Chapter 6
“What is this? Why are you loitering around someone else’s shop?”
At the man’s shout, Yuso quickly waved her hands in defense.
“I was just looking around, I swear.”
“Get lost. You think this is some neighborhood playground or something?”
Yoro bit her trembling lips and replied calmly.
“I came to obtain silk. It must be indigo-dyed silk from Gunryeong.”
“Oh, a customer, huh.”
Only then did the man laugh, swaying as he did, and rummaged through a drawer. He brought out a bolt of silk and unrolled it with a rustle. The fabric gleamed with a glossy sheen.
Even Yuso, who knew nothing about silk, could tell. This was it. It had to be this silk.
Yoro hesitated, then pulled out a pair of red jade rings from her pouch and held them out.
“Will this be enough to pay?”
The man glanced down at the small palm holding the rings, scoffed, and snatched the silk back.
Yoro sighed in disappointment, her eyes following the silk as it disappeared.
“Don’t make me laugh. Two little brats walking in here… tch.”
Yuso puffed up her cheeks. She could tolerate being treated like a child, but not the princess. The princess was not someone to be insulted or humiliated in a mere marketplace.
“Hey! Do you even know who she is? How dare—!”
“Yuso, enough!”
How could she, in her current situation, reveal who she really was?
Yoro quickly scolded Yuso and stepped in front of her. Ironically, she couldn’t protect anyone as a princess, but maybe she could stand tall as just ‘Yoro’.
Still fuming, Yuso allowed herself to be pulled away, and the bear-like man fetched a scoop of muddy water and flung it at the shop’s entrance with a splash.
Seeing the man glare at them until they were out of sight, Yoro felt a sense of unease and decided they needed to leave the immigrant quarters immediately.
“Princess, what are we going to do now? If we can’t get that silk…”
“There’s no helping it. We’ll have to find whatever silk we can get in exchange for Mother’s jewelry and do our best to sew it.”
“If Her Majesty beats you, make me take your place. The other concubines do that, don’t they? Make their servants take the punishment instead.”
“Yuso… enough nonsense. Just keep walking.”
Tch. Yuso pouted, stomping after Yoro with loud steps.
The desert sand clung stubbornly to the streets, and the dryness made the air taste like dust and earth.
As they hurried along, a damp herbal scent and a ragged cough came from nearby.
There must be an apothecary close.
Yoro was sorely tempted to stop by, but the sun was already setting. She tugged Yuso by the wrist to keep moving.
Just as they rounded a curved stone wall—
“Ah!”
Yoro collided hard with someone and fell to the ground. As she looked up to see who it was, the sunlight blocked her view.
“My apologies. I was hurrying home due to poor health and…”
Yuso muttered complaints under her breath, but Yoro only brushed the dirt off her worn skirt and shook her head.
“I smell honeysuckle and ginger. You must be poisoned. I’m sorry for getting in your way. Please go on.”
The man began to pass by indifferently but froze at Yoro’s words. Slowly, he turned to face her.
“You know your herbs?”
“I’ve only learned by watching over someone’s shoulder.”
“And you practice medicine?”
“Again, I only observed growing up.”
“Then… would you be able to take my pulse and see if the herbs I’m taking are appropriate?”
Yoro looked uncertainly toward the apothecary and hesitated, lips tightening. The man sighed, as if expecting that reaction, and turned to leave.
Yoro hesitated, then let go of her skirt and reached out to stop him.
“A-At least taking your pulse… I can do that. But…”
“Yes. I’ll compensate you. If you spare a little time, I’ll make it worth the day you lose.”
At the mention of payment, Yoro and Yuso exchanged a subtle smile. Even a few extra coins could mean better-quality silk.
Taking their silence as agreement, the man rolled up his sleeve and held out his arm without hesitation. Carefully, Yoro felt for his pulse.
Her gaze slowly scanned his forearm. Darkened skin, prominent veins, sword scars, and a strong, steady pulse—signs that he was a warrior.
Standing beside them, Yuso gulped and looked up at Yoro, tense. Oh, my sweet, innocent princess… You could just pretend and take the money…
“…Is it too difficult to tell?”
After a long silence, the man finally asked. Yoro briefly lowered her gaze, then shook her head.
“You lied to me.”
“What…?”
Yoro looked up at him, her eyes now sharp.
Now that she was seeing clearly, she noticed a burn mark near his right eye.
“You’ve been poisoned.”
At her words, the man inhaled sharply. The pungent ginger scent wafted strongly from the herbs at his feet.
“Which means whether you use rare herbs or cheap ones, none will work. Why did you deceive both me and the apothecary?”
“They said I’d meet a savior in Simryeon. Seems they weren’t wrong.”
He muttered cryptically, a bitter smile playing on his lips.
Even before the feeling of dread could settle in, Yuso was already preparing to run, and Yoro lifted her skirts.
Then, the man brought his hand to his lips and let out a long whistle.
Like birds calling from tree to tree, the whistle echoed, and soon came more in reply.
They knew then—it was a signal.
“Yu-Yuso, let’s go…!”
Yuso glared and made a gesture with two fingers from her eyes to the man’s face.
“Ungrateful Gunryeong scum. Hope you trip in the dark!”
Though the man didn’t run, he easily caught up with Yoro and Yuso’s desperate pace.
They ran wildly until their backs hit a dead-end wall. Yoro pulled young Yuso behind her small frame and steeled herself.
“Come any closer, and I’ll scream!”
“I know you’re afraid. But my lord lies on the brink of death from poison. If you help, we’ll never forget your kindness.”
“There’s no kindness to expect here. Stay back.”
Why hadn’t she kept even a simple silver dagger on her?
All Yoro could do was bare her teeth like a cornered animal.
Just as she swallowed her breath—
The sunlight dimmed, and a shadow fell over them. Startled, she looked up just as something flew down at them.
“Ahh…!”
Yoro shielded Yuso in her arms as a tightly woven net dropped over them in an instant.
“What is the meaning of this?! Is no one there? Is anyone out there?!”
Despite Yoro’s screams and her struggle to tear at the net, the man shook his head and extended a hand toward his subordinates.
“Cover their eyes.”
One of the men obediently handed him a black cloth, but his voice showed hesitation.
“General Suo, with all due respect… they’re not even real physicians. Just a couple of women… What could they possibly know?”
“No. The so-called physicians here never examined me. They only prescribed herbs based on my words. But this woman—she was different. She may just be the savior we need.”
Yoro heard Suo’s words, gasping for breath as she clutched Yuso protectively.
Just before she could scream again, someone lifted the net and wrapped the black cloth over her eyes.
