Jwa Woo gathered the side branches of the pagoda tree.

Soon, an excellent wooden sword was made.

“Well, who shall we start with?”

At Jwa Woo’s confident behavior, the gahabin looked at each other warily.

Jwa Woo was different from those they had dealt with so far.

Usually everyone bowed their heads before them.

But this gahabin, who had entered on the recommendation of a mere eunuch, did not bow her head. No, not only that, she was about to brandish a weapon at them.

“You’ll regret it.”

Lee Myung Hak gave a final warning.

Jwa Woo lightly countered his advice.

“My father always said you have to try to know long and short. Although I haven’t formally trained in martial arts… Won’t we know who wins or loses, who ultimately regrets it, only after the fight is over?”

“……”

It was the gahabin who were flustered as the situation flowed differently than expected.

Having relied only on their family’s power until now, they had never fought a real fight. Of course, they had held wooden swords when they were young.

But they had only held them, never sparred with them even once.

No, perhaps it’s more accurate to say they never had reason to spar.

It’s not like they would pass the military service exam.

If a fight broke out, there were guard warriors to protect them, so why bother wielding such wooden swords?

But today they met their match.

Some unknown country bumpkin was swinging around a wooden sword.

Swish, swish.

Jwa Woo’s form as she swung the wooden sword in the air for practice was extraordinary.

This was because since childhood, Jwa Woo’s father had always said that even a woman should have the strength to protect herself.

Kwon Eui Jung had Jwa Woo play with tree branches from the time she began to walk, and after she started to gain strength in her hands, he taught her a few easy-to-understand sword techniques.

Thanks to her father, who was well-versed in both literary and martial arts, Jwa Woo was able to have martial arts skills and boldness uncharacteristic of a woman.

Her father’s teachings had also been a great help when she worked as a Hwaseobja in Myeongye-bang.

As not all encounters were fortunate, there had been a few times when she faced some unsavory characters.

But with a few sword techniques passed down from her father, most ruffians were no match for her.

So why should she fear these gahabin now?

They were clearly bookworms who only knew how to talk.

People who could save or kill with just a word.

Perhaps they even ate the rice that went into their mouths through the hands of their servants. In a way, it could be a fight between a child and an adult.

But it was too vexing to let them go so easily given their misconduct.

Jwa Woo pointed at Lee Myung Hak with the wooden sword made from the pagoda tree.

The one who had talked the most.

“What did you say to me earlier?”

“Wh-what did I say?”

“You told us to hit each other, didn’t you?”

“……”

“Do you think it’s right to order colleagues to slap each other’s cheeks?”

“You bastard, how dare a thing like you try to lecture me?”

Sparks flew from Lee Myung Hak’s eyes.

He grabbed the wooden sword in front of Jwa Woo.

Just break this piece of wood and it’s over… Huh?

He clearly grabbed the wood, but in an instant, the wood escaped Lee Myung Hak’s grasp. Jwa Woo had spun around and pulled the wooden sword away from Lee Myung Hak’s grip.

“Do you know what makes humans different from beasts? It’s reflecting on one’s mistakes. In that regard, this gahabin is worse than a beast.”

Every word from Jwa Woo grated on Lee Myung Hak’s nerves. He roughly kicked out and rushed towards Jwa Woo.

In that moment, thwack!

Jwa Woo’s right foot kicked Lee Myung Hak’s chest. As he fell backwards from the force, the pagoda tree wooden sword flew at his left cheek. Lee Myung Hak instinctively raised both arms to block his face.

But with a sharp cracking sound, the sound of Lee Myung Hak’s left wrist bone breaking was heard.

“Aaaaargh!”

Lee Myung Hak’s scream covered the small pagoda tree grove.

The other gahabin who had been watching his ordeal quietly scattered and fled.

In the end, only Lee Myung Hak remained, face down in a puddle with his backside in the air.

Jwa Woo threw the pagoda tree wooden sword she had been holding at Lee Myung Hak’s head.

She spoke to Lee Myung Hak as he raised his head to look at her.

“Don’t mistreat Gahabin Yoo carelessly in the future. Next time, I’ll break your right arm instead of your left.”

After giving this warning, Jwa Woo left with Yoo Chi Sung, who was too dumbfounded to know what to do.

How much time passed like that?

A gentle breeze blew through the pagoda tree grove.

Lee Myung Hak, who hadn’t been able to raise his head until then, slowly lifted it.

He glared murderously at the wooden sword near him. Grinding his teeth, Lee Myung Hak picked up the wooden sword Jwa Woo had left with his right hand.

“I’ll kill her. I’ll kill her. I’ll kill her for sure.”

Just as he was making this vow.

“You won’t be able to kill her.”

[This is the timeline separator]

A chilling voice approached from behind Lee Myung Hak.

Without even turning his head, Lee Myung Hak could tell the owner of the voice was Lee Gyo Young.

“You bastard!”

Lee Myung Hak raised his voice towards Lee Gyo Young, who dared to defy him.

Lee Gyo Young looked at his half-brother with calm, sunken eyes.

“You bastard, how dare you face me?”

Lee Myung Hak lashed out at Lee Gyo Young, who stood proudly before him.

