Chapter 55
Unacceptable
“It’s a bamboo arrow.”
Gyeom examined the arrow carefully before tucking it into his robe. That seemed to be a signal—because the next moment, the bushes rustled and several masked men appeared.
They were dressed entirely in black, faces hidden behind dark cloth.
“Kill the woman!”
At the shout, the men, who had been slowly tightening their encirclement, charged forward all at once.
“Don’t move—no matter what happens.”
Gyeom propped Danseol against a wooden post, stepped in front of her, and blocked the oncoming attacks.
Though he parried every strike with ease, his skill unmatched, he was clearly at a disadvantage. With only a single sword to defend against a swarm of attackers, it was only a matter of time before he was overrun.
“Your Majesty!”
A man beside Gyeom hurled a dagger, and Danseol screamed. Gyeom shoved aside his current opponent and barely managed to deflect the flying blade.
“Urgh!”
The deflected dagger embedded itself in the throat of a man rushing toward him.
It bought him only a brief moment of respite—nothing more. The next instant, several more men lunged at him.
“Behind you!”
At Danseol’s cry, Gyeom ducked just in time, narrowly avoiding a sword that sliced through the air above him. As he straightened, the masked men suddenly screamed and collapsed.
Arrows were sticking out of their bodies.
“Enemies! Fall back!”
At the leader’s command, the assailants broke off their attack and began to flee—but they didn’t get far before collapsing one after another.
“Leave no one alive! Kill them all!”
“Yes, sir!”
It was the troops of the Hwangseon Kingdom—they had found Gyeom and Danseol. The soldiers pursued the fleeing attackers and wiped them out completely.
“Your Majesty! Are you hurt?”
“As you can see, I’m—”
“Your left arm’s been cut!”
All eyes turned toward Danseol. She was leaning against a tree, her face pale as chalk. Though upright, she looked ready to collapse at any moment.
“I’ll summon a physician immediately!”
“It’s just a scratch, I’ll be fine.”
“But still—”
“If it bothers you that much, bring Tae Seorang.”
Gyeom gestured with his chin toward Danseol, who was struggling to breathe evenly.
“She needs treatment more than I do.”
Tae Seorang arrived in a hurry the moment he heard both Gyeom and Danseol were injured. When he tried to tend to Gyeom first, the king ordered him to see Danseol instead—her color hadn’t returned since she’d gone pale earlier.
“It seems she’s overworked herself and her energy is depleted,” Seorang said after taking her pulse.
Danseol had barely eaten anything for two days besides a bit of dried meat, and the harsh outdoor conditions had left her qi completely drained.
“What should be done, then?” Gyeom asked.
“Keep her warm, feed her nourishing food, and let her rest. That should help her recover.”
“Prepare restorative food immediately. We’ll remain here for the day.”
At Gyeom’s single command, the entire camp burst into motion.
Soldiers went out to hunt for fresh ingredients. Others set up tents and cooking pots to prepare a meal.
Gyeom sat on a rock, silently observing it all.
“Your Majesty, please show me your arm. I’ll treat it now.”
“What about Danseol?”
“She just fell asleep—she must have been exhausted.”
Hearing that, Gyeom finally extended his arm.
“Fortunately, the wound isn’t deep.”
“I told you—it’s just a scratch.”
“Even the smallest cut from a blade must be properly disinfected,” Seorang insisted.
A rusty or dirty weapon could cause deadly infection, after all.
“Tae Seorang.”
Gyeom called the physician as he dressed his wound.
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Danseol and Han Judan seem rather close. Do you know anything about that?”
“…Pardon?”
Seorang looked up, thinking the king was joking—but Gyeom’s expression was utterly serious.
“Before we left, I saw Han Judan give her something. Of course, since he’s one of the empress’s people, I was merely curious, that’s all.”
The rare attempt at justification almost made Seorang laugh.
“I don’t know what you saw, but I’m sure Physician Han regards Lady Dan merely as a benefactor—nothing improper.”
“Benefactor?”
“Yes. He said watching Lady Dan’s selflessness reminded him of the passion he once lost.”
Gyeom nodded, looking oddly pleased. He looked for all the world like a man utterly smitten.
