A handful of the Empress Dowager’s hair was torn out. It was only when two eunuchs rushed in to help that they were able to pry the Empress Dowager off her.

Whether due to her outburst or sheer exhaustion, the Empress Dowager collapsed onto the floor, completely drained.

Before she could lash out again, Court Lady Hong quickly escorted Bu-yeong out of Seohwajeon. Bu-yeong swallowed back her sobs while Court Lady Hong gently tried to calm her down, tidying her dishevelled hair.

“Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager’s mind has weakened further still lately. She often has these episodes whenever she is forced to think too much about something. The mere mention of Chancellor Seol must have triggered this one…”

“Court Lady Hong.”

The tears Bu-yeong had fought so hard to hold back welled up in her large eyes and spilled all at once. It wasn’t the pain from having her hair torn out that made her cry.
It was the unbearable fact that she truly had no way left to save her father.

“Couldn’t you help me, just a little?”

“Summoning a physician for a prisoner… is beyond my authority. I am truly sorry.”

Bu-yeong bit down hard on her lower lip. The flesh tore and blood seeped out. The sobs that never left her mouth remained lodged in her throat, sounding more like the cry of a wounded animal.

“Your Majesty…”

Court Lady Hong couldn’t bring herself to say any more. Instead, just as she had done for the Empress Dowager, she gently stroked Bu-yeong’s back. Then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, she withdrew her hand.

“You shouldn’t stay here—go seek an audience with His Majesty.”

“His Majesty?”

Bu-yeong’s eyes snapped open in shock. The mere thought of him wearing his black dragon robes made her knees go weak. How could she possibly walk into his presence of her own accord?

“There must be a reason why His Majesty spared Chancellor Seol’s life three years ago. He may show mercy again. After all, if you consider the facts, your father is still a meritorious subject of the late emperor — not to mention His Majesty’s father-in-law.”

Bu-yeong trembled just thinking of the emperor’s face. He would never grant her request. At best, he would ignore her; at worst, he would mock or insult her.

‘But this truly is the end of the road. If Father dies like this… then I have no reason to go on living either.’

And so, Bu-yeong ran once more. The pain was worse than ever; perhaps her toenail had broken. But she didn’t have the luxury of looking down to check.

Sweat drenched her entire body, and she could only gasp for breath as if her windpipe were being crushed.

They say that people can draw on superhuman strength when pushed to the brink. Despite having eaten nothing but barley, her body surged forward with power. She crossed wide courtyards, passed through several pavilions, and climbed all one hundred steps of Gwanggeon Palace without pausing once.

There, a court lady stood guard at the entrance. It was the same woman who had roughly scrubbed Bu-yeong’s body the day before.

“What brings you here, Your Majesty?”

“I must see His Majesty… I must speak with him.”

The court lady’s eyes widened at the sight of Bu-yeong’s bloodied feet, but her expression quickly returned to its usual indifference as she replied,

“His Majesty is at Eohwa Garden.”

Bu-yeong flinched in surprise. She had expected to be brushed off again with the same rehearsed line yet this time, the court lady had even told her where he was.

“Thank you.”

Recalling the location of Eohwa Garden, Bu-yeong started to walk down the stairs she had just climbed. Near the bottom, the pain in her toes flared up so suddenly and sharply that she tripped and rolled down a few steps. Without realising it, her other shoe had come off too.

It had been so long since she last came to Eohwa Garden. In fact, this would be the first time she had ever gone there on foot.

Whether she was coming from Gwanggeon Palace or her own quarters at Eunwol Palace, she had always travelled there in a palanquin draped in golden silk curtains. She had smelled the changing seasons and inhaled the scent of flowers carried gently on the breeze.

But those days were long gone. Now, Bu-yeong was sprinting, gasping for air, as she retraced the path she had once overlooked from above. She was running towards Eohwa Garden.

As expected, the guards stationed there did not bow to her. They merely whispered among themselves for a moment. The Empress had been exiled to the Cold Palace but not formally imprisoned, so the guards were unsure whether they could stop her.

Eventually, they allowed her to pass after reaching a decision.

It was already well into late autumn, long after the leaves had fallen, so there were no flowers or green grass in sight at Eohwa Garden.

However, the well-sculpted statues placed at regular intervals blended harmoniously with the neatly pruned trees, forming a scene as picturesque as a painting.

Bu-yeong ran through the garden, looking for people, and finally spotted a group of guards standing in front of a wooden bridge. They were standing in stiff, vigilant postures in front of a wooden bridge. The dark, chestnut-coloured bridge connected the main pavilion, built in the centre of the lake, to the land on the opposite shore.

Bu-yeong glanced at the pavilion and quickly surveyed the figures on it. Although she could not make out their faces, she could see that everyone had their heads bowed, except for one man who stood upright, scattering fish feed into the lake.

‘The court lady at Gwanggeon Palace was right!’

