Chapter Three: Blood in the Palace
1207 Words
A kingdom without a king was a kingdom balanced on the edge of a blade.
Three days had passed since King Hyeon's death. The palace remained draped in white silk, and the scent of incense drifted through every corridor. Officially, the court was in mourning. Unofficially, the hunt for the Royal Succession Decree had become a silent war.
No one trusted anyone.
Every servant was questioned.
Every guard was watched.
Every minister feared the person standing beside them.
Yet the decree remained missing.
Prince Joon awoke before sunrise.
He dressed in plain navy robes instead of royal attire and fastened his sword to his waist.
Captain Han Min waited outside his chambers with a small group of trusted guards.
"Your Highness," Han said quietly, "the palace has been searched twice. We've found nothing."
Joon looked toward the snow-covered courtyards.
"Then we're searching the places no one thinks to look."
"The underground tunnels?"
Joon nodded.
"My father often said every palace hides secrets beneath its foundations."
Without another word, they descended through an old stairway behind the Hall of Ancestors.
The air grew colder with every step.
Cobwebs clung to the stone walls, and the silence was broken only by the sound of dripping water.
One of the guards raised his torch.
"Your Highness..."
"There are footprints."
Fresh footprints.
Not one set.
Several.
Joon crouched beside them.
"They're recent."
Captain Han's expression hardened.
"Someone has been here."
The prince rose.
"Stay alert."
They continued deeper into the darkness.
Elsewhere in the palace...
Prince Seo sat alone inside the royal library.
Before him lay dozens of ancient scrolls detailing the history of Goryeong's kings.
His attention lingered on one passage.
"When the kingdom faced its darkest hour, the First King entrusted the throne not to his eldest son, but to the one who proved worthy before Heaven."
Seo read the sentence again.
"Worthy..."
Not eldest.
Not strongest.
Worthy.
His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock.
Lady Hana entered, her face calm but her eyes filled with urgency.
"Your Highness."
Seo looked up.
"I heard you rarely visit anyone without a reason."
"I discovered something."
She glanced toward the doors before speaking.
"The late king kept a hidden chamber inside his private study."
Seo leaned forward.
"And?"
"I wasn't alone."
She explained everything.
The hidden room.
The silk message.
Prime Minister Choi.
General Kang.
Their mysterious conversation.
Seo remained silent long after she finished.
Finally, he asked,
"Do you trust either of them?"
Lady Hana answered without hesitation.
"No."
Neither did Seo.
Deep beneath the palace...
Prince Joon's torch suddenly flickered.
The tunnel widened into an enormous underground chamber supported by ancient stone pillars.
Broken statues lined the walls.
At the center stood a dried-up fountain shaped like a dragon.
Captain Han frowned.
"This place isn't on any palace map."
Before Joon could reply—
A sharp whistle echoed through the chamber.
"Ambush!"
Black-clad figures dropped from the shadows.
Arrows rained through the darkness.
One guard fell instantly.
Another cried out as an arrow pierced his shoulder.
"Protect the prince!" Captain Han shouted.
Steel clashed against steel.
Joon drew his sword in one fluid motion.
The first assassin lunged.
Joon stepped aside and struck with breathtaking speed.
The masked attacker collapsed.
A second assassin charged from behind.
Joon spun and blocked the blade inches from his neck.
Sparks exploded as the swords collided.
The assassin smiled beneath his dragon mask.
"You fight well..."
"...for a dead man."
Three more attackers rushed forward.
Joon fought desperately.
His movements were precise.
Years of battlefield experience kept him alive.
But the assassins fought like shadows.
They attacked together.
Retreated together.
Never speaking.
Never hesitating.
Captain Han cut down one enemy before another stabbed him across the arm.
Blood splashed onto the frozen stone floor.
"Your Highness!" Han shouted.
"They're trying to separate us!"
Joon realized it too late.
Two assassins lured him deeper into the chamber while the others surrounded his guards.
Then—
A hidden mechanism clicked.
The ground beneath Joon collapsed.
The prince plunged into darkness.
The fall seemed endless.
He struck icy water with tremendous force.
Pain shot through his ribs.
Gasping for air, he surfaced in a narrow underground river.
The current dragged him through the darkness.
Finally, he managed to grab a jagged rock and pull himself onto the riverbank.
His torch was gone.
His sword remained.
The cave was silent.
Then...
A faint orange glow appeared ahead.
Someone had lit a fire.
Joon slowly approached.
Beside the flames sat an old man wearing worn gray robes.
He seemed completely unsurprised by the prince's arrival.
Without looking up, he spoke.
"I've been waiting."
Joon tightened his grip on his sword.
"Who are you?"
The old man smiled.
"Someone your father trusted."
Joon's heartbeat quickened.
"You knew the king?"
"For many years."
The stranger finally looked into Joon's eyes.
"The question is..."
"...did he ever tell you about the Third Prince?"
Joon froze.
"The Third Prince?"
"There were only two princes."
The old man shook his head slowly.
"That's what everyone believes."
The fire crackled between them.
Outside the cave, unseen footsteps echoed through the darkness.
Someone else was coming.
Meanwhile...
Back in the palace...
Prince Seo stood before Prime Minister Choi.
The old minister smiled politely.
"I hear your brother has gone searching beneath the palace."
Seo folded his arms.
"You hear many things."
"It is my duty."
"Or your habit."
The minister's smile faded.
"You speak boldly for a prince without a throne."
Seo stepped closer until only inches separated them.
"My father died before finishing his final warning."
Prime Minister Choi remained expressionless.
Seo continued.
"I've spent three days wondering what he meant."
The minister said nothing.
Seo leaned in.
"But now..."
"I wonder if he was trying to warn us about you."
For the first time...
A flicker of emotion crossed Prime Minister Choi's face.
It disappeared almost instantly.
"You should choose your accusations carefully, Your Highness."
Seo smiled faintly.
"And you should choose your allies more carefully."
He turned and walked away.
Hidden behind a nearby pillar, Lady Hana watched everything.
Neither man noticed the small folded note that slipped from the minister's sleeve as he left.
She waited until the corridor was empty.
Then picked it up.
Only four words were written inside.
"Tonight. Moon Shadow Pavilion."
No name.
No signature.
Just a meeting place.
Lady Hana knew immediately.
Someone was planning something before nightfall.
Something that could change the kingdom forever.
Far beneath the palace...
The mysterious leader of the Black Dragon Society stood before the sealed crimson chest.
One assassin knelt.
"Our spies report that Prince Joon survived."
The leader chuckled.
"Good."
"And Prince Seo?"
"He grows suspicious of the ministers."
The leader nodded.
"Excellent."
The assassin looked confused.
"Master... why do you seem pleased?"
The leader rested a hand on the untouched Royal Succession Decree.
"Because the closer they come to the truth..."
"...the closer they come to destroying one another."
His eyes gleamed behind the black dragon mask.
"And when the last prince falls..."
"...the throne will belong to me."
The torches dimmed as a cold wind swept through the underground chamber.
For the first time, the true enemy had revealed his ambition—but not his identity.
- Writer