“Rest assured, Your Majesty, he certainly doesn’t view her romantically—”
“Enough nonsense,” Gyeom cut him off with a frown.
Is he implying I’m jealous?
Judging from Seorang’s tone, the man clearly thought Gyeom was jealous of Han Judan’s closeness with Danseol.
Ridiculous.
Han Judan was old enough to be Danseol’s father—maybe even her grandfather. Jealous? Over that old man?
Absurd.
Besides, jealousy required affection to exist in the first place. And he certainly didn’t like Danseol. So Seorang’s assumption was pure nonsense—creative, outrageous nonsense.
“Your Majesty, there’s something else to report about the earlier incident.”
Gyeom gave a small signal, and the quick-witted Seorang gathered his things and left.
“Come closer.”
At Gyeom’s command, Jeonghyul approached.
“We examined the belongings of the attackers, as you instructed.”
Gyeom nodded for him to continue.
“We found nothing except that they appear to be from the Yuldo Kingdom.”
At that, Gyeom’s face hardened.
“They’re not Yuldoans.”
“But we found identification tags issued in Yuldo on their bodies.”
“Those were planted.”
Gyeom pulled something from his robe.
“This—what is it?”
“The arrow they used.”
Jeonghyul took the arrow from him and studied it closely.
“It’s made of bamboo.”
“And Yuldo doesn’t have bamboo.”
Yuldo’s tropical climate made it impossible for bamboo to grow there. Though they had seasons, the difference between them was minimal. Even now, in what they called “autumn,” the heat was only slightly less oppressive—like early summer in Hwangseon.
Because of that, bamboo—a plant common in Hwangseon—didn’t exist in Yuldo.
If the attackers truly were from Yuldo, their weapons would have been made from materials native to their own land, not bamboo.
“Then… are you saying the attackers were from Hwangseon?”
If that were true, it was no small matter.
“I don’t know yet. But something about this is very wrong.”
Beyond disguising their identities, one detail gnawed at him—their battle cry.
“Kill the woman!”
They had shouted it while pointing at Danseol, yet every attack had been aimed at him.
It was as though he had been the real target all along.
To deflect suspicion later, perhaps?
If they had planned even for the possibility of failure, it all made sense.
It would mean they knew that remnants of Yuldo were negotiating through Danseol—meaning they also knew where Gyeom currently was.
That kind of knowledge could only come from inside the Hwangseon Kingdom.
“Leave some men behind to investigate thoroughly.”
“And the generals and officials who came on this expedition?”
“Quietly investigate them as well.”
If Gyeom’s suspicions proved true, this was treason.
He would have to strike first—before they did.
“How are you feeling?”
“Ah, Physician Tae.”
Danseol, who had been preparing to depart, greeted Seorang with a gentle smile.
“Thanks to you, much better.”
It had only been a day, but after good food and rest, she truly felt lighter.
“The thanks should go to His Majesty, not me.”
“His Majesty?”
Danseol tilted her head.
“Yes. He was terribly worried about you. I was almost embarrassed watching him fuss. Staying an extra day was entirely his idea.”
“Haha, you’re joking…”
Of all people, Gyeom worrying about her? Impossible.
“Why do you think I’m joking?”
“Because His Majesty would never make such a personal decision—least of all for me.”
“And why not?”
“Your Majesty,” Seorang murmured as Gyeom approached, leading his horse.
“I mean… it wouldn’t make sense to halt an entire army on my account.”
“Have you forgotten how you almost collapsed yesterday?”
“That was… I was just startled.”
“In any case, don’t trouble me again.”
The cold reprimand made Danseol bite her lip. She’d momentarily forgotten what kind of man Lee Gyeom was—a man who knew nothing of consideration.
“…Understood.”
She bowed her head and turned toward her horse—or tried to, until Gyeom stepped in front of her.
“You really don’t listen, do you?”
He seized her by the waist and lifted her easily onto his horse, then climbed up behind her.
“What are you doing?!”
“With that body, you can’t ride alone.”
“I’m fine now—please let me down.”
“I said don’t trouble me. So stay still.”
Ignoring her protests, Gyeom tugged the reins, and the horse began to move.
