WDCDF 07

Chapter 7

The dragon’s curse was persistent and vicious. If the dragon’s blessing was water, the curse was fire. Like two sides of the same mirror, it choked Ryeo-hwan’s breath day after day.

Every breath felt like swallowing flames. Every step was like walking over burning stones. No one could truly understand the pain, but its severity could be guessed—at least by Myeong-hak, who had served the two kings before him.

“Still, we should return as soon as possible.”

That was why Myeong-hak had opposed Ryeo-hwan leaving the palace until the very end. Now, worry was written all over his face, as if he were about to start nagging. Sensing this, Ryeo-hwan smoothly changed the subject.

“You’re not going to insist we leave in the dead of night, so don’t worry. More importantly, you’ve been riding all this time—you must be tired. Why not sit down for a bit?”
“I’m fine.”

The answer came without hesitation, and Ryeo-hwan’s eyes narrowed. He knew that Myeong-hak would only sit if ordered to, and even then, his tension wouldn’t ease—he’d exhaust himself just as much as if he were standing.

Deciding there was no helping it, Ryeo-hwan clicked his tongue and brought up a matter he’d been putting off.

“Any word from Bi-yeon?”
“The Namga faction seems to have caught on to something, but Dongjin’s side is full of blind fools, so he says not to worry.”
“Ha-ha!”
“This isn’t something to laugh about, Your… Doryeon-nim. Even after all these years in the palace, he still hasn’t dropped that street-market speech.”

Myeong-hak often disliked Bi-yeon, whose origins were unknown. Leaning his chin on the chair’s back, Ryeo-hwan gave a faint smile. He wasn’t unaware of Myeong-hak’s anxiety, nor did he truly trust Bi-yeon’s sworn loyalty. Still, there was one reason Ryeo-hwan kept Bi-yeon close.

“Don’t be so hard on him, Myeong-hak. You know, to play a good game of janggi, you need all the pieces.”

He was one such piece.

After years of effort, Ryeo-hwan had finally gathered every piece he needed. Rising from his seat to retire for the night, he glanced at the dark window, thinking—
Now that the pieces are in place, it’s time to begin the game.

* *

[You really won’t run away? Hwaya, it’s not too late. It’s far too soon to give up like this!]
“It’s not like that.”

I haven’t given up yet—that’s why I’m still following along.

Swallowing her unspoken thoughts, Seo-hwa went down to the first-floor hall. Unlike the bustling drunkenness of the night before, the inn was lively in the early morning. Those leaving early were half-asleep, shoveling breakfast into their mouths, while others were tending to their horses, demanding more feed and turnips.

“Over here!”

Spotting Ryeo-hwan waving energetically, Seo-hwa started toward him, then froze. Behind him stood a man she had never seen before.

[Look at those arms. He could rip a man’s head off with his bare hands. Guess running away’s out of the question.]

Yong-yongi clicked his tongue. So it wasn’t an empty threat when Ryeo-hwan said a general would come to meet them. Schooling her face into calm composure, Seo-hwa stepped up to the table. Ryeo-hwan greeted her with a broad smile.

“I ordered your meal in advance. Let’s eat quickly and be on our way.”

Sitting down, Seo-hwa glanced at her bowl. Judging by the way the hot soup had gone cold, he must have woken her far earlier than necessary. Shaking her head, she picked up her spoon—only to find Ryeo-hwan staring at her intently, chin propped on his hand.

“Do you think I can eat with you staring at me like that?”
“Ah, my apologies, Agassi. I’m just in a bit of a hurry.”

At Ryeo-hwan’s use of Agassi, Myeong-hak flinched. He never imagined he’d hear that title from Ryeo-hwan’s mouth. Seo-hwa noticed his reaction and looked at him curiously. Following her gaze, Ryeo-hwan suddenly remembered and introduced him.

“This is General Myeong-hak, whom I mentioned yesterday. Others may call him by title and surname, but between us, just use his name.”

Unceremoniously included in this “us,” Seo-hwa raised a brow. Realizing it was best not to engage with Ryeo-hwan in such moments, she instead turned to Choi Myeong-hak.

“You must have a hard job, General.”

Especially being assigned to guard such an eccentric master. Myeong-hak, catching her implication, cleared his throat in embarrassment.

