Chapter 38: The White Princess Part 1

Crash! Whoosh!

Thud!

The ghost hand members who were aiming their bows outside the palace could only swallow dryly.

This was because several members who had entered the burning White Tiger Palace were being thrown unconscious into the backyard.

Their allies rolling helplessly on the dirt floor couldn’t even make a sound. They had all completely lost consciousness and had no will to resist.

The sight of their unconscious allies being tossed one by one into the backyard seemed almost mocking, but when they thought about it, it was actually for their benefit.

If they remained unconscious inside the burning building, they would surely lose their lives.

The man with a cloth mask on his face was picking them up one by one and throwing them into the backyard.

Clang!

Boom!

However, the sight of each unconscious member popping out from inside the building was nothing but terrifying for those watching.

Eventually, when the man even carried out the commander of the ghost hands and burst outside, everyone’s eyes widened with shock.

The commander of the ghost hands Woon Baek could be considered a first-class warrior.

When they saw the man who had casually knocked out such a person, the members of the ghost hands couldn’t help but freeze in their place.

“Huff… huff…”

Of course, the man himself was far from intact.

Blood was flowing from various places on his body, and his hands were swollen from burns.

It was just as he was about to throw the unconscious commander of the ghost hands Woon Baek into the backyard.

The man who was covering his head with a cloth mask seemed to sense something unusual as he examined the unconscious commander.

The White Princess clung to her fading consciousness and continued to walk.

The night was deepening and her vision was already impaired, but the constant pain was so distracting that it was difficult for her to get her bearings.

What was the point of going on like this?

As the physical pain intensified, so did her thoughts.

The pursuit by the ghost hands would likely continue.

Seol Tae Pyeong alone would find it difficult to fend off more than twenty ghost hands, and it was certain that some would manage to break away and continue chasing after the White Princess.

If so, it seemed almost certain she would be caught before even escaping the palace.

All the struggling seemed pointless now. Perhaps it would be better to just collapse here and reflect on her past life.

Yet despite this, the White Princess had no choice but to keep moving her feet. Because Seol Tae Pyeong was blocking the route for her escape.

With someone struggling so desperately to save her, it was impossible for her not to do anything.

Then it was right to struggle as much as possible to survive; at least to the extent possible.

That was the least she could do in respect to the man named Seol Tae Pyeong.

Even amid the searing pain she felt, she gritted her teeth and kept walking towards the outside of the palace.

And as she walked… sometimes, even the heavens would relent and provide an answer.

“Wh-White Princess?”

To encounter the Vermilion Princess and the Vice General on their way to the burning White Tiger Palace could perhaps be seen as heaven smiling down on the White Princess.

In the back alley of the inner palace where the soldiers of the Red Palace could not tread,

The Vermilion Princess had to choose the fastest route as she dashed out to save Seol Tae Pyeong from the ghost hands. This alley was that route. It was a place that soldiers did not normally use and were unaware of its existence.

“Huff… huff…!”

“White Princess! What’s happened to you? Your condition is…!”

“Please step back, Vermilion Princess! I will support her!”

The Vice General quickly ran forward and supported the White Princess.

Her body was marred by burns and they looked painful to watch even at first glance.

As Vice General Jeong Seo Tae supported her, the White Princess clenched her eyes shut. Merely being supported caused her entire body to scream in pain.

It was truly cruel how things turned out.

Now that she found herself receiving help from the Vermilion Princess, whom she had once envied, the White Princess could not even muster a bitter smile.

“It seems she’s been badly hurt in the fire! We need to inform the soldiers of the Red Palace immediately…!”

“The members of the ghost hands… are chasing me…”

Following her words, the expressions of the Vermilion Princess and the Vice General hardened at the same time.

Just like the Vice General had guessed, the ghost hands from the main palace had moved to capture the White Princess.

Despite her pain, the White Princess managed to think clearly and understood the situation accurately.

Seol Tae Pyeong was carrying the Vermilion Bird tablet given by the Vermilion Princess. This meant he was sent by her to the White Tiger Palace.

But they did not know that the ghost hands had come directly to capture the White Princess.

If you get involved with the ghost hands by mistake, you will die. Realizing that fact, they quickly rushed to check on Seol Tae Pyeong’s condition.

In the end, meeting these two in the back alley of the inner palace was almost like a butterfly effect caused by Seol Tae Pyeong.

Could it be that the heavens were on his side? It seemed he was destined to have a life-saving power.

“If you help me carelessly… you might get charged with helping a criminal… It would be wise to keep that in mind…”

“… I will not ask at length.”

Facing the White Princess, who was groaning in pain, the Vermilion Princess asked sternly.

“Did you send me the sachet, White Princess?”

The White Princess slowly shook her head at those words.

