🚨 Warning: This chapter includes depictions of violence and graphic descriptions. Please remain mindful of this as you read. If you feel uncomfortable, do not hesitate to stop reading. 🚨
・・・・・
Before nightfall, I left the palace with General Hunmu without the king’s permission. Even without anyone telling me, I could sense just how dangerous this was — but he accepted the risk and still brought me outside.
I had to change my clothes and curl up tightly in a strange, carriage-like vehicle, but I couldn’t go against General Hunmu’s sudden decision to take me out.
‘What does asking him to save Sucheong have to do with me leaving the palace?’
In any case, thanks to his high rank, he successfully left the palace without raising any suspicion. Once outside, at a certain street corner, he encountered a man whose entire face was covered with black cloth and heard something from him. He was then handed a horse by that man.
“It might already be too late.”
“Huh…?”
Unlike me, still dazed from secretly leaving the palace, General Hunmu glanced once toward the palace with a thoughtful look, then told me to get on the horse.
Inexperienced with riding, I stared at the live horse in bewilderment, and before I knew it, he placed his hands on my waist, helping me mount. I should have let out a scream in that moment, but as soon as I got on the horse, General Hunmu climbed on right behind me.
Feeling his firm chest against my back, I didn’t know what to do and instinctively leaned forward, but he relaxed instead, leaning with me and taking hold of the reins.
“We’ll ride at full speed. Stay still if you don’t want to fall. Hyah!”
“Eek!”
Whoooosh
The instant he seized the reins, the horse bolted frighteningly fast. Dust kicked up by its hooves flew into my mouth, but due to the sheer speed, I couldn’t close it and just let out choked cries.
I thought to myself that the invention of the automobile was one of humanity’s greatest achievements as I clung to the horse’s thrashing muscles, struggling with all my might not to fall. At the same time, the feel of General Hunmu’s chest against my back brought me a small sense of relief.
But what did he mean by saying it might already be too late? The memory of him, who couldn’t even touch me in the flower garden and had only drawn his sword, contrasting with now, when he suddenly grabbed my waist to help me onto the horse, lingered in my mind amidst the rush.
In the late evening, where the red sunset had grown deep and vivid, General Hunmu rode his horse out of the village and galloped deep into the forest. It was a distance that would have taken quite some time on foot, and as the scenery grew increasingly remote from the village, I couldn’t help but feel a little scared.
He said not to trust anyone in the palace, but did that mean I could trust General Hunmu?
Without realising it, I had trusted someone I really shouldn’t have, and a fleeting doubt about him crossed my mind. But as the horse gradually slowed and came to a stop, I spotted Sucheong walking ahead and straightened my body, which had been curled up tensely.
Startled by the sudden sound of hooves, the girl who had been hurrying along with her bundle spotted General Hunmu first and, as if surprised, froze in shock.
Then, when I removed the black cloth I had been wearing because of my hair colour, she saw me and stumbled backward, almost falling onto her backside as she hesitated and retreated step by step.
“My lady...”
Though I had been scared of the horse even with General Hunmu riding behind me, seeing Sucheong so flustered at the sight of me made all my fear disappear.
Instead, the painful truth hit me anew — that yes, it really was Buyeon Yuhwa’s orders, and she had intended to harm me.
General Hunmu lightly jumped off the horse first and extended his hand toward my feet, signalling me to step on it and get down. I could barely move a leg, let alone step on his hand, and awkwardly squirmed. Then, after glancing briefly at Sucheong, he placed his hand directly on me to help me down.
Seeing that, Sucheong’s eyes trembled with unease.
“My lady! I was wrong!”
Just as my feet touched the ground, Sucheong suddenly dropped to her knees and clasped her hands in earnest pleading. Taken aback by her unexpected behaviour, I widened my eyes, and before I knew it, tears welled up in Sucheong’s eyes as she slammed her head to the ground with a thud, repeatedly apologising.
“I have committed a sin worthy of death… I truly have committed such a sin.”
“Sucheong…”
“I was wrong, my lady… I was wrong.”
"Why… on earth...."
“Sniff... my lady...”
At the sound of the question ‘Why,’ Sucheong, who had been bowing her head, lifted it with tears streaming down her face. Then, as if resigned, she lowered her head again and began to speak.
