He intended to possess everything the world had to offer and also had an exceptionally striking appearance. Whenever the emperor looked at his younger brother, he would always praise his looks. He had a straight, prominent nose and a sharply defined jaw. His long, narrow eyes seemed to have been drawn with a single stroke of a brush, and his lips were unusually vivid for a man. Although Hong Hwon was a man, the word ‘beautiful’ naturally came to mind when people saw him.

However, this did not mean that people thought he looked like a woman. With his towering height, powerfully built body, and a chillingly bored expression, people did not say that he was as beautiful as a woman. Instead, they often remarked that he resembled the legendary God of War, who was said to have descended upon the earth at the time of its creation.

“His Highness Prince Yu approaches! Clear the way!”

The moment the commoners in the marketplace saw him riding towards them, they fell prostrate on the ground. Without sparing them so much as a glance, Hwon continued on his way. Once he had turned onto a deserted road, he pulled firmly on the reins. He urged his horse forward at the head of the procession and his subordinates quickened their pace behind him.

Soon, they arrived at an enormous estate situated some distance from the heart of the capital. Standing proudly before the gates of the grand residence, which was large enough to contain its own hill, were six beautiful women dressed in splendid garments of every color. Behind them were at least two hundred servants — men and women of all ages — lined up in orderly rows.

Hwon dismounted and approached the women. As soon as they saw him, they bowed deeply from the waist. At the same time, the vast crowd of household servants assembled behind them dropped to their knees and pressed their foreheads to the ground.

Chapter: The Maidservant

The enormous warhorse’s coat was a lustrous black. Every part of the beast was the same dark color, from its eyes, which still retained an untamed savagery, to its long tail and formidable hooves. Those who saw it for the first time would often stand in awe of its intimidating appearance and terrible blackness.

“Wow! Mother, look at that horse! It’s so large and magnificent. When I grow up, I want to ride a horse like that and distinguish myself in battle for our family—”

“Child, lower your head at once!”

Yet no matter how frightening the beast was, its rider was even more terrifying. Even the most distinguished of the capital city of Yung’s nobles feared the black warhorse’s owner and did not dare raise their heads in his presence.

His name was Prince Yu, also known as Hong Hwon.

He was the Emperor’s beloved younger brother, born of the same mother. He had been granted the title of prince before reaching the age of thirty. His authority and wealth were second only to the Emperor’s, and he was an exceptional warrior. It would have been strange if people did not fear him.

‘Of all my brothers, Hwon is by far the most outstanding. Though he is my younger brother, he is truly someone worth boasting about.’

“Your Highness, we humbly congratulate you on your safe return.”

Buyong, the most senior of Hwon’s wives and concubines, stood at the forefront of the women and bowed with her hands clasped together. The other women and all the household servants echoed her words. This alone revealed the immense authority that Prince Yu commanded.

Despite standing closest to him, Hwon paid Buyong no attention whatsoever. Instead, his gaze swiftly swept across the rows of kneeling servants. Then his eyes settled on a maid far in the distance, barely visible at the end of the crowd.

“Why is that thing standing all the way over there?”

The instant Hwon confirmed the maidservant’s position, displeasure colored his voice. Watching his expression carefully, Buyong cautiously asked.

“Sehwa. Are you referring to that girl?”

“Why ask when you already know?”

Hwon’s response to her question was like a blade. Intimidated by his imposing presence, Buyong fell silent and swallowed dryly. However, his cold, winter-bitter gaze continued to demand an answer. With no other option, she lowered her head slightly and spoke. Despite the absence of wind, the sleeves of her silk robe trembled.

“……She may attend to Your Highness in your bedchamber, but she is still nothing more than a lowly maidservant. She cannot possibly stand alongside us.”

Upon hearing Buyong’s words, the five women behind her silently conveyed their agreement through their gazes. Although there was a hierarchy among them, they were all formally recognized as Hwon’s wives and concubines, most of whom were daughters of distinguished families.

“Who said anything about placing her alongside you?”

“…….”

“The attendants who serve you closely are standing in the front row, yet you believe it is proper for the maidservant who attends to me personally to stand all the way back there?”

Buyong’s reasoning might have been sound in principle, but Hwon found a weakness in it and mocked her mercilessly. Unable to find any words with which to refute him, Buyong remained silent.

“Buyong. If you wish to retain your position, you ought to behave more cleverly. How can you afford to displease me like this?”

“……Forgive me, Your Highness. It was my mistake.”

Seeing that Hwon’s mood was not going to improve, Buyong bowed deeply. He looked down at her coldly, then turned his attention to the maid at the back of the crowd.

