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Jin-Ri looked at the prince as he walked out of the tent. She ran after him, unable to bear the thought of letting him feel alone. Min-Jae and Ha-Rin could not stop the court maiden and could only exchange worried glances at each other. Young-Sik was sitting on a rock, staring at the moon, when Jin-Ri caught up with him. Slowly, the court maiden sat beside the prince, She didn't utter a word; she only stared at the moon.

"Are you here to tell me that the brother I grew up with is selfish and not fit for the throne?" He asked her. She only wrapped her arms around his and laid her head over his shoulders.

"I guess you're wondering why I never told you about my brother being alive and all," Young-Sik said, whispering to the point only Jin-Ri could hear him.

She shook her head and spoke, "No, I know that you found it necessary to hide that fact to protect them." Jin-Ri glanced back at the tent. "I understand why your brother does not want to return to the palace. He's afraid that people of power will try to get to him through his family." She added

"That much I understand as well," The prince replied with a casual tone in his voice. He then picked a small stone and threw it away. "He's not a bad person, Man-Ju. He just needs the right people to guide him. If Seo-Joon is back there, he can guide our brother to be a great King."

"I can't help but admire your strong belief in the King," She confessed to the prince, hugging his arm even tighter.

"What's there to admire? He's my brother and my King, that's all the reason I need to have faith in him," Young-Sik simply replied. "That's why it saddens me that Seo-Joon no longer believes in him," the prince expressed his dilemma to the court maiden.

"I don't want to tarnish the King's image, but he has a point," Jin-Ri told Young-Sik delicately. "And we all hope that someday, you will see the truth," She added with her soft voice.

"I don't know if I ever will see that truth, you are all talking about. I know him differently than anyone else," Young-Sik explained to the woman beside him.

Jin-Ri placed a gentle finger over his lips. "You don't have to debate me about how you perceive your brothers; I'm just here to support you and put your mind at ease," she explained with a smile.

Young-Sik sat in silence, his fingers fidgeting restlessly. At last, he turned to the court maiden, delicately taking her right arm and sliding her sleeve back to reveal her elbow. "What caused this scar?" he asked, his tone gentle and considerate.

Though puzzled, she attempted to clarify, "I got this when I was a child. Why do you ask?" Her interest was piqued by the prince's sudden focus on a scar from her past.

"I had a friend who saved my life, but when it was my turn to save hers... I failed, and she fell to her death from the cliffs of Mt. Yangge, sixteen years ago." Young-Sik confessed, unburdening a secret he had long kept hidden. He glanced at Jin-Ri's scar. "She had the same scar on her right elbow, she knew my mother's lullaby like you. I gave her a golden handkerchief, the very same one that you have right now."

Jin-Ri took the golden embroidered cloth from her pocket and gave it to the prince. "Go Eun-Ae… her name was Go Eun-Ae."

The prince's heart raced, and his head felt numb as if every drop of his blood rushed to his head. Excited and hesitantly, he asked his question, "Why do you know that name?"

The prince could see the discomfort on her face. She took a deep breath and steadied herself before sharing her memory, "I remember sliding...rolling...skidding down a mountain. Then I came to a sudden stop, every bone, every muscle in my body felt broken and torn. I couldn't move from the pain." Jin-Ri clutched her head from the ringing sound. Young-Sik quickly wrapped her in a safe embrace. "I was lying on a pile of broken branches and leaves, gasping, clinging to life."

A middle-aged couple was gathering firewood at the base of Mt. Yangge after a night of torrential rains. "Dam? Have you collected enough firewood?" Seuk asked his wife

"Would you quit your yammering? All I can see are broken twigs," She replied, irritated at her husband. "Go make yourself useful and look at those piles of leaves."

Seuk scoffed, "Useful? What nonsense is she talking about? She can't even bear children." When he reached the pile of leaves, he started to dig through it. "GYAAAAHHH!" he shouted, stumbling upon a hand…he tumbled back. "A…a dead body! A dead person is in that pile of leaves!"

