Chapter 35: A Trap Crafted from Recompense

At Anok’s precise inquiry, a heavy, suffocating silence instantly dropped over the inner pavilion.

Knowing that data regarding the medicinal pouch required extreme discretion, Han-wol had been quietly lingering in the corner, waiting for Eunuch Im to dismiss himself. Over the past two days, Court Lady Cho had barely remained by Anok’s side, choosing instead to briefly show her face only during the rare moments when Prince Yeo Jae-won visited the quarters.

Eunuch Im kept his gaze dropped to the floorboards, his pupils darting frantically as he calculated his response.

It was an undeniable fact that Court Lady Cho had neglected her duties while the new master of the estate lay unconscious. The grueling burden of nursing and constant care had fallen entirely onto the shoulders of Eunuch Im and Han-wol. Even at this very moment, Court Lady Cho had slipped out of the estate under the pretense of transiting to the imperial palace.

The eunuch desperately debated whether he should reveal the unvarnished truth or shield his colleague. Before being forcefully transferred to the Myeong estate, Eunuch Im had served a low-ranking concubine in a remote corner of the palace, leaving him with absolutely no political backing. He was terrified that if he spoke the truth, Court Lady Cho would ruthlessly execute her revenge against him later.

Yet, over the past month, he had observed that his new master did not possess a needlessly volatile or tyrannical disposition. Even when Court Lady Cho behaved with subtle insolence, Anok would routinely overlook it unless it crossed a critical threshold.

Will he let it slide this time as well? Is he simply asking out of genuine concern because his chief attendant is nowhere to be seen? But what if this incident marks the absolute limit of his tolerance?

“……I will ensure your message is delivered to her the very moment she returns, Your Highness.”

Eunuch Im settled on a diplomatic evasion, choosing words that would defuse the immediate tension without provoking further suspicion.

Hearing the stiff, trembling cadence of the eunuch’s voice, Anok offered a slow, compliant nod. The person he intended to hold accountable was Court Lady Cho, not this frightened servant.

“You worked hard to procure the ointment. Deliver it to His Highness immediately, and then take the rest of the evening to rest.”

“Then your servant will take his leave. Please summon me whenever you require further assistance.”

Eunuch Im offered a fleeting glance at Han-wol, who stood anchored slightly behind the Grand Consort, before backing out of the pavilion. He assumed that as long as the loyal boy remained by Anok’s side, his own services wouldn’t be desperately required for the rest of the night.

Once the door snapped shut, Anok shifted his gaze toward Han-wol.

“You have been running around the capital all day as well. If there is nothing urgent, you should go rest.”

Anok hadn’t expected the boy to yield a massive breakthrough within a mere half-day. Seeking answers regarding an unlabelled pouch of rare herbs in the chaotic, cutthroat markets of the capital was a grueling task; it was far more likely the boy had faced cold rejection at every pharmacy door.

Furthermore, Anok already possessed the answer. He had simply deployed Han-wol to verify whether an independent, external physician—someone entirely detached from the political context of the estate—could instantly identify the presence of a heat-accelerating stimulant.

“……I have uncovered the precise truth regarding the medicine, Your Highness.”

Anok, who had been shifting his focus back to the separate ledger containing the massive mountain of wedding gifts from Jeong-an Palace, froze. He spun around, staring at the boy in shock.

“Is that true?”

“Yes. Do you recall the young thief you kindly assisted on our first day in the capital? It appears the boy newly secured employment at a local apothecary. It was entirely due to his intervention that I obtained the analysis.”

The image of the frantic, lanky youth who had violently pushed him into the dirt before being pinned down by the guards instantly surfaced in Anok’s mind.

A proud, warm smile spread across Anok’s lips. It altered. The boy who had reached out to grasp the mercy extended to him had actively chosen a different path. Because of that, the timeline had shifted.

Though he couldn’t claim full credit for the youth’s redemption, knowing he had acted as a catalyst for someone else’s positive transformation sent a gentle, comforting breeze through his weary heart.

“Ah, tell me then. What did you discover? Are there ingredients that clash with the new prescription?”

“It wasn’t an issue of clashing components, Your Highness……”

Han-wol hesitated for a fleeting second before relaying the elderly physician’s analysis syllable for syllable. It matched Anok’s calculations perfectly.

Lowering the administrative ledger onto the table, Anok took a slow, deep breath, letting it out in a long, measured exhale.

The critical pawn was now resting firmly in his palm. The solitary question remaining was how to execute its deployment.

Should he ignite a massive political storm, dragging Noble Consort Sa’s name directly into the light, or should he quietly hoard this evidence to use as a suffocating chokehold against her? Sitting slowly before the table, Anok began to balance the variables.

If he ruthlessly interrogated Court Lady Cho, he could undoubtedly extract the Noble Consort’s name from her lips—though it would be a grueling, agonizing process.

Yet, even with a forced confession, completely breaking Sa Eun-hyeon would be nearly impossible. The Consort was a master of political survival, entirely capable of fabricating an exit strategy out of thin air. However, what if he chose to frame the entire incident as the independent, treasonous act of Court Lady Cho, leaving the Noble Consort completely untouched on paper?

That alone would be more than enough to violently rattle Sa Eun-hyeon. The Consort was far too sharp to misunderstand the terrifying implication of Anok deliberately burying his involvement.

