Chapter 13: The Vermilion Princess Part 2

Drip, drip, the sound of dripping water echoed around the place.

Crown Prince Hyeon Won struggled to force his trembling eyelids open. His body was wracked with intense pain and his field of vision was so blurred that he could hardly see anything.

He tried to fully regain consciousness, but his hazy vision showed no sign of clearing.

He could only discern that he was trapped in a space surrounded by rocks and that he was completely enclosed.

Beyond his limited field of view, he could make out the figure of a girl.

She appeared to be covered in cuts and scrapes. And it seemed that just like the other apprentice court ladies, she also once had neatly braided hair, but it had come completely undone due to the landslide.

That they had survived the landslide and had not been directly crushed by the rocks could only be attributed to a stroke of incredible luck. However, the feeling that death was not far off persisted despite their survival.

There were signs of makeshift bandages all over his body. Perhaps the girl seen through his blurry vision had treated his wounds.

It seemed all pointless though. He had a strange intuition that he would die here.

Though everyone dreams of the life of a crown prince, he himself thought it had been a rather fleeting life.

Swept up in political power struggles, unable to act on one’s own will, and leading a life where the only pursuit was the meaningless reading of scriptures—what value did such a life hold?

When he closed his eyes tightly, it felt as if death was close by.

“Your Highness Crown Prince, you must hold on.”

A whispering voice reached him. What was the point of clinging to life now, in a life that felt so meaningless? With that thought in mind, Crown Prince Hyeon Won relaxed the muscles around his tightly closed eyes.

What value could there be in a life that seemed to have no reason to continue?

Such soliloquy echoed only within his heart.

***

“Huuuu.”

I momentarily lost consciousness. This was the result of losing too much blood.

When I heard a chilling scream, I reacted instinctively, lunged forward and cut down a demonic spirit, but that was the extent of my capability in my blood-drained state.

When I finally came to my senses and looked up, the debris that had come down from Taehwa Pavilion was covering the surroundings. The landslides that had been recurring intermittently seemed to have now completely stopped.

And when I quickly pushed off the floor and raised my upper body, my body stumbled once.

There seemed to be no broken bones, but I had lost too much blood. I needed to find a safe place to rest.

After shaking my head a few times to clear it, the sight that met my eyes was headmaid Hyeon Dang drenched in blood.

“Headmaid Hyeon…!”

I caught Hyeon Dang just as she seemed about to collapse. Looking around, I saw the bodies of several more demonic spirits scattered about.

Even a strong man would need to rest after being covered in so much demon blood. It appeared that in the few minutes I had lost consciousness, Hyeon Dang had been fighting off the demonic spirits here.

“Huff, huff…! Huff…!”

I quickly laid the rescued headmaid Hyeon Dang on the ground.

– Kiik! Kigi geek!

The eerie cries of demonic spirits still echoed from beyond the mist. I frowned and gripped the handle of my cold iron heavy sword tightly.

“Headmaid Hyeon, we need to clean off the demonic spirit blood first.”

“Ver… millon… Princess…”

Even as she was losing consciousness, Hyeon Dang was trying to say something. I leaned in closer to listen.

“Vermilion…Princess… she is… in the direction I came from…”

“You mean the Vermilion Princess…?”

“If you follow the trail I made… you’ll find a large cave…”

Headmaid Hyeon Dang gripped my garment tightly as she spoke.

“I’m fine, please go to the Vermilion Princess … I can still… draw more demonic spirits to me…”

I couldn’t help but widen my eyes in disbelief.

I was wondering how so many demonic spirits could gather in a place where visibility was so poor. It turned out that Headmaid Hyeon Dang had been deliberately attracting them.

It wasn’t hard to deduce this. She had hidden the Vermillon Princess and led the demonic spirits away as far as she could.

It was an act that one could only undertake with a disregard for one’s own life.

Was she destined to die here in the story…

As I watched Headmaid Hyeon Dang losing her consciousness, everything clicked into place.

I felt something was off when I spoke with Headmaid Hyeon Dang before the birthday ceremony. The headmaid of the Vermilion Bird Palace I had seen in the Heavenly Dragon Love Story wasn’t her.

Of course, that made sense. She had died here before the story of the Heavenly Dragon Love Story even began.

In the Heavenly Dragon Love Story, Princess In Ha Yeon initially appears as an antagonist to the female protagonist Seol Ran.

After all, Seol Ran was the illegitimate child of the Huayongseol clan which had killed her uncle, In Chang Seok. While Seol Ran herself wasn’t guilty of a great sin, it would have been hard for her to forgive Seol Ran easily.

Until she could appreciate Seol Ran’s strong and sincere character, she had no choice but to view her with hostility.

Yes, the Princess in the Heavenly Dragon Love Story was brave and dignified but there was a cold chill deep inside her heart.

She was a person who rose to her position by losing a lot of things.

Both her uncle In Chang Seok and headmaid Hyeon Dang were among those she had lost. She lived her life by losing and losing and losing again.

They say our lives are about struggling to survive, but there are indeed those among us who must lose much in the process.

Those who rise through loss often bear multiple gaping holes in their hearts.

