He was uneasy. Something just felt off. He checked his windows just before he slept. Locked and closed. Empress Haein sighed as she flipped a page in her book. A fiction piece, a modern romance from a woman called Valerie Le Mont, undoubtedly a pseudonym for an otherworlder. Why? He had given it a quick skim, and with a title like: The Etiquette of Forbidden Love, it wasn’t hard to see why it sold well. Not to mention, it was a near direct copy of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juilet, just simply in prose form.

“You’re being exceptionally paranoid today,” she commented.

“I know. But don’t you just feel weird?”

“Look, we’re always at risk of getting assassinated. Today’s the same.”

Haein put her book down. She pinched the area between her eyes, and swung her legs out. Stepping onto the floor, she walked towards him. In a white nightgown similar to his, she looked like a ghost drifting.

She hugged him from behind. His finger touched the cool glass of the window, until it simply didn’t. Shaking his head, he turned around and met her eyes. She pulled him back to the bed, and patted his head.

“I understand.” Haein looked out of the window at the distant stars as she spoke.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve grown up protected. Surrounded by people that could put most of the imperial army to shame, who could touch you?”

“I don’t think you understand. But that’s fine.”

“Alright then. Light’s out.” She placed her book onto a bedside table, and blew out the candle.

Surrounded by the dark and cold, they got closer beneath the sheets. Their legs interlocked, and their faces close.

“See? You’re safe with me.”

“Hopefully.”

Of course, with his marriage came a change in sleeping arrangements. Francis could no longer be so carefree with his entourage. The news devastated Hye-Sung, who liked to walk into his bedroom without warning and fool around. He never did get the full extent of what she did at night with him, but he didn’t pry. Still, as long as she mentioned it, he had the faith in her that she wouldn’t go too far. Katalina too, had to change. Despite the risks that her absence posed, she had to transition into a fully personal bodyguard. However, that only applied to the day time, and whenever he left the relative safety of the palace.

Did he trust the imperial guards stationed outside the door to be competent? Yes, of course. He had seen the applicants for that position, and they were more than skilled. Still, they lacked that personal connection that Katalina had. He knew that she would and have risked her life. But them? They had neglected to even mention their names. How did Haein entrust her life in their hands? Francis certainly didn’t.

Still, to sleep he went. He didn’t quite remember how he slept, but when he awoke, the two bodies were in a tangle. It seemed like they started out in a cuddle that morphed into a human spider web that got turned into a ball. It seemed like he woke up just on time, too.

The windows smashed open, and a man walked in. His eyes had adapted to the darkness, and Francis saw it. The knife, the nervous breathing of the assassin. The shards of glass. He could see the shaking knife grasped in the assassin’s hands. His eyes widened. Surprise, most definitely. For his target to wake up , probably start screaming, that was the worst situation.

“Haein!”

“Wuh..?”

“Shit!” The attacker muttered.

The assassin lunged at Francis, and managed to grab onto his neck. Francis struggled and flailed, but to no avail. The assailant placed his hand over the emperor’s mouth, and readied his knife. With hands that no one would ever trust a surgeon with, the assassin plunged it down.

“Useless guards!” Haein shouted as she shoved the attacker.

That was the chance he needed. With the brief window of opportunity, he reached under the bed. Clawing at the tape, he scrambled for the weapon. There was a rip. The tape tore off the wood of the bed frame. The gun handle dropped into his hand, and he whipped it out. Pointing the muzzle at the assassin, Francis caught his breath. The knife had stabbed into his chest, piercing through the thin nightgown but probably not deep enough for anything fatal. At least, he didn’t drop dead immediately. Still, warm blood burst down.

Compared to the worthless, incompetent killer, Francis was much more skilled. Keeping his arms and hands still, he aimed the gun at the assassin’s head and pulled the trigger. If there was something he regretted, it was hearing protection.

The gunshot rang out, a boom in an otherwise dark and quiet night. The nameless assassin dropped dead. There was ringing in Francis’ ears, and he struggled to hear the words that Haein spoke. She looked worried. Why? Wasn’t this her assassin? His consciousness was slipping, and the imperial knights barging into the room didn’t help. In the last moments of his clarity, just as the world turned blacker than it was dark, Haein grabbed the gun from his hand and hid it.

“A...” He tried to get out a few words of his own, but there were unexpected difficulties. His throat was dry. His mind wasn’t in a better state either.

He did not dream. It seemed more akin to William’s ability. He did not recall how he ended up here, but he did. Was he dreaming? Just a dying dream? If so, then why was it that the last person he saw was Hye-Sung?

Of course, he wasn’t that afraid of dying. He had died once before. And Iris many times over. He let himself breathe. Floating upon the sea of death, he drifted around. It was rather boring, actually. It didn’t take long before the adrenaline and excitement wore off. And it wasn’t as though there were many sights to see. Just floating on the quiet lake, beneath a sky of stars that left long trails. Occasionally, he heard calls that rippled across the water. They were calling for him. But was there really a need to return? The world would go on. And besides, he was fated to die. What was the point?

Though he tried to close his eyes, to go quietly into the night, he was pulled back. Not by his own willingness to return, but by force. In all fairness, it wasn’t quite death that he was afraid of. There was no point in being afraid of dying. Rather, it was the pain that would come from it. He could recall his research. Hanging was painful. He did not want to suffer the same way his sister did.

