HRB 06

Chapter : 06

The Switched Wedding (1)

Shaaah—

“Huff, huff… huff.”

Just as her breath was about to reach her throat, a fierce sound of rushing water reached Joyeong’s ears.

Follow the stream down. If it comes to it, I’ll have to jump into the water.

For now, she decided to run. She would think about the rest later.

Soon, she came upon a waterside where a small waterfall spilled down. Between large and small rocks, the current rushed quite forcefully.

Her plan was to follow the water’s course, clambering over rocks as she descended the mountain.

But as Joyeong looked around, her eyes caught a shimmering, radiant glow flickering in the middle of a pool in the valley.

What is that?

She had never seen such a beautiful cluster of light before.

Of course, an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to see the light Joyeong was seeing now. It was a light that did not exist in this world—visible only to her.

Objects imbued with precious and sacred energy were shrouded in a mist-like glow of five colors.

That was the nature of her divine ability.

That light could not be concealed by anything. Even if the object were placed in a box or wrapped in black cloth, Joyeong could tell how precious an unseen item was.

Long ago, the Ha clan had been able to amass wealth without much difficulty thanks to this divine power.

The opposite also existed.

A revolting vortex of darkness, unpleasant even to look at—that was poisonous energy.

The form of such poison and the depth of its darkness varied.

Extremely toxic poison sent chills down one’s spine.

Joyeong had seen such deadly poison only once.

At the center of a black vortex, a blazing red aura glared at her like crimson eyes.

And this kind of beautiful, sacred, brilliantly multicolored light—this was the first time she had ever seen it.

Forgetting that she was fleeing, Joyeong walked into the water as if possessed.

Splash, splash.

The stream wasn’t very deep; even at its deepest point, the water only sloshed below her chest.

By now, the sky had grown quite dark, and the water was hard to see—but the light was growing brighter.

Search.

Joyeong plunged both arms completely into the water.

In the pitch-black darkness, the light rippled like aquatic plants, swaying with the current.

She reached her hand toward the glow.

Splash!

Grasping the object, Joyeong lifted her head above the water.

“A jade token?”

It seemed to be a very fine piece of jade.

Having done only menial chores at home and never even properly seen fine objects, she had no real eye for appraising valuables.

But this jade token, slightly smaller than her palm, emitted a noble glow like scattered gold dust—it was undoubtedly high-quality jade.

The token bore an intricate peony-and-butterfly motif, and on the butterfly’s wings, the character “玉” (jade) was engraved like a pattern.

The knot and tassel attached to the jade token were also lavish, woven meticulously from silk threads.

“Why would such a treasure be here?”

Joyeong felt both bewildered and excited.

It amazed her that she had found a treasure with her divine ability, and it felt strangely coincidental that she had obtained it at such a desperate moment.

“But… the owner must be looking for it.”

Just as she was wondering whether it was right to take something she had merely picked up—

“Miss!”

The maid who had limped after her at last shouted angrily.

“What are you doing there?! Look at the state you’re in! Can’t you come out right now?!”

At the maid’s irritated voice, Joyeong hurriedly hid the jade token.

She was discovered soon enough, but she didn’t feel particularly regretful.

It wasn’t that the jade token had delayed her escape—the maid had simply caught up too quickly.

The sun fully set, and darkness fell.

The people who had settled on the hillside lit campfires, finished a simple meal without much conversation, and returned to their places.

They spread blankets and prepared to sleep on carts or in tents.

Exhausted from the journey, the group soon fell into deep sleep, snoring despite the uncomfortable bedding.

But Joyeong, inside the carriage, was still awake.

She took out the jade token she hadn’t been able to examine earlier because of the maid.

Could this character be the owner’s name?

Given how valuable it was, it must have belonged to someone of noble status. How, then, had it ended up in the water?

Could it be an old object? Did the owner fall into the water…?

That thought sent a chill down her spine. If someone had died in the water long ago, leaving only this jade token behind, wouldn’t it be better to return it to where it was?

Should she find the owner and at least return it to their family?

My own situation is precarious—how could I possibly look for the owner?

