WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT AHEAD

“Everyone, please come over here and have some iced tea.”

The princess called out to everyone. Suddenly, Yujo’s eyes met Muyeo’s. With lively steps, Muyeo approached Yujo and spoke.

“Well, how is your newly-wedded life?”

“Everyone in the family is so nice to me, so it’s not difficult for me to lay down my roots here.”

Yujo followed etiquette and answered politely.

“You’ve saved Duke MoonYeo*, so of course they should be kind to you.”

“My lord husband is also good to me.”

“Hm, you’re letting him off too easily.”

Princess Muyeo came closer and locked her arms with Yujo’s without reserve.

“Don’t be like that. You can curse your husband if you want to. That’s how you become closer.”

The princess’s mischievous smile looked absolutely devilish. Yujo needed to get closer to Muyeo. Approaching someone with ulterior motives was a terrible thing to do, but she needed to know. She needed to dig deeper.

Suspecting that the Heukra was actually Muyeo, Yujo cautiously replied.

“Should I? The next time we have a fight, I’ll come find you for some advice.”

“That’s a good idea. My husband and I have had our fair share of fights. Men are quite stupid. No matter what we say, they don’t understand, and they only try to run away!”

Princess Muyeo rambled happily as she guided Yujo inside. The other women followed behind in twos and threes, smiling like virtuous beauties.

Do these beautiful women have a bloodthirstiness hidden deep within their hearts as well?

Walking arm in arm, these women were beautiful ladies of the court. Princess Muyeo’s bright smile didn’t show any darkness.

She just looked like a lovable princess, wife, and mother. She might not have been the one who directly carried out these attacks.

Last year, she should have been busy taking care of her newborn child, right?

Yujo was confused. However, that confusion froze inside her heart when they entered the receiving room.

“So, was Lady Yeon speaking about my mother again?”

As soon as they passed through the doors, the princess’s cold voice drilled into Yujo’s ears. She looked at the princess in shock.

“Excuse me?”

Muyeo was still smiling, but the beauty in her smile was frozen stiff.

“Lady Dan, do you think this is the first time something like this has happened?”

From the outside, it looked like they were sharing a warm conversation.

“Hiding her mouth behind a fan, glancing at me from the corner of her eyes as she whispers… How would I not know? I’ve been watching people do this for seven years now.”

Muyeo tightly grabbed Yujo’s cold hand as she continued to speak.

“And I already know… Everyone is saying that my mother has turned into a vengeful spirit and is going around killing men.”

Yujo was at a loss for words. All she could do was stare at Muyeo, completely frozen in her spot. She accidentally stepped on her red skirt and stumbled. Muyeo helped Yujo keep her balance as she whispered.

“My mother isn’t that kind of person. While she was a lot younger than my father emperor, she loved him very much. People keep talking about things they haven’t seen or heard, and they’re not ashamed of doing it. I definitely don’t believe anything they say.”

Yujo put on a flustered expression. Thankfully, it wasn’t much of an act.

“Your Highness, please forgive me. I wasn’t thinking straight…”

Yujo quickly lowered her head and apologized.

“Why are you so flustered?”

Unlike her earlier menacing tone, Princess Muyeo returned to her usual, innocent expression as she grinned.

“It’s all in the past, so I’m not as hurt by it anymore. Don’t mind me.”

Just a moment ago, it was as if Muyeo had grabbed Yujo’s heart with a cold hand. However, now she was back to her usual self. Her eyes were gentle as she gazed at Yujo. The terrifying face she had just shown Yujo had disappeared, and now only the lovely smile was left behind.

“But…”

“Lady Dan, do you know how to play the morin khuur?”

She suddenly asked an unexpected question.

“Excuse me?”

“My mother was good at playing the morin khuur. There are times when I want to hear it again.”

