Tomorrow, Shin would take to see Jeely on the condition that he would always be present during our talk. I readily agreed to that, knowing that there was no point in trying to negotiate. Shin was soone that I trust as well, so it wasn’t like I had things to keep away from him. I would probably feel more secured and reassured if he was there with as well. I spent so ti before bed praying that sothing good would co out of my eting with Jeely tomorrow.
The morning arrived and after getting ready, I t Shin in the living room in my palace. He was early while I was roughly on ti. Just as expected, I didn’t get a good night’s sleep the night before. Naturally, I was worried and stressed over my eting with Jeely. Although I had pushed so hard for it, when it ca down to it, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to say to her. Rather, I wasn’t sure how I would handle her reactions or the things that she would have to say.
“Are you ready to go?” Shin asked when he saw enter the room.
“Yes. Thank you once again for helping out with this,” I replied with a small smile.
“I’m not helping you out. I’m just following Ren’s orders. If he hadn’t ordered it, there’s no way that I would take you...” Shin replied, a little too honestly.
“That’s why...I appreciate your help even more...” I replied softly.
Without further delays, Shin escorted to a carriage. That was when I realized that the prison must be a distance from here. I guess, that shouldn’t be surprising. Since we had ti together in the carriage during the ride, Shin decided to get a conversation going and the topic that he chose to bring up was...
“So, how did you convince Ren to allow you to visit Jeely?” Shin asked with interest.
“Umm...I begged him multiple tis...and then I sat and bowed my head to the ground. I told him that if he wouldn’t allow it then I wouldn’t get up...” I confessed my deeds to Shin a little shyly.
Shin looked at in astonishnt before laughing softly. I could see why he would have that reaction.
“You’re quite bold. Having you around Ren might be a good thing...” Shin said thoughtfully.
“How so?” I asked, curiously.
“To keep him in check...” Shin replied without a second thought.
“I see...” I mumbled.
“You managed to make up with him, right?” Shin asked.
Shin is always so perceptive. I could see why he has the position that he has and it’s not just because he was born with the right father either. This man is extrely sharp. I couldn’t help but wonder if there was anything that Shin didn’t know.
“Yes...I think I did...” I replied honestly.
At least, I was able to tell Ren that I had planned to stay. He seed to believe this ti as well and he did promise to take care of . It wasn’t a love confession or a proposal of any sort but...it was more than enough for ...
“That’s good to hear. That would be the best for you both,” Shin said with satisfaction and relief.
“What do you an by that exactly?” I asked.
“Well, Ren surely seems happier when you’re around. Everyone benefits a lot when he’s having a good day. Of course, that applies to as well. As for you, I think you enjoy being with Ren too, don’t you?” Shin said with a bright smile.
“I guess...” I whispered. Maybe he was right.
“After visiting Jeely, I guess it’s high ti I return to work and train at the hospital,” I said thoughtfully.
“Yes, it’s going to get busier there...” Shin said softly.
“Why is that?” I asked, quickly catching on to his words.
“Umm...it’s just a guess. Don’t worry about it,” Shin said lightly.
I cocked my head to the side in wonder. Shin, does he know sothing?
We arrived at a very small building on the outskirts of the palace grounds. The building was surrounded by thick forests and heavily guarded. The building was so small that it surprised . Were there not a lot of prisoners kept here?
“The main prison is underground...” Shin explained as if he could read my thoughts.
“Underground?” I said in surprise.
“Correct. The small building here just serves as an entrance to the underground prison. Only prisoners from the palace grounds are kept here. Everyone from maids, concubines all the way up to court officials that are convicted will be imprisoned here,” Shin continued to explain.
“I see...” I mumbled as I followed him into the bleak building.
The guards bowed imdiately when they saw Shin before unlocking and opening the gates and then the doors for us. Wordlessly, I followed Shin inside where he led down countless flights of stairs until we had reached the underground prison. It was very humid, and it slled very moldy there. I grew up living in the forest, so I was used to these types of conditions, but I still had to say that it was extrely unpleasant down there.
We walked past various empty prison cells until we arrived at a larger cell at the end of the hallway. This must be Jeely’s cell. Shin nodded at , signally that we had arrived at our destination. The guards that were following behind us bowed and left Shin and .
“Jeely...I’m here to see you,” I said softly.
There was complete silence as no one spoke and no one moved. After a short while, I could hear the sound of tal clinking and being dragged across the floor before Jeely ca into view. I gasped at the sight of her condition. It had been only one day and one night but the prison conditions had already taken its toll on Jeely’s body and spirit.
Her face and eyes were puffy from crying and her hair was a ss. The prisoner uniform that she had on was dirty. Her complexion was unclear and had lost all of its previous radiance. Overall, she no longer looked like the Jeely that I once knew. Once she opened her mouth to speak, I found out that it wasn’t only her physical appearance that had changed.
“Are you here to make a joke out of ?” Jeely spat at when she approached the bars that separated us.
--To be continued...
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