The master’s obvious interest naturally drew everyone else’s gaze towards her. Yet despite the countless eyes now fixed upon her, the maid remained oblivious. She was so lost in thought that she had failed to notice anything happening around her.

Like the other servants, she was lying prostrate on the ground, but her head was slightly raised and her gaze was almost desperate. Hwon immediately spotted what had captured her attention and scoffed in amusement. How could she be so utterly predictable? He watched her with a faint smirk, but his expression soon hardened. Then, striding purposefully, he made his way through the rows of servants towards her.

“Ah…….”

Hwon stopped before the insolent servant who had dared let her attention wander. The maidservant had been staring at something in the distance and only noticed her master after a dark shadow fell over her head. Her eyes widened.

“Have you been well?”

Hwon addressed the maidservant first, his voice matching the gentleness of his smile. With that smile alone, his exquisite beauty blossomed like a peony. Yet the moment she recognized him, her hands began to tremble as though she had encountered a ferocious beast. Soon, her entire body was shaking like a leaf.

“I-It’s just…… Ah…….”

She was unable to form a coherent response, and it was clear to everyone that she was terrified. Hwon’s smile deepened at the maidservant’s reaction. His unfathomably deep, pitch-black eyes moved slowly over her from head to toe. They were damp and sinister, reminiscent of a snake’s.

Unable to endure his stare, the maidservant lowered her head completely. Hwon stepped closer until he was almost touching her. The tips of his boots disappeared beneath her bowed head.

“My, you have lost weight again. Why is it that every time I see you, there seems to be nothing left but bones?”

From above, the maidservant looked terribly haggard and pitiful. Her prostrate body was wrapped in garments whose fabric was yellowed in places despite having been washed countless times. The slender wrist that peeped out from beneath them looked fragile enough to break if bent. Her long, pale neck, revealed as her hair slipped aside, looked so delicate that it could have been encircled with one hand.

“Raise your head.”

Hwon commanded her. Though she was trembling uncontrollably, the maidservant obeyed, straightening her upper body and lifting her head slightly.

Her face was so pale that dressed in burial clothes and lying in a coffin, she could have been mistaken for a corpse. Yet despite these unfavorable circumstances, she still shone. Neither her ragged clothes, her worn-out shoes, nor her bluish, make-up-free face could conceal her beauty.

Her face was flawlessly fair, adorned with elegantly curved brows shaped like a wild goose’s wings, large eyes like a gentle calf’s, and moderately full lips. Hwon examined every detail of the maid as though admiring a miniature painting. Then he bent down and abruptly reached out.

“Aah!”

The woman’s shrill scream pierced the air. A fistful of her long, luxuriant hair was seized in the man’s merciless hand. Paying no heed to the maidservant’s cries, Hwon began walking. The smile had already vanished entirely from his face, replaced by a savage air.

“Your Highness!”

Buyong pushed her way through the startled crowd and ran towards Hwon. Hwon ignored her and entered the estate. Without hesitating, he headed towards the nearest detached residence. This was much closer to the main gate than Gwallan Hall, his residence at the center of the estate. Even so, it was still quite a distance away, and it was clear that the maidservant’s suffering would be prolonged.

“Please, l-let go of…… Sob.”

The maidservant was dragged along by her hair, struggling to keep her balance and soon losing both her shoes. Unable to keep up with the man, she stumbled and fell several times. Her bare feet became caked in dirt, covered in cuts and grazes, and blood began to seep from them. Still, Hwon did not relent, dragging her like an animal all the way to a room in the annexe.

Thud.

Only after they had crossed several thresholds and reached the innermost room of the annexe did Hwon finally release her. He tossed her onto the floor, stepped over her and sat on the bed.

He removed the sword slung across his body and placed it beside him. Leaning back comfortably, he regarded the maidservant sprawled at his feet with languid eyes. Then, with a single tug, he loosened the silk ribbon binding his hair. The long strands, rivaling a woman’s in length, spilled over his shoulders and cascaded down to his waist.

“You are nothing more than a maidservant who warms my bed, are you not? Then what is the meaning of that attitude?”

“…….”

“Your master has returned from the battlefield, yet far from greeting me sweetly, you did not even acknowledge my presence. You cannot imagine how hurt I was.”

“…….”

“I found your behavior so insolent that I personally brought you here to teach you a lesson.”

Even though she had been quietly reprimanded, the maidservant, Sehwa, could not bring herself to look up. His voice frightened her, but his face frightened her more.

After everything that had happened, Sehwa no longer dared to look up at her master. Still sprawled on the floor, breathing faintly and staring at the ground, she felt him extend his arm and call to her.

“Sehwa.”