“The maid had the uniform of a maid from the Ni clan’s mansion.” That was what Min-jun’s court ladies had claimed. A part of Cheol felt cautious. Something about this whole business was growing increasingly odd. He had initially thought that one of the Ministers was at fault for all this, but why would they send a maid in their uniform over to the Palace? It sounded almost as if they’d been framed? Well, Cheol had been meaning to deal with the Ni clan for a long time now. Getting rid of the head would make the legs scatter and die off eventually.
Lady Ok-jeong was not there when Cheol arrived at her family’s sprawling mansion, with just the tiled rooftop peeking over the gates. Cheol used to stand on boulders and crates outside of mansions like these, hoping to get a glimpse of what was inside. But now, the sky was a deep gray as he approached the front gates. He no longer had to look over the mansions’ gates. He could enter any place within Saro’s borders. Two guards stood in front of the wooden set of doors. They kneeled as he drew closer.
“Your Majesty!” one of them cried. He was a wiry man with a mole under his eye, and his clothes were perhaps a size too big for him. There was something reverent in the way he bowed his head to Cheol. It was clear that his loyalties lied with the King if push came to shove.
“Is Lady Ok-jeong at home?” he asked.
The men glanced at each other, before shifting their gaze back to him. “I’m afraid not your Majesty. I can have someone fetch her for you if you’d like.”
“Do so,” Cheol said. “Is Lord Ni present?”
“I’m afraid he’s on business,” the man said. “He should be back by this evening.”
“I shall wait for them,” Cheol said, stepping past the guards. They hastily opened the gates for him. The garden was barren here, the fallen leaves from the few trees having been disposed of. Vegetation was sparse save for the withered rose bushes. What a harrowing sight.
Two servants greeted Cheol, their eyes sharper than the guards’. It was clear they were the true protectors of the mansion. Unfortunately, even if they were suspicious, they could not turn him away. Being King had its perks.
“I would like to take a look around,” Cheol said, placing a hand on a painted wooden beam. “This is the place Lady Ok-jeong was raised in, after all.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the servants said, their words and actions synchronized. They were well-trained.
He made a show of being interested in his surroundings, taking note of the many expensive artifacts on display.
“Our lord is an avid collector,” one of the servants said.
“It must’ve taken him years to afford such a collection,” Cheol said. Either that or the old Minister wasn’t being completely honest about his wealth. Cheol was tempted to claim the latter. Perhaps he would find an incriminating ledger along with the poison.
“Your Majesty.” A servant dared to protest as he pushed the doors to Lady Ok-jeong’s quarters open. The spacious room had plenty of windows but was dimmed by the overcast sky and lack of lit lanterns. That was just as well.
“You should stay outside,” Cheol said to the servants. “So you can greet Lady Ok-jeong when she returns.”
It was an unassuming room. Not nearly as richly decorated as the rest of the mansion. Paintings hung on the walls, presenting scenes of mountains and gatherings between noblemen. Priceless tea sets sat on display in cabinets, their porcelain adorned with flowers, landscapes, and beautiful patterns. Lady Ok-jeong’s obsession seemed to extend outside of tea leaves.
He continued to inspect the room, without letting his attention linger anywhere for too long. He parted the curtain to the bedroom area. A mattress had been rolled out across the floor. There were more cabinets and tea sets here. It had to be here somewhere.
Cheol opened a drawer and then another. His gaze fell on the jars and vials on the vanity. Snow peony poison resembled tinctures and other cosmetics. A quick glance over the assortment and Cheol found what he was looking for. A little vial of clear liquid, with the slightest addition of silver flakes suspended inside of it. He picked up the vial and held it up to his eye level. That was . . . suspiciously easy. Even Lady Ok-jeong had to be more clever than this. Unless . . .
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
There was some chatter outside the door, and then Lady Ok-jeong burst into the room, her face flushed.
“T-sbeg Zjpfras!” rtf rjlv. “Tbe vlv cba wfcalbc sbe kfgf mbwlcu!”
