I Can See It Now
Now he could see it.
What the Alliance Leader's Wife Must Do to Prepare for the Unorthodox Factions' Backlash Against the Alliance Leader's Repeated Good Deeds
The dense list written beside it must be everything Baekri Yeongso had resolved to do.
Honestly, as an unorthodox martial artist to his very bones, Banya didn't care in the slightest whether those weaker than him rebelled or not. Whether a single bastard revolted or they all banded together, his only thought was that he would simply crush them all. But quite apart from that, he was incredibly pleased that his wife was looking out for his reputation.
Is this what they call being a supportive wife?
He almost let slip a chuckle.
Well, at least she intends to keep living with me.
No matter how many times he asked why she had killed him, his wife never opened her mouth. It had been the case throughout seventeen of his previous lifetimes, and this life was no different. She acted as if she feared that the moment she revealed the reason, Hwa Banya would awaken and turn the entire Gangho into a sea of blood.
Eyes swirling with fear, worry, and resolve. How could she share a bed and a life with a man she looked at with such eyes?
Just what... are you?
A woman who, when the husband she killed with her own hands returned, prayed to Seowangmo for him and agonized over how to protect his reputation. Banya was truly curious about what went on inside his wife's head.
The very next morning, a downpour indeed swept through. The rain, which was closer to a heavy torrential downpour than a typical autumn shower, gradually thinned out in the afternoon before stopping completely before evening. Though the rain had ceased, the night sky remained overcast with lingering dark clouds.
"You are all working so hard. The Madam is about to take her bath now, so please have some of this and take a breather in the meantime."
Chocho offered a warm, sweet smile as she distributed late-night snacks to the guards. At her explanation that the Alliance Leader's Wife had personally made the noodles, the guards exchanged glances. The damp, chilly night air had already left them craving something hot and soupy.
"She made them herself?"
"Yes! Just take a sniff. It's boiled with chili peppers to give it a nice, spicy kick. The broth is incredibly rich."
Seeing the piping hot steam rising from the broth, they could no longer resist. One by one, the guards eagerly accepted the bowls of noodles. Just as they were about to enthusiastically slurp down the noodles in unison, one of them glared at Chocho.
"You didn't spike this with anything, did you?"
"Oh, goodness, of course not! Would you like to test it?"
A guard pulled a silver needle from his breast pocket and tested all the bowls. The color of the silver did not change.
"Good. I only checked just in case. If the Alliance Leader questions us later, we're the ones who'll get slaughtered."
"Hehe, shall we dig in then?"
"Whoa, this broth is killer. Absolutely killer."
"Please place your empty bowls in this basket when you're finished."
Chocho gave a polite nod and headed toward the bathhouse to report to her mistress.
"Madam, I have distributed the noodles to the guards as you ordered."
"Thank you, Chocho. You may return to your room and rest now."
"Yes, Madam. Oh, but do you not need me to assist you?"
"I will call you if I need you."
"Will you be alright on your own? Chocho is truly worried."
Yeongso barely managed to soothe Chocho, who kept rambling about what would happen if any danger befell her precious mistress. It was only after another seven and a half minutes that Chocho finally withdrew, her lips pouting all the way down to her chin.
The drug mixed into the noodles should be taking effect about now, right?
The drug, undetectable by silver needles, would temporarily dull the guards' five senses. It wasn't potent enough to arouse suspicion; she had only added enough to make them wonder if they were experiencing a mild food coma.
About fifteen minutes passed. She sensed the faint, silent presence of a door opening.
They're here.
Planning to assassinate the Alliance Leader's Wife while she was bathing was a clever move. First of all, the absence of men in Yeongso's immediate vicinity significantly increased the chances of success. Furthermore, the bathhouse environment was highly suitable for an assassination. The wet, slippery floor meant the target could easily slip and fall while trying to flee. If using a weapon proved difficult, they could simply push her into the tub. And fundamentally, an unclothed person was vulnerable in many ways.
If I truly didn't know martial arts, this would have been an effective method.
Yeongso reached for a towel, pretending not to notice the intruder. Her plan was to wait for the right moment to dodge the assassin's first strike, throw the towel precisely over their face, and then scream to summon Banya from the adjacent room.
