“I am disappointed, Your Majesty.”
Yunseo rose from his seat, his face cold and rigid.
Wolhwa’s eyes wavered violently for an instant.
“...What?”
She hurried over and seized his arm.
“What is the matter? What has happened?”
Yunseo straightened at once and pulled her hand away.
“Your Majesty.”
He spoke in a low voice.
“All of us are risking our lives for your sake.”
Yunseo paused briefly, then continued.
“But those words of yours make me feel as if everything I have done until now has been in vain.”
At those words, Wolhwa froze where she stood.
She had never imagined this man would say such a thing.
For a moment, her heart sank.
“I... did not mean it that way.”
“Such words.”
Yunseo cut her off sharply.
“You need not say them to me.”
He lowered his gaze.
Clear disappointment lay across his face.
“Your Majesty is the Empress.”
His voice sank deeply.
“How can you say such a thing after being pushed by the pressure of others? Recall the moment when Your Majesty first said you would protect this nation.”
Yunseo continued, keeping his emotions suppressed.
“At that time, Your Majesty was certainly unwavering.”
For a moment, the air seemed to stop, and silence passed between them.
“But now, you are watching the faces of others.”
Those words struck home.
Wolhwa’s lips trembled.
For an instant, a sense of grievance surged up inside her.
Tears seemed about to gather, but she quickly forced them down.
She took a short breath and swiftly calmed herself.
And then she realized.
Yunseo’s words were not reproach, but advice.
This man was not wrong.
Rather, in this situation, he was making the most correct choice.
This man was clearly seeing what she, despite sitting in the Empress’s seat, had been failing to grasp.
Wolhwa slowly exhaled.
Then she rose from her seat.
“...Enough.”
She spoke calmly.
“This matter was my fault.”
Wolhwa’s gaze had softened noticeably.
“It seems I owe you a debt for this.”
“The one Your Majesty owes is not me.”
Yunseo raised his hand and lightly patted her head.
“It is Your Majesty yourself.”
He continued calmly.
“I will pretend I did not hear what you said this time.”
After a beat, he spoke again.
“But there will be no next time. If the same thing happens again, then I, too, will no longer help you.”
For a while, Wolhwa could not say anything.
Then she pouted and muttered.
“Very well. I will never say such a thing again.”
In a voice so small it was barely audible, she added,
“You truly are a narrow-minded man.”
Dissatisfaction still lingered in her expression.
It had only been one remark, and she wondered if it was truly something worth taking her to task over to this extent.
But as she looked at the man before her, that thought soon blurred.
The Yuk Yunseo of now was different from before.
Once, he had merely been someone who followed orders, but now he judged for himself and made decisions on his own.
And he set her straight.
That fact suddenly felt unfamiliar.
Would this man be able to remain a mere subject in the future?
As that thought brushed past her, for some reason, a chill ran down her spine.
“Your subject will take his leave now.”
Yunseo said nothing more.
He immediately turned away.
There was no hesitation in him.
Watching his figure, Wolhwa quietly closed her mouth.
Strangely, she could not hold him back.
She could only let him go.
—
After returning to his quarters, Yunseo remained silent for a long while.
Only after closing the door did he slowly let out a breath.
The scene from moments ago passed through his mind.
To be honest, it had been dangerous.
If the Empress had exploded in anger at that moment, he might have lost his life.
But this was not a simple matter.
It was not about the Empress’s personal feelings, but about the survival or fall of the nation.
That was why he could not step back.
And the result had not been bad.
The Empress had not grown angry.
She had merely expressed her dissatisfaction.
That much was a reaction he had expected well enough.
Right now, more than half of the court looked lightly upon the Empress.
That fact was weighing her down.
But even so, she could not retreat.
If one wished to achieve a great purpose, the sovereign must not waver.
Because a single remark could cause everything to collapse.
Yunseo knew that.
And he knew that this responsibility, too, rested upon him.
Just as he was lost in those thoughts.
The air suddenly split.
Swish—
Yunseo’s eyes flashed open.
Without any warning, an arrow shot toward him.
Yunseo swiftly twisted his body and avoided the arrow.
