Chapter 10 …
A Day of Solitude
The screams of agony had finally ceased, and on the courtyard, plum blossoms bloomed as if soaked in blood.
Beneath the lavishly blooming plum tree, broken wooden practice swords piled up, and only the dull, repetitive thud of striking echoed across the mansion’s courtyard.
Thwack! Thwack!
Another wooden sword snapped.
“Bring more practice swords.”
Seoryeon threw the broken sword to the ground as she spoke.
The servants nearby poked each other in the ribs, delaying their duties.
Even though Lady Choi, the mistress of the house, treated Seoryeon with some care, outwardly appearing respectful, behind her back, whispers spread about the young woman the Duke had brought in as an adopted daughter.
Rumors claimed she had eaten a live rat the previous night, that she was a man disguised as a woman, that she had a habit of eating people—wild, bizarre stories circulated endlessly.
Still, Seoryeon ignored it all, demanding what she needed with confidence and expressing her displeasure without hesitation.
From the moment she decided to survive, Seoryeon vowed not to grow attached to anything living.
She knew then that attachments only created weaknesses.
“Did you not hear me? Bring more practice swords!”
At her thunderous shout, the servants scattered.
Thwack! Thwack!
Seoryeon resumed her stance, repeatedly striking the log set like a stake.
Her forehead was soaked in sweat, and the cloth wrapped around her hands became soaked in blood again.
Except for the times when she received education to become queen, Seoryeon stood before this log every day.
The gouged and battered log bore witness to her pain.
She couldn’t bear the thought that everything was her fault.
No matter how her hands were cut and torn, she could not stop.
It was the only way she could torment herself enough to get even a brief rest.
Even having concluded that her very birth was a mistake, she had to live.
She had to survive, if only to repay those who had died because of her. To restore what was lost. Tenfold, a hundredfold.
With that resolve, she stood there again.
Snap.
The wooden sword that had been intact moments before broke again.
“That’s enough.”
At Lee Ja-gyeom’s arrival, Seoryeon plunged the broken sword into the ground as if throwing it.
“If the bride’s hands are in such condition before the grand ceremony, it will raise suspicions. Don’t overdo it if you don’t want to fail before the task is done.”
He warned her softly, but Seoryeon calmly replied while unwinding the cloth around her hands.
“Where would I find the time to tend to them? You must be busy too.”
“Confidence is good, but the king will not easily yield once he knows you are my daughter. If you don’t want to end up like Hwaryeon—”
“Then at least provide me with something to aid me.”
Seoryeon cut him off, smiling faintly with a sharp edge.
“You are carrying a royal heir! There must be a royal heir in your womb. If you behave wrongly and even a half-blood is born, it will be a disgrace to the family!”
At the sudden rage of the Duke, Seoryeon let out a sharp laugh.
It seemed she had struck a nerve.
“Being born a gisaeng is apparently not a shame,” she said.
“Hss! Can’t you keep your mouth shut?!”
Lee Ja-gyeom immediately reprimanded her, worried someone might overhear.
“May I offer some sincere advice?”
“Spare me your nonsense. I don’t want to play word games with you.”
“Your Excellency, I shall become a weakness for you.”
“…!”
Seoryeon approached Chief Butler Jang, who stood behind Lee Ja-gyeom, wearing a cold smile.
She shoved the bloodied cloth from her hands into his chest as if pressing it there, then walked out of the courtyard with calm composure.
The shriveled Butler Jang, concerned, clung to Lee Ja-gyeom’s side.
“Are you truly all right? She is so arrogant.”
“That is how I will catch the king’s attention.”
“…Pardon?”
“A man is more drawn to a woman who does not submit. Especially one who is unrestrained, filled with rage—it appeals to men even more.”
Jang, unable to grasp his mistress’s thoughts, tilted his head. Even if Seoryeon was breathtakingly beautiful, her cold demeanor could easily repel a man.
“Wait and see. That girl will surely become a Fosà—a woman who, with her beauty, captivates a king and brings a kingdom to ruin.”