Lee Gyo Young simply stared at him silently until his outburst subsided.

After quite some time had passed.

Finally, Lee Gyo Young spoke.

“Coming here, I found one good thing.”

“What?”

“Forgetting all connections outside this West Palace and just becoming equal gahabin. That one thing is good.”

“You’ve gone mad.”

“Listen well, elder brother.”

“Elder brother? Elder brother! This bastard son has finally lost his mind. How dare a son born from a lowly interpreter’s daughter call me elder brother?”

“Then… This gahabin, listen well. My tolerance ends here. Don’t treat me carelessly anymore. Don’t mistreat my colleagues either. Especially, don’t speak carelessly about my mother.”

“What if I can’t? What if I won’t?”

Lee Myung Hak shouted arrogantly.

Lee Gyo Young suddenly drew the sword at his waist.

“Why? Are you going to stab me with that? Even in the West Palace, if a murder occurs here, even the king won’t stand idle.”

“Murder is not to my taste.”

“Then what are you going to do with that sword… Urk.”

Before Lee Myung Hak could finish speaking.

Lee Gyo Young’s sword, still in its scabbard, was thrust into Lee Myung Hak’s lower abdomen. Then both shoulders, and then both knees in turn.

“Now when it’s about to rain, both your shoulders will ache. Your knees will hurt so much every morning you’ll have trouble straightening them. When you lie down to sleep, you’ll also experience a dull, pulling pain in your lower abdomen for a while.”

“What?”

“If something like this happens again, more places will hurt, and that pain will continue until just before death.”

“You bastard!”

“This gahabin.”

At Lee Gyo Young’s low voice, Lee Myung Hak involuntarily flinched. Towards him, Lee Gyo Young left a chilling warning.

“It would be best to watch your mouth from now on.”

Perhaps feeling fear at Lee Gyo Young’s quiet threat.

Lee Myung Hak could no longer say anything.

A sudden humid wind blew through the quiet pagoda tree grove.

Is it about to rain?

Lee Myung Hak’s perfectly fine shoulders and knees began to ache.

[This is the timeline separator]

“He’s a scary person, unlike his appearance.”

Not far from the pagoda tree grove.

Standing on a small hill watching Lee Gyo Young, Bo Jong shivered slightly.

“He looks scary on the outside too.”

Somehow, there seemed to be personal feelings mixed in the words about Lee Gyo Young.

Bo Jong turned to look at his master.

Bo Jong’s master, Hong Woo Geon, was chewing on a willow branch while staring elsewhere.

Sensing Bo Jong’s gaze, Hong Woo Geon spat out the willow branch and stood up.

“Bo Jong.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Shall I show you something really scary?”

“What?”

After seeing the fierce confrontation between half-brothers.

Wondering what could be scarier than that, Bo Jong shifted his gaze to where Hong Woo Geon was looking.

Opposite the pagoda tree grove.

The road leading to the eighth gahabin’s quarters was visible.

Bo Jong could also see Jwa Woo and Yoo Chi Sung walking back and forth on that road.

What about that sight could be scary?

Bo Jong stared at Hong Woo Geon, who was looking at Jwa Woo with a particularly intriguing expression.

“I told you to look over there, not at me.”

“……”

“You’re about to see the scariest sight in the world.”

Hong Woo Geon predicted with a grin.

What on earth was he supposed to look at?

Bo Jong reluctantly turned his gaze to where Hong Woo Geon was pointing.

[This is the timeline separator]

The yellow dandelions by the roadside shook their young leaves in the wind.

The earth, where life was sprouting, was full of freshness.

But Yoo Chi Sung’s heart, as he walked behind Jwa Woo, was infinitely heavy. Regardless of the endlessly fluttering season, his expression was as deeply sunken as the deep sea.

What filled his chest now was guilt.

Yoo Chi Sung recalled the night he first met Jwa Woo.

The image of himself, knowing full well where her quarters were, yet directing her elsewhere.

He felt like he would go mad remembering how he had reported to the official managing the gahabin about Jwa Woo buying rice balls from the cook with money.

What made him even more restless was Jwa Woo herself.

“You know, don’t you?”

It was Yoo Chi Sung who spoke first, unable to bear it.

He shot at Jwa Woo’s back in a swollen voice.

He knew he was in no position to do so.

Nevertheless, this was the only way he could maintain what little self-respect he had left.

Surprisingly, there was a smile on Jwa Woo’s face as she turned to look at him.

“What do you mean?”

“It was all my doing. I gave Gahabin Kwon the wrong quarters, and not content with that, I slandered Gahabin Kwon who was showing kindness to this gahabin. You know all this, don’t you?”

“I know.”

“……”

He thought she would say she didn’t know.

Jwa Woo readily admitted that she knew. Yet her smile remained.

It wasn’t a smile mocking Yoo Chi Sung.

It was even less the sneering smile that Lee Myung Hak and the other gahabin wore.

It was a pure smile, as it was, in itself.

“Don’t you hate me?”

To Yoo Chi Sung’s question, Jwa Woo responded with another question.

“Did you do those things because you hated me, Gahabin Yoo?”