The Mercenary: A Sequel to Hwarang: The Saga of the Sooks Book #2

Chapter 1: The Clause

Thank you for reading The Voice: A Sequel to Hwarang: The Saga of the Sooks Book #1!

Welcome to Book 2 of The Saga of the Sooks.  The story now picks up where The Voice left off....

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"You wish to marry Sook Myeong? And to make her the price of my marriage to your sister?" Jin Heung asked in astonishment.

Jong Su nodded.

"Have you even met her?" the king queried breathlessly.

How could Jin Heung choose between the sister with whom he'd just recently been reunited and the woman whom he loved with all his heart?

"Yes. Briefly. Last night. In the garden. Just a few minutes before I ran across Eun Sook."

"And you're already taken with Sook Myeong?" Jin Heung eyed him suspiciously. "She is beautiful."

"And intriguing," the prince murmured. "But, to be honest," he straightened, squaring his broad shoulders, "my brother sent me with the hope that you would give her to me. And that we could bind our kingdoms together through our alliance."

The king's eyebrows shot sky-high. But his words were at odds with his face. "This shouldn't surprise me. Not in the least. And if one marriage would solidify a peace between our countries, what will two do?" He frowned. "I will, of course, have to talk to my sister."

"Don't," the prince begged but in an authoritarian tone.

Again, the younger man's eyebrows assaulted the heavens.

"She has...taken a dislike to me. I would like the opportunity to change her mind."

"What do you have in mind?" the king demanded.

"A daily walk with her in your gardens."

The king smiled. "You wish to woo her?"

A smile stretched slowly across the prince's face. "Yes. That is exactly what I wish to do," he murmured softly.

"I wish you God's own help, my friend," laughed Jin Heung. "My sister is...icy."

"Ah, but you're wrong. She is quite fiery under all that ice."

The king cocked a midnight eyebrow. "Is she? You determined all this about her in five minutes?"

"Mmm...maybe ten." Prince Jong Su gave a definitive bob of his head. "She is definitely a passionate creature," he chuckled.

Now it was the king who was narrowing his eyes at his adversary. "And just how did you arrive at that conclusion?"

The prince met his gaze. "She admitted that she attempted to kill the girl you loved but ended up shooting the object of her affection instead." He sobered immediately. "A man with whom she is still infatuated, if I am not wrong."

Jin Heung considered him. "You are right. I think she still fancies herself in love with him. And is angry with me for letting Ah Ro go to him." He smirked suddenly. "Foolishly, she believes that if I had forced the good doctor to marry me – forever barring Seon Woo from her bed – then he would have turned his eyes on my sister. But she is wrong. She could never have solaced the man. He's wild about Ah Ro. As she is about him. I could never have competed with that kind of love."

"So you turned your eyes on my sister."

The king speared him with a glance. "That was never my intention. In the beginning, I just brought her home to soothe me with her stories. Ah Ro told some too, and I fell asleep to the sweet sound of her voice. So I knew your sister's lullabies could lull me into slumber."