Chapter 28: Tea Gathering Part 2

“I apologize for interrupting the conversation. I will quickly check the talismans inside the tea room and then leave.”

When the paper doors opened, Seol Tae Pyeong said this with his head bowed.

The situation had already been explained.

The energy of the Heavenly Dragon had weakened significantly, causing the White Immortal to become very busy.

So instead of the White Immortal, his warrior entered the palace to inspect the protective charms. Inspecting the protective charms of the four palaces was crucial, especially since there seemed to be a significant problem with the talismans in the Azure Dragon Palace recently.

Considering the circumstances, it seemed like routine maintenance work.

All they had to do was nod in understanding, leave the warrior of White Immortal Palace alone, and continue with their tea gathering.

However, a strange tension flowed among the gathered princess consorts.

Even the princess consorts, not to mention the headmaids bowing behind them, had to swallow their dry saliva.

“Then… may I check the talismans inside the tea room for a moment?”

Seol Tae Pyeong asked in a voice filled with tension.

Then when he checked the inside of the fairly large tea room, he started to feel nervous all over again.

The four princess consorts were seated around the low table with the headmaids standing behind them and assisting their mistresses.

Four senior maids from each palace sat on each of the four walls, and a group of junior maids stood outside the paper doors of the tea room.

It seemed that when you are a mistress of one of the four palaces, even having a simple cup of tea requires such formal seating arrangements.

For anyone seeing this for the first time, it would have been an intimidating situation.

To make matters worse, Seol Tae Pyeong received no reply to his request.

It seemed as if no one could decide who should answer among the assembled princess consorts.

“Yo-You’ve come earlier than I expected. The White Immortal Palace certainly handles things quickly.”

If one had to pick someone to take the lead in responding at this gathering, it would have to be the Azure Princess of the Azure Dragon Palace.

You’ve come “earlier than I expected”.

When he heard this, Seol Tae Pyeong seemed to grasp the gist of the situation.

It was likely the Azure Princess’s Taoist magic that had influenced the talismans of the Azure Dragon Palace.

It was unthinkable that someone like the Azure Princess would destroy a perfectly good protective charm just to have Seol Tae Pyeong summoned to the Azure Dragon Palace. However, she might have realized that her Taoist powers had somehow affected the White Immortal’s protective charms.

Considering this, it wouldn’t have been difficult for her to anticipate that the White Immortal Palace would soon send someone.

But whether the White Immortal would come personally or send a warrior of his palace was unknown to anyone. The Azure Princess might have hoped that Seol Tae Pyeong would visit the Azure Dragon Palace. But she especially didn’t want that to happen during an ongoing tea gathering.

Ca-Can’t he, perhaps, postpone this…?

The Azure Princess would have liked to send Seol Tae Pyeong back now and ask him to come again when she was alone.

There were things she wanted to discuss privately with Seol Tae Pyeong, and she certainly did not want to have him there with the uneasy glances of the Vermilion Princess and the Black Princess.

But… she had no valid reason to do so…!

Inspecting the talismans of the inner palace was an essential task. If it was something that could be postponed, Seol Tae Pyeong would have been sent back by the maids in the first place.

Since she was currently the mistress of the Azure Dragon Palace, and with the other princess consorts watching intently, she couldn’t move as freely as she wished.

“O-Of course.”

In the end, the Azure Princess allowed Seol Tae Pyeong to enter the tea room.

Seol Tae Pyeong looked at Yeon Ri who was lying down next to him. The latter signaled with her eyes that they should wrap up their business quickly and leave.

Inside the tea room of the Azure Dragon Palace, there were a total of fourteen wooden pillars. The White Immortal’s talismans were attached to four pillars on the innermost side and four on the outermost.

Seol Tae Pyeong who was accompanied by Yeon Ri started to inspect the pillars from the outside.

“…….”

“…….”

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air around the tea table.

“I am honored to be able to preside over this year’s Heavenly Dragon Festival with my Inbong clan. We might still lack in many areas and could be asking for various kinds of help, but I hope the princess consorts will watch over the Heavenly Dragon Festival with great generosity.”

Only the White Princess who was unaware of the situation was talking softly while enjoying the aroma of the tea.

