Because of her warm and gentle appearance, people often overlooked one crucial fact. Black Princess Po Hwa Ryeong was remarkably intelligent.
With a perfect memory that never forgot a single thing she saw, she had spent her early days in the palace buried in books and reading from dawn till dusk.
The depth of knowledge and culture she accumulated was already worthy of the title of Black Princess, and over the years, she gained ample experience in handling all kinds of people.
The young herbalist girl who had once wandered the White Immortal Mountain alone had now grown into a woman of authority. Therefore, she could easily deal with such a sudden situation.
“Tae Pyeong-aaaaah?!”
No, she could not deal with it.
When the person claiming to be Black Moon Leader Cheong Jin Myeong took off the cloth covering his face, it turned out he was none other than the third-ranked Vice General in the military hierarchy of Cheongdo.
Such a twist should have been manageable with calm and proper conduct, but the ridiculous display she had already made… was beyond repair.
Given that she had confessed to him directly, heat was now rising to her face.
Seol Tae Pyeong was bowing with his head lowered in apology.
She could understand his reaction.
As an upright and righteous man, he believed it unfair to accept the Black Princess’s difficult confession while hiding behind the mask of the Black Moon Leader.
That was just who Seol Tae Pyeong was. Po Hwa Ryeong’s growing admiration for him came from his generous, bold, and honorable nature.
Though he could be pragmatic enough to survive in Cheongdo’s political arena, his human warmth and masculine sincerity set him apart.
But still… could he not have just pretended not to know… just this once…?!
Surely, it would have been fine if he just stayed hidden behind the mask of the Black Moon Leader and acted a little more crafty… wouldn’t it?
But then, the thought of that embarrassed her too. She hated it.
And yet, watching him bow his head outright like this was unbearably mortifying.
Still, maybe he could have pretended not to notice, just this once.
On the other hand, it felt unfair to be the only one who had shown any courage, which left her feeling frustrated.
Even so, she wished he considered her shame and kept quiet for her sake.
But then, that made it seem as if she were the only one with the stronger emotions, which somehow felt even more humiliating.
One moment like this, and then the next like that.
The Black Princess couldn’t even make sense of her own feelings.
Her thoughts kept circling, spiraling endlessly until they began to overwhelm her mind completely.
With her face heating up, the Black Princess knew she had to say something, anything.
“Ahahaha! Fooled you, didn’t I!”
She tried to pull off a bluff and bit her tongue in the process.
The Black Princess somehow managed to endure the sharp pain shooting through her tongue.
“…Huh?”
“You. you…do you really think I wouldn’t recognize you, Tae Pyeong?! Just because you threw on some silly cloth? You’ve got a voice and a build; I wouldn’t know you?!”
“Is… is that so?!”
In reality, he had concealed his presence quite well with a bit of Taoist magic, so it would have been difficult for the Black Princess, who was relatively inexperienced in such things, to notice him.
But despite it all, she pushed forward with sheer force of will.
“How, how… how could you come to pay respects to the crown princess consort, all while hiding your identity…? Th-This is, depending on the circumstances, a grave crime that could be severely punished under martial law…!”
“A… Ah… you’re absolutely right!”
“But how could I treat my dear friend Tae Pyeong so harshly? That’s why… I simply gave you a chance to reveal yourself on your own!”
Despite being pushed to her mental limits, the Black Princess spoke with a surprising fluency.
By now, she had no idea what she was saying, but as the words kept spilling out, she was oddly fascinated by how naturally they flowed.
Even as the whole world seemed to spin around her, the Black Princess steadied herself and spoke with effort.
“You… you pass.”
“….…”
“To the end, you didn’t keep your identity hidden but instead came forward and bowed first. You truly deserve to be called a loyal and upright Vice General!”
“Well then….”
“Yes… I simply gave you a chance to reflect!”
The sight of the Black Princess biting her tongue while saying everything she wanted to say was pitiful.
Watching her, Seol Tae Pyeong looked moved. He had a heartfelt expression on his face.
And then, inwardly, he thought,
This… this is the moment my acting skills are put to the test!
Surely he didn’t really believe all those random words that she blurted out with her face burning red.
He had revealed his identity in response to the Black Princess’s brave gesture of expressing her feelings, but from now on, it was the right thing to do to really pretend not to know…!
Yes, he would humbly express his gratitude for her generous pardon of his serious crime and vow to always remember her deep loyalty and leniency.
