“You refused it.”
“Ugh.”
I don’t remember why I was angry during lunch yesterday, but anyway, Hyeok Gi-rin’s anger hasn’t subsided yet.
While eating court cuisine, I fell into thought. Maybe it’s because I was eating alone, but despite the luxurious food being the same as yesterday’s meal, it just didn’t taste good.
“Sigh.”
Even though I cleaned every plate without leaving any leftovers, I couldn’t find satisfaction like yesterday. Perhaps it was because I was eating lunch alone. Being surrounded by the strangely hostile court ladies made me feel like I understood the loneliness of being in a crowd.
Finishing my cup of dragon tea, I fell deep into contemplation. Hyeok Gi-rin’s attitude was bothering me.
What part of this was problematic…?
First, let’s revisit the premise.
It’s certain that the Emperor called us to the palace to meet Hyeok Gi-rin.
And the court ladies in the Gungcheongjeon knew well that Hyeok Gi-rin was a cross-dressing woman and a princess.
The item remaining above Hyeok Gi-rin’s head was clear evidence. The palace, which had confiscated external items, left only Hyeok Gi-rin’s behind, which proved that the court ladies knew she was a cross-dressing woman and a princess.
Hyeok Gi-rin and I could be said to be quite close. They knew she was a cross-dressing woman, and through her connection as Miss Yeo Il-ye’s savior, we experienced the Sacheon City incident together and spent quite a bit of time in the Jeomchang faction.
Hmm.
No matter how much I think about it, I can’t believe that the gentle and kind Hyeok Gi-rin would be so furious just because I called her “friend.”
Maybe there was a legitimate reason for it.
“Hmm.”
I felt the scrutinizing gaze of the meticulous court ladies, who were observing my every move. While I didn’t underestimate the palace, I never imagined it would feel this stifling.
An unprecedented level of strictness, perhaps.
In the morning, I thought I might actually choke. Practicing the court greeting, ten ladies entered and lined up like ministers… oh wow, it felt like suffocating with ten people’s sharp gazes piercing me.
Additionally, while they were measuring me for the official attire, they were cutting my hair everywhere from head to toe… Why did they measure my hair length, and why were they examining my tongue and eyes? I had no choice but to feel astonished since everything was supposed to reflect the refinement of the official costume.
See, even now, during lunch break, I couldn’t escape the many court ladies’ piercing gazes as they studied me like knives.
I thought they were strict on the first day, but apparently, they were lenient then.
“Hmm…”
If the palace is this strict, Hyeok Gi-rin’s reaction yesterday becomes a bit more understandable. We often hear that people of higher status must be careful even in choosing friends.
I tried to objectify my situation.
Being regarded as a Sacheon Outcast was just being an outcast after all, and while my martial arts were at a first-rate level, I wasn’t particularly well-known, and if pressed, my identity would be uncertain.
In this strict palace, I was utterly lacking in the criteria to declare myself a friend.
So, that might be why she got angry.
I briefly considered Hyeok Gi-rin’s perspective. The palace could be considered Hyeok Gi-rin’s home, and its customs were unimaginably strict. After returning after a long time, she would only want to show a good side.
For the sake of reassuring her family and demonstrating that she was recognized as a successful martial artist, she would want to show a dignified appearance.
But…
Could a lowly outcast like me make a big fuss in front of the court ladies?
Even if she is a Sacheon Outcast, she is still an outcast. What kind of profession is an outcast? A potential criminal and a latent lawbreaker. They wouldn’t hesitate to harm people if it paid, always bothering the commoners.
How would the palace view Hyeok Gi-rin connecting with a mere outcast? Even if I were the Emperor, I would be worried if Hyeok Gi-rin mingled with someone like Ho Cheon-an.
It would be a troubling scenario for her, who only wanted to show a good appearance.
Thinking back, Hyeok Gi-rin was a bit off even before I mentioned the “friend” thing. She was overly cautious around me and acted awkwardly. Maybe she was subtly signaling me to recognize the awkwardness she was feeling at that moment.
