Chapter 11: Birthday Ceremony Part 4

– Ha Yeon-ah.

In Ha Yeon’s uncle, In Chang Seok, had risen to the rank of Vice General which was a position of great honor as the third highest military officer in Cheongdo Palace.

His wisdom, accumulated in addition to his military power, made him truly deserving of the title of “a veteran of countless battles”.

He drew his sword to protect the people, to fulfill his duty of loyalty, and to safeguard the land of Cheongdo. His unwavering loyalty served as an inspiration to many warriors. He never once faltered throughout nearly four decades of service.

Returning from battles against demonic spirits and bandits, that uncle of hers was always worn with fatigue. Yet, upon seeing Ha Yeon, he would always lift her high in a joyful greeting.

Then he would offer his advice with a concerned gaze upon his beloved niece.

– Live while looking up, Ha Yeon-ah.

– Huh?

– There will come a time when looking down from the heights you’ve climbed makes your hands tremble with fear.

– Are you speaking of mountain climbing, uncle? I climbed the White Immortal Mountain not long ago! It was so tough I couldn’t make it to the top and had to be carried on a guard’s back…!

– Haha, is that so?

Vice General In Chang Seok gently set the young Vermilion Princess down and tenderly stroked her hair.

It was not this child’s choice to be born as a member of the Jeongseon clan. But like it or not, she was destined to ascend to great heights. This was the fate of this innocent soul.

– Remember this. When the height you’ve climbed fills you with fear, look up.

– …Up?

– Yes, and you will surely see them. There are many who walk higher yet, not trembling but striding with dignity. When you watch the backs of such figures, you’ll find the trembling in your hands will stop on its own.

While comforting the puzzled In Ha Yeon, Vice General In Chang Seok closed his eyes gently.

Perhaps he hoped that one day, as the girl climbed the steep cliffs of life, she would remember this moment.

– I lived this way. I hope you will remember that.

The uncle’s comforting hand on her shoulder felt warmly reassuring to the young princess consort.

The following year, the head of the Huayongseol clan Seol Lee Moon, instigated a rebellion in the imperial palace.

Nine high-ranking civil servants of the 3rd senior rank or higher and eleven military officers of the general rank or higher lost their lives.

The day of In Chang Seok’s funeral was marked by a nonstopping rain.

Even as the rain poured down, the funeral of the Vice General proceeded.

Within the parade of mourners in mourning attire, the young In Ha Yeon who was carrying the spiritual tablet of the Vice General walked with her head bowed. She forgot about the rain hitting her body and just walked and walked and walked.

It was the day a gaping hole was carved into her heart.

***

Clang!

The sound of clashing blades resonated.

The heavy pressure of the advancing blade almost made her lose grip on her sword in a moment of trembling.

She angled the blade slightly with almost supernatural reflexes and let most of the power slide off naturally, but even the residual energy threatened to throw her off balance.

This is no mere strength of an inexperienced apprentice warrior!

Her skill was second to none. The Vermilion Princess had spent her life honing her swordsmanship.

But if she couldn’t withstand even the leftover force, what chance did she have?

Yet, the Vermilion Princess was not one to accept defeat so easily. The lack of physical strength was something she had felt all her life while training with the sword. Had she not lived sparring with towering generals in a woman’s body?

The outcome of a sword fight wasn’t determined by strength alone. It was about deflecting every attack and exploiting the slightest gap that emerged in the aftermath. That was the secret to victory.

Crack!

Clang!

Whoosh!

Stepping back, the Vermilion Princess took a deep breath and rolled up her large sleeves.

As Seol Tae Pyeong shook his sword and exhaled, his breath turned into white mist in the winter air.

He was just an apprentice warrior about to turn sixteen, yet she felt as if he was looking down on her. His gaze resembled not that of a warrior who had found a worthy opponent but that of a predator that had spotted its prey.

Facing a predator, the prey often finds their legs giving out with just one meeting of the eyes.

The Vermilion Princess swallowed hard.

However, she had battled fear all her life. Her immunity to fear was something not even the most experienced veteran could match.

