HRB 32

HRB

Chapter : 32

Caught in a Spider’s Web (2)

How had things ended up like this?

Jo‑yeong felt so hollow that she almost laughed.

“Ha.”

It was nothing more than a tiny chuckle, but the place had been so deathly quiet that everyone’s gaze turned toward her at once.

Inside a large iron-barred wagon like a cage, packed tightly with people, countless eyes stared at her as if condemning her.

Bang!

“Who laughed?!”

“Eek!”

This was why.

The Nonam tribe’s soldiers, who were dragging them along like livestock, would slam their swords against the iron bars even at the slightest sound of sobbing, threatening them in harsh Nonam words no one could understand.

With so many people frozen in silence, barely daring to breathe, laughter—of all things—was unthinkable.

Fearing the trouble might spill over onto them, people bowed their heads deeply, trembling.

“Bastards who deserve to be killed on the spot! Damn unlucky trash!”

The soldier’s face twisted viciously as he shouted. Even if they couldn’t understand the words, everyone grasped the meaning well enough.

It was nothing good for them.

But Jo‑yeong was so overwhelmed by the sheer cruelty and absurdity of her life that she barely even registered the terrifying face.

She had thought she’d finally succeeded in escaping—only for a rope meant for capturing animals to fly out the moment she reached the exit, tightening around her neck.

Strangled and dragged along, she lost consciousness, and when she woke up, she was here.

Captured while fleeing the Ha family, then nearly escaping Ji Man‑il only to fall into the hands of Lord Kang, and now—after barely getting away from him—ending up in the clutches of the Nonam tribe.

Would this string of horrifying bad luck only end if she died?

She was too exhausted now to even try anymore.

If they wanted to kill her, then fine.

“Ha. Hahaha…”

Once she thought that dying might be better, a bitter laugh escaped her—wondering what she had struggled so desperately to live for all this time, even sacrificing her mother.

“What’s wrong with this bitch? Is she crazy? Has she lost her mind?!”

Bang!

“Eek!”

As the soldier struck the bars again, terrified screams erupted.

“I told you to keep quiet! But instead you laugh and squeal! Do my words mean nothing to you?!”

Jo‑yeong, who had endured endless harassment from the Ha siblings over the pettiest nonsense, felt something snap at the soldier’s words.

“You’re the loudest one here. Could you be quiet?”

“…!”

At her muttered remark, everyone gasped and jerked their heads up.

The most shocked of all was the soldier.

“What—what is this? Is this bitch a Nonam?!”

Regardless of what she said, the fact that Jo‑yeong spoke fluent Nonam alone was enough to stun everyone.

Leaning weakly against the iron bars, she let out a sigh and spoke to him in a tired yet sharp voice.

“If I say I’m Nonam, will you let me go? You wouldn’t believe me anyway, no matter what I say.”

How many times had she been wronged like this before?

Thinking back, even pretending to be a princess hadn’t been her fault—but Yeon‑ho hadn’t believed her, and this was the result.

“So what is it? Are you Nonam or not?!”

“Just shut up and move quietly. What’s the point of threatening us in a language we don’t even understand?”

“What—what did you say?!”

“If you make a racket, won’t you be the ones in trouble? What if the lord’s troops hear and come after you? Isn’t that why you told us to keep quiet in the first place?”

At the fearless, articulate rebuttal from this mysterious woman, the soldier was left speechless, his face turning red.

“This bitch is dying to get herself killed!”

“Who actually wants to die? Either way, I’m dead—or I’ll be made a slave. Do I have to obediently behave on top of that?”

“Shut your mouth!”

“Enough.”

At that moment, someone shouted sharply in Nonam, stopping the soldier.

“Paedu‑nim!”

The soldier bowed his head deeply toward a young man approaching on horseback.

Paedu was a mid‑ranking officer title among the Nonam. Judging by how young he was—barely past boyhood—it seemed he was either of high status or exceptionally skilled.

“What the woman said is correct. You’re the noisy one.”

“My apologies. I was already in a foul mood, and that shameless wench was laughing and talking back, so I lost my temper.”

“Are you that upset?”

“Yes! Aren’t you, Paedu‑nim? We were sure we had them this time! We were fast enough. There must have been a mistake. You didn’t err—your plan was flawless!”

“So? You’re saying there’s a spy among us? Watch your tongue. That woman understands everything we’re saying.”

“Th‑that is…!”

Having understood every word, Jo‑yeong flinched when she was pointed out.

From the sound of it, their intrusion into Hyeonseong had been meant to capture someone—but it hadn’t gone as planned.

When her eyes met Paedu’s, she deliberately turned her head away.

Seeing this, Paedu spoke indifferently.

“If you’re that angry, just kill that woman and be done with it.”

“…!”

Jo‑yeong snapped her head back and glared at him.

“Why? Didn’t you think I wanted to die rather than obediently become a slave? I figured that’s what you meant when you heard me talking out of turn.”

“You’re not killing me out of kindness. You’re silencing me. Because of your subordinate’s loose tongue, I’d die unjustly.”

“I admit that.”

Paedu replied curtly and turned away—

As if her life were worth less than that of an insect.

“S‑so… can we really kill her?”

The soldier who had shouted so fiercely now hesitated.

Paedu glanced back.

“Would that be wise? A suspicious woman who speaks Nonam?”

“A‑ah! Yes!”

Though it seemed she wouldn’t be killed, for Jo‑yeong this was the worst possible outcome.

Keeping her alive meant interrogation. Torture. It would be better to die.

From their earlier conversation, it sounded like they already suspected her of being a spy.

Even if they didn’t truly believe it, they might simply use her as a scapegoat for their failure.

“I don’t know who you failed to capture, but you’re just trying to cover up your incompetence by blaming a powerless woman like me. Pathetic. You boast that Nonam men are brave and honorable—but you’re nothing more than savage cowards.”

“Shut up!”

“Leave her. That just makes her more suspicious—begging to be killed like that.”

At Paedu’s words, Jo‑yeong bristled.

“Of course I want to die! If I’m taken away, I’ll be branded a spy and tortured until I die. Who would want that?! Is it a crime to learn Nonam just to survive? If you can speak your language, is that automatically suspicious? Cowards!”

“This bitch—!”

“Ignore her. If she keeps talking, gag her.”

When Paedu turned away again, Jo‑yeong finally closed her mouth.

No matter how she thought about it, there was no way out.

The Nonam forces that had invaded Hyeonseong suddenly withdrew—for reasons unknown.

“Something’s not right. They must know we’re here, so why attack this place? Wouldn’t it make more sense to strike Bisanseong, which is undefended? The envoy is there as well.”

Yulbok spoke in a grim voice.

And he was right. There was no way the Nonam didn’t know the lord was visiting. This wasn’t a simple raid.

Was it to interfere with the repair of Hyeonseong’s walls?

That motive felt too weak.

The worst possibility was that they had turned their attention elsewhere—to Bisanseong—but even that didn’t fit, given how hastily they retreated.

No matter how one looked at it, the attack had brought the Nonam nothing but loss.

The walls of Hyeonseong were largely intact, and there were few casualties.

Yeon‑ho felt the same unease.

There was clearly a purpose behind their incursion—but not knowing what it was made it all the more frightening.

That was when—

“My lord! The maid Bugyeong urgently requests an audience!”

At the pale‑faced military officer’s report, both men stiffened.