“Puhaha! See, Myeong-hak? I told you—she’s not as fragile as you think.”
“Doryeon-nim…”

Please, keep your dignity. Swallowing the urge to say it aloud, Myeong-hak shook his head. That was his way of signaling no more unnecessary attention. Ryeo-hwan, knowing it was best not to draw eyes, remained silent until Seo-hwa finished eating.

Not that she ate much—just a few spoonfuls of broth. Even a lavish feast wouldn’t have stirred her appetite that morning. Ryeo-hwan scolded her about needing a full stomach for the day’s ride, but she only held up her pouch of dried rations. In truth, it was better to keep her stomach light when riding—unless she wanted to vomit everything back up.

* *

How did things end up like this?

Seo-hwa stared blankly at the chaos before her.

Until they left the inn, the morning hadn’t been bad. She’d even thought it might make for a decent final day. But then… now, tugging hard on her reins to calm her restless horse, she heard Cheongryong sigh from her shoulder.

[Well, I’ll be…]
“Leave the woman and the goods, and we’ll spare your lives!”
[In all my years, I’ve never seen such a well-groomed bandit. If you’re going to disguise yourselves, at least put some effort into it. Don’t you agree, Hwaya?]

He wasn’t wrong. Bandits in the mountains weren’t unusual, and she had agreed when Ryeo-hwan suggested taking a mountain path to save time.

“Drop your weapons if you don’t want to die!”

But this attempt at playing bandit was laughably poor. Did they even mean to be convincing?

At that moment, Myeong-hak stepped forward, drawing his sword.

“Doryeon-nim, step back.”
“Hm? There’s quite a few of them—let me fight too.”
“Doryeon-nim.”
“Don’t look at me like that, Myeong-hak. You’ve admitted yourself my sword skills are respectable. But… are they actually pretending to be bandits? Dressed like that?”

Seo-hwa silently agreed. The leader—whoever he was—clearly thought anyone emerging from the mountains was automatically a bandit.

While Seo-hwa looked incredulous and Ryeo-hwan looked amused, Myeong-hak’s expression was dead serious.

“Step back!”

Blocking Ryeo-hwan’s advance, Myeong-hak’s commanding tone left no room for argument, and Ryeo-hwan reluctantly withdrew.

“When we get back to the capital, I’ll have to tell Namga what bandits actually look like…”

Seo-hwa’s brow twitched at his mutter. She knew nothing about the capital’s politics—partly by choice, and partly because the shifting landscape was difficult even for those living there to keep up with. But Namga? They were unforgettable.

“You know them?”

Only then did Ryeo-hwan seem to remember she was beside him. The absurdity of armed men in full armor pretending to be bandits had distracted him. Smiling awkwardly, he replied as if excusing himself.

“Ah… well, you could say that.”

It was a thoroughly vague answer. Seeing her expression, Ryeo-hwan chuckled and added—

“Not everyone with power shares the same mind. Some don’t want you coming to the capital. These men were sent by a faction trying to keep you in check.”
“That makes sense.”

Her indifferent response made him furrow his brow. Behind them, Myeong-hak swung his blade. Without even glancing back, Ryeo-hwan asked—

“It doesn’t bother you?”

Shhhk—

Cutting down another poorly disguised “bandit,” Myeong-hak leapt from his horse. Even for a general, being outnumbered was no small matter—but he moved through them like a storm, making Seo-hwa realize why Ryeo-hwan wasn’t worried. She turned back to him.

“Why would it bother me?”
“You were a princess once. Doesn’t it hurt to see your former subjects turn against you in just ten years?”

Seo-hwa frowned, wondering what on earth he was talking about. If Namga had sent them, their motives were obvious enough. She was about to answer when one of the men shouted, drawing his bow.

“—Doryeon!”

There are moments in life when the body moves before the mind can think.

The instant Seo-hwa saw the taut bowstring, she moved—reaching out before realizing she was still on horseback. It wasn’t until she’d thrown herself over Ryeo-hwan that she realized they would both just die together.

And then—

“Well, now…”

Ryeo-hwan’s eyes, which had been looking at her in surprise, suddenly turned crimson. Seo-hwa felt a strangely familiar energy and thought—
Ah… maybe he never needed my help in the first place.

Thud!

They tumbled from the horse and rolled down the mountainside.

“—Your Highness!!”

A desperate voice shouted from far away.