Chapter 34
Kartak had come outside the palace to wait for Argana.
“Wihwi!”
The moment he spotted Argana, he hurried over and grabbed her wrist, pulling her along.
His movements were urgent, as if he had somewhere important to go, yet he offered no explanation.
“Kartak, wait! Where are you going?”
“To the Jinnyo Palace. That’s where the eunuch and the maid named Homuza are supposed to meet.”
“Jinnyo Palace? You mean the one that was closed long ago?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Ah, that explained it. Only then did Argana understand why Homuza and Yoshmut’s eunuch could meet unnoticed by anyone.
Jinnyo Palace had been built back when Darga still maintained power by managing alliances with other smaller nations.
For Argana, it was a place connected to her grandfather’s generation: a prince and his wife had resided there.
In the Chinese-style writing, the wife’s name would have been “Jaenyeo,” but it was deemed inappropriate for a princess, so the king granted her the new name “Jinnyo.”
Thus the palace became known as Jinnyo Palace.
The prince was reserved and wished only to live quietly with his wife, but Jinnyo was lively and charming, attracting many people’s attention.
One day, a high minister fell in love with the princess and even tried to take her away, abandoning his own wife.
The minister was highly influential in the kingdom, so the king could neither exile nor execute him. Instead, he decided to sacrifice his own son.
The prince had to go to a war he could not avoid, separated from his wife, and in the meantime, the princess was falsely accused of infidelity and imprisoned within Jinnyo Palace, unable to take even a single step outside.
Heartbroken, the princess wasted away day by day with sighs and tears, eventually hanging herself from a pillar. The prince, who was believed to have been gone in battle, returned shortly after, only to see his wife’s body.
He wept endlessly over her corpse before stabbing himself with his sword.
The royal family closed Jinnyo Palace to conceal the incident, burying the prince and princess in the palace courtyard. Why they did not hold proper funeral rites is unknown, but afterward, both the king and the minister fell ill and died suddenly, leading people to whisper for years that the prince and princess had cursed them.
“Because of that legend, no one goes near Jinnyo Palace. Even when I was little, my nurse drilled the story into my ears.”
“So… do ghosts really appear there?”
Argana stuck out her tongue and shrugged.
“I wouldn’t know. But when I went there, there weren’t any. Just an old palace. Extremely old. If someone got trapped there, no one would come to rescue them.”
“That’s creepy. And yet, that Homuza maid is meeting someone near that palace. She’s brave.”
“Hmph. She was probably too busy stuffing her mouth, not realizing it was poison. Brave? Hardly.”
As they spoke, they eventually reached the vicinity of Jinnyo Palace.
The area had no patrolling guards, and even in broad daylight, it was eerie, with no sign of human presence.
“Is this the place?”
“Sure. They said they’d meet at five, so it should be soon.”
“Wait, I hear something.”
Argana’s hearing was remarkably sharp; some people said she could hear a needle drop in the next room. Not quite that extreme, but she was sensitive enough to notice subtle sounds.
“Footsteps. Coming from beyond the palace.”
“Could it be the maid?”
“Seems like it. Eunuchs’ shoes don’t make that sound.”
“I told my subordinate to detain the eunuch. Once they exchange the items and turn around, we strike.”
“Good. Then let’s catch Homuza.”
Argana stepped boldly through waist-high grass across the palace courtyard.
Then suddenly:
“What are you doing here?”
A man’s voice rang out. Both Argana and Kartak froze in surprise.
Argana turned to the source of the voice, frowning.
“……Brother Ishuder?”
“I asked what you’re doing here.”
Damn it, meeting him here was the last thing she wanted. Argana ground her teeth quietly.
“And what brings you to a place like this, Brother?”
“I came to collect plants at Yetekerid’s request.”
“What? At Yetekerid Brother’s request?”
She snorted, and Ishuder showed visible annoyance.
“What’s with that attitude toward your brother?”
“Nothing, just… funny. I was wondering if you and Yetekerid ever even spoke once.”
“You only look around your own surroundings, so you don’t know about others. Now, answer my question.”
Damn.
Argana glanced frantically toward the outside of the courtyard. If they lost Homuza now, who knew when another chance would come.
“It’s an important matter, so please step aside.”
“What important matter?”
“It’s not something I should explain to you personally.”
“Argana, you…….”
At that moment, a sharp whistle cut through the quiet air. It was Kartak’s signal whistle.
“Wihwi! Now!”
“Damn it! Step aside, Brother! Last warning!”
“If you don’t say what it is, I won’t move……!”
There was no time left to hesitate.
Argana feigned a punch at Ishuder’s face, and as he flinched, she struck his side hard with her elbow.
“Ugh…!”
“Kartak, quick!”
Leaving the staggering Ishuder behind, they crossed the courtyard and leapt over the crumbling wall.
“Stop right there!”
The maid Homuza, clutching her chest, turned pale as she ran. Her speed was surprisingly fast, making it hard to close the distance.
“Help me!”
“That one…!”
“Argana, wait!”
Kartak raised his voice, loosening his belt and tying the attached pouch.
“Stop right there!”
The pouch, filled with musk pieces, flew and hit Homuza squarely on the back of the head. With a scream, she fell forward, and Argana stepped on her shoulder to pin her down—all in mere seconds.
“How dare you defy me.”
“Ah…! Princess, it’s not… no… Ah! Really, no…!”
“What do you mean, not? Say what you want in front of His Majesty.”
Argana grabbed Homuza’s collar, pulling her up like a predator, baring her teeth in a sinister smile.
“This time, even your master won’t escape. I stake my position on the fact that what you hold contains a silver ingot stamped with the eunuch department’s seal.”
“Ah, ah…”
“And what will you stake?”
Homuza’s consciousness drifted as Argana’s voice lowered to a chilling tone.
Khan Astrahan could not hide his anger as he alternately stared at the maid and the eunuch brought by his youngest daughter.
Empress Ayursiran and Ayur, who had come upon hearing the news, were also present.
Argana first bowed to her father, then to Empress Sirran and Ayur, before speaking.
“Your Majesty, these people took treasures from the Imperial Women’s Quarters and smuggled them outside the palace. I request your judgment.”
The Khan’s face, already aware of the problem in the women’s quarters warehouse from Sirran’s report, turned crimson with anger.
With a glare like a tiger’s, he tossed a teacup at the eunuch’s head.
“Ugh!”
“To commit such acts in my palace—do you value your life so little?!”
“Your Majesty! Please spare us! It… it’s a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!”
“Misunderstanding?”
Argana stepped forward sharply, snorting.
“You just said it’s a misunderstanding? Explain what you mean by that.”