Then… things would be settled.
Seol Tae Pyeong took a deep breath and spoke.
“Black Princess!!!”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
But the Black Princess did not allow him a response.
And so, Seol Tae Pyeong was promptly expelled from the Black Tortoise Palace.
“…I, I misjudged. You are not the type of person who would turn away from people’s hearts and deceive them.”
“……”
“S-Still… there’s something to be said for a woman’s delicate feelings. Couldn’t you have been a bit less cruel in this moment?”
***
“I regret it now.”
Back in the White Tiger Palace.
After being harshly turned away from the Black Tortoise Palace, Seol Tae Pyeong buried his head in the table with tears in his eyes.
The White Princess watched him in silence, then sighed deeply.
Though he said he regretted it now, Seol Tae Pyeong would never betray or ignore the Black Princess, even if the same situation arose again.
He needed to know when to be a little cunning, to obscure his intentions when the situation called for it. He was certainly capable of that when it came to politics, but when it came to personal relationships, he completely erased that part of himself.
Perhaps it was this particular trait that drew the princess consorts to him and made them stumble helplessly.
In Cheongdo Palace, which was full of schemers with hidden agendas, someone like Seol Tae Pyeong who treated people with unwavering sincerity was worth more than gold.
Even as he rose to the position of Vice General, he retained that purity, which might be why he seemed so precious to the princess consorts.
However, that was that, and this was this.
What sin did the Black Princess commit? When one stabs at a young girl’s innocent heart with the blade of shame, it usually ends in disaster.
When she imagined the Black Princess who was usually so lively turning red and trembling all over, the White Princess couldn’t help but feel that she had done something terrible.
She felt a pang of guilt. But the Inbong clan also had to survive.
“It seems… White Princess, your way and mine just don’t align.”
“……?”
“I think, after all, I have to carve my own path forward. Depending on you to solve my burden was where I went wrong.”
At any rate, he simply had to avoid being appointed as the commander of the newly established unit.
For that, he would need someone with a strong voice to convey his difficult position to the palace. It would be far more convincing than coming from his own lips.
With a resolute expression, Seol Tae Pyeong lifted his head and looked at the White Princess.
“It seems… if I’m going to make such a request, only the Vermilion Princess could help. She’s the most influential princess consort, a noblewoman of the Jeonseon clan and the holder of the Golden Hairpin. If she herself spoke on my behalf… surely His Majesty would consider my situation.”
“General Seol, let me ask since it worries me. Just how do you plan to meet the Vermilion Princess who openly turned you away?”
Sneaking in, disguising his identity.
If he were to ask the White Princess for a plan, she would suggest something along those lines… but Seol Tae Pyeong would likely approach it in an entirely different way.
The White Princess did not want to see her ally overworked with grueling tasks, so she wanted to respect his decision… but she was anxious because she didn’t know what kind of plan he would take.
“C-Could I ask what sort of plan you have in mind?”
“The problem was thinking I needed a plan in the first place.”
“……?”
***
A magpie landed in a corner of the courtyard of the Vermilion Bird Palace.
It pecked at the ground a few times before flapping its wings and vanishing. It looked to be very free.
“……”
Vermilion Princess In Ha Yeon quietly lowered her head as she watched the scene.
The one responsible for driving Seol Tae Pyeong’s father to his death was none other than In Seon Rok, the head of the Jeongseon clan and the Chief Councilor of the Empire.
He was a selfish, devious man who skillfully balanced justice and injustice to maintain his power.
And the Vermilion Princess… was his daughter.
As she sat quietly in front of the courtyard with an exhausted expression, her maid Hyeon Dang approached and bowed her head.
“You don’t look well, Vermilion Princess. Perhaps it would be best to cancel your afternoon schedule and take some rest.”
“…Yes, that might be for the best.”
“The maids are quite worried for you. Please treasure your health and focus on regaining your strength.”
The Vermilion Princess who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts rarely struggled with illness.
That was why seeing her in such a weakened state came as a great shock to her maids.
Had the recent White Demonic Spirit incident affected her health so badly?
Rumors circulated wildly, and the maids were practically tearing through Cheongdo Palace’s pharmacy in search of good medicinal herbs.
Among the maids of the Vermilion Bird Palace, there was not a single one who did not hold the Vermilion Princess in the highest regard.
