Inside the small tent, the atmosphere was even more eerie. Although Haneul had always favored, he and usually let him have his way, he knew that Haneul never drew a line between them when speaking about their relationship. He had always known that he was the slave and Haneul was the master. He loved Haneul; he had admitted it a long time ago, but his love for Haneul was a love kept behind closed doors. On the other hand, Haneul viewed their relationship differently from him. Haneul had publicly expressed his affection for Sukh and had the audacity to publicly punish those who disliked him or harbored ill will towards him.
Staring at Haneul, who sat there glaring angrily at him, Sukh sighed and walked over to the King. "Why are you here? Does the capital know that you are here?"
"This land is mine," Haneul retorted. "I can go anywhere I want." He stared at Sukh frantically, then stood up to face him. "I ordered you to go back to the capital. You didn't take it seriously, did you?"
"I will obey your orders this time," Sukh stated calmly.
"I'll give you a chance to tell the truth in front of me," Haneul said, his voice laced with menace. "And if you don't tell the truth to me, don't say I didn't give you a chance to prove yourself." He paused for a moment, studying Sukh's face intently. "Have you ever hidden anything from me?"
Sukh sighed. "I haven't kept anything that would affect your ruling of this kingdom."
"Sukh!" Haneul rushed forward and grabbed Sukh's collar, swinging his right hand towards Sukh's face. He stopped just as his hand was about to connect, instead pushing Sukh back angrily. "Remember to come back before dawn tomorrow, or your whole family will be executed. I will start with your personal maid."
Haneul turned to walk towards the door, but Sukh grabbed his right hand. "Why are you so persistent this time?" he asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.
Haneul forcibly pulled his hand away from Sukh. "This King doesn't need to answer your question," he snapped, walking out angrily.
Sukh sighed, watching Haneul ride away on horseback with his personal guards. A sudden pain tightened his chest. They had known each other for many years, and every time they parted ways, Haneul would kiss and smile at him. Not once had Haneul left him feeling unwanted, but this time was different.
Sukh walked back into his tent and sat down, writing his last order. After he finished writing, he placed the bamboo scroll on the table. "Man," he called out.
A young soldier rushed into the tent. "General." The young soldier knelt on one knee.
"Take this to General Qadan," Sukh instructed, standing up and walking to the soldier. "Also, I was recalled to the capital, and General Qadan will take my place in the future."
The young soldier took the bamboo scroll and quickly left the tent.
Sukh began packing his personal belongings, knowing that now that Haneul had been so cold about his return requests, he would most likely not return to patrol the southern border. He believed his cousin Qadan would do well in his place. He grabbed his bag, jumped on his horse, and rushed out of the barracks, heading north to the capital.
When Sukh returned to the capital, the sun had already set, but a faint light could still be seen from a distance. Taking advantage of the city gate's opening time, he rode his horse through. He slowly rode back to his home and found that his house was completely dark and quiet.
Sukh dismounted his horse and walked into the mansion. Just as he thought the house was empty, his personal maid greeted him.
"My lord," the maid said, bowing. "Welcome home."
"Why is everything so quiet and dark?" Sukh asked.
"Your friend had ordered me not to light up any light in the house," the maid explained.
"Is he still here?" Sukh asked, a flicker of hope.
"No, my lord. Your friend is not here," the maid replied. "But he came this afternoon. Your friend said you must attend this morning's meeting."
"How is the rest of the family?" Sukh inquired, his voice softening with concern.
"Everyone is healthy," the maid assured him.
"Prepare water and new clothes for me," Sukh instructed. "I will attend today's meeting."
The maid bowed. "Yes, my lord."
It was still very early, and many ministers standing in the meeting room were a little surprised to see Sukh attending. Everyone hadn't known that Sukh had returned to the capital. Since the last incident, they thought Sukh had returned to the southern border.
"Great Grand General, we didn't know you were back."
"Yeah, we are happy to see you today."
"Since you have returned to the capital, today's meeting must be very important."
"Do you know the content of today's meeting?"
"No, I just arrived this morning," Sukh said, shaking his head.
Entering through the side door, Haneul walked in, his gaze sweeping over the ministers. He sat down on the chair, and the ministers in the room greeted him respectfully.
"Rise," Haneul commanded. He found Sukh standing behind the second person of the last row. "Let's start."
