GMLS Ch 27

I heard about what had happened while I was unconscious from Yeongchun.

Muryun, carried up the mountain by Monghyul, had safely placed his hand on The Sky Monument without any further hardship. The Royal Guard and the Secret Shadow Guard who were present all prostrated themselves in unison, and the sound of their voices welcoming their new master echoed throughout the entirety of Cheontae-baek Mountain.

The 3rd Prince’s external forces were dealt with by the Ammukdan. It just took some time. There were no injuries, let alone fatalities.

And on the very next day, the 3rd Prince’s body was discovered at the foot of the mountain. He had hanged himself from a tree, and there were signs that he had already attempted suicide once before. Perhaps because I heard it after everything was over, I felt no particular emotion.

‘He may have been foolish, but it seems he had his pride as a prince.’

I thought of it fleetingly and forgot about it.

If anything was interesting, it was the 2nd Prince’s actions. He had not shown himself at either the shrine or the imperial palace, even today, the tenth day since the test ended. At this point, I briefly interrupted Yeongchun’s words.

“Ten days? Are you saying I was asleep for ten days?”

“Is that more surprising than the fact that the 2nd Prince ran away?”

“Ahem, answer.”

“Yes. Today marks exactly ten days. And during that time, a great many people have come and gone, enough to wear out the threshold.”

Yeongchun listed the names of those who had contributed to the aging of the threshold one by one. He rattled them off, even bragging that he himself had counted who came, on which day, and how many times they went in and out.

I had expected Heukwol and Monghyul. Wi Junghyuk could have come out of camaraderie, and the Shangshuling, well, that was possible too. But I hadn’t expected Muryun to be on that list. To be precise, I was more astonished by the fact that he had been holding my hand until five days ago than by the fact that he had come.

“Surely he’s not still here? The test is over, and he’s been officially recognized as the rightful heir, so it’s only right that he returns to the palace as quickly as possible and ascends the throne.”

The situation that led to this test in the first place was not ordinary. It was an extremely unstable time, with no ruler of the country and no heir.

“……Ahem, you might want to wipe that smile off your face before you speak.”

“What about my smile?”

“Should I bring you a mirror?”

“That’s enough. Why bother with such a troublesome thing?”

“It’s not troublesome, so can’t I bring it?”

I stared at Yeongchun without answering. He looked like he had made a mistake and tried to subtly avoid my gaze, but when I remained silent, he finally confessed.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because it’s a mystery.”

“What is?”

“How you got into the Ammukdan. Don’t they not accept bribes there?”

“Young Lord!”

“You still get scolded by the Shangshuling these days, don’t you? For being overly chatty.”

This time, Yeongchun fell silent.

“I’m the real mystery. I don’t know what’s so great about a childish young lord like you that……”

“What did you say?”

“You don’t even know that Wi Junghyuk and Monghyul were beaten to a pulp, do you?”

What is this now?

“Those two? By whom?”

“Who else could beat those two like a dog?”

Ah. It must be the Prince. I could roughly guess the reason. When I sighed, Yeongchun’s eyes lit up.

“Young Lord, you know why those two were beaten.”

“You don’t need to know. More importantly, is His Highness still here?”

Yeongchun had a look on his face that begged to be told, but I kept my lips sealed. Finally giving up, Yeongchun answered.

“No. He returned to the palace on the sixth day. He was trying to hold out and not go, but the Shangshuling forced him to leave.”

The unexpected appearance of Yeo Yullyeong made me feel deeply ominous and uneasy. As my gaze lingered on the water bottle, Yeongchun quickly poured water into a cup and handed it to me. I gulped down the cold water and asked.

“The Shangshuling? Specifically, how?”

“I wasn’t there at the time because I went to get water, so I didn’t hear it, but according to Heukwol, who was there……”

“You still haven’t fixed that habit of drawing out your words. Didn’t the Shangshuling point that out a few times?”

“Heok.”

“What’s with that expression?”

“No, for a moment, I thought I saw the Shangshuling in you, so I was just so surprised.”

Of common birth. Outstanding internal energy. Above all, a boy who had caught Yeo Yullyeong’s eye because of his speed. That was Yeongchun.

He must have been thoroughly educated before becoming a shadow, yet if you looked closely, it was as if flowers were floating around him. It didn’t suit a shadow. Even now, his thoughts were written all over his face.

He who lies down with dogs shall rise up with fleas. Birds of a feather flock together. Like father, like…… ah, maybe not that one. Anyway, he’s the Shangshuling’s son. Those were roughly his thoughts.

“……Just finish what you were saying. So what did the Shangshuling do?”

“He must have said something like, ‘I cannot give my son to a mere prince who is not yet an emperor.’”

That crazy old man. Whether my face turned black or not, Yeongchun continued to chatter cheerfully.

“It’s okay. His Highness the 5th Prince wasn’t that offended. In fact, he linked his arms and said, ‘Then once I officially sit on the throne, your son is mine’……”

“I told you not to draw out your words. So. What happened?”

“The Shangshuling, fanning himself with his folding fan, said something like, ‘Since you are taking the son of this Yeo Yullyeong, an ordinary dowry will not do.’ He was joking, you see.”

Shangshuliiiiiing!

