"Stand down!" Hwan ordered Tae Kang under his breath. Hwan could already see seven stealthy shadows rapidly surrounding them. His elite unit of bodyguards was on high alert. His cover was about to blow up spectacularly.

"But…" Tae Kang protested.

"Do not interfere until I ask you to," Hwan hissed.

Tae Kang expelled an unhappy sigh as he pulled up his mask and raised an arm to signal the men to be on guard but not attack yet.

Their adversary watched them, gripping the blade more securely.

"Why are you following that man?" Mun Jeon barked.

"Why don't you put away your blade so we can talk civilly?" Hwan humoured him.

"Civilly?" Mun Jeon scoffed. "The scums who accosted that man were your thugs," the man said flatly.

He observed Mun Jeon contemplatively. Hwan would either be exposed as the Monarch or be designated Thug-in-chief by this man. He was not sure either one was palatable currently. It would have been amusing had it not been not so aggravating.

Hwan assessed the situation with hooded eyes, taking in the tensed-up form of his opponent, who had no idea what he had walked into.

Mun Jeon inched forward, his blade steady, clueless about how it was fraught with potential danger. Though his stance was more defensive than attacking, one wrong move and the fool could end up with a blade in his back. Hwan sighed.

Hwan swiftly stepped back, forcing Mun Jeon to step forward unconsciously. In a flash, Hwan stepped sideways and slapped Mun Jeon's wrist, using his other hand to lock the wrist from swinging the blade. Drawing himself closer briskly, Hwan grabbed Mun Jeon's thumb, pressing on the delicate web that connected it to his forefinger and flicked his wrist inwards while jabbing a quick, painful blow under Mun Jeon's underarm, cleanly disarming him of his blade that clattered to the floor. Hwan kicked it away before pivoting to slam his arm down Mun Jeon's throat, sending him sprawling on the ground.

"No!" A small figure was barreling towards them. Before Hwan could gather his thoughts, the figure hurled itself towards him. "Leave him alone, you thug!"

Jay Yi!

Tae Kang intercepted quickly, but Jay Yi had anticipated him coming to her. She twisted her body so she sailed past Tae Kang behind his back, onto where Hwan was standing. She rotated on the heel to aim her trademark kick to somewhere close to his neck – he was too tall for her to go for the jaw – which he dodged and stepped back in one nimble step.

She landed and regained her balance, her hand extended, readying to execute her next move, obviously aiming for the mid to lower torso.

Her furious eyes fell on his face, the moonlight throwing his distinct features in stark relief. Jay Yi's eyes dilated in shock, her body clearly not processing the information early enough to stop her agile body in full motion on time.

Using her momentary stupefaction to his advantage, Hwan stepped forward, fluidly grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards him, using her momentum to pirouette her right into his arms. He pinned her flush against his body, spanning her waist and back so she was immobile against his sheer brute force.

She raised her stunned eyes to his face, then looked as if the soul had left her body as her eyes locked with his. She let out a cry that was half delight and half bewilderment.

Hwan could feel Jay Yi's heartbeat pick up the pace to synchronise with his wildly racing pulse in unison. He could inhale the intoxicating mix of lavender, salt and her distinctive feminine scent that drove him crazy. Jay Yi bunched his shirt in her fists as she instinctively inched closer, taller, almost as if she wanted to feel it was not a figment of her imagination. Her upturned face was so close he could see his reflection in her eyes.

"You dare hit the Sovereign of this nation?" Hwan bent closer and whispered to her, his lips grazing her cheek, tasting the soft vapour of saline and sweetness.

"How can this be? How are you here?" She asked breathlessly, oblivious to the company around her.

"You never listen! Why did you come back? It could have been dangerous!" Hwan growled, his grip on her tightening until she was almost fused with his body.

He felt a tremor run through her body - or was it his? - as her honey-glazed eyes stared at him transfixed, her lips parted, her breathing erratic. His eardrums resonated with his gushing blood, his nerve endings coming alive with the feel of the woman in his arms he dreamt of everyday. The world stopped existing.

"Let go of him!" a desperate, terror-filled yell startled them. Mun Jeon had recovered his footing as well as his blade. Hwan saw Tae Kang remove his sword from its sheath and deftly move to Mun Jeon. The shadows of his bodyguards' unit moved ever so slightly.

"Let him go now!" His face pale, Mun Jeon held his blade in a deathly grip, his tensed body looking ready to spring.

