FIB Ch 16 part 1

PR by neji

They planned on returning to the bamboo grove right away, but an unexpected guest’s arrival required Heon’s attention, so he had to leave for a bit.

They hurriedly managed to find an inn, and MoonWon waited for Heon there.

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“It seems that the Master is running late.”

Hong-yeom murmured from behind her. He had come to join them a little later. People who did not know him would have thought he was a calm, young man. However, he never relaxed when he was guarding MoonWon.

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“It seems like their talk is growing long. Anyways, how are you these days?”

“What could possibly give me a hard time?”

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“Is that why you keep tormenting SoYoon?”

Hong-yeom frowned at the mention of SoYoon. She would always start a quarrel with him, so he merely responded back. She didn’t know anything about the ways of the world, and she wasn’t that clever. Whenever they began fighting, Hong-yeom would always win.

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“I wonder what the little lady is so upset about that she would tattle about this kind of thing.”

“I wouldn’t say she tattled. She just seemed so upset, so I asked her first. She’s still young, so please go easy on her.”

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“You cherish Lady SoYoon, so you may not see it, but she’s not that young.”

“But I don’t think you hate her either. If you don’t like someone, you don’t even interact with them.”

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“That’s not true!”

Seeing Hong-yeom frantically deny it, MoonWon burst into laughter. SoYoon had possibly become overwhelmed by the collapse of their family, YongUn’s death, and MoonWon’s departure. Due to this, she rarely left Yuhwa’s side. 

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Although SoYoon didn’t express any pain or suffering, MoonWon still felt sorry, so she treasured her even more.

SoYoon would always be upset with Hong-yeom and curse at him, but thanks to him, she gradually became interested in hanging out with other children her age.

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“I’m also at fault for not paying enough attention to her. I’m sure it’s hard on you, but please understand.”

Hong-yeom opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it and lowered his head in agreement. Seeing Hong-yeom’s reaction, MoonWon picked up her teacup. However, when someone from the inn entered the room and approached her, she put the cup back down.

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“Mistress, the Master said that we are to move to another inn. I will escort you there.”

The news was sudden and strange, but if it was Heon’s order, it was to be followed. Just as MoonWon was about to follow the servant, she suddenly came to a halt.

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In the past, she would have obediently done as she was told if it was said to be an order from Heon. However, too many things like this kept happening. Additionally, this servant seemed a bit different from the servants at the bamboo grove.

“I will not go.”

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“Mistress.”

“If he was too busy, he would have sent Junghwan or someone else. I have never seen you before. Who are you?”

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MoonWon glanced at Hong-yeom, and he caught on quickly and moved. Meanwhile, those who were protecting MoonWon quickly surrounded her. At the same time, the inn began to fill with soldiers.

Swords were aimed at each other. Finding herself in such a tense situation, MoonWon swallowed.

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She could only think of one person, but she hoped it was not him.

However, that hope completely disappeared the moment JaeHoon entered the room.

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“It will take the Chief Commander a long time to come back here.”

“Your Highness.”

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“I did not come here to fight. I merely came here to hear your final answer.”

Hearing this, MoonWon looked around and nodded. At her command, her escorts sheathed their swords. JaeHoon’s soldiers promptly did the same.

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As the tension eased, JaeHoon took a step towards MoonWon. However, MoonWon took a step back.

JaeHoon’s eyes trembled at MoonWon’s rejection.

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Her actions were sending him a warning. This was going to be the final chance he gave her.

“No matter what the Chief Commander chooses to do, he will ultimately die. My SeoMoon does not need the Chief Commander. In the end, his clan will collapse.”

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“……”

“Will I have to drag you back with me as a criminal? Or will you come with your own two feet with honor?”

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“Your Highness.”

“I must hear this from your own mouth. Call me ‘Your Majesty’.”

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Although the Emperor was still alive, JaeHoon was commanding MoonWon to call him ‘Your Majesty’.

The recent collapse of her own family was still fresh in her memories, but JaeHoon was using it to strike fear into her heart.

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In the past, she would have given in to the threat and run away.

