**Chapter 21: Sparks in the Shadow**
The officer looked up from his seat, pointing toward the table’s spread.
“Would you like some *Gamhongro*?”
“We don’t drink alcohol,” the Crown Prince replied flatly.
“Then how about some *Yakgwa*?” the officer offered.
The Crown Prince leaned in, took a single bite, and waited.
The officer smiled, satisfied with the gesture.
“I’ll contact my fellow port officers and get back to you in three days’ time,” the officer added.
“Very well. We hope to hear good news from you,” the Crown Prince replied.
The Crown Prince and his companions stood and exited the private room.
As they made their way down the corridor, the Prince turned to Mr.
Park.
“Are you sure he’s trustworthy?” the Prince asked under his breath.
“Yes, Officer,” Mr.
Park answered automatically.
“Of course,” the Crown Prince nodded—before the title registered.
He stopped in his tracks, turning sharply.
“What?”
Mr.
Park sighed, dropping his shoulders.
“I know you’re all court officers. I’ve known Woon for a long time—he’s never involved himself in anything illegal, even when I tried to recruit him three years ago. Besides, no simple merchant throws around that mountain of silver alongside a priceless painting.”
Chae-woo stepped closer, his eyes narrowing.
“And you think knowing this will keep you safe?”
“No,” Mr.
Park pleaded, dropping to his knees.
“But please, officers… keep my family safe. Even if you turn me over to the authorities, I beg of you.”
Pung crossed his arms, staring down at him.
“So why didn’t you run? Why didn’t you betray us back in that room?”
“Woon saved my daughter from a tiger attack years ago,” Mr.
Park replied, his voice trembling.
“I owe him her life. I can’t betray someone I owe my world to—not anymore. I’ve stolen from people who once helped me, but now… I’m trying to turn things around.”
Woon looked down at his old acquaintance, his voice low.
“At least you have some decency left in you.”
“Don’t worry, your family will be safe,” the Crown Prince reassured him softly.
“We’ll see you in three days.”
Mr.
Park bowed his head to the wooden floor in deep gratitude before rising and disappearing into the dark street.
Pung watched him leave, then turned to the Prince.
“Your Highness… you really won’t execute him when this is over?”
“No, I won’t. But it all depends on his choices,” the Prince replied, watching the night air.
“And besides, I made Woon a promise.”
As she raised a bowl of warm evening tonic to her lips, she looked up, her gaze heavy with concern.
“Who are the favorites to be selected as the Crown Princess?” the Queen asked.
“There are many contenders, Your Highness,” the court lady answered softly, “but the most notable are Lady Kim Yun-ah, daughter of Chief State Minister Kim Eun-hyuk… and Lady Choi Yun-ju, daughter of Left State Minister Choi Yeong-gil.”
“So my son will be surrounded by enemies?” the Queen whispered, her voice tightening.
*Clang!*
In a sudden surge of anguish, the Queen slammed her porcelain cup onto the wooden table, shattering the base and cutting her skin.
“Kim Eun-hyuk, the Chief State Minister… Choi Yeong-gil, the Left State Minister…” she spat, her frame trembling.
“They have sworn to destroy the royal bloodline!”
“Please calm down, Your Highness!” the court lady gasped, rushing forward with a silk cloth to stop the bleeding.
“I beg of you!”
The following morning, Pung, Woon, and Chae-woo reported for duty, heading straight to the East Palace.
Upon arrival, they found the royal yard heavily guarded—the King himself was present, flanked by the Chief Royal Guard.
The trio immediately dropped to their knees, bowing low.
“May the King live ten thousand years.”
The King turned, his sharp gaze sweeping over them until his eyes locked squarely onto Woon.
“San Woon,” the King called out.
“Yes, *Jeonha*,” Woon replied, keeping his posture firm.
“How is the injury on your hand healing?” the King asked.
“I am fine. Thank you, *Jeonha*,” Woon answered.
A faint smile touched the King’s lips.
Just then, the Crown Prince stepped out from his quarters, dressed in sleek leather archery attire.
He bowed deeply to his father.
