Chapter : 39
The Butterfly’s Natural Enemy (4)
“What the hell are you doing?!”
“Is this bitch crazy?!”
As the two men shouted at the same time, Jo‑yeong hurriedly dropped to her knees.
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I was trying to serve the medicine, but I panicked and—!”
Jang‑yu was more shocked and flustered by Jo‑yeong’s actions than by his brothers’ reactions, leaving him unable to say a word.
It wasn’t because she had struck his hand.
It was because a woman who was supposedly a princess had knelt down for him without a second thought—something he never could have anticipated.
“You obviously hit it on purpose! Who do you think you’re fooling?”
“N‑no, I didn’t! I was trying to bring the medicine. My legs gave out and I almost fell. I swear!”
“This wench! You can’t even speak honestly! Say what your real intention is!”
“Exactly. She must have a purpose. She speaks too well, and I already thought she was suspicious!”
“Brother! This woman has clearly stuck herself to the youngest for some scheme! We should take her away and interrogate her properly!”
The two men had clearly seen Jo‑yeong deliberately knock over the tray, and they were convinced she knew something about the medicine.
Earlier, they had also noticed Jang‑yu hesitating, watching Jo‑yeong’s reaction as he debated whether to take it.
“That’s right! Drag her away immediately!”
“No! You can’t!”
As the two men tried to seize Jo‑yeong, Jang‑yu rushed forward in panic to block them.
“Move aside! This is for your own good! This woman was suspicious from the start.”
“For all we know, she hasn’t even been giving you proper medicine. Who knows what she’s been feeding you!”
“That’s not true! Look at me—I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I?”
“Exactly! That’s why we need to investigate what her real purpose is, sticking so close to you and pandering to you.”
Ignoring his protests, the two men forcibly grabbed Jo‑yeong by the collar and hauled her up.
Terrified, Jo‑yeong decided it was better to go along quietly for now. She merely sobbed and begged as they dragged her away.
“I was wrong. It was a mistake. Please, just forgive me this once!”
Jang‑yu met her eyes and gave her a reassuring look.
Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.
Jo‑yeong secretly nodded slightly in response, careful not to be seen.
She decided to trust that such a clever man would have a plan.
The Emperor of Yeongseong was frail with age and could barely move on his own.
Not only that—he had long since lost much of his sharpness.
Still, thanks to the memories and emotions that remained clear, he was just barely able to make sound judgments.
His feelings for the woman he had loved most—Consort Song, who had passed away ten years earlier after her illness worsened—were still deep and vivid.
How could the crown prince born of Lady Song not be precious to him?
Crown Prince Shin Seo‑yun resembled his mother: handsome, intelligent, and capable.
At times, the emperor even felt a hint of jealousy toward his son, so flawless was he as an heir.
Because of this, the emperor had brought the crown prince into court early, training him to handle state affairs.
He also deliberately showcased the prince’s abilities to the ministers, preparing for the day he would step down.
Thanks to those preparations, made before the emperor lost his faculties entirely, the crown prince was now able to govern the court in his stead.
This decision provoked resentment and fury from the empress, nearly to the point of insolence—but the emperor never withdrew his choice.
It was the greatest achievement of his reign.
Yet in truth, the crown prince was suffering greatly.
Being constantly checked and opposed by the empress and his much younger half‑brother was exhausting, and having been burdened with relentless state affairs from such a young age, he had rarely enjoyed deep, uninterrupted sleep.
The one person who supported him most during such times was Kang Yeon‑ho of Bisan Fortress.
Among all his officials, Kang Yeon‑ho was the one he trusted most.
To strengthen that bond, the crown prince had even married off his beloved younger sister to him—only for that decision to intensify the pressure and hostility from the empress’s faction.
As a result, the crown prince once again lay awake late into the night.
“The Ha family estate? She went there?”
The crown prince was receiving a report from a spy he had planted in the empress’s quarters.
