was shattered when a group of soldiers stormed the Hae estate, their swords and spears glinting menacingly in the early morning light. They showed no mercy, cutting down everyone in sight—men, women, and children alike. The air was filled with the horrifying sounds of screams and the clash of weapons, creating a symphony of chaos and bloodshed.
Mi-hyang was jolted awake by her terrified mother, who clutched baby Min-jun tightly in her arms. "We must go, Mi-hyang!" Do Hwa cried, her voice a mix of fear and urgency. Determined to save as many lives as possible, she quickly gathered her children, some relatives, and a few loyal servants, leading them through the hidden paths of their estate.
Lord Hae Jung Min joined them, his face set with grim determination. They moved swiftly towards the mountainous path near their house, their only hope of escape. However, their flight did not go unnoticed. A soldier spotted them and signaled to two others. Breaking away from the main group, the soldiers pursued the fleeing family with relentless intent while the massacre continued in the estate.
Desperation drove them forward, but they were no match for the soldiers on horseback. The rugged terrain was treacherous, and some fell, meeting their end on the jagged rocks or under the hail of arrows. The soldiers closed in, the horror of the situation escalating.
In the chaos, baby Min-jun slipped from Do Hwa's grasp. The soldiers, without of any sense of humanity, showed no mercy even to the innocent toddler and shot him an arror. Do Hwa's scream of anguish pierced the air as she watched her beloved baby fall. Overcome with grief, she collapsed to the ground, and the soldiers' blades swiftly ended her life.
"Run, Mi-hyang! Run and don't look back!" Lord Hae Jung Min shouted, his voice strained with pain as an arrow pierced his shoulder. He knew his end was near but was desperate to save his remaining children. Mi-hyang and her elder brother, Hae Sang-woo, fled with their tears blurring their vision as they ran.
They reached a cliff, their escape route cut off by the edge of the cliff. One of the soldiers caught up with them, his eyes were cold and merciless. Sang-woo stepped forward, trying to protect his sister, but the soldier's sword struck him down. With no other options, dying Sang-woo pushed his sister down the cliff to save her from the cruel soldiers. In his last moments he smiled with relief of his sister's survival.
Mi-hyang fell and her scream was swallowed by the wind, and plunged into the cold, rushing waters below. Darkness enveloped her as the icy current swept her away, the world fading into a chilling silence.
Meanwhile, back on the estate, Lord Hae Jung Min who was grievously wounded and surrounded by the bodies of his loved ones, was captured alive by the soldiers. His fate was left uncertain, a dark shadow looming over the remnants of the once-vibrant and powerful Hae family. The estate, now drenched in blood and death, stood as a silent testament to the merciless purge that had wiped out nearly an entire lineage.
The dawn broke with a grim revelation: the king's younger brother had been accused of plotting treason alongside his brother-in-law, Lord Hae. This wasn't just any treason; it was a betrayal of the highest order, striking at the heart of the kingdom's stability. Lord Hae's elder sister who was married to the 6th prince, added another layer to this scandal. The 6th prince, revered and influential due to his connections on his mother's side and through his in-laws, posed a significant threat to the king. The king who has been insecure and has been harboring a deep-seated hatred for his half-brother, didn't hesitate for a moment to accept the accusations as truth, though they were completely fabricated.
Hae Jung Min was dragged to the palace dungeon, a place where the guilty were interrogated until every secret was wrung from their souls. Meanwhile, far from the palace's turmoil, Mi Hyang awoke at the riverbank, disoriented and with a dull ache in her limbs. The serenity of the flowing river did little to calm her racing heart. She knew she had to find a way back, to warn those she loved, but the path through the mountains was treacherous and unfamiliar.
