Page 49 of King Foretold (Realm of Four Kingdoms #2)

“My deepest apologies.” Ethan’s voice is pitched low but sincere. “I know the risk you’re taking by helping us. No matter what happens, we won’t let any harm come to you.”

“No one can keep any of us safe.” The female scoffs, then softens her tone. “The king grows more paranoid by the day. He would have killed me, and the younger court ladies under my supervision, for one reason or another. I am risking no more than a handful of days with this betrayal.”

“A risk nonetheless,” Ethan insists. “I thank you for your courage.”

“Come with me,” she says gruffly.

My gama jostles as it picks up pace, and I shoot my hand out to steady myself against the side wall.

I take deep breaths to halt the light tremors quaking through me.

When breathing exercises fail, I wrap my hand around the hilt of my hwando, protruding from under my skirt.

My shoulders immediately drop away from my ears, and I sigh in relief.

My sword is like a warm, cozy security blanket, except it’s pointy, sharp, and deadly.

“We’re here,” Ethan warns in a rough whisper a second before my palanquin settles on the ground.

I step out of the palanquin with my eyes lowered demurely, to stay in character as the physician’s assistant. But I needn’t have bothered. There is no one around, except us. Our spy brought us to the back entrance of a grand hanok, which stands at the center of a vast, walled courtyard.

I peek at the pale, drawn face of our spy, who casts a furtive glance around our surroundings.

Her hanbok chima is the color of rich soil and her grass green jeogori has a dangui, an elongated front panel that hangs past her navel.

My eyes widen in surprise as I realize she’s a high-ranking court lady.

No pond, shrubs, or trees surround the opulent hanok with its crimson latticed windows and its arching, jade-tiled roof. Anyone approaching the structure would be seen from yards away from every side. Now I understand why sneaking in at night wasn’t an option.

Ethan and Jihun flank me as we face the court lady. She pins us with her sharp gaze and gets straight to business.

“The king only steps outside his jimil to attend the morning assembly in the royal audience hall with his officials, then he remains in his chambers for the rest of the day. He has terminated all audience with visiting officials and scholars since his ... illness.” The court lady nods at us with grim determination.

“My assistant gungnyeo is doing her best to keep the royal guards occupied, but they will return before long. You must follow me.”

We climb the stone steps and remove our shoes before entering the king’s quarters. The inner hallways are dim, as though even the sun is afraid to approach the volatile tyrant, and the silence feels ominous, like it isn’t an absence of sound but a suffocation of it.

Playing the part of the blind physician, Jihun places his hand on my arm and moves with deliberate hesitance, lightly shuffling his feet.

I take care to match my steps to his. Ethan’s strides are sure footed as he walks ahead of us with the court lady.

He must be familiar with the layout, thanks to his mother’s memories.

Ethan has only spoken of the King of Mountains in anger, but a part of him must feel the pull of blood.

No matter what the male has done, he is still his father.

Jihun and I will find a way to kill the powerful king, if it comes to that.

We agreed not to let that burden fall on Ethan.

Even together, we are not strong enough to defeat the tyrant, but I’m willing to die trying.

Or better yet, I’ll take the motherfucker with me.

Whenever I see other gungnyeos coming down the hallway, I lower my eyes even as my adrenaline spikes.

But every court lady we pass bows to our spy with deference, marking her as the most senior court lady, the jimil sanggung.

She must have dedicated her entire life to obtain that position.

Things must be worse than we thought if she is willing to risk her life’s work to help us take down the king.

The sanggung comes to a stop in front of a room with wide latticed double doors, with two court ladies kneeling on opposite ends of the doors. When one of the court ladies glances up, our spy gives her a sharp shake of her head, and the young gungnyeo quickly shifts her eyes back to her lap.

“Your Majesty,” the jimil sanggung intones. “The inspector has arrived with the physician.”

There is a terse murmur inside the king’s chambers, and a high-pitched male voice calls out, “You may enter.”

The two gungnyeos slide open the double doors, keeping their heads bent.

The jimil sanggung bows deep from her waist, and we mimic her from three steps behind.

I whisper what’s happening to Jihun—cueing him on when to bow and when to straighten—as though he really can’t see.

The sanggung walks into the chambers with featherlight steps, her hands clasped lightly over her navel, and we follow her inside.

The King of Mountains sits behind a low wooden desk, with a shaking hand fisted on top of it.

