Your Highness

HUNDRED AND TWENTY

All this time he had felt too attached to Hayoon that he didn't pay attention to the past between them. Fear, anxiety, and worry had kept him from thinking of the unraveled memories.

Why did Ailee have to remind him of all that? The painful past, the tormenting times, Han realized that he had long forgotten them, until the moment Ailee pulled him back to those memories.

If her goal was to make him contemplating, then Ailee succeeded. The future picture he had with Hayoon had become fuzzy and he didn't felt any certainty. But even if this was the case, Han would never be able to engage himself with Ailee.

"I understand what you are saying," Han said.

"But let me be for now,"

Ailee understood that Han was in a tight position and didn't persuade him further. It was natural for him to be torn, and time would probably tell him the answer.

"As you wish," Ailee said.

At first, Han didn't know why Ailee suddenly appeared. The long absence of the princess told Han that she had nothing lingering in the palace. Seeing how she left her shell and revealed her existence made him realize that he was the reason for her to come back.

Ailee was always like that. When he thought she was far away, Ailee would always be much closer. Regardlessly how long they had been apart it never felt like that when they met.

"Honestly, I came here for another purpose. I want to know what happened at the temple that night,"

"Didn't she tell you?"

"Hayoon don't know I have regained my memories, yet."

For some reason, Ailee felt a sense of satisfaction that Han asked her and not Hayoon.

"An ambush," Ailee replied.

"A group of guards invaded the temple. From the way they dressed, it appeared to be the imperial guards of Great Yong, and they were looking for her,"

There was no doubt that the person Ailee was referring Hayoon. Han could tell that from the resenting glint in Ailee's eyes.

"The guards believed that we were hiding her, and threatened to burn down the temple if we couldn't hand her over."

According to Ailee, no one knew about Hayoon's whereabouts. Both her and Yoon were aware that Hayoon had attempted to leave the temple to find Han, but they didn't know she would do it that night. Everyone including the head monk, who knew about Hayoon's escape, remained silent when the guards threatened to kill them if they kept remaining silent.

Ailee was still terrified by the memory. The moment the arrow pierced the head monk's heart and when the younger monks fought against the guards just to protect them, when there was no chance of victory. When hope seemed slim, Gwan appeared and took Ailee with him.

In order to stall some time, Yoon remained to distract the guards. Ailee managed to escape and when they were reaching a safe place, Gwan returned to look after Yoon, but Yoon was nowhere to be seen. Since then, Gwan had remained at Ailee's shadow knight, according to Han's order.

Ailee had long resented Hyun, thinking that it was his people, but she soon realized that she was wrong. It was all due to the spies from Kang. They planned to kill Hayoon and replace her with another person.

Several months passed before Ailee learned about the truth. She returned to the capital during the time of the emperor's wedding. When Hyun revealed the empress' face for the entire people, Ailee realized that Hayoon was replaced and that the incident at the temple was a scheme from the people of Kang.

In her heart, Ailee wanted to tear the empress to shreds the moment she saw the fake empress standing next to Hyun. If it wasn't for Gwan she would already have done so. Knowing that Han was still alive, Ailee wanted to confront him with the truth, but when she learned about his amnesia, she couldn't make him remember the horrible past. Yet, without her involvement, Han already recalled his memories.

"How much do you remember?" Ailee asked with a softer voice.

"Everything," Han said, followed by a heavy sigh.

Han remember how he returned to the palace to warn his father about Hyun's treason. He remembers his father's cold eyes when accusing him of lying. He remembers how his father made him drink poison in exchange for the lives of the people he cared for. The emperor's adoration for Hyun was immeasurable, so it was no wonder he wanted to seal Han's mouth with poison only to protect his favorite son.

"His majesty is merciful even to the end," Han said with a grin of no real amuse. Of all poison, the emperor chose, it had to be one that made him forget all the past. In that way, Han would be able to serve Han as the loyal lunatic who couldn't even remember a single thing in the past. Han became a puppet that followed Hyun's command if not he had regained his memories. Words couldn't describe how pathetic Han felt about himself.

"Han-" Ailee wanted to comfort him, but when meeting his eyes, she couldn't say a single thing. No words would make this less painful, and no excuse could make up for the former emperor's mistake. If Ailee was in Han's position, she wouldn't be able to forgive her father either.

If she was Han, she wouldn't be able to meet Hyun at all. If any Hyun would be the first person she wanted to kill. Why Han was able to live in the same place as Hyun, was Still a question.

"There is no need for the guilty expression," Han said.

"I'm always grateful for having you as a friend, and I know the reason princess returned was to help me.

Although she was his father's favorite child, although she received the dote Han never could get, he could never hate Ailee. She was the one that didn't detest him when everyone else did. She was the only person that sincerely cared for him despite the fact that he wasn't like others.

Han wouldn't let anyone touch the people he cared for, even if that person is the emperor.

A/N: hi lovelies, I'm sorry for the long wait, but to compensate you, I'll make a double update and make the next chapter extra long. 😉 hope you enjoy it and thank you💛