“No matter how I think about it…”
Wow, Ho Cheon-an. My social sense is completely dead. When someone acts that strangely, I should’ve caught on. Instead, I realized it a whole day later.
Hyeok Gi-rin was trying to signal her discomfort about my friendly gesture, but I completely ignored that and acted friendly anyway. She had no choice but to pretend to be angry and distance herself from me.
I shouldn’t have felt upset with Hyeok Gi-rin. I was really the clueless one here. My trolling nature might have ended up putting her in a difficult spot.
“Hmm…”
Alright, I’ll just keep quiet and stay under the radar while I’m in the palace.
I also need to approach the education seriously. My reputation might directly affect Hyeok Gi-rin’s reputation, and I showed way too much disinterest thinking it was boring.
What’s done is done, so I have to make up for it.
“It’s the afternoon work time.”
“Um! I’m ready!”
Steeling my resolve, I focused my eyes on the middle-aged court lady.
“Today, we will learn about the education received by the palace daughters.”
“…Hmm?”
“We’ll study the environment in which the palace daughters grow, the types of education they receive, and what kind of bridal lessons they undergo.”
Watching the court lady speak in a strangely pressuring tone, I wondered what this was all about, but soon shook off my doubts. The contents of the lesson didn’t matter; restoring my reputation was the priority.
“Okay. I understand.”
Filled with eagerness, I nodded my head, and the middle-aged court lady glanced at me, muttering something under her breath before starting the lesson.
* *
“What’s this?”
Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi, a commander of my alma mater and a member of a prestigious family, hung his head.
“My apologies, Your Majesty.”
From the first line, Yoo Gyeong frowned. Unknown origins? Missing activities until the age of 15? Is this accurate according to the report from the renowned information organization?
“Are there no clues to infer their background?”
“Absolutely none… Based on the behaviors and impressions at that time, it’s more likely they come from a life of farmers or wanderers rather than a prestigious family, but… that’s only circumstantial evidence, and there are no solid clues about their origins.”
It felt like something had just fallen from the sky. Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi had those words rise in his throat but didn’t dare let them out. Can a person just fall from the sky? They just couldn’t find anything.
“Tsk. Find out for sure.”
“Understood!”
Yoo Gyeong frowned as she evaluated Ho Cheon-an with mixed feelings. Yoo Gyeong had quite an interest in the Sacheon Martial World, where Hyeok Gi-rin was active. The特色 of Sacheon must surely be Sacheon City, and the most distinct beings in Sacheon City were the Sacheon Outcasts.
She didn’t know much about Sacheon Outcasts, but Yoo Gyeong had a fair understanding of the knowledge common among the people of Sacheon.
‘Sacheon Outcasts are said to operate under the shadow of anonymity. Should we commend their ability to completely conceal their origins…?”
It was unlikely that the alma mater had gone all out in investigating Ho Cheon-an. However, Ho Cheon-an was one of the people the Emperor needed to meet. Even if he was just a side character to Hyeok Gi-rin, he wouldn’t be taken lightly.
The fact that he managed to keep his personal information hidden from the scrutiny of the organization was certainly commendable.
Drawing a feeling of disgust from not knowing Ho Cheon-an’s origins, combined with the satisfaction that any future husband should have at least this level of competence, Yoo Gyeong kept reading the report.
After reading midway, Yoo Gyeong set the report down for a moment and looked up at the sky.
Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi, understanding Yoo Gyeong’s sentiments, bowed deeply.
“Is this… true?”
“…There’s not a single lie in the report.”
“Haah… Haah…”
Yoo Gyeong felt dizzy, leaning back against the throne. The hard sensation of the throne’s backrest pressed against her head, but what mattered to Yoo Gyeong was not that.
“…Since becoming an outcast, has he been loitering around gambling halls every day and gambling all night?”
Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi said nothing and simply bowed lower.
“Even after loitering around gambling halls for five years without a single day of absence… always losing enormous sums of money?”