Despite the haggard lines of his face and the dark circles beneath his eyes, he is undoubtedly handsome in a bold, rugged way.

I see Ethan in the strong lines of the king’s jaw and the dark arches of his eyebrows.

But the cruel twist of the tyrant’s lips and the madness in his eyes shatters the illusion of any likeness between Ethan and his father.

Even in his private chambers, the king wears a forest green silk robe with large circular embroideries on each shoulder.

I only catch a glimpse before I lower my eyes, but the gold threads seem to depict a roaring bear, rearing up on its hind legs.

A bear? I’m tempted to glance up again, but Jihun tightens his grip on my arm in caution.

“But look at him, Your Majesty.” The shrill complaint comes from the male standing near the king’s side in a voluminous robe the color of dry bark. He must be the king’s eunuch. “He is no better than a peasant. A blind physician? Who has heard of such a thing?”

“Silence,” the king hisses, his voice cold and sharp as a scalpel. The eunuch immediately scuttles back, dipping his head low like a turtle hiding inside its shell. “Inspector, I hope for your sake that you brought me the right physician.”

“Thank you for your benevolent consideration, Your Majesty.” Ethan bows obsequiously, but a muscle tics in his jaw. I feel his magic jerk against the surface. I bend my elbow until it brushes against his arm. Please Ethan. “Your humble servant has indeed brought Your Majesty the right physician.”

“Leave us,” the king says with a dismissive wave. I’m not sure who he’s ordering to leave.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The jimil sanggung backs away toward the doors.

The eunuch comes out of his shell to whine loudly, “But Your Majesty—”

“Utter another word”—the king sounds almost bored as he glances at his fingernails—“and I will have your tongue for supper, sliced and grilled.”

Pressing his lips tightly together, the eunuch scrambles out of the room with one last resentful glare at Ethan and Jihun. He doesn’t condescend to give me, a lowly female, even a dirty look. I am so devastated by the slight. How ever will I recover?

So I guess the tyrant wanted the sanggung and his eunuch out ...

“Wait.” The king doesn’t raise his voice, but every one of us freezes in place. I don’t dare breathe, and I focus on keeping my magic locked down. Has the king found us out? Did something give us away? “Jang Sanggung, show the inspector out. I have no more need of him.”

Ethan and Jihun stiffen on either side of me, and it takes all my willpower to keep my eyes trained to the floor. If the king is as paranoid as our spy said, he wouldn’t miss a single out-of-place glance.

“This lowly one is honored to have stayed in your presence for this long. Thank you for your boundless forbearance, Your Majesty,” Ethan says smoothly, his arm brushing against my elbow in a wisp of reassurance. “Your humble servant will take your leave now.”

This isn’t a disaster. Jihun and I can handle the first part of the plan without Ethan. I’ll administer acupuncture on the king and paralyze him before he suspects anything. If the paralysis part goes awry ... it might be better for Ethan not to be here.

Jang Sanggung and Ethan back out of the king’s chambers, bowing from their waists the entire time. I don’t dare glance behind me, but I hear the sanggung quietly urge the court ladies to close the doors. I feel Ethan’s gaze on me until they slide shut.

“Do you know why you have been summoned, physician?” The tyrant arches an eyebrow at Jihun, who keeps his eyes unfocused.

“This lowly one has not been told the specifics of Your Majesty’s condition,” Jihun answers in a weedy, intimidated voice.

“I thought someone of your renown can take one look at me ...” The king cackles, slapping his hand on his desk. “Pardon my ... slip. You obviously cannot see me.”

“No, Your Majesty.” Jihun dips his head. “I beg your pardon, Your Majesty.”

“You will have to do much more than beg my pardon if your blindness inconveniences me any further,” the king roars in a sudden change of mood. “Why are you not examining me? You dare waste the king’s time?”

Bowing our heads repeatedly, I help Jihun stumble over to the king, and we kneel in front of his low desk. The king’s eyes focus on my face with narrowed intensity, and I duck my head as though I’m terrified, while suppressing my magic even deeper inside me. Just a little bit longer.

“Your Majesty.” Jihun extends shaking hands across the desk. “May this lowly one examine your pulse?”

“If you value your life, do not keep your filthy fingers on my wrist for one second longer than necessary,” the king snaps but offers his wrist to Jihun, exposing a long thin scar on his palm.