Chapter Thirty-Five

In a crowded Trove tavern, Tiyung eats ravenously while Hana teases him about choking before his father can kill him. Their banter masks dread about tomorrow, when Tiyung must face his father in Qali. Both think of Sora; Tiyung asserts Sora will survive, and Hana admits she misjudged Tiyung, offering a quiet apology he says she need not make.

They review their plan: Hana cannot risk Seok’s wrath, so Tiyung will enter Qali alone while Hana escapes to Tamneki to try to find Sora. The separation feels permanent, given Seok’s enemies and the war approaching. Despite the gloom, music starts and Tiyung invites Hana to dance to avoid wasting their final moments in dread.

As they dance skillfully and draw a crowd, Tiyung recalls a courtly past cut short fifteen years earlier when an assassin nearly killed his father. Tiyung’s scream made Seok turn, saving Seok’s life by inches. Afterward, Seok ended court festivities and began recruiting poisoners, shaping the harsh ruler he became while Tiyung survived by being his opposite.

The song ends with a courteous hand-kiss, but a subtle shift between them leaves Tiyung sensing something amiss. He carries an unresolved unease—about Seok’s history, the looming confrontation in Qali, and whether he and Hana, bound by love for Sora, will ever see each other again.