The Princess (10)
Whoosh!
Gwanwol lit the candle in his hand.
The stairs had no lanterns whatsoever. The only thing illuminating our path was Gwanwol's candle.
"This is a place untouched by moonlight. No one but me knows of this room's existence."
He spoke as he continued climbing the stairs.
I followed behind him.
"Aren't you worried, heading into a pitch-black place like this without a single guard?"
"No more pretenses. I've seen enough of your skills. No wonder things have been so quiet lately—Baekrok's been raising a monster."
Eventually, Gwanwol stopped before a rusted iron door.
It creaked open slowly.
The heavy atmosphere didn't mean there'd be corpses or anything like that.
Surprisingly, it was a rather refined study.
He glanced around before pulling out a ledger.
"Here, this is our account book. I didn't want to show it, honestly."
Gwanwol sighed.
"You already knew everything anyway. No point hiding it now."
I took a look. It was pretty damning.
"If this goes public, it'll hit hard."
"Yeah. Could mean rotting in prison for twenty years or so."
He slumped down heavily.
"But one thing I don't get. Someone like you could've just taken me out without a word."
"Eh, I didn't come here just for the ledger."
I tossed it back to Gwanwol.
His eyes widened.
"Damn, how much do you really know?"
"Forget that. Let's cut the bullshit and lay it all out like men."
I tapped the hilt of my sword.
Gwanwol clutched his forehead with a groan.
"Investigator, you still don't know much about this palace. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss."
He spoke in a grave tone.
"This could change your life. Might even trap you in hell forever. You okay with that?"
"Skip the drama. Show me what you're hiding."
"...Sigh."
Gwanwol stood and manipulated the study.
The shelves shifted at his touch.
The room's structure began to change.
Walls moved, the floor twisted, the ceiling shook.
So this was the gimmick my little sister mentioned.
Even if I'd barged in blindly, I wouldn't have found anything worthwhile.
"Just as I thought. You've been after Her Highness the Princess from the start."
Gwanwol was cautious by nature. He wasn't the type to reveal his hand like this.
But he'd felt powerless against me.
That's probably why he saw this as an opportunity—and decided to hand over the info willingly.
"Let's make a deal."
He paused in his tinkering.
"I'll give you all the information you want. I'll even give you cause to rampage. Just stay out of our affairs from now on."
"What the hell? Isn't not killing you right now mercy enough?"
"Hah, funny. Kill me or not, I don't care. But with your power... yeah. You might actually stop the Empress's schemes and neutralize her. Wherever you go, it's a death trap. I'm betting on you."
He resumed manipulating the study.
"Kill me, and the Empress will get even more cautious—that's no good for you either. That's why you haven't outright killed me yet. I'll divert her attention. You just foil her plans and leave us be."
The room's movements finally stopped.
The study vanished behind the walls, leaving only a single book on a pedestal.
Gwanwol dusted it off.
"The info you want is in here."
He handed me the book.
I opened it.
Dansim
A curse that severs the heart. That's what the book described.
"What the hell is this?"
"Isn't it written there? Dansim. Just as it says—the Empress plans to kill Her Highness's emotions and turn her into a doll."
He sighed again.
"Investigator, you've crossed a river of no return. Do you know who's involved?"
He pointed at the ceiling.
"Very high up."
"High up?"
Cheon Yeongseong. He made a deal with the Empress."
Hah, I couldn't help but swallow a dry laugh.
So that's why Cheon Doseong warned me?
It was starting to click.
"Originally, the Empress controlled our Wolyeongjeon thanks to him."
"Then where's Her Highness?"
"Probably his doing too. Our only order was to retrieve this book."
He held up five fingers.
"In five days, I'll pay my respects to the Empress. That's when I'll hand over this book. So their plan starts then—under the new moon."
Hmm. What to do.
It didn't sound like a lie.
"...Even knowing all this, you'll still go after her?"
He asked.
"Yeah. But..."
"You're insane. Must be something wrong with your head. I can't fathom risking it all for a puppet princess."
"I don't live like a sorry sack like you."
"...Sorry sack? What's that supposed to mean?"
Now what.
"Hey, Gwanwol."
"What?"
"Be honest—you were hell-bent on killing me earlier."
I cracked my knuckles and approached him.
"...Hold on. I'm practically an old man. Hit me with your strength, and I'll really die."
"I nearly died too."
Payback for what he did.
That's the murim way.
"You need to calm down. Don't you want to save Her Highness?"
As he said that, he flicked his sleeve.
I stepped forward and grabbed his arm.
"...Am I seeing things? You were over ten paces away—"
Clatter! Hidden weapons poured from his sleeve.
"...Spare me."
I beat him so he'd be bedridden for five days.
Clink!
A withered arm trembled faintly.
"...Ah."
Princess Yeonhwa opened her eyes.
She turned her head.
Heavy iron chains bound her arms.
How long...?
Days like this?
Nothing but pitch darkness around her.
Only the flickering torchlight revealed the damp walls.
Hungry.
The fishy stench of rot assaulted her nose. Her empty stomach made it roil nauseatingly.
Where did it go wrong?
Where had she started to fail?
"Ha."
She'd known it all along.
She shouldn't have been born.
The child of the Emperor's one-night mistake. The filthy remnant of that night.
That was the essence of Princess Yeonhwa.
"Ugh... hngh..."
Hungry. It hurt. Cold. Sleepy.
Recalling those hated memories brought the pain crashing in.
Was it the agony?
The unwanted memories sharpened.
Whenever the princess shed tears, the Empress would say this with cold eyes.
"Don't cry."
A voice chilling to the bone.
Gazing at the tears streaming down the young princess's cheeks, the Empress stroked them.
"Emotions are a luxury for you."
"M-Mother..."
"Don't delude yourself. You don't even deserve sorrow or despair. You have no value to begin with. Listen well, you lowly wretch. Every time I see those blue eyes, I want to gouge them out. Rip that neck to shreds. But I'm enduring."
The Empress's icy fingers lifted the princess's chin.
"Abandon your emotions. Don't smirk or frown with those loathsome lips. Don't widen those blue eyes, don't dare move that filthy mouth."
The princess's sobs stopped.
"There, good. Now you look proper. Hwaya, you resemble your mother most when you're like this—utterly abhorrent, yet so pretty."
"..."
Yeonhwa lifted her head.
Her lips were parched.
Her eyes held no spark, just haze.
Still hungry. Still hurting, cold.
But no more tears came.
That was when it happened.
"You look splendid."
A beautiful voice struck the princess's ears.
Between the flickering flames, jet-black hair entered her view.
Ornate golden hairpins atop it, skin whiter and smoother than white jade—emanating an unreal beauty devoid of any warmth.
Soon, her purple eyes curved like a new moon.
"Hwaya, you are truly beautiful now."
Seductive lips formed a smile.
With elegant, delicate fingers, she caressed the princess's cheek.
"Soon, everything will return to its proper place. Just endure a little longer. I'll put you back where you belong."
That voice was excessively warm.