The morin khuur was an instrument that was well played in the northern province of the Silver Nation and by the clans of Yeha. Its solemn and beautiful tone was one of the best, and it was able to mimic the sound of the wind or water, even the cries of animals. Therefore, those in the north often claimed that the instrument was crafted with souls.

Although speaking of the guibin was probably painful, the princess calmly brought her up. Yujo kept her eyes lowered before lifting them up to gaze at Muyeo. She followed her lead and changed the subject.

“Did Her Highness the Guibin play the morin khuur?”

Muyeo remained silent for a moment before answering.

“Yes. She played it very well.”

While Muyeo’s tone remained steady, it sounded extremely lonely. Suddenly, she quickly returned to her bright expression and grinned at Yujo.

“Whenever you have some time, can you come here and play for me?”

“Ah… I’m not very skilled with the morin khuur, Your Highness.”

Yujo replied cautiously. She really couldn’t understand Muyeo.

“I’m actually surprised that the guibin was able to play the morin khuur.”

“You didn’t know?”

Muyeo’s black eyes gazed at Yujo.

“My mother is from the northern province.”

“The northern province?”

“Yes, just like you, Lady Dan. Aren’t the roots of the northern province different from that of YeonSung? Maybe that’s why you don’t feel so unfamiliar to me, Lady Dan.”

Muyeo smiled brightly as she spoke.

The northern province.

The guibin was a woman from the northern province.

Inside the carriage returning back home, Yujo felt strange.

The riddle that Jewol had shown her… It was the genealogy of the ancient Kingdom of Baran.

Although it collapsed hundreds of years ago, its territory was split into the nations of EulMok, TaeRyung, Yeha, and the northern province of the Silver Nation.

Additionally, the northern province was where the Temple of Baran stood, and what the Crown Prince was searching for was the family who used to reside in the northern province.

Was this all just a coincidence?

The guibin was also from the northern province.

Yujo counted the men who had died so far.

Duke SangSuh, Lee Juho. The wealthy Park Woon. The millionaire, Geum Mujang. The noblemen, Myung SeungHo and Suh SungHo. The owner of the Red and White Hotel, Moon Ho. And finally the most recent victim, the Danju** of Wooryung, Hwan Chul. Were all eight of these men connected to the northern province in any way?

One of Yujo’s finger tapped against the window as she returned to her home in YeonSung. She could see the magnificent imperial palace far away. She felt as if the Heukra’s black shadow was hiding somewhere close.

“You came?”

The sluggish voice flowed down as if it had been waiting.

Jewol lifted his head. His beautiful face was pale and stiff. The lattice doors behind him closed shut.

Whenever he walked through each sequential door, the door behind him would close. It felt as if he were entering a swamp that was completely separate from the world outside.

A dark, endless pit. A monster lived inside.

Finally, Jewol approached the Crown Prince and went on his knees as he bowed.

“Have you been well?”

At Jewol’s stiff greeting, the Crown Prince burst out laughing and lowered his brush. The rings covering his thick fingers flashed dimly in the light.

The Crown Prince was now past his forties. His skin was darker, and his beard was bushy. He almost looked like an exact replica of the current emperor. The cruel personality, the endless greed… This man was born with it as well.

Wearing a loosened, disheveled robe, his large belly was protruding out along with his bushy chest hair.

Jewol made an effort not to see him like this and kept his eyes on the floor. He recalled the first time they’d met.

How old had he been? Seven? Eight? Back then, the Crown Prince was in his late twenties. He didn’t have a big belly like now, but his eyes were just as cold as they were back then.

As always, those eyes swept over Jewol’s prostrated figure. It seemed like those eyes were going to call for him.

Come here, our pretty Duke MoonYeo. Jewol felt as if they were calling him. Those mysterious eyes. The cold eyes of a snake as it gazed upon its prey. His touch as he slowly coiled himself around him.

A shiver ran down Jewol’s back.

“You’ve gotten married, so how can I be well?”

As if his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth, Jewol couldn’t say a word in reply.

