Haesoo sat outside, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as though she could keep the cold—and the memories—at bay. Her gaze remained fixed on the vast night sky, where dark clouds drifted slowly, hiding the stars as if even the heavens refused to look at her pain.
The night breeze brushed against her skin, cold and unrelenting. It slipped through her thin clothes, sending a shiver down her spine, but she welcomed it. At least the cold was honest.
She fought hard against the tears threatening to spill, her jaw tightening as she drew in a sharp breath. Still, one tear escaped, tracing a silent path down her cheek.
Her aunt's words echoed mercilessly in her mind.
"If it hadn't been for your father, your mother wouldn't have burdened me with you. It's all your crazy father's fault."
Haesoo clenched her fists.
She didn't have many memories of her parents—only fragments. But she remembered enough to know they had once been happy. A warm home. Gentle laughter. A love that had made her feel safe.
Before everything was taken from her.
Her thoughts drifted back to that night—the night her world shattered.
Flashback
The sharp clatter of objects crashing against one another tore through the silence.
Little Haesoo stirred on her thin mattress, her small body jolting awake. Confused and frightened, she rose and followed the sound, padding softly toward the room where a dim lantern flickered.
Her mother was hurriedly packing, hands trembling as she shoved clothes into a sack. The room felt wrong—too tense, too quiet between the sounds.
"Mother…?" Haesoo called softly.
She wrapped her tiny arms around her mother from behind.
Her mother froze.
Slowly, she turned and pulled Haesoo into her embrace. Her shoulders were stiff, her heartbeat racing so fast Haesoo could feel it through her chest. Her mother's face was pale, her lips pressed into a thin line that tried—and failed—to smile.
"Mother?" Haesoo whispered again, worried. She had never seen her like this.
Her mother lowered herself to her knees and gently nuzzled Haesoo's head against her chest, the way a frightened cat sought comfort. Her arms tightened protectively around her daughter.
"Haesoo," she said softly, forcing calm into her voice. "You have to go with your aunt, okay? Mother and Father… we have something important to attend to."
Haesoo frowned, not understanding.
"Mother…"
Her mother pulled back slightly and placed a small wooden box into Haesoo's hands.
"Promise me," she said, her voice breaking as tears welled in her eyes. "No matter what happens, you will keep this safe. Until the day you believe it's time to open it."
Tears finally spilled down her cheeks.
"Why, Mother?" Haesoo asked, fear creeping into her small voice.
Her mother collapsed forward, hugging her tightly, her body trembling in silent terror. She could not tell her three-year-old daughter the danger looming over their family.
"Promise me, Haesoo," she whispered desperately. "Your father's fate… and this nation's fate… lies within it."
Haesoo began to cry, shaking her head. She could see the fear in her mother's eyes—and it terrified her more than anything.
"Mother!" she cried.
Her mother let out a sad, broken laugh, gently wiping the tears from Haesoo's cheeks.
"It's better this way," she murmured. "This is the only way I can protect you."
She glanced to the side.
Only then did Haesoo notice her aunt standing there, biting her lip, tears silently falling.
Suddenly—
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Heavy footsteps echoed in the distance. Not close, but close enough. The unmistakable rhythm of palace guards marching.
"We have to go," her aunt whispered urgently.
Her mother nodded, pain flooding her eyes as she pressed one last kiss to Haesoo's forehead.
"Stay with your aunt," she said softly. "Please."
Strong arms pulled Haesoo away as she cried and struggled, her tiny hands reaching out desperately.
They ran.
Branches whipped past them as they fled into the forest, her aunt clutching her tightly. But halfway through, her aunt stumbled, losing her grip.
Haesoo slipped free.
"Haesoo!" her aunt screamed.
Yoonyi ran to her mother.
"Mother!"
"Go after her!" her aunt shouted angrily. "That cursed brat!"
Haesoo ran—her legs aching, her chest burning—until she reached the edge of the path near their home.
That was when she saw it.
Palace guards dragging her mother away.
"Mo—!"
A hand clamped over her mouth.
Everything went dark.
End of Flashback
Haesoo didn't remember how she ended up in her mother's hometown.
That night, questions haunted her endlessly.
Why had her mother sent her away?
Why entrust her with the box?
What did she mean by her father's fate—and the nation's?
No matter how much she asked, her aunt remained silent.
Years later, when they finally returned to the capital, the truth came from her mother's old friend.
Her father had been accused of treason.
Her family—annihilated.
The king had ordered the incident erased from history.
Anyone who valued their life was forbidden to speak of it.
Her mother had protected her… but at what cost?
Haesoo clenched her fists as tears streamed freely now.
"How could you believe him so easily?" she whispered bitterly. "Father trusted you. He believed you were the king this nation needed."
She lifted her face toward the dark sky.
"I will prove your innocence," she vowed through sobs. "No matter what it takes. I'll restore our family's name."
The night answered only with silence.