Three Thousand Court Ladies - Chapter 96

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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 96
“What poison is it? Is there a way to verify?”
Sam-cheon suppressed the rising anxiety and asked Wol-ya.
“It’s an expensive poison that’s difficult to obtain. It has a distinctive bitter-astringent smell, so it’s easy to identify.”
Wol-ya answered while examining the food supplies and cooking utensils one by one. As time passed without discovering any further clues, Sam-cheon’s anxiety deepened.
Most pressingly, the soldier sent to find Gye-san and Geum hadn’t yet returned.
Sam-cheon kept glancing toward the door when a soldier came rushing in.
“Interim Report. The man who threatened Yeong-hwa is estimated to be in his late thirties. His face wasn’t seen because he covered it with cloth. He gave a medicine bottle and instructed her to mix the powder inside into the seasoned vegetables. He said that once she did as ordered and returned home, her son would be there.”
The seasoned vegetables didn’t appear every day. A faint smile played at Sam-cheon’s lips.
“So he knew what was being prepared for breakfast this morning. I understand.”
The moment Sam-cheon turned her head, Gye-san and Geum came rushing in. Sam-cheon had grown worried when they failed to appear for so long, but their clothing suggested they’d been in the middle of training.
Sam-cheon’s eyes met Gye-san’s vacant gaze.
Confirming both of them were unharmed was enough. It had become certain that the soldiers were the only target.
“Don’t worry.”
Sam-cheon mouthed the words, then examined the soup, rice, and vegetables that were being distributed. She picked up the vegetables with her hand, put them in her mouth, and chewed.
[What are you doing!]
“Sam-cheon!”
Wol-ya rushed toward Sam-cheon in shock, but she was too late.
Hell.
Sam-cheon vomited blood.
This was truly insane poison.
[Sam-cheon, no! Please! Don’t die. Open your eyes!]
Sam-cheon came to her senses amid Irae’s desperate cries.
As Irae’s urgency reached her, a sharp ache filled her chest. The transmitted sorrow quickly became anxiety.
Could it be that she hadn’t died?
Sam-cheon hurried to sit up and look around, and Irae came into view.
She was certain she’d placed it in her inner pocket, but it was resting by her head.
[Huh?]
Having just opened her eyes, the situation wasn’t immediately clear. She felt the soft blanket touching her fingertips and pulled it to examine—it was the one she usually slept under.
This was clearly the Barracks.
[Why suddenly the Barracks? We were at the Dining Hall just moments ago.]
Irae voiced the exact same confusion as Sam-cheon.
Taking in where she’d awakened and Irae’s words, there was only one conclusion to draw.
“Irae, do you remember my dream?”
[What? What is this? I guess I do. Wait! How I remember isn’t important. Are you insane? Why would you eat it?]
Irae’s nagging poured out like a downpour, and Sam-cheon’s brows fell.
“There was no other way.”
[You should be thinking of catching the culprit and cleaning up. Why throw your life away?]
Irae’s voice trembled finely, and Sam-cheon felt sorry.
Of course she was shocked—she’d just seen Sam-cheon swallow poison. But there truly had been no other way. She couldn’t stand idle when she could prevent something terrible.
“But the result was good, wasn’t it?”
[What good? What if you died?]
“That won’t happen. You said my will was what mattered.”
[Who decides that will?]
“Heaven, I suppose. …Let’s talk about this later.”
[Talk about it later? When did you start seeing the future like this?]
Sensing there was no escape, Sam-cheon finally laid it bare.
“At the Mountain House where I found Nuri. At first, A-rang and I went there looking for my missing father. A-rang died saving her father there. So….”
At first, it had been an impulsive act born of clinging to the possibility of saving A-rang. But this time was different. Even if she returned to that moment again, she would make the same choice to save the soldiers.
Yet to Irae’s eyes it would only seem reckless. She braced for the flood of reproach that would follow, but no words came.