It was as if fate, mocking her for clinging to life day after day while dreaming of revenge, was dragging her deeper into hell.

The pride she’d felt at finding a treasure with her divine ability was mercilessly crushed by harsh reality.

Feeling depressed, Joyeong was just about to decide to throw the jade token back into the water before leaving the next day.

Then—

Rustle.

She heard the sound of bushes brushing against each other nearby.

The noise was unnatural for the wind, and a few men woke up.

“What was that?”

“Hey, get up.”

Rustle, crack!

As more people stirred awake, the forest suddenly shook with even louder noises.

Neigh—!

Startled by the sound, the horses reared and thrashed, and the people leapt up in alarm.

“Huh?!”

“What—what is it?!”

Thud, thud—heavy footsteps rushed in, shaking the ground, and terrified people began to scream.

“A-assassins!”

“Aaagh!”

“Kyaaah!”

Soon, the shrill screams of maids, the sharp clash of metal, and dull impacts all erupted at once, violently tearing through the night.

Clang! Thump!

“Aaaah!”

Whoosh—slash!

It was unmistakably the sound of blades cutting into flesh.

“Kyaaah!”

“S-spare me! Aaaah!”

“Why are you doing this?!”

Without even looking, Joyeong knew that slaughter was unfolding outside.

But her hands were trembling so badly that she didn’t dare open the window.

What is this? If they were bandits, they’d demand something—are they just here to kill everyone? Why?

Could it be that Hajinsan had pretended to marry her off only to kill her?

Would he really kill this many people just to kill me? That can’t be it. He sold me to make money—there’s no reason to kill me now. Then what is it?

The reality of the massacre felt like a nightmare.

Gripped by fear she couldn’t comprehend, Joyeong couldn’t even think.

Her body felt frozen, unable to move.

Crash!

“Huh!”

A blade suddenly thrust into view before her eyes.

Startled, Joyeong instinctively sprang up and flung open the carriage door on the opposite side.

Bang!

“Ugh!”

The moment the door opened, someone collided with it and fell away.

As expected, few maids or attendants were still alive, and blood was splattered everywhere.

Joyeong squeezed her eyes shut, turning away from the horrific scene before her.

I have to escape from here!

That single thought filled her mind. Though she had never driven a horse before, she rushed to the driver’s seat and grabbed the reins.

At that moment, an assassin chasing her seized her by the nape of the neck and dragged her down from the seat to the ground.

“Aaah!”

Joyeong screamed as she was roughly thrown to the ground.

“Found her. Kill her!”

At that command, the assassins charged toward the driver’s seat all at once.

Seeing blood-dripping blades aimed at her, Joyeong squeezed her eyes shut.

Is this how it ends?

She couldn’t believe that her unlucky life would end so emptily and so horribly.

Countless thoughts flashed through her mind. More than the resentment of dying without revenge, the fear of death overwhelmed her.

If death was this terrifying, how had her mother endured it?

Her mother, who had chosen death for Joyeong’s sake, knowing she would die.

I can’t die like this after surviving because of my mother’s sacrifice!

It was at that moment—when she desperately wanted to live—

Whizz—thud!

“Ghk!”

“!”

Suddenly, an arrow flew in from somewhere and pierced straight through the neck of the blade-wielding attacker.

Seeing the arrowhead grotesquely jutting out of his throat, Joyeong’s eyes widened.

Before she could even process what was happening, countless arrows began to rain down.

At the sound of arrows whistling through the air, Joyeong closed her eyes and curled up.

Meanwhile, the sounds of charging footsteps, clashing swords, and screams mingled together, turning the area into chaos.

How much time passed? It might not have been long in reality, but to Joyeong it felt like eternity—until the surroundings finally grew quiet.

Rustle. Step, step.

The only sound left was footsteps crushing grass.

“Your Highness, the Princess.”

At the polite, composed voice of a man, Joyeong felt puzzled.

A princess? Was there a princess here?

Startled, she opened her eyes.

Bathed in moonlight, a man wearing softly gleaming silver armor was looking down at her.