Giving a second chance to someone forced to commit an unwanted crime due to blackmail... To count that as a daily good deed is truly ingenious.
A smile tugged at her lips as she thought of her husband, Banya. This was a good deed Banya had come up with entirely on his own. Considering how he hadn't even known what a good deed was at first, this was a massive leap forward.
At this rate, the day we complete the ten thousand good deeds might not be so far off!
Yeongso's eyes curved into lovely crescents.
However, at the very next moment, a tiny thud sounded, causing Yeongso's expression to stiffen.
Excuse me... That was far too loud.
Forgetting that the sound was completely imperceptible to an ordinary person's ears, Yeongso shook her head slightly.
You need to quiet your footsteps more. More, more, more. Good heavens, what was that sound just now? Did she make that thud on purpose to get me to look back? Ah, another sound... At this rate, she might as well have tied bells to her ankles.
Yeongso almost let out a deep sigh without realizing it.
This woman needs to relearn her footwork from scratch.
It was truly pitiful that a slave with such poor skills had been dispatched as an assassin. Banya had lamented about how on earth Jeokhwa Palace trained their assassins, and on this point, Yeongso completely agreed with her husband.
She's finally attacking.
Sensing the sword qi flying toward her left shoulder blade, Yeongso naturally twisted her body to the left and stood up. Twisting her body to maintain a distance of less than half a finger's width from the blade, she came face-to-face with the assassin.
The opponent clearly hadn't expected her attack to miss. Of course she hadn't. The eyes of the assassin, disguised as a Cheonsaryeon maid, widened in shock.
"Ah! You...!"
Yeongso let out a shrill scream and threw the wide-spread towel precisely over the assassin's face.
"Kyaaa!"
Stepping out of the tub as hurriedly as possible, Yeongso slipped her arms into the sleeves of a thick, dark green robe. It was a garment she had prepared for just such an occasion; simply tying a matching belt around her waist was enough to cover her body instantly.
She hasn't launched her second attack yet. How can anyone be this slow!
Forgetting that she herself was simply too fast, Yeongso screamed once more.
"Help me!"
It was a volume that wouldn't reach the guards stationed far from the bathhouse, but it was certainly loud enough for Banya, who was waiting in the next room, to hear. Yet, Banya had not rushed in.
...Is he walking here?
Knowing that man, he was entirely capable of doing so. More than capable. However, since the adjacent room and the bathhouse were separated by only a single wall, he should have arrived by now even if he had crawled.
Ah, finally, the second attack!
A sword laden with murderous intent thrust toward Yeongso's neck. Yeongso grabbed a pile of towels stacked nearby and threw them into the air to block the opponent's vision. Fortunately, the assassin wasn't fooled by the same trick twice; she swiftly shredded the towels to pieces and lunged at Yeongso once more.
"S-Stop!"
Yeongso moved to lift the wooden bathtub cover to block the sword, but hesitated. She wondered if it would look too heavy for the delicate Baekri Yeongso to lift.
It would look strange if I lifted this so easily, wouldn't it?
The fact that Baekri Yeongso knew martial arts must never be revealed. Absolutely never.
Instead of the bathtub cover, Yeongso picked up a wooden ladle and threw it at the assassin. The ladle shattered, scattering across the bathhouse floor. It was incredibly bizarre that her husband was still nowhere to be seen despite all this commotion.
The wellside was at least spacious. It makes no sense for a target who supposedly doesn't know martial arts to keep dodging attacks in a cramped bathhouse like this.
Especially when she had already put on her clothes and still hadn't rushed outside.
This won't do...
Yeongso made up her mind as she gracefully and effortlessly slipped past the opponent's dazzling strikes aimed at her vital points.
I can't just wait for Banya indefinitely. I need to wrap this up now.
Yeongso looked past the assassin's shoulder and cried out desperately.
"Chocho, help me!"
The moment the assassin hastily turned her head, believing someone had come to help, Yeongso flicked her fingers to send a gust of wind, extinguishing every candle in the bathhouse. In an instant, the room was plunged into darkness.