Chapter 32:
What Was Once UnseenE
“Over there! He went that way!”
“Don’t let him get away!”
The shouts and the clatter of soldiers’ boots tangled together in chaos.
Torches flared through the darkness as search parties scoured every corner of the area.
But when they failed to find what they sought, the lights grew dim and distant one by one.
As their noisy cries faded into the air and silence descended once more, a boulder clinging to the cliffside shifted, revealing a deep, hidden crevice.
“You may come out now.”
At Seonghyeon’s words, Danho crawled out from the hollow gap in the cliff.
The night around them was wrapped in darkness and stillness—the search parties were gone.
“Your Highness, are you all right?”
When Danho staggered, Seonghyeon quickly caught him. The prince’s face, shadowed in the dim light, was pale.
“…Seonghyeon.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“We’re going to Hwangseon.”
Seonghyeon’s eyes widened. Danho’s face, drained of color, was set with grim resolve.
“It’s too dangerous. We should prepare more before—”
“If we wait, Seol might die! Are you fine with that?!”
The furious cry silenced Seonghyeon.
No, he was not fine with that.
To Wi Seonghyeon, Dan Seol was more than his friend’s younger sister and his betrothed—she was the first woman he had ever truly loved.
He wanted, more than anyone, for her to live.
But he also had a duty: to protect the crown prince’s life.
For the sake of Seolhwaguk’s restoration.
“I’m not saying we shouldn’t save the princess. But if Your Highness acts rashly and something happens to you, what then? Even this time, it was far too close.”
A few days ago, the two had devised a plan to find Dan Seol.
They had set fire to a grain storehouse to draw Hwangseon’s soldiers away while freeing Seolhwaguk’s enslaved citizens and searching for her.
It was reckless and dangerous, but with only the two of them, it was the best they could manage.
Yet in the midst of that plan, they had received shocking news.
“The princess disguised herself as a commoner and escaped before Hwangseon’s army invaded.”
In the crowd of freed slaves, Danho had run into an old eunuch who once served Dan Seol.
He wouldn’t have recognized the frail, broken old man—but the eunuch had recognized him first.
“Do you know where she went?”
“She went north, into the mountains.”
The northern range of Seolhwaguk was treacherous—no army could camp or march there.
With the rest of the kingdom already occupied, it was her only possible escape route.
“I’ll show you a path where Hwangseon’s soldiers won’t find you. Go that way.”
“And what about you, Your Highness?”
“I’ll follow her trail.”
If Dan Seol had escaped that way, she would have left traces. Danho intended to follow them.
That was until he found the corpse of her bodyguard not far from a village.
The evidence there told a story—there had been a battle, and someone had been taken.
It wasn’t hard to guess who that someone was.
Nearby lay the corpses of Hwangseon’s soldiers—unlike the bodyguard, their heads were neatly severed.
Executed.
Whoever had done it was of higher rank—and that person had taken Dan Seol away.
“I’ll never forgive the bastards of Hwangseon. Never…”
What meaning was there in surviving alone, after abandoning his family?
A man who couldn’t even save his own blood could hardly dream of rebuilding Seolhwaguk.
Besides, Danho had to leave the kingdom anyway.
I don’t know what they’re plotting… but it doesn’t feel right.
Reports said Hwangseon had been forcibly conscripting Seolhwaguk’s men—except the old and young.
There was no reason for such conscription when the war was already over—unless they were planning another.
And indeed, Hwangseon was secretly conducting military drills across occupied Seolhwaguk.
There was no time to stay behind and scheme.
“Seonghyeon, if you don’t wish to come, I won’t force you.”
Danho pushed away Seonghyeon’s supporting arm.
Even if there was no chance of success, he had to try.
“If Your Highness permits me to set aside my duties…”
With his gaze fixed on Danho’s back, Seonghyeon dropped to his knees.
“Then I shall go with you—to Hwangseon. Not as your vassal, but as your friend.”
And as a man who loved the same woman.
“I’m not a crown prince anymore, so there’s nothing for me to permit.”
The oath made before the king had lost its meaning the moment Seolhwaguk fell.
And yet Seonghyeon still held to it—so rigid and loyal.