Dam dropped the wood she collected and ran to her husband. "A dead body? Where?" her husband pointed at the pile of leaves and broken branches.

She saw the hand, but when its fingers twitched, her heart raced. "This person is alive," she yelled out. She started to remove the debris until she saw a girl, gasping, in shock, and humming a certain tune. "It's a child, Seuk, get over here."

"A child?" he quickly got up to see what his wife was talking about. "You're right, it's a child, a girl." he knelt to examine her. "She has a lot of injuries, cuts, and bruises. She must have fallen from the cliff." He looked up and saw a narrow slope that extended the height of the cliff. "It's a miracle she survived, she might have slid down that slope. Stay here and talk to her, I'm going to find something where we can carry her."

Dam nodded. After her husband left, she stroked the girl's hair. "What's your name, little one?" The girl turned her eyes toward the woman before losing consciousness.

That evening, the girl suddenly woke up screaming, "Help me, help me!" but she immediately lay back in bed because of the pain.

Dam was quick to go to the girl's side. "Shhh, it's okay, child, it's okay, you're safe now, don't be afraid, no one's going to harm you here. I'm Dam, and that is my husband Seuk. Do you have a name, little one? Where are your parents?"

When the girl shook her head, the couple exchanged glances. Dam sits beside the girl, "Do you remember what happened to you?" but the girl only shakes her head.

"What are we going to do, Seuk? The girl is in a pitiful state, she can't remember anything," Dam asked, looking for guidance from her husband

"The clothes she is wearing, she might be a court maiden," He deduced, glancing over to the girl. "What if she were a runaway servant from the palace?"

"Don't tell me you are going to surrender her to the capital? She will be killed if she is a runaway servant," She reminded him, hoping that he would not do what she feared

"Dam," he held his wife's shoulders. "What if we keep her, raise her as our daughter. We always wanted to have a child," his eyes sparkling hopefully that she would agree.

She looked at the girl, who was looking back at them. She walked to the bed and sat down. She then took her small hands. "Would you like me to give you a name?" she smiled at the idea. "How about Jin-Ri? That was my sister's name," Jin-Ri smiled at the name that was given to her.

"Despite being poor, they adopted me, I grew up in a loving household. It took me two months before I could walk on my own. I had a normal childhood, had friends, and played like how children were supposed to be." She said she reached out for Young-Sik's hand. "But whenever I see the northern slopes of Mt. Yangge, it feels like something or someone was missing."

"Now I know why…I left you there on that mountain." Tears flowed freely from her eyes, overwhelmed by heartbreaking sadness, but at the same moment, with inexplicable happiness

Young-Sik tried to hold it in, but the wave of emotions was just too much to bear. "When I saw you disappear into the darkness, I vowed that I would never lose anyone ever again. I never had a childhood; I robbed myself of happiness so I could fulfill that promise. But I would never have thought that when I walked into the courtroom that day, we would meet again, the most shameless, direction-challenged, and rudest court maiden in my entire life." Jin-Ri giggled even with tears on her face when she heard how he described her. "I love you for who you are and not who you were."

Their foreheads touch gently, like they are in solemn prayer. Their eyes stare at one another, their gazes refusing to let go. "Stick Girl," he whispered. "Smartass," she smiled back at him.

Jin-Ri stood up and extended her hand, and Young-Sik stood up as their fingers intertwined. On their way back to the tent, "For now, can we keep this a secret? My brother being alive, that is." The prince requested of her.

"Of course, your secret is safe with me, come on, let's hurry, I bet your brother is waiting for you." The two hurried back to the tenth to rejoin the humble family.

Back in the capital in the Cherry Blossom, Mun-He made her way to Eri's room, balancing a tray brimming with mouthwatering pork and beef dishes. The guards stationed outside swung the doors open, allowing her to step inside. The room was modest, featuring two small windows that flooded the space with sunlight. Furnished with just a single table and chair, the mattress lay directly on the floor. Eri, feeling sorry for herself, turned sharply at the sound of the closing door, shooting a glare at Mun-He. "Don't think that bringing me food will change my mind," she snapped, her voice laced with anger.