In any situation, finding the opponent’s weakness and preparing to win was the method for victory she had learned from her uncle.

“Your Majesty… that is…”

“…Let’s just watch.”

The high-ranking officials’ cups of wine showed no signs of diminishing.

The sword dance display on the stage was beyond what even the veteran warriors considered normal.

The apprentice warrior who they thought would exchange a few moves and then gracefully exit to accolades for the Vermilion Princess started unleashing sword strikes with unbelievable speed.

The speed of his sword was so fast that it was hard to follow with the eye. Even knowing the high skill level of Cheongdo Palace’s warriors, this was unexpectedly advanced.

Amidst this, the Vermilion Princess was parrying every strike.

Though she was clearly struggling, to anyone less than a master warrior, it appeared as a mere fast exchange of blows.

This is definitely a guy who has been swinging a sword for a long time!

But the high-ranking warriors all widened their eyes in astonishment, Jang Rae-do included.

At first, all eyes were on the apprentice warrior from the White Immortal Palace who was swinging his sword with tremendous speed.

However, soon the attention shifted to the Vermilion Princess who was continuously blocking strikes that even a strong man would find challenging.

Each swing that seemed too powerful for a woman to withstand was deflected with movements that were almost like art.

And the art that has reached its limit has a beauty that cannot be described in words.

To display beauty, one might think of applying makeup, wearing extravagant clothes, and moving gracefully.

But, in life, one comes to realize there’s a different kind of beauty.

It’s reserved for those who have dedicated their lives to their craft, sitting in one place for years on end. This beauty is the privilege of such dedication.

The skillful hand movements of an old musician who has played the lute for decades, the experienced knife work of an experienced chef who has spent a lifetime preparing meals, the way an experienced physician finds the acupuncture point at once—these embody a beauty born of a lifetime of dedication.

Each of their faces was etched with deep wrinkle lines, and though they all had an appearance that one might hesitate to call beautiful, it was not hard to understand why people felt a certain awe when they saw them.

It was because the fragments of time and effort poured into that craft were all clear to see. The nobility and beauty of such dedication were something that warriors could not fail to appreciate.

And a girl who had just turned nineteen exuded such a noble aura. The effort that must have been carved into her bones to withstand such ferocious sword strikes was immeasurable.

Outer beauty alone could not secure her position. The crown princess consort was expected to be a model for all.

Whoosh!

Seol Tae Pyeong stepped in from the side before executing a wide horizontal slash.

The preparation for the move was overly grand, almost as if screaming for a block. In that moment, the Vermilion Princess realized that this very action was a trap.

In that brief moment, Seol Tae Pyeong had already discerned the princess’s habits. Anticipating which direction she would deflect his force, he planned to shift his weight in the opposite direction so that her sword would be pushed back and fall off.

She shouldn’t block or deflect. The Vermilion Princess spun around and kicked Seol Tae Pyeong’s sword handle with her back foot.

Bang!

The sight of her waving the collar of her court robe and swinging her sword away may not be considered dignified.

Yet, in the eyes of the warriors, she appeared as majestic as a Vermilion Bird spreading its wings.

“Ugh!”

The Vermilion Princess gritted her teeth.

She would have preferred if his grip loosened and he dropped his sword, but it was unlikely for someone who could take down a wild boar with his bare hands to let go of his weapon so easily.

Using his back foot as a pivot, Seol Tae Pyeong’s sword which was now carrying the momentum of his large spin, flew horizontally towards the Vermilion Princess once again.

After swiftly lowering her stance to dodge, the Vermilion Princess finally found an opening to attack.

She tensed her grip on the sword and swung it upwards with the hem of her robe fluttering, but Seol Tae Pyeong simply stepped back to evade the attack.

The Vermilion Princess felt a chill run down her spine. Yes, he dodged her sword.

But just by a single step, or rather, not even that— by three-quarters of a step.

It was the sharp instinct of someone who knew that just this much retreat was enough to avoid an attack.

