Chapter 31
A Small Change
Dansuel re-entered Geoniljeon through the back door, just as she had exited earlier.
“His Majesty is in the bathhouse.”
Tayeom quietly approached, informing her of Gyeom’s whereabouts, signaling that she should slip into the bedchamber before he saw her.
“Thank you.”
Dansuel gave him a grateful nod and moved toward the chamber, softening her steps as much as possible.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Though she made no sound, her heart pounded so violently that it felt as if the floor trembled beneath each step.
“Without a doubt, that man is the Crown Prince of Seolhwa.”
“Wasn’t the Crown Prince of Seolhwa said to have died at the hands of the Grand General?”
“He fell off a cliff during a duel, but the body was never confirmed.”
Just the thought that her elder brother Danho might still be alive made her hands tremble and her eyes brim with tears. Joy made the world seem brighter, but fear of losing him again opened up an endless void beneath her feet.
Unable to put her emotions into words, she exhaled shallow, heated breaths. Her shoulders and chest rose and fell, but her refined steps remained composed—discipline honed over more than twenty years of etiquette.
I must let Brother know that I’m alive.
She reached the chamber and quietly sat in her place as though nothing had happened. Outwardly, she was calm, but inside her heart thundered with chaos.
But how?
Danho would surely search for her, perhaps even recklessly. If he risked his life and perished, she could never endure it. Somehow, she needed him to know she was safe. Yet there was no way to convey it.
Clack.
The door opened, and Gyeom entered. At once, Dansuel erased all traces of turmoil from her face. Of all people, he could never know about Danho. She waited for him to sit and begin his state papers as he always did.
Step, step.
But instead, he came closer.
If I ignore him, he’ll leave.
Yet even after a while, the presence lingering nearby did not fade. When she finally glanced up, she froze.
His pitch-black eyes locked onto hers.
“Why… why are you staring at me like that?”
Unable to feign indifference any longer, Dansuel cleared her throat and spoke. But Gyeom simply stared, silent.
His face and hair were slightly damp from the bath, and the faint sandalwood scent he usually carried seemed fresher, almost pure, in the lingering moisture.
“Were you crying?”
The words caught her completely off guard. The low tone, neither comfort nor rebuke, made her eyes sting red. And it was all because of him—the man who had destroyed her homeland and killed her parents.
“…No.”
Her voice was cold as she turned away. Gyeom must never see her inner weakness.
“No? Hardly.”
He reached out, seizing her chin and turning her face back to him. Her resistance crumbled at a single touch.
“Do not concern yourself.”
Her voice now carried steel. How dare he—after plunging her into such despair—speak as if he cared? How dare he, holding her life in his palm, pretend to respect her? His cruelty lay in giving her no choice but despair.
“As I’ve said before… then stop making yourself a concern.”
His brows furrowed at her sharp retort. He had shown her a sliver of thoughtfulness, only to be repaid with defiance. It irritated him.
If only I could ignore her from the start…
Gyeom stifled a bitter laugh. Yes, he could simply stop caring. But it wasn’t that simple.
That small, pale woman kept drawing his eyes. He didn’t know why. Even now, he hadn’t meant to notice her reddened eyes—it had simply been too obvious. A change so slight, yet undeniable.
“Enough. What use is it to speak more with one who hates me?”
Releasing her chin, he turned away.
How ridiculous I am, to lose my temper over this.
It was absurd, being angry over something so trivial. More absurd still—she was nothing more than a pawn to be used and discarded. Whether she wept or not, what did it matter to him?
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”
Just as he picked up a memorial, commotion erupted outside.
“What is it?”
A clerk rushed in, falling prostrate.
“The prisoner, Gyeonji, has taken her own life in the cells!”
After Gyeonji was found hanged in her cell, the investigation was closed. Despite endless interrogation, she had never revealed her backers. Evidence showed she had purchased poison, so the blame fell solely on her.
“I brewed with the new tea leaves. How do you find it?”
Lady Ihwa sipped her tea leisurely, unshaken by the death of her once-cherished maid.
“Excellent.”
Across from her, General Cheon Taesu placed down his cup, voice low.
“This was a dangerous affair.”
Ihwa took another sip of the cooled tea.
“And yet it was resolved neatly. To that girl, it was an honorable death.”
It had been Ihwa who drove Gyeonji into a corner.
“There is something I need from you.”
“Anything. Just command me.”
“Die for me.”
Gyeonji’s world shattered at Ihwa’s betrayal.
“I saved you from death. Shouldn’t you repay me with your life? To die for me would be your greatest honor.”
If she resisted, Ihwa had already planned to kill her and stage it as suicide. But Gyeonji spared her the trouble, ending her own life.
Now suspicion was erased. The affair closed as the rash action of a lone maid.
“Still… you should be more cautious.”
Taesu’s voice carried warning. He had not cared much about Dansuel before. True, it stung his pride that Gyeom favored her over his own daughter, but nothing more.
But after this incident, his view shifted.
“That concubine… she’s no ordinary woman.”
He leaned closer, lowering his tone.
“The maid who discovered the poison in Hwayeongjeon—that was Lady Dan.”
“Ha!”
So once again, it was her blocking the path.
Twice now, she has interfered.
What he had thought a mere low-born court lady now proved a real threat.
“I’ve learned she studied medicine in her youth.”
“A commoner studying medicine?”
“They say she shadowed a local physician.”
Ihwa pressed her lips thoughtfully.
Even if that were true, it was too suspicious. A mere commoner could not execute such schemes without wit and daring.
“Now that you mention it… yes, it seems strange.”
“What is it?”
At Ihwa’s urging, Taesu explained.
“Not long ago, one of my officers and I crossed paths with her. To be precise—she was eavesdropping.”
“On what?”
“We were discussing how I killed the Crown Prince of Seolhwa.”
Taesu’s eyes gleamed as he recalled.
“At that, she collapsed in terror, falling to the floor.”
It had puzzled him little then, but later… why should a concubine of Hwangseon react so violently to the fate of a foreign prince?
Worse, that same prince had survived and launched a daring raid on Hwangseon’s land—with but a single companion.
“After what you’ve said, I cannot shake this unease. Allow me to investigate Lady Dan.”
“To have Father himself act… how reassuring.”
As Hwangseon’s Grand General and second most powerful man, Taesu’s hand would pry out her secrets in no time.
A satisfied smile curled Ihwa’s lips.
