Episode 9
Guided by the attendant, Gahwa first seated the child, then pushed her chair closer to the back seat.
She could hear their conversation quite clearly.
Satisfied, Gahwa called the serving boy.
“Bring me this dish and a bottle of takju, and for the child—”
She chose the cheapest dish on the menu for herself, and let the child pick whatever he wanted.
The child pointed to the most expensive dish in the tavern.
It was the sort of price Gahwa could afford maybe once a year, so she was startled, though she tried not to show it.
“…One bowl of that, please.”
Since the child wanted it, she thought perhaps just once would be all right.
After placing the order, while waiting for the food to arrive, Gahwa pretended to converse with the child but pricked up her ears.
All her attention was fixed on the guests behind them. From the crest on their sword scabbards, it was clear they were palace guards.
“I thought I’d lose my head like Gwok-ga this time. Lucky I wasn’t stationed at the Hall of Peace. Everyone on duty there ended up dead bodies. What on earth happened?”
A bearded man spoke flippantly.
“Watch your tongue. Haven’t you seen fools killed for less? Isn’t it obvious? He killed the late king and seized the throne.”
The square-jawed man spoke warily, full of caution.
The bearded one clicked his tongue.
“So what if it’s not the palace. What harm?”
“When royals are being slaughtered left and right, our lives are no more than flies’. All the more reason to be cautious!”
“Now that you mention it, I heard so many have been killed the royal line is nearly wiped out. Even that long-forgotten mute princess and her mother were put to death.”
“You mean Her Highness Soyong? A pity. She was a good lady, but went like that. I heard they didn’t even build a tomb.”
“Enough, enough. What business is it of lowly folk to fret over royals? So long as the new king rules well, that’s what matters. Come now, drink.”
Soyong Mama.
The chopsticks in Gahwa’s hand trembled.
At hearing the name of the dead, fury welled up.
She had desperately hoped Lee Hyul’s words were lies, but now even that hope was gone.
He had taken everything from her.
Lee Hyul, Lee Hyul, Lee Hyul!
Gahwa ground his name between her teeth. The more she chewed it, the deeper her mother’s death seared her bones.
I will never forgive him. I will stand in the Hall of Peace, tear away his crown, rend his flesh to pieces, and cast his bones to the beasts.
With that oath, she swallowed down her rage. In the meantime, food was served at the table.
The child’s eating sounds reached her. But Gahwa could not bring herself to eat.
Her throat was too tight; nothing would go down.
“You eat, too.”
The commanding voice startled her. It was unmistakably the child’s.
“!”
Gahwa lifted her head in shock. The child, expressionless, pointed at the dish.
“Humans must eat to have strength.”
The dry but weighty tone—she had heard it before, and only recently.
Yes, that was exactly how the dragon spoke.
Gahwa’s face twisted.
From coming down the mountain until now, he had deceived her, acting like a helpless child.
The betrayal stung—and thinking of all her wasted efforts only fanned her anger.
“Did you find it amusing to deceive me?”
She snapped her chopsticks in two for emphasis.
Crack.
The dull sound rang out, but the child—no, the dragon—ate unperturbed. He chewed slowly, savoring the food, then asked,
“What did I deceive you about?”
Even that question provoked her fury. Gahwa swallowed her anger again and again.
“You pretended you couldn’t walk, that you were sick, that you were a child—all of it deceit!”
“When did I once say with my own mouth, ‘Carry me,’ or ‘I’m sick,’ or ‘I’m a child’?”
Gahwa was struck speechless. She felt as if she were arguing with a five-year-old.
Clearly it was the dragon spouting nonsense—so why did she feel like the one losing?
“It was a test.”
As she fumed in silence, he added another word.
Gahwa’s brows twitched.
“A test?”
“I told you—I do not trust humans. Turn your back, and they betray. So I waited to see if you would keep your promise and come here directly, or flee the capital instead.”
Gahwa fell quiet. Having suffered betrayal herself, she could understand all too well.
“For now, eat.”
When she only stared, the dragon pointed firmly at her dish.
Gahwa took a fresh pair of chopsticks from the wooden holder.
As he said, she needed strength to gather the fragments—and for her mother’s revenge.
During the meal, only the clatter of chopsticks was heard.
The dragon had already cleared his plate and now watched as Gahwa ate.
She ate determinedly, as if to show him. He shook his head slightly, but said nothing more, waiting patiently—an unexpected courtesy.
When she had emptied every plate, the dragon finally rose.
“Let’s go.”
Where?
Gahwa asked with her eyes as she quickly packed her belongings and stood.
