Chapter 057. Lovers of the North Wind (2)
Meanwhile, preparations for the festival were in full swing in the banquet grounds before Hongyang Palace.
Behind the stage, musicians were rehearsing.
Attendants sat in a line, hanging colorful lanterns from thick ropes.
Bam ordered servants from the Rang Merchant Group to carry huge porcelain jars filled with flower arrangements and place them between the pillars.
Her eyes shone as she directed the work.
A wooden platform had been divided into several levels, with officials seated according to rank.
Normally, merchants had to sit on the lower level beneath the stairs.
However, according to a prior agreement with Beopsindang, the Rang Merchant Group had been allowed seats on the upper platform.
Just imagining herself sitting high above and demanding that the king of Hui Kingdom finally pay the trade debts he owed made Bam's blood boil with excitement.
There was also one other interesting detail.
A temporary toilet, called a pyeoncha, had been placed surprisingly close to the drinking area.
"Why did they put it this close?"
Bam tilted her head.
"Do the nobles need somewhere nearby in case nature calls while they're drinking?"
One servant answered.
"Priest Jin had it installed at Captain Hoyeon's request. Apparently, he claimed the cloth used for the screens was expensive and charged them a huge amount."
Bam burst out laughing when she saw the heavy black cloth surrounding the toilet.
Clothes, ornaments, weapons...
Who could stop Hoyeon's obsession with the color black?
"He squeezed that much money out of them over a toilet? Should I praise him?"
She laughed for a while.
Then her blue eyes suddenly widened.
"By the way, where is Hoyeon?"
"..."
"Why has he been going out so often lately?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"Is he hiding something from me?"
As Bam bombarded them with questions, the servants exchanged uneasy looks.
"If we tell you, I'm not sure we'll survive..."
"What?"
Bam immediately stepped toward them as if she might grab someone by the throat.
"If you have something to say, say it properly."
"Well..."
One servant cautiously spoke.
"We heard Captain Hoyeon has been secretly meeting a woman."
For someone like Hoyeon to get caught by ordinary servants...
It clearly had not been a carefully planned meeting.
That only made things more suspicious.
"Hoyeon meeting a woman alone?"
Bam frowned.
"Why would he do that?"
"She seemed to be a woman of high status. She entered the place separately from the captain, with some time between them."
"Security around the area was extremely strict too."
Another servant lowered his voice.
"It almost felt like... a secret rendezvous."
The servants could not continue.
The atmosphere around Bam had completely changed.
She was forcing a smile on the outside, but violent emotions were moving inside her.
It felt cold yet fierce, like waves crashing against the bow of a ship just before a storm.
"That's all you know?"
Bam stared at them.
"Why didn't you follow them inside?"
"Oh, please. The captain is famous for catching ghosts. What were we supposed to do if he caught us following him?"
"Before we could even report back to you, his dagger would've gone straight through our throats."
"Where is the place?"
The servants froze.
"You're not actually planning to go there, are you?"
They swallowed nervously.
What if Lady Rang's anger led to an irreversible disaster?
The very future of the merchant group seemed to be at stake.
"Just tell me where it is."
Bam narrowed her eyes.
"I'll handle the rest."
This wasn't childish jealousy.
She was only curious about what was happening.
That was all.
Ever since they came to this country, Hoyeon had been acting strange.
Repeating those excuses inside her head, Bam quickly left the banquet grounds.
She walked so fast that no one could block her path.
Meanwhile, an old bookstore stood in a narrow alley behind Hongyang's marketplace, barely wide enough for one person to pass through.
The windows were arranged so sunlight entered at an angle, preventing the paper from discoloring.
Stacks of scrolls covered the tables.
When Hyeon entered the bookstore, he saw Princess Moryang of Yeohae Kingdom sitting at the table farthest inside.
Perhaps her eyesight was poor, because her nose was practically buried in the book.
Even when the large Hyeon approached, she did not notice him.
Apparently, the rumors that she was an obsessive reader were true.
Hyeon cleared his throat.
Moryang raised her head.
She had an intelligent and gentle appearance.
Her pale hair and faded eyes, features common among the people of Yeohae Kingdom, immediately stood out.
Some old books even said their eyes resembled those of ancient people.
She was now the princess of a fallen kingdom.
Yet perhaps because she had left her homeland long ago, there was little sadness on her face.
Hyeon stood before her and bowed.
"I am Hoyeon, captain of the Rang Merchant Group's mercenaries."
He continued,
"We have met refugees from Yeohae Kingdom in the nearby waters and promised to return Your Highness to them."
Hyeon briefly explained everything.
How they planned to remove her from the detached palace.
How she could later meet the Yeohae refugees.
And how they could escape Hui Kingdom afterward.
After hearing that her homeland had fallen, the princess must have lived like a ghost inside the detached palace, treated with contempt.
Hyeon wanted to show her at least one final courtesy.
"The Crown Prince of Hui Kingdom has disappeared."
"..."
"The promises made by our ancestors no longer mean anything."
He looked at her calmly.
"Forget your life here and leave with your people."
Moryang listened quietly.
