When the Black Moon Rises - Side Story 4
Side Story 4
However, their hurried destination was firmly bolted. It was late at night, so the main gate being closed was to be expected, but several blue curtains, indicating that no visitors were welcome, hung from the gate.
“The gate is locked? She’s refusing all visitors?”
“Yes, it’s been like this for three days.”
“Why are you telling me this now, Head Eunuch Hong?”
They were already in front of Minister Jung's residence.
Head Eunuch Hong replied with a flustered expression.
“Well… Your Majesty only told me to follow, without saying where we were going… I only realized after seeing this gate, ‘Ah, this was our destination. But the gate is locked?’ So…”
“We’re already here, so what can we do? Knock on the gate.”
“I’ll send someone tomorrow to inform her of your visit. Why not summon her to the palace tomorrow morning?”
“If I intended to do that, I would have come tomorrow myself. I said knock.”
Head Eunuch Hong looked around and lowered his voice.
“Then, Your Majesty, wouldn't it be better to sneak inside rather than cause a commotion?”
“Are you suggesting that at my age, I climb over someone else’s wall like a thief?”
“Like a thief? Heaven forbid! I’ll climb over. Of course, I intended to do so from the beginning.”
Head Eunuch Hong replied, assessing the height of the wall and his own height.
Meanwhile, Seong Ik-gwon also looked around.
Contrary to Head Eunuch Hong’s assumption, he could already feel gazes from all around.
It was suspicious enough that they were secretly watching the residence so late at night, but to remain silent even after seeing someone scaling the wall in the dead of night…
‘Are the rumors worse than I thought? Are they hoping for harm to come to the Minister’s family, regardless of who does it?’
Or perhaps the one who spread the rumors was having the residence watched.
He wasn’t sure which was the correct answer. Perhaps both were true. In any case, it seemed necessary to nip these useless rumors in the bud before they could sprout again.
“Step aside. I’ll climb over.”
“Pardon?!”
“What are you doing just standing there? Give me a boost.”
“Your Majesty! How can you do this yourself? I’ll do it!”
“Shush! Lower your voice! And lower yourself.”
“Oh dear, Your Majesty…”
“Hurry up. Do as I say.”
The hesitant Head Eunuch Hong finally relented and bent down. Seong Ik-gwon stepped onto his back and grabbed the top of the wall.
‘In my younger days, I was often praised for my martial prowess. Something like this is nothing. I just need to smoothly climb over.’
However, there was another problem.
“Ugh!”
“Y-Your Majesty!”
The horrified Head Eunuch Hong immediately scrambled and clung to the wall.
“There are pits beneath the wall! Your Majesty! Are you alright?”
“It’s fine. Just go and get someone. At this rate, even I won't be able to deny being mistaken for a thief.”
“First, take my hand. What kind of thief appears dressed in official hats and robes like us? If anyone approaches, I'll take care of it before they cause a commotion.”
“Then reach a little deeper. The soil is soft; it’s difficult to climb out.”
“Here, take my hand. Are you hurt?”
“Yes, I’m fine… No, watch out!”
“Huh? Whoa!”
As Head Eunuch Hong, having avoided the pit, landed on the ground and crouched low to help Seong Ik-gwon out, someone pushed him into the pit.
At the same time, the opening was covered with a wooden board.
Although it had been dark to begin with, they were now trapped in pitch-black darkness.
Both Head Eunuch Hong and Seong Ik-gwon blinked simultaneously at the sudden and bewildering turn of events.
“What in the… What is the meaning of this?! Who’s there?! This outrageous…”
He was about to yell, ‘You insolent fool! How dare you commit such a treasonous act against His Majesty!’ But…
Head Eunuch Hong closed his mouth mid-sentence.
He remembered the public sentiment towards the King during the drought, even though the disaster had ended.
‘I didn’t tell anyone we were coming here.’
Which meant there was no chance of anyone coming to rescue them.
‘If I speak carelessly, those ruthless people might actually recognize His Majesty and harm us.’
Seong Ik-gwon also realized what Head Eunuch Hong was worried about when he saw him swallow his words.
“I should have brought the Royal Guards. Why did I bring you?”
Instead of replying, “How could you say such hurtful things, Your Majesty?” Head Eunuch Hong strongly agreed.
“Why would you leave the palace without a single guard?”
“Wait, what?”
But that wasn't the important thing right now.
