A brief tremor crossed Ryang's face, but he quickly regained his composure.
"It is not a matter worthy of your concern," he countered. "Furthermore, what issue is there in executing soldiers who desert on the eve of battle?"
Seeing Ryang meet his gaze with the same unwavering posture as always, Seong felt a profound sense of devastation. He delivered a sharp rebuke.
"I don't know if such methods can truly maintain discipline, but the fear gripping this city is unmistakable. How can you, of all people, look me in the eye and make such a judgment? You were the one who ruthlessly condemned the Ministry for merely omitting a report on exhausted searchers."
Beneath Seong's piercing glare, Ryang could offer no further defense. He lowered his head.
"I apologize."
Seong felt a mixture of anger and pity toward him. Was it a mistake—the choice I thought would protect him, the one that ultimately forced him to stain his hands with blood? Seong was certain that Ryang's choices had also been made to protect him, but he could no longer bear the versions of themselves they had become through these mutual sacrifices. Yet, the grim reality that lay beyond the boundary Seong could not endure was already a burden Ryang had accepted.
Ryang broke the precarious silence.
"It is true that unease and terror are spreading through the city," he admitted. "The number of deserters is also visibly increasing. However, the atrocities committed by Soyeol in Dongrahng have also fueled people's outrage. Yet, that fury has nowhere to anchor itself. Where are you and the Guardian Crimson? Guardian, where exactly are you right now?"
At Ryang's pointed question, Seong immediately dropped his gaze. Ryang poured out the isolation and anxiety he had endured alone throughout the preparations for the siege.
"Though the degree may differ from Dongrahng," he continued. "Soyeol has ravaged Nahmgyo, a city that prospered for a thousand years. If we do not emerge victorious, all that will be left for us is the bitter regret of not dying on the battlefield. Is that truly what you desire, you who fear the sacrifices and suffering of the people? It is agonizing for me as well, to harshly suppress the unrest within these walls, to persuade and force upon them the reasons why we must win and the conviction that we can. But right now, we must achieve victory by any means necessary. When you stepped forward after awakening your power in Haewol Cave, when you sometimes even pushed me to my limits, I saw hope in you. If you revert to hiding as you are doing now, you will not be able to protect anyone in this city."
Feeling even more devastated, Seong could not meet the eyes of his pleading subject. To share in Ryang's solitary struggle, Seong knew he had to step out among the people and breathe hope into them, just as Ryang begged. Yet, Seong could not bring himself to tell Ryang of the vision Norahn had seen—the revelation that Hwan might be the chosen Guardian. Ultimately, Seong's mind returned to that night four years ago, when everything had begun to unravel. He spoke heavily.
"I don't want to regret anymore."
Seong decided it was time to voice the truth they had buried in silence.
"If I had mustered my courage that night," he continued. "Perhaps Uncle would still be alive. Perhaps I could have stopped Hwan. I summoned the wrong kind of courage back then. Cowardly courage... The courage I failed to find then, I must find now. Because now, it's more than just three lives I must trade for my courage. I know this."
Seeing Seong still living in guilt even after sharing the weight of his hidden truth, Ryang's chest tightened once more. After a long silence, Ryang parted his lips.
"Cheon Hwan came to me before he left Birahng."
Seong, whose gaze had been heavily cast downward, looked up at him.
"What?"
Though he had broken the silence, Ryang opened and closed his mouth several times before forcing the words out.
"He asked me to leave with him," he confessed. "He said he couldn't live his entire life as a shadow within Wicheong."
"He tried to take you with him?" Seong asked in disbelief.
Ryang replied.
"You know well that even then, he was a man I could never follow. But... if I had refused him just a little more gently, if I hadn't been so harsh, my father might not have died that way. He told me I would regret it. My failure to grasp the true weight of his warning... is a sin I still carry."
Looking at Seong with a desperate gaze, Ryang condemned himself.
"It was not your fault, Guardian. It was mine."
Seong shook his head.
"Every tragedy born under the name of Cheon is the burden of the royal house," he said. "You did nothing wrong. No one could have imagined Hwan would go to such lengths. Even as I was being threatened right before my eyes, even up to the very last moment when I raised the sword against Uncle, I foolishly clung to the hope that Hwan's murderous intent was a lie."
Seong asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Ryang lowered his gaze from Seong.
"I was afraid," he answered. "Afraid that the choice I could never make might have been the only way to prevent all of this."
Seong asked again. "Then, why bring it up now? Are you... preparing for death?"
Neither Seong nor Ryang could deny that this moment, sitting across from one another, might be their last chance to share the words they had kept hidden. Seong was not the kind of lord to force Ryang into accepting death, yet Ryang, having laid bare the past he had concealed alone, could not offer reckless assurances here. He said,
"I am prepared for it."
Seong's fist, resting on the table, tightened. Ryang continued.
"But I believe in you, Guardian. Yeom'myeol, capable of cutting down the immortal, is in your hands. No matter what blade Cheon Hwan wields, it will shatter against Yeom'myeol. As long as you stand firm, we have a chance at victory. If you win, Soyeol, realizing Sahngjon's true will, will also pledge their loyalty to you. A single battle could overturn everything."