Jay Yi spied Mun Jeon's blade, and she gasped. Hwan reluctantly loosened his hold on her as she spun around.

Instinctively shielding Hwan with her body, her hands outstretched, she yelled back at Mun Jeon, "Put that blade away!"

Mun Jeon blinked. "What are you saying? Those thugs who accosted you are his lackeys! Step away. Now!"

Hwan sighed. In the span of a day, he had gone from being the King of the land to a Thug-in-chief.

"Put away that blade before you lose your arm," Tae Kang ordered, stepping forward with his sword.

"Stay out of this, please," Jay Yi ordered Tae Kang, whose mouth fell open. He looked at Hwan in consternation. Hwan asked Tae Kang to sheath the blade with an imperceptive nod. Tae Kang looked cross-eyed with vexation, but he complied.

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"Please put that blade away, Master," Jay Yi's voice was much calmer this time, though her stance became even more protective, her back so tantalisingly close to Hwan that he could see the soft whorls of hair that had escaped her bun at the top of her head. "They will not harm us. Please."

"How do you know these men?" Mun Jeon asked incredulously. His eyes narrowed as Jay Yi's fierce stance sank into his comprehension.

Suddenly realising how inappropriate it must look to Mung Jeon, Jay Yi stepped forward, putting some distance between Hwan and herself. "Please put away the blade before any of the guards see us. There has already been a lot of commotion, and I don't want them to come here."

"Ask him to step away," Mun Jeon glared at Hwan, gesturing to Tae Kang.

Tae Kang responded by planting himself next to Hwan.

Though still on the defensive, Mun Jeon reluctantly slid his blade deftly inside his sleeve, piquing Hwan's interest.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Jay Yi stepped away from Hwan, though she still positioned herself between them.

"How do you know these men?" Mun Jeon asked again.

"I met them the same way as I met you, through my work as an investigator," Jay Yi replied, not untruthfully.

"What kind of men have you been hanging around with, Master Min?" Mun Jeon asked, censure evident in his irate tone.

"I would like to know that too, Master Min," Hwan mimicked Mun Jeon's tone with irritation. Jay Yi's familiarity with this man was beginning to grate on him.

Jay Yi gave an exasperated sigh. "Why should I have to explain to any of you who I hang out with?" Jay Yi replied defensively.

In reply, Mun Jeon grabbed Jay Yi's wrist and dragged her closer so she stood barely a foot away from him.

Furiously trampling a desire to break the hand that touched Jay Yi, Hwan dug his nails into his palm, his passive demeanour betraying none of the rage that was boiling inside him. Jay Yi jerked her arm free, darting her alarmed eyes to Hwan's shuttered ones, but made no move to step away from Mun Jeon. Hwan gritted his teeth, looking away from Jay Yi onto Mun Jeon's face.

"You collaborate with ruffians as part of your work?" Mun Jeon was still in disbelief she associated in any way with 'these men'.

"Master Mun, they are not bad people." Jay Yi stepped a little closer to Mun Jeon, her tone soft, beseeching, as she asked him "Are you all right?" Almost intimate. She had not flinched when Mun Jeon had grabbed her wrist. Hwan felt a torrent of jealousy slice through him. How was she so at ease with this man, for whom she had rushed headlong without caring about her own safety?

"So, how do you explain those thugs?" Mun Jeon was nothing if not tenacious.

"Our men are not thugs," Tae Kang interjected.

Mun Jeon snickered and pointed to Hwan. "Realy? Then they must be worse. Looking at their Master, I am not surprised. Even thugs should know how to use honorifics, Master Min!" Mun Jeon said derisively.

Jay Yi chewed her lips and turned sheepishly towards Hwan, sending him a silent apology on Mun Jeon's behalf. Hwan obliged with a reply by raising an incensed eyebrow at her, his eyes narrowed.

She made another apologetic face before turning to Mun Jeon.

"Ah…please forgive his bad manners, Master Mun," She said, her voice placating, " You see, he did not have the good fortune to grow up using honorifics very often around people," Jay Yi fabricated with her usual flair. Even though Jay Yi's blithe tone could convince a fox to leave its prey behind as a gift to her and scurry back to its den, Hwan was not amused. "Not everyone grows up the same way, though I do agree his manners leave something to be desired, but then he does not get to meet an exalted company like ours very often," she finished with a radiant smile.

Too radiant.

Tae Kang snorted.

