Things Gone Awry (1)

I returned to my quarters and flopped face-down onto the bed.

Palgap, seeing me like that, asked,

"Young master, you went to meet the Prefect, so why do you look so beat?"

"Ugh, it was exhausting."

I knew the Prefect was eavesdropping on our conversation from nearby, so I couldn't speak freely.

Having to agonize over every question and answer had drained me completely.

"What on earth could be so tiring?"

But I couldn't tell Palgap that.

It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wasn't that I didn't trust him—secrets are safer when fewer people know them.

So I just brushed it off vaguely.

"Just... you know. Stuff like that."

The situation I'd been in was like a young man and woman chatting on the eve of their engagement, with the bride's father watching over them.

Hmm, that sounds a bit off.

Anyway, something like that.

I chuckled inwardly thinking of the Prefect's expression, but even though I wasn't actually in the position of that 'man under the prospective father-in-law's watchful eye,' I could still feel what that guy must be going through.

Sigh.

Two days passed like that.

Fortunately, there were no more ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠summons after that, and I was able to enjoy some rare leisure time.

Palgap bustled about gathering information and reported it all to me.

The Prefect had five sons and one daughter.

After five boys in a row, the last child was a girl—Lady Jaryeong.

She must be incredibly beautiful, then.

"What about Lady Jaryeong's brothers?"

"They're all married already and living at the family home here in Guiju City, sir."

"I see."

I hoped Baekbal Hwasi would arrive soon.

The thought of potentially being misunderstood by five of Lady Jaryeong's big brothers—and the effort it would take to clear things up—made me dizzy.

Anyway, holing up in my quarters reading books for two straight days had left the back of my neck stiff.

As I rolled my head side to side and rubbed it, Palgap noticed and said,

"Young master, how about a walk? Staring at books without moving will ruin your posture, sir."

"Hm... You've got a point."

I nodded and stood up.

"I'll step out for a bit."

"Yes, sir. I'll follow."

I left my quarters with my two guard warriors and strolled through the rear garden of the outer residence.

It wasn't as grand as the inner residence garden I'd seen recently, but this one was still nicely landscaped.

Since it was visible to outsiders, they'd put some effort into it.

Enjoying the scenery and breathing the fresh air, I ended up walking farther than I'd intended.

"We've gone too far. Let's head ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠back."

"Understood, sir."

Just then, a voice called from behind.

"Eun Seo-ho."

It was the Prefect. I turned immediately and bowed.

"Greetings, my lord."

"Out for a walk, I see."

"Yes. I felt stiff from reading, so I thought I'd stretch my legs."

"I know the feeling well."

You're out walking too, my lord. But your expression looks grim.

I noticed the worry clouding his face and ventured carefully,

"You seem troubled."

"Ah... Is it that obvious?"

He touched his face and sighed.

"Hm... Would you mind keeping me company for a bit?"

"...?"

I followed the Prefect to his office.

So that's what he meant by "keeping company"—sipping tea and listening to his woes.

Is this okay? An outsider like me hearing all this?

"Truth be told, I've personally investigated the source of that poison you mentioned."

I figured as much. Poison means there's a culprit.

I tensed, wondering what he'd say, but this was certainly something he could share with me.

But the fact that he was telling me this meant...

He sighed heavily.

"And the place that gifted those teas... is the family betrothed to Jaryeong."

"...Pardon?"

His unexpected words made me blink.

Come to think of it, I'd heard Lady Jaryeong had a fine match lined up, and everyone was pleased.

But poison-laced tea from her fiancé's family?

"That family... is from the Prefect's house in Honam Province."

"..."

I'd heard as much from Palgap's intel. She was betrothed to their third son.

His face twisted with complexity as he continued.

"They've been sending those teas as gifts, inquiring after her health steadily ever since she first fell ill."

This was a real headache.

Guiju City wasn't the only remote province far from the capital—Honam was too. Local officials wielded significant authority and maintained their own forces.

A mishandled situation could spark unforeseen chaos.

"It's a delicate time all around."

Indeed it was.

In my previous life, Lady Jaryeong had died suddenly from Oseong Merchant Group's schemes, but there'd been no clash between the provinces.

Is that the Murim Alliance's doing?

But something felt off.

If the Murim Alliance wanted chaos, they wouldn't have used such an expensive, finicky poison that was nearly undetectable as murder.

They'd have picked something blatantly obvious.

Ah, who knows.

The Murim Alliance was truly inscrutable.

But I knew their hearts were black as pitch.

And they spared no means to achieve their ends.

I listened quietly to the Prefect's venting.

"...Anyway, I suspect the Honam Prefect's family is behind it, but I have no idea how to prove their crime."

A thought suddenly struck me.

"Pardon me, my lord... When you say the Honam Prefect's family is the culprit, who exactly do you mean?"

"Hm?"

"Your daughter's fiancé, for instance? Or his father? His mother? Or perhaps a third party?"

The Prefect blinked at my question.

Hadn't considered that?

"Er... You're right."

"And right now, rather than hunting the culprit, you should focus on treating your daughter. Saving her comes first, no?"

"Of course. But I'm anxious they might destroy evidence in the meantime."

