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“I realized that my jaws were locked, teeth clenched, my eyes wide, and from the light-headedness, I imagined I must look frightfully pale. And I was holding my breath, resisting life so I could resist change from happening. I had so much fear in me. Fear that in this change my home would disappear. I had grown up under the memory of my brother's stories of home, and in the twelve years that had passed without him, I realized that I had been waiting, that I had never truly left Heuksan Island. The home Brother had told me about, I had dreamed of arriving there one day. A home where there was no more sorrow or tears, no more deaths or farewells. A place of togetherness. But now this place would change into a haunted mansion full of strangers and ghosts. How could I embrace them? What did family mean when family had gone away and returned, scarred to the point of being unrecognizable? How could you embrace a stranger with haunted eyes that looked right through you?”

“My fingers numb, I reached into my robe, and it took a while for me to feel the crinkled paper I was looking for. I slipped it out and unfolded the sheet on which I had drawn my brother's face. His lightly shaded eyes, his round face, his timid smile. He belonged to the past, a place he would never leave, not even to come looking for me. I kissed the sheet and then tore it in half, then in half again, the paper hissing with each motion. I opened my fingers and let the torn pieces be swept away like moths on the wind.”

“And it did occur to me, as I gazed up at the jagged shadows of Mount Yongma's peak, that I might not survive the icy journey if I followed. Still, my feet moved forward, one step after the next. Not because of fearlessness -- no, my stomach ached with terror. I followed the officers because the moment I'd grabbed onto Woorim's hand, trying to pull her out of danger, her destiny had bound itself to mine. I had seen desperation gleam in her eyes and I had touched her wound. How could I forget? How could I turn away?”

“What need has the king for a thousand courtesans? I cannot possibly imgaine wanting a thousand husbands." "Because rape - "He flicked an uneasy glance my way, as though afraid to offend my womanly sensiblities. But I did not shy away from the word. How could I when it was the reality my sister lived with? " Because rape is about power; it is never about desire or love," he answered quietly. "His majesty is a powerhungry beast with a voracious hunger for more, and what better way to display that he reigns supreme than by taking what is precious to his own people?”

“When we’re together … it’s as though we are like water in the river, my thoughts flowing through yours, yours through mine. And when we are silent”—a faint smile tugged at his lips—“I forget you are even there sometimes.” “I’m flattered, nauri,” I said drily. “It is the greatest compliment. I dislike being around people for too long. But when I am with you … I never feel the need to be someone I am not.”

“Revenge begets revenge; the anger is unquenchable. We become the monsters we are trying to punish. Justice, however, brings closure, and that is what I want. It can only be achieved by remaining sober-minded and rational. And, in the end, it is not my place to punish the prince. It is the king’s, and only the king’s. All I can do is find enough evidence to make the truth undeniable.”