Three Thousand Court Ladies - Chapter 67

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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 67
A-rang gazed at Sam-cheon with eyes that threatened tears at any moment. Though his worried gaze weighed upon her, Sam-cheon remained oddly composed.
Without expectation, there was no sorrow, no anger—only the methodical recitation of words she had prepared.
“Father doesn’t seem to have targeted the prince, so I’m offering you a choice. You may submit to investigation, or you may sell the identity and name of one who participated in the kidnapping of a member of the royal family and live on as the commoner Man-chun. Do as you wish.”
Father fell silent in thought. His name and status were the only things he possessed. Yet in his current circumstances, they were also his most worthless assets.
When he had finished deliberating, Father asked:
“Ahem. How much can you give me?”
“Father, price your own identity and name yourself. If the sum seems reasonable, we shall make the exchange.”
Sam-cheon regarded her father steadily.
“One Gold Pearl?”
Father had thrown out the words as if merely testing the waters, but he quickly changed his tune.
“On second thought, a Silver Pearl might suit me just as well.”
“I shall give you two Gold Pearls. Find a suitable place to settle and live quietly.”
“Two, two Pearls?”
“My filial devotion extends only this far.”
“Very well. I shall do as you say. You must be serving someone of considerable worth.”
Father made no effort to hide his delight, his lips twitching upward.
“Release him.”
As A-rang untied the rope, Father rubbed his reddened wrists and let out a groan of discomfort.
“Ah, ow, ow. How could you bind it so tightly?”
Sam-cheon ignored his complaints and held out a document.
“Sign it, and give me your Status Tablet.”
Father’s brow furrowed as he read through the certificate Sam-cheon had presented.
“This is…….”
“It’s a document acknowledging the crimes Father committed. The next page concerns Status Trafficking. Once Father receives a new Status Tablet, this will be forwarded to the Investigation Bureau.”
“I’m not blind.”
Whether Father’s surly reply came or not, Sam-cheon continued her explanation.
“These documents will be kept by the prince. It wasn’t easy to persuade him. I can’t protect you beyond two instances. Nor do I wish to.”
“Ah, I see.”
Father read the documents carefully. There was nothing in them that contradicted what Sam-cheon had said. A simple signature, and two Gold Pearls would be his.
Watching Father’s lips curl once more, Sam-cheon drove her point home like a wedge:
“Once you sign, I shall have no father.”
Father signed both documents without hesitation.
Sam-cheon collected the certificates and set two Gold Pearls into his palm.
“Come to your senses and live well, even now.”
“Ahem. There’s no holding back when speaking to one’s father, is there.”
Taking a step back, Sam-cheon smiled faintly.
“Since you’ve signed, Man-chun, you are no longer my father.”
Sam-cheon watched as Man-chun’s face flushed with rage. Just as he was about to give vent to his fury, Sam-cheon spoke coldly:
“Take Man-chun outside.”
A-rang, her expression complicated, seized Man-chun’s arm.
“Let’s go.”
Though A-rang’s pull was gentle, Man-chun stumbled forward in her grip. He cast a resentful glare at Sam-cheon.
“How dare you treat me so harshly.”
His voice carried a note of wounded pride.
“Then shall I return the Gold Pearls and have you interrogated as my father?”
Man-chun’s shoulders flinched.
“No, no. Let’s go.”
He turned at once.
“The exit is that way.”
Man-chun tucked the Gold Pearls into his breast and hurried toward the door. As he crossed the threshold, the corners of his mouth rose in a slow, deliberate smile.
I-re, who had been watching A-rang slip out after Man-chun, offered his thoughts:
‘Trash. Sorry—but he’s still your father.’
“I share the same view.”
Though this would likely be the last time, Sam-cheon felt no regret.
‘But are you sure letting him go like that is wise?’
“Do you think a commoner named Man-chun can prosper with two Gold Pearls?”
‘He’ll loaf about the cockfighting rings, get the Pearls stolen, and consider himself lucky if he just survives.’