"As you can see, we are all unharmed," Jay Yi declared. "It's late. Shall we all go home?" Jay Yi asked.

"I will walk you," Hwan and Mun Jeon said in unison. Then, they looked at each other with loathing.

"I am not a child and do not want anyone to walk me anywhere. I hope we part here in goodwill!" Jay Yi said decisively, executed a perfect bow to all and walked away.

They watched her until she disappeared into a corner.

Mun Jeon turned to Hwan and regarded him with derisive eyes. Sizing him, he thoughtfully ran a finger across his razor-sharp chin. "Humble attire fit for a poor farmer, face concealed like a back-alley thief, prowling the nocturnal street at night like a ruffian; Yet the clear, eloquent, scholarly way of speaking, aristocratic bearing, and well versed in martial arts." Mun Jeon's voice was deadly calm. "Moreover, a reluctance to use honorifics with….why don't we drop the pretence, Scholar Park?"

Hwan regarded the man coldly, nails digging into his hand clenched behind his back.

Mun Jeon let out a strangled laugh. "Keeping a noblewoman dangling by the hook, endangering her honour and life by denying her the protection of a name - is that how you conduct your affairs, Scholar Park?"

Bile rose to Hwan's throat.

Tae Kang stepped in, "Watch what you are saying!"

Hwan held up a hand, gesturing to Tae Kang to stay out.

"A man who feigns uninterest for months follows her in secret in the dead of night and seems inappropriately at ease with her person - what do you want from her Scholar Park?" Mun Jeon had stepped forward, stopping inches away from Hwan. Tae Kang stepped in between them, "Stand back!"

Unfazed, Mun Jeon glared at Hwan. "What kind of work do you do that needs such pet dogs to guard you, Scholar Park?" Mun Jeon asked sarcastically.

Hwan felt Tae Kang stiffen at the insult. He was getting tired of this man. "I do not believe it is any of your business."

"Come to think of it, those thugs, clearly masters at combat, took great pains in avoiding her. Is it not strange that hooligans out for robbing elect to be chased and wounded, refrain from counterattack, or do not try to overpower a man when they clearly could? So tell me, does she know your men are tracking her every movement?"

"I do not think we share the kind of acquaintance that necessitates my reply to any of your queries," Hwan bit out.

Mun Jeon stepped forward. "Men like you have use for others only if they forward your political ambitions," Mun Jeon said bitterly. "But women like her are fair game, correct? Listen to me very carefully. She might be an orphan, but do not forget she has a yangban lineage older than Joseon and purer than our King himself. Do not trifle with her. I do not care which esteemed family you belong to or how powerfully connected you are, but if you think she is alone and you can take advantage of her, think again. Hurt her, and I will find you and ensure you regret being born."

Hwan watched the man leave before releasing an infuriated breath mingled with frustration. Rage made him tremble, yet that facetious bastard's shards of prickly truth lacerated his heart. He had never felt so insecure or small in his life.

"That bastard!" Tae Kang burst out with outrage. "Why did you not permit me to strike him?"

Hwan turned to him and lifted both his furious eyebrows at him. And waited.

Tae Kang shifted uneasily under his unwavering stare.

"H-His name is Mun Je-On. He is the grandson of Lord Jang Young-Nam from his second daughter, married to Master Mun Eun Pyo. He has been seen in the company of Master Myung Jin quite often and has m-met Eunuch Go a few times....." Trailing off miserably, Tae Kang examined the few feet of the dirt road between Hwan and his feet.

"Since when?"

"For the last four to five months. You did not like us spying on Eunuch Go, and he seemed harmless, s-s-so I did not think of m-mentioning it," Tae Kang stammered. "But he has never been to Eunuch Go's house or seen alone with her. This is the first time he has been sighted in this neighbourhood."

Hwan's eyes were glacial slits of disbelief.

"I swear, Your Majesty, no one has ever seen him meeting Eunuch Go outside of other company."

Silence.

"I will find everything about him within three days, Your Majesty!" Tae Kang promised fervently.

Hwan sent Tae Kang a withering look and set off in the direction where Jay Yi had gone.

"Where are we going, Your Majesty?"

Tae Kang received another baleful look and more silence for his pain.

Hwan turned the corner and came to stand at a three-way crossing. He looked back, gauged the distance, and looked to his left.

"You can come out now," Hwan tried to suppress the anger in his voice.

Jay Yi stepped out of the shadows to Tae Kang's befuddled and Hwan's livid expressions.