Chapter 14: The Snake’s Tongue

Huiyeon, who had only managed to fall asleep at dawn, lifted her heavy eyelids at the sound of rowdy voices outside her door.

“Her Highness has not yet risen.”

“Still? She is truly leisurely, isn’t she?”

The calm voice belonged to Choyong; the one filled with discontent belonged to…

“Hwang Mu-gyeong… it’s him,” Huiyeon murmured in a raspy voice, pressing down on her dry eyes. Since they were speaking right in front of the door, the words were clear even without straining to hear.

“Leisurely? Please refrain from such rude remarks.”

“Hmph! While we are suffering such humiliation, she is still sleeping? What else am I supposed to say!”

His voice rose even higher, clearly intended for her ears. Finally, Huiyeon pushed herself up from the bed.

“Choyong.”

Her voice was low, but loud enough to carry past the door. The commotion outside ceased instantly.

“Princess, are you awake?”

“Yes.”

Beyond Choyong’s voice, she heard a dry cough—ahem. It was as if he were reminding her not to forget his presence. With a sigh, Huiyeon reluctantly addressed him.

“Vice-Minister of Rites.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“It will take some time for me to be ready. Please take a walk in the garden.”

“Understood, Princess. Please, take your time.”

The absurdity of his sudden shift to politeness—after just mocking her for being ‘leisurely’—brought a hollow laugh to her lips. She considered turning him away out of spite, but she was curious about what had driven him to seek her out so urgently.

‘Does he want to ask again about my conversation with the King?’

She had already made it clear she would not speak of it. Most likely, it was about the “humiliation” he claimed they were suffering.

‘Did he expect to be treated like a state guest? Does he not realize the strained relationship between Hoye and Taeseong?’

Huiyeon was satisfied simply not being kicked out, but clearly, the others did not share her sentiment.

“Make your choice.”

Hwang Mu-gyeong’s abrupt demand made Huiyeon furrow her brows as she sipped her tea. The tea, made from carefully dried chrysanthemum blossoms, was excellent—clean and fragrant. She couldn’t help but think it would taste better if the person across from her weren’t Hwang Mu-gyeong.

“Choice? Regarding what?” she asked indifferently, setting down her cup.

When her eyes met his, she stiffened. The gaze he leveled at her was cold and clammy, like a snake eyeing its prey. It sent a shiver down her spine. Before she could wonder why he was looking at her that way, he spoke with a sickening smile.

“Will you take your own life here, or will you return and be shamefully executed before the eyes of the people?”

The tips of her fingers, still touching the warm teacup, turned ice cold.

“I am giving you the chance to choose,” he added, his voice arrogant as if he were granting a great mercy.

Huiyeon’s voice trembled with shock and indignation. “Why… why must I choose?”

She had traveled all this way to stay alive. Though she hadn’t become Queen as planned, she had only been in the palace for a day. There was no reason to be told to choose death already. She bit her lip and glared at him.

“Why must you choose? You ask because you don’t know?” Hwang Mu-gyeong let out a harsh laugh. “If you have kept your life this long despite being born a twin, you must pay the price.”

His voice turned so savage that she instinctively looked for her guard. She regretted leaving them outside the door. But then a darker thought hit her: What if the guards are on his side? She bit the inside of her cheek to suppress a moan of despair.

“I am……”

“Think of the commoners dying of hunger because it won’t rain due to you, Princess. Are you not a member of that grand royal family?”

His jeering words pierced her heart. She hadn’t expected the words she had used the day before to be thrown back at her like this.

“If I find… the Dragon’s Power……”

“And how exactly would you do that?” Hwang Mu-gyeong snorted. “Are you planning to seduce the King with that pretty face? If so, I won’t stop you. If you become a concubine and win the Dragon’s Power through pillow talk, I suppose that wouldn’t be bad either.”

Every word was designed to humiliate her.

Though Cheong-mun claimed he didn’t have the Dragon’s Power, Huiyeon didn’t entirely believe him. She wasn’t an expert in martial arts, but she knew the aura she had felt from him was not something that could be explained away as “common.” If finding the Dragon proved impossible, she had considered becoming his concubine as a last resort. But being forced into it was another matter entirely.

“However,” Hwang Mu-gyeong continued, his eyes scanning the detached palace, “that doesn’t seem very likely.”

“What…… do you mean?”

He wore a fishy smirk. “Look at this place. It’s remote, poorly maintained, and the number of servants assigned to a foreign royal can be counted on one hand.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“What does it have to do with anything? Is it not common sense that the value of what a ruler gives proves his affection? Then again, Your Highness grew up in a crumbling Cold Palace… perhaps this looks luxurious to you. To my eyes, it looks worse than a servant’s quarters.”

Growing up in the Cold Palace, the room didn’t look bad to Huiyeon. But hearing his words, she felt a surge of shame and embarrassment at her own perceived lowliness.

“Tsk. This is why we are being treated like useless sacks of grain.”

She realized his true grievance. It wasn’t the suffering of the people that moved him; it was the fact that he was being slighted. He wanted to leave this place immediately, so he was mocking and pressuring her to end it.

It was almost funny that she had briefly feared this was her brother’s idea.

“Well, I’m sure you need time to think. Once you choose, I will take care of the rest.”

Having said his piece, Hwang Mu-gyeong stood up without having touched his tea. Huiyeon didn’t answer, but he left, looking satisfied.

After he left, Huiyeon had a light meal and stepped outside. Since Choyong was still recovering, one of the palace maids accompanied her. True to Hwang Mu-gyeong’s words, there were only three servants assigned to her. The one following her now was a young girl named Maeng-so, who looked no more than twelve.

Maeng-so chattered away, guiding her through the grounds. Her voice was as clear as a birdsong, and just listening to her lightened Huiyeon’s mood.

The detached palace was indeed secluded, which was another way of saying it was out of the way. Cheong-mun must have been involved in choosing this location. It felt like a sign for her to stay quiet until it was time to leave.

“Where does that path lead?”

Huiyeon pointed to a narrow trail behind the palace. Maeng-so’s expression flickered strangely for a split second, but it passed so quickly Huiyeon thought she had imagined it.

“It is a side path leading to Mount Mureung.”

“Mount Mureung?” Huiyeon murmured, looking at the distant peak.

She knew from her books that Mount Mureung was where the Mountain Lord, the progenitor of Hoye, was said to have resided. She hadn’t realized the palace was built right at its foot. If it was the home of a Great Spirit, the mountain’s energy must be pure. And a palace embraced by such a mountain would surely hold that same clarity.

According to the texts she read before leaving Taeseong, dragons reside in places where pure energy flows.

‘This is definitely a place a dragon would stay.’

Huiyeon renewed her vow. She had no intention of choosing the path Hwang Mu-gyeong demanded.

She wanted to live.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

An Undeniable Pull

ChaebolDominant TopObsessive

Read Now →
Not interested