Unknown
King Yama hoisted the Chief Celestial Attendant over her shoulder like a sack of grain and made to bolt from the hall like a roaring beast.
The Jade Emperor, setting down the letter, called her name in a voice sharp as a blade.
"Hyeon!"
King Yama froze mid-stride and turned back, and the Emperor clicked her tongue.
"If you storm over there in that state, that poor child who only just became a Celestial Attendant will be lucky to survive. You killed her once already — are you planning to pour water on the corpse too?"
"……"
"Calm yourself."
"……Forgive me. I was so worried about what state Huiyo might be in right now that I lost my reason."
Yama set the Chief Attendant down, still trembling, and the Emperor let out a long sigh.
"Hyeon, I am just as adrift and anxious as you. Huiyo, in the lower realm? In the frail body of a mortal human, no less……"
"Exactly! Suryeo, who knows what torments she's enduring down there? For all we know, that's why she's been so ill!"
Yama paced back and forth across the chamber, pouring out words in her agitation.
"Our princess, who ate and wore only the rarest and most noble of things — sent to the lower realm! She could be sick and poisoned by foul energies. Somewhere out there, some low, wicked creature might be daring to lay a hand on our Huiyo—!"
A black killing aura billowed up from Yama's whole body like a gathering storm cloud.
It was the aura of someone fully prepared to tear apart whoever had dared touch Huiyo — no matter who it was — and boil them in the Boiling Hell for a good eight thousand years.
The Emperor shielded the quivering Chief Attendant with her own divine power and spoke.
"And yet, Hyeon — our daughter is cleverer and kinder than anyone."
"Of course she is. You could search from the heavens to the depths of the earth and never find another child as brilliant, wise, pure, lovely, beautiful, clever, good, dignified, and adorable as our princess."
"Yes. And this is something that such a Huiyo judged and chose to do herself. No one kidnapped her, and it was no accident."
"……"
"I was shocked too, of course. But we both read that same letter, didn't we? Did it read like something Huiyo did thoughtlessly, without a moment's consideration for how much we'd worry?"
"……"
"If we trust Huiyo, then before we tear the world apart and drag her home, we should first learn why she did this — and try to understand."
The Emperor gave a wry smile.
"If we cannot even bear her into good health, and cannot even support the things she wishes to do, what kind of parents would we be?"
"……Suryeo."
"Hyeon, if it's what Huiyo wants, I want to let her do whatever she pleases. That child never even fussed despite her sickly body — this is the first rebellion she's ever staged, isn't it?"
As the Emperor carefully folded the letter back into its envelope, she added gently,
"Of course, we should still confirm whether anyone dares to interfere with what our Huiyo is trying to do."
"……!"
"If there's a stone sticking up in our child's path, isn't it a parent's job to pull it out and smooth the road in advance?"
The Emperor smiled serenely, radiating the air of someone ready to crush anything that displeased her granddaughter.
"Our darling daughter should do everything she wants and walk a road of flowers, nothing less."
Yama nodded with fierce enthusiasm.
"That's right! Of course it is! My wife, as always, speaks wisdom!"
Watching on, the celestial attendants found themselves freshly reminded that these two were, across both the Heavenly Realm and the Netherworld, the most hopelessly doting couple in existence.
Even if the Jade Emperor seemed somewhat more composed than King Yama, their methods differed only in flavor — when it came to the matter of Princess Cheonmyeong, they were exactly alike in abandoning all reason.
Honestly, if Her Highness had been even slightly more of a spoiled brat, there would have been wailing in both Heaven and the Underworld by now.
Most of the fussing those two would unleash, Her Highness wards off herself……
Truly, thank the heavens our princess is wise, gentle, thoughtful, and lovely!
The attendants, naturally, remained entirely unaware that they themselves were every bit as bad.
"Now then."
The Emperor turned her gaze to the Chief Celestial Attendant.
"Before we search for the Princess, tell me everything you know — beginning with the child the Princess left behind in her care."
A date was set for Seol Deunghwa and me to treat the Queen Consort: the last day of the month.
Plenty of breathing room, all things considered.
It had been worth telling Seol Deunghwa to drag the date out as long as possible under the excuse of selecting an auspicious day.
After all, the month's end is heavy with yin energy — a genuinely fitting 'auspicious day' for a trip to the underworld.
Until then, my plan was to meet with Seol Deunghwa every day to refine our revenge plot and teach her my 'method of dying and coming back to life.'
I should also practice wielding darkness with the Crown Prince.
Outside of that, I intended to spend my free hours eating well, sleeping well, and taking diligent walks. I wanted to grow up healthy and strong.
Once I've gotten a bit more used to this body, I'll learn martial arts too!
But the task that fell to me the very next day was something I had never expected.
"Seven of them became unable to work, all in a single night?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Four have taken to their beds sick, and three have broken limbs — legs or arms……"
Court Lady Kim explained, wringing her hands.
Overnight, seven of the palace maids newly assigned to the Crown Princess's residence had suddenly fallen ill or injured themselves.
"I beg your pardon, Your Highness. I will find replacements at once. Whatever could have caused such a thing……"
I grabbed the back of my neck, then waved my hand dismissively.
"No, it's all right. I have a fair idea of the cause."
"Pardon?"
Heavenly punishment, no doubt about it.
Apparently, seven whole people had applied to serve in the Crown Princess's residence while harboring impure intentions toward me.