The sun climbed higher, casting firm shadows as Mi Hyang struggled through dense underbrush and rocky terrain. Noon approached, marked by the banging of distant drums. At that very moment, the king's decree was carried out with merciless precision. The 6th prince, his wife, and their innocent children were brought forth to face their brutal fate. The king's decree echoed through the palace halls and into the hearts of the people: execution for all, with no burial rites. The punishment was to be as severe as it was symbolic; traitors' bodies were to be left in the mountains, a feast for scavenging animals and birds, a firm reminder of the price of treason. The prince, despite his innocence, was not spared from the king's wrath.
Soldiers, bound by duty and fear, gathered the prince's entire household and in-laws. Their pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears, their cries drowned by the relentless march of the king's will. As they were led to the desolate mountains, a heavy silence fell over the kingdom, a silence laden with dread and sorrow.
Mi Hyang, exhausted and on the brink of despair, finally reached the mountains. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw soldiers carrying out the king's brutal orders. She hid behind a cluster of boulders, her heart pounding in her chest, as the soldiers left the bodies exposed to the elements. The stench of death was overwhelming, and the air was filled with the cries of vultures circling above.
Night fell, cloaking the mountains in darkness. The soldiers with their grim task complete, disappeared into the shadows. Mi Hyang emerged from her hiding place, her steps hesitant as she approached the dead bodies. There, in the cold moonlight, lay everyone she had ever loved, their bodies twisted and broken. She fell to her knees, a wail of anguish tearing from her throat. Tears streamed down her face as she clutched the hand of Do Hwa, her beloved mother, her heart shattering into a million pieces.
As her sobs echoed through the desolate landscape, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Two figures emerged from the darkness, their features hidden by the night. Panic surged through her veins as she scrambled to her feet, but before she could flee, a sharp pain exploded in the back of her head. She crumpled to the ground, her vision blurring, the world fading into a haze of shadows and pain.
The last thing she saw before darkness claimed her was the outline of the two men, their faces still hidden, but their presence unmistakably menacing. In that moment, as consciousness slipped away, she realized that her nightmare was far from over. The intrigue and treachery that had shattered her world were only beginning to unfold, her fate was now entangled in a web of danger and deceit from which there might be no escape.
Meanwhile, back at the palace, the king rejoiced in his supposed triumph. He had always envied his half-brother, the 6th prince, whose charm and influence far overshadowed his own. The prince's popularity and influence had been a constant thorn in the king's side, a reminder of his own inadequacies. The treason charges, though entirely fabricated, were the king's way to eliminate a rival and assert his dominance. With the prince and his family gone, the king felt a false sense of security, not realizing the depth of the conspiracy that had entrapped his realm.
Hae Jung Min, who had been spared immediate execution for the sake of extracting a confession, was subjected to relentless torture. Despite his agony, he refused to admit to crimes he hadn't committed. His resilience infuriated his captors, who intensified their efforts, determined to break him. The palace dungeons echoed with his screams which was a testament to his strength and the depth of his loyalty to the falsely accused prince.
In the palace dungeon, a man who was cloaked in black approached Lord Hae, whose face was a mask of shock and devastation. Tears streamed down Lord Hae's cheeks as he demanded to know why the man had orchestrated such a tragic fate for him. The man's response was lost in the echoing silence of the dungeon.
With trembling hands, the cloaked figure extended a tiny bottle toward Lord Hae. The bottle contained a mysterious potion, its contents shimmering faintly in the dim dungeon light. Lord Hae's expression turned to one of deep distress as he recognized the significance of the potion.
The cloaked man withdrew silently, leaving Lord Hae alone with his despair. Meanwhile, in the grand throne room of the palace, the king received the cloaked man with gratitude. The man spoke in hushed tones, his words unintelligible to anyone else, yet the king's expression shifted from curiosity to satisfaction. Whatever was communicated between them seemed to please the king greatly.
Back in the dungeon, Lord Hae hesitated only briefly before uncorking the bottle and swallowing its contents in one swift gulp. The effects were almost immediate. Lord Hae's eyelids grew heavy, and a peaceful calm settled over his features as he slipped into an eternal slumber.