Chapter 110: The Arrival of the White Demonic Spirit Part 2

It had been quite some time since the Black Princess began observing the tea gatherings.

When she first arrived as the mistress of the Black Tortoise Palace, there had at least been an atmosphere of warmth or a sense of mutual consideration among the crown princess consorts.

However, as time went on, the tensions between them grew worse, and there were many instances when their gazes turned sharp the moment they met.

Though she could understand why the Vermilion Princess and the White Princess were tense with each other due to their competing clans, it was puzzling that the Azure Princess who usually showed little interest in such political dynamics became particularly hostile during these tea gatherings.

The Azure Princess who was the youngest of the crown princess consorts was in fact the most aggressive in these exchanges, which left onlookers like the Black Princess breaking into a cold sweat. It felt as though these tensions would only escalate with time.

However, the tea gathering at the end of the day… was different from what she had expected.

***

“This jade bead came from the Uan region. It’s truly radiant and so beautiful that I thought it would suit the Vermilion Princess well if made into an accessory. I’ve prepared it as a gift.”

“This is a fan called ‘Hakseon’ and I thought it would perfectly complement the White Princess’s heavenly beauty. I recently came into contact with the Anpyeong Merchant Guild while preparing for the Heavenly Dragon Festival and received it as a gift. I thought of you when I received it.”

The Azure Princess smiled brightly, so much so that it was hard to believe she had ever been the sharp and hostile figure she had appeared to be before.

What kind of person was the Azure Princess? She had always been a quiet girl who observed her surroundings with an air of mystery.

After she became the Heavenly Maiden, her authority seemed to grow so much that she was expected to become someone utterly untouchable… but the reality was quite the opposite.

With her glossy radiant skin and hair the same as ever, she wore a bright sun-like smile that was free of any malice. And she also brought heaps of gifts for the other crown princess consorts.

Unlike usual, the Azure Princess was dressed in the Heavenly Maiden’s formal court robe and she looked completely satisfied with herself.

This is… the calm of a victor…

The Black Princess swallowed nervously as she glanced at the Vermilion Princess and the White Princess. As expected, neither of them looked particularly pleased with the gifts.

Ever since Seol Tae Pyeong decided to enter the Heavenly Dragon Hall, the Azure Princess not only lifted her head high at these tea gatherings but gained an air of confidence as well.

There is this much of a gap between us.

As if to make this clear, the Azure Princess smiled generously at the other crown princess consorts.

In reality, no matter how much she tried to puff herself up with her petite frame, to the Black Princess, she looked adorable more than anything. However, it seemed the Vermilion Princess and the White Princess didn’t see it that way.

Truly… what a scary obsession…

The Black Princess swallowed again as she accepted the beautiful flower pin that the Azure Princess prepared for her.

What was the cause of the Vermilion Princess and the White Princess’s defeat? Both had come from noble families and tried too hard to maintain their dignity until the end.

While everyone was busy adjusting their attire and discussing political matters and power dynamics, the Azure Princess swiftly took Seol Tae Pyeong away.

Above all, it had been Seol Tae Pyeong’s own wish to go to the Heavenly Jade Pavilion, so there was no room for reconsideration in this matter.

“Since you moved to the Heavenly Dragon Hall, your Highness must have had less free time, but I am grateful that you always attend the consort’s schedule.”

“No, as the mistress of the Azure Dragon Palace, I must be diligent. The Black Princess always shows such concern for me which is why I feel so reassured.”

The Azure Princess’s smile radiated with brilliance.

Her shoulders lifted proudly as if she had just received an award.

For the time being, they had to live with the image of this confident and imposing Azure Princess. Unless another opportunity arose, Seol Tae Pyeong was someone under Azure Princess Jin Cheong Lang’s command. No matter what anyone said, .

After spending the happiest of tea gatherings ever, the Azure Princess returned to the Azure Dragon Palace and quickly checked the various matters of the palace before heading toward the Heavenly Jade Pavilion.

Though her duties in the Azure Dragon Palace inevitably became somewhat neglected, there was little to worry about with Headmaid Hui Yin being such a capable person.

No matter what others said, the more important task was overseeing the Heavenly Dragon Hall.

As the Azure Princess who was surrounded by countless maids made her way toward the Heavenly Dragon Hall, Vice General Seol Tae Pyeong came to meet her from the main palace.

“How was your day?”

“M-Mhmm. The weather is truly lovely.”

