Three Thousand Court Ladies - Chapter 84

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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 84
It was the moment Sam-cheon stepped back, flustered by the breath-taking tenderness in Buyeo Hui’s gaze, that he slipped the Rabbit Fur Coat from his shoulders and draped it around her.
As the soft fur wrapped around her neck, goosebumps prickled across her skin. Buyeo Hui tied the cord of the coat himself, then withdrew with understated grace.
“The weather’s turning cold—I’d prefer you wear this. Travel safely. And don’t forget to apply the salve to your hands.”
“……Thank you.”
Sam-cheon found herself absently fingering the fur. It carried his warmth and the scent of sandalwood.
“I’ll see you in Sabi.”
His voice was infinitely tender.
Sam-cheon stepped back and offered a smile.
“Thank you for your kindness in every way.”
Buyeo Hui’s expression stiffened slightly as he watched her bow with more formality than usual. Sensing her withdrawal, he closed the distance between them instead.
“I intend to make sure you eat well, sleep well, and smile often. That simply requires a little time. So wait for me, thinking of me.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“For now, you’re free to pretend you don’t understand and flee.”
With his permission given, Sam-cheon hurried through her farewell and climbed into the carriage.
Until it departed through the gate, she kept her head bowed and did not look back at him. The sensation of tingling never quite faded, perhaps from the fur coat draped across her shoulders.
Once the carriage passed through the city gate, Sam-cheon lifted her hand to adjust her hairpin. The moment the smooth, cool touch of the pomegranate stone met her fingertips, she started violently and pulled her hand away in panic.
Sam-cheon forced her gaze ahead. One moment of weakness and she’d turn to look behind her.
“His Majesty dismissed Tae?”
Gyeol laughed aloud. The deeper his laughter grew, the stiffer Su-ha’s shoulders became.
“I beg your pardon.”
“No—the situation is developing amusingly.”
Gyeol had anticipated that Tae’s scheme might fail. He’d judged the damage manageable either way. Yet the course of events felt strange.
“Did His Majesty already have his eye on Hui?”
The decision could not have come so swiftly otherwise.
If Tae took control of the Baek Clan, he could bleed the family treasury dry—but the clan’s influence would plainly wane.
If Hui took control instead, the clan would grow stronger. With the kingdom ravaged by endless war and the common people in ruin, it served the long-term interests of the Baek Clan to remain intact.
But that alone was not the reason.
‘It happened too quickly.’
Moreover, stripping Tae of his princely rank had been excessive. There was clearly something more to it, though he could not fathom what. One thing was certain: his investment in Tae had become worthless.
“I’ve lost my playground and my game piece has become useless.”
Gyeol stroked his chin in thought, then fixed his gaze on Su-ha.
“Tae won’t run his mouth carelessly, will he?”
“His nature is impulsive—I cannot guarantee it. Perhaps I should hint to him that we will watch his back?”
“Do that. And monitor him in earnest. He’s useless to me now, but if Hui were to die, circumstances would shift. Report anything of note.”
Su-ha’s throat tightened visibly under Gyeol’s sharp gaze.
“The child we brought from Ungjin Fortress has returned home.”
“I’ve wronged Ha-bin.”
“I beg your pardon.”
Had any of his carefully laid plans ever unraveled so thoroughly?
Gyeol found the current situation fascinating.
“Our inquiries confirm that the distributed grain stores were indeed ordered by the Lady Baek. The palace attendant Sam-cheon apparently declined compensation and wished to share it with everyone, though this remains unverified. As a result, the suspicions raised by the Pardon Authority have been laid to rest.”
“Where is Sam-cheon’s father now?”
“He spends money like water at the Dog-fighting Venue. But he lives under the name Man-chun, as a commoner.”
“Man-chun?”
“He sold his status. When I tested him while he was drunk, he spoke bitterly of an ungrateful daughter. It seems he reached some agreement with Sam-cheon.”
Gyeol struck his knee sharply.
“She erased a potential weakness.”
The more he learned of her, the more remarkable she became.
