Ryang caught Seon as she collapsed, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Seon!" he cried, "Seon, wake up!"

He shook her gently, but she remained unresponsive, her eyelids fluttering. Ryang's gaze darted around the room, searching for answers, for a solution. He turned to Hongyoo, his eyes blazing with fury.

"What did you do to her?" he growled.

Hongyoo's gaze lingered on the veins throbbing in Ryang's neck, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "Did you honestly think I would reveal everything to you without a plan?" he taunted. "You want to make a deal? Deals are struck on equal footing."

"What did you do to my sister?" Ryang repeated, his voice shaking with rage.

"It's your turn to answer my questions now, Myeonghyeon Ryang," Hongyoo said. "If you want to save your sister."

"What do you want?" Ryang asked.

Hongyoo shook his head. "Tell me what you want," he countered.

"Stop playing games!"

Hongyoo's smile widened as Ryang's voice trembled. "Tell me your plan," he said. "Tell me who you are."

"We're the Myeonghyeons," Ryang spat. "That's all we are!"

Hongyoo scoffed. "That's not enough to save your sister's life."

"Hongyoo!" Ryang roared.

Hongyoo's sneer remained in place despite Ryang's outburst. Does he know something? Ryang wondered. Is he deliberately provoking us? He glanced at Seon, her breathing shallow and rapid, a thin trickle of blood flowing from her nose. He gently wiped it away, his heart pounding. Hongyoo's voice cut through the tense silence.

"If she starts bleeding from her eyes," Hongyoo taunted, "it will be too late for the antidote. Are you willing to let your sister die?"

"How can I trust you?" Ryang spat. "How do I know you'll keep your word?"

"I don't enjoy unnecessary bloodshed," Hongyoo replied calmly. "But you don't have much choice, do you?"

Ryang's hand twitched towards his sword, his fingers itching to silence Hongyoo permanently. But Seon's breathing was growing shallow, her body limp in his arms. He didn't have time to decipher Hongyoo's motives. Seon's eyelids fluttered open, her gaze settling on Ryang's anguished face. Her eyes, though bloodshot, still held a spark of defiance. Ryang wished she would say something, anything, to break the tension, to ease his torment. But Seon simply blinked, her eyelids fluttering closed once more.

"Well, Lord Myeonhyeon?" Hongyoo taunted.

Ryang closed his eyes. "We serve... a descendant of the Cheon royal family," he admitted.

A triumphant grin spread across Hongyoo's face. "So you're rebels," he mused.

Hongyoo reached into his robe and tossed a small packet towards Ryang. Ryang caught it and quickly unwrapped it, revealing a single blue pill. He carefully placed it on Seon's tongue and tilted her head back, forcing her to swallow. He pulled Seon close, his arms wrapped tightly around her. He glanced at Hongyoo, who simply smiled enigmatically, offering no further explanation. He stared at Seon's pale face, his heart filled with a silent vow to tear Hongyoo apart if she didn't wake up. He prayed to Sahngjon, begging for her life.

After what seemed like an eternity, the bleeding from Seon's nose stopped, and her breathing steadied. But Ryang's anxiety remained.

"Is she going to be alright?" Ryang asked.

"She'll be weak for a while," Hongyoo replied casually. "Make her eat something when she wakes up."

"If anything else happens to her," Ryang hissed, "I'll tear you limb from limb and feed you your own flesh."

"Don't worry," Hongyoo said with a smirk. "I always honor my agreements. Now tend to your sister."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Ryang gently lifted Seon and carried her to her room. He laid her on the bed and watched over her anxiously. At last, her eyelids fluttered open. She smiled weakly, her voice barely a whisper.

"You were so eager to pledge your loyalty to the Guardian," she teased. "And yet you crumbled under a little pressure."

Relief washed over Ryang. A single tear escaped his eye, tracing a path down his cheek. He gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead.

"How could I ever let you go?" he whispered.

Ryang gently touched Seon's face. "You need to listen to me," he chided. "Your recklessness always gets us into trouble."

"And you need to stop keeping secrets from me," Seon retorted, her voice weak but defiant. "Why did you keep this from me?"

Ryang flicked her nose. "I didn't want you to be in danger," he explained. "Would you have stayed quiet if you knew?"

"Either way," Seon countered. "I ended up in danger because I didn't know what was going on."

Ryang chuckled ruefully. "You're right. I was wrong."

"No more secrets," Seon insisted.

