Chapter 40: The White Princess Part 3

Woon Baek was defeated by him…? Ah, so that’s why I haven’t been able to reach Woon Baek for a while now…!

Although Consort Ha Chae Rim looked utterly shocked, she managed to regain her composure.

It’s said that as long as you keep your wits about you, you can survive even if you’re dragged into a tiger’s den. She had never anticipated that Seol Tae Pyeong would appear and retrieve the sachet, but stuttering in panic here would accomplish nothing.

I must not panic…!

She quickly composed her disordered thoughts and surveyed her surroundings. The public opinion hadn’t completely turned against her yet.

Everyone, from the emperor to high officials, seemed taken aback by the sudden change of events, but suspicion had not fully shifted to Consort Ha Chae Rim yet.

“Th-This is strange! Even if the commander of the ghost hands had this sachet, how could a mere warrior snatch it from him? It doesn’t make sense!”

“That’s something… you should verify directly with the commander of the ghost hands.”

What Seol Tae Pyeong was wearing around his face as he spoke was a black cloth mask typically worn by the ghost hands’ members. It was clear from his appearance that he indeed had a recent encounter with the ghost hands.

It wasn’t particularly difficult to ask the ghost hands about the facts of the case, but even a glance at Seol Tae Pyeong’s current condition was enough to prove that the situation was far from ordinary.

However, how could a mere third-rate warrior possibly fight on equal terms with the ghost hands?

This fact was hard to believe, and for a moment, a confused atmosphere pervaded among the audience.

“…….”

Consort Ha Chae Rim swallowed dryly and did her best to maintain a natural expression.

– Please check near the stage; you should find an untied sachet there. Make sure to bring it back.

– Is that item really necessary?

– It probably will serve as evidence of the White Princess’s scheme. We absolutely need it to persuade the White Princess to willingly accept her punishment.

Indeed, Consort Ha Chae Rim had requested that the commander of the ghost hands Woon Baek retrieve the sachet.

She had provided him with a reasonable reason, but in reality, it was closer to using the commander to destroy evidence.

The White Princess had a keen eye. If she were to see the actual sachet, she might claim that the embroidery on it was not her work. That would complicate matters.

Therefore, it was necessary to damage the sachet in some way. Before it could emerge as evidence before the emperor, it had to be torn or burned so that the embroidery would be difficult to discern.

And so the sachet needed to pass through Consort Ha Chae Rim’s hands at least once before it was presented to the Emperor.

But everything started to go wrong when the White Princess set off the explosives and started a fire in the White Tiger Palace.

Swept away by the aftermath of the explosion, Ha Chae Rim could barely control her own body, and Woon Baek also had no choice but to urgently chase after the White Princess, who had escaped. In a critical situation where buildings were burning and warriors from the Red Palace were flooding in, there was hardly a moment to care about something like the sachet in her possession.

The White Princess herself might have thought all her struggles were in vain.

Yet those struggles to survive were, indeed, extending the White Princess’s lifeline.

“Speak, Fourth Consort.”

Feeling the Emperor’s cold gaze, it was as if cold water was poured over her whole body. But everything she planned would end if she were to stammer her words right now.

“I-It is true, Your Majesty, I asked the commander of the ghost hands to keep the sachet safe for me.”

When the fourth consort said this, murmurs swept through the assembly once again. She had just admitted that what Seol Tae Pyeong claimed was true.

But the fourth consort was also someone who had survived decades in the main palace.

Then she walked to the center of the tent, kneeled down, and pleaded.

Did the fourth consort admit to all the crimes? The high officials were shocked at this revelation, but what the fourth consort said next was unexpected.

“Your Majesty. However, how could asking to keep the sachet be a crime? I was just trying to prepare the evidence in advance to prove the White Princess’s disloyalty….”

The heavens were helping Ha Chae Rim.

The situation was so urgent she had no time to tamper with the pouch, but the chaos caused by the fire in the White Tiger Palace had already compromised its original form. In essence, the original goal had been achieved. it was nothing short of a miracle; a miracle worthy of prayers to the heavens many times over.

If she could deny her involvement now, she might still find a way to survive.

She, who harmed the Vermilion Princess, manipulated the commander of the ghost hands, framed the White Princess, and lied before the Emperor, could not bear all these sins and expect to leave Cheongdo Palace alive.

But…. she felt that the events were becoming more entangled than she originally planned. The fourth consort ground her teeth in frustration.

Yes, had things gone according to the original plan, none of this would have happened.

The original idea had been to use the guards to capture the White Princess and bring her before the Emperor to expose her crimes conclusively.