“Where exactly did you locate the remaining medicine pouch?”

“It was hidden inside the quarters of the young maidservant who directly assists Court Lady Cho.”

Ah, so she intended to shift the entire blame onto a defenseless child if the plot shattered? How utterly pathetic. Anok let out a cold scoff, the corners of his lips curling into a sharp smile.

As if unconsciously mirroring Yeo Jae-won’s clinical habits, Anok tapped his index finger rhythmically against the surface of the wooden table, directing his gaze back to Han-wol.

“I feel a sudden wave of dizziness. I require a formal diagnostic examination, so please summon the imperial physician to the pavilion immediately. Ah, and ensure that young maidservant who assists Court Lady Cho is brought here as well.”

“Are you suffering severely, Your Highness?”

For someone claiming to be consumed by dizziness, Anok looked remarkably serene—almost completely detached as he smiled. Han-wol questioned the command in alarm, but Anok simply shook his head, his voice turning icy.

“And take that medicine pouch from the maid’s quarters and place it directly inside Court Lady Cho’s private chambers.”

“……Understood, Grand Consort.”

For a second, Han-wol almost opened his mouth to demand an explanation, but suppressing the impulse, he decided his master must harbor an ironclad justification. He offered a respectful bow and slipped out into the courtyard.

This was a conflict initiated entirely by Court Lady Cho. Even if the counter-strategy he deployed felt slightly underhanded and calculated, it was nothing more than returning the exact debt he was owed.

Two nights ago, in the dead of winter-like darkness, a palace eunuch had frantically banged on Imperial Physician Do’s door, claiming an absolute medical emergency required his immediate transit. Grabbing his acupuncture case, the doctor had scrambled behind the servant, only to find himself ushered directly through the gates of the Myeong estate.

It appeared tracking down a licensed physician capable of pulse analysis at such a scandalous hour had been an immense crisis. Given the massive geographic distance between the Myeong estate and his own modest clinic, the doctor could easily deduce the desperation of the situation.

Regardless, over the past two days, Physician Do had been lodged comfortably within a private guest house on the estate grounds, conducting routine pulse checks on the Grand Consort. In truth, because the crisis was nothing more than a sudden, violently accelerated heat cycle, creating a suppression treatment hadn’t been a complex medical challenge.

It had been barely an hour since he last examined Anok—right after the master had woken up and drained his suppression tea before heading off to audit the gift ledgers.

“The Grand Consort is experiencing severe dizziness and requests your immediate presence in the pavilion.”

Receiving the sudden message from Han-wol—the young commoner servant he routinely spotted hovering around the inner quarters—Physician Do instantly tossed his medical texts aside and bolted to his feet.

The master of this estate had just gifted him a sum of wealth that exceeded what his small clinic could accumulate in an entire calendar year. If that generous benefactor was suffering, he needed to transit to his side without a single second of delay.

“I have arrived, Your Highness. I was informed you are suffering from a sudden bout of illness.”

“I experienced a fleeting wave of dizziness, but the sensation has passed now.”

“Have you partaken of your evening meal?”

“My throat feels entirely too dry, so I have yet to touch food……”

“You must consume a light rice gruel or broth immediately, and you absolutely cannot afford to neglect your medication.”

Staring intently at the middle-aged physician, whose ragged breathing clearly indicated he had run across the courtyard, Anok offered a slow nod—as if he had been waiting specifically for the word medication to cross the doctor’s lips.

Deploying Han-wol to verify the pouch with an external apothecary had been a necessary step to secure absolute confirmation. Now that the data was verified, Anok transitioned into a remarkably relaxed, clinical cadence.

“Ah, the medicine.”

“Yes, Your Highness. The fact that you are experiencing dizziness is absolute proof that your biological system demands complete rest. Rather than exhausting yourself with administrative paperwork, you must eat a light meal and drain your tonic.”

“Speaking of the medicine.”

Physician Do felt a sudden, sharp tightening in his chest, his throat constricting as he swallowed a dry lump of nervousness. He was terrified the Grand Consort was about to complain that the suppression tea was too bitter, or that he lacked trust in his medical capabilities.

“Tell me, doctor…… did anyone inform you that I was actively ingesting a separate medicinal mixture prior to your arrival?”

The physician felt his heart violently drop straight into his stomach. It felt as though his internal organs had suddenly crashed into a bottomless abyss, the entire pavilion spinning before his eyes.

Looking precisely like a man who had been struck squarely across the face with a heavy club, Physician Do blinked rapidly, his mind locking up.

“A separate…… mixture, Your Highness?”

Before him, the young Grand Consort simply offered a slow, chillingly serene nod of confirmation.

While verifying a patient’s historical medication records was the absolute baseline of a physician’s duty, breaking the volatile fever had been the solitary priority two nights ago. Furthermore, the chief court lady anchoring Anok’s bedside at the time had stated with absolute, ironclad certainty that the Grand Consort was ingesting zero external remedies.

Yet, over the past forty-eight hours, Physician Do had barely caught a single glimpse of that high-ranking court lady anywhere on the estate grounds. The solitary constant had been the young boy dressed in commoner rags.

In that fraction of a second, the imperial doctor’s mind began to spin with terrifying speed.

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