“I was born into a family so desperately poor that I entered the palace hoping to ease even a single mouth to feed. I thought I could at least send home my monthly wages to keep them barely fed, but my mother fell ill, and all of that money went toward her medicine… I still have younger siblings, and if my mother were to pass away, I would be utterly lost… In the midst of that, I became Buyeon Yuhwa’s maid… and ended up… doing something I should never have… something I should never have… sob.”
“...”
“…Buyeon Yewon said that if I faithfully served by my lady’s side and did only what she commanded, my family would not have to starve. Even though I knew it was something I should not do… for the tonic… she said I could just add a few more herbs… I thought it was to prevent conception. But it was not… my lady… I was wrong… When I saw you collapse, I bit my tongue, intending to die… But this… what I received from Buyeon Yuhwa… I just wanted to pass it on to my family…”
There was no falsehood in Sucheong’s tearful voice. She had believed the tonic was meant to prevent pregnancy, and as she looked at me, guilt and anguish weighed heavily on her. Then, showing particular fear of General Hunmu, she once again buried her head in the ground.
“My lady… if you truly wish to have me killed, then please allow me to at least deliver this to my mother before I die.”
“Don’t say that! I didn’t come here to kill you—”
It was then. Suddenly, General Hunmu covered my mouth from behind with his hand. Startled, I turned my head, and he pressed his index finger to his lips, signalling me to be quiet. Even Sucheong, who had been crying, froze at the sight of us and glanced around nervously.
“It’s already too late.”
‘What? Too late?’
No sooner had General Hunmu finished speaking than four men, who had not been visible before, suddenly appeared between the trees, swords in hand. At a glance, they were rough-looking men, their faces streaked with black grime.
The moment Sucheong saw the men, she let out a terrified scream. Stumbling backward, she bumped into a tree and wailed, choking on her sobs. Only then did I realise that these men had come to kill her.
“Who are you people?”
The men exchanged quick glances as they looked at General Hunmu and me, then soon broke into leering, wolfish laughter.
“And who might you be?”
They replied with that, yet still didn’t lower their raised swords, and my whole body froze from head to toe. At that moment, I wished I could tear my foolish head off for begging General Hunmu to save Sucheong, not realising how dangerous this truly was.
Without hesitation, General Hunmu pushed me toward Sucheong, turned his back to the men, and drew the sword from the scabbard at his waist.
“Were you sent by Buyeon Yuhwa?”
At the mention of Buyeon Yuhwa, they quickly wiped the smirks off their faces and looked at me. Glancing sideways at my unrecognisable attire, they subtly nodded to each other.
“I don’t know who you are, but we have work to do, so you’d best be on your way.”
“I am General Hunmu. The person behind me is Lady Yewon, favoured by His Majesty. Do not act foolishly. Turn back.”
At the mention of ‘General’ and ‘Lady,’ the men holding swords exchanged glances among themselves, looking momentarily unsettled. Then the burliest among them stepped forward with a bold stride.
“General or whatever, we have work that needs to be done, you know? And a woman dressed like that — how could she be someone favoured by His Majesty?”
“Do you want to die?”
“Hah. Do you honestly think it’s pleasant to have someone suddenly blurt out, ‘Do you want to die?’ when you’re just trying to do your job?"
The man grinned broadly as he adjusted the angle of his sword, looking back and forth between General Hunmu and me.
“We just need to kill the wench behind that so-called ‘Lady,’ so if you don’t want to die, move aside.”
There were four men with swords for General Hunmu to face. The other three, who had faltered when isolated, regrouped behind the burly man, their eyes flashing with fierce, life-or-death determination.
“And another thing. You’ve been speaking informally since earlier. Whether you’re a general or not, it doesn’t matter to us. If you get in our way, we’ll just kill you. Our lives are at stake. If we don’t kill, we’ll end up dead ourselves.”
“How much were you paid? I will give you twice that.”
At the mention of being paid double, a thin man standing in the back jabbed the side of the man in front. But the man in front struck the thin man mercilessly across the face, then crouched as if he were about to charge.
“It’s quite a sum, but if we fail this job, our lives are forfeit anyway. I’ll say this one last time: if you want to live, step aside. Otherwise, we’ll kill all three of you.”
“It seems words won’t reach you. You will regret this.”
