That day was unusually clear and the air was refreshingly cool. Somehow, the clarity of the day seemed to cleanse the air surrounding the house, and Yoo Hyun, the daughter of Yi Baek-ryeon, took a deep breath of the fresh air.

Of course, Yoo Hyun knew that the gloomy atmosphere enveloping the house was due to the purges sweeping through the court recently, and had nothing to do with the weather. But there is something about human nature – when the day is clear and the sun shines brightly, one’s mood tends to improve a bit.

So, maybe today her mother might have a meal. Or if she refuses like yesterday, Yoo Hyun thought she might have to cling to her like a child.

Her mother was stern but surprisingly weak against her youngest daughter’s whining. If Yoo Hyun acted younger, her mother might sigh deeply but give in.

Yoo Hyun tried to think positively. Without that, it was impossible to endure.

It had been almost four months since her mother, Baek-ryeon, was dismissed and confined to the house.

Baek-ryeon, who had spent half her life on the battlefield, held out quite strongly. But as the days passed the hundred-day mark and scolding letters from the Emperor arrived one after another, her spirit seemed to weaken.

For fifteen days, she barely managed to swallow some gruel. And for the last three days, she had refused even that.

“She needs to hold on…”

There were whispers that Baek-ryeon’s long reign of power was finally ending. But Yoo Hyun thought differently.

Her mother wouldn’t end like this. Eventually, the Emperor would recognize her mother’s sincerity and reinstate her. But for that to happen, her mother must first survive until then.

Baek-ryeon was unusually robust for her age, perhaps due to her long military career or her strong will. Even after fifteen days of only gruel, her eyes were still bright.

But that was only when she ate something. Now, refusing to eat at all, she wouldn’t last a week. She wouldn’t be able to survive this storm.

“Yes. I’ll talk to her and persuade her. To eat at least a few spoonfuls, for the Emperor’s sake, or at least for her own face’s sake. She doesn’t need to eat a full meal, just enough to hold on.”

With that thought, Yoo Hyun quickened her steps towards her mother’s room. Before entering, she carefully announced her presence.

“Mother, it’s me. I’m coming in.”

The door opened, and the first thing that came into view was the streaming sunlight. Had her mother opened the window because of the nice weather? That thought passed through her mind, and then she saw…

“…Mother?”

Lying on the floor was Yi Baek-ryeon. Baek-ryeon was lying down, her head turned in this direction. But she didn’t seem to be sleeping – her head was slightly raised…

“Mother?”

Although Yoo Hyun was never called foolish in her life, she couldn’t understand the current situation. What was she looking at right now?

She moved forward as if in a trance. From the front, her mother’s raised head had obstructed the view, but from the side, she could see it.

The silk wrapped around her mother’s neck, the characters written in ink on it. Her mother’s face and chest, turned black, with hands placed over them.

The clean posture contrasted with the unusually disheveled, creased clothes.

“…Mother.”
In a whisper-like voice, Yoo Hyun called out, but there was no response. Without making a sound, she knelt beside Baek-ryeon and gently held her mother’s neatly placed hand on her chest.

It was cold.

Despite the warm sunlight shining down, Baek-ryeon’s hand touched by the sun was cold. It felt lifeless, almost like a corpse…

“…Should I bring in the meal, Miss?”

A voice calling Yoo Hyun stopped what could have been either a scream or tears from flowing out. A servant called her from just beyond the slightly open door. One more step and they could have seen inside the room. Yoo Hyun cried out hastily.

“No, there’s no need. Tell everyone not to come near until I call, and everyone should keep to their posts.”

Under normal circumstances, the opposite action would have been required. She should have called people to widely announce the death and take care of Baek-ryeon’s body.

But Yoo Hyun didn’t do that. She couldn’t let others see this scene. She didn’t want to show it. Such a vulnerable image of her mother was not meant for others to see.

“Yes, understood.”

Was it because of the situation? The servant, without any questions, retreated even from Yoo Hyun’s odd command of not approaching and just bringing in a meal.

Waiting until the servant’s presence completely vanished, Yoo Hyun clenched her teeth. She felt like she would burst into tears if she relaxed even slightly. She wanted to collapse and mourn her mother’s death like a child.

But she couldn’t afford to. In the current tumultuous political climate, even mourning a parent’s death could be used as a reason for purging.

There were cases of being imprisoned for exchanging letters with their parents, and relatives who were tortured to the point of physical ruin.