---
A Royal Decree – The Queen's Trap
The grand hall was silent.
All eyes turned to the King as he unrolled the royal decree.
Dan-Bi stood among the scholars, his heartbeat steady—but his mind racing.
What is she planning?
The Queen's smile was serene, but Dan-Bi could feel the weight of her gaze.
The King cleared his throat.
"By the order of the royal court," he began, voice firm, "Scholar Dan-Bi is hereby appointed as the royal emissary to the Western Province."
The words slammed into him.
Dan-Bi's breath stilled.
The Western Province.
Far from the capital.
Far from the truth.
A trap.
She's trying to remove me.
The scholars murmured, surprised.
The ministers exchanged glances.
The Queen's fingers tapped lightly against her armrest.
Dan-Bi schooled his expression into calmness.
Then, he bowed.
"I am honored, Your Majesty," he said smoothly. "May I ask the reason for this appointment?"
The Queen leaned forward, her voice gentle—too gentle.
"You have displayed remarkable intelligence," she said. "And we require someone trustworthy to oversee matters there."
Lies.
Dan-Bi's mind spun.
If he left the capital now, he would lose control.
He needed time.
An escape.
A counterattack.
He bowed lower.
"Your Majesty is too generous," he said carefully. "I shall make preparations immediately."
The Queen's smile widened.
Checkmate.
Or so she thought.
--- Dan-Bi Secretly Investigates Who Exposed Him
Dan-Bi left the palace that night, slipping into the shadows.
If he was being removed, it meant someone had tipped the Queen off.
Someone had seen too much.
Someone talked.
He moved quickly, his thoughts sharp.
He needed to find them before they vanished.
Before the Queen silenced them permanently.
At the eastern gate, a cloaked figure waited.
Dan-Bi's fingers curled around the dagger hidden in his sleeve.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
The figure turned.
A scarred face.
Old, weary eyes.
"…You don't remember me, do you?"
Dan-Bi frowned.
The man sighed.
"I was there," he murmured. "The night your mother fled the palace."
Dan-Bi's breath caught.
"…What?"
The man exhaled.
"You were just a baby. But I saw it. I heard the truth."
Dan-Bi's chest tightened.
Then—
A noise behind them.
A flash of steel.
Assassins.
Dan-Bi barely had time to react before blades sliced through the air.
A fight had begun.
Seong-Jin Starts Investigating the Queen's Sudden Hostility
Seong-Jin was no fool.
The Queen's move had been too deliberate.
And Dan-Bi's reaction—
Controlled.
But not without strain.
He knew something.
And Seong-Jin intended to find out what.
That night, he summoned his most trusted attendant.
"Follow Scholar Dan-Bi," he ordered.
The attendant hesitated. "Your Highness, if the Queen discovers—"
"She won't."
A pause.
Then, Seong-Jin leaned back, fingers tapping against the armrest.
"…And report back to me directly."
The attendant bowed.
The game had begun.
And Seong-Jin intended to win.