“Yes. The empress has occasionally purchased luxury goods and expensive tonics through the Ha Merchant Guild. That’s likely how the relationship began.”
“I already know that. Every time she visits her natal family, she stops by the Ha Merchant Guild. It’s no secret that she keeps close ties with merchant groups. But going there in the dead of night—that’s unusual.”
The empress frequently came and went outside the palace at her own whim.
She enjoyed being admired and revered by the people.
That was what everyone believed.
But the crown prince thought differently.
He believed she traveled so often precisely to conceal whom she was actually meeting.
A cunning woman.
Her son, Shin Jo‑yun, being unable to break free from her grasp was proof of just how shrewd she was.
“She also visited her natal home, so there didn’t appear to be anything overtly suspicious.”
“Still, just in case—find out what she purchased from the Ha Merchant Guild, and how close her ties are with them. Learn as much as you can.”
“Yes, Your Highness. And this may be nothing, but there has been some commotion recently involving the Ha Merchant Guild.”
“What happened?”
“Ha Jin‑san’s youngest sister was married off to Bisan Fortress in the Northern Plains, but the bride disappeared.”
“Disappeared?”
“Yes. Along with the entire wedding procession.”
“What? How could that happen?”
“It’s suspected they may have encountered bandits. However, the groom’s side believes the bride may have been deliberately taken away.”
“For what reason would anyone do that? If they didn’t want the marriage, they could have simply not gone through with it.”
“Yes, but according to rumors, the groom’s side paid the Ha Merchant Guild a considerable sum on the condition of the marriage. Just rumors, though.”
“So they sold their sister, then regretted it and took her back? Wouldn’t it make more sense that the sister ran away?”
“If that were the case, someone should have come to report it—but they vanished without a trace.”
“I see. That is quite strange. Especially since it’s Bisan Fortress in the Northern Plains—the very place the princess was married into.”
“The timing is similar as well.”
“Is that so? If bandits are suspected, it must have already reached Lord Kang’s ears. Since it happened in the Northern Plains, it falls under his jurisdiction.”
With that, the crown prince set the matter aside.
Rumors were not always reliable, and it didn’t seem like an issue of great importance.
It had already been three days since they crossed the border and entered the dense, jungle‑like forest.
Neither of the two could safely enter a village—they stood out far too much.
One was battered and barely able to walk properly, while the other was in peak physical condition.
A highly suspicious pair of strangers.
On top of that, they were moving covertly, so they traveled on foot rather than horseback.
Naturally, their pace was slow.
Yulbok’s troops were advancing straight toward Magoseong, but they still had to pass through checkpoints.
They would need to break through three fortresses before reaching Magoseong, so that side would take time as well.
However, their objective was a surprise attack—to advance swiftly and leave Magoseong with no time to prepare.
If that was the plan, then this side couldn’t afford to waste time either.
Yeon‑ho grew increasingly irritated and anxious as he dragged the limping Jang‑ho through the forest.
The forest route was technically a shortcut, but at this pace, they might not arrive in time.
“Are you doing this on purpose? Do you have any idea how many times we’ve stopped to rest already?”
“Huff… huff… on purpose? You’re the one who turned me into this state… huff!”
Despite being genuinely exhausted, Jang‑ho snapped back with a voice full of resentment.
Yeon‑ho replied without the slightest hint of guilt.
“You were an assassin trying to slaughter dozens of people at once. Who do you think you’re blaming? This is the price of your own actions.”
“Hah! Have you forgotten that we’re at war? Do you even know how many of our Nonam people you’ve killed on the battlefield?”
“Do you remember how many insects you’ve crushed underfoot while walking?”
“W‑what?! You won’t even treat us as human?!”
“That’s what a battlefield is. You don’t go in thinking you’re killing people—you go in thinking you’re killing bugs. And besides, you’re the ones who created this battlefield first, so don’t act wronged.”
Jang‑ho burned with anger, but since Yeon‑ho wasn’t wrong, he eventually shut his mouth.