General Hunmu crouched slightly and raised his sword high. This wasn’t a scene from a staged drama or movie — it was a real fight, with a sword that could actually kill, unfolding in a situation where we were absolutely outmatched.
In that hair-trigger, life-or-death moment where I could barely breathe, I realised why Sucheong had screamed and backed away. But I was so paralysed with fear that I couldn’t even take a single step.
Because of me, so dull, foolish, and utterly clueless, how many people would be put in danger?
With General Hunmu’s sword held high, the four men grinned wickedly and spread out, quickly encircling him.
“You’re just a youngling who doesn’t know the value of life, huh? I’ll kill you first, then the women behind you, so just wait.”
“I’ll have to tear that mouth of yours apart first.”
“Hyaah!”
At General Hunmu’s words about tearing their mouths open, all four men charged at him at once. I sank to the ground, unable to stand, and helplessly watched from behind as their swords clashed, glinting in the fiery light of the setting sun.
The General Hunmu facing danger was no longer the man I had known. Moving with incredible speed, he deflected the men’s swords, his face showing not a trace of mercy, revealing a murderous intent to kill them by any means. Trembling, I kept repeating in my mind, over and over, 'Please, please.'
If only all of this were a dream — if I could just get through this situation, I wouldn’t even care about not being able to return home. Please, just let General Hunmu remain unharmed.
Clang! Clang!
There were four men, but they couldn’t easily press their swords against General Hunmu. He looked like someone who had trained for years in combat, so they couldn’t swing their sword without proper technique.
“Argh!”
At that moment, one of the men lunging at General Hunmu had his thigh cut by the sword and let out a desperate cry as he dropped to his knees. As the man fell, General Hunmu, narrowing his stance, deflected another man’s sword and quickly drove his own blade deep into the man’s abdomen.
As soon as the sword was pulled out, dark, murky blood gushed like a fountain, and my head spun again. Seeing blood and swords for the first time, I felt dizzy, as if standing under the scorching summer sun. It was a scene I could not bear.
The man struck in the abdomen fell to the ground without making a sound, and the other two men contorted their faces.
“You miserable bastard. You’re dead today.”
The man who seemed to be the leader, seeing the fallen man, nearly lost his mind and charged at General Hunmu. He moved his arm muscles relentlessly, so fiercely that I half-wondered if his sword might break from the force.
But facing General Hunmu seemed beyond him. His blade, moving without any skill, soon faltered and fell backward, and General Hunmu, seizing the opening, cut through the man’s leg.
“Aargh!”
The moment the man fell after being struck in the leg, fear appeared on the face of the last man still holding a sword. Yet—
“A-ah…”
He shouted as he lunged with his sword, but General Hunmu’s blade sank into his chest just like the man who had fallen before him. In a flash, two of the four men were dead, and the other two lay gravely wounded on the ground.
I couldn’t even swallow properly and still had saliva in my mouth, but felt relieved that it wasn’t General Hunmu who had been struck, and that it wasn’t him who had died.
This was the kind of scene you wouldn’t believe even if you saw it. Having experienced it for real, I realised just how truly horrific it was.
“Kyah!”
Just as I was fixated on General Hunmu, my vision narrowed to only him, when suddenly a woman’s scream sounded close from behind. No, it was far too loud — and someone wrapped their arms around me.
General Hunmu, who had been looking ahead, turned his head at the scream and rushed forward, driving his sword into someone. For a moment, everything seemed to unfold in slow motion, yet the events were happening with urgent intensity.
The man struck in a vital area died instantly, while Sucheong, who had taken the blow meant for me, coughed up blood and writhed in pain.
“…Uh… uh… u…”
I didn’t even notice the man who had fallen from a blow to the thigh coming closer. I didn’t realise he might be trying to kill me. It was only after Sucheong took the blow meant for me and cried out that this utterly foolish me finally grasped what was happening.
"Ugh!"
Blood streamed from Sucheong’s chest, running down my hands. I screamed at the sight of death and blood before me, and I grabbed her as she collapsed.
“S–Su-cheong… oh… my gosh…”
“Cough…! …My lady…”
The saliva I couldn’t swallow dripped from my mouth. My whole body shook so violently that I couldn’t even swallow.
I was scared, so scared.
Seeing death for the first time made my head and body tremble uncontrollably.