“I gave you my answer long ago. You are the one who let go of my hand, Your Highness.”

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“The Chief Commander! That man has also let go of your hand! I did my best and worked just as hard as he did.”

“How did you do your best?”

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“What?”

“Other than commanding me to come back to you, what else have you done?”

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Her piercing words struck JaeHoon’s heart and left a gaping wound. Just what had Heon done to turn her into such a foolish woman? In a situation where she should lower her head and be grateful for his benevolence, she was scolding and criticizing him.

“You have not seen my truth.”

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“Everything you have done until now has all been for your own sake. None of it has been for me. More than anything… I would like to live the rest of my life in peace with someone who treasures me.”

As she drew a clear line between them, JaeHoon’s stomach churned. His sanity began to teeter on the edge as his world collapsed around him.

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But he still could not give up. If he let go of MoonWon now, it would all be over, but he could not bring himself to do it. 

He was the one who would become the emperor. And yet, he could not even obtain one woman. How humiliating was this!

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This was no longer merely because of love. He had to show everyone that, as the emperor, he could obtain whatever he wanted.

“It seems that the Chief Commander will always be an obstacle between us.”

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“The one I married is not you, Your Highness. It is the Chief Commander.”

He liked seeing MoonWon’s determination, so unlike the other demure women. Because she was MoonWon, because she was the only person who could do something like this, he could not let her go.

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He had told himself that he was here to merely hear her answer, but he changed his mind.

He was going to take her with him.

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“MoonWon, let’s…”

Before JaeHoon could finish his sentence, the guards around MoonWon fell to the floor. Time seemed to stop for a moment.

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Men in black entered the inn through the windows and the door. They passed JaeHoon and charged at MoonWon.

“Protect the Mistress!”

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The remaining guards brandished their swords at the assassins. JaeHoon began to shake his head.

“I-it’s not me! It’s not!”

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“Your Highness! We must escape!”

Although they did not approach JaeHoon, the inn had already plunged into chaos. Blood began to flow from those who protected MoonWon and those who were trying to attack her.

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“M-MoonWon… She must…”

He tried to say that she must be protected at all costs, but the words would not leave his mouth. Would those swords pointed at MoonWon turn to point at him as well? The assassins were all currently aiming for MoonWon. What if their target switched to him?!

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“Your Highness!”

The guards protecting JaeHoon pulled him away. An arrow struck the spot he had been standing in. JaeHoon’s eyes turned to the shattered window. The assassins’ target was MoonWon.

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While JaeHoon hesitated to step forward and intervene, the guards around MoonWon began to fall one by one.

“Mistress! Please esc… Ugh!”

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“Agh!”

A sword pierced through the heart of the guard standing in front of MoonWon. They told her to escape, but where was she to go?!

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She glared at JaeHoon, but he seemed as bewildered as her. MoonWon barely evaded the sword that charged at her from the front. Meanwhile, the guard next to her blocked an attack.

As soon as the guard’s sword pierced the stomach of an assassin, another sword struck the guard’s side, and blood began to burst from the wound.

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“You must esc…”

The assassin pushed away the collapsed guard and aimed his sword at MoonWon. Seeing the sword come closer, MoonWon closed her eyes.

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Instead of feeling the sharp blade pierce her skin, she heard a hoarse voice. MoonWon opened her eyes as they grew damp with tears.

“Husband.”

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Heon punched the assassin’s cheek and snatched his sword. He swung his sword at another assassin that began charging at them. As blood began to spray in all directions, the assassins who approached MoonWon gushed with blood. One of the assassins hid between the other assassins’ corpses and suddenly burst forward, aiming his sword at Heon’s neck. 

Heon turned away and managed to avoid it, but the sword left behind a long scratch on his cheek.

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“Husband!”

Although she had remained calm when her own life was in danger, she grew pale when she saw Heon’s wound. Heon grabbed the assassin’s neck and thrust his sword.

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The blood spurting from the assassin’s body drenched Heon’s face.

“Protect the Mistress!”

