Chapter 101: You Can Come in However You Want… Part 1

What did it mean to have Vice General Seol Tae Pyeong under your command?

It meant exactly what it sounded like.

No matter how tempting, someone of the stature of a mistress of one of the Four Great Palaces wouldn’t be easily swayed by personal feelings, nor would she accept the role of the Heavenly Maiden for trivial reasons.

Simply put, having the Vice General under her command meant that whenever needed, she could summon him to the Heavenly Dragon Hall.

If she wished, she could keep him by her side and talk with him all day (of course, only about official matters).

In times of emergency, it meant he would be the first to rush in and protect her.

And even if they met frequently, no one would find it suspicious.

The four women understood better than anyone that no personal feelings could be involved in such a role!

They knew all too well that personal emotions had no place in fulfilling such an important duty!

“The council seems to be discussing the possibility that… that I may become the Heavenly Maiden….”

The Black Princess felt like crying.

As someone who despised conflict and turmoil, she had always gone to great lengths to avoid being caught up in such matters…

Yet, ironically, the council’s discussions had led to her being nominated as the temporary Heavenly Maiden.

In truth, it wasn’t all that strange. The Black Princess had always carried out her duties steadily, regardless of the circumstances, and she had never been one to meddle too much in politics.

There was no better candidate than her for the temporary position of Heavenly Maiden. Political decisions on such a grand stage often leaned toward stability.

If it were the Black Princess, there was no chance she would take sides!

If it were the Black Princess, there was no fear of her abusing power for personal gain as the Heavenly Maiden!

If it were Black Princess Po Hwa Ryeong, …!

I… I have to resign…

Facing the fiery gazes of the three women staring at her, the Black Princess couldn’t help but be filled with dread.

She hadn’t been particularly interested in the position of Heavenly Maiden from the start. If someone told her not to take it, she was more than ready to step down at any time…!

However, she was already beginning to sense that forces within the council were rallying around her.

The Central Councilor came to visit and gave various gifts. The Minister of Works dropped by to inspect the construction state of the Black Tortoise Palace once more…. Even the Inner Palace officials had visited to check on the training of her maids.

It was clear that everyone was now scrambling, either to avoid being held accountable by the Black Princess who was soon to become a powerful figure, or to secure a favorable position with her.

Power within the palace had been shifting for quite some time, and by now, it was far too late for her to say “I won’t do it” and try to back out.

“……..”

The Black Princess struggled to keep her mind from becoming overwhelmed.

With the tense atmosphere finally subsiding, the tea gathering came to an end, and the mistresses of the Four Palaces went their separate ways.

The crown princess consorts walked down the corridor. Each of them buried their faces in their robes; their expressions were grim as they organized their thoughts.

The Vermilion Princess thought.

Considering the Vice General’s position, if another crown princess were to take the seat of the Heavenly Maiden, it could put him in a difficult spot. In this situation, I’m the only one who can maintain my composure and treat him fairly in public matters. From his perspective, wouldn’t it be safest if I took that seat…?

I owe the Vice General too much. I have to step forward in this awkward situation. Come to think of it, haven’t I rarely kept the promises I made to that warrior…? At this rate, the name of the Jeongseon clan will be tarnished.

So, after she convinced herself that it was purely out of loyalty and not personal feelings, the Vermilion Princess made up her mind to claim the seat of Heavenly Maiden by any means necessary…

Behind her, following quietly with her head lowered was the White Princess who was organizing her thoughts.

Wasn’t it our Inbong clan that has had ties with the Vice General since he was a Lower Third Rank officer? If I secure the seat of Heavenly Maiden this time, I can form an even closer professional relationship with him. This could help us become the strongest faction within Cheongdo Palace. Besides, the Vice General would likely feel more at ease if my clan, which already has close ties to him, took that position. Looks like I have no choice but to step up here…

After she convinced herself that her actions were purely strategic, with not an ounce of personal feelings, the White Princess nodded her head with a satisfied smile.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the corridor, the Azure Princess was also deep in thought with her face buried in her sleeves.

I’m going to be the Heavenly Maiden.

I’m going to the Heavenly Dragon Hall with General Seol…!!!

Her thoughts were raw and unfiltered, without even going through any process of self-justification.

As for the Black Princess who was sitting alone in the tea room…

Just kill me…

In her heart, she was shedding silent tears of frustration.