With Seol Tae Pyeong and the maids escorting her, the Azure Princess continued toward the Heavenly Dragon Hall.

Sitting in the grand palanquin, she felt her heart pound for no apparent reason as she watched Seol Tae Pyeong’s figure ahead of her.

Would the Vermilion Princess and the White Princess… really stay quiet like this?

She had proudly declared her victory in front of the two women at the tea gathering, but no matter how confident she felt, it was hard to believe they would give up on the Vice General so easily.

Vice General Seol Tae Pyeong was a valuable person, both politically and in his own right.

A prized sword is something everyone desires with burning eyes, but once it’s in hand, all one’s effort shifts to protecting it.

It was the same as how those with power worked to secure their own position. As long as the other crown princess consorts didn’t give up, she would have to hold onto Seol Tae Pyeong tightly now that he was in her grasp.

The most effective method, for now, was to charm him.

If their relationship became one of man and woman rather than just master and subordinate, and he stayed with her out of affection rather than loyalty, she wouldn’t have to constantly fear losing him to the other consorts.

“…….”

Inside the swaying palanquin, Azure Princess Jin Cheong Lang fell into deep thought.

It was time to take a hard look at herself.

As a woman, she wasn’t sure how much appeal she really had.

She didn’t possess the dignified magnanimity of the Vermilion Princess. She wasn’t physically alluring nor was she cunning like the White Princess. And unlike the Black Princess, she didn’t have a naturally cheerful personality.

As for her competitive edge, the only thing she could claim was that she was slightly more skilled in Taoist arts and energy manipulation.

…The most certain way was simply to use illusion arts to charm Seol Tae Pyeong.

…But doing that won’t benefit me in the long run….

Someone like Seol Tae Pyeong wouldn’t fall for illusion arts so easily.

When Azure Princess was ill during her childhood, she had once tried casting an illusion spell on him. However, he bit down on his own tongue and even stabbed himself with a sword to regain his senses.

Of course, Jin Cheong Lang who was skilled in Taoist arts herself could potentially charm him if she gave it her all. But even if she won his heart through deceit, it would feel empty. Once he came to his senses, he would undoubtedly despise her.

It was best to avoid doing anything that would cause Seol Tae Pyeong to look down on her.

But as a woman, she couldn’t be sure if she could earn his affection, and using authority to pressure him felt like she’d be doing something cruel, which made her uncomfortable.

The only remaining option was… truly earning his love simply as a person.

What… what should I even say to him? I don’t know how to carry a conversation…!

Honestly… even if it were served to me, I wouldn’t be able to take it…! Jin Cheong Lang!

She felt ashamed of herself that she almost teared up, but she remained certain that she was in a significantly advantageous position compared to the other consorts.

It seemed that it would take quite some time to win over Seol Tae Pyeong with the desperate conversational skills she had “honed” while practicing alone in a corner of the Azure Dragon Palace.

My back feels hot.

As Seol Tae Pyeong led the guards at the front and escorted the Heavenly Maiden, he could only break into a cold sweat under the intensity of that scorching gaze.

Jin Cheong Lang who was unaware of his thoughts was preparing her ultimate tactic to trap him.

***

“The White Demonic Spirit will appear.”

Just when the wounds caused by the Sun Demonic Spirit had finally begun to heal.

I had to manage the Hwalseong District, keep an eye on the mood in the Jeongseon clan and the Inbong clan, attend to my duties as an inner palace inspector, maintain my training as a warrior, and oversee matters at the Heavenly Dragon Hall. Yet, now another burden was being heaped onto my shoulders.

“…….”

“Don’t worry. It won’t be as big as the Sun Demonic Spirit. But it will be more difficult to handle….”

Yeon Ri who had just finished cleaning wrung out the rag and spoke. I was sitting on the wooden floor organizing the tasks I needed to handle the next day.

Sun Demonic Spirit Pyeong Ryang was a powerful demonic spirit. It was strong enough to overturn the entire imperial palace.

It had caused countless casualties and left an indelible scar on the history of Cheongdo Palace. The mere act of beheading it had been enough to earn someone the rank of Vice General; so there was no need to explain in words how great its influence was.

Now she was speaking of the White Demonic Spirit, the demonic spirit coming after the Sun Demonic Spirit, and I couldn’t help but wonder just how terrifying such an enemy would be…

“The White Demonic Spirit was you, Yeon Ri, in the very first cycle, right?”

“Mhmm. I’m not sure what you’d think of me saying this now, Tae Pyeong-ah, but… I was pretty strong.”