That was precisely why Danho valued him.
“Are you going to kneel there all day? The soldiers will return soon.”
“No, Your Highness.”
Danho chuckled as Seonghyeon sprang to his feet.
“Don’t call me that. You said we’re friends. Speak to me as before.”
“…As you wish.”
The two men set off toward Hwangseon.
After Gyeonji’s suicide brought the incident to a close, Dan Seol finally returned to Chwiywoljeon.
She didn’t like the residence Gyeom had bestowed on her, but at least it wasn’t Geoniljeon, where she had been confined—it felt like she could breathe again.
And now, there was no one left to watch her every move.
To cast aside a child she cherished so coldly…
Gyeonji’s suicide had shaken Dan Seol. She had believed Ihwa would intervene to save her.
Though of low birth, Gyeonji had taken all the blame for Ihwa’s sake—just as Choa once had for Dan Seol.
If Choa had been in danger, Dan Seol would have done everything to save her.
But Ihwa had abandoned Gyeonji completely.
How frightening and cruel a person.
“You really shouldn’t be enjoying yourself so openly, Your Highness.”
“…What?”
Lost in thought, Dan Seol blinked at Seorang’s teasing words. He lifted a brow.
“I meant your meals. They say your appetite’s improved lately. How can you eat so well after losing the imperial grandson?”
“Ah.”
He wasn’t wrong. Her appetite had returned.
No guards shadowed her anymore, and Gyeom no longer came to disturb her—perhaps it was only natural.
“You could just say the physician mixed something in my tonic to improve my appetite.”
Her calm yet bold reply made Seorang laugh softly.
Now I see why His Majesty keeps her close.
Beneath that delicate face lay a mind both sharp and daring—fearless enough to plot dangerous things with serene composure.
That contradiction made her strangely captivating.
“My apologies, Your Highness. I spoke out of concern, nothing more. Please don’t take offense.”
He bowed politely. If she truly held the emperor’s favor, it was wise to keep her close.
And beyond that—he needed her cooperation for his own goals.
“In that case, may I make a small request?”
“Speak.”
“I’d like to study medicine and pharmacology under you once a week.”
The request surprised him for a moment, but Seorang soon smiled.
“Tell me when it suits you, and I’ll come to Chwiywoljeon.”
“Not Chwiywoljeon—I wish to learn at the Royal Medical Office. That is my request.”
To complete her revenge, Dan Seol needed a reason—an official pretext—to enter the Imperial Medical Office.
“Then I shall see you next at the Medical Office.”
Thankfully, Seorang had agreed.
Still, the tension had left her weary—her head ached, her shoulders were stiff.
She decided to take a walk to clear her mind.
It’s quite peaceful here, now that I look around.
When she had first entered the palace, she hadn’t had the luxury to notice her surroundings.
Even after becoming a concubine, she’d never had time for leisure.
But walking slowly now, she found the imperial grounds quieter and lovelier than she’d imagined.
Towering walls and grand halls loomed with majesty, yet flowering trees and shrubs softened their severity, lending a gentle grace.
Still… this is where the one who killed those I loved resides.
She couldn’t let her guard fall.
“Hmm?”
Dan Seol stopped in her tracks. What caught her eye wasn’t the scenery—but a man.
“That’s… him.”
It was definitely I-gyeom.
Countless glimmers of light rippled around him—no, not light. Sword aura.
So this is how he clears his mind.
When she’d lived in Geoniljeon, Gyeom often went out “to practice swordsmanship.”
She’d assumed it was just an excuse—or, at most, a bit of light exercise.
But his skill was far beyond what she had imagined.
In truth, “superb” wasn’t enough to describe it.
He might even be stronger than my brother…
In Seolhwaguk, no one could best Danho in combat.
The same had held true against Hwangseon—Danho had never lost a single battle.
Except once—against the great general Cheon Tae-su.
Dan Seol stared blankly at Gyeom, not out of admiration, but because of the sheer difference in power she sensed, the same helplessness she had felt that first night they met.
Then—
Crack.
A dry twig snapped beneath her foot.
“Who’s there!”
Sensing the presence, Gyeom strode toward her, sword raised.