The three women each had exceptional skills in their respective fields and wielded considerable power.

Suddenly, she had turned all three—the Vermilion Princess, the White Princess, and the Azure Princess—into her enemies.

***

The next day. Whether it was a move orchestrated by the Vermilion Princess or not, the close associates of the Jeongseon clan made a proposal to reconsider the candidates for the Heavenly Maiden.

Whether it was the White Princess’s doing or not, the Inbong clan also strongly supported the idea…

And finally, the Azure Princess openly declared that she herself should become Heavenly Maiden.

Wasn’t this the same council that, not long ago, had nearly reached an agreement to appoint Black Princess to the position of Heavenly Maiden?

With a flurry of opinions suddenly flying around and even a crown princess formally claiming the position for herself, the political landscape of the council was on the verge of descending into chaos.

When she heard the various reports inside the Black Tortoise Palace, the Black Princess thought to herself.

…This might not be so bad.

That’s right. Deep down, the Black Princess was afraid of a rift forming between herself and the other crown princess consorts.

She didn’t enjoy criticizing or tearing others down, nor did she find pleasure in pushing through political schemes and conflicts.

If she could quietly relinquish the position of Heavenly Maiden like this, she could slip away from the fight unscathed.

“Enough…!!!”

However, the next day, Hwa An, the Emperor’s personal advisor, shouted at the high officials during the meeting.

“How dare you try to overturn a decision that’s already been made!”

“S-Strategist Hwa An. Please, at least listen to what we have to say…!”

“It has already been decided that the Black Princess will take the position, and most of the procedures are underway, so what meaning is there in bringing up someone else now? Are you saying that after reviewing candidates multiple times, our judgment was wrong?!”

“Th-That’s not…”

“If you cannot trust the high officials of the court, then who in this country do you intend to trust? Answer me!”

Hwa An. This usually soft-spoken strategist raised his voice in anger, and the high officials could do nothing but lower their heads in silence.

The three great high officials—Chief Councilor, Central Councilor, and Under Councilor—watched the situation unfold for now. After all, there was little wrong with what Hwa An was saying.

Yes… If they hadn’t reviewed candidates at all from the start, it would be one thing, but after reviewing things from all sides, they had all concluded that the person most suited for the position of Heavenly Maiden was the Black Princess.

If only she hadn’t been included in the candidate pool… If only she had actively declined from the start…!

If that had happened, she might have been able to step down smoothly and cleanly…

But as long as it was a temporary position, no one was better suited than the Black Princess who had no sharp edges or political bias. No one could refute this truth…!

“Even if the sky were to split in two, it is right that the Bkack Princess takes the temporary position of Heavenly Maiden!”

Strategist Hwa An declared his stance with that, and the three great high officials had no logical grounds to refute, so they kept silent.

—Tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble—

“D-Did that really happen during the high officials’ meeting…?”

“…Yes.”

Headmaid An Rim noticed the Black Princess’s troubled expression, then she hurriedly brought out corn tea and refreshments.

However, the Black Princess who normally loved refreshments didn’t take a single bite.

“This… this is strange… I thought I could step down quietly…”

“To be honest… now that things have come this far, stepping down won’t be easy. Every day, high officials visit the Black Tortoise Palace to pay their respects, which is quite troubling for us, as this palace is originally a place off-limits to men.”

“B-But still… we can’t just turn away all those important officials…”

“That’s right… It just shows how important it is for them to at least make an appearance in front of you, Black Princess …”

The Black Princess glanced at the corner of the tea room.

Gifts, jewels, and ornaments brought by various officials filled one side of the room.

Although she had no interest in such items, it wasn’t as though she could refuse them when they were offered as gifts.

If only she had the heart to scold them and send them away…

But unfortunately, the Black Princess didn’t know how to reject someone’s goodwill.

How could she turn them away at the door after they had taken the trouble to prepare gifts? She could never do something so cold-hearted…!

She wondered if everything would settle down if she just became the Heavenly Maiden… but at the same time, she didn’t have the strength to endure being scrutinized by the mistresses of the other palaces for the rest of her time as the Heavenly Maiden…!

The Black Princess was someone who utterly hated conflict.

For her, the position of Heavenly Maiden was nothing short of a poisoned chalice. If she didn’t jump off now, she had no idea where this runaway carriage would end up.

“If we can’t stop it through the council meeting… then we’ll have no choice but to use another tactic…”

“…It seems so.”

