When the Black Moon Rises - Side Story 13
Side Story 13
“I memorized things like the palace guards’ hand signals and shift changes. I left letters for Father, Mother, and my younger brother, packed a few essentials, and started to make my escape. But as luck would have it, the shift schedule had changed that day. The guards near my hiding spot wouldn't move.”
“…And then? Were you caught?”
Hoping her response didn't sound too indifferent, Chihwa gave a cursory reply.
“I was. But not by them. I was caught by your father.”
‘…By whom?’
“My father?”
“Yes. I thought I was done for when he caught me trying to sneak out. I closed my eyes, bracing for the worst, but he covered me with the horse he had brought and claimed I was one of his servants. He smoothed things over for me.”
“My father… why…?”
‘Wait. Am I hearing this right? Is he saying my father helped him escape the palace?’
“How would I know what he was thinking? But he told me he had often played the villain for the sake of someone precious. That he knew what it was like to become the enemy.”
“...”
“I had planned a grand escape, but I was young then. I must have been feeling resentful. Those few words… it was as if he understood everything I was feeling. So I cried like a fool as I left.”
“...”
“That moment, when he shielded me, became a debt I owed him.”
Chihwa stared at Prince Yeong, forgetting her inner turmoil for a moment.
The hint of longing and respect in his voice was something she couldn’t comprehend.
“…That’s strange. He wasn’t like that to me.”
‘Respect.’
That was a word she had never associated with her father.
Prince Yeong seemed to sense the self-deprecating tone in her voice, just as she had sensed his.
He looked at her and asked,
“Really?”
“…?”
“You said he wasn’t like that to you.”
“What do you…?”
“When he said he became the enemy for someone precious… he must have been talking about himself, too.”
“...”
“Think about it carefully. Was he really not like that to you?”
Chihwa’s expression darkened.
‘What does he know? Just because he met him once? I know my father better than anyone. He’s…’
Objectively, he hadn’t been a good father.
His ambition and thirst for power always came before his family’s well-being, and he felt no remorse in manipulating others’ lives.
‘Even when Mother died… He sent so many people to attend to her, but he said attending to the envoys was more important and came home late that night.’
She couldn't recall a single pleasant memory with him.
“I seem to recall something your father said to me.”
Seeing her prolonged silence, Prince Yeong added casually,
“You left home dressed as a man and lived in the capital, drawing pictures, didn’t you?”
“So what?”
“If he truly intended to marry you off against your will, wouldn’t he have dragged you back when you were living like that?”
“...”
“I actually heard another rumor while I was with the butchers. The pictures you drew… they were erotic paintings, weren't they?”
“!!”
“I understand why you would draw such things. Perhaps to tarnish your father’s reputation if he tried to force you into marriage? Or maybe to discourage him from approaching you, knowing how important his reputation was to him.”
Chihwa was speechless, as if he had read her mind.
“But I don’t think he left you alone because of that. I think he let you do as you pleased. A father willing to sell his daughter wouldn't let her attend school dressed as a man and sell erotic paintings in the same capital.”
“...”
“This is just my interpretation. So don't take it too seriously.”
“...”
Chihwa blinked, speechless.
She had never considered that possibility. He had probably been too busy to pay attention to her.
‘Even though I know it’s not true, it sounds plausible. There were those who thought my father cared deeply for me.’
Her father hadn’t taken another wife, even though his relatives had urged him to.
Whenever the topic of remarriage came up, he would insist he wouldn’t do so until she was married.
Back then, her relatives had told her that he was doing it out of love for her and that she should be grateful.
But then he had brought a marriage proposal so absurd that she couldn’t believe he cared about her at all.
‘I even complained that he was using his own marriage prospects to pressure me.’
But at the same time, he had repeatedly promised her a generous dowry.
And he had declared that he wouldn’t take another wife or have a son until after she was married, despite the constant pressure to secure an heir.
‘If it were any other family, I would have thought he was concerned about the dowry…’
Chihwa’s thoughts trailed off.
‘…Come to think of it…’
Her father had allowed her to attend school dressed as a man, fulfilling her desire to study.
And when she ran away, he had left her alone, even though she was in the same capital.
He had only brought her back when the situation in the capital became dangerous and resentment towards Minister Jung intensified.
She picked up something and threw it.
A small stone disappeared into a corner of the ravaged garden.
‘…I should have asked him why he arranged such a marriage.’
She picked up another stone and threw it.
It rolled into one of the pits beside the wall.
‘I should have confronted him instead of running away.’
‘Maybe I shouldn't have drawn those erotic paintings to spite him.’
‘He must have been under a lot of pressure because of the rain ritual… maybe I should have come home before I was forced to.’
She had assumed there would be plenty of time, but now she couldn't ask him anything.
…Yes, she couldn't do anything now. Everything was impossible.
As these thoughts filled her mind, tears welled up and overflowed without warning.
She didn’t know why she was crying, but once the tears started, she couldn’t stop them.
The man sitting next to her had disappeared without her noticing.
So she cried freely, sobbing like a child.
Her cries echoed through the desolate garden.
She didn’t realize that the man, standing silently in the shadows beneath the wall, had stayed with her until her tears subsided.
The day of the second Funeral dawned bright and clear.
Notices had already been posted throughout the capital, announcing that the returning celestial would preside over the ceremony.
This unprecedented decision stunned not only Seong Ik-gwon but also the people of the capital.
And they welcomed it enthusiastically.
A Funeral presided over by a celestial.
The thought alone brought comfort, a sense of peace for the souls of their departed loved ones.
Almost everyone wanted to participate, and thanks to Seong Ik-gwon’s foresight, anticipating the large crowds, the scale of the Funeral was beyond imagination.
Baek Giha, never one to let Sehwa face such an event alone, participated in his White Tiger form.
Thus, the people witnessed the magnificent sight of a giant White Tiger walking across the sky and a divine light illuminating the altar, moving many to tears.
Among them were Jung Chihwa and Prince Yeong.
Sehwa's gaze often drifted towards them.
Noticing this, Baek Giha asked in a low voice,
“Are you worried about her?”
“A little. She seems to have a lot of regrets.”
“Hmm.”
“I hope she won’t grieve for too long.”
“You told your friend that you would be nearby. That she could call you anytime. You told her that, didn't you?”
Sehwa nodded and leaned against Baek Giha’s shoulder.
She knew how heartbreaking an unexpected parting could be.
She herself had lost many in her previous life.
She hoped Chihwa wouldn't dwell on her regrets alone.
“But you know… I have a feeling your friend will soon have someone to share her grief with.”
“Oh? You sensed it, too?”
Their gazes turned towards Chihwa and Prince Yeong at the same time.
Coincidentally, Prince Yeong was speaking to Chihwa, and she was replying. Both wore expressions of grief, befitting those who had lost loved ones, but they weren't entirely somber. As they suddenly began to bicker playfully, Sehwa quietly turned away, holding onto Baek Giha. Chihwa had insisted she wouldn’t have anything to do with that man after the Funeral, but she had a feeling there would be good news soon.
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