Both the King and the Prince handed their regal swords to their head eunuchs, stepping onto the grounds to practice with the longbow.
The Chief Royal Guard, Pung, Woon, Chae-woo, and the other guards kept watch along the perimeter.
*Thwack!
Thwack!*
Arrow after arrow whistled through the morning air, driving deep into the targets.
“Bullseye!” the flag officer shouted, waving his red signal banner.
The King lowered his bow, turning to the side.
“Target shooting is becoming boring. Pung, Woon, Chae-woo—come here and join us,” the King commanded.
The Chief Royal Guard stepped closer to the monarch, whispering nervously.
“Your Majesty… that is a risky move.”
“Perhaps,” the King murmured softly, keeping his eyes on the young men.
“But if they are the real children of Kang Mu-shin, I should know when I see them up close. Give them their quivers and arrows.”
Pung, Woon, and Chae-woo accepted the gear, stepping up alongside the Prince.
*Thwack!
Thwack!
Thwack!* Bullseye after bullseye, every single shaft embedded itself dead center.
The King let out a low rumble of satisfaction.
The King gave a sharp hand gesture.
Immediately, ten elite royal guards stepped forward with drawn steel, completely surrounding the four young men.
The Crown Prince smirked, loosening his shoulders.
“Now that’s more like it.”
The King signaled to his eunuchs, who tossed three practice swords into the circle.
“Now the sparring begins!”
The Crown Prince, Pung, and Chae-woo caught theirs effortlessly—leaving Woon completely empty-handed.
But before the guards could close the distance, Woon moved like wind.
He dismantled the lead guard in a single fluid wrench, stripping the blade right out of his grip.
Moving as a synchronized unit, the four neutralized all ten royal guards in a matter of moments.
The King let out a bold, booming laugh.
Unsheathing his own sword, he took a stride forward into the center of the yard.
“Crown Prince! Chae-woo! Step forward and spar with me!” the King ordered.
The Chief Royal Guard panicked, trying to intervene.
“Your Majesty, please—”
“They are my son and my bodyguards!” the King laughed off the concern.
“Of course it’s only normal! Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
As the King squared his stance, Chae-woo’s hands began to visibly shake around his hilt.
The King’s eyes narrowed on him.
“Chae-woo, if you don’t spar with me, it’s treason. Begin!”
The Crown Prince leaned slightly toward Chae-woo, whispering out of the corner of his mouth: “My father is good at cutting from his left-hand side. I’ve sparred with him for a long time, so I’ll take his left and you take his right.”
“I’m just trying to keep my neck intact…” Chae-woo whimpered back.
“Crown Prince!” the King called out, raising his guard.
“Telling my secrets, are you?”
The steel clashed.
The exchange was fierce and fast, but despite his years, the King moved with formidable mastery.
Within seconds, he disarmed Chae-woo and swept the Crown Prince’s blade aside, neutralizing them both instantly.
“Pung, you step forward with Woon,” the King commanded, turning his blade.
Pung and Woon stepped into the mark together, their faces unreadable, devoid of any nervousness.
The King locked eyes with them, adjusting his grip.
“Let me show you that I was a respected warrior back in the Goryeo era,” the King declared with a boisterous laugh.
“Only my closest friend back in the day could stand against me!”
He dropped the reference intentionally, searching their eyes for any flicker of recognition—a flinch, a memory, or a reaction to their father’s past.
Before their blades could cross, a thick, suffocating pillar of black smoke billowed into the morning sky from the royal residence known as the *Byeol-gung* (Separate Palace).
A frantic guard rushed onto the yard, throwning himself down beside the Chief Royal Guard and whispering urgently.
The Chief Royal Guard turned to the King, his face pale.
“*Jeonha*! A fire has broken out in *Byeol-gung*!”
“Follow me!” the King ordered without hesitation, sprinting toward the blaze.
The court descended into chaos as screaming court ladies fled the roaring structure.
Without stopping to think, Woon leaped directly into the burning house.
Pung, Chae-woo, and the Crown Prince plunged straight into the inferno right behind him—
*Lights fade.*