Chapter 41
Useless Emotions
“Who is it…?”
“Soo’s Han Ju-dan.”
“Soo’s?”
At the unexpected name, Danseol’s brows furrowed.
She hadn’t known that Han Ju-dan was one of Cheon Ihwa’s people.
That was why Danseol had never once considered Soo to be a threat.
When Ihwa had summoned Ju-dan before to confirm her pregnancy, she had thought it was merely for fairness’ sake.
Besides, ever since that incident, Ju-dan had not approached her again in any meaningful way.
So for Soo’s name to suddenly come up now was… puzzling, to say the least.
“Yesterday, Elder Soo personally pleaded with His Majesty to send the noble lady as support staff.”
Sorang’s next words made even less sense.
Why would a concubine’s attendant ask for the help of someone who had come here as a concubine?
From a logical standpoint, it was completely unreasonable.
“Are you sure the physician isn’t mistaken?”
“No, Your Grace. I was told Elder Soo clearly said that the noble lady was well-versed in both medicine and pharmacology, and requested her assistance.”
“His Majesty never mentioned anything like that…”
Gyeom had never once brought up Soo’s Han Ju-dan to her.
Danseol tried to recall if he might’ve said something in passing, but nothing came to mind.
“Of course not. His Majesty reportedly scolded Elder Soo harshly—furious that he dared to drag the noble lady into such work just because he couldn’t find competent staff himself. Since Soo is the Empress’s man, His Majesty would have had no reason to tell you.”
“His Majesty… got angry?”
“Yes. Isn’t it only natural? He wouldn’t want the woman he cherishes to be put through such unpleasant duties.”
Even after hearing that, Danseol’s expression remained blank.
To outsiders, she might appear to be a favored concubine, but in truth, she was nothing of the sort.
Gyeom had brought her here for one purpose only—to provoke Ihwa.
Given Danseol’s position, it made sense that Gyeom would refuse Soo’s request.
But to get angry over it? That part didn’t make sense.
“Could even that be a calculated act?”
Since Soo was aligned with the Empress, Gyeom’s display of fury could have been intended to reach Ihwa’s ears later.
Still, given how unorthodox Gyeom’s behavior had been so far, the reasoning didn’t hold much weight.
“And besides, there’s no need for him to go that far.”
No matter how strong the Empress’s faction was, Gyeom was the Emperor.
And right now, they were far from the imperial palace.
There was no way the Empress would know about this so quickly—so why go through the trouble?
“Is there some kind of problem?”
“N-no. It’s nothing.”
At the cautious question, Danseol pushed away her thoughts of Gyeom.
Even if he had mentioned it, she had no intention of accepting Soo’s proposal.
She already had her own role to play here and didn’t want to risk unnecessary danger.
“Thank you for letting me know. I’ll be careful.”
“There’s no need to thank me—it’s only right.”
Declining Sorang’s offer to escort her back, Danseol followed Taeyeom out of the infirmary.
But the walk back—passing by soldiers writhing in pain—left an odd heaviness in her chest.
“That, over there, is the encampment of the Yuldo Kingdom.”
At the general’s report, Gyeom’s eyes sharpened.
His gaze, fixed on the enemy’s movements, gleamed with an icy intensity.
“They’re larger than expected. Their formation’s steady, too.”
Just as he said, Yuldo’s forces were far stronger than intelligence had suggested.
Though many dismissed Yuldo as a primitive southern border nation, Gyeom didn’t share that opinion.
Yes, the kingdom was small and its level of civilization below that of Hwangseon,
but its military power was not to be underestimated.
After all, even with traitors feeding them information, they had managed to push this far against an empire like Hwangseon. That alone proved their strength.
“It seems reinforcements arrived last night.”
“Which means they’re planning a large-scale offensive soon.”
Now that Hwangseon’s morale was broken and the tide of battle shifting,
Yuldo would surely launch an all-out attack.
If they missed this chance, the war would drag on, draining their resources until Yuldo destroyed itself.
