Chapter 53
Audacious Words
“Ah!”
The startled horse let out a painful cry and lifted its front legs, sending Dansul’s body jolting backward. She lowered herself, clutching the horse’s neck with her arms to avoid falling.
As the remnants of the Yuldo Kingdom charged in to attack, the horse, already agitated, began thrashing even more violently.
“Lady Dansul!”
Even as Seorang shouted, the horse bolted full speed into the dense forest, Dansul still flattened atop it, unable to lift her head.
If I fall like this, I’ll die.
If she fell from a horse running at such a frantic speed, she would be seriously injured. And being in a forest, the risk of harm was even greater.
Yet even Dansul’s endurance was reaching its limit.
No…
Gradually, her arms began to lose strength.
“There! There she is!”
To make matters worse, the pursuit squad had caught up. Perhaps because they were ambushed simultaneously from multiple directions, soldiers from Hwangseon Kingdom were nowhere to be seen.
“Capture her at all costs!”
“Take aim at the horse!”
The enemy threw lassoed ropes at the horse to try and seize Dansul.
“Watch out behind… uhk!”
“Argh!”
Screams erupted, then abruptly, everything went silent. But Dansul didn’t even have the strength to look back.
The horse began staggering from losing so much blood, making it even harder for her to hold on.
“Danger!”
At the shout, Dansul lifted her head slightly, her face turning pale. Before her lay a sheer cliff.
If she kept going, she would fall to her death. But jumping off the horse would be just as fatal.
“Let go!”
At the shout from behind, Dansul finally released her grip on the horse’s neck, eyes squeezed shut.
Someone caught her as she fell from the horse. The horse she had been riding plunged over the cliff.
“Ugh!”
Dansul tumbled to the ground, cradled in that person’s arms. Because of the high speed, the impact wasn’t entirely absorbed. Yet the person holding her had turned their body toward the ground, preventing serious injury.
But the problem was the one beneath her.
“…Your Majesty?”
Dansul froze as she recognized the face of the one who had saved her.
It was Yi Gyeom, the one who had thrown himself in front of danger to protect her.
Her shock lasted only a moment.
“Your Majesty! Are you alright?”
Seeing Yi Gyeom pinned beneath her, Dansul screamed. He looked terrible.
His handsome face was smeared with dirt, and blood seeped through the tears in his clothing.
“Pull yourself together—!”
“I’m fine.”
Dansul roughly grabbed Gyeom’s face, and he opened his eyes, pushing her hands away.
“You’re finally looking at me properly.”
Despite his battered state, Gyeom seemed in high spirits. It made no sense, yet she genuinely felt it.
“You nearly got yourself killed!”
Perhaps because of that, Dansul snapped, though she didn’t know if her anger was at herself or at Gyeom.
“If I hadn’t intervened, it could have been worse.”
“What…?”
“You almost died.”
Dansul was speechless. She didn’t know what to say; her lips wouldn’t move.
Yi Gyeom was the man who once told her to live in pain and pay for her sins. He had always said he kept her close to use her for his own purposes.
Yet now…
“If I had died, wouldn’t that have been a better outcome for Your Majesty?”
“You speak such audacious words even after I saved you.”
She sounded as if she truly feared dying.
The evidence was on Gyeom’s face: his furrowed brows, stiff lips, and the hard set of his gaze, which all betrayed his anger at her words.
“I am merely a piece to be used and discarded by Your Majesty.”
“That’s… not true.”
Gyeom stopped mid-sentence, closing his mouth.
“In any case, we need to get out of here.”
He raised his head, glancing at the sky. The setting sun painted the western sky a deep crimson.
“We need to join our forces before the pursuers catch up.”
The enemy would soon realize she had separated from the Hwangseon procession and come looking for her. Alone, Gyeom might have evaded an attack from the pursuit squad, but with Dansul, things were different.
And Gyeom was injured from saving her.
“So get up quickly.”
At Gyeom’s urging, Dansul carefully climbed off his body.
Gyeom tried to rise as well, but…
“Ugh.”
Clutching his abdomen, he groaned. The impact from the earlier fall must have been severe.
His ribs didn’t seem broken, but every movement sent waves of pain through him.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
Dansul grabbed his arm, and he raised his hand in response. Yet not long after, his face contorted in pain again.
“This won’t do. We must find a place to take cover first.”
At this rate, leaving the forest before nightfall seemed unlikely. It was safer to hide than risk encountering enemy soldiers in the dark.
“That sounds best.”
As the sun set, darkness quickly spread through the valley. Dansul and Gyeom hurried to find a place to shelter.
“This place should be safe until sunrise.”
“Unless you knew there was a cave behind the waterfall, you wouldn’t even notice it.”
Fortune favored them, as they discovered a cave near the cliff. A waterfall ran beside it, and animal tracks leading there had revealed its presence.
The descent had been a bit difficult, but the cave itself was clean, deep, and cozy. The sound of the waterfall ensured that no stray sounds, like the horse’s cry, would escape. It was perfect for hiding.
“Don’t worry; I’ve erased all traces on the way here.”
Gyeom was skilled not just in combat, but in stealth as well.
Thanks to him, Dansul could finally relax.
She gathered fallen leaves and branches at the cave entrance, and Gyeom struck a flint to start a small fire. He didn’t make it too large to avoid smoke giving away their position.
“I wish we could have hunted something.”
“Well, at least we have this.”
Dansul lightly grilled some dried meat Gyeom had as emergency rations.
“Try it. It may not suit your taste, but it’s edible.”
She handed him a piece, and he tore it with his teeth while leaning against the wall, wincing from the pain.
“Not bad.”
Dansul took a bite herself. The dried meat, seasoned and grilled, was tender and flavorful. For a while, she ate silently, focusing only on the food.
“I should have brought more rations if I’d known.”
Gyeom muttered, glancing at Dansul as she polished off the meat.
“At least it’s enough for now.”
“Enough? Drinking water will fill you up somewhat.”
“You have such a small appetite.”
Gyeom grumbled, clearly dissatisfied.
Dansul ignored him and rose to her feet.
“Where are you going?”
“To fetch some water.”
“Then I’ll come with you…”
“Stay here.”
Dansul stopped Gyeom from following.
“Since the water is at the cave entrance by the waterfall, I’ll go alone.”
She dashed out with a water container.
“Uncomfortable…”
Her excuse of fetching water masked her discomfort at being alone with Gyeom in this situation.
She held her container beneath the pouring waterfall. Despite having fled, collecting the water was quick.
“Why did he act that way…?”
Watching the waterfall, Dansul recalled today’s events.
She still couldn’t understand how he had been angry when discussing death, even after risking his life to save her. A person who had survived life-and-death battles had been injured because of her.
Sigh… really…
Recalling Gyeom clutching his stomach in pain made her jump to her feet. Truly, he was persistent to the very end.
“Why are you so late?”
Gyeom scolded her upon her return. Dansul said nothing, setting down the water and carefully retrieving something from her cloak.
“Didn’t you hear me? Why no answer…?”
“Remove your clothes.”
For the first time, Dansul’s firm voice silenced Gyeom.