Normally, this would be the cue for the articulate Vermilion Princess or the Black Princess to smoothly take over the conversation started by the White Princess.

However, no reply came.

Sensing something was wrong as she sipped her tea with her eyes closed, the White Princess looked around at the other princess consorts.

“Perhaps, is there something troubling you?”

“……”

“No-Not at all. Then, Lady White Princess, you might also be performing something at the Heavenly Dragon Festival.”

“No, I will just be representing and releasing a lantern.”

“A lantern… I haven’t flown one since I was a child. I’m really looking forward to it.”

At least the Black Princess quickly regained her composure and responded to the White Princess’s remarks.

However, the Azure Princess who was the mistress of the Azure Dragon Palace was openly looking at Seol Tae Pyeong while he was inspecting a pillar in the corner of the tea room with Yeon Ri. The Black Princess also seemed to subtly glance in that direction while pretending like she didn’t care.

The Vermilion Princess silently prayed to the Heavenly Dragon that the White Princess would not catch on to the odd behavior of the two.

Clack

“Kyaa!”

Just then, perhaps because she was too nervous in such a tense situation, Yeon Ri misstepped and almost fell down.

Seol Tae Pyeong who had climbed a small table to inspect the pillar above, quickly lowered his stance and wrapped his arms around Yeon Ri’s waist to support her.

Flinch!

A strange tension spread out around the table.

“Oh my, be careful.”

“We have committed a discourtesy. I, I’m very sorry.”

When the White Princess spoke in a kind tone, Seol Tae Pyeong apologized immediately.

“……”

Yeon Ri had never once seen Seol Tae Pyeong as a man of romantic interest in her life.

However, the way he carefully helped Yeon Ri to her feet seemed to the princess consorts like that of long-time lovers.

Geeee!

There is a saying that people’s gazes can carry energy in itself.

Although it was impossible for gazes to hold any actual force or energy, Yeon Ri felt a chill run through her body.

Yeon Ri had a strangely keen intuition in such matters.

It seemed as if the Azure Princess, the Black Princess, and the Vermilion Princess were swallowing their dry saliva while staring at the hand wrapped around her own waist.

As the mistresses of the Four Great Palaces and women of extremely high positions, it was almost unheard of for them to have physical contact with low-ranking warriors or other servants.

When Yeon Ri nearly fell down, Seol Tae Pyeong’s movement to support her showed no hesitation as if he were merely assisting an old friend. His touch was as natural as if it were extended to a fellow servant from the White Immortal Palace.

“Tae, Tae Pyeong-ah… it’s alright now.”

“Yes. Be careful not to trip. There’s a step next to the outer pillar.”

“Uh, Mhmm.”

Yeon Ri repeatedly swallowed dryly at the cold sensation she felt on her back.

She felt the piercing gazes of the princess consorts to such an extent that she wondered if this was really happening. She never imagined that a mere servant could receive such looks from nobles like them.

This was…as if he was inviting her to death with him …

The actions Seol Tae Pyeong took could even endanger Yeon Ri if they were misunderstood.

Getting rid of a middle-ranked servant was hardly a challenge for someone of the princess consort’s rank.

Yeon Ri quickly composed herself and stepped back three steps behind before standing demurely. Her demeanor was so humble that it seemed there could be no other girl as graceful as her in this world.

… though It was a desperate struggle to survive for her.

“I’ve inspected the interior thoroughly, and it seems there are no significant issues. However, I haven’t checked all the talismans on the exterior yet.”

“I’m so glad. Especially these days when the capital is troubled both internally and externally, it would have been a major concern if there were issues with the protective charms.”

Seol Tae Pyeong’s words found a proper response only from the White Princess.

The other princess consorts seemed to have something bothering them; whenever Seol Tae Pyeong spoke, they would quickly dart their gazes around and pretend not to notice.

…So this man is Seol Tae Pyeong?

No matter what, since he came right in front of her, the White Princess too began to take notice of him.

The attitudes of the other crown princess consorts toward this warrior were certainly unusual. It was indeed peculiar that they had agreed to petition for Seol Tae Pyeong’s sentence reduction at the previous tea gathering.

He looks decent, and his martial strength seems quite commendable but no matter how I look at it, he just appears to be a rough, third-rate warrior…

By the time one becomes a crown princess of a grand palace, she starts to perceive how the power dynamics within the palace are unfolding.

