Chapter 29
“Um, what do you mean—”
“Aren’t you tired from going out? Come in and rest.”
Wang Seonhwa spoke gently, wearing a perfectly drawn smile.
“…Yes.”
Whatever it was, she clearly had no intention of explaining further.
If Wang Seonhwa didn’t want to talk, there was no way for me to force words out of her mouth. The opposite was possible—but not this.
I muttered to myself and stood up. As I was about to return to my room, the doubt I had earlier came back to me.
“I don’t see Anhwa. Did you send her on an errand?”
“Anhwa said she wasn’t feeling well and went to the apothecary earlier.”
“If Anhwa isn’t here, wouldn’t it be better for me to stay by your side?”
“It’s fine. I’m a little tired, so I’ll sleep.”
I frowned slightly. Hadn’t she already been sleeping before I went out? Come to think of it, ever since we returned to the capital, Wang Seonhwa had been taking naps more often.
Could it be…? No, surely not. Pregnancy or something like that?
“Are you feeling unwell? Should I call the imperial physician?”
“I’m fine. I must have talked too long with Sister Moyong.”
“If you wake up, please call for me. You will, right?”
“I know. Call Suha for me, and you should go rest too.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I headed in the direction the palace maids had gone and looked for Suha. Strangely enough, she was on the way to my room.
“Sister Wan!”
Suha looked up at me with sparkling eyes. She was clearly curious about what had happened with Prince Jeong.
“Her Highness is calling for you.”
“Now?”
“Yes. It looks like she’ll sleep until the evening meal, so stay with her.”
Suha’s face visibly fell. I quietly opened my bundle. This much should be okay, right?
“Here. This is a gift.”
“Wow!”
Suha hugged me tightly, her face full of emotion as she accepted the hair ornament.
“Thank you, Sister! You’re really giving this to me?”
“Yes. Isn’t it fine for you to wear something like this?”
There was a small pearl on it, but it wasn’t flashy or large. Considering she worked beside a favored consort, this should be acceptable.
“Now go to Her Highness.”
“Will you tell me later what happened with Prince Jeong?”
“Well… I’ll see.”
Suha whispered that she’d keep it a secret, then ran off quickly.
“Honestly. What is she so curious about?”
There was nothing romantic to tell—just me nearly dying after recklessly spending someone else’s money.
Really, nothing good ever happens here. Still, at least the absolute worst thing I feared hadn’t happened yet.
I just hoped nothing would happen until the hunting festival.
When I returned to my room, the first thing I did was spread out the bundle on the table. If I didn’t open it now, I felt like I’d never touch it again.
“Hm…”
I frowned as I looked at the items inside. None of these were things I had chosen. What was this?
“It doesn’t seem like it was given to me by mistake…”
In fact, they suited my taste far better than the gifts I had picked myself. I normally had little interest in accessories, but even I liked these.
It felt like I’d discovered a taste I didn’t know I had.
Scratching my head, I wrapped the bundle back up.
“Well, I’ll keep it for now.”
I had already given one piece to Suha anyway. And Prince Jeong didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d come back demanding his gift.
Besides, someone like him probably bought these by the cartload without even noticing the cost.
Maybe I should give one to Anhwa too. I’d ask her when she returned from the apothecary.
“Ugh…”
As I sighed, drowsiness washed over me. Maybe this was a lingering effect from the poison.
Without thinking further, I collapsed onto the bed.
As I lay down, a bracelet slipped out from my sleeve and fell beside my face.
“Oh, right. This too.”
I stared blankly at the jade bracelet Wang Aseon had given me. The pale blue jade mixed with white light looked like ice—or sea foam rising from clear waters.
“It’s pretty.”
They said jade bracelets fitted tightly to the wrist were hard to put on. Maybe because this one had belonged to Wang Aseon, it slipped onto my wrist without trouble.
The bracelet resting over Baekmangcheon gave off a clear sound—and white sparks.
…Sparks?
I shot upright. Baekmangcheon aside, jade shouldn’t spark.
I took the bracelet off and put it back on, letting it hit Baekmangcheon again. This time, there was only sound.