The guard at the Prison had abandoned his post, and another had been dispatched in a single stroke—so cleanly that not even a trace of resistance remained.
Such precision could not belong to Hui, who had long since abandoned martial arts, nor to the escort service tied to Gwang.
“Sam-cheon must be Gye-san’s strategist. Otherwise the Pardon Authority would be excessive. And that girl moved Hui in Ungjin Fortress with a single letter. Surely she’s won his trust.”
“It would seem so.”
“But there’s one thing.”
“Sir?”
“No matter how brilliant, there’s no way she could have found my playground so directly.”
No matter how he reviewed it, her movements after visiting the Healing House made no sense.
Gyeol’s eyes flickered as he recounted past events in his mind.
“I need to verify something. What is that girl?”
He drained his teacup and smiled, baring his teeth. As always, his eyes did not smile.
The journey home in the carriage provided by the Baek Clan proceeded largely without incident. San-cho and A-rang rode alongside on a lustrous black horse, while Ju-hong dozed fitfully in the seat beside Sam-cheon.
Sam-cheon absently fingered the Rabbit Fur Coat and gazed beyond the awning. The wind had grown loud.
San-cho’s brow furrowed.
“The wind picks up as we crest the ridge.”
“If not for the Hand Wraps His Highness provided, I think my hands would be frozen stiff.”
A-rang, smiling broadly, glanced into the carriage.
Seeing the fur coat that covered Ju-hong’s neck, her lips curved upward of their own accord.
And beside her sat Ju-hong. The very fact that he sent along even the attendant he’d kept like a shadow—what else could that be but romantic affection?
While Sam-cheon grinned without noticing the cold, San-cho broke the spell.
“The road home sure is peaceful.”
“Don’t tempt fate! When you talk like that, something always happens.”
“Don’t be superstitious.”
San-cho’s expression hardened.
At the same moment, Ju-hong, who had been sitting with a blank face, sprang up and leaped onto the carriage post. She batted away the incoming arrow and stood facing the direction it came from.
A-rang quickly brought the carriage to a halt, then she and San-cho surveyed their surroundings.
Ju-hong turned back, her face blank once more as she spoke.
“The archer fired and fled immediately. From the way the carriage post was targeted, it seems there was no intent to harm. Perhaps testing escort capabilities—or a warning. Either way, we should proceed vigilantly. I’ll ride alongside on horseback.”
Ju-hong mounted the horse she’d brought. As Ju-hong and the escorts displayed heightened alertness, Sam-cheon asked.
“Should I ride as well?”
“The carriage is safer. A horse leaves you too exposed. If you were hit and fell, it would be dire.”
Sam-cheon settled back into her seat and drew the awning closed. After a moment of thought, she withdrew a brush from the luggage beside her and tucked it into her pocket.
She needed to prepare for a moment when they’d have to abandon their things and move quickly.
The party proceeded slowly, on alert.
A-rang glanced at Ju-hong with a crestfallen face. The arrow had flown toward the spot where she’d been standing, yet she hadn’t noticed until Ju-hong intercepted it.
“How did you see the arrow coming?”
“It’s important to keep your vision wide. In combat, you only need to kill the enemy before you—but when you’re an escort, you have to block attacks coming from anywhere. The training approach is fundamentally different.”
“Thank you for teaching me. I’ll have to change my training methods when we get back.”
She’d corner the chief trainer and make something of it. A-rang steeled her resolve to become a skilled escort.
They hadn’t gone far when San-cho’s brow narrowed at the front.
“Something’s ahead.”
“What?”
A-rang craned her neck to peer into the distance. Soldiers stood at a roadblock formed by logs, barring passage.
“It’s a checkpoint. Something must have happened nearby.”
Ju-hong answered at A-rang’s words.
“They’re soldiers.”
An ominous premonition stirred in Sam-cheon’s chest.
As they drew near the soldiers, Sam-cheon realized her premonition had been correct. Behind the soldiers stood a woman in pristine white robes.
It was Ha-bin of the Ye Family.

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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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