The capital
The night in the capital was anything but quiet. Lanterns still glowed outside shops, footsteps echoed in the alleys, and voices drifted like smoke through the evening air. Some people were closing their stalls, others were still wandering the streets. The city never really slept.
Seo Jin rode in, silent and focused. He didn't glance sideways or stop for anything. His clothes were creased, his eyes dark with lack of sleep. The second he reached the magistrate office, he handed his horse over to the stable boy and walked straight in.
Inside, Officer Ki Tae looked up, surprised. "You're back," he said, standing. "Did you find someone who knew what that herb is?"
Seo Jin shook his head and stepped into his office. "No."
He closed the door behind him.
The room was still. Cold. He walked to his desk and sat heavily in his chair. The dart was still there, right where he'd left it. He picked it up again and turned it between his fingers. The scent was nearly gone now, but he remembered it — soft, sweet… like a flower that shouldn't have existed.
He leaned back, resting his head against the wall, staring at the ceiling. His thoughts wouldn't quiet down.
---
The Jang Residence- Eun Sook's Chamber
At the Jang estate, the night air was gentler.
Eun Sook stood by the window, her white under-robe loose around her body, the fabric soft and thin. Her long black hair fell down her back, catching the breeze that crept through the open wooden panels.
She didn't speak. She didn't move. Her eyes stared out into the quiet garden, but her mind was elsewhere — stuck on Na Mu's words.
"It's better to kill him, my lady. If you get too close, you might fall for him. What will you then if that happens"
The wind brushed against her cheek, and still, she didn't blink.
Behind her, the door opened quietly.
Na Bi stepped in holding a small tray. "You haven't eaten," she said gently. "You should eat something."
Eun Sook didn't turn. "Leave it there."
Na Bi set the tray down on the table and hesitated. "You've been standing there for so long…"
Eun Sook finally spoke again, her voice calm but far away. "Is it worse to use someone or to kill them?"
Na Bi lowered her eyes. She didn't answer.
The room went quiet again.
The 7th Prince- Wang Yul's Residence
---
Wang Yul's chamber was filled with shadows. A single candle flickered in the corner, its light barely reaching the walls.
He sat on the floor beside a table, holding a jar of wine in one hand, his robe loose and his hair a little messy. His eyes were tired. Hollow.
A servant had brought him food earlier, but it was still sitting by the door. He hadn't touched it.
When the servant came back to check, Wang Yul just waved him away with a slow hand. He didn't want food. He didn't want anyone.
He reached beside him and pulled out a small wooden box from a drawer.
Inside it lay a pink ribbon — old, slightly wrinkled, but still soft. The same ribbon he had used to tie flowers together years ago. Flowers he picked himself, hoping to confess.
But he never got the chance.
He picked it up slowly, held it against his palm, then clenched it in his fist.
"No matter how far you push me away…" he muttered, his voice hoarse. "I'll never let you go."
---
The Magistrates Office
The sun rose quietly the next morning, casting a warm golden glow over the capital. But Seo Jin had been awake before dawn. He had barely slept — only dozing off for an hour, and even that brought nothing but a nightmare.
In his dream, he was small again. A teenage boy, standing in a dark room with his father's lifeless body lying cold on the floor. Blood everywhere. And beside it, a white hairpin soaked in red.
The same hairpin he had locked away in a chest back at his home. Same hairpin he had dreamt of on the young Hae Mi Hyang's hair.
He sat up in his bed, breathing hard, sweat clinging to his skin. He ran a hand down his face and stood. No time to rest now.
By sunrise, he was dressed, packed, and ready to leave again.
---
Hwaeon-ri
He traveled quickly, heading east. The morning air was cool, the roads quiet. Farmers were already at work, and a few children waved as he passed. He didn't stop. His thoughts stayed locked on one thing — the dart.
By midmorning, he reached the village near the forest. But when he got to Master Dam's shop, it was closed.
The door was locked. No herbs on display. No fire inside. Not a single sign of life.
He asked the neighbors, but none of them had seen the old man since dawn.
Seo Jin's jaw tightened.
He turned back toward the edge of the woods — toward the path he'd taken last time. He followed it again, stepping between trees, pushing aside low branches, until the road narrowed into a trail.
An hour passed.
Then he saw it.
A small hut made of old stones and dry wood stood by the stream, hidden in the trees.
He walked up to it, knocked once.
No answer.
He knocked again.
Still nothing.
So he pushed the door open.
Inside, Master Dam was hastily packing bundles into a sack — clothes, dried roots, jars, scrolls. He turned sharply at the sound of the door, startled and wide-eyed.
"I told you to forget what you heard!" he snapped.
"I'm not here to drag you to the court," Seo Jin said calmly, stepping in. "But if you don't talk, I will. And I'll say you're protecting an assassin. That's treason."
The old man froze.
His hands dropped. He sat down slowly, defeated. His shoulders sagged.
"They're called the Blood Blossoms," he muttered. "Rare. Red flowers. Only the royal family had them. Years ago, nobles used them to help with sleep. But they had to be dried first… that's when the scent comes out. Sweet. Calming. It helped people rest."
"And if they're used fresh?" Seo Jin asked, voice low.
The old man met his eyes.
"Then it becomes a poison," he said. "No smell. No taste. No trace. Just death."
Seo Jin clenched his jaw.
"They were all destroyed," Master Dam continued. "The flowers. The seeds. Every scroll, every bottle, every last petal. The palace declared them too dangerous. Anyone caught with one was killed."
"So how does someone still have it?" Seo Jin asked.
There was silence.
The old man looked at the floor.
"They must be growing it themselves," he finally said. "Which means they're careful. And powerful. And if you found a dart with the scent of a dried blossom…"
He didn't finish.
Seo Jin stood, his fists tight at his sides. He had what he needed.
But as he stepped out the door, Master Dam called after him.
"If you're smart, you'll leave this alone. Whoever's using Blood Blossoms… they aren't ordinary."
Seo Jin stopped. Then slowly turned back.
"If I were cultivating Blood Blossoms," he asked, "where's the best place to grow them?"
The old man was quiet. Then he answered.
"They only grow where it's cold all year."
Seo Jin's eyes narrowed. He remembered the stories — the north, where the mountains never melted.
"The North?" he asked.
Master Dam nodded. "That's the only place."
Seo Jin gave a slow bow of thanks. Then turned around and walked away, his steps heavy with thought — but steady with purpose.