When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
“Kyaaaaaaah!!”
She didn't know where that power had come from.
Sehwa went into a trance and tore at Sa Yeonju’s hair and slapped her across the face.
“How dare you! How dare you!!”
Smack-!! Smack-!!! Slap!!
“Aaaaargh!!!”
“Good heavens! Young Lady!”
Straddling her cousin, who had fallen backward, she ruthlessly struck both of her cheeks.
Meanwhile, someone heard the scream and rushed into the room.
When she felt someone grab her shoulder and pull her away, calling her name, she turned back with murderous intent.
But after seeing her opponent, she regained a bit of her reason.
“……”
She stared at the person before her, who was breathing heavily, with eyes that seemed to be seeing something unbelievable.
Sa Danyoon’s daughter, who had been subjected to all kinds of humiliations in the Baek Clan that she had followed her to, and yet had survived, but had lost her life after returning home in vain at the hands of Sa Yeonju and Ju Kyunghyun.
Sa Youngchae, one of Ju Sehwa’s close attendants, of the three sisters.
As soon as she had arrived, she had been imprisoned in a secret dungeon, and she had heard the news of her sisters’ last moments there.
It had already been more than five years since she had left Ju Sehwa's side.
“Young Lady. What happened?”
Youngchae asked seriously, watching Sehwa in her agitated state.
Sehwa did not reply, but instead, she gestured with her eyes toward the door.
“Lock it.”
By now, Youngchae’s sisters, Youngmu and Youngsun, had also entered the room.
Having been shocked by the scene in the room, they made eye contact with each other at Sehwa’s words and quickly moved.
Youngmu went out first to stop anyone from approaching the room, and as soon as she left, Youngchae locked the door and stood guard in front of it.
Youngsun, the tallest of the three, blocked Sa Yeonju, who was frantically trying to escape, from fleeing.
With her violent movements, Sehwa's arm muscles twitched.
However, she had no intention of stopping here.
Having composed herself, she once again slowly approached her cousin, who had a pretty face.
Sa Yeonju, who had been sitting down while clutching her red and swollen cheeks, retreated backward, dragging her butt on the floor.
But even that was blocked by Youngsun’s body.
“D, don’t come here. Don’t come here.”
“Youngsun, stop her from shaking her arms like that. It’s distracting.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
“S, Sehwa, Sister. Why, why are you doing this? Why?”
“Why?”
Sehwa laughed softly, as if she couldn't believe that question.
The laughter, having become hoarse from the two days of high fever, flowed out eerily.
Ju Sehwa slowly approached Sa Yeonju again.
There was no reason or obligation for her to reply, but there was something she wanted to say.
Just like her cousin had done when she had been collapsing in the dirty stone dungeon, covered in injuries from torture.
“Now, give everything to me and leave. Go to a better place.”
“You should go to a better place, too.”
She smiled brightly, and with those words, she grabbed the mess of hair and pulled it fiercely.
She struck her cheeks, which had been overcome with fear, again and again.
Thwack-!
It was a terrifying power that was impossible to believe of someone who had been bedridden for two days.
Hah. Hah.
How long had those cruel sounds of her hitting her gone on?
The sounds of friction, which seemed as if they would continue forever, gradually decreased as time passed.
“...Ugh, ……huh.”
Her cousin, who had been resisting, begging, and yelling, was now unable to even groan properly.
Sehwa, who had stood up, composed her ragged breathing.
She expressionlessly shook out the strands of hair that were caught between her fingers.
She was gasping for breath, as if her lungs were about to burst.
The muscles in her whole body were also shaking as if they were cramping.
Even so, the anger that was heating her head did not seem to be subsiding at all.
‘Yes. Then, I should pay back what I’ve been through. First, the nails. Then, was it the fingers?’
While she was thinking about the order in which she had been tortured, Youngsun and Youngchae stared at their young lady in apprehension, barely able to breathe properly.
It was the first time they had seen their young lady, who had always been so composed, reveal her emotions so fiercely.
And it was even more unfathomable that the first time they were seeing it was in this manner.
The young lady, who had been composing her breath, suddenly turned her gaze towards Sa Youngsun.
“Youngsun, where’s the sword?”
Youngsun flinched at the question and swallowed nervously.
“……The sword, you mean?”
“Yes. The one Father gave me on my birthday. The small one with the red jade in it, about this big.”
“……If it’s that, I believe it’s at the annex where we placed the luggage. Shall I bring it?”
