🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter : 26
The Wings of Desire (1)
Jo-yeong had endured the torment of the Ha siblings out of guilt, believing that her mother’s death was her fault.
Since she became alone in that house, the intensity of the abuse and disdain had only grown stronger.
She could tolerate being starved or beaten.
What Jo-yeong found hardest to endure, and what terrified her most, were the gift boxes Ha Jin-san would give.
Sometimes the food he gave to eat was laced with poison.
Jo-yeong knew it was poison, but even though she knew it would be agonizing if she ate it, she had to eat it anyway.
It was the only way to avoid Ha Jin-san’s suspicion.
Most of the Ha family’s supernatural abilities involved sensing the value of objects.
Detecting gold, identifying poison—things like that.
It was said that the way each person sensed energy varied.
In her case, it was by seeing the color with her eyes.
A good item might shine like the aurora or emit colors like mist or heat haze.
On the other hand, poison appeared as black smoke, blazing red flames, or sticky swirling patterns.
Though her supernatural ability might be weaker compared to her ancestors, the fact that it had manifested after several centuries was clearly a matter of great pride for the family.
The only ones who did not welcome it were Ha Jin-san and Ha Jin-hong, who, as direct heirs, became the heads of the estate.
Ha Jin-san hadn’t tried to test her from the start because he wanted to control her ability.
He had always thought abilities like hers were just stories made up by old people.
He became suspicious because of what she said that day when Ha Jin-san gave her mother a gift.
If she had been cautious, she might have been able to save her mother and not given them a reason to harm her.
So she endured this hellish time, blaming herself, believing she deserved this humiliation.
Today was a particularly difficult day for Jo-yeong, who had neither forgiven nor stopped blaming herself.
Everything—the wine brought by the envoy, the poison, his painful expression—stirred her wounds.
She wanted to protect the ruler.
She only thought that she could not lose him so easily, not like her mother.
She was lucky. If the wine hadn’t flowed into the pond, wouldn’t Bisansung have been in danger because of her?
She was still blaming herself for the mistake when, suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into his embrace.
The strange thing was that she did not feel flustered or displeased by it.
Drawn by his gentle warmth, Jo-yeong closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder.
She didn’t know what he understood or what he was comforting her for, but the large, firm hands stroking her back felt incredibly warm and reassuring.
She didn’t want to leave his embrace.
“How wonderful it would be if I were truly a princess.”
The thought flashed through her mind, and her eyes suddenly opened wide.
“I’m crazy!”
Jo-yeong pushed him away and fell.
Hugging felt natural, but falling was awkward.
“Were you displeased?”
In response to Yeon-ho’s question, Jo-yeong shook her head.
“No. I know well that you did not mean anything bad.”
“If the ‘bad meaning’ Your Highness refers to is a man’s dark desire, then… well, it wasn’t completely absent.”
“You don’t have to be so frank.”
“If you weren’t displeased, then why did you push me away?”
“…Because it can’t be.”
She could not accept his feelings because she was not a real princess.
But Yeon-ho could not have known that.
He smiled in relief.
The princess saying “it can’t be” must be because of her guilt over Jeong Jae-in. She had wavered because of him.
Although she had first embraced him, she had felt, even briefly, the full weight of the princess leaning on her.
Though her body was light as down, the weight of her heart felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, so he knew without asking that she had not been displeased.
Yet Yeon-ho did not want to further shake or pressure the princess.
Even without him doing anything, her heart was already complicated enough.
“Yes. It cannot happen. I had no right to hold Your Highness without permission.”
She spoke as if to pretend she didn’t understand, which Jo-yeong appreciated—she didn’t have to explain further.
“No, may I ask something else?”
“Anything.”
“Have you identified the type of poison in that wine?”
“Yes, though… why do you ask?”
“It was an extremely potent poison, strong enough to kill all the carp in that large pond with just one bottle. I didn’t realize such a deadly poison existed.”
“Yes. It’s curious indeed. That poison is from a snake, but that snake doesn’t exist in Noman territory. It’s called Hwangjeomsa, a venomous snake that lives at the riverbed. To my knowledge, it’s caught in Sanho-guk.”
“!”
Sanho-guk—just as she suspected. Her mother had been poisoned by a gift from Ha Jin-san that came from Sanho-guk. The poison she had sensed then felt exactly the same as the one in the wine, making her doubt herself.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“Well… it’s strange. There must be many other poisons in Noman territory, so I don’t understand why he went all the way to Sanho-guk to get that one.”
Though she tried to cover it, that was her genuine curiosity.
“We also found it odd and investigated. The poison of Hwangjeomsa is unique—it tastes sweet. Mixed with wine, it makes drinking easier without resistance. And because it is extremely potent, it is hard to neutralize without an antidote. There is no better poison for murder.”
“The Noman tribe has just established their country. They probably don’t have enough funds. Is Hwangjeomsa’s poison cheap?”
“No, it’s expensive, and since it was imported, it costs quite a lot. For that amount, it would be a burden on the Noman tribe.”
“That means…”
“Someone must be behind it. Either someone from Sanho-guk or someone with ties to them.”
Jo-yeong felt uneasy and anxious.
Sanho-guk was a distant island nation, not part of the continent like Yeongseong-guk or the Noman tribe.
It had many rare items not found in Yeongseong-guk, making trade with merchants active.
Naturally, merchant groups like the Ha family traded frequently with Sanho-guk.
Could the origin of the poison being Sanho-guk and coming from the Ha family really be a coincidence?
“It must be a coincidence. There are more than a few merchant groups trading with Sanho-guk. Moreover, such poison would be traded secretly, not handled by large merchant groups.”
Jo-yeong dismissed her unease as mere worry.
“Are you worried about this?”
“Eh?”
Jo-yeong looked up from her deep thoughts.
“If we had been poisoned that day, Bisansung would have been completely destroyed by the Noman tribe’s attack. Are you suspecting that the royal family stirred up the Noman tribe to create that situation?”
“!”
Jo-yeong, who had been suspecting the Ha family, was relieved by his words.
“Yes! Yes! That’s exactly what I was worried about!”
She felt a bit embarrassed for getting excited, but Yeon-ho did not find it strange. He understood that she was glad he understood her thoughts.
“I suspected the same. So your Highness’s thoughts match mine.”
“Ah… yes.”
“Bisansung has always faced threats like this, but there was never proof or witnesses. This time is different. Thanks to Your Highness, we captured the envoy and will uncover the mastermind. Now it is all up to me, so please don’t worry and leave it to me.”
“Can the ruler not handle it himself? I am only an outsider who does not know Bisansung’s affairs well. I will not intervene presumptuously.”
“Please never say you are presumptuous again. I understand if you put up walls because you are not from Bisansung, but do not abandon your status as the Princess of Yeongseong-guk.”
Jo-yeong, not a real princess, could not respond, but Yeon-ho did not push further and stood up.
“Ah. I almost forgot. I came to fetch Cheong.”
“For me?”
“Could you accompany me somewhere? Your help is essential.”
His voice and gaze were full of earnestness.
Jo-yeong forgot her resolve to keep him at a distance and, wanting to help him, nodded without even asking where they were going.