The ministers presented their ideas and concerns to Haneul. After a two-hour meeting, Haneul asked, "Anyone else want to say anything?"
The ministers were silent.
"This is your last chance to speak your mind before I announce my agenda," Haneul stated. He paused, but the many ministers in the room remained silent. "Alright, we have an announcement to make. The first announcement is that we have elected a queen." He looked at Sukh's unchanging expression, which only made him angrier.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty," all the ministers said in unison.
"Secondly…" Haneul continued, looking at Sukh again. "Not long ago, we learned that our Great Grand General of Tanzang agreed to marry the eldest daughter of Chief Keme."
"Whoa," the ministers exclaimed, a ripple of surprise going through the room.
Sukh suddenly understood why Haneul was angry, and why he had been threatened and forced to return to the capital. He raised his head and met Haneul's ferocious eyes.
Haneul smirked, a cruel twist of his lips. "Since our Great Grand General and Chief Keme have sworn an oath and completed the deal, we will give him a royal wedding."
All the ministers in the room looked at Sukh and offered, "Congratulations… Great Grand General Bayarmaa."
"After the General gets married," Haneul declared, his eyes still fixed on Sukh, "we will announce which concubine will become the Queen of Tanzang." He smiled mockingly at Sukh, clearly seeing the sudden change of expression on Sukh's face as he talked about Sukh's "dirty secret." "If anyone has nothing else to discuss with us, you may all be dismissed." He stood up and walked out through the side door with his servants.
The many ministers turned their heads to look at Sukh and congratulated him one after another.
Minister Choi walked up to Sukh and said, "His Majesty told me to thank you personally. It was because of your wise words that His Majesty did not imprison or behead me. I truly deserved those twenty back strokes."
"Thank you, Great Grand General," Minister Lee added. "We will not miss your wedding."
"We are subjects of the imperial court," Sukh said, his voice calm. "We have the responsibility to serve His Majesty and not to be prejudiced against other ministers. I hope that the ministers punished by His Majesty will not take it to heart. His Majesty just does not like conflicts in the court."
"No, His Majesty is right to punish us," Minister Choi insisted, still humbled.
After the ministers left, Sukh headed to Haneul's bedroom chamber. He intended to explain the reason why he had agreed to marry Chief Keme's daughter, but just as he arrived outside Haneul's royal chamber, the giggles and laughter of women from inside made him turn around and leave.
As he walked alone down the long corridor, surrounded by high concrete walls, he suddenly remembered the day he had gone to ask Chief Keme to help Haneul take back his kingdom.
(Memory)
Chief Keme looked at Sukh. "If you ask me to help you regain the kingdom and let you inherit the throne, I will not hesitate."
"What's the difference between helping His Highness and me?" Sukh asked, genuinely confused. "The throne is rightfully his."
"Young man, you should know him best," Chief Keme said, a knowing look in his eyes. "He is a man of calculation, only looking out for his own interests."
"He is still young," Sukh countered, defending Haneul. "If we give him good advice, he will become a very good king. His Majesty, although he is usually crusty, but deep down inside, he is very gentle."
"If he is as good a King as you say," Chief Keme pressed, "why should he be exiled from his own kingdom?"
"He was young, and he had no support in court," Sukh explained. "His position was passed to him, and that's why he didn't win the ministers' support in court." He looked earnestly at Chief Keme. "With the help of you and your mages, His Majesty can regain his throne. Besides, your tribe has moved from one place to another and has no home of its own; make Tanzang your new home and the future home of your descendants."
"I am afraid that one day, when your king no longer needs us, he will get rid of us without hesitation," Chief Keme stated, his expression grave.
"I swear I would not allow this to happen as long as I was alive," Sukh vowed, his hand over his heart.
"Promises are empty words," Chief Keme said. "I need effective security."
"Which effective securities are you referring to?" Sukh asked.
"You will become a member of the Kakungga tribe through marriage," Chief Keme revealed. "Only then can I have peace of mind and dedicate my time and energy to your king." He sighed and stared at Sukh, his gaze piercing. "So, what is your decision, young man?"
Sukh looked at Chief Keme, his resolve firm. "As long as Chief is willing to help His Majesty regain the throne, I can agree to anything, even if it means sacrificing my life."
Chief Keme sighed. "Tell me, why do you treat such a person with so much respect?"
Sukh smiled brightly. "Because of a bowl of rice."
(End of memory)