“In that case, perhaps we should also move quickly—”
“Tonight. We strike first.”
Everyone’s eyes widened.
He meant tonight.
They had only arrived last night—without even resting from their long march—
and he was already ordering a surprise attack.
“Your Majesty, it would be wiser to observe the enemy for a few more days and allow our troops and horses to recover. After such relentless marching, everyone is exhausted.”
Unable to hold back any longer, Grand General Cheon Taesu spoke up.
The others seemed to agree.
“So the Emperor’s nothing but a hot-headed youth after all.”
Cheon Taesu had spent his entire life on the battlefield.
His words carried absolute weight—so much so that even an emperor could not simply ignore them.
“If we delay any longer, they’ll realize we’re here.”
Gyeom’s tone was calm but firm.
He had deliberately taken a longer, secret route to avoid Yuldo’s scouts.
It had cost him three extra days, but they had arrived undetected.
“If they knew I was here, they wouldn’t be sitting so comfortably.”
Had Yuldo realized that the Emperor himself had brought reinforcements,
they would have launched a ferocious night attack already,
taking advantage of his army’s fatigue to seize victory.
“Your Majesty’s reasoning is sound,” Cheon Taesu conceded,
“but sometimes the greater strategy lies not in haste, but in patience.”
If Gyeom stubbornly pushed his own plan despite Taesu’s warning,
his reputation among the generals would take an irreparable hit.
“Not that I’d mind that.”
If the young emperor acted recklessly and returned humiliated,
the command would naturally shift to the seasoned general himself.
Then, subduing Yuldo—and managing the aftermath—would be much easier.
“I’d gain merit, too. Two birds with one stone.”
A sly smile touched Cheon Taesu’s lips—
“Then you can watch from the sidelines, General. I’ll take only my elite troops for this raid.”
Gyeom lifted his chin, his cold eyes cutting down at the older man.
“You’ll get to see for yourself what kind of man it takes to subjugate five neighboring nations.”
It was a direct insult—no, a declaration of contempt toward the great general himself.
Returning to her tent, Danseol went straight to bed.
Her body still hadn’t recovered from travel—every small movement left her weary.
She only meant to rest her eyes for a while,
but sleep refused to come.
“The shortage of hands is so severe that even those of us with basic training have no choice but to help.”
The scene she’d witnessed earlier wouldn’t leave her mind.
The stench of rot and blood.
The groans of agony.
Wounds left to fester from lack of treatment.
Eyes filled with desperate hope—
as though she were their last salvation.
“This isn’t my place to interfere.”
She murmured the words like a spell, forcing her eyes shut.
It wasn’t her problem.
She had no obligation to get involved.
No reason to pity the soldiers of the nation that had trampled her homeland.
“Elder Soo must have received secret orders from the Empress.”
On the way back, Taeseorang had cautiously shared her suspicion.
“Perhaps the Empress wished for the noble lady to catch an illness here… and die.”
If that were true, then stepping into danger herself was utter foolishness.
And yet—her chest still felt unbearably tight.
“Is this really the right choice?”
Most of those injured soldiers had probably been dragged here against their will.
True, it was Hwangseon that had invaded Seolhwa.
But was it right to ignore dying men simply because of that?
“Useless guilt,” she told herself.
Her chest felt as heavy as if pressed down by stone,
but Danseol forced her eyes shut again.
By the time she opened them, the sun had long set.
The once quiet camp was now restless, filled with shouts and movement.
“He still hasn’t returned?”
Danseol sat up, scanning the dim interior of the tent.
Gyeom, who’d said he would return by nightfall, was nowhere to be found.
Not even a trace suggested he’d been back.
“Did… something happen?”
She froze the moment the words slipped out.
Worrying—for him?
For the man who had destroyed her homeland?
Unthinkable.
Unforgivable.
And yet, she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at her chest.
She had only just laid back down, trying to smother that nameless anxiety, when—
“His Majesty has taken only the elite guard and launched a surprise attack on Yuldo!”
The urgent cry from outside made Danseol’s heart drop like a stone.
