Three Thousand Court Ladies - Chapter 107

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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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Chapter 107
The ledgers lay filed in order by category, and Sam-cheon located the section on trade goods that had come from the Western Regions.
With items distinguished by illustration, she had little difficulty identifying the Colored Glass Bottle entry.
If she secured a list of those who had recently purchased Bi-gae-cho and cross-referenced it with the Colored Glass Bottle buyers, she could narrow the scope of her investigation considerably.
Only twenty-two Colored Glass Bottles had entered Baekje, with eight remaining in stock. As Sam-cheon began committing the purchaser list to memory, one name caught her eye.
That was when Gye-san spoke in a low voice.
“Someone’s coming.”
There was nowhere to hide in the Secret Space. Sam-cheon finished memorizing the list and rushed out, restoring the wall to its original state.
In the meantime, Gye-san shut the window and checked behind the screen. Between the wall and the folding screen lay just enough space for a person to squeeze into. She pulled Sam-cheon toward the inner edge, then positioned herself on the outer side.
The footsteps drew steadily closer.
‘Has the patrol schedule changed?’
With barely a day’s time to spare, she hadn’t been able to verify the information. It was possible the intelligence had been wrong from the start.
As they held their breath, the door opened. She expected whoever it was to scan the interior and leave, but instead they stepped inside and shut the door behind them.
It was too early for cleaning, and a patrol wouldn’t have closed the door.
‘What is this?’
Had they been discovered?
Hidden behind the screen, she couldn’t see forward, so all her attention fixed on the footsteps. Mercifully, there was only one presence approaching.
Yet the footsteps drew nearer and nearer—as though the person knew they were hiding behind the screen.
Sam-cheon gripped her skirt without daring to breathe properly, while Gye-san shifted her stance, ready to draw her sword at any moment.
In that taut silence, I-re’s voice reached them.
A slight sound of confusion.
“Your Highness, court lady—come out, please.”
At the voice she had grown familiar with, Sam-cheon momentarily caught her breath.
“…Wol-ya?”
Gye-san moved first. Sword unsheathed, she stepped out from behind the screen, and only after confirming his identity with her own eyes did relief wash over her.
“How did you get here?”
Though she was puzzled by his sudden appearance, Gye-san sheathed her blade.
“The Merchant Leader is on his way. He’ll arrive shortly.”
Sam-cheon also hurried out from behind the screen. Though she knew they had to leave at once, Gye-san lingered, glancing back toward the Secret Space with reluctance.
“Your Highness, we need to go. I’ve memorized the list.”
“Really? Then let’s move.”
The three of them retraced their path and emerged behind the building. Only one thing remained—to jump down from the window.
Sam-cheon naturally spread both her arms toward Gye-san, expecting her to hoist her onto her hip and leap down just as she had on the way in.
But Wol-ya, standing behind them, lifted Sam-cheon into his arms instead.
Sam-cheon’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked up at him, but Wol-ya remained impassive—moving with the calm of someone shifting cargo, his gaze merely calculating the next foothold.
The scent of sandalwood drifted from Wol-ya’s robes. It was neither strange nor familiar, and the fragrance and touch stiffened Sam-cheon’s body.
“You go first.”
Gye-san, who had been opening and closing her mouth in surprise, blushed at the low rumble of his voice. She gripped the railing with one hand and jumped down.
Light footsteps scattered into the darkness, but not loudly enough to matter. Once Gye-san had safely descended behind the building, she looked up immediately.
Wol-ya jumped next, still holding Sam-cheon. As her body lurched downward, Sam-cheon gasped and reflexively clenched her fists.
He landed silently and set her down, then stepped back a pace.
Only then did Sam-cheon realize she had been gripping his robes. She hastily released them and lowered her gaze slightly.
“Thank you.”
As Wol-ya opened his mouth as if to explain the situation, the sound of hoofbeats reached them. Without waiting for anyone to decide, the three slipped into the darkness cast between the building and the wall, watching for movement.
