Chapter 4

Midnight-blue robes, clothes as though he were a man carved from history itself. Mischief had lingered in his alluring onyx eyes, and both women seemed as if they were under his spell. His jawline sharp, his skin as smooth as glass. When he talked, the movement of his plump lips would draw any eye against its will. The dark locks of hair that rested upon his broad shoulders had confused Soo-yeon, still she stood up and straightened herself.

Jae-hwa quickly prepared her rusty dagger behind her back, in case things got too out of hand. She knew it would not be of much use. Her thoughts had been all over the place.

Three men had surrounded both Jae-hwa and Soo-yeon, which meant they could not outrun them even if they tried. If they were to run now, it would only expose the location of the cart, too.

The man that revealed himself also held a sword in a way that gave off strength and power; his looks alone seemed as if it could kill. One wrong move and it would be their heads that went missing. He seemed deadly, but the lopsided smile that plastered itself on his lips did not say the same.

"Women? So it had been true. You were the ones stealing our supplies?" His eyes revealed curiosity, as though he refused to believe that the people of his clan were being robbed by mere commoners, women at that.

"My, how defenseless must our clan be to have them stealing from us, is that not right, Dong-ha?" The man's mocking and cold smile was evident as he dismounted his horse.

"I apologize, Lord Yu. I had not been aware. The servants who currently guard the storage said that the bandits infiltrated and stole a whole cart full of supplies, so I assumed." Dong-ha bowed and looked away, feeling wronged.

"No need to be so defensive," the man chuckled and turned to look at the other beside him. "Joon, go look for the missing cart. It should be around here somewhere."

Jae-hwa clicked her tongue underneath her breath. Their only way to Baekje would soon be discovered and taken away.

"Now, what to do with the both of you?" he continued, gaze bright and tone falsely thoughtful.

Confused, Soo-yeon spoke. Softly locking her delicate hands onto the man's wrist.

"Excuse me, you seem to be mistaking me for someone else." Her small laugh had been hesitant. "I'm not from here. Can you guide me to where the nearest train station is?" Soo-yeon asked, pausing when she saw his questioning stare. "It's fine if there are delays, it's almost winter after all." She looked up into his eyes, expecting a response. Her thoughts were filled with questions as to where she was.

The men in front of Soo-yeon suddenly laughed, their voices riddled with ridicule.

"Clearly a fool," the man named Dong-ha snorted as he tilted his head to the side.

"What?" she asked, thinking that they might have heard her wrong. What was so funny about what she had said?

Jae-hwa herself had started to panic. She could feel it bubbling in her stomach when the man's gaze turned dark. Despite the smile that remained on his lips, the words he spoke were anything but friendly.

"Do you have a death wish? Get your hands off of me. I could have you killed this instant and yet you don't fear me at all." His expression changed, but there remained a shining glint in his dangerous stare, as though he was all too amused by her actions.

Soo-yeon froze, finally backing away and letting him go. His words had startled her, and it was then she realized that he was not a man so easy to approach.

He slowly came closer to Soo-yeon, his steps steady and assured. It made her all the more nervous as he inched closer and closer to her face.

"Look around you." He gestured to the forest and trees. "You must be deranged if you believe it is almost winter. You see —" He swung his sword next to her face instantly, causing blood to ruin the side of her cheek.

Soo-yeon, surprised by his sword, closed her eyes tightly.

"Spring just started," he said, his smooth tone overlapping with that charming smile of his.

She felt her legs turning numb and the world around her spinning. Seeing Soo-yeon's reaction, his expression soon morphed into boredom, devoid of his smile.

"Hei-ran!" Jae-hwa suddenly ran in between the man and Soo-yeon, trying to stop even further damage. She quickly dropped the dagger, held Soo-yeon up, and steadied the way she stood by placing her own hand around the other's waist.

Soo-yeon clutched her wounded cheek, finally letting out a strangled gasp. Her face grew frozen, momentarily shocked by what he had done.

"I found the cart. It hadn't been too far away. I have confirmed that it is ours." Joon released the rope tied to the cart and threw it to the ground. "I must say, the fact that they even stole a whole lot certainly is amusing. Our guards are not easily blinded by such tricks, after all."

"Please forgive these lowly peasants, Lord Yu." Jae-hwa quickly kneeled to the ground and bowed, taking Soo-yeon with her. Whatever thoughts Soo-yeon had about getting home were completely erased.

Lord Yu looked down on both of them, obvious irritation in his eyes.

"Forgive you? We may as well trade both of you off to pay for the expenses you have cost us," he said dismissively, his voice laced with uninterest. "It had been difficult to stop my father from pestering me, especially now since a rebellion is growing. We needed those supplies badly and yet you both dared to waste my time." He clicked his tongue, a slight pout forming on the surface of his lips.

"This can't be," Soo-yeon murmured, thoughts clouded by the words that he had said.

She had remembered everything perfectly. Autumn leaves, Yeon-jin, walking to the station, and the train.

"What's going on?" Soo-yeon muttered desperately as her eyes searched furiously around once more.

Then a thought struck her.

The hair, the clothes, even the way they spoke, it seemed out of place. How the seasons suddenly changed, how the place they were in did not resemble the city one bit, and how she could understand what they were saying with ease.

"My friend had just hit her head and is spouting out nonsense. We were on our way to Baekje." Jae-hwa kept her eyes closed on the ground, praying silently that this man would give mercy and let both of them live.

Soo-yeon suddenly glanced at Jae-hwa, freezing when the words that had left her lips.

"Giving both of you away to Silla officials as slaves can be arranged, that is, if you wish for food and shelter that bad," he suggested, suddenly showing off his heart-melting smile with such false brightness.

Silla.

That was it. Silla and Baekje — two of the three kingdoms of Korea back then.

"This can't be," Soo-yeon whispered, a deadly chill going through her spine when she had realized. She felt nasueous and weak, the bile rising on the base of her throat. Her stomach twisted at the idea and the loud beating of her heart did not help at all.

She had travelled back in time. To a society she never knew and most importantly, to a body that was not her own. Questions soon filled her mind.

Why did it have to be her? Had she died in that crash?

This game that fate had played upon her was indeed as twisted as it was cruel. If Yeon-jin had been there, he would have thought the same.

Soo-yeon tried to stay calm, knowing that it would do no good to overthink. She licked her pale lips, flinching as the pain on her cheek finally stung and kicked in. The absurdity of it all, she thought.

"I believe we can put them to better use, since there's been quite a shortage of servants within the estate. If they attempt to do any harm, we can kill them immediately," Dong-ha said.

Lord Yu once again stepped closer, leaving both women completely silent as he took slow strides towards them.

"Well? Better than being sent off as slaves, is that not right?" he questioned, his sword pointed to both their heads.

He crouched and lifted Soo-yeon's chin using a free hand. A big smile plastered itself on his lips, as if his dangerous aura no longer existed. What replaced it had been child-like eyes and a playful charm; an entirely different person.

"Once we arrive at the clan residence, you will see that it is not as horrible as your faces make it out to be." The corners of his onyx eyes crinkled as he laughed.

The man stood, turned away and began walking toward the horses; leaving both men behind while he mounted his own.

"Dong-ha and Joon, gather everything, and see to it that they both do not get away. Tie them in ropes if you have to."

"Of course, Lord Yu Min-jun."

As he disappeared into the depths of the forest, and as the men gathered everything that they had stolen, Soo-yeon could not help but think.

How those words that Yeon-jin had once said, words that she once thought were so stupid and delusional, suddenly seemed to make perfect sense.

And for the first time in her life, she found herself missing those boring blue flowers that died too quickly.