“…….”

“I knew you’d look at me like that. I’m serious….”

After putting away the cleaning tools, Yeon Ri walked over and sat down beside me with slow, deliberate steps.

From the training hall, the sky above was always so vast and clear that the stars were easy to see. Because the capital city’s nightscape grew almost completely dark after sunset, the starry sky often seemed to have more stars than empty space.

By now, I had gotten so used to it that I no longer found it majestic or beautiful, and it had been a long time since I felt the need to marvel at it.

“Tae Pyeong-ah. Even if the demonic spirit takes on my form, you shouldn’t hesitate when it comes to cutting it down. Understood?”

“Mhmm. I won’t hesitate at all.”

“… I thought you’d take a moment to think it over before answering.”

“I’ll cut it down cleanly without a second thought, so don’t worry about it…!!”

When I replied with such certainty, Yeon Ri shook her head back and forth as if she hoped I would show at least a little hesitation… but there was no chance of that.

“And even if it’s a little different from what you imagined, don’t be too shocked.”

“As I imagined?”

“People go through adolescence, right? It’s a time when you’re just filled with bitterness toward the world and treat others harshly, and… well, it was something like that. It feels kind of strange to look back on such a stormy period of my life, especially since showing that side to others is a little embarrassing….”

“I can’t really imagine it, though….”

“And like I said, I was pretty strong back then. Now I just lie here, letting time pass, but back then I worked really hard. Of course, I’ve lost a lot of my strength now.”

Yeon Ri lay down on the wooden floor and gazed up at the starry sky.

The hem of her maid uniform spread out around her. They looked almost like a pair of wings.

“I don’t even have the energy left to wield the power of the Heavenly Dragon anymore… Knowing this is the last cycle feels strange. I thought after living so long, reaching the end would fill me with emotion or maybe a sense of urgency.”

“Now that you mention it, why are you so calm?”

“It’s just… I thought that when I got closer to my goal, I’d be so excited that the world would seem different somehow… but it’s just been the same old routine.”

Yeon Ri smiled lightly, in a way that didn’t quite suit her usual demeanor.

“Maybe, at some point, I veered off course or there was a part of me that broke.”

“…Maybe it was just your way of trying to get through a hard time, even if it wasn’t perfect. Everyone has to do that at some point.”

When I said that, I picked up a small pebble near the edge of the floor and tossed it into the yard. It rolled a few times on the dirt ground before coming to a stop.

“People’s mental strength is like a consumable. You have to take care of it while you have it.”

“Mhmm.”

There was no sign of her usual nagging, and the way she simply accepted things with an “I understand” felt so out of place.

Come to think of it, Yeon Ri’s words had a point.

If I were Yeon Ri, I would’ve been so tense or out of breath in this situation.

After countless repetitions, we had finally reached the last cycle. How could she look at the world so calmly, almost as if she were detached?

Maybe a part of her heart really had twisted, and in her own way, she had managed to patch it up. To her, life had long become an endless cycle of repetition, prediction, and return.

Could that even be called living?

If so… once all these trials were over…

If she could finally see a future after the death of the Plague Demonic Spirit, what kind of expression would she make?

Would she burst into tears, throw her arms around me, and cry out in gratitude?

Or, as always, would she sit there with that bitter expression on her face. Just gulp down rice soup, clean the house, and grumble as she went?

I couldn’t imagine either scenario, so I chose not to speculate.

All I could hope was to offer her some comfort after the difficult journey she had endured.

“Tae Pyeong-ah.”

From a corner of the porch where the starlight rested, Yeon Ri whispered my name.

“Are we having rice soup for dinner again tonight?”

“Mhmm.”

“…….”

****

The next morning.

In the center of a waterfall where clear water flowed stood the dignified Heavenly Jade Pavilion.

At last, the newly appointed Heavenly Maiden Jin Cheong Lang was allowed to enter that place.

It was still early dawn before the sun had risen. Jin Cheong Lang had ventured into the deepest part of Heavenly Dragon Hall to take in the view of Heavenly Jade Pavilion.

In that fleeting moment, when the first light of dawn softly began to illuminate Heavenly Jade Pavilion.

There, where no one should have been, sat a girl on one side of the pavilion.

It was Ah Hyun, the former Heavenly Maiden.

Before Jin Cheong Lang could even react, something in the shape of that girl wrapped its arms around her shoulders and whispered something.

Jin Cheong Lang’s pupils trembled violently, and her gaze drifted away.