The Secret Night at Unyeon Palace - Chapter 38

Seo Yeom opened the barn door and pushed Eun Joo inside.

Eun Joo’s face wrinkled at the pungent odor coming from inside the barn.

The torch illuminating the darkness flickered in the incoming wind. The sound of the door closing behind her back was eerie.

He walked over briskly and sat in the chair, looking at Eun Joo with cold eyes.

“Sit down.”

“I have nothing to say. I don’t know why you’re doing this, but you’ll regret treating me this way.”

Just as Eun Joo tried to grab the barn door to leave, a dagger flew and lodged next to the doorknob.

Startled, Eun Joo backed away and sank down in that spot.

“Do I look like I’m asking? Sit down if you don’t want to die. By now, you should know why I called you here!”

“Why are you really doing this? Is it right to treat an innocent person like this?”

Eun Joo sat down and shouted in uncontrollable anger. Her eyes were filled with venom as she looked at him.

Her shamelessness, feeling no guilt despite her wrongdoing, was all too similar to her father.

“That seat you’re sitting in is where Eun Seol coughed up blood and hovered between life and death. You wouldn’t dare say you don’t know.”

“…!”

“My child, who struggled to live in its mother’s womb, that child died in that very spot!”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. I didn’t do anything. Why are you calling an innocent person here? Will you be able to bear the consequences of this later?”

“Whether you’re guilty or not is something we’ll find out now. Let me tell you in advance, don’t expect any mercy from me. Bring him in!”

As soon as the order was given, Seo Yeom dragged a man out from inside.

The man had a gag in his mouth and his hands were wrapped in cloth.

Eun Joo’s face turned pale as she belatedly grasped the situation, avoiding the man’s gaze.

“You wouldn’t say you don’t know him, would you?”

“How would I know? I don’t know anything about what that person might have said. I’ll be leaving now.”

“Stop right there!”

With a loud shout, an overturned table flew to the far corner.

Eun Joo’s scream echoed through the quiet barn.

He warned, suppressing his boiling anger.

“It would be better to speak before my patience runs out. If you don’t want to die miserably here, don’t provoke me any further.”

Eun Joo’s face turned deathly pale as she sank helplessly into the chair.

Seo Yeom removed the gag from the man’s mouth.

The man, catching his breath, looked at Eun Joo with cloudy eyes.

The corners of the man’s mouth, barely managing to sit up, twisted.

“Is this the wench who summoned the lady here and caused her to miscarry?”

“Y-yes. I’ll tell you the truth, just please spare my life.”

“Is it true that you acted on Yoon Eun Joo’s instigation, both in having the writing copied and causing the miscarriage?”

“Yes, she promised to give me 100 nyang if I did it.”

“W-what are you saying? It’s a lie. Why would I order such a thing? I don’t know this man. I don’t know him!”

Eun Joo screamed, tearing at her disheveled hair.

Then she immediately rushed at the man, grabbing his collar and shaking him.

“When did you ever see me to tell such lies!”

“It seems you don’t grasp the situation, but we’re already finished.”

“Shut up. Say that you did it all.”

The man looked at the screaming Eun Joo and smiled coldly.

“This is why you shouldn’t have made me angry. It would have been better if you’d given it when I asked. What’s so great about that body of yours…”

Before the man could finish speaking, Eun Joo’s hand struck his cheek.

Lee Woon couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He wondered if these were even human beings.

Eun Joo pushed the man away and stood up, coming towards him.

Eun Joo’s eyes seemed to have already lost all reason, and her whole body was trembling like an aspen leaf.

“Your Highness, everything this man said is a lie. I’m truly wronged.”

He took out a paper from inside his robe and held it out to Eun Joo.

Her pale pupils shook uncontrollably.

“You wouldn’t say you don’t recognize your handwriting, would you? This is a promissory note saying you’ll give 100 nyang to that man after instigating him and the matter is settled. Will you still deny it when there’s such clear evidence?”

“H-how did you get this? This can’t be. He said he definitely burned it…”

“Ha, you believed that? Even without this, there’s plenty of evidence that you instigated it. One of them is this.”

When he showed the scent pouch in his hand, Eun Joo’s pupils shook uncontrollably.

Eun Joo’s cracked voice asked how this had happened.

“This is what you kindly left behind here that day. Thanks to this, we were able to conclude the investigation quickly.”

Eun Joo reached out to grab the scent pouch, but when she couldn’t, she glared and gritted her teeth.

Eun Joo’s gaze, which had been looking down at the fallen man, slowly met his.

And then, slowly raising the corners of her mouth, she began to snicker.

It was chilling how she now acted composed, unlike her anxious state just moments ago.

Eun Joo revealed her true nature, letting out an obvious laugh.

“Yes, I did it. Isn’t that what Your Highness wanted too?”

“What?”

“You took a maid to your bed on your wedding night, so it seems you’re attracted to lowborn wenches. Do you know how vicious and poisonous that [expletive] Eun Seol is? You’ll surely regret keeping that [expletive] by your side.”

He, who had been quietly listening, approached Eun Joo’s side.

“As if you’re any better. I’m warning you, don’t casually call my person by name. It’s not a name for the likes of you to utter carelessly.”

He straightened his body, took a step back, and nodded to Seo Yeom.

Seo Yeom then handed him a bottle he had set aside.

“Now it’s your turn. Good things should be shared, don’t you think?”