If she fell ill, they would give up their very hearts and livers if it meant helping to heal her.
However, the illness that plagued the Vermilion Princess was not of the body but of the heart.
Life had been nothing but a relentless path of thorns for Seol Tae Pyeong.
And it was the Jeongseon clan that had driven him into that abyss.
It felt as if the curse woven into her clan name questioned her.
What right do you have to look upon Seol Tae Pyeong’s face?
You were born into a privileged clan, received everything you wanted, and only ascended to your noble position because it was promised to you. Even the painful effort you put in would have meant nothing without your clan’s background.
How could you stand with authority before a man who had clawed his way up from the very bottom? How could you pretend to be something you’re not?
And worse yet, the root of his misery was in her own bloodline.
“Haah…”
“Vermilion Princess!”
The Vermilion Princess took a deep breath and lowered her head. Headmaid Hyeon Dang quickly stepped forward to check on her.
In all her years, Hyeon Dang had never seen the once brave and noble Vermilion Princess look so broken.
“Hyeon Dang-ah…”
“Yes, Vermilion Princess. I am here by your side. Please, speak.”
“Hyeon Dang-ah, have you… ever resented your own birth?”
“…Huh?”
Hyeon Dang’s expression grew blank at the unexpected question.
But at the very least, the Vermilion Princess was not someone with reason to resent her own birth.
Throughout her life, she had benefited from the Jeongseon Clan. She had risen to a level of nobility that most could never hope to achieve thanks to her noble birth.
She was not so shameless as to disregard everything she had received, to turn her clan into her enemy by clinging only to visible flaws.
By now, any attempt to act righteous and pure would be hypocritical; she had received far too much.
Yet, evil was evil.
And birth was birth.
In this turmoil… the Vermilion Princess found herself unable to calm her heart.
And so, she lacked the courage to face Seol Tae Pyeong.
Though she had spent her life confronting fear, the thought of meeting the Vice General’s gaze filled her with a fear unlike any other.
It was as if the sins she had carried on her back her entire life loomed before her… an immense dread overcame her.
“Vermilion Princess!”
At that moment, a maid from the Vermilion Bird Palace rushed into the courtyard with an urgent voice.
“Th-The Vice General… he’s kneeling right now outside the palace’s main gate…!”
“Wh-What…?”
“He… he’s bowing his head to the ground, begging to meet with you just once… he refused to leave.”
The Vermilion Princess felt dizzy.
***
A straightforward approach.
How could such a man take a roundabout path in life?
Born a man, he ought to stand tall and walk the main road with his chest held high.
I, Seol Tae Pyeong, have lived as a man.
I go forward as a man.
So, with those words, Seol Tae Pyeong had made his way to the Vermilion Bird Palace… and knelt before the main gate in protest.
Whether under the sun or the moon, rain or snow, he would remain there until she agreed to meet him.
This, a display of a true man’s unwavering spirit… was Seol Tae Pyeong’s way.
A fearsome man.
The White Princess felt a chill run through her.
She could easily picture the scene unfolding at the main gate of the Vermilion Bird Palace.
The passing maid and the Hwalseong District aides would try to dissuade him, and yet the sight of that resolute man who was standing firm with his head held high and waiting for the Vermilion Princess in complete silence…!
– The Vermilion Princess had left the Vice General sitting at the middle gate, leaving Seol Tae Pyeong to endure days of being turned away at the palace doors.
How long could such a rumor be endured?
With the spirit to see who would win in this standoff, he charged forward like a blind ox; one had to admire his sheer tenacity.
But the Vermilion Princess was left in a state of endlessly tangled emotions. She was caught between shame and guilt.
While it was certainly improper for anyone to grab her by the collar and beg for an audience in this way, Seol Tae Pyeong had his own reasons for urgency.
At this rate, he would die from exhaustion.
The only one who could save him from such a fate was none other than the Vermilion Princess…!
From her perspective, this must feel like a trap with no way out…
This man, was he really set on driving all the princess consorts to utter shame?
Truly, he was unmistakably the descendant of that treacherous Seol Lee Moon.
Simply by existing, he was practically storming through the inner palace!
The White Princess who was sitting in the tea room suddenly felt a shiver run down her spine, which made her shudder.
It was fortunate not to have fallen victim to that spell of the White Demonic Spirit.
Had things gone differently, it would be her suffering under Seol Tae Pyeong’s merciless onslaught right now…
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