The Merchant Leader arrived with his retinue, dismounted, and went directly into the building.
Why had he returned at this hour before dawn?
As she tried to puzzle it out, light suddenly blazed throughout and around the building.
“Could he have noticed we broke in?”
At Gye-san’s question, Sam-cheon shook her head.
“I don’t think so. His expression was bright.”
The Merchant Leader looked pleased. Had he known of intruders, he would not have entered with such a smile.
Scanning the surroundings, Sam-cheon noticed the building was bustling with activity. Suddenly curtains were brought to decorate the entrance, and people who appeared to have been roused from sleep stood in formation at the door. It seemed a guest was arriving.
“Once the people at the entrance go inside, we leave.”
As Gye-san spoke in a hushed voice, Wol-ya asked a question.
“Why did both of you move personally?”
“Because I had confidence in bringing Sam-cheon out safely.”
Gye-san’s martial prowess was something Wol-ya himself acknowledged. She’d earned mention as someone with the makings of Baekje’s First Swordmaster.
But that wasn’t what he was asking about.
“I’m asking about your reason for moving yourself. You could have given orders to others.”
That a prince-leading princess and her court lady would undertake such work was strange in many ways.
If she’d been unable to trust anyone because of the Bi-gae-cho incident, she might have distanced herself from Wol-ya and Dam-no as well.
That was what Wol-ya was concerned about.
“Yong-yong is busy, and the others went south. I can’t have soldiers steal. Most of them can’t read, anyway.”
Her tone suggested the question was obvious.
“Is it safe for you to move so openly?”
“Even if we’re discovered, we can claim we were investigating the Poisoning Case. I can suppress it with my rank. Originally I planned to slip away alone and return quickly, but since I couldn’t memorize the ledger fast enough, I brought Sam-cheon along.”
“You wouldn’t have been able to leave without me.”
Sam-cheon opened her eyes in a glare.
Wol-ya began to understand why Yong-yong had long ago referred to them as “annoyingly troublesome.” Watching from a distance was certainly different from facing them up close.
“If you’d informed me beforehand, I could have helped.”
His thought was that the Wol-lang Corps should have moved instead, but Gye-san immediately shook her head.
“If things get truly dangerous, all I ask is that you protect Sam-cheon. If I accumulate more debt, she’ll be crushed beneath the weight of gratitude. You don’t want that either.”
“…Understood.”
Just then, the sound of hoofbeats started again.
A luxurious carriage soon pulled up before the main gate. The young man who descended and entered carried an air of gentleness about him.
The Merchant Leader rushed out from the building and bowed deeply to him.
“Ah, welcome.”
“Forgive the late hour.”
“Not at all. Our establishment is open whenever you visit. Please, come in.”
From the shadows where they hid, Gye-san watched guest and Merchant Leader enter together and murmured quietly.
“Who is that?”
“Jwa-pyeong’s Grandson.”
Why would he visit at such a late hour? Sam-cheon felt an odd unease and added a thought.
“His grandfather’s name was on the purchaser list.”
She was sending a suspicious glance when a wistful voice drifted from the bundle in her arms.
A longing feeling has come. That man looks like my betrothed.
It seemed I-re’s betrothed had been a pale, scholarly-looking man.
She wanted to ask if the memory had returned, but with Wol-ya present, she held her tongue. Gye-san, too, looked frustrated and began signaling with her eyes.
It’s not that the memory returned. It just suddenly struck me that he resembles him.
Hearing the loneliness in I-re’s voice, Sam-cheon gently patted her chest.
I think it would be good to climb the wall now. Move quickly. You’re leaving at dawn.
Following I-re’s advice, Gye-san, who had been glancing around, found her spot to vault over. As she turned her head, Wol-ya holding Sam-cheon came into view.
‘This wall is low enough that Sam-cheon could clear it on her own.’
Perhaps there was no need to examine Sam-cheon’s betrothed too closely.

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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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