“Ah. You can’t get up yet. The Shangshuling used all sorts of good medicine, so you’ve improved a lot, but you were still hit in many places, so you’re still considered a seriously injured person.”

For some reason, I felt a strange sense of familiarity in Yeongchun’s tone as he said that. I asked, thinking, surely not.

“By any chance, is the Shangshuling still here?”

“Yes. The Head of the Secretariat and the Head of the Chancellery both went down the mountain as soon as they saw His Highness the 5th Prince touch the monument, but he is truly a man of deep love for his son.”

“Where is he now?”

I got out of bed, roughly put on the black robe draped over a chair, and tied the belt.

“Are you going? Why don’t you just call for him? He would gladly come.”

“Haa, first, I need to ask for a change of attendant. What kind of shadow is this talkative? A lark would be more taciturn than you. Where is Heukwol?”

“No, after you kept nagging me with questions……”

When I gave the guy who wouldn’t back down a single word a murderous glare, Yeongchun finally flinched.

“If you’re asking about Heukwol, he went to the imperial palace with His Highness the 5th Prince.”

What is this now? My steps, which were about to leave the room, came to a halt. When I turned around, Yeongchun was tidying up the brass basin and said.

“His Highness the 5th Prince wanted to leave both his retainer and the Captain of the Imperial Guard here.”

“No, why on earth?”

“How would I know the intentions of someone of high status? It might be related to the reason they were beaten so badly. Anyway, he specifically pointed out Heukwol. Heukwol was half-dragged away with a face like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse.”

Oh, Heukwol.

I put my hand to my forehead. If this was going to happen, I might as well have woken up a month later. When everything was settled, and most things had returned to their rightful places.

‘Still, it’s unexpected. He seemed to really dislike Heukwol.’

Of course, I had a hunch. When I was running with Muryun in my arms, Heukwol stayed behind alone to guard our rear. It seemed that Muryun had finally recognized his loyalty and skill from that time. Amidst the headache, a sense of pride welled up.

I straightened the hem of my black robe and stepped out of the room. I came face to face with Monghyul, who was standing guard by the door.

“Monghyul?”

“Are you feeling alright?”

He said he was hit by Muryun. Indeed, a faint bruise remained on his cheek.

“Yes. I’m well enough. But why didn’t you follow His Highness?”

“Because His Highness said he didn’t want to see my face for the time being and told me to stay here. For the same reason, Wi Junghyuk is also somewhere in the shrine.”

I learned an additional part of the reason why Heukwol was dragged away. I nodded and continued on my way. In any case, I had to meet Yeo Yullyeong first.

The shrine that honored the Sangseon was called a shrine, but its structure was like a huge mansion. It was made of a mixture of wood and marble, and the wood used was specially treated birch. Thus, a white shrine was built on a white snowy field.

‘The period of time people stay here in a year is probably less than a month. This is all a waste of national taxes.’

I walked along the corridor, clicking my tongue.

According to Yeongchun, he’s in front of The Sky Monument, so I should go out the main gate. I turned my head and saw the wall. If I went over that, I would be right outside.

Hmm, I thought, and crossed the snow-covered courtyard to stand in front of the wall. There was no particular difficulty in walking. The painkillers must have been good ones, as the pain I felt in my back was also faint. But according to Yeongchun, I was a seriously injured person who only looked fine on the outside. I wasn’t sure if it was okay to draw up my internal energy.

“What are you doing here?”

Hmm. This won’t do.

Wi Junghyuk came and stood right behind me, and I hadn’t felt his presence at all. Of course, Wi Junghyuk was probably in the habit of concealing his internal energy and presence, but normally, I would have noticed somehow. He knew that, so he probably didn’t consider approaching like this to be rude.

I turned my head. As expected, Wi Junghyuk, with a faint bruise on his cheek, raised his eyebrows. He had noticed that I had been completely unaware of his approach.

“You don’t look well, why did you come out?”

“I felt I should see the Shangshuling.”

“Then you should go find the Shangshuling, why the wall……”

He trailed off, having noticed something more. A chill was added to his heavy expression. The air of the already cold perennial snow mountain seemed to have become even colder. I stealthily took a step back.

“Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

“Don’t tell me you were thinking of jumping over.”

This man isn’t usually this quick-witted.

“Of course not.”

Wi Junghyuk looked at me with very suspicious eyes. I shrugged.

“I was just thinking about it.”

“In any case, you were intending to jump over. With a body that couldn’t even sense my approach.”

There was no time to stop him. With a sigh, Wi Junghyuk suddenly lifted my body into his arms. Startled, I wrapped my arms around his neck. The next moment, realizing my own action, I quickly let go.

Wi Junghyuk said only one word, “Hold on.” The intensity of his downward gaze was so intimidating that in the end, I had no choice but to stealthily wrap my arms around him again.

“I’m not this much of an invalid.”

“In the barracks, the ones who ran wild without knowing their own condition were the first to die.”

His way of speaking is as smooth as silk.

“Ahem, the one who grabbed my shoulder and encouraged me was much gentler and kinder.”

“It was a courtesy to one who was leaving his last words. Why, should I do that for you?”

He meant he could be kind, but it would be my last words.

“I’ll pass.”