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Promptly after Heon’s command, a group of soldiers appeared and surrounded MoonWon. The rest of the assassins began to fall one by one from the soldiers’ and Heon’s swords. While JaeHoon helplessly watched, Heon managed to catch the last assassin trying to escape and pierced him with his sword. He wiped off the blood from his face.

“Ch-Chief Comm…”

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Heon glared at JaeHoon before turning away and making his way to MoonWon. MoonWon stood up with Hong-yeom’s help. She looked at Heon and nodded to convey that she was alright.

“I’m fine.”

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“……”

“Nothing happened, Husband.”

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Despite MoonWon’s reassurance, the sheer terror did not go away. He had been called away for something strange, but it wasn’t something he could avoid. He tried his best to get out of it, but it was not something under his control.

If Hong-yeom had not come to tell him that MoonWon was in danger, he did not know what would have happened to her. He didn’t even want to think about it.

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“Escort the Mistress out.”

Hong-yeom nodded in response to Heon’s order. MoonWon protested that she wanted to stay and looked at Heon, but Heon denied her this time. Heon gazed at her, urging her to go, so MoonWon left the inn.

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Heon managed to hold on until MoonWon left. When she was gone, he finally let out a sigh.

“I only came here to speak with MoonWon. I don’t know anything about this.”

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Ignoring JaeHoon’s protests, Heon turned his eyes to the assassins’ corpses. With the blade of his sword, he began to rip through their clothes. An insignia was carved into their skin, and when JaeHoon saw it, he gasped.

His timid behavior that had been so present during the bloody fight seemed to disappear in an instant. The Emperor had sworn that if he brought MoonWon back, she would be accepted as a member of the Imperial family. He had believed his father until the end and followed his every command.

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Was this the price of the trust he had put in him?

“It seems that they have been personally called by His Majesty himself. I also find it hard to believe that you do not recognize this insignia when even I do.”

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“I don’t know anything about this.”

“I’m sure you don’t. There was no need for His Majesty to tell you about this, was there?”

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Feeling both humiliated and insulted, JaeHoon’s face turned red. Heon brushed his finger along the wound on his cheek and took a look. There was a lot more blood than expected.

He had planned on spending some nice, peaceful time with MoonWon, but those plans had shattered.

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“The moment MoonWon goes to you, Your Highness, she will not become like Consort Yu. She will die.”

“My Imperial Father did this. Not me!”

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“So are you saying that if something happens to MoonWon, it will not be your fault?”

“I…”

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Even if JaeHoon was a very indecisive man, he had his limits. Since when had everything broken apart like this? In the past, Heon would have given a few words of consolation to JaeHoon, but now, he wasn’t feeling so merciful.

“As I said before, just because you have all the shards does not mean you have it all.”

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JaeHoon’s eyes reddened with anger at Heon’s taunt. The Emperor’s silly trickery had turned him into an incompetent fool. He could not think of anything to justify this.

“If you would like me to bend the knee and swear my loyalty to you, then you should become a leader who deserves it.”

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Heon bowed to JaeHoon before leaving the inn. Once Heon left, JaeHoon remained at the inn until the cleaners came and tidied up the inn. Until then, he did not move a muscle.

He was SeoMoon’s Crown Prince, but the opposition he faced from the Emperor and those in power around him caused his inferiority complex to surge.

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Did this mean he would not be able to obtain MoonWon or become a proper emperor of SeoMoon?

“There’s no way.”

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MoonWon and his throne were gradually moving further away from him. He could not lose it all like this.

His country, and his only woman.

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* * *

“Are you telling me it was a failure? And not only that, but my role in this has been exposed?!”

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The Emperor’s roar rang in the room, and the men in black lowered their heads even more.

It didn’t matter if his identity had been revealed. The biggest problem was they had failed to eliminate MoonWon.

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The plan was to kill MoonWon in front of JaeHoon before letting slip that Heon was the one behind it all along. This was the first plan that the Emperor had concocted.

When emotions were heightened, the truth didn’t matter. If he believed that Heon had killed MoonWon, JaeHoon would have thrown away his hesitant personality and nurtured a murderous grudge against Heon.

