The disappearance of a crown princess consort was no ordinary matter.
Everyone involved would inevitably face punishment, and depending on the severity of the situation, some might even lose their heads.
It wasn’t just anyone who had gone missing; it was the mistress of the Vermilion Bird Palace who had disappeared within the palace grounds. Questions would surely arise as to what the headmaid had been doing, the guards who had let her pass would have to answer for their actions, and even the inner palace inspector responsible for maintaining order in the inner palace would not escape blame.
The higher one’s status, the greater the influence they wielded over the surrounding officials.
A single misstep could lead to heads rolling around you, especially for someone in the position of the crown princess consort.
Someone like the Black Princess who was blessed by the divine fever might have managed to act without anyone noticing. But the Vermilion Princess could hardly disappear without drawing attention.
Many would suffer because of this, and numerous innocent people would be wrongfully accused.
The Vermilion Princess was surely aware of this.
Her actions reflected a state of mind so troubled that she could not even account for such consequences.
Seol Tae Pyeong couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
***
“The Vermilion Princess seemed unwell. It felt as if she was being chased by something or harboring a growing fear in her heart… She seemed lost and unable to find her footing.”
“……”
By the time I returned to the palace, Hyeon Dang who was already in a state of exhaustion from the ordeal was giving a tired testimony in her haggard state.
It seemed that she had already been reprimanded by the high officials of the main palace and the officials of the Inner Palace.
The Headmaid had done nothing when her mistress disappeared right in front of her. She had merely clutched the golden hairpin in her hands.
Once this incident was resolved, it would likely be difficult for her to retain her position as Headmaid.
“…That…”
“……”
“……”
If you knew all this, why did you let it happen?
I almost said those words but stopped myself. Such a question must have already been repeated endlessly by the officials of the Inner Palace.
The situation had already unfolded, and picking apart the details of what had passed would achieve nothing.
This was the Vermilion Princess.
She had always been strong and dignified, so no one would have expected her to act so impulsively.
Especially not her close confidant, Headmaid Hyeon Dang.
“At this rate, I’ll probably be dismissed from my position as inspector as well.”
“I have nothing to say in my defense. Please… punish me with the harshest penalty possible.”
“That’s not important right now. What matters is finding the Vermilion Princess’s whereabouts first.”
I had brought my adjutants Bicheon and Cheong Jin Myeong with me.
Since the Inner Palace was designated as a strictly male-free zone, it seemed appropriate to leave the search there to Ha Si Hwa. I instructed my subordinates to focus their efforts on combing through the imperial capital.
“Vice General… no, Inspector, you’ve come as well.”
“I’m sorry for disturbing you so late at night.”
“It’s no trouble.”
Warrior Commander Jang Rae of the Red Palace had dashed out as soon as he received the news. His cooperation was essential to deploy the palace guards for the search effort.
When the warriors Jang Rae had brought along were added to the mix, the area outside the Inner Palace’s walls was already teeming with people.
This was a situation where the crown princess consort of the country had vanished. She had to be found before sunrise, no matter what.
One day passed, then two, then three… The longer the search dragged on, the bigger the incident would become.
“She probably hasn’t gone very far. Focus the search around the imperial capital.”
“Understood. Vice General, do you have any idea where the Vermilion Princess might have headed?”
“Somewhere the Vermilion Princess might go…?”
The key to any search operation was to center the efforts on locations the subject might head to.
However, for the Vermilion Princess, who had spent half her life in the Vermilion Bird Palace after growing up as a woman of the Jeongseon clan, where could she possibly go if she had left Cheongdo Palace?
If she had gone to her clan’s mansion in Jeongseon, news would have reached the palace as soon as she arrived.
If not her family’s home, then…
“…there’s nowhere she could go.”
For the Vermilion Princess, the Jeongseon mansion and Cheongdo Palace were the very foundations of her life.
Even if she had been cast into the streets of the imperial capital’s marketplace, she would have nowhere to go, and it would be a relief if she didn’t lose her way.
Except for ceremonial events or special duties, she would rarely leave for the imperial capital, so the places she was familiar with would also be extremely limited.
The more I thought about it, the more her life seemed to unfold vividly in my mind.
She had staged an uncharacteristic escape, but even that left her with nowhere to go.
Imagining her under the moonlight, dressed in her court robes and trudging along aimlessly, she seemed more like a soulless doll than anything else.
“Inspector, are you all right?”
Jang Rae asked me with a worried expression on his face.
What exactly was he asking if I was all right about? I refrained from responding with such a clumsy retort.
When a major incident like this occurred, there was no avoiding responsibility as someone holding the position of Inner Palace Inspector.
In the worst-case scenario, it wouldn’t just mean stepping down from my post. I might be held accountable for much more than that.
Of all the people affected by the Vermilion Princess’s escape, I was one of the ones bearing the greatest burden.
“…I’m fine.”
