Me and Won-Guk were having a light-hearted moment together, enjoying each other's company, when a messenger knight suddenly appeared, panting heavily from running.
"Your Highness," the knight gasped, thrusting a letter into my hand. "An urgent message from Jang-Geum before..." He trailed off, his expression grave.
My heart leaped into my throat at the mention of Jang-Geum's name. I quickly took the letter, feeling a mix of worry and confusion.
"Before what?" I asked urgently, my voice thick with concern.
The knight hesitated, his face solemn. "Before her beheading on the town's square," he explained quietly. "She wanted you to have this..."
I carefully broke the seal on the letter and began to read its contents. My hands trembled as I processed the words, my emotions surging through him.
As I continued to read, my heart wrenched with each line, a mix of grief, disbelief, and a deep sense of loss washing over me.
My eyes widened as I read the words, my heart sinking as I realized the sacrifice Jang-Geum had made. The raw emotion in her words touched me deeply, and as I reached the end of the letter, my face fell into a look of deep sadness.
Noticing the torn edge of the paper, my brow furrowed in confusion. What could have been the missing part of the letter?
My anger towards Chul-ki simmered within me, my chest tight with a mix of grief and indignation. The thought of Jang-Geum, my friend, being killed as a mere bargaining chip infuriated him.
My grip on the letter tightened, crumpling the corners as my anger flared. "Damn it, Chul-ki," I muttered under my breath, the words a mixture of frustration and despair.
Won-Guk watched with concern as my determined strides carried me towards the exit. Recognizing the intense anger in my demeanor, he instinctively reached out to stop me, gripping my shoulder with a firm yet gentle touch.
"Dae-Seong, wait," Won-Guk pleaded, his voice soft and filled with worry. "You're not thinking clearly right now. Don't do something impulsively."
But my eyes were filled with a cold, steely resolve. I shook off Won-Guk's hand and shot him a sharp glare, my voice filled with a mix of anger and determination.
"Get your hand off me," I snapped, my tone harsh. "I know what I'm doing."
I stormed out of the Glacia, my anger fuelling my every step as I made my way towards the Hwan-Myu village. My hands clenched into tight fists as I walked, my mind fixed on a single goal – confrontation with Chul-Ki.
The journey felt like an agonizing eternity, but eventually, he reached the outskirts of the village. The sight of the familiar surroundings only served to further stoke the fire of my anger.
As I approached the house, my eyes immediately locked onto Chul-Ki, who was lounging on a chair with a whine in his hand. Anger flared within me, and I wasted no time in confronting him.
"Why did you kill her?!" I demanded, my voice filled with a mix of hurt and fury. My gaze was intense as I waited for Chul-Ki's response.
Chul-ki met my intense gaze with a cold, steely look in my eyes. He took a leisurely sip of his whine before responding with a chilling indifference.
"She can't hide you forever," he began, his voice cool and flat. "You're mine, and she helped that bastard Won-Guk to get you."
Chul-ki's menacing tone sent a shiver down my spine, and his words were laced with possessiveness and anger.
"If I can't have you... Then no one can," Chul-ki repeated firmly, his eyes narrowing as he advanced towards me.
In a swift and unexpected move, Chul-ki clutched a handkerchief in his hand and pressed it against my face, the force and surprise rendering me unconscious in an instant.
My vision slowly cleared as I regained consciousness, only to find myself bound to a chair in a dark attic. A cloth gag was tightly secured in my mouth, preventing me from speaking.
Panic clawed at my chest as the situation dawned on me. I tried to move, but the ropes held me firmly in place, a cruel reminder of my captivity.
Chul-ki approached me, a sinister smile on his face as he seized his chin with a firm grip.
"Let's see how Won-Guk will act if I told him I already slaughtered you?" he taunted, his eyes glimmering with a cruel satisfaction. "If he falls into my trap... it's your fault. Why'd you come here in the first place? Is it because of your sharp tongue friend Jang-Geum? Only if she didn't let you escape that time we wouldn't have a problem."
Chul-ki's possessive grip tightened on my chin as his face twisted into a dark and obsessive expression.
"Now she let you escaped... How dare you abandoned me?" he hissed, his eyes narrowing. "You're mine... No one can ever separate us..."
Chul-ki's eyes darkened, and a malicious glint danced within their depths. A sinister smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he spoke, his voice dripping with a cruel anticipation.
"Now let's see what happens if I send him a letter that I killed you?" Chul-ki sneered, a hint of psychotic excitement in his tone. "It's going to be fun, don't you think?" His laugh echoed through the attic, a chilling, maniacal sound that sent a shiver down my spine.
As tears welled up in my eyes, a mixture of fear and despair, Chul-ki's voice broke through the darkness, his tone filled with a sinister possessiveness.
"I'm only getting started, my dear..." he murmured, his eyes locking onto my tear-streaked face.