Chapter – 40
I Don’t Know About That
The tyrant’s long-serving bodyguard.
Yi So—who exactly was he?
Born the eldest son of a modest, ordinary household, he had carried the weight of being the family head for as long as he could remember.
He wasn’t scholar material, but he had persistence, and naturally he dreamed of becoming a warrior official.
But in reality, warriors were treated worse than civil officials.
Even though warriors were the brave ones who marched onto the battlefield and cut down enemy commanders!
They weren’t even worth comparing to the ministers who only flapped their mouths in court.
Yi So… met a certain prince by chance.
“Follow me, and your parents and younger siblings will live in peace. Your hands will be stained with some blood, of course. But aren’t you curious? A world where martial men are not looked down on by scholars.”
Prince Yangwon was Yi So’s direct superior and a general who personally took the lead in every battle.
Most grown imperial sons chose the comfort of civil posts, but he was… different.
To the warriors, the way he commanded on the front lines was… godlike.
“General, I swear loyalty to you. Command me as you will.”
Truthfully, Yi So hadn’t believed Yangwon’s words at first.
But when he discovered it was Yangwon who’d been taking care of his family while he was away at war, things changed.
The next year, when that prince ascended the throne, Yi So offered him his life.
The new emperor—Wu-je—was fairness itself.
A true god who conquered all with the tip of his blade!
…That was the story Yi So had been telling for over two hours now.
“Sir, please. Why are you like this.”
A-mang was reaching her limit.
The Emperor had practically dumped Yi So in Yeonyeong Palace and walked off.
“Yi So. You will reside here for now and assist the Princess. That is my command.”
Why must she suffer like this?
Yi So, who seemed like he’d be a quiet type, hadn’t stopped talking since the emperor left.
With a steadfast, reliable expression, he planted himself in one corner of the palace.
Where had everything gone wrong?
Shouldn’t have talked to him.
But he’d been standing there with his arms crossed looking so stiff and awkward that she’d gotten curious and tried speaking to him.
Like this:
“Mr. Warrior, aren’t you bored?”
“Princess. I am unmarried.”
“…Okay, then what should I call you?”
“Call me Yi So.”
“Alright, Mr. Yi So. Do you want this?”
“I’m fine.”
“Then why is your name Yi So?”
Even when she offered candied fruit or yakgwa, even when she suggested playing with fun trinkets, Yi So rejected her instantly.
‘No thank you. It’s alright. Please, Princess.’
He was like a doll that, once pressed, entered a looped “I love you” mode.
“Oh, that is because—”
And A-mang had boldly pressed that button.
The story button that launched an epic two-hour saga with no end in sight.
“Stop!”
“Ah, would you like to stop here? The next part is truly interesting. So then I—”
“Please stop! Your mouth!”
At this point she was getting physically ill.
And the more she listened, the more she realized—
He wasn’t even telling new stories.
He was just praising the Emperor nonstop!
Drawing from his tiny handful of personal experiences, he was repeating, like a broken record, “His Majesty is the greatest of the great!”
“Princess, you must not speak so to a palace guard. You are young and spoke rudely.”
“Not at all. If this too is for the Princess’s protection, I shall endure.”
Wow. Why did the way he talked remind her of someone?
“But Princess, why are you not fulfilling His Majesty’s order?”
“One more person still has to come.”
“There is another person in Yeonyeong Palace?”
“Yeah. One more.”
A kid with a loud mouth and excessive sense of duty.
“Princess!!”
“Oh, you’re here?”
As expected, Geumjin did not disappoint.
Speak of a tiger and it appears.
Carrying five bags in a jumbled mess—insisting he would catch the culprit who killed the rat—Geumjin froze at the sight of Yi So.
“Wh-who are you?”
“Who are you! How dare you enter Yeonyeong Palace where the Princess resides without permission!”
“I should be asking you that! I alone am the Princess’s attendant!”
“And I alone was ordered to guard Yeonyeong Palace!”
What a pair.
Realizing something was off, both men blinked blankly.
“Attendant?”
“Guard?”
“Ah, so you must be Sir Geumjin. My apologies for the offense. I am Yi So, His Majesty’s bodyguard. I was dispatched here by imperial order to investigate the rat incident.”
“Is that so? Then I spoke out of ignorance. As you know, I am the Princess’s sole attendant, Geumjin.”
Just moments ago they’d been growling at each other, and now they were warmly shaking hands.
Two of the same kind… in one palace.
Someone might collapse at this rate, A-mang thought.
Like the rumor that doppelgängers can’t coexist—though luckily both were still alive.
“Good! That makes four of us. Everyone’s here!”
