A month had passed since the princes had settled in the royal palace. The moon had grown thin again, and the nights were becoming darker. The maids whispered about a strange shadow that had already been spotted twice near the Peony Gallery, and feared the approaching new moon.
Yi Yun was afraid neither of darkness nor of shadows — he knew perfectly well that there was no one in this palace more dangerous than himself.
He had once again stayed late at the archery range, continuing to shoot by torchlight, and agreed to stop only when the eunuch assigned to him began to cry. He burst into tears from fear right on the platform, the fool. Yi Yun finally took pity on him and ordered him to go to bed. But the eunuch carried off the torches, making it impossible to send off more arrows, and the prince himself had to end his drawn-out practice.
It was annoying. Earlier that day his grandfather, Right State Councilor Kim, had visited him for the third time, and Yi Yun was now trying to shake off the irritation from that meeting.
The respected councilor had brightened at the sight of his suddenly resurrected grandsons, heartened his faction, and clearly intended to put all his efforts into resolving the suspended question of succession. And now that the Chief State Councilor was gone, the esteemed Lord Kim himself was seeking the vacant position. Yi Yun was sure he would soon take it.
As for the throne, Yi Yun had immediately told the old official that he should not aim for it. He did not explain his reasons because he could not, and his grandfather did not want to listen. Called it nonsense, foolishness, and reminded him of the sacrifice of his dead daughter, which should not have been in vain. Yi Yun decided not to argue for now.
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He wanted to speak with Hyun, but Hyun belonged to another faction, and that could only bring trouble to both of them. It was safer to maintain the appearance of cool detachment and not throw themselves into each other’s arms in public. Otherwise, Yi Yun suspected, the ministers mired in intrigue would find ways to force them into real conflict.
Not that his relationship with his brother had been cloudless after the massacre at the port, but after that conversation at the forest inn they seemed acceptable. And besides, Hyun had sent guards back then. That meant he had, for some reason, not wished to get rid of his newly found relatives.
Yi Yun dreamed of asking him someday why.
The prince was just passing through a stone arch when he noticed a shadow move nearby. In an instant, he pressed a dagger to its throat — old habits did not fade easily, and he still carried weapons in his sleeve or boot. The shadow flinched, froze, and spoke in a quiet rattling voice:
“Your Highness, Prince Dojun invites you to meet him.”
“When? Where?” Yi Yun lowered the dagger. It was merely a eunuch who had spoken Hyun’s title.
“At the pavilion on the lake. I will show you the way,” he replied, clearly not expecting refusal.
The invitation had been delivered in private, in a dark corner of the palace, when Yi Yun was returning alone, without servants or guards… The man in green robes might or might not have been a eunuch, might or might not have belonged to Yi Hyun’s attendants, and might have been acting on Yi Hyun’s behalf or on someone else’s. Also, Yi Hyun himself might or might not have wished trouble for his elder brother. Yi Yun had many open and hidden enemies, the sensible thing would have been to refuse a possible trap.
“Why is he asking for a meeting?” Yi Yun clarified, choosing his wording carefully so that the eunuch would not forget which brother was older. He did not have to agree. A younger brother was not allowed to order him.
“The prince told me to say he wishes to discuss some… cudgel," the eunuch said, as if surprised by his own words.
“Fine, lead the way,” Yi Yun decided. If it was a trap, at least they knew what bait to use on him.
A fine drizzle began to fall from the dark sky.