Bu-yeong immediately sprinted toward the bridge. Just then, one of the guards thrust the sheath of his sword out to block her path.

“Your Majesty must not cross here.”

“Step aside. I have something I must say—something I must deliver.”

As Bu-yeong bent down to slip beneath the guard’s sword, he grabbed her forearm roughly.

“If you force your way through, I will have no choice but to draw my blade.”

“Just a moment. Just a very short moment is all I ask.”

When she tried to shake him off, another guard joined in and blocked her firmly. A struggle broke out between those trying to enter and those determined to stop her.

At that moment, the palace chamberlain took notice of the commotion across the bridge and reported it to the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, it appears the Empress has come to see you.”

The Emperor’s hand, mid-air with fish feed, froze.

“The Empress… came?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. She is at the other end of the bridge.”

The Emperor’s gaze shifted towards the bridge. Bu-yeong was still resisting with all her might, trying not to be dragged away. She clung to one of the guards’ arms and shouted, refusing to give in.

The Emperor then silently gestured to the Chamberlain. The chamberlain quickly gave an order to a young eunuch nearby.

“Go and bring the Empress.”

“Yes, sir.”

The young eunuch hastened across the bridge and delivered the message to Bu-yeong.

“His Majesty grants permission. You may cross the bridge.”

Only then did the guards blocking her path step aside.

Bu-yeong braced her trembling thighs, gathered her strength, and stepped onto the bridge. With each step, the Emperor’s figure grew closer.

By the time she reached the pavilion, she lowered her head in deference, unable to do anything else.

The moment she set foot on the steps, a low voice echoed from above.

“Stop there.”

He forbade her from climbing any further. Bu-yeong took a step back and knelt at the foot of the stairs. The Emperor merely looked down at her, saying nothing to indicate that she should stand up. Beads of sweat glistened like pearls on Bu-yeong’s forehead, catching the sunlight.

She waited, hoping the Emperor would speak first. When it became clear that he had no intention of doing so, however, she could no longer hold back.

“Your Majesty.”

The Emperor’s gaze, which had previously been indifferent, widened slightly. A sound came from her lips — not a groan of pain or a weary sigh, but a clear voice calling out to him.

He couldn’t hide his surprise. It had been almost three years since he last heard Bu-yeong speak. Despite all she had endured, she had remained silent in his presence.

“Your Majesty… Forgive my boldness, but my father is gravely ill. Worms have burrowed into the wounds on his legs—his skin is black and festering. Please… I beg you, send a royal physician so that he might receive treatment.”

She had practised saying the words so much that she could say them without stuttering. However, she could do nothing to stop her voice from trembling.

“Seol Bu-yeong, that phrase ‘reap what you sow’—it was made for moments like this.”

Bu-yeong instinctively raised her head and looked up at him. There wasn’t a shred of pity in his eyes.

At that moment, a coy voice from a woman rang out.

“Your Majesty, it’s so very cold.”

Bu-yeong turned her head towards the sound. The Imperial Consort gently set down her teacup and stood up. Shivering slightly, she walked towards the Emperor with soft, elegant steps.

As she approached, the Emperor took off his deep crimson and black outer robe and draped it over her delicate shoulders without hesitation.

The Consort slipped her arm through his and leaned her head against his.

“Your Majesty, the carp stew should be ready by now. Would you like to come back to my quarters?”

She even dared to tug lightly on his arm, whining playfully. Yet the Emperor didn’t scold her in the slightest.

‘If he leaves like this… then there will truly be no hope left.’

Clutching at straws, Bu-yeong pleaded once more.

“Your Majesty! I beg you—please send a physician!”

“Chamberlain.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Bu-yeong clung to her final shred of hope. She prayed the Emperor might recall even a trace of former affection, that, at the very least, he would spare her father’s life.

“The Empress has defied an imperial order by speaking without my permission. Strike her face twenty times.”

The moment the command was given, two court ladies stepped forward and seized Bu-yeong by the arms.

The chamberlain made his way down to where she knelt, but then hesitated, glancing back and forth between the emperor and her, unsure what to do.

The Imperial Consort, sounding mildly irritated, shot him a glance and urged him on.

“His Majesty gave the order, didn’t he? What are you waiting for?”

The chamberlain glanced at Bu-yeong. He was unaware of the suffering she had endured that day, but now she stood with vacant eyes and a battered body. Even the slightest touch might cause her to faint.

He felt a pang of pity. However, defying the Emperor’s order was unthinkable.

Closing his eyes tightly, the chamberlain raised his hand high.

Smack—

Her small face snapped to the side. He raised his hand again. Everyone was watching. He couldn’t fake the blows.

Smack—

Bu-yeong’s vision turned white, blindingly so. Her cheek burned as if pricked by thorns, and her head throbbed as if hit by a stone.

By the fifth blow, blood was filling her mouth. By the tenth blow, she had lost all sense of her state of mind.