Headmaid An Rim replied with an anxious expression on her face.

Schemes and conspiracies were all too common in Cheongdo Palace.

The righteous Vermilion Princess didn’t seem like the type to engage in such behavior… but the White Princess or the Azure Princess were a different story.

They were the kind of people who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals…

“An Rim… what should I do now…?”

“…It’s not too late yet.”

Headmaid An Rim answered with her head bowed and a serious expression on her face.

“Many officials are trying to rally around you, Black Princess, but you haven’t even attempted to form your own faction.”

“Well… that’s true. I’ve never cared about politics or anything like that…”

“The idea of you becoming the Heavenly Maiden is just a proposal being discussed in the council. It’s not something that has been officially decided. There are still plenty of ways to resolve this situation.”

Headmaid An Rim answered while racking her brain for her mistress.

“First of all… from now on, you should cut ties with the officials who are trying to align themselves with you and make it clear that you have no intention of becoming the Heavenly Maiden. Up until now, you may have treated it as something trivial, but the situation has changed, and you must be firm in your stance.”

“Well… yes, of course, I should do that.”

“Yes. After all, your wishes are what matter most. Slowly, one by one, you need to distance yourself from the power struggles. It will require a delicate approach. It wouldn’t be wise to provoke the high officials too much.”

An Rim carefully listed out the names of the high officials one by one and instructed the Black Princess how she should behave.

In the end, the conclusion was to subtly distance herself from the core political powers without causing offense.

“Anyway, right now, there’s no ‘wedge’ stuck in place. This means we can still take action.”

Indeed.

As long as no wedge was driven in, it would be fine.

Like carefully disarming a bomb, there were still plenty of opportunities to slowly distance herself from the position of Heavenly Maiden.

Slowly… she could let the other princess consorts know that she had no intention of fighting…!

It was possible…!

She could do it…!

“Vice General Seol Tae Pyeong has arrived at the Black Tortoise Palace…!”

But disasters always had a way of arriving all at once.

“Black Princess, I’ve come to pay my respects in advance.”

There were murmurs from outside.

Several maids were already running to different palaces to spread the news.

Gossip could be heard anywhere, and Seol Tae Pyeong paid no mind to s this; he just knelt in the courtyard of the Black Tortoise Palace and lowered his head.

The Black Princess who stepped out onto the terrace with her maids was left speechless at the sight.

“Have you been well?”

Had he finally reached the rank of a true general?

He came to the Black Tortoise Palace to formally pay his respects while surrounded by many military officers.

From Seol Tae Pyeong’s perspective, it wasn’t so strange. In fact, it was only natural.

Hadn’t the Emperor himself appointed him to assist the Heavenly Maiden?

Rumors had already spread throughout the palace and beyond that the Black Princess was destined to become the Heavenly Maiden. Similar discussions were taking place within the council meeting. At this point, it was practically a foregone conclusion.

Then it was wise to come and pay respects as quickly as possible.

After all, those who excel at their work act before being told what to do.

However, the Black Princess found herself momentarily breathless at Seol Tae Pyeong’s swift and efficient behavior.

The Vice General, whom the mistresses of the Four Great Palaces were practically drooling over in their eagerness to claim him, had rolled into the inner courtyard of the Black Tortoise Palace as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Vice General Seol Tae Pyeong…!! I am here to pay my respects to the Black Princess …!!!!!!”

…Tae Pyeong-ah──!!!!

The new Vice General went to personally pay his respects to the Black Princess.

These news that would soon spread like wildfire would not only solidify the Black Princess’s standing but also appear to the other crown princess consorts as nothing less than a declaration of victory.

Once these rumors took root like a firmly driven wedge, it was inevitable that the other princess consorts would feel a sense of crisis. They would believe that they couldn’t afford to remain idle.

– Do not bring under your command someone you cannot control.

Watching Seol Tae Pyeong bow proudly with a gleam in his eyes, a certain proverb from literature seemed to strike the Black Princess’s mind like a hammer.

As she observed his solid and imposing figure, it was clear why he became a general of Cheongdo Palace. He was the treasured sword all the rulers of the Four Great Palaces wanted to claim.

But a weapon in the hands of someone who cannot control it will only turn into a cursed blade that devours its master…

Tears began to well up in the Black Princess’s heart.

She just wanted to cry.