All she had to do next was take the sachet that Woon Bark was carrying with him before entering the tent and either untie all the ends of the embroidery or roll it a few times on the dirt floor.

However, because of this third-rate warrior kneeling before the Emperor,

Everything was going wrong because of that random man who appeared out of nowhere and ruined everything.

But as the saying goes, even if the sky falls, there is a hole to escape through.

The fourth consort shed tears and tried to smooth over the whole situation.

“Your Majesty! Please do not doubt this woman’s loyalty!”

However, the tide was already turning.

“…. Then, why did you not speak of this sooner?”

Jang Rae who had been silently bowing his head stood up and spoke.

Although other high officials wore ambiguous expressions, warrior commander Jang Rae was already half-convinced as he spoke with certainty.

“Why have you kept silent about securing the sachet until now?”

“That… that is…”

“The warriors from the Red Palace have been frantically searching for that sachet. Even if you didn’t know that the commander of the ghost hands must have rushed to the White Tiger Palace as soon as he took the sachet, why would the fourth consort have concealed the existence of the sachet until this very moment?”

The assembly’s gaze turned to Jang Rae as he relentlessly continued speaking.

Not a single word he said was wrong.

He glanced once at Seol Tae Pyeong, who was kneeling, then closed his eyes briefly before speaking again.

“Perhaps, would it have been inconvenient for you if the sachet were present here?”

It wasn’t easy to cast a skeptical eye on a member of the imperial family. This was the same even for the warrior commander of the Red Palace.

However, Jang Rae who stood firm in his convictions raised his voice towards the Emperor.

“Your Majesty! The White Princess clearly spoke earnestly!”

– Please allow me to examine the sachet that was on the stage closely! If it was indeed a gift I sent to the Vermilion Princess, it would naturally be embroidered by me.

– I know my own stitching best. If I could see it myself… I could prove that the sachet was not made by me!

The White Princess’s eyes trembled slightly as she stood with her arms tied behind her and her head bowing.

She hadn’t cried out to have the embroidery verified because she was certain or confident.

It was just words blurted out in desperation, as she didn’t want to accept death just yet, and in the hope that there might be a clue if she could just see the sachet.

The same went for burning down the White Tiger Palace.

There was no certainty that this would allow him to survive; she simply couldn’t stand by and do nothing.

These were the results of her struggles, her flailing about to live even just a moment longer.

“..…..”

Seol Tae Pyeong who was bleeding profusely with his head bowed.

The words he often repeated suddenly pierced through the White Princess’s chest.

Even though it may look ugly and miserable, struggle to live even for just one more second.

Do not admire those who accept death gracefully and beautifully.

Roll in the mud, bite at your enemy’s hem, and growl in a vulgar way if you must… but never stop trying.

Never give up the struggle to survive. Even if it seems meaningless, grinding your teeth and persisting will eventually bring forth some meaning.

“We can’t look at the embroidery in detail because the sachet is in a mess right now…. but when we think about how confidently the White Princess shouted, the situation seems incredibly unnatural!”

Jang Rae bellowed loudly.

“Isn’t all of this too perfectly aligned to be a coincidence!”

When Jang Rae shouted like that, a murmur spread among the high officials.

The White Princess had shouted that she could prove her innocence if only she had the sachet.

And the fourth consort seemed to be trying to somehow hide the sachet.

Indeed, it was far too perfect to call it a coincidence.

Amid the confusion of the high officials, Emperor Woon Sung who was sitting on his throne spoke with a dignified voice.

“That is a valid point.”

Then the Emperor’s cold gaze turned toward the fourth consort.

“Speak. Why have you remained silent about knowing the location of the sachet until now?”

Because there was no need to speak about its location.

If she were to actually show the sachet to the White Princess, she wouldn’t know how things would turn out.

And of course, she couldn’t have imagined that an unknown warrior would beat up the commander of the ghost hands and show up with the sachet.

Nor could she have imagined that the mistress of the White Tiger Palace would burn down her own palace in a desperate attempt to escape.

There were countless reasons that had snowballed into this situation…

“That is…”

But none of those reasons could come out of the fourth consort’s mouth.

“That is—”

Cold sweat began to stream down the fourth consort’s face relentlessly. She had to find an excuse; something convincing enough that the Emperor, the high officials, and even the White Princess could not refute… an irrefutable reason for hiding the sachet’s location… and she had to come up with it now.

If he delayed any longer, the blade of suspicion would turn toward her. That would be the end of everything.

But what could she possibly say? Her mind was spinning to its limits and even screaming, but the suspicious glares directed at the fourth consort did not stop.