He bent even lower.
“Presumably, most of the enormous revenue earned as a Sacheon Outcast… was completely squandered on gambling?”
“Please pardon me, Your Majesty!”
The eunuchs and Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi simultaneously knelt and bowed their heads. There was a moment of silence from Yoo Gyeong, and when Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi couldn’t hold back and peeked up, Yoo Gyeong was staring blankly at the void.
“Haah…”
Yoo Gyeong let out a hollow laugh. A Sacheon Outcast… Sounds nice, but isn’t it just a profession that sells their pride as a martial artist for money? Fixing matches, ambushes, and ultimately, losing miserably or striking with disgraceful surprise attacks…
Given Yoo Gyeong’s thorough understanding of the life of the poor, it made total sense.
But… to scratch and scrape their pride and gamble away the money.
“Gambling…”
They say he’s been gambling. Every night he stays up gambling, scratching his pride and throwing all that money onto the gambling table.
Tears began to flow from Yoo Gyeong’s eyes.
Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi and the eunuchs were aghast and lowered their heads to the ground.
“Please pardon me, Your Majesty!”
“Please pardon me, Your Majesty!”
Even as the eunuchs cried in a sorrowful tone, Yoo Gyeong lowered her head, shedding tears.
“It is all my lack of virtue.”
“Please pardon me, Your Majesty!”
“How could I lift my head before His Majesty in the afterlife?”
“Your Majesty…”
At Yoo Gyeong’s heartfelt voice, the officials swallowed their breaths.
This fellow called Ho Cheon-an was a person whose job was to deceive and escape by losing, a gambling addict who kept losing even at the gambling table!
What a wretched man for Hyeok Gi-rin to have feelings for!
Yoo Gyeong felt a sincere sense of responsibility and shed tears of lament. At a young age, she hadn’t been able to help her leave the palace and establish a proper romantic outlook, allowing her to fall for such a fool of a guy after leaving the palace as a cross-dressing woman!
“I lack virtue, and lacking strength forced Yuya to decide to go to the Martial World. Since I failed to provide her with proper education as a daughter, I could not nurture her as a lady to avoid situations like this. If it’s not my lack of virtue, then what is it…!”
“Your Majesty…!”
Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi’s expression darkened as he lowered his head, and the eunuch’s eyes were filled with hot tears.
After a while, as Yoo Gyeong wiped away her tears, she calmed her heart. Right. First, let’s take a closer look at this guy Ho Cheon-an. Since he was already a gambling addict, it was obvious he would ruin his family’s reputation, but there was still plenty left in the report to go through.
As Yoo Gyeong read the report, she burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! So it is! It seems that after getting tangled up in some sorcery, instead of drawing swords to resolve it, he settled it through gambling! Aha-hahaha!”
“Please pardon me, Your Majesty!”
“Hahaha! Hey, commander! And eunuchs! Look at this! After being invited to the Jeomchang faction, he even taught techniques to the teachers! Aha-haha! A mere outcast is teaching techniques to teachers in the Jeomchang faction! Under the guise of educating the children! Hahaha!”
Which sect in the martial world is dedicating itself to gathering information? Naturally, it would be Jeomchang. Hyeok Gi-rin’s faction might extend its reach to Jeomchang, and even if it’s not related to her faction, they need to keep tabs on any distress that might happen to her and ensure that Jeomchang is doing well in protecting her.
Therefore, it was necessary for the alma mater to find out what Ho Cheon-an was doing and how he was acting within Jeomchang.
“Ahh! It’s clear this man is utterly obsessed with gambling! If he’s enthusiastic and interested in gambling, he’s the best gambler in the world! Ahahaha…”
It was unclear whether Yoo Gyeong was crying or laughing, but everyone bowed their heads.
“Prepare.”
At Yoo Gyeong’s chilling voice, Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi lifted his head.
“…Your Majesty?”
“I must see that man at once.”
Yoo Gyeong’s eyes were ablaze with fire.