Seeing how the other crown princesses were so attentive to this man, there seemed to be something about him that the White Princess was yet unaware of.

Surely the mistress of a grand palace would not support a mere third-rate warrior out of personal feelings alone (Correct), nor would she advocate for him without even considering basic gains and losses (they didn’t consider them though), and the attention this man was receiving clearly indicated that there must be some political reason behind it (but there wasn’t any).

“I’m truly sorry for disrupting your important discussion. We will finish inspecting the talismans on the exterior and then take our leave…”

“I heard that some of the talismans of the Azure Dragon Palace have… fallen of …”

At that moment, the Azure Princess who had been silent until now spoke up.

She must have felt like she couldn’t let Seol Tae Pyeong leave just like that, so she spoke casually while hiding her face behind her sleeve and glancing downwards.

“I-I couldn’t tell you in advance, but in the process of training my Taoist techniques, my Taoist power may have had some effect on the White Immortal’s amulet.”

“Yes, we also took that into consideration and visited the Azure Dragon Palace first.”

“In that case… I suspect there might be something suspicious that needs checking. Could you inspect the area near my training ground on the outskirts of the Azure Dragon Palace?”

“That, that wouldn’t be difficult but…”

Seol Tae Pyeong felt an oddly uneasy sensation. It was as if the Azure Princess was trying to prevent him from leaving.

“I often practice Taoism there. Perhaps… if you could wait until after the tea gathering, you could check if my Taoist power might have seriously affected other protective charms as well? I should perform the Taoism myself to verify.”

“………”

“If there’s another issue with the protective charms due to my Taoist power, it really must be checked. We cannot leave such matters unaddressed, can we?”

Though she asked if it could be checked, that was essentially a command to do so. Given his status as a third-rate warrior here, he couldn’t simply shake his head and decline the Azure Princess. Dozens of eyes were watching him after all.

Seol Tae Pyeong tried to think of a way to refuse but there seemed to be no viable option to do so.

He almost felt a hollow sound echoing near his throat as if about to speak, and just as he was about to reluctantly agree, a savior appeared.

“That, that might be difficult, Lady Azure Princess.”

It was the Vermilion Princess, Seol Tae Pyeong’s ally (self-proclaimed).

“Y-Yes?”

“The truth is, we at the Vermilion Bird Palace are also experiencing many issues with our protective charms. As you know, problems with the protective charms are directly linked to safety, so we are eager to receive help from the White Immortal Palace to inspect our palace’s interiors quickly. The maids are also very anxious about this matter.”

“……?”

Headmaid Hyeon Dang looked utterly perplexed at those words but the Vermilion Princess paid her no mind and continued speaking.

“After all, Warrior Seol came to inspect the protective charms of not just the Azure Dragon Palace but all the inner palaces, right?”

“Y-Yes… that’s correct.”

The orders from the White Immortal was clear: inspect all of the four palaces. It was impossible to focus only on the Azure Dragon Palace indefinitely.

“So, it seems important that we also inspect the Vermilion Bird Palace. And wouldn’t it be better for the White Immortal himself to see if your powerful Taoist power is affecting things, rather than a warrior who mostly knows about swords?”

“…….”

“So …. I think he should focus solely on the original task of checking the protective charms.”

The Vermilion Princess swallowed hard and carefully observed the Azure Princess’s expression.

However, from the position of Azure Princess, there was no logic to refute. She merely rubbed across the tip of her nose with her sleeve and was lost in thought for a moment.

“The conversation has led us here, so once Warrior Seol completes the inspection of the Azure Dragon Palace, he should enter the Vermilion Bird Palace to examine its protective charms… and if there’s time left, perhaps we can have a sword match.”

“That, that might be difficult, Lady Vermilion Princess.”

“…Yes?”

At that moment, Black Princess who was a close friend (self-proclaimed) of Seol Tae Pyeong abruptly changed the topic.

It seemed that even the Black Princess was surprised by her own words. But when the Vermilion Princess turned her head to look at her, she took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

“The truth is… there has been a significant issue with the protective charms at the Black Tortoise Palace. We’ve been desperately awaiting help from the White Immortal Palace for a few days now.”

“………?”