“Well, how does it feel to finally welcome the bride you’ve been yearning for? Is your newly-married life as sweet as you expected?”

The Crown Prince leaned one arm against the armrest and looked out the window. The light of the sunset coming in through the black lattices of the window was as red as blood.

“Everything is…”

Jewol’s voice was low and soft. It sounded pathetic as it shook.

“A result of your grace, Your Highness.”

His voice faded away, and a silence settled in the room. The Crown Prince turned his head and glared at Jewol. The silence pressed down heavily on Jewol’s head.

“Did your wife manage to catch the tail of the Heukra?”

Jewol remained silent. He only wanted this time to pass by as fast as possible. If only he could turn around and escape this room… If only he could scream out… No, if only he could just leave the Silver Nation and run away to Yeha with Yujo… How wonderful would it be?

It didn’t matter. The Crown Prince’s eyes were always following him.

No, he wouldn’t even have to catch him. Just remembering what had happened the last time he tried to run away made his heart freeze in his chest. His feet reflexively pressed down onto the floor.

“When the rainy season is over, go back to Yeha and bring me the chief.”

The Crown Prince’s voice was low and cold. Jewol’s head burst up.

“Your Highness!”

“I have already waited two seasons for you. Isn’t that enough?”

“But, Your Highness!”

“Jewol!”

The Crown Prince’s shout boomed down at Jewol. Jewol’s face became as white as a sheet as he kept his mouth shut.

“You’re the one who begged me to at least give you the girl.”

Jewol closed his eyes. He recalled the events from seven years ago. Fifteen-year-old Yuha and twelve-year-old Yujo. As soon as they had heard about what those thieves had done to him, what had their faces looked like?

“I’ll avenge you!”

“Leave it alone.”

“Leave it alone?! Does that make any sense? Those men did something that mustn’t be done. And they did it on the land of Yeha no less! We cannot allow such nasty and dirty deeds to go unpunished!”

Although he still looked quite young, the ever-brave Yuha had a determined look on his face. Yujo, who had been sitting next to her brother, burst out of her seat and grabbed her bow.

“That’s right! We can’t leave them alone! Brother, let’s go!”

That night, Yuha and Yujo, along with some of Yeha’s warriors, went out and killed the thieves who had attacked Jewol.

“The things that happen on Yeha’s land is our responsibility. Jewol, I’m sorry. Those men will pay for what they did to you. From now on, we will protect you. So don’t worry. Don’t give up.”

Yuha had spoken those words with his characteristic, determined face.

Yuha, Yujo.

The foolish, stupid brother-sister pair had become his closest allies. They had opened their hearts and make him their friend. Children of the grasslands. Idiots who were ignorant of the cunning and frustrating people of YeonSung.

Why did they accept him? Why did they show him mercy?

Jewol was a spy from the Silver Nation from the very beginning. Having received the Crown Prince’s orders, he had gone to Yeha. His mission was to infiltrate the chieftain’s family and earn their goodwill and trust.

Therefore, the story of running into those thieves and being attacked in such a disgusting manner… Saying that he wanted to kill himself because of it… All of it was a lie. It was all an act.

But they didn’t know anything about this. How foolish! Therefore, this betrayal wasn’t his fault. It was all a result of their own stupidity.

The Crown Prince’s cold eyes looked down at Jewol.

“I remember telling you to pick one of the two. Shouldn’t you be grateful that I’m not killing both of them? You’ve even gained a wife. What more could you want? Either way, the ancestors of Yeha were a fallen tribe that had been defeated by the northern province. And didn’t he already lose a leg? He can’t even move freely on his own. Since you’ve earned his trust, that’s enough. Because you’ve passed on our military secrets to him, I’ve lost face in front of Father Emperor twice now.”

His eyes were filled with rage. Not even once but twice. And not just that. They had sent ten thousand troops, but had received a crushing defeat.

This was all because he had sent Jewol as a spy into enemy territory, but he had been stabbed in the back instead.