Seong made no reply, but he no longer avoided Ryang's unwavering gaze. Ryang urged Seong's resolve one last time.
"Let Yeom'myeol claim Cheon Hwan."
──────────
Ryang returned home in the late afternoon. Drenched in fatigue, he was about to step blindly into his room when a glimpse of Seon's hem in the rear garden caught his eye. Turning his head, he found her crouching alone at the exact spot where he had buried the chest. She remained motionless even as he approached.
"What are you doing?" Ryang asked.
Seon offered no reply, as if she were entirely alone. Ryang, studying her with growing unease, noticed a small wooden doll clutched in her hand. A sharp ache constricted his throat. Masking the sudden burn in his chest, he managed to speak.
"You still have it."
When she still didn't look up, he asked, "Why are you looking at that?"
Only then did Seon answer, her voice hollow. "Maybe I should bury this in the ground, just like you did."
Her voice was hoarse, betraying how long she had been sitting there alone. She abruptly stood up and began listing her day's tasks, adopting her usual brisk tone.
"I sent some money to the families. It was the only way to quiet their resentment toward you. Tomorrow, I'm opening the granaries to feed the troops. What's the point of hoarding our wealth when our lives are on the line? Might as well use it to buy their loyalty."
Her account was factual, yet her true intentions lay hidden. By generously distributing the assets she could not carry on her escape, she could safely secret away the gold and jewels she needed. It also served as a perfect disguise, portraying her as devoted to the siege preparations. She had rehearsed countless excuses in her mind, bracing for Ryang's suspicion. Yet, the face looking back at her was entirely devoid of suspicion—or any emotion at all. The ease of her deception sparked a sudden surge of irritation.
"I'm doing the best I can here. For once, couldn't you just praise me instead of staring at me like that?"
When Ryang offered no response, Seon began to press him.
"Say something. Give me your usual lecture. Tell me to trust you, to trust the Guardian!"
Unable to contain the turmoil threatening to burst from within, Seon raised her voice. Normally, Ryang would have reprimanded her instantly, but his silent, unresponsive demeanor drove her to the edge. Tears finally spilled from her eyes.
"Why did you forgive me?" she demanded.
Ryang looked at her. Looking up at him with damp eyelashes, she stood there, radiating the delicate beauty of a grown woman. He often forgot, accustomed as he was to seeing her merely as a younger sister, but Seon was the most beautiful person he knew. She was a precious treasure, one he could not bear to see indulge in an affair with a dangerously alluring stranger. And here she was, remaining in a city that might soon become a living hell, helping her brother prepare for a desperate siege.
Yet, Ryang felt no pride in her efforts. Nor did he feel any anger toward her explosive anxiety. He stared at her for a long time before answering.
"I didn't forgive you. But I didn't abandon you, either. You're my sister."
His detached response pierced dangerously into Seon's heart. The urge to tell him everything was ready, to beg him to flee with her, to close his eyes just this once, nearly burst from her lips. Driven by fear, she lashed out at him with venomous words.
"I am so sick of your stupid stubbornness, your self-righteousness! Why must you be so impossibly stubborn? If you end up dying before me... I swear, I will never forgive you."
The moment she finished, Seon wiped her wet cheeks with both hands and fled the courtyard, retreating to her chambers.
With slow steps, Ryang entered his room and leaned back into a chair. He was certain that if Seon remained in a safe place during the battle, she would not be killed even if Hyangdo fell. Just as she was precious and beautiful in his eyes, she was undeniably captivating to anyone else. Furthermore, she was one of the only three surviving Celestial Scions capable of bearing children. If Hwan intended to sustain the facade of a rightful king, he would likely force Seon to marry Keumpyeong Hui or Kyeongseon Joon, distributing the surnames among their offspring to preserve the numbers of the Scion houses.
However, if Hwan decided to take Seon as a second or third wife himself, or present her as a trophy to one of the Soyeol kings... then, just as Ryang had confessed to Seong, it might be better for Seon to die fighting. He could not expect Hwan to make any decision with Seon's happiness in mind.
Ryang sat in deep thought until darkness fell outside his door. Finally, he rose from his chair, opened a drawer, and reached deep inside. When his hand emerged, it held a green jade necklace, identical in design to the ruby pendant he wore. Ryang left his quarters and headed toward Ryucheon.
Ryucheon had already lit the early evening candles. Ryang knocked and stepped inside. Ryucheon casually tapped out the ember in his pipe and offered a smooth, measured bow. The room was thick with tobacco smoke, yet starkly bare; his belongings were already packed away, stripping the space of any lived-in warmth. Ryang sat across from him and delivered the permission he had secured from Seong.
"You may enter the government office after noon tomorrow."
"I know that wasn't an easy request to make," Ryucheon replied with a brief nod. "Thank you."
Even after delivering his message, Ryang did not rise to leave. As the heavy silence stretched between them, it became increasingly clear that this would be their final meeting. Ryucheon set his pipe neatly on the desk and waited patiently for the words Ryang was struggling to form.
At last, Ryang spoke.
"I have a favor to ask, relying on your goodwill."