“Stop acting.” Accompanied by a light slap across the face.

“Very rude.”

He fluttered his eyes open. He lay on a cool, flat bed. His nightgown was cut open, right down the middle. A woman stood over him. Though she wore a pair of goggles and gloves, there were certainly other ways to recognise her. She drizzled the translucent red liquid onto his wounds. The stab was deep, but not deep enough.

“You seem calm for a person close to death.”

“Had my fair share of them.”

“Wanna elaborate?”

“If I said that I dated the godfather, or godmother I guess? Either way, if I said that I dated the head of an organised crime group, would that explain enough?”

“You got tangled with some dangerous people.”

“Well yeah. Love, and all that. You?”

“Worked as a back-alley doctor. Treated anyone, for a price of course.”

“Been to a few before. Strangely competent. Why didn’t you get a license?”

“Never bothered to. And too young. And for competency, when you have gangsters and serial killers on you, there’s a level of skill needed to be had. And besides, if you’re good, no one hurts you.”

“Right. Hurt you, and everyone else hurts them. Smart move. Business in Korea good?”

“Surprisingly good.”

Francis chuckled as he tried to sit up. But Hye-Sung gently pushed him down. Shaking her head, she took off her goggles.

“Now, if you were anyone else, you'd be good to go. But you know, your body and all that.”

“You have a point. Where are we?”

“In the private medical room.”

“The one you requested?”

“Oh you knew?”

“What kind of incompetent leader do you think I am? Of course I know, I read and signed that document myself.”

She motioned around the room. Arranged in a modern fashion, there were cabinets and boxes. Was she trying to start up her business again?

“One hell of a grand opening, at least. First customer’s the emperor.”

“Dual purpose.”

“Yeap. I’m gonna make sure you don’t die, whether you like it or not.”

“On one hand, useful. On the other, I want a right to commit suicide. But what are the chances I’ll get cancer from the potions?”

“With the amount I gave you? Moderate.”

“Relative to?”

“Severe would be intense radiation.”

“And how many x-rays is moderate?”

A smile was all she could offer. If it was a good smile or a bad smile, Francis couldn’t tell. He touched the healing wound with his fingers.

“You’ll have a scar,” she said.

“If I touch it?”

“Nope. Touching it won’t do anything.”

“Shame. You’re lucky I’m married. A scar in the middle of my chest isn’t attractive.”

“Oh please. Are you even aware of how good you look?”

Hye-Sung chuckled. She stood up from her doctor’s chair and walked towards him. Her footsteps echoed throughout the medical room. He looked around the room. A window showed the night sky.

“Where’s Haein?”

“Her majesty? She’s outside. Should I call her in?”

“Nah. Just help me pass a message. Tell her to call off the hit.”

“The hit? On who?”

“Who do you think?”

She raised her eyebrows. Her face was all he needed to see. The confusion spread throughout.

“The hit I put on myself.”

“Huh? Why?”

“You’re asking why I’m calling it off or why I called a hit?”

“Both! Listen, I’m just a back-alley doctor. We have a policy where we don’t ask questions. But you’re not just another customer.”

“What am I to you, then?”

“You know. When the news reached me that there was an assassination attempt, I thought you had no hope left. Your life gone! Just like that!”

“So am I a friend? Or do you see me as something more? We’re alone here.”

Francis turned around in his bed. He faced away from the piercing eyes of Hye-Sung. Hiding away from her gaze, he curled somewhat into a ball.

“You’re... I- I don’t know. You’re more than a friend, but I don’t love you. But we’ve done many things together. If it weren’t for you, I’ll still be living quietly alone in the forest. But compared to that, being with you is just so much fun.”

“I think the same way. More than friends, less than lovers. I don’t know what to think about you. And I don’t know what to think about anyone. I know that I don’t love Haein, but I should. I’m married to her.”

“But does that matter? It's just a political marriage. And don’t change the subject. The hit?”

“Ah. Right. The hit. I planned to have an assassination attempt on me as a false flag.”

“What’s that?”

“Basically, use that assassination attempt to blame the Loyra Kingdom and go to war.”

“Manchuria. You’re wicked.”

“A nation needs a casus belli to attack another. If you have the people’s support, going to war will be much easier.”

“So you plan to go to war?”

“It's sooner than expected, but yes. Speaking of which, where’s the assassin? Is he alive?”

“No. For one, she’s dead.”

“Shame. I wanted to get information out of her.”

“And secondly, you shot and killed her.”

“So she succumbed to her injuries?”

“No, you put a bullet in her heart.”

“That explains it. So what’s the timeline we’re working with?”

“She came in through the window, but you shot her. The gunshot alerted the guards who rushed in, and they immediately called for a medic. One of them carried you here, while they tried to arrest the dead assassin.”

“And where were you?”

“Sleeping. I must say, being woken up in the middle of the night by shouts and gunshots isn’t pleasant. Most of my clients had the courtesy to ring the doorbell instead.”

“I never planned to be your client.”

Still, Francis couldn’t quite help but laugh. They spoke of murder and killings with such ease. To any outsiders who saw the scene, what would it look like to them? A pair of dangerous criminals? Friends, a couple? A doctor and her patient? He could only wonder.