Come to think of it, there'd be tentacles of the Left State Councilor in there, and whoever was behind the plot to assassinate Seruhwa still hadn't been caught — plus there'd be people who simply couldn't stand the sight of a Seol tribe half-blood or anyone from the Empire……
When I really counted it up, it was probably thanks to Court Lady Kim's capable management that it stopped at seven at all.
Wait, though — what exactly were they planning to do, to incur divine punishment on the very first day of their assignment?
Did they merely think wicked thoughts without acting on them, and get hit so hard because mortals are such fragile creatures?
Either way, I couldn't just leave this be.
"Court Lady Kim — the maids already assigned to the residence, and any who'll be assigned in the future. Can you gather them all in the inner courtyard right now?"
"That is possible, Your Highness, though might I ask what this is about?"
"I intend to sift out for myself the people who are going to be my people."
Before anything else, I needed to put my own house in order.
Some thirty maids had assembled in the front courtyard of Unyeondang.
That's surprisingly few. Hmm, though I probably shouldn't compare it to Sangra Palace.
Sangra Palace employed roughly five thousand celestials, and even just the celestial maidens who worked close by me numbered well over a thousand.
Frankly, it was far fewer than I'd expected, and I was genuinely startled — but I didn't let a hint of it show.
Still, with such a small group, the check will be over quickly, and I can afford to look more carefully at each one.
Hold on. Out of even this small number, seven had harbored impure hearts?
No wonder the omens all said Seruhwa's future looked grim.
When I stepped up onto the main hall's raised wooden floor, Court Lady Kim raised her voice.
"All attention! Her Highness the Crown Princess approaches!"
"Unyeon Hwaso! We bow before Her Highness the Crown Princess!"
The maids chanted words I'd never heard before and bowed in perfect unison.
What on earth did that mean?
Court Lady Kim, noticing my bewilderment, explained at my side.
"It is the formal greeting offered to the Crown Princess from the clouds, Your Highness."
"A greeting from the clouds?"
"In the Kingdom of Un, the dragon that roams the clouds symbolizes His Majesty the King, and the cloud-filled sky where the dragon roams symbolizes Her Majesty the Queen Consort."
Court Lady Kim gestured toward the cloud and dragon motifs carved into the painted eaves directly above us as she continued.
"Accordingly, His Highness the Crown Prince is called the 'Crouching Dragon' still dwelling upon the earth, and Your Highness the Crown Princess is called 'Unyeon' — meaning mist — for you are the smoke destined to rise one day into the clouds that are his."
"Ah. So 'Unyeon Hwaso' is a wish that the Crown Princess will rise safely into the clouds and become the sky of the Crown Prince."
"Precisely so, Your Highness."
Court Lady Kim stared at me in astonishment, then added in a tone thick with admiration.
"How remarkably perceptive you are, Your Highness. They say the common script of Un and Pyeong is the same Heavenly Script, yet there are subtle differences, and the characters themselves differ…… and yet you seem far more fluent than even a child born and raised in Un."
That's because the Heavenly Script used by the humans of the lower realm originally came from the Heavenly Realm in the first place. Way back in the dawn of things, Grandmother Mago passed the speech and letters of the heavens down to humankind.
Even with some drift and corruption over the ages, to a divine being like me, the tongue of Un and the tongue of Pyeong both sounded perfectly natural. The same went for the languages of every other nation.
That was why gods could understand the prayers of humans from any land whatsoever.
Come to think of it, since Seruhwa was originally from Pyeong, plenty of people are going to find this uncanny from here on out, aren't they.
I considered it for a moment, then decided to just brazen it out.
"I studied hard from a young age, that's all."
It wasn't anything beyond mortal capability, after all. Any ordinary nine-year-old raised on an intensive early education could manage as much, couldn't she?
"How brilliant you are, Your Highness."
Court Lady Kim looked at me with the face of a grandmother who has just discovered her granddaughter is a genius.
It felt oddly burdensome, so I hastily turned my gaze to the maids.
They were all still bowing.
"Everyone, lift your heads and look at me."
At my command, the maids hesitantly raised their heads one by one.
Once I confirmed that most of their eyes were upon me, I opened the Eye of Heavenly Providence.
It's a power meant to peer deeply into a single soul — but turned on a crowd, even if I can't see each one in detail, I can sweep them all at once.
"……!"
"Kyaa!"
"Ugh……"
Even with the backlash divided among thirty-odd people, bodies staggered and buckled all across the courtyard.
Mortals really are weaker than celestials.
I hastily shut the Eye before chaos broke out.
The information that had flooded in within that instant left me faintly dizzy. I kept my eyes closed for a long moment and rubbed my temples, and Ansi asked anxiously, planting herself close beside me.
It probably wasn't all right at all.
The only reason I could exert power in the lower realm and still walk away unscathed was that the entire burden fell on my original body up above.
But then again…… that body wasn't destined to last long anyway.
Knowing my luck, the body I left in the Heavenly Realm will reach the end of its lifespan before this one does.
And if the original body that bore all that strain were to die, this body wouldn't come out of it unharmed either.
How long will I get to live? I honestly have no idea. The lifespans of gods aren't even written in the ledgers of the underworld.
Still, surely staying in this body would last far longer than forcing that glass-thin form to keep moving?
And when the true end drew near, I would need to return to the heavens and spend what time remained with Mom and Dad.
Hmm. If that's the plan, I really should check on the condition of my Heavenly body from time to time.
So I hid the truth and told Ansi something else instead.
"That body will be asleep, so even if I strain it a little, it'll recover before long."