From the Vermilion Princess’s perspective, it was impossible to tell whether her words were true or false. In reality, it could as well be the White Princess who had done it and she was only lying to get out of the immediate situation.

Considering all the circumstantial evidence, it was simplest and most certain to assume that the White Princess had orchestrated this scheme.

“Since the situation has come to this, I will lay everything out and speak honestly.”

The White Princess said so with a weary smile.

“I envied you, Vermilion Princess.”

“………”

“How could I, as a fellow woman, not envy the Vermilion Princess?”

To someone who was surviving in the Inbong clan where every moment was a struggle for survival, the dignified life of the Vermilion Princess who was as majestic as a Vermilion bird must have seemed as unreachable as the sun itself.

As a lady of the Jeongseon clan and the mistress of the Vermilion Bird Palace.

Her appearance was more beautiful than anyone else’s, and her character was so upright that there was nothing to criticize.

People praised Ha Wol for looking like a fairy, but in Ha Wol’s eyes, In Ha Yeon was truly the most sublime fairy of all. That was why she envied the Vermilion Princess.

The numerous scratches visible on her hands were absent on the perfect girl who, without facing life’s hardships, stood at the same level and simply reigned supreme.

Even she, who would stop at nothing for power, was but an ugly human before the noble-hearted Vermilion Princess.

“That’s…”

“But… I did not do it.”

Still, it was not the White Princess who had placed the incense in the sachet as a gift for the Vermilion Princess.

That much was not a lie but the truth. Whether the Vermilion Princess would believe it or not, the White Princess spoke only the facts as they were.

“Perhaps, the one who orchestrated all of this… is the fourth consort.”

There she named someone from the same Inbong clan.

The Vermilion Princess and the Vice General looked at each other briefly before turning back to ask the White Princess again.

“Are you…. sure about that?”

“The fourth consort appeared at the White Tiger Palace leading the ghost hands herself. It was clear she intended to capture me and take me to the Emperor.”

“The ghost hands… were acting under the fourth consort’s orders?”

No matter how noble the fourth consort was, she did not have the authority to command the ghost hands.

Both the Vermilion Princess and the Vice General were well aware of that fact.

Naturally, a conclusion was drawn. Someone had enabled the fourth consort to command the ghost hands.

Only the Emperor or the three great officials of the main palace had the authority to command the ghost hands.

It was impossible that the Emperor knew of this affair yet. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have remained silent.

That meant… the order for the fourth consort to command the ghost hands must have come from one of the three great officials.

The Chief Councilor, the Central Councilor, or the Under Councilor.

“I personally witnessed the Under Councilor fully engaged in the preparations for the Heavenly Dragon Festival, and the Central Councilor was also with me just now having a drink.”

The Vice General spoke directly to the Vermilion Princess.

And so through a process of elimination, only one candidate remained.

The pupils of the Vermilion Princess’s eyes began to tremble slightly. It was someone she knew all too well.

“……”

The Chief Councilor In Seon Rok.

Head of the Jeongseon clan and father of the Vermilion Princess In Ha Yeon.

– please consider that I am more concerned with the future of the imperial capital than such personal sympathies.

The Vermilion Princess was not oblivious. She was old enough to understand.

This Cheongdo Palace might be filled with beautiful and romantic scenery. But just beneath the surface, it is a place rife with tricks and deceit among those who are obsessed with power.

Schemes and conspiracies, plots and manipulations.

Even those who live a glamorous and beautiful life, once you peel back the surface, they often reveal a grim and murky reality.

Even the most faithful and loyal subjects would turn out to be often greedy for power when stripped down to their bare bones.

That is why the character Seol Tae Pyeong seemed so extraordinary.

It was the first time she had encountered someone with such skill in swordsmanship who showed no interest in climbing up the ranks.

Indeed, such people do exist.

Yet it was difficult for the Vermilion Princess to maintain her composure when her own father’s name unexpectedly came up.

“My father…?”

In the office of the main palace.

In that majestic place that overlooked the faint outlines of Cheongdo Palace stood a man with his hands clasped behind his back as he contemplated the world.

He wielded his power with an upright heart, always considering the well-being of his people.

However, the position of Chief Councilor could hardly be occupied by a completely innocent person.

One had to have some intuition; to advance beyond a certain point within Cheongdo Palace, one inevitably had to dirty their hands. Cunning and manipulation were almost virtues necessary for survival in this place.

The picture was easily painted.

To stand at the top, one had to trample over everyone who climbed up.

Being the head of the Jeongseon clan did not exempt him from this rule. He was constantly concerned about the people of the rival Inbong clan who were trying to bring down the Jeongseon clan whenever they had the opportunity.

If everything went according to plan, who would benefit the most?

Once this was determined, the overall situation became surprisingly clear.