It wasn’t just the two of them; undoubtedly, she had suffered many more losses. Living like that, one can feel their heart slowly wearing thin.

“……..”

I wiped away the blood that clung to various parts of Hyeon Dang’s body. This wouldn’t entirely rid her of the demonic energy steeped in blood, but it was the least I could do.

Then, I hoisted Hyeon Dang over one shoulder and with my other hand, I grasped my sword. Its weight felt almost like a thousand pounds which made my hand tremble.

– Kaaaaak! Gagagagak!

As the howls of demonic spirits echoed from beyond the mist, I bowed my head slightly.

The rising killing intent seemed as if it were my own.

***

I can’t just… stand by and do nothing…

Was this a cave that a bear used as its home?

The cave was more spacious than expected, but it wasn’t entirely a safe haven.

The demonic spirits could detect the scent of humans if they concentrated. It was certain they would pounce the moment they discovered the critically injured Vermilion Princess.

The Vermilion Princess somehow managed to drag her aching body, grabbed the wall of the cave, and stood up.

She attempted to head towards the partially blocked entrance that Hyeon Dang had covered but soon staggered and fell back onto the dirt floor.

The court robes that looked so beautiful and splendid on the stage of the birthday ceremony were now hideously tainted with mud and dirt.

However, this was not the time to worry about such matters. It was uncertain what she could do with a body on the brink of death, but given the Vermilion Princess’s temperament, staying still was not an option.

Drrrk

But before the Vermilion Princess could attempt anything, a human shadow appeared at the entrance of the cave.

Bracing for it to be a demonic spirit, the Vermilion Princess clenched her teeth to stand, only to be surprised when the figure became clearly visible.

Whoosh

It was Seol Tae Pyeong who was carrying Headmaid Hyeon Dang over his shoulder.

His body was so covered in blood that it had dried and stuck to him. The trail of blood behind his back indicated a long journey to this place.

It was astonishing to think that a human body could contain so much blood.

“You, you…”

“…I found her on my way.”

He carefully placed Hyeon Dang in the middle of the cave floor and set his sword aside.

“Hyeon Dang…!”

The Vermilion Princess gasped in shock and struggled to move toward Hyeon Dang before she started examining her closely.

Hyeon Dang was covered in the blood of demonic spirits, and her own severe bleeding made it seem like her life hung in the balance.

While The Vermilion Princess inspected Hyeon Dang, Seol Tae Pyeong completely blocked the cave entrance with the rock.

Then, he returned inside, tore his military uniform, and began wiping the blood off Hyeon Dang’s body.

“If we leave her like this, she will die.”

“No, we can’t… Hyeon Dang is like a mother to me…”

“We can clean off all the demonic blood and use my modest Taoist healing skills to somewhat counteract the demonic influence. However, without a way to stop the bleeding and with her energy so depleted, she might not last long.”

“We need to take her to a physician immediately.”

The Vermilion Princess struggled to get up and spoke in a trembling voice.

“I’ll clear a path… There should still be soldiers near the Taehwa Pavillion. If we can make it to them, we can have a physician see Hyeon Dang.”

“The mist makes it impossible to discern direction. Moreover, we can’t be certain if anyone remains near Taehwa Pavilion.”

“But we can’t just do nothing. I cannot accept losing Hyeon Dang like this.”

The Vermilion Princess drew her sword from Hyeon Dang’s waist and wiped the demonic blood from its blade with her long sleeve.

“We must try everything. How can one who can’t protect their own people aspire to rise? I… I cannot afford to lose Hyeon Dang…”

“Vermilion Princess, please calm down and sit back down. Your injuries are severe.”

“I cannot…!”

The Vermilion Princess exclaimed. Her voice was filled with rising emotion.

Such a demeanor was unprecedented for her. The Vermilion Princess was expected to maintain her composure in any circumstance given her position.

But her own headmaid was on the brink of death. She was unable to maintain her composure.

“I…. I do not want to lose any more of my people…!”

“Vermilion Princess.”

“Help me. If you carry Hyeon Dang and follow me, I will clear a path by any means necessary. We cannot afford to sit here paralyzed by fear, even now.”

“Vermilion Princess.”

“If you help, I will give you anything you need. If it’s money you want, I will take as much as you need from the Vermilion Bird Palace’s treasure room. If you want to be promoted, I will personally recommend your name to the Red Palace. So please… help me…”

As the Vermilion Princess poured out her plea, Seol Tae Pyeong stood up and grasped her shoulders firmly.

“Vermilion Princess.”

“You … huh…”

Only then did the Vermilion Princess notice Seol Tae Pyeong’s appearance.

The man, who was usually brimming with vitality and, to the same extent, frivolity, spoke so little and his tone was heavy.

The reason became clear to her only then. The amount of blood flowing from Seol Tae Pyeong’s body was incomparable to what Hyeon Dang was losing.

It seemed that more than Hyeon Dang, it was Seol Tae Pyeong himself who was in desperate need of a physician’s care.

“You …”

His body was already battered, and fighting off the horde of demonic spirits had left him with countless new wounds.

“How many… demonic spirits did you slay?”

“No one really counts such things.”