A serving boy nearby approached and bowed.
“I’ll guide you.”
She followed the attendant upstairs.
At the top of the wall-side staircase stretched a long corridor. All doors were closed—likely guest rooms or private dining rooms.
The dragon headed straight to the room at the very end.
Inside was a table in the middle, a large folding screen at the back wall. Otherwise, nothing stood out save its finery.
“You don’t mean to dine again, do you?”
Gahwa asked quietly from behind.
The table was just like those downstairs, only larger. This must be another dining chamber.
The dragon didn’t bother answering, striding instead toward the folding screen.
Swish.
He slid the edge aside, revealing a solid wooden wall. It looked entirely ordinary.
Curious, Gahwa peered over his shoulder.
He placed something into a round groove between the panels and turned it.
With a dull thud, a square gap appeared in the wall, sliding inward. Pushed sideways, it opened into another room—large enough for a grown man to pass with ease.
“You, leave. You, follow.”
“Yes.”
The serving boy exited, while the dragon led the way inside. Gahwa confirmed the other’s departure before stepping through.
Inside was a hidden chamber—though “chamber” hardly fit, for its scale rivaled a royal study.
Clearly, it was no place meant for open eyes.
What is it he hides here…?
Gahwa wondered aloud.
“What is this place?”
The dragon turned at last, amused by her question. Over his shoulder she saw the walls—entirely lined with drawers.
Each held tightly rolled bundles of documents.
He jerked his chin toward one, inviting her to look.
“I have not spent my time in the palace merely idling.”
So what were all these?
Gahwa stepped forward, pulled out a roll, and unrolled it. The paper was crammed with writing.
“This is—”
She lifted her head in shock.
“You’ve been gathering all this?”
It was information. On the royal family. And not only that.
She checked another drawer. That one held rumors circulating through the capital. Another held intelligence on one of the great clans, the Cha family.
Gahwa gaped, dumbstruck, until the dragon plucked the paper from her hand.
“Do you know how much one of these is worth?”
Only then did she come to her senses. The entire wall of documents loomed before her with new weight.
All of it intelligence on the nation.
“Then this place is—”
“A so-called tavern, yes, but in truth an information house.”
He deftly rolled the paper and returned it. His hands moved with practiced ease. The fact he came and went freely here meant his influence was considerable.
A high position—or the owner himself.
Gahwa stared in astonishment.
“Did I not say I have not merely played idly?”
But that couldn’t be. Had he not been sealed, imprisoned in the palace?
He should not have been able to leave freely, hence why he’d sent her to gather the orbs.
Reading her thoughts, he smirked.
“No human power can seal all of me. And with time, the seal has weakened.”
“So you seized the chance to collect the orbs.”
“No. I began moving only now because I have at last discovered the whereabouts of the final fragment.”
“The final one… Then—”
“Yes. Including the last, I already know the locations of the other eight.”
Gahwa’s face lit with joy.
This was the best news yet. Until now, he had simply ordered her to find the fragments with no direction, leaving her lost as to where to start.
But now the searching was spared—she need only retrieve them.
She eagerly slung her pack onto her shoulders.
“Tell me where, and I’ll depart at once.”
“Before that—Yeongyeong.”
The dragon called a name. From beneath a desk nearby, someone poked up his head.
“Ha ha…”
He smiled sheepishly.
“You called, Master?”
Startled, Gahwa stepped back. She had thought only the dragon and she were in this chamber.
“Haha… didn’t mean to startle you.”
The man laughed good-naturedly, brushing off his knees as he stood.
His unkempt hair and slouched eyes gave a mild impression. The thick glasses made him look older. He tidied his clothes and bowed.
“Greetings, Master.”
Her suspicion was confirmed: the dragon was indeed the owner here.
He waved dismissively.
“Bring what I told you.”
“Already prepared.”
Yeongyeong gathered a bundle from the cluttered desk and brought it over. The dragon unwrapped it: an identity token, a purse of coins, a map, and a compass.
Even this he has ready…
Surprised by the dragon’s unexpected generosity, Gahwa’s eyes shone.
The compass was essential for travel. She had planned to visit the market before leaving the capital to purchase one and other supplies.
But with this, only food remained to buy.
She stretched out her hand.
“Thank you. I’ll make good use of these.”
She bowed her head, waiting—but felt no weight in her hands.
Puzzled, she looked up. The dragon was gazing down with one brow arched, eyes asking why she thought to claim what was his.
As though he meant to say he would be joining.
Surely not—
“I will go with you.”
The words she feared came from his mouth.