“Is that so…”

The Vermilion Princess murmured to herself with her head lowered.

She seemed to have a grasp of Chief Councilor In Seon Rok’s thinking.

And of Consort Ha Chae Rim whose position within the Inbong clan was becoming increasingly unstable.

The latter wanted to solidify her own position despite the risk of diminishing the power of the Inbong clan.

Knowing her intentions, it was now just a matter of providing her with a sword she could wield.

The fourth consort would use that sword to cut down the authority of the Inbong clan on her own.

From the Chief Councilor’s perspective, there was no loss to him. After all, everything that unfolded would be the doing of Ha Chae Rim.

The Chief Councilor’s offering of help was merely an appropriate response to the legitimate request of the fourth consort who sought to punish the White Princess.

The truth of the matter… had nothing to do with the Chief Councilor.

Even if the plan of the fourth consort failed, it would simply mean that the fourth consort had deceived everyone.

Thinking about it that way, even if her plan failed in the end, she would be a high treason criminal and the intended purpose of suppressing the authority of the Inbong clan would be achieved.

No matter what the outcome was, from the perspective of the Jeongseon clan, it was a bet with only benefits to gain.

Surviving in the political scene essentially boils down to escaping responsibility.

The chance to suppress a rival family without any responsibility doesn’t come easily.

The head of the Jeongseon clan In Seon Rok would certainly not miss this opportunity.

“Chief Councilor, have you heard about the fire in the inner palace?”

“…….”

At the Calm Green Pavilion overlooking the Truth Insight Terrace where the Heavenly Dragon Festival was located,

The Chief Councilor shook his head as he listened to his aide’s report and he set down his half-drunk glass of clear wine.

He was an old tiger who had survived thirty years in the majestic Cheongdo Palace.

“Anyway, if His Majesty personally accuses us, we cannot lie. It will be the same for you as well.”

The White Princess spoke through her pain.

If she were captured by the ghost hands and dragged before the emperor, the White Princess could not escape capital punishment.

The sachet received by the Vermilion Princess was indeed a gift from the White Tiger Palace.

The Vermilion Princess knew this and her headmaid Hyeon Dang also confirmed that it had come as a gift from the White Tiger Palace.

Therefore, the Vermilion Princess could only speak the truth. She could not fabricate a non-existent fact.

It was all futile to dwell on the unpleasant aspects. After all, guilt is determined by facts and evidence alone.

Perhaps consort Ha Chae Rim had used people or bribed someone to disguise the sachet as a gift from the White Tiger Palace. The process likely involved all sorts of trickery, but that’s all in the past now. There’s no way to uncover it at this point.

The sachet gifted by the White Tiger Palace contained poison. In the end, that fact remains.

Now that it’s clearly established that the sachet contained poison, proving that it wasn’t from the White Tiger Palace falls on the White Princess.

Crying out now that she never sent such a gift only makes her look like she’s retreating from responsibility.

What persuasive power could there be in belatedly falling before the emperor and pleading her case after the poison has been revealed?

“I must prove that I didn’t send the sachet… but… I can’t think of any way to do so…”

As the White Princess spoke, the Vice General and the Vermilion Princess’s expressions grew complicated.

Whom to trust, and whom to doubt.

…In this Cheongdo Palace that was rife with schemes and conspiracies, one must suspect everyone.

But if you were to suspect everyone, nothing can be accomplished in the end.

At the very end… one must trust someone.

Can the White Princess’s words truly be trusted?

What if everything was orchestrated by the White Princess who is merely shifting all the blame to the fourth consort while looking for a way out?

What if all her claims of innocence are lies?

Can the fourth consort be trusted then?

When even her father, Chief Councilor In Seon Rok, whom she trusted and followed his entire life, may as well be playing along with this scheme?

The Vermilion Princess tightly closed her eyes.

She reigned as the mistress of the Vermilion Bird Palace and lived a life where she had countless people under her command.

Living that way, the essence of wielding power ultimately boils down to that question.

Whom to trust? What makes someone trustworthy?

The answer to that question was the surest condition for judging the caliber of a mistress.

“……”

The Vermilion Princess remained silent for a moment before finally catching her breath and speaking.

“The reason I did not like the situation was because Warrior Seol felt uncomfortable with the current situation.”

“…. Huh?”

“He first voiced doubt about how a scheme orchestrated by the White Princess could be this flawed. He said that she might not be involved at all.”

The Vermilion Princess trusted the warrior known as Seol Tae Pyeong. So much so that she personally gave him the Vermilion Bird Tablet.

“He is trustworthy. I will also trust the White Princess, whom he trusts.”

The White Princess’s eyes trembled at the Vermilion Princess’s words.