The arrow flew on and struck the teacup in his hand, shattering it to pieces.
But it did not so much as graze Yunseo.
The person outside did not retreat even after seeing that the first strike had missed.
He immediately continued his attack.
This time, Yunseo did not hesitate either.
Without a word, he drew his sword.
And struck down at his opponent.
It was a single slash.
With that one strike, man and blade were split together.
He was cleaved in two on the spot.
The servants outside saw the scene and collapsed where they stood.
Their legs gave out, and they could not rise.
Yunseo said nothing.
He merely wiped the blood from his sword in silence.
“Go to the government office and call whoever is in charge.”
He spoke calmly.
“Have them remove this corpse. Make sure my residence is not dirtied.”
—
A short while later.
The head of the government office arrived with a coroner and soldiers.
The moment he entered the courtyard, his face stiffened.
As soon as he saw the scene before him, he looked as if he might vomit.
He could not believe that Yunseo, who had always seemed gentle, had done such a thing.
But he did not dare show it.
He immediately bent at the waist and paid his respects.
“My apologies, my lord.”
He hurriedly spoke.
“For such a thing to happen under my jurisdiction, I will surely—”
“Enough.”
Yunseo cut him off.
“It has already happened.”
There was not the slightest agitation in his voice.
“I have no intention of hearing you say that such a thing will never happen again.”
Yunseo lowered his gaze briefly, then raised it again.
“This corpse.”
He spoke curtly.
“Must I compensate for it?”
The head of the government office instantly shook his head fiercely.
“There is no need for that. That man came intending to kill you, my lord. How could you be held responsible?”
He quickly added,
“We will all testify to this matter.”
Yunseo nodded.
“Good. Then I am somewhat tired, so clear it away quickly.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers hurriedly began collecting the corpse.
—
After they left.
Yunseo immediately sent someone to summon Yunseol.
At the same time, he also sent word to the palace.
—
Inside the palace.
After receiving the report, the Empress was unable to speak for a moment.
The fact that Yunseo had been attacked again was shocking, but there was an even greater problem.
The hostility of those targeting him had reached this extent.
That meant they now regarded him as an even greater threat than the Empress herself.
Wolhwa sank deep into thought.
She became certain that her guess had not been wrong.
The situation was becoming more and more tangled.
It was clear that choosing a path within it would be no easy task.
—
Meanwhile.
As soon as Yunseol heard the news, she moved at once.
She gathered her people.
They were private soldiers who had been with her for a long time.
Taking them with her, she headed to the Inspectorate Bureau.
She intended to station them by Yunseo’s side.
—
The moment Yunseol entered the courtyard of the Inspectorate Bureau, her steps came to a halt.
Yunseo was already seated.
His expression was calm.
He was even humming lightly.
He did not look at all like someone who had just suffered an assassination attempt.
For a moment, Yunseol could not find her words.
At that moment, Yunseo spoke first.
“You have come, Little General.”
He smiled brightly and nodded.
“You arrived faster than I expected.”
Yunseol immediately approached him.
Unlike before, her expression had grown noticeably heavy.
“This is no time for jokes.”
She lowered her voice as she spoke.
“I came after hearing you were attacked by an assassin.”
Yunseol took a breath, then asked again.
“Whose doing was it?”
Without any change in expression, Yunseo gave a brief answer.
“Someone who came to kill me.”
Yunseol’s eyes narrowed.
“Then—”
She lowered her head for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts, then quietly spoke.
“Was it the Chancellor? Or—”
Yunseo raised a hand to stop her.
“It does not matter who it was.”
He spoke as if it were nothing.
“What they want is one thing: to break Your Majesty’s wings.”
A short silence flowed between them.
“Then the answer is also one thing.”
Power filled his voice.
“We must become stronger.”
When Yunseol said nothing, Yunseo continued.
“We cannot respond the way we are now. Before they find an opening, we must first create a framework.”
Yunseo’s gaze changed.
“A framework that will not collapse under any attack.”
The corners of his mouth hardened faintly.
“Otherwise, in the end, we will be the first to die.”