“My lady… cough…”
“Sucheong… uh… bl-blood…”
"...Please... cough... do not… forgive me..."
“Uh… don’t… speak… don’t say anything, bl… blood…”
Before I knew it, Sucheong was spitting blood, struggling to open and close her tear-filled eyes. Meanwhile, the dreadful scream of a burly man rang out once more. With that, all four men had been killed by General Hunmu.
“I… expected this… cough.”
"...Hh..."
“This bundle… before today ends… cough… take it home… cough.”
“You… can… survive… You will live…”
“Please… do not forgive me… my lady…”
Thud.
“...”
Sucheong’s hand slipped from mine. All the strength drained from her tense body. The blood streaming from her mouth soaked her body and my hands.
"Hhh... ugh."
Having never witnessed the deaths of my grandparents, who passed away too early, I felt for the first time the chilling warmth fading from a body in my arms.
Life and death. In this world, they happened far more easily than in the place where I grew up.
Shaking all over and unable to move, I watched as General Hunmu dropped his blood-covered sword and pulled her away. Already hyperventilating, I still couldn’t come to terms with the situation as I saw Sucheong lying on the ground.
“Have you seen enough now?”
"Hhh… hmm… hhh…"
“What you saw today is the kind of things that will continue to happen in the palace going forth."
"Huff... hnn... uh..."
“So from now on, keep your wits about you.”
“…Get… her… to the hospital…”
“...”
"...De…dead... ho… hospital..."
Squeeze.
“Pull yourself together. The king might come looking for you tonight. You need to hurry back to the palace.”
“…Huff… someone… died… Sucheong… died…”
“Not only this palace maid, but the four men also died.”
"...Ugh... I… want to go home... please... just… send me back home."
I thought I wouldn’t need to go home as long as General Hunmu was safe, but that wasn’t the case. I wanted to go home.
All I could think about was wanting to return home.
・・・・・
General Hunmu helped Yewon, whose face was pale and trembling, onto the horse. He covered her eyes so she wouldn’t see the five bloodied corpses and led her away, stopping at a nearby stream for her to wash her hands.
But he had to wash her on her behalf, as she sat there unable to move a hand, tears streaming down her face. When he reached to wipe the blood splattered on her face, he suddenly froze.
He had already touched her far too much, and now that she was His Highness’s woman, if this fact were revealed, both their lives would be in danger. So when Yuhwa threatened him with it, he didn’t hesitate to grab her by the throat.
However, he couldn’t let her return to the palace like this. Without showing any expression, he gently washed the blood from her face with his hands.
Death — it was written on her face today. She had been raised quite delicately, and there was no way she could bear something like this.
No matter how much time passed, she probably would never forget the trauma she experienced today.
But General Hunmu wanted her to understand: just how terrifying this palace was, and how there were many eyes and ears everywhere.
If she went about life with naive thoughts, there was no telling when a blade might pierce her throat.
As General Hunmu carefully washed the blood from her face and hands, he desperately hoped the king wouldn’t come looking for her tonight. No matter how much he told her to pull herself together, just looking at her face made it clear that expecting that from Yewon right now was far too much.
“Do you intend to face the king looking like that?”
Though he was worried on the inside, not a single kind word passed his lips.
Turning his head, General Hunmu met Yewon’s vacant gaze. Yet even as she looked at him, she couldn’t truly see him; even as she listened, she couldn’t truly hear.
He soon noticed not only the blood on her face and hands, but also the blood spattered on her neck as she turned her head. Since she would need to change clothes anyway, and it would be troublesome if the blood were visible, he lifted Yewon into his arms. Seeing her remain perfectly still and silent, he realised he would have to do whatever it took to help her regain her composure before returning to the palace.
General Hunmu soon set her down in the cold water. Yewon, who had been dazed until then, finally flinched and reacted.
He didn’t miss the opportunity and grabbed the edge of her clothing around her neck, wiping away the blood there. Then, with his rather rough and forceful hand, he twisted Yewon’s arm once more, drawing another reaction from her.
“If you can’t pull yourself together here, and what happened today is revealed to His Majesty, Sucheong’s death, who died in your place, will have been in vain.”
“!”
“Acting like a child who can’t tell right from wrong ends here. That’s the only way to honour the deaths of the four men and Sucheong, who died today to save you.”
<End of Volume 1. To be continued in the next volume.>
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