Early in the morning, the Duke’s mansion was filled with the rich scent of food. Expensive alcohol and meats, rare even in the royal palace, were laid out endlessly on banquet tables. In the front courtyard, gifts for the Duke and the future queen were piled like mountains.
At that moment, Seoryeon, wearing a sheer muslin robe, was being led somewhere by palace attendants.
While on high alert, she was stopped in front of a storage building.
“We have arrived.”
As the door opened, a wave of steam hit her.
“Please enter.”
Seoryeon moved forward slowly, piercing the floating steam.
It reminded her of the misty walks at the temple.
“Now, you may enter the bath.”
The source of the warmth was a bath, filled with expensive orchid flowers and leaves floating atop the water.
In the past, she would have joyfully immersed herself, but now, she hesitated. The bath seemed more like one used to boil sacrificial meat.
“Baths are usually taken at night, aren’t they?”
Before the ceremony, that is.
“You will bathe again at night.”
“Why bathe twice…?”
“Because you will host His Majesty.”
Was the court woman just pretending to be meticulous while attending to daily tasks? The audacity!
Thinking of the attendants’ efforts, Seoryeon finally stepped into the bath.
“I will not bathe at night, so do not prepare for it.”
“What…?”
“You are So-hee, correct?”
“Yes.”
“You will continue to serve me?”
“Yes.”
“Then henceforth, heed my orders above anyone else.”
So-hee looked slightly confused.
“Have you forgotten whose daughter I am?”
After today, she would become queen—the legitimate queen, not a concubine. And as Lee Ja-gyeom’s daughter, she would hold power rivaling that of the king himself.
“I understand completely, Your Majesty.”
Thankfully, the girl seemed sharp and quick-witted. At least she would take care of herself.
After bathing, Seoryeon went straight to her bridal preparation.
Even without makeup, her face was bright like an apple blossom. Willow-shaped eyebrows were drawn, and her lips were painted a ripe cherry red.
The makeup elevated noble elegance without the brightness of a gisaeng.
Dressed in ceremonial robes embroidered with the peacock feather, symbolizing the queen, and assisted by attendants, she rose.
“Wow, you are beautiful, even more than the Lady of the Palace—”
“Hss.”
A young attendant babbling about her looks was immediately silenced by So-hee.
“Who is the Lady of the Palace?”
The surrounding attendants hesitated, careful in their words. Seoryeon added:
“Although I am the Duke’s adopted daughter, I have lived outside for many years, so I am not close to her.”
So-hee hesitated, but the young attendant seemed eager to speak.
“Go ahead, you speak.”
The child stepped forward with an innocent, excited expression.
“The Lady of the Palace is always beautiful and devoted to His Majesty.”
A typical, safe answer any court attendant could give.
“How is their relationship?”
“She… His Majesty treats the Lady of the Palace with respect.”
“Treats with respect?”
“Yes.”
Seoryeon found the answer somewhat unsatisfactory.
“Is their relationship good?”
When the answer was vague, she pressed further.
“Well… rather than good…”
The young girl hesitated, glancing at So-hee. Even a child could not give a straightforward answer, wary of higher-ranking attendants.
“Be honest. It will not cause you any trouble.”
“They have no marital affection.”
So-hee, who had remained silent, spoke up. She quickly realized Seoryeon would not let the matter rest.
No affection between husband and wife…
Come to think of it, even if she were a man, there would be no affection. Marriage, intimacy—just the thought made her uneasy.
So this is what the Duke intended.
The Duke could seize power with just the Lady of the Palace. But if the king had a royal heir by another concubine, power would shift to that concubine and the prince.
The Duke used Seoryeon as an adopted daughter to prevent that.
Rustle.
Unexpectedly, footsteps sounded on the roof.
The attendants, focused on preparations, did not hear.
“Everyone, leave.”
Seoryeon quietly ordered So-hee, fixing the crown.
“…Yes?”
“Hurry!”
No sooner had the attendants stepped aside than three masked assassins smashed the windows and barged in.
Seoryeon calmly set aside the crown she had been adjusting and asked in composed tones:
“Who sent you?”
At that moment, one of the assassins drew a blade and shouted:
“Kill her!”