The Vermilion Princess’s sword sliced through the air while missing Seol Tae Pyeong’s nose by mere inches.

Her sword was real, and her overreaction was due to being too surprised.

It may have seemed like a dangerous sight to an outsider, but Seol Tae Pyeong’s eyes did not show the slightest hint of panic.

His look was one of someone who naturally wouldn’t get hit and who had obviously evaded. This wasn’t an expression of someone who had just had a sword pass inches from their face.

In that moment, she realized.

Their skill levels were worlds apart.

Clang.

She swung her sword again, prompting Seol Tae Pyeong to defend and took a large step back to lower her stance before catching her breath for a moment while staring at Seol Tae Pyeong with wide eyes.

If she were to close her eyes, the scene etched before her would be akin to a towering mountain.

To stand against a mountain with just a sword would make one no more than a madman.

But… the Vermilion Princess had to suppress a budding laugh.

Ha… it seems… I’ve finally gone mad.

The Vermilion Princess had defeated many warriors in mock battles, but they had usually held back against her. It was only normal.

Wounding the Vermilion Princess would be considered a grave crime. Even if the Vermilion Princess herself declared it to be fine, the other party wouldn’t be able to avoid even a small punishment.

Therefore, all warriors who faced the Vermilion Princess with their swords had a noticeable lack of force in their strikes.

No matter how skilled the warriors were, she could never fight them at their best.

That was something that couldn’t be helped. Those who rise to lofty positions must accept certain restrictions.

However, even if they held back, the fact that a duel could take place between a warrior and the Vermilion Princess was an achievement beyond the norm for someone in her delicate situation.

Though it seems he’s also holding back…

The strikes from the Red Palace warriors carried a certain fear within them. A subtle dread that the Vermilion Princess might not be able to parry a strike and get injured.

But Seol Tae Pyeong’s sword was different.

His blade seemed to say, “Try and block this if you can.”

It was as if he was speaking directly to the Vermilion Princess. That if she had no shame in her in what she had trained her entire life for, she should lay it all out here and now.

The trembling in her fingertips had calmed down at some point.

What was needed now was the courage to thrust her sword forward. It was time to set aside the weight of the moment and the burdens she carried.

Seol Tae Pyeong shook his sword once more, and in that instant, the Vermilion Princess lunged forward.

She soared toward Seol Tae Pyeong with her robe fluttering, drawing gasps from the high-ranking officials who were watching the performance.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The clash of swords intensified but this time the attack was led by the Vermilion Princess.

She seemed to catch her opponent’s blade only to deflect it sideways, striking at the flank to create an opening. The moment her opponent grows flustered, she would slice through his garment.

This strategy had earned her victory over the Alumni General Bok Seon Hwang in their duel, but it was ineffective against Seol Tae Pyeong.

Swish!

Seol Tae Pyeong simultaneously adjusted his grip on his sword and dodged the Vermilion Princess’s strikes. His reflexes seemed beyond human capability.

“Ugh!”

The Vermilion Princess spun her body around once like a windmill before holding her sword in reverse grip. This maneuver concealed the moment she changed her grip which left her opponent unable to predict the direction and timing of her next strike.

This strategy had earned her victory over Vice General Han Cheon Seon of the Red Palace in their duel, but it was ineffective against Seol Tae Pyeong.

Clang!

By observing just the movement of her elbow, Seol Tae Pyeong discerned that the Vermilion Princess had switched to a reverse grip. It seemed he had seen through the entire spinning motion as a feint from the very start.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Despite several more strikes flying her way, the Vermilion Princess managed to deflect them all by pouring strength into her arms which were starting to numb.

The palms holding the handle seemed to be red and swollen. Yet, she never once let go of her sword.

Whoosh!

She lowered her stance again to dodge Seol Tae Pyeong’s sword and tried to dive into his arms to stab him, but he kicked the sword away with his right foot.

Snap!

“Ugh!”

Before the Vermilion Princess could recover her sword’s trajectory, Seol Tae Pyeong had already readjusted his stance.