Headmaid An Rim wore a puzzled expression on her face at those words, but Black Princess deliberately ignored it.

“As you know, the maids of the inner palace lack knowledge in Taoist magic, so we’ve been struggling to handle the strange disturbances originating from the Black Tortoise Palace.”

“…???”

Was that so?

The expression on An Rim’s face clearly wanted to ask this, but she restrained herself.

On one hand, she felt deeply ashamed for not having noticed such a significant fact.

Hyeon Dang and Hui Yin noticed An Rim’s expression and tightly closed their eyes.

“Since the Vermilion Bird Palace doesn’t seem to have any urgent issues right now… perhaps we should first look into the Black Tortoise Palace. I’d like to seek your understanding on this.”

“Is, is that so…?”

As expected, the Black Princess seems to be harboring some kind of feelings for Warrior Seol…!

Vermilion Princess noticed this.

It was unclear whether Seol Tae Pyeong himself was aware of this fact. If he knew, it might be somewhat reassuring, but if he entered the Black Tortoise Palace without knowing of those feelings, who knew what might happen.

Seol Tae Pyeong must be protected…!

First, it’s necessary to summon him to the Vermilion Bird Palace to check if he knew about the situation.

And if there’s any time left over, perhaps they could cross swords, sip some precious and rare Biluochun tea, and engage in trivial, perfectly normal, mundane talk where she could ask about his life in the White Immortal Palace.

The Vermilion Princess’s demeanor has been quite unusual these past few days… I must inform Tae Pyeong about it first…!

Of course, the Black Princess had her own thoughts as well.

They say distance makes the heart grow distant as well. However, she noticed that recently that whenever Seol Tae Pyeong’s name came up in conversation the Vermilion Princess’s gaze sharpened.

It seemed wise to brief him on these matters before his visit to the Vermilion Bird Palace. Since he must visit all the great palaces eventually, starting with the Black Tortoise Palace wouldn’t be too odd.

Of course during his visit to the Black Tortoise Palace, she would not only pass on these updates, but she might also share a bowl of rice soup with him and ask about what to do at the upcoming Heavenly Dragon Festival, how life at Cheongdo Palace was going, and engage in trivial, perfectly normal, mundane talk where she could ask him if he was having any troubles in his life and how he was doing lately.

“Since we are currently inspecting the Azure Dragon Palace, perhaps it would be best to complete that inspection thoroughly.”

“It seems that things are wrapping up at the Azure Dragon Palace, so let’s consider the situation at the Vermilion Bird Palace…”

“Well, the situation at the Black Tortoise Palace is very urgent…”

Sharp exchanges passed between the three princess consorts a few times.

You couldn’t tell just by looking at the surface of their words. But the women’s war of nerves was originally something that had to be dug deep inside to reveal its true face.

The conversation was conducted with dignity and courtesy toward each other yet there was a strange spirit of unyielding resolve that flowed between the consorts.

…Is the protective charms issue really that important?’

Well… it’s about safety, so it’s understandable that it’s a sensitive matter.

The White Princess on the other hand simply enjoyed the aroma of tea while quietly listening to the conversation of the three.

“…….”

“…….”

Of course, Seol Tae Pyeong and Yeon Ri who were sitting with their knees folded felt like they were going to suffocate at any moment.

Which palace should the warrior of White Immortal Palace inspect next?

Such a practical discussion continued, making it seem like the end would never come.

The Black Princess, the Azure Princess, and the Vermilion Princess continued their arguments with their own logic, but eventually, even they did not notice that their voices had subtly grown louder.

“Actually, wouldn’t it be best if someone from the White Immortal Palace were to make a decision on the question of which palace to inspect first?”

As similar discussions repeated for about ten minutes, the White Princess was unable to bear it any longer and spoke up.

Those words were indeed correct, but from Seol Tae Pyeong’s point of view, they were like a disaster.

“…. that’s indeed correct.”

“Yes, exactly as the White Princess said.”

The Vermilion Princess and the Black Princess responded as if they had found a brilliant solution, and their expressions started to brighten.

The self-proclaimed ally of Seol Tae Pyeong and the self-proclaimed close friend of Seol Tae Pyeong thought that if Seol Tae Pyeong was given the choice, he would definitely come to their palace.