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“Incompetent fools, tsk, tsk.”

“Your Majesty, please calm down.”

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Consort Yeong tried to soothe the Emperor by his side, and the Emperor finally let out a tired sigh.

JaeHoon had too many flaws right now and could not be seated on the throne just yet. 

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Now that he had almost died and come back to life, he became even greedier to live. He did not plan on relinquishing his throne when JaeHoon remained like that.

In order for SeoMoon to remain a strong, powerful nation, he needed to retain his throne.

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“Everyone leave.”

The men bowed and left the room at his command. Once they were completely gone, Consort Yeong brewed some warm tea and offered it up to the Emperor.

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“The royal physician said that you mustn’t overtax your body. Please remain calm, Your Majesty.”

When he heard her sweet words, the Emperor looked at Consort Yeong with satisfaction. Unlike Consort Yu, Consort Yeong was not selfish and did not cling onto him with requests like the other consorts. Although she had entered his world later in his life, she was more than worthy of spending the last of his life with him.

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“I’m glad you are in my life.”

“Do I not live by your mercy, Your Majesty? As long as you give me your attention, there is nothing more I could want.”

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Her murmur soothed his heart. Enclosing her hand within his own, he pulled her into his arms.

“Mm?”

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“Your Highness Crown Prince! You must not do this! Aagh!”

When the Emperor heard the ruckus outside, his eyes narrowed. Consort Yeong’s eyes widened as she left his arms. When he saw the fear in her eyes, the Emperor gave her a gentle smile.

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“Do not be startled, Consort Yeong. What is going on?”

When everything went silent, JaeHoon opened the doors himself and entered the room. He bowed in front of the Emperor. The Emperor was flustered by such uncharacteristic behavior from JaeHoon, but it only lasted a moment. He spoke up first as if he were unbothered.

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“I heard you were putting pressure on the nobles after taking over in my stead. I think it is right to capture them, but you must not use strength alone or else their swords will be aimed at your neck. Be careful.”

JaeHoon did not respond to the Emperor and kept his head lowered. A few moments later, JaeHoon let out a long sigh and lifted his head.

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“I tried to listen to MoonWon’s reply one last time. However, because of a sudden assassination attempt, I was not able to do it.”

“So?”

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“Were you the one who sent those assassins, Imperial Father? Please do not give me any of your sloppy lies. I’ve already confirmed everything.”

The Emperor’s insignia had been carved into the men’s skin… JaeHoon wanted to believe this was all a coincidence, but everything was pointing to the Emperor.

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The Emperor remained calm as JaeHoon interrogated him. He actually looked the most calm ever since JaeHoon entered the room.

“And if that’s true, what will you do about it?”

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“You promised me!”

“Because you are so weak, I cannot give you the throne! How dare you bring a brat who has already shared her body with another into the Imperial Palace?!”

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“Didn’t Consort Yu do the same?”

“That was then and this is now. How can a weak guy like you dirty the Palace by losing your heart to a girl like that? That is why I… cough.”

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JaeHoon finally met the Emperor’s eyes.

The greatest obstacle to bringing MoonWon here was Heon.

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Then who was the greatest obstacle between him and the throne?

“Take everyone out.”

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JaeHoon’s quiet command rang in the air, and a group of soldiers entered the room.

“Kyaa! Your Majesty!”

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The Emperor didn’t have a chance to say anything. The ones who had lowered their heads to him just a moment ago were entering the room and brandishing their swords at the eunuchs and Consort Yeong.

Consort Yeong could not even beg for her life before her body fell to the floor. Blood began to flow out of her corpse.

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Seeing his treasured woman die such a worthless death, the Emperor turned to JaeHoon and roared.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

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“I’m telling you to come down from the throne.”

JaeHoon gestured to a terrified eunuch with his eyes, and the eunuch placed a royal edict down next to the Emperor. After reading the contents of the edict, the Emperor glared at JaeHoon.

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“How dare you! How can you do this to your own father?! How?!”

The edict stated that the Emperor would abdicate his throne to JaeHoon. After doing so, he would not interfere in the state affairs of SeoMoon ever again.

