.forty five.
Days later, Eun and Minji went to the lake together with Soon Deok and Han again.
Minji was sat on the rock that was her usual resting place when she used to go with Jung. Her husband had quickly stripped down and jumped into the water, beckoning for her to join him. But she refused with a smile and a shake of her head. Han and Soon Deok jumped into the water after taking off their heavy armor.
The four were enjoying the waterfall, having fun, when Minji felt a presence quietly approaching her. They were human footsteps that she didn't recognize. She had already learned to tell what Han, Eun, and Soon Deok sounded like, as she spent a lot of time with them. But these footsteps were new. Minji turned in the direction of the sound and grabbed a rock the size of her fist from nearby. If it was an attacker, they would have to get through her first. Her hand felt for the pointy side of the rock first and when she felt the intruder close enough, she shot her hand out to hit them.
The person grabbed her wrist just before the rock could pierce his skin, and he pinned her arm by her side, hoping to calm her with the sound of his voice. "Hak Soon-ah, its me, Jung." He told her in a gentle voice, since she had still been struggling in his grip.
"Jung-ah..." She gasped, dropping the rock in her hand immediately.
"What are you doing here?" He asked her, at first his words were full of hope that maybe she was there to find him. Maybe she was there to find comfort in his arms, just like the king thought. But he found the answer himself when he heard laughter coming from the water down below. It was the loud and bubbly laughter of his older brother the tenth prince. But he was joined by two more people. They were Soon Deok and his other brother Han.
Minji's expression shifted into one of sadness because she felt bad for him. But also because she knew he would not be happy with what he was seeing. It was supposed to be their private place and now she had divulged it to the world--maybe not to the world, but she had taken three people there who were not supposed to have found out about it. Minji felt a bit guilty because Jung was being burdened with so many misfortunes lately, the biggest was the fact that they were to be kept apart because she was married to his brother.
"You brought them here?" Another question escaped his lips, this one full of hurt and disappointment. His eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as he saw Eun once again. The others had yet to notice what was going on above. From the position of the boulder, it was easy for the person on the high ground to see everything below. But it was nearly impossible for the people below to see anyone on the high ground. "Hak Soon, this was supposed to be our place, and you brought him. Why would you do something like that?"
He wasn't so much upset that Soon Deok and Han were there. What really irked him was the fact that Eun was there. Where once he and his older brother got along really well, there was now a growing resentment. Jung had always suspected that Eun liked Minji, but was not willing to admit it. He thought his suspicions were confirmed when Eun chose Minji to marry, out of anyone else he could have chosen in the kingdom.
Minji felt her eyes brim up with tears at the way he sounded so hurt. But she was going to have to hurt him even more. Maybe then he would leave her alone. All she wanted was to save him from any trouble, and to spare Eun from any heart break. She was going to be loyal to her husband no matter what, even if her heart wanted someone else. "Jung-ah, you have to understand that I'm married now. Eun and I are happy together, and we're already thinking about starting a family. Please don't bring us anymore burdens and stay away." She almost couldn't finish her sentence, as her voice cracked and tears started spilling from her eyes.
"If you really feel that way, then why are you crying?" He asked her. She dropped her head to avoid him from seeing her face, as she knew he would see right through her. He probably already had, since she didn't sound as convincing as she had hoped.
