The Survival Story Of A Fallen Lady - Chapter 42

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Falling Noblewoman’s Survival Record, Episode 42
The repercussions of that day’s events rippled far and wide.
“They say someone saw Seo Heon without his mask?”
“Word is they dragged her out looking vacant, like she’d lost her mind?”
“Hasn’t she already died from the curse? Nobody’s seen her since yesterday!”
Whispers spread through every corner of Muk Wang Palace.
The moment So A turned a corner, the murmuring ceased as if it had never been.
The servants scattered, reading the air around her.
But the problem extended beyond the palace staff alone.
“Surely the curse itself isn’t the real concern here?”
“All this chaos from exposing his mask.”
Even the officials added their own remarks, their unease barely concealed.
‘There are still those who view Seo Heon’s rule with displeasure.’
Those who harbored grievances against him—like General Maeng before—remained.
For such men, this incident would serve as the perfect pretext to shake his foundation.
So A, surveying the palace, finally spoke.
“Young Gyo, it feels rather dull today, doesn’t it?”
“Pardon?”
Young Gyo asked, bewildered.
Hadn’t she been rushing about since dawn, reading in the Library, meeting with the Minister of Education this morning to discuss the new construction projects?
It had been far too busy a day to call dull.
Yet So A simply smiled and opened her mouth.
“Would you like to invite Seol Hong Ok and Geum Mae Hui for some pleasant conversation?”
Young Gyo blinked again at the unexpected proposal.
Though she hadn’t been in the Private Chamber yesterday, she’d heard whispers of the commotion within.
She had even seen Mok Yeon dragged away.
Her half-sister now locked in the Prison.
Surely she must be feeling unsettled—yet suddenly calling for idle chat?
Wasn’t this hardly the moment for such levity?
‘If she becomes entangled in this affair, it could spell real disaster!’
But So A, inscrutable as ever, remained composed.
“Have them prepare a tea table in the Central Court. I think today calls for Wuyi oolong with candied peas and hawthorn fruit.”
* * *
The Central Court was a thoroughfare where all servants and attendants passed through.
So A had laid out the refreshment table right in its midst.
Across from her:
“I never thought you’d call for us again so soon!”
Seol Hong Ok’s eyes gleamed at the spread, even more lavish than before.
Sweet candied peas and brilliant hawthorn fruit gleaming ruby-red.
And oolong tea to match perfectly.
Of course—So A truly did know a thing or two!
Beside Hong Ok, whose attention was captured by the refreshments:
“I notice So A is nowhere to be seen.”
Geum Mae Hui began fanning herself languidly, testing the waters.
The Jeomschwi Boyo gifted to her the last time was pinned in her hair.
So A watched Mae Hui’s measured fanning.
‘So the rumors have already leaked beyond the palace walls.’
Geum Mae Hui clearly knew of yesterday’s events.
Word had spread through the officials, setting the entire palace in ferment.
That she’d come so readily, despite being summoned in haste, must have been driven by curiosity about whether the rumors held truth.
“Has So A already left the palace?”
Mae Hui probed the gossip gently.
So A picked up her teacup and laughed without concern.
“No, she’s in the Prison at present.”
At those words, even Hong Ok—mid-bite of hawthorn fruit—froze, her eyes widening in shock.
“She committed a grave discourtesy toward Seo Heon yesterday.”
“A discourtesy, you say…?”
“She removed his mask.”
Both women’s eyes went wide as saucers.
And they were not alone in their shock.
Young Gyo and the servants nearby had frozen in place as well.
“So you’re saying you saw inside the Mask of the King?”
“Yes, I happened to follow him in and witnessed it myself.”
In that moment, the air in the Central Court went utterly still.
Not a single breath could be heard.
Though they pretended otherwise, every eye nearby had turned toward her.
“You’re telling me that Jin Jae In also saw the King’s face?”
The lips couldn’t quite form the question that burned beneath them.
Yet in Geum Mae Hui’s and Seol Hong Ok’s eyes gleamed unmistakable curiosity.
So A set down her teacup with unhurried grace and nodded.
“Yes, nothing at all happened.”
“But wasn’t he meant to wear the Mask because of a demon’s Curse?”
“Well, he did have some scarring, I suppose.”
As So A took another leisurely sip, the eyes of Geum Mae Hui and Seol Hong Ok met across the table.
“Scarring?”
She could feel every ear in the vicinity perk up.