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When the Emperor saw the edict that he had not composed, he grew enraged. However, despite being the subject of the Emperor’s rage, JaeHoon didn’t even blink.

What did he lack that the Chief Commander didn’t? As the Crown Prince, as the heir to the throne, he was not being acknowledged by Heon or anyone else in SeoMoon.

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Ultimately, it was all his father’s fault. Because the Emperor did not relinquish his throne to him, he was being ridiculed by the entire nation.

“You should have kept the promise you made with me. However, you tricked me into believing you accepted MoonWon and then tried to have her killed.”

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“Do you still not understand the calamity that the brat MoonWon brings with her? She not only captured your heart but the Chief Commander’s as well. You still do not have the ability to subdue them. Only I… Only I can do it!”

“Didn’t all of this start because you brought Consort Yu to the Palace? Your SeoMoon wasn’t the answer. The only one who can break through this situation is me. I will do it now.”

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“What do you… Ugh!”

As the Emperor tried to stand up, he suddenly crouched down and grasped his chest. JaeHoon watched with calm eyes as his father struggled to breathe.

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“I will send you a new woman and some other eunuchs. Once I leave, the royal physician will enter, so you do not have to worry about your health.”

“How dare you?”

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The Emperor grabbed onto JaeHoon’s clothes. JaeHoon pried his hand away and placed it in the puddle of Consort Yeong’s blood. Then he stamped his father’s palm on the royal edict.

“I will return for the royal seal at a later time, so please do not worry.”

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“Cough.”

JaeHoon took the edict and turned around.

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The Emperor tried to follow after him, but after taking a few steps, he collapsed to the ground.

“You! How could you?!”

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“Take the corpse away and close the door. His Majesty has fainted from his chronic illness.”

“How dare you!”

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The door closed, and the Emperor’s roar was quickly swallowed up. They could hear the faint shouts of the Emperor through the door, but JaeHoon merely turned around.

“You must never open this door.”

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“Yes, Your Hi… Your Majesty.”

He didn’t care for the Emperor’s cries or the pungent scent of blood.

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He glanced around at the bowing eunuchs and soldiers, and his eyes gleamed.

He wouldn’t have to bow to anyone from now on.

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He was the Emperor of SeoMoon.

* * *

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Hong-yeom got up in the middle of the night and stretched his stiff body.

“Ugh.”

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The faint wounds on his arm and side caused Hong-yeom to grimace in pain. He had been told that he was finally worth his salt, but it wasn’t enough. Although it wasn’t the same and he didn’t have a sword, Hong-yeom still managed to block the assassins who had begun to surround her.

Unlike the others who had gotten several injuries from the conflict, all Hong-yeom had to show for it was a long scratch on his cheek.

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“I need to pull myself together.”

After all the training and experience he had to go through, he couldn’t let himself remain the same as before.

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Hong-yeom cooled his head against the cold wind before heading down to the training grounds.

“Mm?”

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Whenever he made his way to the training grounds, he needed to pass by the residence where SoYoon and Yuhwa lived. Usually, there wouldn’t be any trace of SoYoon at this time, but he saw her crouched down with her hands around her knees inside a room.

Hong-yeom turned around to ignore her, but after taking three steps, he stopped and sighed.

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“Jeez.”

If only he hadn’t seen her, she wouldn’t have crossed his mind.

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Hong-yeom walked inside the residence and stood in front of SoYoon.

“If you stay like that much longer, you’ll catch a cold.”

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When she heard Hong-yeom’s voice, SoYoon lifted her head. Her usual triumphant air was nowhere to be seen. She quickly lowered her head back down to her knees.

“What happened? Did some shameless servants tease you again?”

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“How did you know?”

When SoYoon’s startled eyes turned to him, Hong-yeom sighed. Although they didn’t act with malicious intent, the servants enjoyed teasing SoYoon, who was very gullible, unlike MoonWon.

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Whenever they tried to mess with Hong-yeom, he would silence them so that they wouldn’t do it again, but this tender-hearted, young lady could not do that.