I had been resting my chin on my hand, lost in thought, when I suddenly opened my eyes wide and spoke.
“No…”
“..…?”
“This might actually work out better…”
“Huh?”
Jang Rae-do looked at me with a face full of confusion.
***
“The craftsman from Hwalseong District expressed her concerns and pleaded that we absolutely find the Vermilion Princess.”
In Yun, a metalsmith working in the Hwalseong District.
She was someone connected to the Jeongseon clan and someone we hadn’t been able to win over yet. Considering how much she respected the Vermilion Princess, it must have been unbearable for her to stand still in such a situation.
Yeon Ri, who had brought me this message, stood with a bundle balanced on her head.
“What’s that…?”
“I brought soup rice from the kitchen. You’ll be searching all night without eating, right?”
“At times like this, you actually seem like a proper maid…”
“Hey, I’ve always been good at being a maid, okay? I might be a little clumsy with cooking, though…”
After receiving a full report on the situation at the main palace, I returned to the Hwalseong District office for the time being. It was crucial to redirect all available personnel under my command to search for the Vermilion Princess.
“We don’t even have enough time to track down the Plague Demonic Spirit, and now we’re caught up in something like this. It’s chaotic. Eat before you continue.”
Even though it was late at night, the office was blazing with torches everywhere.
My subordinates were constantly coming and going, bringing updates on the search for the Vermilion Princess at all hours.
The sight of countless people relentlessly scouring the city for her, giving up their sleep in the process, was nothing short of chaotic.
From the office in the Hwalseong District, I could see the streets of the imperial capital already packed with soldiers carrying torches.
“Wow… In just a single hour, so many people have gathered. The Vermilion Princess must truly be an important figure.”
“…….”
“If she’s hiding intentionally, she won’t be easy to find. The imperial capital is vast, and no matter how many people are searching, it won’t be simple, Tae Pyeong-ah…”
“Tonight, we must locate the Vermilion Princess and continue the search for the Plague Demonic Spirit. There’s no time to waste.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
After saying that, Yeon Ri sat down beside the worktable and briskly unpacked the bundle she had brought.
Even though she always complained about hating rice soup, she never fussed about food when it truly mattered.
As expected, when you keep feeding someone, they eventually come around.
I told you it was delicious.
“But… it might be odd to say this in such an important situation, but this is the first time in all cycles of reincarnation that the Vermilion Princess has acted out like this.”
“…Is that so? I suppose if we had known beforehand, it wouldn’t be this surprising.”
“Mhmm. This cycle has already been full of unusual events, but for the Vermilion Princess to stray this far… it’s truly a first.”
Yeon Ri was now moving with the precision of a skilled assistant. She poured rice soup into the bowls and swiftly added the toppings.
“What on earth could shake the steadfast mind of the Vermilion Princess, who has always been like steel?”
“We’ll have to ask her directly to find out. But first, we need to locate her.”
“She’s not someone who would act out like this over something trivial… it’s as if her entire worldview has been turned upside down.”
Yeon Ri sighed deeply as she spoke, then quickly shook her head as if to clear her thoughts.
“For now, eating our fill comes first. If we’re going to search through the night, we need to regain our strength.”
“Right. Let’s eat first.”
We couldn’t afford to spend much time on the meal.
I quickly finished eating with Yeon Ri, grabbed my sword, and headed out to lead the search party.
By the next morning, we still hadn’t found the Vermilion Princess.
In reality, it was only natural. Considering how vast the Imperial Capital was, even with a lot of soldiers, there were limits to what could be done.
Morning dawned and the Council Meeting was convened. Emperor Woon Sung expressed his anger clearly.
The crown princess consort of the country had disappeared, and the emperor severely reprimanded his subordinates, demanding to know what they had done. The unchangeable law of hierarchical blame trickled down to the lowest ranks, leaving them gnashing their teeth in frustration.
However, finding her was no simple task.
Every room was searched, every street combed, eyewitness testimonies were gathered, and even the most remote areas were scoured, yet the whereabouts of the Vermilion Princess remained unknown.
What made it all the more perplexing was the fact that she had nowhere to go.
Where could she possibly be staying, and how was she managing to live?
For someone who had relied on the support of her maids her entire life, surviving outside the palace without any help for several nights was no easy feat.
Just having a roof and walls to sleep under would have been a stroke of luck, and if she had entered such a place, there would have been sightings of her, and she would have been found quickly.
By the second day of the search, rumors about the missing Vermilion Princess had already begun to spread throughout the imperial capital.
The bigger the commotion grew, the harder it would be for her to remain hidden.
As the days stretched into three and then beyond, it became increasingly clear that there were limits to how long she could wander outside without any aid.
Could she have left the capital…?
By the fourth day, the thought of expanding the search area beyond the capital began to cross my mind.
If the Vermilion Princess had suffered a grave injury or her life was in danger, then her maids and subordinates would undoubtedly face dire consequences.