Yet, he did not utter a single complaint of pain.

The Vermilion Princess felt as if she had been doused in cold water.

A cool mind is contagious. In such an extreme situation, Seol Tae Pyeong’s calm demeanor made the Vermilion Princess acutely aware of her own desperation.

Only then did her mind cool down.

“…I apologize. I lost my mind for a moment.”

“Anyone might do the same in such circumstances.”

With that, Seol Tae Pyeong firmly pressed her shoulders and made her sit in front of the wall of the cave.

The Vermilion Princess found herself unable to resist the unique strength of this man and was forced to sit abruptly on the earthen floor. She had faced numerous men in sword fights before, but never had she been so directly guided by physical force.

Sitting there, gasping for breath, her eyes widened in disbelief.

She was someone who lived a life grounded in authority and dignity, so she had never been physically overpowered by a man regardless of her own will.

“Vermilion Princess, there’s but a thin line between courage and recklessness. Failing to distinguish between the two may lead you into grave danger someday.”

Could this be the same frivolous man she knew? Seol Tae Pyeong was speaking in a cold voice that made her think so.

It is said that humans’ true colors come out when they are pushed into a corner.

The reason he couldn’t show his usual spirit was probably because he didn’t even have the time to do so.

“You …”

The Vermilion Princess asked with a trembling voice.

“How can you remain so calm in such a situation…”

Was it possible that the mistress of the Vermilion Bird Palace, who must always maintain her calm, was less poised than a mere apprentice warrior?

Unable to contain herself, the Vermilion Princess blurted out her question.

“Vermilion Princess…”

To that question, Seol Tae Pyeong answered seriously in a low voice.

“It’s not that I’m calm… it’s just that it hurts so damn much I can’t even speak…”

“……”

What kind of language is that to use in front of a crown princess consort?

It was so absurd that she couldn’t even come up with something to say back.

***

After wiping off all the blood of the demon and firmly stopping the bleeding, the flow of blood seemed to stop at last.

It seemed like the crisis had passed at this level. When I saw that the constant sweat from Hyeon Dang had stopped to some extent, I felt safe enough to breathe a sigh of relief.

Her pulse was strong, and she was breathing, albeit sporadically. Upon confirming that fact, the Vermilion Princess leaned against the cave wall and let out a breath of relief.

“Even so, it’s true that we need to see a physician as soon as possible. If we delay, there could indeed be a risk to her life. My Taoist techniques aren’t enough to fully erase the demonic energy within her, so she could cough up blood again at any moment.”

“But… there are demonic spirits roaming outside. The mist makes it impossible to see the situation clearly.”

“If an incident of this scale happened, the White Immortal Elder must have taken action.”

I spoke in a confident tone as I bandaged my wounds.

“If it’s the White Immortal Elder, he should be able to clear this mist before long. If we can make our move to Taehwa Pavillion at that time, we’ll be able to ask the soldiers for help.”

“How long do you think it will take?”

“………”

In the Heavenly Dragon Love Story, Seol Ran managed to sustain the wounded Crown Prince under a boulder for nearly three days.

This meant that in the worst-case scenario, we might be trapped in this cave for the entire duration. It was ridiculous to have a patient stay in this place for three days without knowing when she would die.

But that scenario hinges on the successful rescue of those trapped beneath the boulder.

When it seems like the situation has been roughly resolved, we can quickly run out of the cave. I think that with the White Immortal Elder there, the situation would be resolved much faster.

“I can’t say for sure, but I doubt even the worst situation would go beyond three days.”

“Three days… that’s far too long for Hyeon Dang to endure…”

“It seems better that we go out as soon as the mist lifts a bit and the situation improves. I should still be able to handle a few demonic spirits.”

The Vermilion Princess looked at my physical condition again, then composed herself and spoke.

“I also… can wield my sword if I have some rest.”

I was about to respond when I noticed the expression on the Vermilion Princess’s face.

What was reflected on her face… were the twisted feelings she was experiencing.

Her life was in danger. And her one and only confidant was on the brink of death.

Demonic spirits prowled outside, and to add to that, the only one next to her at this time was a descendant of the Huayongseol clan whom she regarded as her enemy.

The crown prince’s safety was uncertain, and there was no knowing when help might arrive.

Under such circumstances, it wouldn’t have been surprising if one were to be seized by fear and tremble uncontrollably…. It was only normal that her feelings would grow twisted.

Therefore, I cleared my throat and spoke softly.

“Vermilion Princess, thinking about too many things will only add to your confusion. In times like these, it’s best to focus on a single clear goal.”

“…. What is that?”

“Let’s survive.”

At those words, the Vermilion Princess looked at me as if struck by a hammer and her eyes grew wide for a moment.

After a while, she seemed to find some ease of mind and let out a laugh.

No matter how much authority she was wrapped in, she was still just a nineteen-year-old girl inside.

Her short laugh seemed to be the natural laughter of this girl who did not care about her dignity as a princess consort.

“I see. You’re right.”

Then, she murmured in agreement.

“Let’s survive.”

It was a stuffy cave, but if we held on for a little while, the situation would be resolved.

As long as that conviction existed, the will to survive would not be extinguished.