An Elegant Murderess
Banya stepped into Hwining-dang. Yeongso, who had been soothing her troubled mind by playing the pipa, startled and looked up at her husband. Her face, lovely under the midday sun, seemed even more enchanting beneath the warm glow of the candles. Her cheeks flushed a soft peach, her lips like delicate petals. Her fine black hair, surely brushed by a flock of handmaidens until it gleamed with a glossy sheen. A precious lady of a noble clan, whose hardest labor in life had likely been ladling porridge for the poor. It was said that if one traced her lineage back to her great-grandfather's generation, her family had even produced an empress. From her appearance to her gentle, soft-spoken manner, the refinement Hwa Banya utterly lacked, and her phenomenally prestigious background—there was truly not a single thing about her that did not perfectly suit his tastes. He even relished the fact that she had a former fiancé, a man who was the nephew of the Imperial Noble Consort and the second son of the Great General. On the day he took Yeongso, surrounded by such dazzling prestige, as his bride, Banya had tasted a thrill of satisfaction that penetrated to his very bones.
"Y-you have returned," Yeongso murmured, setting her pipa aside. She then rose and greeted him in perfect accordance with proper etiquette. "Baekri Yeongso pays her respects to the Alliance Leader. I am simply overjoyed to see you again."
Now this is class. This was true etiquette, the unmistakable mark of a refined upbringing. Her choice of words was worlds apart from those vulgar bastards who babbled about "congratulating his resurrection" as if they were some demonic cult. Banya could not tear his eyes away from Yeongso's hands, which were folded demurely over each other. It amazed him every time he saw it. Just how much practice did it take to achieve such grace? Even the angle at which she held her elbows was exquisitely elegant. Her family must have hired the finest etiquette tutors to instruct her, ensuring she would never bring shame upon them even if she were to accompany her husband to the imperial palace in the future.
To think a precious flower raised with such care ended up serving the likes of Hwa Banya... I suppose even you couldn't bear it without wanting to kill me. Banya offered a thin smile and personally helped Yeongso to her feet. "Do not overexert yourself, my lady. What would I do if you collapsed again?"
As Banya took his seat, Yeongso offered him tea. He merely brushed his lips against the rim before setting the teacup down. "By any chance, do you remember Seo Jang-gyeong? Your former fiancé, I mean. Someone in the main hall mentioned him earlier. Apparently, he still hasn't married. He rejects every marriage proposal that comes his way."
"What's more," Banya continued, "he hasn't even taken a single concubine. He lives like a grieving widower keeping his chastity. And at his prime age, no less!"
Watching Yeongso listen in silence irritated him. Whatever she was truly thinking, her expression remained perfectly serene, as if the matter had absolutely nothing to do with her. Banya felt a sudden urge to stir those calm waters. So, he asked pointedly, "My lady, is Seo Jang-gyeong twenty-five this year?"
"I am not entirely sure..."
"Do you really not remember? Seo Jang-gyeong would be terribly hurt if he heard that. I hear he even adjusted his schedule to visit Hadong Castle to coincide with your return to your family." That miserable bastard.
"Do you really... not remember?" Yeongso forced a smile and shook her head gently. Looking at her, Banya was certain. She remembers.
"It is all in the past. It has already been over three years since the engagement was broken. Even when we were betrothed, we barely ever met."
"Barely?"
"...Yes, barely. I only sat in on a few occasions when our parents were speaking."
"So even your parents were well-acquainted?" Yeongso's expression flickered with a brief 'ah' of realization. She likely felt as though she were stepping further into a noose with every explanation she offered. But in truth, the one caught in the noose was Banya himself.
"I realized something recently. There is a great deal I do not know about you, my lady." Though he had been throwing threats around left and right, Banya actually had no interest in hunting down his killer. He already knew who the culprit was. The one who had killed him was none other than Baekri Yeongso, standing right before him. The murder weapon was an embroidery needle. Baekri Yeongso had assassinated Hwa Banya by throwing a needle from ten paces away, piercing his crown precisely at the Baekhui acupoint.