To avoid the worst-case scenario, I put all my efforts into searching for her from dawn to dusk.
I ordered my subordinates to scatter in every direction and organize a systematic search, but no matter how thorough we were, it seemed impossible to find her.
This approach clearly had its limits. A different method was urgently needed.
– We must find the Vermilion Princess!
– Use any means necessary! Bring more officers from the Red Palace as well!
– Her safety must take priority above all else!
The entire palace was consumed with concern for her, and more soldiers were deployed than I had expected.
As the days went by, the number of people involved in the search grew steadily. The size of the operation grew to unprecedented levels.
Even those who had set aside their official duties to join the search were numerous, and the effort only intensified as time went on.
“….…”
I sat on the wooden floor of my mansion in the Hwalseong District. I was tapping the tip of my sword’s sheath as I tried to organize my thoughts.
Where could the Vermilion Princess have gone?
She had no acquaintances outside the palace, and the number of places willing to shelter her was dwindling. How was she managing to survive in such circumstances?
What could have driven her to wander so aimlessly?
While I was lost in these questions, the edge of my blade swayed listlessly in my grip.
“Tae Pyeong-ah, there’s word from the palace.”
“What did they say?”
“They warned that if the Vermilion Princess isn’t found within three days, they’ll strip you of your position as Inner Palace Inspector and take disciplinary action against you.”
“Well, that’s only to be expected.”
I had failed to fulfill my duties as the Inner Palace Inspector. That much was undeniable.
The punishment was fair, and I had no choice but to accept it.
Yeon Ri glanced at me with a worried expression on her face, but I slid the tip of my sword back into its sheath with a flick and stood up.
“There’s no time to dwell on that. We need to focus on finding the Vermilion Princess.”
“With this many people searching for four days without any success, it might turn into a longer operation than we expected.”
“True. We’ll also need to consider the possibility that she’s left the capital. It’s far, but not impossible.”
I needed to pinpoint locations she might have gone to by examining the map of Cheongdo. This kind of analysis was Ha Si Hwa’s specialty.
I left a message to summon Manager Ha Si Hwa and headed to the backyard to clear my mind.
I walked around aimlessly, trying to think of places where the Vermilion Princess might have gone.
Slide.
Clatter.
When I slid open the door to the backyard and walked out onto the dirt, with my steps crunching faintly beneath me, I saw it.
“…….”
“…….”
There, leaning against the base of the wall was the Vermilion Princess. She was drenched and looked like a wet rat.
She sat with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her head was buried in them, and she lay completely still.
“Vermilion Prin.…”
I started to speak but swallowed my words.
– I came all the way to Hwalseong District on my father’s orders.
Of course. Even the darkest shadows fall under the lamp.
The Vermilion Princess knew almost nothing about the world beyond Cheongdo Palace. Since assuming her position, she had rarely, if ever, ventured outside.
The only time she had ever come out this far was during the Hwalseong District development project. Back then, she had come to persuade me following In Seon Rok’s orders.
This should have been a moment where I panicked and fussed, asking if she was all right in a flurry of alarm.
But the sight of her condition froze me to the core.
Her once lustrous, silky hair was covered with dirt and dust. The elegant, dignified court robes she always wore were now stained and soiled with filthy water.
She must have wandered through mud, forests, and riversides to evade the soldiers’ search.
And when she could no longer endure, of all places, she had come to the backyard of the Vice General’s mansion in Hwalseong District.
“……”
Clatter.
I silently turned back, opened the rear door again, and headed to the kitchen to gather a few teacups.
From the meager selection, I chose the cheapest tea, one unlikely to suit the Vermilion Princess’s refined palate. Without bothering with proper tea ceremony etiquette, I hastily prepared two cups.
I returned to the courtyard with the steaming tea and placed a cup in front of the Vermilion Princess, who still had her head buried in her knees.
“I’m not sure if this will suit your taste.”
“….…”
The Vermilion Princess remained silent, with her face still pressed against her knees.
I sank down beside the Vermilion Princess and set my teacup on the dirt floor after taking a small sip.
Whenever I shared tea with the Vermilion Princess, it was always in the grand tea room of the Vermilion Bird Palace.
Sitting here and clinking teacups with the mistress of the palace in this dusty courtyard in front of a stone wall, felt strangely surreal.
Even so, I steadied my breath, looked up at the sky for a moment, and spoke.
“Are you feeling all right?”
“…There are far too many people who have suffered because of me. I feel unbearably guilty for that…”
“..….”
For those to be the first words out of her mouth—
It was so characteristic of the Vermilion Princess that, strangely, I felt a faint sense of relief.
“Sometimes, everyone needs a break from doing what’s expected.”
Bombarding her with questions about the situation would have been tactless.
Instead, I simply looked up at the clear sky and said,
“Living life too earnestly can be just as harmful.”
Such was the nature of life.
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