"I'm only here to deliver your meal and ensure you're still alive for the prince's return," Mun-He responded calmly.

"And what's that to me? You're just keeping me alive so he can finish me off himself?" Eri shot back with a touch of biting sarcasm.

"You could at least express some gratitude," Mun-He replied, setting the food tray down on the empty table.

"Gratitude? I'm trapped in this place! This room is even smaller than my prison cell! Why should I be thankful to any of you?" Eri shot back, her tone fierce.

"In this situation, you're not waiting for a death sentence," Mun-He countered, effectively silencing the former Queen.

Just as Mun-He was about to exit, Eri called out, "You know I can't disclose their names." Mun-He halted but didn't turn to face her. "They'll kill my son," Eri added, desperation creeping into her voice.

"So, you'd rather let those who might kill your son close in on him?" Mun-He snapped back. She knocked on the door, and the guards opened it, allowing her to leave before closing it behind her. Eri angrily grabbed a pillow and threw it at the door, then screamed in frustration at the top of her lungs.

After two more days of recovery, Young-Sik and Jin-Ri decided it was time to return to the capital. "We're moving to a different place, brother. I hope you understand," Min-Jae said, giving his younger brother a heartfelt hug goodbye.

Young-Sik then pointed towards the West and remarked, "Don't forget that Nyuong gum is in that direction, our grandfather's home. You and your family will be well taken care of there," he encouraged Min-Jae.

"I've already considered that, so no need to stress, brother. I'll think it over," he assured the prince. Young-Sik raised an eyebrow at him. "You know what? You two can help us get ready, and we'll head to Grandfather's place together," he suggested with a sigh. Young-Sik grinned, but soon his grin turned into laughter.

"Thanks, brother. I feel good knowing you and your family will be safe there," Young-Sik told him.

Ha-Rin playfully nudged Jin-Ri. "I've always wanted a sister," she said with a smile.

"Really? Me too!" Jin-Ri replied, beaming, and the two women embraced.

Young-Ju joined in, wrapping her arms around both of them. "Welcome to the family, Aunt Jin-Ri," she said warmly.

They began to collect the family's possessions and load them onto their cart, and before noon, they were on their way, heading to their grandfather's estate, where Min-Jae and his family would stay. After two days of uneventful travels, they saw Nyuong gum over the horizon. It was already dark when they reached the gates of their grandfather's house.

Frankly, brother, I was a bit shocked when you chose to accept my proposal. Young-Sik conveyed to his brother his delight at their newfound agreement.

"I can't allow my daughter to grow up without a stable home she can truly call her own. What kind of future awaits her if she's always on the run?" Min-Jae stated. "Here, she can experience a normal childhood—sleeping in a cozy bed, sharing meals with family, playing games with friends her age, and receiving a proper education." He elaborated on why he and his wife, Ha-Rin, decided to move to their grandfather's house.

"You made the right choice, brother," Young-Sik said, tapping Min-Jae on the back. He then proceeded to the gate and used the knocker to announce their presence. The iron knocker made a loud noise when it slammed on the wooden gate. Young-Sik repeated using the knocker three more times before the gates opened.

Two familiar faces peered out from the opened gates: Uncles Ban and Ra-Im. "Young master! We're so glad that you are back," he joyfully exclaimed at the sight of the prince and his companions. When Uncle Ban rushed and hugged Young-Sik, the prince groaned, surprising the old man. "Young master, you're hurt, please come in quickly so we can treat you," he offered the prince

Young-Sik smiled and brushed off his injuries. "I am fine, uncles, don't worry," he assured them, his face filled with a smile that was trying to hide his wincing from the pain.

"Lady Jin-Ri, it's nice to see you again," Uncle Ban said, greeting the court maiden

Jin-Ri's face lights up at the warm greeting she has received. "I'm happy to see you again, uncles," she replied