“The Imperial Household looks upon scars as unsightly, so I imagine he chose to conceal them for that reason.”
And to preserve the dignity befitting a Feudal King.
So A continued, taking another sip with unhurried poise.
At those words, Geum Mae Hui’s fan lost its vigor.
Compared to the grotesque and sinister rumors, the truth was disappointingly mundane.
Even from beyond the walls and outside the windows came whispered voices.
“When you think about it, what else would be worth hiding behind a Mask but a scar?”
When So A smiled faintly, both women’s eyes widened slightly.
It was sound reasoning, after all.
“Then all those stories about how one goes mad or gets cursed upon seeing his face……?”
“Then I wouldn’t be sitting here enjoying my tea so contentedly, would I?”
So A lifted her teacup slightly.
“Rumors have a way of growing with the telling, as you know. Once people heard the scar came from fighting a demon, the story just ballooned from there.”
At that, Seol Hong Ok nodded in agreement.
Yet unresolved curiosity still lingered; those nearby remained rooted in place, ears straining forward.
At last, Geum Mae Hui, whose lips had been working silently, spoke up.
“Was the Feudal King’s scarring quite deep?”
That face, supposedly hideous enough to sicken the stomach.
The rumors claiming he was the empire’s ugliest man.
They simply had to know the truth.
“A scar about an inch long. The sort any warrior bears.”
So A lied without hesitation.
There was no one here who knew what Seo Heon’s face truly looked like, after all.
Her reason for spreading these rumors had nothing to do with protecting Seo Heon.
‘Rumors about the Feudal King only hinder the development of Muk Wang Territory.’
If people viewed the Feudal King as ill-omened, they viewed his territory as ill-omened as well.
They refused to eat the Byeok Roe Yeom salt, calling it cursed; they feared to set foot in the land, calling it damned.
So it was best to nip the vicious rumors in the bud.
She had set up refreshments in this heavily trafficked spot precisely for that reason.
“There are many rumors that his face beneath the Mask is hideously scarred.”
“I wouldn’t say so. His features were rather handsome, actually.”
Geum Mae Hui nodded with satisfaction at that.
‘If not for the Mask, the Feudal King would be quite striking.’
From his bearing to the line of his jaw.
He had many advantages already.
The people of Muk Wang Territory had often wondered about it.
“Perhaps those envious of the Feudal King’s fine appearance deliberately spread such vicious rumors!”
Seol Hong Ok beside her clapped her hands and nodded in agreement.
Now that curiosity was satisfied, their faces relaxed into easy smiles.
“But then, why was Miss Jin in the Prison……?”
“Tell me, what would you think if I were to strip off your outer robe without permission?”
“What? How dare you suggest such rudeness……!”
“That is precisely the offense Miss Jin committed against the Feudal King. How could she escape punishment for it?”
To lay a hand on a Feudal King’s face without leave was a grave crime.
The mask she used to hide her shame was torn away by force.
Earning Seo Heon’s wrath was inevitable.
“Then what becomes of Miss So A……?”
“That is a matter for His Highness to decide.”
* * *
Seo Heon sat in the Throne Hall and drew a deep breath.
The courtiers had all withdrawn.
His throat tightened, suffocating him.
Since yesterday’s events.
The atmosphere among the officials gathered at court today had shifted.
They must have learned everything that happened yesterday.
No matter how much it was hushed up, it was the sort of scandal that spread easily.
No one mentioned it during the meeting, yet he felt their gazes change toward him.
His breath caught.
‘Damn it.’
Seo Heon gripped his constricted throat.
If only he could have spoken of it.
And if only he could have confided in someone about this curse.
The weight of endless doubt and anxiety becomes unbearable.
Suffocating.
“Your Highness. Are you well?”
No, concerned, approached hurriedly.
Since yesterday’s events, Seo Heon had been unlike himself.
Seo Heon raised his hand to calm him.
He closed his eyes slowly and breathed in steadily.
The tightness in his chest did not ease.
Seo Heon drew another deep breath and rose from his seat.
That’s enough.
Seo Heon walked toward the Private Chamber.
‘What am I to do about Mok Yeon?’
His tangled mind throbbed.
He knew it.
That death was the clearest path for anyone who had seen his face.
‘But……’
As he walked lost in thought.
“It was barely a scratch. Common enough among warriors.”
A familiar voice reached his ears.
Seo Heon stopped and turned toward the source of the voice.
“Why is So A there……?”
No adjusted his glasses and furrowed his brow.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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