“I can’t imagine him acquiring a shop to run or a field to farm either. Most likely, he’ll sell those Gold Pearls and live as a dissolute wastrel. That’s his best future.”
But he would rush back to the cockfighting pits once more.
Whether what she had given him was an opportunity or a form of revenge, Sam-cheon could not say.
“It doesn’t matter. He is Man-chun, after all.”
Even if word of his death reached her someday, her heart would not stir.
“He was never the sort to come just because I called. Troublesome fellow.”
When they arrived at the meeting place with San-cho, Buyeo Hui stood waiting. Sam-cheon blinked several times upon spotting him draped in Purple Silk.
She had requested soldiers; she had not expected the prince himself. Swallowing her surprise, she bent her knees slightly.
“I pay my respects to Your Highness.”
“Spare the pleasantries. What are you trying to do?”
His eyes gleamed with curiosity—he must have grown bored during his time at Ungjin Fortress.
“I intend to rescue someone.”
“Sudden, but let’s go. You owe me a debt.”
“Yes, I’m a debtor. Your Highness, the truth is I also sold your name last night—just a little.”
“To whom?”
“First, there was someone who’d rented the Gaekkwan. He seemed to be one of the princes. Rather than coming to meet Your Highness, he had the air of someone gathering intelligence.”
Buyeo Hui laughed softly.
“He came to see you.”
“Me?”
Sam-cheon was in a position where she had to go whenever royalty summoned her. There was no reason for her to jump from this floor simply because they wished to see a court lady.
“He’d heard rumors of the Amnesty Authority and grew curious.”
Ah, the Amnesty Authority.
By now, the rumors would surely have ripened.
“That’s quite possible. And then there was…….”
Buyeo Hui tilted his head, smiling gently.
“What else?”
“My father. That is to say, I used Your Highness to threaten him a little. To ensure he never appears again.”
Only a day had passed since Buyeo Hui had departed. When San-cho appeared suddenly requesting soldiers, Sam-cheon had intuitively understood it as a dream. But this dream had apparently been a nightmare in which even her father played a role.
“……Is it manageable?”
“Yes.”
Though he was her closest confidant, Buyeo Hui was aware of the soldiers nearby and cut the conversation short.
“Then that’s settled. We can talk more later. Let’s see what awaits ahead.”
“They use poison. You must be careful.”
“I heard. Proceed cautiously.”
Buyeo Hui waved his hand languidly, sending the soldiers up the mountainside. For all its apparent casualness, the gesture was precise—the soldiers found their positions exactly and formed an Encirclement Formation.
At a slight distance, Buyeo Hui and Sam-cheon followed. As Ju-hong and A-rang moved to step close, Buyeo Hui waved his hand once more.
Ju-hong, catching the hint, seized A-rang’s arm and fell back. A-rang, who had been about to resist, saw the shape of Ju-hong’s lips forming the words ‘take the hint’ and fell silent.
Once Buyeo Hui had confirmed the distance between them, he asked quietly:
“Did you have another dream?”
“……Yes.”
Sam-cheon’s account began: There were attackers at my childhood home.
“……Even verified whether the person who left with the Gold Pearl, staying in the annex, was truly a prince.”
Sam-cheon finished her account and stole a glance at his expression.
“You put it to good use.”
“Are you angry?”
“Well done. From now on, if you’re ever concerned for your safety, sell my name. There’s almost nothing I cannot handle.”
Sam-cheon was caught off guard. She had expected him, as always, to chide her playfully; instead, she found herself turning her head and looking up at him involuntarily.
Buyeo Hui was gazing at her still, and their eyes met. A flicker of deep affection passed through his gaze in an instant.
Sam-cheon’s heart lurched unexpectedly, and she could do nothing but look away again.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“……How does that dream feel?”
“It’s vivid, as though it were happening in reality. I can only tell it was a dream once I wake after experiencing death.”
“A terrible ordeal each time, then.”
Dying is agonizing. The silence that arrives as breath ceases is a sensation beyond words.
“Yet I survive. In a way, it’s a gift.”
“To me, it seems miraculous.”

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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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