“Was I imagining it?”
Was I just exhausted and seeing things? Or was this bracelet spiritual, absorbing Baekmangcheon’s essence or something…? No. Definitely not.
I stopped that line of thought before Baekmang tightened around my wrist.
“It doesn’t help when it actually matters, but it reacts to this? Seriously.”
When would I finally be able to use this properly? If I could at least control Baekmang, I wouldn’t worry so much about my own safety.
“And then I could leave this cursed palace…”
I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to sleep, even if just for a bit.
“Ahhh!”
A sharp scream jolted me awake. I had been in the middle of becoming the greatest martial artist under heaven in my dream.
“Did someone see a bug or something?”
I was about to fall back asleep when I realized how loud it was outside. Wait—how long had I slept?
Worried it might already be midday, I opened the window. It was pitch-black outside.
Just as I was about to close my eyes again, a voice I couldn’t ignore reached me.
“Your Highness! Your Highness, wake up—ahhh!”
All sleep vanished instantly. Nothing must happen to Wang Seonhwa.
I shoved my feet into my shoes and ran out barefoot.
Reaching the rear palace, I slammed the door shut and dragged a heavy chair in front of it to block the eunuchs and maids from entering.
As I rushed into the inner chamber, I saw Wang Seonhwa strangling Seo Anhwa.
“Your Highness!”
I pulled Anhwa away and grabbed Wang Seonhwa’s wrists. Strength far beyond what her slender body suggested surged as she tried to throw me off.
“What do we do?!”
Anhwa’s face was pale with terror. Her usual confidence was gone.
“Is your neck okay?”
“Y-Yes. What should we do? Should we call someone—”
“No. Don’t let anyone come in.”
Anhwa nodded stiffly and left to close the door.
“Ugh—Aaaah!”
The moment I looked away, Wang Seonhwa let out a shriek and lunged at me, trying to bite.
“Hey!”
I almost had my throat torn out. I restrained both her wrists with one hand and covered her mouth with the other.
“Your Highness, please come to your senses! Why are you like this? What happened—”
Suddenly, something clicked.
I realized that what had happened in the text was now happening in my reality.
The event I feared most—wanted desperately to avoid—had begun.
Wang Seonhwa’s madness had started.
The cause was Moyong Biyeon’s poison.
Nine-Flower Poison.
A poison made using nine out of 108 poisonous herbs. The combination changed depending on the desired symptoms and severity.
To make an antidote, one had to know the exact herbs used, their order, and their quantities.
In other words—only the person who made the poison could create the antidote.
“Ugh!”
I quickly dodged her attempt to bite my fingers. Maybe because it was an emergency, unlike the time with the eunuch, my fingers accurately pressed her paralysis point.
I carefully laid Wang Seonhwa down. Her head slumped to the side as she tried to move.
“Huh? Your Highness!”
I hurriedly checked her breathing. She was breathing normally. For a moment, I thought I had pressed the wrong point.
Taking a brief moment to breathe, I let out a long sigh.
“…What do I do now?”
I couldn’t tie her up… should I wrap her in blankets? But then I couldn’t release the pressure points.
Where was the fainting point again? If I knock her out and release the paralysis—
“Ugh… what is this… Wan-ah?”
Thankfully, Wang Seonhwa regained consciousness.
Seeing her normal face almost made me cry.
“Your Highness!”
“My… my body won’t move.”
“Please stay still for a moment.”
I immediately began releasing the pressure points. Left alone, they would fade in about a day. With my skill, maybe half a day—but I couldn’t leave her like that.
Undoing what I had blocked was harder than expected. Only after sweating for a long time was I able to free her body.
“Whew. Try moving. Are you alright?”
She moved her body and nodded.
“What happened…?”
I explained everything—from how I woke up to what followed.
“I… attacked Anhwa?”
Her hands trembled. She clearly couldn’t believe what she had done.
“Is she… alright?”
“Yes. She’s outside.”
Come to think of it, it was quiet. Had Anhwa sent everyone away?
If so, that was a relief.
Lowering my voice, I asked:
“Your Highness… what exactly happened to you?”