His sword pointed directly at her. The Vermilion Princess didn’t even have the chance to regain her balance.

She knew instinctively. She might block the next strike, but she wouldn’t be able to deflect it.

In the split second that decided the duel, there was no way to regain control of her sword’s balance and simultaneously prepare to deflect the next blow.

But what did that matter?

If she couldn’t deflect it, she would simply have to block it.

Even against Seol Tae Peong who had the strength to kill a wild boar with his bare hands, she might be able to stop that blow.

And what if she couldn’t? Was she going to step back?

She had learned that a true warrior does not flee, even if it means their bones are to get crushed.

Holding a sword meant one was a warrior.

Whoosh

A tremor passed through the edge of Seol Tae Pyeong’s eyes.

Until now, the Vermilion Princess had wielded her sword with one hand, maintaining her body’s balance with her footwork. She rarely gripped her sword with both hands unless absolutely necessary, but that changed.

The fact that she gripped the handle tightly with both hands was evidence of her determination to fully receive the next blow. It was the Vermilion Princess herself who swung her sword, aiming to deflect it head-on.

And that was the only move she had that could potentially defeat Seol Tae Pyeong.

Clang!

Crash!

Following that sound, the Vermilion Princess’s eyes widened once again.

The repeated impacts put constant pressure on Seol Tae Pyeong’s ceremonial sword. And then came the final blow.

Because he tried to absorb the impact rather than deflect it, the sword Seol Tae Pyeong was holding broke into two.

Snap, clatter.

The broken pieces of the sword rolled across the floor of the arena.

The handle that had slipped from Seol Tae Pyeong’s grasp was rolling away. The Vermilion Princess noticed that Seol Tae Pyeong had intentionally let go of the sword handle the moment it broke.

“…….”

To the untrained eye, it appeared as though Seol Tae Pyeong’s sword could not withstand the relentless strikes of the Vermilion Princess.

There was a moment of silence as if time itself had stopped. For a long time, there was only silence.

Then Seol Tae Pyeong quietly kneeled and bowed his head.

“As expected from the Vermilion Princess.”

The stifling silence was brief.

Then a deafening applause followed.

***

“I was moved by the performance, Your Majesty. I knew the Vermilion Princess’s sword dance was sublime, but… I never imagined it to be to this extent.”

“The heavenly dragon dance by the White Princess and the Taoist magic by the Azure Princess were impressive, but the swordsmanship of the Vermilion Princess not only shows her exceptional talent but also the years of hard work behind it.”

“Yes, indeed. As important as innate genius is, it is equally important to demonstrate the dedication to refining oneself over time. Besides, the elegance in the Vermilion Princess’s swordplay was so mesmerizing that it was almost enchanting to watch.”

“The golden hairpin of this year…. It seems like it will surely go to the Vermilion Princess by unanimous decision.”

Conversations flowed in the Taehwa Pavilion.

The civil servants were praising the Vermilion Princess until their mouths were dry, while the military officials remained silent and swallowed their dry saliva.

The fact that a princess consort of the harem had reached such a level in swordsmanship was not just surprising but truly astonishing.

The apprentice warrior she was facing seemed to be at a very high level, but it seemed like he was pushed to the point where he couldn’t care about the state of his sword.

The Vermilion Princess calmed her startled heart and looked at the broken sword, then doubted her eyes.

It was a practice sword used only by apprentice warriors during their training. Not only was the blade blunt, but the center of gravity was different, and the handle was so thin that it was difficult to hold properly. It looked almost like some junk that was thrown away immediately after an apprentice warrior graduated.

From the moment Seol Tae Pyeong drew his sword, the battle grew so intense that she had no time to even take a good look at the sword he was wielding. It was hard enough to follow with her eyes.

The fact that he could demonstrate such frightening skills with such a sword made the Vermilion Princess’s eyes tremble.

“The Vermilion Princess is to come forward. I will bestow upon you the golden hairpin.”

Emperor Woon Sung declared with a satisfied smile on his face.