As the silence lengthened, Sam-cheon, self-conscious about her feet, spoke again.
“I was—.”
[You must have been struggling. And so lonely.]
The unexpected comfort caught her breath.
She had never thought of it as difficult. She believed it was enough if she could save the people dear to her. But the moment she heard Irae’s words, the emotion swelled up, and her chest grew heavy.
“I suppose I was.”
Struggling, and lonely, and hurting.
Yet there were ties she couldn’t abandon.
“Thank you. For being by my side.”
[Now come on, let’s go. We’ve been given a chance—we need to clean this up. But remember this. Never do this again.]
Sam-cheon answered “Yes” and immediately dashed to Geum’s Barracks, yanking the door open.
“Geum!”
Geum, who had been sitting in a chair, jolted in surprise and awkwardly stood.
“Wh—why have you come? Ha, ha, ha.”
Geum’s reaction was odd, but Sam-cheon had no time to pay attention.
“I had a dream. We need to move immediately.”
The moment Geum’s face froze, a partition screen propped up on one side fell with a loud crash. Yong-yong, who leaped out from behind it, asked urgently.
“What’s happened?”
“Yong-yong?”
So he’d deserted and been hiding in Geum’s Barracks. Sam-cheon needed a reliable skilled hand, so she seized Yong-yong’s arm without hesitation.
“There’s somewhere we need to go right now.”
Yeong-hwa stared down at the translucent Color Glass Bottle before her. The man standing in front of her commanded with an expressionless gaze.
“Do you understand?”
“…I will remember.”
The man turned and left the room.
Yeong-hwa took a deep breath and grasped the Color Glass Bottle with trembling hands.
At that moment, the gate flew open roughly. Startled, she looked back to see a man standing on the porch stare at her, then throw himself toward the back garden. Immediately, a sharp metallic clang rang out followed by shouts.
Just as Yeong-hwa, realizing something had gone wrong, scrambled to her feet, Geum came running through the open door.
“Deputy, Deputy Commander.”
Geum spotted the Color Glass Bottle in Yeong-hwa’s hand. She tried to hide it in panic, but Yong-yong, who entered behind her, snatched it away.
Yong-yong peeled away the paper that had been sealed with thread and sniffed. Her nose wrinkled.
“We have much to discuss.”
“I, I was only being coerced.”
“Yes. Tell us slowly about that coercion.”
Yong-yong dragged Yeong-hwa out to the courtyard.
Sitting on the cold dirt, Yeong-hwa realized everything had fallen apart. She looked around with anxious eyes, but Geum wouldn’t meet her gaze, and Yong-yong’s eyes burned with intensity.
‘What do I do?’
The task hadn’t even begun, and escape looked impossible. As Yeong-hwa wrestled with her options, Dam-no returned carrying a man on his shoulders.
The moment Yeong-hwa recognized him as the man who had handed over the poison, despair swept across her face.
“Shameful. He took his own life.”
Dam-no set down the limp man and immediately searched his body. But not a single possession was found.
“Stripped bare.”
Yong-yong muttered, and Geum spoke up.
“We should search this house more thoroughly.”
While Dam-no kept watch over Yeong-hwa, Yong-yong and Geum searched the house. When Geum came across soiled children’s belongings in a small room, her heart grew heavy.
The child was innocent.
Geum headed to the neighboring house to confirm any sign that the child was missing. It was the dead of night, but she couldn’t wait until morning—she called out loudly.
“Is anyone home?”
At the forceful voice, a door opened sharply and a man thrust out his head.
“…Who is this at such an hour?”
“I apologize for the late hour, but I have something I need to ask.”
Geum’s neat appearance dampened the man’s anger. He hurried out and bowed deeply to this clearly noble visitor.
“My lady, what brings you?”
“The child next door has been kidnapped. If there are any suspicious circumstances or if you’ve seen any strangers nearby, would you tell me?”
The man responded as though he’d heard something incomprehensible.
“A child next door? No, a widow lives there alone.”

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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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