“I….”

The fourth consort eventually responded with a faltering voice.

“I… my memory… isn’t what it used to be… I had… momentarily forgotten… I beg your forgiveness…”

However, a coherent response was impossible. She was already in a desperate situation.

She struggled to gather her scattered thoughts as she spoke…. but her excuse was far too flimsy.

Just like that…Silence was all that passed through the tent thereafter.

Eventually, after hearing the fourth consort out, the Emperor let out a deep sigh of great disappointment.

“I am truly disappointed in you…”

***

“Your Majesty! Please reconsider! Something! Something is wrong! The cunning fox of the White Tiger Palace has plotted to remove me!”

Could this be the same person who, just moments before, had tearfully begged for mercy for the White Princess?

So it seemed. But the restrained fourth consort was now crying out miserably.

“That White Princess over there has orchestrated everything! She aims to remove the highest-ranking female member of the Inbong clan to take her place! I know it! The White Princess would sell her soul for power!”

It was a futile struggle.

However, the White Princess just quietly looked down at the floor and listened to her struggles.

The White Princess had done the same just now. Even with death imminent, it was human nature to struggle to the end.

Since she had done so, there was no reason the fourth consort could not do the same.

“Your Majesty! Please… just listen to me once more… Your Majesty…!”

The soldiers who were holding her bound hands were shaken off as the fourth consort broke free and dashed toward the Emperor, only to collapse onto the floor.

She flailed and wailed disgracefully, but the Emperor merely closed his eyes tightly and shook his head.

“Patriarch Ha! Patriarch Ha! Listen to me! You know the true nature of the White Princess, don’t you!”

Desperately grasping at straws, she looked at the head of the Inbong clan Ha Gang Seok who was seated below the emperor, but he too closed his eyes as if in shame.

After all, this incident was a great disgrace to the Inbong clan. Whether one or the other was the culprit, Ha Gang Seok could not raise his voice in front of the Emperor.

“What are you waiting for? Take her away!”

Following Jang Rae’s shout, the palace guards rushed forward and seized the fourth consort’s arms once more.

And so the fourth consort was dragged away while screaming disgracefully but in the end, she had no choice but to be led away by the soldiers’ hands.

She would be imprisoned in the palace’s jail and would have to bear her punishment. Considering the severity of her crimes…. it wouldn’t be even surprising if she was sentenced to death.

“.……”

Throughout this struggle, the White Princess just stared blankly at the floor.

As the fourth consort’s cries grew fainter, the White Princess suddenly looked up and surveyed her surroundings.

In the grand tent, the Emperor’s throne was positioned at the highest place.

Below him, numerous high officials looked on with expressions of pity towards the White Princess.

On the floor, the White Princess kept her head bowed, and next to her, the Vermilion Princess who had been defending her with all her might sat with a smile on her face.

On one side, Commander Jang Rae was directing the soldiers to lead the fourth consort out.

And in the farthest corner from the Emperor…

The man who had fought ferociously against the ghost hands and who breathed in the smoke of the burning White Tiger Palace.

And at the very end, he had rushed all the way to the Emperor’s tent, gasping for breath as he defended the White Princess before the Emperor himself.

His hands were covered with burns, and his body was riddled with wounds.

The sight of him was so pitiful that only looking at him could make one’s face frown.

Then she saw herself.

When she realized that her appearance was hardly different from that of Seol Tae Pyeong, she was suddenly filled with a strange emotion.

“White Princess, lift your head.”

At that moment, the Emperor called out to the White Princess. This was to comfort the White Princess who must have suffered more than anyone else due to the scheme of the fourth consort.

However, when the White Princess raised her head, not only the Emperor but also the other high officials were rendered speechless.

“……..”

What kind of person was the White Princess, the mistress of White Tiger Palace? Wasn’t she always a figure of immaculate grace? A woman who was praised as a fairy who descended to earth?

That very same woman who was now awfully marred by ash and burns lifted her head… and she was shedding tears profusely.

She was thought to be a woman who merely observed the world’s joys and sorrows with detached indifference, but in the end, she was just another human crawling upon this earth. That’s right, she was no more than a seventeen-year-old girl.

When had they forgotten that fact?

“Sob… sniff… sob…”

She had survived.

The struggle she had endured to survive was not in vain.

“Ugh… sob… hic…”

It seemed as though she found confirmation in this realization… that she even forgot the gravity of her position. The girl cried endlessly. She lowered her head once more and continued to cry.

Her figure was so pitiful… that the high officials standing above could do nothing but quietly lower their heads as well.