Vtf rabqqfv, rajglcu ja atf nlji lc Jtfbi’r tjcv. Lfg tjlg kjr ygjlvfv vbkc tfg yjmx, tfg ilqr qjlcafv qlcx, tfg fsfr gjvljca. Vtf kjr vgfrrfv lc j qjif ugffc tjcybx atja ygbeuta wfwbglfr bo rqglcu. Kgeis, Zlc-pec bnfgrtjvbkfv tfg lc fnfgs kjs.
“Your Majesty, I . . .”
“I’m sure you can explain,” Cheol said, his voice gentle, “why the poison that was used on Min-jun is in your room.”
“I have no idea.” She shook her head. “Why would I do such a thing to his Royal Highness after you’ve warned me to leave him be?”
“I did not accuse you of anything,” Cheol said. “I merely asked for an explanation. If it was not you, then who placed it in your room?”
She was trembling as if she were guilty, but Cheol supposed being accused of killing a royal family member was rather nerve-wracking. He wouldn’t be too hasty. After all, she could still be of use to him.
“Perhaps one of your maids?”
“No!” Lady Ok-jeong sounded a little too certain of that. “It wasn’t any of them. Your Majesty, they are completely innocent, each of them. I trust them with my life.”
“Very well,” Cheol said. “Who else has been in your room?”
“No one. Absolutely no one. Someone must’ve snuck in from the outside.”
“I doubt it. Your servants are too vigilant.” Cheol rubbed his chin. “Your parents, perhaps. Your father had always stood against my Consort. That’s a motive at least.”
“My father?” she asked, horrified at the prospect of testifying against her own father. Now, now, Cheol thought, it isn’t so bad once you stop thinking of yourself as his child.
Cheol tipped his head to the side. “You wish to be my Queen, don’t you?”
Lady Ok-jeong’s eyes widened. She wanted it. It was clear as day she wanted it. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
He touched a wisp of hair near her ear. “Then you must know that as the Queen of my people, you will often have to do things that pain you. You will no longer belong to this family. You will belong to Saro.”
Lady Ok-jeong folded her hands in front of her. “I understand, Your Majesty.”
“I will be holding a hearing in three days’ time. You will do well to choose your allies carefully.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
He almost felt bad for her. It was unfortunate her father was such a lying scum. They could’ve lived peacefully together . . .
Cheol’s mind cleared. There was one other person he hadn’t considered. Someone clever enough to frame the Ni clan and poison Min-jun.
. . .
“Truly, I wasn’t expecting it to be you, Hye-jin,” Cheol said, as he sat down across from her. They were in one of the many pavilions in the Palace, near the lapping waves of the lake. A tea set was laid out before them, much like the ones in Lady Ok-jeong’s quarters.
“I wasn’t expecting you to be a complete mess upon returning,” Hye-jin said. “Your sorrow and gloom made you slow.”
“I didn’t think my best friend would be bold enough to poison my consort. I’d thought for certain it would be one of those old men,” Cheol said, bringing his teacup to his lips. “How’d you get your hands on snow peony poison?”
“I’d been saving it for a rainy day.”
“But no antidote.”
“I wasn’t planning on letting the person I poisoned live,” Hye-jin replied. “Though I must admit that I hope your Consort’s ward manages to find a cure.”
Cheol gave her a curious glance. “Oh? Why the sudden change of heart?”
“The gardens have been growing out of control for one. Never seen so many weeds before. The gardeners are having quite the time with them.”
“And?”
Hye-jin put the book down on the table. “And I see now.” She raised her gaze to him. “That you would be a danger to us all should he die this way.”
“You fear for your life?” They were best friends. Cheol didn’t know if he had it in him to hurt her.
“You can be a frightening man.”
Cheol considered her words. Perhaps he had been a little over-protective where Min-jun was concerned. In the end, all of his attempts to keep Min-jun safe had been for naught. His hands tightened around his cup. In truth, he did not know what he would do if Min-jun died. Perhaps he would go mad, like his father before him.
“Your Majesty!” A eunuch ran toward them. “A man! There is a young man!” He bent over, breathing labored. “H-he said he carries the snow peony antidote with him!”