Before the two could escalate into another contest, A-mang jumped in.
Having two similar types around was a problem.
Worse yet, what if they got along well?
Horrifying.
Thankfully, Geumjin and Yi So still eyed each other warily.
Naturally so—this was their first real meeting since the state lecture ceremony.
Honestly, they probably hadn’t even gotten a good look at each other back then.
Geumjin, who now looked like a naive country mutt with a bright smile, had actually appeared quite mature at the lecture.
Among imperial sons, he hadn’t stood out at all.
He hadn’t shouted “Princess!” every five seconds but had answered calmly and intelligently.
The way I’m talking… it sounds like I abandoned a child.
This wasn’t something she could blame on Grand Preceptor Geum’s teaching methods.
Once again, A-mang reminded herself: “First, let me improve myself.”
“Our goal is to uncover why the rats are dying in Unseok Palace!”
“Yes, as you command!”
“No… I’m not done speaking yet.”
It clearly wasn’t just rats.
A-mang recalled the palace maid from Unseok Palace who had collapsed days ago.
A longtime friend from the laundry house, one of the few who never bullied So Mi-in.
A maid she trusted enough to entrust with prenatal preparations—collapsed without warning.
Something’s strange.
A palace where rats were dying… and now a person had collapsed. Then next would be—
So Mi-in!
A-mang’s head snapped up.
A chilling dread crept down her spine—her senses were sharp.
“We must go to Unseok Palace first.”
“But Mr. Yi So… can you do deduction work?”
“Yes.”
Conversation over.
What was that?
There was a cold, curt feeling to him all of a sudden.
It didn’t particularly bother her, but it was odd.
Wow, that man really chose the right confidant.
Just how had the emperor sweet-talked him so thoroughly? The bodyguard’s eyes only sparkled when talking about the emperor’s past.
In a way, she was relieved.
I thought that crazy emperor would’ve threatened his subordinates too.
Well… if the man was happy, who was she to judge.
* * *
Unseok Palace was deserted. Not even an ant dared wander through.
The gifts piled to one side had long been cleared away.
The palace had returned to the same quiet, lonely state it had before So Mi-in became pregnant.
Myeong-yi chewed at her cuticles anxiously.
Foot traffic had entirely stopped these past few days.
A maid had collapsed and been sent to the physician, but no clear cause was found.
“Princess! And the man next to you is…?”
“Father’s bodyguard, Yi So!”
Seeing the tall man with a sword at his waist, Myeong-yi instinctively stepped back.
Yi So bowed politely.
His first impression was better than expected.
“We’re here to investigate. Please clear the area for a moment.”
“I will assist as well!”
“Me too!”
“Princess, it’s dangerous!”
The silence of Unseok Palace vanished instantly, replaced by chaos.
The anxiety that had been gripping Myeong-yi’s heart slowly loosened.
Something warm and hopeful took its place.
A belief that something would finally be resolved.
“It could be an infectious illness.”
“Please allow me to learn too!”
“No.”
With Myeong-yi leading, Yi So moved independently to the place where So Mi-in resided and where the maid had collapsed.
To avoid harming the fetus, So Mi-in had been staying in a smaller room.
“I’ll take a look.”
Everyone held their breath as they watched Yi So.
Geumjin and Nan clung tightly to A-mang, afraid she’d dash in at any second.
Yi So crouched low and examined the area.
“What was the maid’s condition?”
“She was fine. She was reciting scriptures for Lady So Mi-in, and the Princess arrived. The maid stood behind Lady So Mi-in. That’s all.”
“And the dead rats?”
“…They flipped onto their backs and foamed white at the mouth.”
A connection finally clicked in Myeong-yi’s mind.
Why hadn’t she noticed sooner?
The rats and the maid had shown the same symptoms.
Which meant… the maid was likely—
Myeong-yi’s face turned deathly pale.
“S-Sir Guard! Is… is something wrong?”
“That is what we must determine. White foam… was there any odd sign before that?”
“T-the truth is… I don’t know…”
To be honest, Myeong-yi hadn’t paid attention to that maid.
Serving So Mi-in for so long had filled her with pride and tunnel vision.
A promotion from Zayeom Palace to Unseok Palace had narrowed her perspective even more.
Especially toward a newly assigned maid who’d come in solely through personal connections.
Could such negligence lead to serious consequences?
No—surely not.
Myeong-yi forced down her rising fear.
“I found it.”
Yi So, who had been sweeping the floor, lifted his fingers coated in a dark red powder.
“Lacquer tree poisoning.”
A clear answer.
Myeong-yi collapsed to the floor.
