Rinji watched as the half-intoxicated, yet sober man was forced to kneel before Namjoon; it was starting to get late, and Namjoon had convinced Seokjin to get an early night's rest. He would tell his beloved everything the next day, when his mind was clear and his body energized. The criminal before him had a mind that was anything but clear, and his energy was focused on getting away from the two guards that held him on the ground.

"Your Majesty," the familiar, reverent voice echoed, "this man is accused of abusing the mother of his child, and threatening to abuse the child as well."

"Who is the child in question?" Namjoon asked, assuming an upright, protective stance.

"The noble daughter Chindeok."

Immediately, Namjoon's face turned sour with a brewing mixture of fury and disgust.

"Who dares to lay a hand on an innocent woman and her child?" he bellowed, striking fear into Jihan's heart.

"His name is Mo Jihan, Your Grace."

Namjoon stood up from his throne, prompting all eyes to watch him and not look back. Rinji looked on in a sort of fearful awe as Namjoon lifted his long, embroidered sleeve and waved it away from him, as if to waft away the evil that seeped from the man's tainted soul.

"I beckon every individual present to hear my edict and bear witness to it."

Immediately, Rinji fell to her knees and bowed, intimating to Namjoon that she and the guards in the room heard his statement.

"Is this how an imperial lady is treated? Slapped around and abused with no reason?"

Jihan didn't answer, and Namjoon didn't want him to.

"Is this how a human being is treated here in my palace? Is this how a human being is treated here in my kingdom?"

Namjoon was slowly immersing himself in anger, which he had every right to do. Rinji felt her heart twist in scorn towards the man was found guilty of abusing Chindeok's mother and threatening to abuse Chindeok herself. She, however, didn't want Namjoon to stress himself over the man too much; he was a king, after all, with more major issues to worry over.

In a bold move, she stood up from her bow and scurried over beside him, bowing towards him once more.

"Please appease your anger, Your Grace!" she exclaimed, causing a tense hush over a silence that had already boiled with fright.

"Princess Kim..." Namjoon said, blatantly demonstrating that Rinji's interruption was unwelcome.

"P-Please, Your Grace," she said, not daring to look up from her bow. "You are a ruler with many responsibilities. You are already under a lot of stress. Your health could be at risk if you continue."

Namjoon stopped for a long moment, seeming to consider Rinji's words. After his pause, he took a deep breath and nodded towards the young girl.

"Your logic stands, Princess Kim," he said, motioning for her to go back to the throne where she sat before he began his sentence.

"You have defiled the values and the moral standing of your ancestors. You shall be struck forty times publicly before spending ten years in prison. After that, you shall never be seen again here in the palace, as I will strip you of all title and rank."

Namjoon turned, unable to hear Jihan's curses and pleas for mercy. As he was taken from the palace hall, a calm seemed to settle over the place, and Rinji turned to speak to Namjoon.

"I apologize for interrupting so abruptly, Your Grace," Rinji said, bowing towards him once more. "I only meant to watch over your health."

"I understand, child," Namjoon said, sighing and gazing at the young girl with affectionate, pure eyes. "You are right, I do need to watch over my stress a bit more. However I would appreciate it if the interruptions didn't become a habit."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"You should be off to sleep now, Princess. I shall see you again tomorrow."

"Good night, Your Grace."

With that, Rinji walked down the palace hall to the doors, where a guard trailed her to escort her to her rooms.

Almost as soon as Rinji walked out, Lady Yeonhi stumbled in, staggering left and right before falling to the floor. Rinji immediately turned, running back into the palace hall and helping the lady up towards Namjoon -- who had already met them halfway.

"Lady Yeonhi," he began, a worried look on his face.

"I'll get Doctor Jung. Please find Lady Yeonhi a comfortable place to rest," Rinji said, picking up the skirt of her robes before running  through the entrance once more and down towards the doctor's residence.

Yeonhi coughed and swayed, weakly falling into Namjoon's arms; Namjoon rathered that than falling to the floor. The memories of Jihan slapping her to the floor and pulling her hair out each night flooded to her broken mind and sent tears flowing down her face incessantly, and without thinking, she hugged Namjoon, needing something to hold onto before she crumbled to dust.

"...Yeonhi," Namjoon said, cautiously placing his arms around her as well. "It's alright. He cannot hurt you anymore. You will never see him again."

She seemed to take a little comfort in his words, and cried softer while Namjoon helped her to sit in his throne. She still balled herself up, unable to care that she was sitting in a king's throne. That couldn't make her happy. That couldn't solve her problems. It might as well have been a wooden chair that she sat in; it wouldn't have changed the heavy burden on her heart.

"Yeonhi," Namjoon said once more, thankful that as soon as the word escaped his lips, Rinji came back with Hoseok in her trail.

"There is something else that troubles you, Yeonhi."

Hoseok ran up the palace hall, with Rinji even closer to them.

"If you can't tell me, I understand, but we must be honest if we're ever going to solve this dilemma."

Seokjin emerged from behind the chambers of the palace hall and behind the throne, having seen and heard everything.

"Is there something you'd like to get off your chest?"

Yeonhi paused, with all time and space seeming to pause with her.

"...I...I am not Chindeok's mother."