Cheol shot up from his seat. The eunuch shrunk back. Ah, there was the intensity everyone found so frightening. “Explain yourself.”
The eunuch bowed, still out of breath, and yet there was something of excitement in him as he spoke. “The man was riding on one of the Palace horses. He claims his name is Iseul, and that he can save his Highness, Royal Noble Consort Hui.”
“Where is he now?”
“Awaiting an audience with you, Your Majesty. In the Throne Hall.”
Cheol sped past him. He heard Hye-jin sigh and gather her books to follow him. Would I have hurt her? Had Min-jun not been saved, would he truly be a danger to all his loved ones?
Absolutely. A voice inside of Cheol egged him on. They should all be punished.
. . .
Iseul was a slender man with brown eyes and dark hair which he styled in a messy ponytail. There were streaks of mud on his face. He must’ve ridden for a long time. Cheol extended a hand for the antidote. It was a vial of violet liquid, a bit viscous, but not overly so.
“And this will cure him?”
Iseul remained kneeling at Cheol’s feet. “Yes, Your Majesty. But it requires a deft hand.”
“Meaning?”
“I am the only one who knows how to properly concoct the mixture,” Iseul said. “I will have to attend to his Highness in person.”
“Very well,” Cheol said. He extended his arm for Iseul to take the antidote back. “You will do so under the watch of my royal physicians.”
As Iseul drew closer, Cheol placed a hand on his shoulder, bringing him closer until he could whisper in his ear. His grip on Iseul’s shoulder tightened, enough to be painful, enough to leave an impression.
“You should know, if my Consort dies while you are treating him, I will kill you,” Cheol said, quietly. He released him, and Iseul stumbled back. Cheol propped his cheek upon his hand. “Where is the girl?”
“The girl?”
“They said you rode on one of the Palace horses. I assume you got it from Mai.”
Iseul clenched and unclenched his hand. He was more nervous now than he had been when Cheol threatened his life. No, it was more than that. The man was guilty. “Mai decided to stay back. The ones who gave us the medicine would not let us go otherwise.”
Cheol hummed. “I see. That’s unfortunate. My Consort was quite fond of her. He’ll be upset when he finds her gone.”
“At least he will be alive.”
There was certainly more to this story. Cheol took in the man’s slender figure and elegant features and found that he didn’t like him very much. There was something in the way he spoke and held himself as if he was anticipating something great.
“Yes,” Cheol said. “At least he will be alive.”
A/N: Finally finished this chapter! I thought I might have to wait until tomorrow to post it. Anywho, like father, like daughter, amiright? Everyone in this family is an investigator. Anyway, hopefully we will have Min-jun back next chapter so he can keep Cheol from murdering everyone. Thank you for reading! If you liked this chapter, please leave a comment down below!
It’s easy to notice hye-jin does not like min-jun but i never thought she would go that far?? Does she know about the past between cheol and min-jun? And if she did, again, why try to kill my baby?!
I think I remember her giving Cheol a hard time about jeopardizing their mission because of Min-jun before he took the throne, and then worrying that keeping him as his consort was more emotional than wise. But if she thought that way, then she shouldn’t have been surprised by his response to the poisoning. Why couldn’t it really have been Lady Ok-Jeong 😑
Hye-jin woke up and chose violence but not in a fun way. You really hit the nail on the head with her reasoning. Hopefully when another character is done confronting her it will make a little more sense. Thank you for commenting!
I bet Hye-jin lost a few popularity points with this revelation. She’s got her reasons, even if they are bad ones. Thank you for commenting!
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
Thank you for commenting!
Anticipating something great – another creep looking for an excuse to touch Min-jun’s body?
Also, do we really have to have a queen 😟 I don’t want her.
Poor MJ simply cannot shake off all these creeps after him. Oh? We do not approve of Queen Ok-jeong? I know a few other characters who won’t approve of her either heheh
Killing path to rescue Mai sounds good to me
Thank you for chapter
oof I wish they could just go and save her too. Thanks for commenting!
Ahha! I suspected that it was hye-jin! I get why she did it. No popularity points lost there :p