“What did they say this time?”

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“No, it’s nothing…”

“I’ll decide if it’s nothing after I hear it.”

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“They asked me for help, so I helped them… But they said because I didn’t take after my sister, my hands were too weak and clumsy… They laughed at me for not being like my sister.”

“And you let them talk to you that way?”

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“They were laughing, so what could I say? It’s true that I am weak.”

Hong-yeom let out a long sigh. She would talk back word for word whenever he gave her a hard time, so why was she so weak to other people?

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“At times like that, don’t just agree with them. Just slap their cheeks.”

“No! What if my sister hears that I did such a horrible thing?!”

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“It seems that you don’t care if I hear horrible things. You always harp on me. If you just act the way you do with me with everyone else, they won’t mess with you anymore.”

“If you’re not going to help me, just go away!”

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When she saw how nonchalant his behavior was, she glared at him and buried her face back against her knees.

She didn’t doubt that MoonWon would intervene to help her. However, she did not want to worry her sister who was the reason why she was living such an indulgent life.

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Seeing SoYoon so discouraged, Hong-yeom shook his head.

He had tried to just walk past her, but she was like a thorn in his throat, always bothering him.

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“Get up.”

“Wh-Why?”

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“You told me to go away if I wasn’t going to help. I’ll help you this time. Get up.”

SoYoon narrowed her eyes. He was a mischievous boy, so she was suspicious. He might be doing this to tease her.

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But because he was holding out his hand to her, she couldn’t just turn her back on him.

In the end, SoYoon grabbed his hand.

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“Ugh!”

Hong-yeom let out a faint groan. Narrowing her eyes, SoYoon quickly tugged his sleeve up. When she saw his bandaged wound, her eyes trembled.

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“You’re hurt?”

“It’s not that bad. It just brushed me a little… Aagh! What are you doing?”

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SoYoon began to unravel the bandage on his arm. The bandage that Hong-yeom had applied to his arm fell away without any resistance. 

“You got hurt?”

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“A few days ago, the Mistress almost got seriously hurt. When I tried to fend off the assassins, I got hurt a little.”

Her excessive interest in his wound took Hong-yeom by surprise, so he answered her questions succinctly. SoYoon silently observed his wound before she burst up and entered the house.

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“What’s up with her?”

MoonWon was MoonWon, but SoYoon was also very unpredictable. Although she was far from having the resolute determination that MoonWon had, SoYoon would often act unexpectedly from time to time, so she caught him off guard. 

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A little while later, SoYoon came out with a small box and gestured to the floor.

“What?”

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“Sit down!”

“Jeez, it only needs to be bandaged up for a bit.”

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“I told you to sit down!”

Her abrupt shout was very different from her wide, damp eyes.

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When she acted like this, he felt like he was looking at MoonWon, so he couldn’t refuse. Hong-yeom obediently sat down on the floor, and SoYoon opened the box.

For a girl who had spent most of her life hiding behind Yuhwa’s skirts, she was pretty adept at applying medicine to a wound. Once she was done, SoYoon began to bandage his arm.

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Hong-yeom usually struggled bandaging his own wound, but SoYoon had done it in a flash. She opened her mouth and asked him a question.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?”

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“Mm, I’m fine.”

Just as Hong-yeom knew about SoYoon’s habits, SoYoon knew about Hong-yeom’s as well.

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He looked away as he answered her.

Whenever Hong-yeom behaved like this, it was obvious. SoYoon’s piercing eyes glared at him.

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“Pull up your shirt.”

“Are you crazy?”

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SoYoon’s finger poked precisely at the wound on Hong-yeom’s side. Bewildered, Hong-yeom tightly grabbed onto his shirt.

Just now, when she rolled up his sleeve, he realized that despite her short stature, she was pretty strong. If he faltered now, she’d charge at him like she did before.

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“It’s not that severe! I’ve already been properly treated, so just leave it alone!”

“How can you call that shoddy bandaging proper treatment?! Show me right now!”

