Chapter 53. A Deal of Hatred and Sorrow (3)
Late at night, inside one of the halls of Beopsindang, Huyeong lay beneath the bedding.
She wore a thin white sleeping robe that clung closely to her body.
Her hair was decorated simply.
A powerful wind suddenly swept through the building.
One lamp after another went out.
Smoke from the incense burner scattered.
Outside in the hallway, the shadows of the attendants and guards collapsed behind the paper doors.
Huyeong sensed something strange.
Her eyes suddenly opened.
A fast-moving shadow attacked her.
Hands wrapped around her neck.
The attacker was a short man wearing black clothes and a hood.
He muttered strange words under his breath.
Then he easily lifted Huyeong and threw her over his shoulder.
The pressure points across Huyeong’s body had been sealed.
She could not move.
Her body hung limply like a piece of cloth as she was carried away.
The attacker traveled into the dark forest behind Beopsindang.
Only then did he remove the cloth covering Huyeong’s face and take the gag from her mouth.
Huyeong was thrown into the middle of the autumn forest wearing nothing but her thin sleeping robe.
The cold night air immediately surrounded her.
Her face became deathly pale.
She looked around with wide eyes.
Several dozen enormous dogs stood around ten steps away.
They growled and drooled.
Fortunately, their leashes were tied to trees.
A large, powerful man wearing a dark robe stood behind the dogs.
The hooded man who had kidnapped Huyeong crouched beside him.
Because the moonlight came from behind them, Huyeong could not clearly see their faces.
The instant she could speak again, she shouted.
“Who are you?”
Her voice carried furious pride.
“Do you think you can do this to Huyeong of the Nam family and walk away alive?”
The dogs immediately lunged toward her.
Their leashes pulled tight.
A low, rough laugh came from the darkness.
“You should be careful.”
The man stepped forward.
“These dogs were not raised as pets or decorations.”
Stiff hair.
Thick eyebrows.
Burning eyes.
The man was Seopjun, the second son of the Jin family.
Standing beside him was his assistant, Buheuk.
He looked perfectly alive despite supposedly being destroyed by lightning at the Buddhist sacred site.
Once Huyeong recognized them, she became confused.
If lowly men had been hired to kidnap her, she could understand.
But why would a great noble family like the Jin family personally become involved?
Seopjun noticed her confusion.
“I wanted an opportunity to speak quietly.”
He looked irritated.
“Your Nam family likes moving around in noisy groups.”
His tone sounded as though he were speaking through clenched teeth.
There was mockery in his voice too.
Huyeong rubbed her arms.
“Fine.”
She glared at him.
“But give me something to cover myself with.”
Her teeth almost chattered.
“At this rate, I’ll freeze to death before I can even answer you.”
Seopjun threw her a fur coat used by the Jin family soldiers stationed in the northern camps.
The cheap military fur smelled of leather and metal.
Worse, the face of the dead animal was still attached to it.
Huyeong looked disgusted.
Still, she wrapped it around herself.
Seopjun’s rude behavior had clearly offended her.
“So?”
She frowned.
“What exactly did you want to discuss?”
Seopjun finally brought up the main issue.
“I heard you were the one who proposed a marriage with the Jin family.”
His eyes narrowed.
“I wanted to know why you did something this stupid.”
The moment marriage was mentioned, Huyeong recovered some of her confidence.
“You mean my engagement to Seongha?”
She looked at him with obvious contempt.
“But what does that have to do with his younger brother?”
Seopjun stared at her.
For a moment, he genuinely had no idea what she was talking about.
Then he understood.
He suddenly burst out laughing.
His half-brother had fooled him perfectly.
“Well...”
He looked at Huyeong.
“That would be because the man who is supposed to become your husband is me.”
Huyeong froze.
“What?”
Only then did she realize something had gone very wrong.
The person involved in the marriage agreement had already changed long ago.
Seopjun dusted off his clothes and began standing.
“Perfect.”
He looked disgusted.
“We’re both stuck in the same terrible situation.”
“Let’s pretend the whole thing never happened.”
Huyeong immediately shouted.
“Pretend it never happened?”
She stared at him.
“Who gave you the right to decide that?”
Seopjun sneered.
“The great Jin family has no reason to become connected to the daughter of some worthless monk.”
Huyeong’s face twisted with rage.
“Worthless monk?”
Her eyes widened.
“How dare you insult a member of the royal family!”
She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
Seopjun looked down at her.
“Now that I think about it...”
His voice became quiet.
“There is one extremely simple way to cancel an engagement.”
He walked toward her.
“The person involved only needs to die.”
Seopjun grabbed Huyeong’s chin tightly.
His eyes looked savage.
The atmosphere was threatening enough to make it seem as though he might assault her.
“You probably believe I would never dare commit a crime against royalty.”
Huyeong stared silently at him.
Seopjun smiled.
“If that is the only thing giving you confidence, then I almost feel sorry for you.”
He pointed toward the dogs.
“Because I am the same kind of creature as those bastards over there.”
The dogs growled.
Seopjun continued.
“The foolish officials of Hui Kingdom would have to search this enormous forest to find your body.”
His smile grew darker.
“If they waste enough time, they might eventually find something.”
He leaned closer.
“Maggots, perhaps.”
Huyeong’s lips became dry.
Crazy bastard.
She cursed him inside her mind.
If the engagement disappeared, the connection between the Nam and Jin families would also disappear.
Their relationship might even become openly hostile.
Huyeong feared how State Preceptor Namwan would react.
If she lost her usefulness...
She had no idea how he would treat her.
In front of others, Huyeong constantly boasted about her family name.
But in reality, she was merely a tool for political marriage.
Losing Seongha...
Having the engagement canceled...
To Huyeong, both were worse than death.
“The engagement cannot be canceled.”
Her entire attitude suddenly changed.
She dropped before Seopjun.
Her voice became almost tearful.
“If you don’t want to marry a woman you hate, then help me.”
She pretended to sob.
“I can’t let someone else take him away.”
Her shoulders shook.