"Alright, alright," Ryang conceded. "I'll tell you everything. But you have to promise to behave yourself."

Seon gestured towards the door. "Go," she said. "Get what you need from that bastard."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Ryang asked.

"That Royal Attendant won't be able to show his face outside the fortress if he doesn't leave before dawn," Seon said. "He will face the consequences later. Go and do what you need to do."

Ryang nodded and rose from his seat. He sent Dahrae, who had been tending to U'nso, to Seon's room, then returned to Hongyoo. He was waiting patiently. Ryang sat opposite him, his arms crossed. Neither of them had expected to see each other in such a vulnerable state, and an awkward silence filled the room.

"Now that we're on equal footing," Hongyoo began, "shall we renegotiate our deal?"

"Watch your tongue," Ryang warned. "You're still in my house."

Hongyoo chuckled. "We both know neither of us can harm the other," he said dismissively. "Threats are a waste of energy."

"Is that why you threatened my sister?" Ryang retorted, his eyes narrowing.

"I knew you would save her," Hongyoo replied calmly.

Ryang scoffed. "You were so confident, yet you revealed your true identity."

Hongyoo shrugged. "You call that a slip-up?" he scoffed. "I've been trained for years, Ryang. I'm prepared for anything. I know how to use a sword, a needle, poisons, foreign languages. I even know how to please a woman."

Ryang's stomach churned as he thought of Kyeong'ui. Hongyoo's gaze traveled up his body, lingering on his neck and face.

"And a man, of course," Hongyoo purred. "Didn't you say you wanted to make a deal?"

Ryang's expression remained unchanged. "I'm not interested in that kind of deal," he said coldly. "And you're not worth bargaining with."

Hongyoo burst into laughter, then his face hardened. "I always suspected you were hiding something," he said. "Your refined clothes, your elegant manners... you reek of arrogance. I knew a man like you wouldn't be running a brothel unless he had a greater purpose."

"You were wrong," Ryang retorted. "Wealth is the only honor left to us."

"Is that so?" Hongyoo's eyes gleamed with cruel amusement. He knew exactly where to strike, how to exploit Ryang's vulnerabilities. Despite his youth, Ryang was clearly a man of ambition, a man who clung to his ideals.

"So the last heir of the Cheon royal family is hiding on this island," Hongyoo mused. "Surrounded by his loyal followers. And they've been here for half a century. Quite a tale. Planning a rebellion, are you?"

"The throne belongs to the rightful heir," Ryang said. "Our goal is to raise the flag of Wi over Sunyahng once more."

Hongyoo scoffed. "Kyeong'ui is also a rightful heir. The king's own daughter."

"There is no rightful heir but a Celestial Scion," Ryang countered.

"Spare me your Scion nonsense," Hongyoo sneered. "Those pathetic fools were swept away like leaves in the wind when your precious kingdom fell. What makes you think you can reclaim it now? What makes Wi so great that it deserves to be restored? What gives you the right to disrupt the peace and plunge this land back into chaos?"

"Peace is a word for those in power," Ryang retorted. "To stand on a battlefield littered with corpses and declare peace is not peace; it's oppression."

"Have you ever seen a battlefield?" Hongyoo scoffed. "You, with your pale skin and fine clothes, lecturing me about peace? You make it sound like you've spent your life fighting for survival."

Ryang remained silent.

"I don't know how many soldiers you have hidden away," Hongyoo continued, his eyes narrowed, "but you certainly have spirit. Or perhaps there's something to that Crimson Star after all. I'm sure it was quite a sight here on Birahng."

"It was just a meteor," Ryang dismissed. "But if it inspires the people to dream of a new world, then it's an opportunity we can't ignore."

"A new world?" Hongyoo laughed.

"I'm not interested in debating ideals with you," Ryang said coldly. "You're not worthy of such a discussion. You can twist words and spread your lies, but you know nothing of our struggles, of my life."

"I know your kind all too well," Hongyoo countered.

"And I've seen countless men like you," Ryang retorted.

"My initial offer was modest," he continued. "I wanted you to keep the princess occupied, to prevent her from interfering with our plans. I wanted you to sabotage their weapons and provide me with information about the royal family. In return, I would have feigned cooperation and protected your secret. But now that things have escalated, I'm prepared to offer you something more substantial."

Hongyoo raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"The blue flag of Wi will soon fly over the four fortresses of Birahng," Ryang declared. "Before that happens, deliver the princess to us."