“No. You guys just stay here. I should try to calm myself down as I move. Because if I’m too excited, I might end up killing her too quickly.”
“!!”
‘……Kill, killing her? The cousin?’
Youngsun and Youngchae, who had turned pale in an instant, reflexively made eye contact with each other.
They could clearly feel each other's shock in their trembling gazes.
‘What should we do?’
They could somehow cover up the hitting, but killing her was a completely different matter.
‘Should we……should we not stop our young lady?’
‘I guess. Is it okay to let our young lady kill someone?’
“……”
But they soon bit their lips hard and nodded at each other with determined expressions.
Their master was not the type to do this without a reason.
If she said that her cousin had to die, then she must have committed a crime that warranted it.
Therefore, they just had to protect their young lady with their lives if necessary.
It was not their job to stop their young lady's actions.
Meanwhile, Sehwa had approached Youngsun.
And then, she embraced her soft shoulder with strength.
“Ah, Young Lady?”
Sehwa, who had embraced Youngsun with all her strength, let go, and this time she went to Youngchae and embraced her as well.
Loyal and affectionate sisters.
They had given their lives for her without caring for their own safety, even in the face of danger.
Sehwa remembered that as if it was just yesterday.
“……Young Lady.”
Last time, you guys were the ones who had saved me.
This time, I will definitely protect you so that you can be happy.
That cousin was not a bad start for revenge.
‘But to repay her only as much as I’ve suffered is too kind of a method.’
“Young Lady, should we tie up the cousin?”
“No, just leave her there. I'll see what she does once she wakes up.”
Sehwa’s cold gaze swept over the unconscious Sa Yeonju coldly.
And then, she left the room to fetch the woman's dagger that her father had given her.
It was a matter of course that she hugged Youngmu, who was anxiously guarding the door, with all her strength as well.
‘What kind of method should I use so that she can feel horrible pain for a longer amount of time.’
She was deeply pondering that question as she headed for the annex, when she suddenly noticed that the courtyard was noisy.
‘What’s going on?’
Sehwa attached herself to the door beside the main gate and quietly looked outside.
What had happened?
A warrior had arrived with a tense expression. His clothes were covered in sweat, showing just how fast he had come.
Her father's expression, as he stood at the main hall, could not be seen properly. But she could feel that he was on edge through the voices being exchanged.
‘Could it be that the dry old Clan Head had done something again?’
Unable to just wait and see, she hurriedly ran to her father.
“Father!”
“Good heavens. Sehwa! You're awake.”
Ju Myoungyoon, looking at Sehwa, hurriedly approached with a relieved expression.
“How is your body? Are you feeling okay? Why did you come here? I would have brought you anything you needed.”
His big hand touched her forehead to check her temperature, and instead of scolding her for coming out improperly dressed, he quickly took off his outer garment and draped it over her. His touch as he adjusted the garment was gentle.
“Your complexion is too pale. Don’t worry about your trip to the Baek Clan. Your father will make sure to find a way.”
“I'm fine, Father. But what news is that? Is it bad news?”
“Ah. About that.”
“What is it? Is it dangerous?”
Ju Myoungyoon furrowed his brows as if he had a headache.
“Why? Did the Clan Head do something?”
She had praised the order that prohibited battles, as long as the enemies did not attack first, as benevolence and compassion in front of the Clan Head.
But that was just an order that was made since he did not have the confidence to win against the Baek Clan army.
If the news of defeat continued to be delivered to the members of the bloodline, it might have lowered the Mystic Ruler’s prestige.
‘But if it's that vile Clan Head, even if he can’t attack openly, he might find another way.’
When she thought that maybe he had already started something, she became worried.
Sehwa's tense gaze was directed at her father.
Ju Myoungyoon shook his head, saying, "It’s nothing like that,” and quietly spoke of something unexpected.
“Well, there’s some trouble at the Baek Clan.”
“Yes? ……The Baek Clan?”
‘I thought that he would talk about the Clan Head, but why is he suddenly talking about the Baek Clan?’
“What’s the problem?”
“I received a message from an informant that Baek Giha, the Baek Clan Head, left his residence two days ago. ”
“Yes.”
“There was no one amongst our informants who could follow him, so we still don't know his destination. But he is said to have requested permission to visit the Ju Clan's territory today in order to cross over to the human realm.”
Sehwa blinked blankly and asked again.
“……Yes?”
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