“What is that…”

“It’s the exact same poison you fed to Eun Seol and my child. You know better than anyone that drinking this won’t kill you right away. Don’t worry and drink it.”

Eun Joo’s face, which had been looking on in confusion, suddenly trembled with fear as if she’d seen a ghost.

As Eun Joo tried to back away to escape, she was caught by Seo Yeom’s hand.

“L-let go. How dare you lay hands on my body!”

There was no hesitation.

He grabbed Eun Joo’s hair, tilted her head back, and poured the contents of the bottle into her mouth.

After confirming she had swallowed every last drop, he carelessly threw the bottle away.

Shortly after, Eun Joo writhed on the ground, clutching her stomach and coughing.

Gasping for breath, she glared at him with a face turned bluish.

“As much as I’d like to tear you apart right here, someone like you shouldn’t die so easily. Come in!”

The barn door opened and men in military attire entered.

One of them approached and bowed his head.

Park Du Sik, the royal secretary, had been lying in wait here after receiving prior notice.

“You’ve heard everything outside. The royal secretary will take these people away, judge their crimes again, and must certainly mete out suitable punishment for those crimes.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Thanks to you, the matter was easily resolved. You’ve endured much hardship until now.”

Park Du Sik bowed his head to him and gestured instructions to his subordinates who had come with him.

The men from the police bureau dragged away Eun Joo and the man who had fallen to the floor.

How much time had passed?

At the foot of the hill where darkness had settled, someone could be seen hurriedly climbing up.

The person who approached was Lady Soon Young.

As Soon Young, catching her breath, rushed at him, Seo Yeom quickly blocked her.

“What are you doing now!”

“Move aside. How dare you, a mere servant, block me, the Lady!”

“My lady, do you not know who this person is?”

Lee Woon had Seo Yeom step aside and stood before Soon Young.

“It’s a title that will be revoked anyway. If you wanted to be called ‘Lady’, you should have conducted yourself properly first.”

“What wrong has our Eun Joo done for you to do this? Isn’t it because Your Highness took our Eun Joo to heart that this trouble arose?”

“How can they be so alike without the slightest difference? I suppose family is family after all.”

“Please release my child. Isn’t it too harsh for one mistake?”

He could only sigh in exasperation and disbelief. He wondered if these were really human beings.

“Did you just say ‘mistake’? I wanted to kill her right away but held back because I didn’t want to stain this place, where my child departed so futilely, with filthy blood. So leave while I’m still speaking nicely. What are you all doing? Take her away!”

The housekeeper and manservant who had come together supported Soon Young and took her down.

Even as she was being taken away, Soon Young’s viciousness did not cease.

Moonlight shone brightly over the now quiet barn. As he sighed while looking at the distant mountains, Seo Yeom called to him.

“Please go back to the palace first. I’ll stop by the police bureau before returning.”

“Alright. Take care.”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, so go on.”

“Then please return safely. I’ll report back after I return.”

Lee Woon sent Seo Yeom off and looked around the quiet barn.

Of course he wasn’t alright. Thinking of the child who died coldly here still made his blood boil.

He recalled Eun Seol lying fallen, bleeding and nearly dead.

That day was a complete nightmare.

* * *

Eun Seol was waiting up late for the Crown Prince.

Though he’d said he’d be late, she didn’t want to fall asleep first.

She came out of the room and paced the courtyard, feeling the quite chilly night air.

That’s when she saw Lee Woon walking towards the inner quarters.

Happy to see him, she was about to run over, but stopped in her tracks.

Lee Woon leaned against a fence post and slid down to sit, raising one knee and closing his eyes.

For some reason, her heart ached.

She quietly approached him.

Whether lost in deep thought or having fallen asleep, he remained motionless with his eyes closed.

She wanted to speak to him but couldn’t bring herself to.

“Are you just going to stand there watching?”

He grabbed her arm and pulled her to sit on his knee.

A faint smile appeared on his face as he opened his eyes.

“I thought I might stop breathing while waiting to see when you’d speak up.”

“Why are you out here instead of going inside?”

“I sat down for a moment because of the smell of alcohol. I’ll wash up before going in, so please go inside.”

There was no smell of alcohol at all.

But she didn’t press the issue.

Eun Seol simply smiled while gazing into his eyes.

“If you look at me like that, you’ll misunderstand again.”

“Misunderstand what?”

“That you want to join me in the bath.”

He gently stroked her hair and removed the hairpin.

Her hair, like three strands, flowed down past her shoulders.

“Shall we bathe together?”

“How can you say such things so casually?”

“You said you fell for this side of me.”

“What? When did I ever say that?”

Seeing her serious expression, he smiled, raising the corner of his mouth.

She had no memory of saying such a thing, but somehow felt uneasy.

“You definitely said so before when drunk. There’s a saying that drunk words are sober thoughts, isn’t there?”

“That can’t be. I don’t remember at all.”

“I have nothing to say if you don’t remember, but at that time, my lady, you even started undressing me…”

“Your Excellency, please go wash up quickly. I’ll go in first.”

Eun Seol covered her burning face with both hands and went straight into the room.

Lee Woon let out the breath he’d been holding as he watched Eun Seol disappear from view.

He wished for her happiness by his side. He wanted to prevent her from being hurt and suffering anymore.

He always wanted to make her smile, but he felt unbearably pathetic for not being able to do so.

The hand holding the hairpin Eun Seol had left behind fell limply.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he stared into empty space.