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They didn’t feel the cold night wind nor see the rising sun of dawn. A stone-faced Hong-yeom and an adamant SoYoon. Their rapid back-and-forth quickly turned into a quarrel. At some point, he grew exhausted and wanted to give up, but SoYoon grabbed Hong-yeom’s clothes and clung on.

This could have ended with his denial, but it wasn’t easy getting SoYoon to back off.

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“My goodness. The sun hasn’t even risen yet, but they’re acting so shamelessly.”

“I heard she’s a concubine’s child, and it makes sense. She’s completely different from the Mistress. And to think she’s associating with a blue-eyed child. If the Mistress finds out, she’ll be in big trouble.”

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“People call her weak because she acts this way, don’t you think?”

Their quarrel came to an abrupt halt when they heard the whispers of the people around them.

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SoYoon turned her head in the direction of the voices, and her face began to turn red. Hong-yeom looked back and forth between SoYoon’s reaction and the murmuring people and narrowed his eyes.

“Is it them?”

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“What?”

“Are they the ones who called you weak?”

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“…Yeah. It’s okay, so… Ah! Wh-Where are you going?”

Hong-yeom pulled away from her grasp and adjusted his clothes. There would always be people who cast a dark cloud over any situation. They bowed to MoonWon because she received the Master’s absolute favor, but they were annoyed at having to serve MoonWon’s sister. 

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“L-Listen here. Look at how he glares at us even though he’s merely a blue-eyed child.”

“He’s only holding his head high because he stayed with the Mistress for a little bit… Tsk, tsk. This is how one rotten apple can spoil the barrel.”

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Listening to their chattering, Hong-yeom did not let out a breath.

If they were speaking about MoonWon or Yeori, he would have made sure they would never say those words again. It might have been the same for SoYoon, but when it came to harsh words about him, he didn’t need to say anything in response.

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“I know this sounds ridiculous, but don’t you think you should stay away from the little lady? She’s different from me. She’s the precious little sister of the Mistress.”

“Wh-What do you know?”

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“Of course, I don’t know much. But there’s one thing I know that you don’t.”

“What?”

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“If the Mistress finds out that you had the lady do work and called her weak as you teased her, she will make all of your heads fly, don’t you think? And if the Mistress gets even a little bit angry, the Master will start giving strict commands.”

“H-How dare you!”

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“Don’t think I won’t tell the Mistress everything I’ve seen here. Unlike you, who have to go through various channels to reach the Mistress, I can just tell her directly. If you’re truly curious, why don’t you repeat what you just said about me and the lady?”

Hong-yeom lifted his chin as if daring them. The servants quickly grew disheartened.

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Just as Hong-yeom said, if the Mistress found out about this, it wouldn’t end just there. Heon had put all residential operations of the bamboo grove in MoonWon’s hands.

They had felt comfortable creating this mess with SoYoon because she was a mere servant’s daughter, but if MoonWon heard what was happening to her precious sister, they would be the ones to be kicked out of the residence.

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“I’ll tell her as soon as today, so why don’t you see what happens?”

“L-Listen here, calm down… It was just a slip of the tongue. Is there a need to act so recklessly for something like that? What will happen to us?”

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“You really don’t know?”

Hong-yeom scoffed in disbelief, and the fretting servants began to sweat. Hong-yeom gestured to SoYoon. The servants quickly fell to their knees in front of her.

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“Little miss, this servant… this servant was foolish. I’m sorry, little miss!”

“Please save us. We will never do this again!”

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The servants who were going around with a triumphant air just a moment ago were now on the ground, rubbing their hands together as they begged for their lives. Having witnessed such a drastic change, SoYoon helplessly looked at Hong-yeom.

However, instead of showing disobedience as usual, Hong-yeom bowed to her.

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“I will do as you command, little lady. If you’d like to kill them, you may kill them.”

“Aigoo! Little lady! P-Please save us just this once!”

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Before Hong-yeom could finish speaking, the servants began to cry out.

SoYoon knew very well that they were bowing down to her because of MoonWon and not her. She knew she had some power and rank because she was MoonWon’s sister.

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“Please… Please don’t do it again.”