"Don't worry about that. It's unlikely."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because you haven't pressed them, my lord. And as you know, this poison leaves almost no signs of murder. The culprit's probably feeling safe."

"Hm, sound logic."

Just then, an adjutant announced a visitor.

Time for me to go.

The Prefect smiled and bowed his head.

"Thanks for indulging my whims today."

"No trouble at all, my lord. Thanks to your hospitality, I'm quite comfortable. Call on me anytime."

I withdrew from the Prefect's office and headed back ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to my quarters.

But the Prefect wasn't as scatterbrained as he seemed. Jumping straight to blaming the entire Honam Prefect's family proved that.

Then again, which father stays sane after learning his daughter's been poisoned?

Still, recalling what I'd seen of him while traveling together, some things didn't add up.

He was a man of great learning, having passed the highest exams, yet he didn't seem adept at practical administration.

And yet, in my previous life, Guiju had been remarkably peaceful.

Does he have a brilliant administrator under him?

But Guiju was vast.

Overseeing such a place meant unexpected incidents popping up now and then.

No matter how well you handled them, chaos was inevitable.

Yet they'd been resolved swiftly, almost as if anticipated.

Not everything, of course—like the Namho Merchant Group's herb and poison monopoly in my past life.

It's weird.

That incident took time to intervene in, so it didn't seem like he had some administrative genius.

Sigh, headache.

"What's wrong, sir?"

"Oh, just thinking too much. My head hurts. Times like this call for something sweet."

Guiju was inland, without access to rock salt or such, so the food was rather bland.

Lots of sour and spicy dishes.

Of course, the Prefect's residence had plenty of salt.

But local flavors were still on the light side.

The high elevation made farming tough; it was mostly forested.

Hence its fame as a herb-producing region.

"Heh heh heh heh."

Palgap's eyes lit up at my words.

"Young master, who am I?"

"Huh?"

"Palgap, sir. I figured you'd say that, so I prepared ahead."

"...?"

A short while later.

Back in my quarters, Palgap returned from his errand and set a plate on the table.

"Oh? This is..."

It was rice cakes hardened with poured molten sugar.

"How'd you get this?"

Candy's main source was Guangdong Province, not far from Guiju.

Relatively easy to obtain, but the humid climate made storage tricky.

Hence all the sour foods.

"I got friendly with one of the maids, sir."

"How?"

"I'm pretty popular with the ladies, sir. Capturing a woman's heart isn't just about looks, you know."

"True enough."

"I turned on the charm for you, young master."

I chuckled.

Yeah, Palgap had his talents.

Then—

The voice of Yeo Eung-am warrior, guarding the door outside, came in.

"My lord, the Prefect has sent a servant."

Since it was the Prefect's servant, I went out myself.

"Food from the lord."

The servant handed over what he held.

I opened it: pastries mixed with malt syrup.

"The lord heard you wanted something sweet and had these specially made."

"Thank you. Tell him I'll enjoy them gratefully."

As the servant left, I turned to Palgap.

"Word travels fast."

"Y-Yeah, it does, sir."

I took it inside. We'd share with the guards later.

Palgap tilted his head.

"That's weird, sir. I said I wanted those rice cakes."

"Really?"

Come to think of it, a few people had passed by when I mentioned wanting sweets...

Did they spread it? Gotta watch my words.

The next morning.

After waking, I asked Palgap to stand guard and did my breathing exercises on the bed.

I didn't want others seeing me cultivate.

Finished, I opened the door. Seo-u warrior and Myeongjong warrior greeted me.

"Slept well?"

"Yes. Good morning. Thanks for your watch last night."

"Just doing our duty."

"Um, that said..."

Myeongjong warrior continued awkwardly.

"Last night, people left these in front of your quarters."

He brought over a basket from nearby.

Inside: jars of honey, candies, and the like, stuffed full.

And bundled letters.

I untied one and unfolded it.

The others were much the same.

I glanced slyly at Palgap.

He stared back with a wounded expression.

"You okay?"

"The world only remembers the handsome ones. What a cruel place, sir."

Pouting now, huh.

That day, I had to put in quite the effort to cheer Palgap up.

"Kkwi!"

But Geumryeong, why are you so excited?

.

.

.

That afternoon.

Finally, the long-awaited guest arrived at the Prefect's residence in Guiju City.

"Welcome. It's been a while."

"No way! Eun Seo-ho!"

Baekbal Hwasi looked shocked to see me.

He probably hadn't expected to find me here.

"Staying here temporarily due to circumstances."

"I see."

"And to be honest, it was my request that brought you here."

I said gravely,

"Because we encountered the same poison here as in the Jegal family."

Baekbal Hwasi headed straight to Lady Jaryeong's quarters and examined her with a stern expression.

Then he requested a quiet space and was shown to a guest room.

He gulped down cool tea one after another, as if parched.

"How is it? My daughter's condition... is it poisoning?"

To the Prefect's question, he nodded heavily.

"Yes. It is."

"Damn it!"

"And that poison is indeed Mugaksu, the quadruple-layered toxin Eun Seo-ho described."

He continued.

"She started falling ill at sixteen, I heard."

"Correct."

"And she recently fainted as well."

"That's right too."

Baekbal Hwasi furrowed his brow briefly, then tilted his head.

"But... how on earth did you halt the poison's progress?"