But at this tea gathering which was like a sheet of thin ice, the only people who could be trusted were those who could assess the situation objectively….!

For a moment, Seol Tae Pyeong was half convinced that the place where he could gather his bearings and prepare his mind before going to the other palaces was either the Black Tortoise Palace or the Vermilion Bird Palace.

“Then… Warrior Seol, you answer this.”

After rubbing the edge of her sleeve across her nose, the Azure Princess asked Seol Tae Pyeong.

Seol Tae Pyeong felt as if he had been thrown into a field of arrows.

“After this tea gathering, which palace do you think would be the most efficient to inspect next?”

“…….”

Seol Tae Pyeong who was sitting on his knees next to the table felt his throat parch as if it was burning.

When he looked up at the table, he saw the Vermilion Princess swallowing dryly as she looked at him, the Black Princess seemed to be blooming like a flower and beckoning him with a bright expression on her face, while the Azure Princess looked at him with round and pitiful eyes, as if asking if he really wanted to go somewhere else.

Was it to die by the sword, be struck by an arrow, or be pierced by a spear?

Choosing one of the three seemed hardly different.

“That… that is…”

Was the act of producing a voice from a human throat supposed to be this excruciating…?

“…….”

Like an acrobat performing on a tightrope over lava, Seol Tae Pyeong was the kind of man who found a way forward and followed it even in this dangerous situation.

Here… there was only one path.

“Listening to you, it seems that if all three palaces don’t carefully examine their protective charms, there could be serious repercussions.”

With a fading voice, Seol Tae Pyeong found the only way forward and took it to escape.

“So… it would probably be best to quickly check the White Tiger Palace, which seems to be free of major issues first, and then properly inspect the rest of the palaces…”

Seol Tae Pyeong whose complexion had completely lost color responded in that way. Indeed, it was a desperate plea for help from a cornered noble warrior who was in dire straits.

“…Huh? The White Tiger Palace?”

However, from the White Princess’s perspective, this was totally unexpected.

Whisk.

Suddenly, the gazes of the three princess consorts shifted towards the White Princess.

After all, hadn’t these consorts shown little interest in the White Princess throughout the event? Suddenly feeling as if she was being pierced by their stares made her fingertips tremble.

Wha-what is this…?

The White Princess felt like she was facing genuine hostility for the first time since entering the palace.

It was eerily frightening.

However, the White Princess also wanted to find out what this warrior named Seol Tae-pyeong had in store to make everyone pay so much attention to him. Although she didn’t know the reason, Seol Tae-pyeong was looking at her with sparkling eyes as if she was his savior.

“Well, if you say so, it must be…”

Without much thought, the White Princess accepted Seol Tae Pyeong’s opinion.

“………”

“………”

On the surface, the White Princess appeared as lovely as a heavenly maiden yet when one delved into her inner thoughts, she proved to be a materialist capable of the lowest deeds for the sake of power.

If Seol Tae Pyeong indeed had some political backing, it was only natural that she would want to investigate this.

He seems a decent warrior, but… hmm… I’m not sure if he holds any political value. Well, since he seems to hold some inexplicable interest in me, maybe I’ll use that for now.

If played right, this could greatly enhance my authority within the Four Great Palaces.

Eventually, the White Princess spoke to Seol Tae Pyeong with her benevolent smile.

“I feel very relieved to hear that such a trustworthy warrior as yourself is going to inspect the protective charms in the White Tiger Palace.”

Her warm tone alone seemed to soothe Seol Tae Pyeong’s heart.

Given the unexpected warmth of the White Princess’s response, a curious tension rippled through the atmosphere around the table.

“I look forward to your valuable help. When you come to the White Tiger Palace, since you have an important task, go into the tea room and have a cup of tea. I’ll inform my maids beforehand. We have some very precious teas in the White Tiger Palace.

“…I-I am not doing anything so significant as to deserve such a reward.”

“I told you to accept it. You are ensuring the safety of my palace; how could I not offer you at least this much in return?”

The White Princess laid the groundwork with these words.

“………”

“………”

“………”

What is this chill…?

However, earning the favor of warrior Seol Tae Pyeong at this gathering was akin to picking up a poisoned wine goblet.

Unfortunately… the White Princess had no way of knowing this fact at the time.