“How could we dare? This servant will put my life on the line and keep my mouth shut.”

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“Why don’t you at least have them flogged? I’m sure they’ll start talking again if you let them go like this.”

“How can you say such a thing? I’m sorry!”

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As Hong-yeom spoke with a calm expression, the servants were plunged back into despair as they begged for their lives.

What would MoonWon have done in this situation? Because she was not MoonWon, she did not know what to do.

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“What are you doing?”

“Hm?”

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“You need to say if you want them killed or flogged.”

“Ah!”

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SoYoon looked down at the kowtowing servants.

No matter how she looked at it, she had no right to order them to do anything.

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“B-Be careful from now on. You may go.”

As soon as SoYoon finished speaking, the servants burst up and ran out as if fire were licking at their heels. She should have struck some more fear into their hearts. But that needlessly kind little lady had let the opportunity slip through her fingers.

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Hong-yeom watched until the servants completely disappeared and let out a sigh.

“That’s why they keep saying you’re weak.”

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“But flogging isn’t good.”

If they were people who usually played it safe, they would not have dared to torment the Mistress’s sister. If it was any other lady who was getting teased, Hong-yeom would not have cared. But since he was tangled up in it anyway, he decided to take care of it himself. However, to avoid any misunderstandings, he decided to let Yeori or Yusun know about what happened.

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“If you just showed me your wounds as I said, this wouldn’t have happened!”

“Haa?”

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SoYoon, who hadn’t been able to let out a squeak with the other servants, was now glaring fiercely at Hong-yeom. Hong-yeom wasn’t sure if she was merely comfortable with him or if she looked down on him. She always gave him such a hard time.

“I got hurt and I treated my own wounds. If you hadn’t taken an interest in it from the start, this wouldn’t have happened either, don’t you think?”

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Although half of her blood was shared with MoonWon, she was so different from her.

He had gone easy on her because she was MoonWon’s sister, but he could not help the anger boiling up at this nonsense.

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“If it were the Mistress, she would not have been so discouraged over something like this.”

SoYoon grumbled when she heard Hong-yeom’s words. He perked his ears to see what else she was going to say. SoYoon sharply raised her eyes.

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“My sister would have wanted to treat your wounds, too. So hurry up and show it to me!”

“I said I don’t want to! I already treated it!”

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No matter how tiny or childlike SoYoon was, she was still a maiden. How could he show his body to an unmarried woman?

“I’m going to go now.”

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Hong-yeom turned around to escape this awkward situation. However, when he saw the tears welling up in her eyes, he stopped in his tracks.

He felt the rage boil over again when he saw the tears clinging dangerously to her lashes.

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“I should have just walked past her… Alright, just take a quick look. If I’m late, Junghwan-nim is going to get mad at me.”

Hong-yeom plopped down on the floor and raised his shirt. The bandage was wrapped as loosely as the one on his arm. When she saw this, SoYoon wiped away her tears.

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As expected, he had lied when he claimed it had been properly treated. The bandages were tied so loosely around the wound.

Although she could have just ignored it, she couldn’t help but be worried. Despite his nagging words that never failed to annoy her, no one paid attention to her more than he did. 

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“You can do whatever you want, but just don’t get hurt.”

“If I want to be worth my salt, getting hurt is inevitable.”

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“Then at least get treated properly!”

“Who would treat a blue-eyed servant? I’m happy as long as they don’t avoid me for being cursed.”

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“I…”

“What?”

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“Then I can do it!”

Did she know what she just said? Hong-yeom was at a loss for words. He felt like he should refuse, but his mind went numb and blank.

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He felt the blood rush to his head. When he turned his eyes to look at her, he saw that she had sunk her head to her chest and was fidgeting with her hand.

The atmosphere had turned strange in an instant. She was a lady who didn’t seem to filter her words and said whatever was on her mind.

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“I won’t get hurt from now on, so hurry up and finish treating it.”

He no longer had the confidence to look at her or continue speaking with her.

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Hong-yeom looked in the opposite direction as if to avoid her eyes. Seeing this, SoYoon’s face grew red as she bit her lips.