Ha... The aftertaste was worse than bitter; it was agonizing. A needle. To think that Hwa Banya, the undisputed number-one master of the Unorthodox Path who had spread terror across the world overnight, had lost his life to a mere embroidery needle. There are some deaths where, even if you know the culprit and the method, you can never reveal the truth. The moment it is made public, the victim's reputation is the one that plummets. That was precisely what made Baekri Yeongso such a master.
She played her hand brilliantly. Was this the true caliber of a prestigious noble family? Compared to her, how amateurish had he been? He only knew how to sever an enemy's tendons with his fan or punch a hole through their chest. He had never known there were other ways to handle things besides simply absorbing the brunt of the world's condemnation.
Banya closed his eyes slowly. The memory of the needle boring into his Baekhui acupoint, tearing through his blood vessels and shredding his internal organs, was still vividly agonizing. Recalling it now made him see Baekri Yeongso in an entirely new light. This was, in fact, an incredibly cruel method of execution. Compared to this, his subordinate, the Heavenly Killing Star, who used a broad twin saber to decapitate enemies in a single stroke, seemed downright merciful.
Honestly, the title of the strongest in the Unorthodox Path belongs to you. But that was not the only shocking part. He had no idea how she had managed it, but Baekri Yeongso had employed some terrifying sorcery. In truth, this was what Banya was most curious about. Because of the curse she had laid upon him, Hwa Banya was neither truly alive nor truly dead—a state of existence that was driving him absolutely mad.
Banya opened his eyes. "My lady."
"Yes?"
"Tell me about the things you like."
"...So suddenly?"
"I told you earlier. I realized there is much I do not know about you. Thus, I intend to learn, one thing at a time."
Yeongso hesitated. Banya chuckled, asking if his question had been too broad. He then asked if she would mind answering a few things he was curious about instead. When Yeongso nodded, he spoke. "Do you wish for me to die again?"
For a moment, Yeongso's gaze wavered, finding nowhere to rest. Should he take this silence as an affirmation? Banya quietly studied his wife, who seemed unable to find her voice. He must not snap that slender neck. Even if the urge burned fiercely within him, he had to endure. He knew now. Nothing would be gained from strangling Yeongso until angry red handprints stained her skin. If his luck turned sour, he might just find himself thrown back to the moment of his death three years ago once again.
I cannot let this hard-won opportunity go to waste. There was a reason Banya had been suppressing his temper and humoring his wife since this morning. Today was, in fact, the day Hwa Banya had been resurrected for the twentieth time.
The moment she heard her husband's question, Yeongso knew. He remembers that I killed him. At the same time, the letter she had been writing earlier flashed through her mind.
Mother, it is Yeongso, your youngest.
Before long, I expect to cough up blood as red as autumn leaves and meet a gruesome end at the hands of my husband.
It seemed that "before long" was arriving much sooner than she had anticipated. I am going to die tonight, right here, before I can even send my final letter to Mother.
Yeongso hid her trembling hands beneath her wide sleeves. The only reason she had succeeded in killing Banya three years ago was because he had let his guard down completely. Like everyone else, he had believed his wife was a delicate, pampered lady who knew nothing of martial arts. Furthermore, Banya had been absolutely convinced that his wife had no reason to kill him, and that even if she harbored some resentment, she would never have the resolve to act on it. It was solely because of his blind trust that her strike had succeeded. If they were to face each other in a proper, one-on-one duel, her chances of winning were slim. Probably.
"Why do you ask such a question?"
"Because I am curious about just how much you hate me."
"I do not hate you."
"Liar."
"It is the truth. You may terrify me, but... I have never hated you..."
Banya's expression shifted subtly. He peered intently into her face, as if trying to read her innermost thoughts. Though startled by her husband suddenly leaning in so close, Yeongso remained perfectly still. Banya tilted his head. "Do prestigious noble families offer acting lessons as well?"