First, they had to figure out what to do about the board covering their heads.
If that ruthless person returned with his companions…
He had lost his heir and his Queen. If the royal line were to end like this…
“We can’t call for help, what should we do?”
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’ll climb up the pit and find a way to escape.”
But climbing up a dirt pit, not a stone one, was no easy task.
Moreover, the walls of the pit were muddy, as if someone had poured water inside.
Even if he managed to dig his fingers in and climb up, the wet soil would crumble, sending him tumbling back down.
As they were trying to suppress their anxiety, thinking, ‘Surely they wouldn't try to kill me in the Minister of Rites’ residence,’ the board covering the pit opened, and someone appeared.
“Is… is that Your Majesty down there?”
Seong Ik-gwon’s face finally brightened.
The Minister of Rites’ daughter had come.
“Please kill me, Your Majesty. In my efforts to protect the residence from those ruthless individuals, I ended up committing such a treasonous act.”
“Enough. But such preparations… Has there already been an attack?”
“…Yes, it wasn’t the first time.”
“So you ordered those pits to be dug to reinforce the residence’s security?”
“Ah, that was done on someone’s advice.”
“Advice?”
“Yes. A few nights ago, some villains attacked the residence. Fortunately, someone who had been following them appeared and repelled them all, minimizing the damage. He also advised me to dig pits under the walls as a precaution.”
As Chihwa answered Seong Ik-gwon’s questions, she recalled that day.
It had been a few days ago when she encountered that strange intruder.
Late at night, when all was quiet…
A dried flower petal, a peach blossom, her mother’s favorite, stuck to Chihwa’s hand as she read a book in her room.
How had it gotten between the pages?
As she fiddled with the dried petal, something came to mind, and she rose.
The garden had been neglected since her mother’s death. The untended shrubs had been largely cut down, so it had been in disrepair even before the drought.
Still, the garden itself remained, and she suddenly felt like taking a look around after all this time.
‘I wonder if the garden was also affected by the shining rain. If so, could it have recovered somewhat from its parched state and returned to how it looked when my mother was alive?’
She had only wanted to take a quick look, but she was discovered by intruders, leading to an unexpected brawl.
There were more than one or two, and their target seemed to be Chihwa, as they rushed towards her without a second glance after spotting her.
It was fortunate that she had instructed her servants to be prepared, just in case. Hearing the clash of blades and screams, they quickly came running.
Even so, they were no match for the armed intruders.
Just as she felt she was cornered…
That’s when a man appeared.
His ash-grey robe, reflecting the moonlight, appeared like a cloud.
He moved like flowing water, striking down the villains with overwhelming skill.
The intruders, dressed in worn and rough clothing, collapsed unconscious without even a proper scream.
‘Who is that?’
Even with all that movement, the man’s hat remained perfectly in place.
“Are you alright?”
It was at that moment, as the man asked in a low voice, that Jung Chihwa saw his eyes for the first time, previously hidden in the shadows. He asked again,
“Are you skilled with a sword?”
“What? Oh, no.”
“Then how dare you come out here like this?”
“…Pardon?”
“How audacious are you to wander near the wall so late at night, without any sense of danger?”
“…Huh.”
The man stared intensely at Chihwa as if glaring at the unconscious villains.
“If it’s late at night, you should be sleeping. Why are you wandering around the courtyard alone, putting yourself in danger?”
“Um, this is my house.”
“Yes. I am well aware that this is the residence of the Minister of Rites, currently surrounded by unsettling rumors. And those men knew it too, which is why they crept in.”
Chihwa, momentarily speechless with bewilderment, retorted,
“No. Whether it’s late at night or broad daylight, I can wander around my own house if I can’t sleep. Besides, this is the garden my deceased mother cherished, so I came out to look at it for a while.”
“That’s why you shouldn’t come out to the garden at night.”
He then glanced sharply around the garden and continued,
“If you want to wander around at night so badly, then dig some holes.”
Holes?
“Under the wall, here, here, and over there. Dig them all up and make pits.”
“...”
“I believe I mentioned this is the garden my deceased mother cherished.”
The masked man scoffed at that.
“Do memories protect you?”
That scoff was so loud. Even thinking about it now was absurd.
But at that moment, he seemed genuinely concerned for her, so…
“So you dug all of this up because of that?”
“!”
Startled by Seong Ik-gwon's voice, Chihwa, lost in thought, bowed her head.
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