The most authoritative princess and the victim of this entire incident, the Vermilion Princess, was declaring her support for her.

The White Princess felt a lump in her throat.

The gaze the Vermilion Princess directed at her was more steadfast than that of any veteran who had fought on the battlefield for decades.

“However, I am not sure how much I can defend the White Princess in front of the emperor. Just like you said, it is impossible to lie to the emperor… if only there were time to prepare something…”

Whoooooosh!

At that moment,

Two members of the ghost hands who flew into the night sky kicked down the wall and landed in front of them.

The Vice General was startled and drew his sword, but the two ghost hands appeared to have no intention of being hostile. They had identified everyone present.

Thud!

The two ghost hand members who had landed on the road were those dispatched by Woon Baek as a pursuit team.

They bowed their heads and spoke in a firm voice.

“It is an honor to meet you, Vermilion Princess, Vice General.”

Their tone was polite yet their movements were rough.

The members of the ghost hands who were on a mission couldn’t be casually dismissed, not even by the Vermilion Princess or the Deputy General.

This was because they carried out the direct orders of the Emperor and the three great officials.

The fingertips of the White Princess began to tremble.

Eventually, the members of the ghost hands caught up with the White Princess.

“We are acting under the orders of the main palace. We must bring the White Princess to the Emperor. Please understand our situation.”

“…….”

“…….”

The angel of death finally grasped the back of the White Princess’s neck.

There was no place to escape.

Death often comes without giving any time to prepare.

And so, White Princess Ha Wol was dragged before the Emperor.

All her efforts to escape from the burning White Tiger Palace, running till her legs nearly broke, seemed in vain.

She had struggled to survive as if it meant nothing.

Since the Heavenly Dragon Festival was underway, Emperor Woon Sung was inside a grand tent set up deep within the Truth Insight Terrace.

After hearing about the fire at White Tiger Palace, the ongoing festival had momentarily paused but the festive atmosphere had not yet dissipated.

All the military officials had run out to check on the situation at the inner palace.

The White Princess was led out by the ghost hands inside the tent with her hands tied behind her back.

The tent that was representing the Emperor’s authority was filled with dazzling jewels.

Ha Wol caught the eye of Emperor Woon Sung who was sitting firmly on his throne at the very back.

The eyes seen through the crown were as intelligent and noble as always.

The eyes of the Emperor who commanded the Cheongdo Empire always keenly observed his people.

In front of this Emperor, Ha Wol the daughter of the noble Inbong clan family was just another commoner.

The person with the most authority over anyone else in Cheongdo Palace just quietly looked down at everything with his eyes as if nothing could bother him.

Among a group of high-ranking officials, Ha Gang Seok the head of the Inbong clan was also present.

And in front of him stood the figure of the scheming consort Ha Chae Rim.

“Your Majesty, as I reported in the letter, I have captured the White Princess who was fleeing the palace.”

“Bring her in.”

When the White Princess appeared, a peculiar murmur spread among the officials inside the tent.

The mistress of the White Tiger Palace who had always proudly displayed her beauty now looked terrible. Her entire body was covered in burns and soot.

It was easy to imagine how desperately she had struggled to escape.

And now she knelt down with her hands bound.

She looked around the tent, but no one was on Ha Wol’s side.

So, this is how it ends…

Bowing her head, the White Princess closed her eyes tightly.

It was a fitting end for a vicious villainess.

It was time for her to accept her fate.

“…What is…. this…!”

After sending off the Vermilion Princess who had rushed to the Truth Insight Terrace to defend the White Princess, Vice General Jeong Seo Tae entered the courtyard of the White Tiger Palace.

There, alongside the warriors from the Red Palace who had come to extinguish the fire, lay unconscious members of the ghost hands that lay sprawled around the area.

The warriors from the Red Palace were also surprised to see that all the ghost hands had been subdued and groaning in the ground; it was an unbelievable sight.

All the ghost hands who were dispatched… were subdued? Does that even make sense?

There was no need to ask who was responsible for such a thing.

Still, how was it possible to beat down the elite warriors of the main palace like they were all third-rate thugs?

The perpetrator was nowhere to be found in the White Tiger Palace. For a moment, the Vice General wondered if that kid had been killed in the fight, but he couldn’t find any body.

Where did he go…?

The Vice General swallowed dryly and ran around the area.

However, there was no sign of Seol Tae Pyeong anywhere.

It was as if he had left the White Tiger Palace in a hurry. As if there was somewhere he urgently needed to go.

This… this is…

As he walked around and looked among the warriors of the Red Palace who were busy putting out the fire, he discovered a trail of blood heading toward the door of the backyard.

And this trail of blood that seemed to drag along the ground … was heading towards the Truth Insight Terrace where the Emperor might be.

TN: Oh shit!