A traitor deserved to die. But he didn’t want to kill Jewol. Therefore, instead of killing him, he gave Jewol an even greater punishment. A cunning smile stretched across the Crown Prince’s thick lips.

“Don’t forget that the punishment I gave you is light considering what you’ve done. This is all because I treasure you.”

Jewol flinched and couldn’t stop his body from shaking. Jewol’s hands were trembling on the floor. He swallowed back a groan and clenched his hands into fists. He couldn’t tell anyone about the things that had been done to him after he had leaked the secrets to Yeha. Just remembering the merciless and toe-curling things he had gone through made his body shake as if he were having a seizure.

He was all grown now. He was an adult now.

He didn’t have to fear him anymore. But fear was quite a strong method of discipline. Like a dog salivating in front of its food, whenever Jewol saw the Crown Prince, his whole body shriveled up. He couldn’t even breathe correctly.

“Bring me that chief. Don’t push me any further. Yeha is a nation that is destined to disappear from this world. And catch the Heukra as soon as possible. Our goal cannot be achieved just by taking over the land of Yeha. We need the other thing. So tell your wife that she needs to pick up the pace. Or else, I’ll cut off her arms and legs and only leave her head in tact.”

Jewol bit his red lips. He felt as if the floor was transforming into mud. His body was gradually sinking.

“Don’t anger me anymore. I’ve already had enough to deal with thanks to that bastard, Garan… How can I not know what Father Emperor is thinking? Lately, his eyes have grown deeper as he looks at that bastard.”

Was it because of the lingering attachment he felt for the treacherous guibin?

The Crown Prince’s face filled with hatred and pain. Whenever he recalled the guibin, hundreds of memories filled his head.

When she was seventeen-years-old, she entered the imperial palace as a mere dancer. Even at the age of seventeen, she was an eye-catching beauty.

Just by standing still, she was able to seduce those around her. How old had he been back then? He had been eighteen.

Yes, he basically killed her. From a dancer, she became a concubine. And from a concubine, she became the guibin. And he hated her. She gave birth to a prince and a princess for the old emperor, and he hated her for it.

As more time passed by, the thirst grew stronger. He wanted to pull her underneath him and crush her. Humiliate her.

And ultimately, that wish came true.

So if that woman had come back from the dead and was carrying out her revenge, he would be her ultimate target.

“Huu…”

Since when had his hands clenched into fists? Since when had they begun to tremble? The Crown Prince smiled bitterly and relaxed his hands. He looked down at his cousin, who was still trembling on the floor. The Crown Prince held out his hand.

“Jewol, come here. Quickly.”

Jewol’s hands trembled on the floor. His eyes closed before opening once again. He recalled Yujo’s face staring back at him.

Yujo, free as a bird. Her lovely, long hair fluttering in the wind as she rode her horse. Yujo smiling back at him. My lovely, lovely Yujo. He needed to protect her. No matter what.

Jewol stood up.

The duke’s outer garments fell to the floor. Then the next layer of garments slid down. Step by step, he made his way to the Crown Prince. With each step, laughter seemed to bubble up in the cruel man’s eyes.

Jewol went on his knees in front of him. The Crown Prince’s pants loosened. Jewol didn’t hesitate and lowered his head.

* Muyeo is saying that Yujo “saved” Jewol by “sleeping with him”, LOL! Everyone was worried because it seemed like he had ‘trouble in bed’, but they think Yujo fixed him.

**Danju: I’m guessing this is some kind of position or title, but I can’t for the life of me figure it out. I tried searching naver, google, daum, etc. None of the results make any sense… The closest hunch I can get is maybe a Buddhist monk? But I’m not 100% sure, so I just kept it as is.

TN: OMG . The Crown Prince is absolutely disgusting.

And Jewol is quite the tragic character.  I just want everyone to be happy (except the Crown Prince. He can just go to hell).