“Your martial arts are truly worthy of praise. You have trained yourself over a long period of time. I am moved by your dedication.”

After Emperor Woon Sung’s lavish praise, even the high officials bowed their heads. It was rare for Emperor Woon Sung, who was usually sparing with his compliments, to openly praise someone like this. Perhaps only warrior commander Jang Rae had ever received such direct praise.

The dignity of Emperor Woon Sung, seated before the imperial bed at the top of Taehwa Pavilion, seemed to cover the heavens. To ascend to Taehwa Pavilion and receive the golden hairpin would be an honor that would last until the next birthday ceremony.

The golden hairpin was a symbol of the foremost among the crown princesses in the harem.

However, the Vermilion Princess humbly spoke.

“I am honored by Your Majesty’s praise. But I, your humble servant, do not yet deserve the golden hairpin.”

Her words sent a wave of tension through the assembly.

Even Emperor Woon Sung was momentarily left speechless. What did this mean?

A thorough search of the history books would reveal no precedent of a consort refusing the golden hairpin. Who in their right mind would do such a thing?

“It is truly a shame, but this match was not fair from the beginning.”

“…….”

After bowing deeply to Emperor Woon Sung, the Vermilion Princess rose from her spot and drew a sword from the waist of a nearby guard.

Ssssh!

The blade was so finely honed that it seemed capable of slicing through anything with ease.

She then sheathed the sword back into the guard’s scabbard and, taking the scabbard with her, ascended the stage once again.

Clack!

There she threw the sword in front of Seol Tae Pyeong who was kneeling.

“Draw it.”

It was probably Seol Tae Pyeong’s own decision to go up to the stage holding a ceremonial sword.

But what was the point of holding the golden hairpin in her hand in such a manner?

This thought belonged to the Vermilion Princess, In Ha Yeon.

“……”

Seol Tae Pyeong who was still on his knees gazed at the sword that lay before him.

And he raised his head again and spoke while looking at the Vermilion Princess.

“Your highness.”

“I have ordered you to draw it.”

Many eyes were upon them.

From Emperor Woon Sung to the highest officials gathered there. For a mere apprentice warrior to refuse the Vermilion Princess was tantamount to a death wish.

Seol Tae Pyeong cautiously lifted the scabbard.

Then, very slowly, he placed his hand on the hilt of the sword.

Vermilion Princess In Ha Yeon sighed.

She might not get the golden hairpin now but the opportunity for a true battle presented itself and that was enough for her.

It was a strangely exhilarating feeling, but she found herself wanting to cross swords with this man again. But this time with a real sword in his hand.

Whoooooooosh!

“…..!”

It was at that moment. Was it a surge of killing intent she felt?

A chill breeze seemed to sweep over her, making the hairs on her body stand on end before she could even react.

And there he was, kneeling with his hand reaching for the hilt of the sword at his waist and about to draw it.

His head was lowered down so she couldn’t see his face. But a ghostly aura seemed to emanate from his body.

The mysterious energy that burst forth was perhaps influenced by Taoist magic. No, that wasn’t it. It was a pure killing intent that emerged merely from his grip on the sword.

The Vermilion Princess momentarily forgot to breathe. Only one word prominently filled her mind: death.

To draw the sword meant her death.

It was as if her instincts were screaming in terror.

The inexplicable fear that the moment the man drew the sword, her head would be severed and rolling on the ground.

She was accustomed to confronting fear, but this feeling was vastly different from mere fright. It was closer to a primal instinct for survival etched deep within her body.

The intuition that death was close at hand felt only when faced with a huge predator.

The sight of this man with his hand on the handle of the sword looked like a fierce tiger crouching in front of its prey…

The Vermilion Princess swallowed dryly. She found herself stepping back unwittingly at that moment.

It was at that time that something strange happened.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaah.”

“Run away! Demonic spirits! A horde of demonic spirits has appeared!”

A wave of terrified screams surged forward from beyond the Taehwa Pavilion and over the hills.

Some eunuchs with their clothes drenched in blood were rushing towards them with faces stricken by utter desperation.