“Your Majesty, please quell your anger! This humble subject harbored no such intent!”
The Duke slammed his head down until his forehead struck the floor.
Thud—
Thud—
The dull sounds rang out one after another.
His shoulders were visibly trembling.
He had been utterly trampled underfoot today.
Once by Yunseo.
And then—
Once more by the Empress.
Whether his son-in-law became crippled or not no longer mattered.
If he made one wrong move now, his own head would fly.
Wolhwa looked down at the ashen-faced Duke and smiled faintly.
“There is one thing I am curious about.”
Her voice was gentle.
“That man named I Gyeom.”
Her gaze brushed over the bloodstains spread across the floor.
“What sort of conduct did he normally keep, that he would come into this sacred court and run wild like that?”
The court held its breath.
“Surely.”
Her head tilted.
“It could not be that the Duke taught him so.”
The smile that had hung at Wolhwa’s lips vanished without a trace.
“A venerable minister who has served three reigns.”
Her voice turned cold in an instant.
“How could your instruction be so lacking that you left him to behave so willfully?”
“Your Majesty…!”
The Duke’s face completely crumbled.
“This humble subject… this humble subject has committed a crime worthy of death!”
He pressed his forehead to the floor again.
“All of it is due to this humble subject’s negligence. Please, bestow punishment upon me!”
At those words, the entire court stirred faintly.
Wolhwa’s eyes softened for a moment.
‘…How satisfying.’
But it was not yet time to pull him out by the roots.
“Enough. Rise.”
Wolhwa waved her hand.
“I have already forgiven you.”
However—
The Duke could not move.
His legs had completely given out.
“Tsk.”
Wolhwa clicked her tongue lightly.
“What an unsightly state.”
She deliberately mixed a sigh into her voice.
“When I have said I will not hold you guilty, yet you tremble like this…”
Her gaze swept over the court.
“Would that not make me seem like a heartless ruler?”
The corners of several ministers’ mouths twitched ever so slightly.
They were holding back laughter.
“Your Majesty…”
The Duke’s voice cracked pitifully.
“My… my legs… will not stand.”
In that instant—
Suppressed laughter spread through the court.
The Duke, who had once commanded all under heaven, was now so terrified he seemed on the verge of wetting himself.
Wolhwa’s eyes curved brightly as well.
“Attend him.”
She gestured toward the eunuchs.
“Help the Duke to his feet.”
There was laughter in her tone.
“He is a man who served three reigns. If he were to be injured, I would have no face to meet my ancestors.”
The Duke’s complexion flushed red in an instant.
It was clear she intended to disgrace him openly and trample his pride.
But since he had brought it upon himself, whom could he blame?
Jang Munyeon had warned him several times with his eyes, yet he had snorted and ignored him; his own arrogance had brought this calamity upon him.
At that moment.
“Your Majesty.”
Yunseo stepped forward.
His gaze was firmly fixed.
“There is no room to doubt the Imperial Guard’s loyalty.”
His voice flowed out quietly.
“However, I fear someone may try to exploit this and play tricks.”
As if reciting words he had prepared, Yunseo continued smoothly, without the slightest pause.
“I will personally remain at Your Majesty’s side.”
His gaze sank deep.
“Day and night alike.”
The clamorous mood cooled in an instant.
“I will not leave you by even a single step.”
The Duke’s and the Chancellor’s eyes hardened at the same time.
Yunseo’s words were no different from publicly driving in the justification for him to remain beside the Empress twenty-four hours a day.
It was over.
They had intended to continue watching her by any means possible, but now there was no way left to act.
Wolhwa nodded as though satisfied.
“Good. You have done well.”
She cast her gaze over the entire court once more.
“However—”
Wolhwa’s eyes deepened.
“It seems the troops are still insufficient.”
Tension tightened inside the court once again.
The faintest smile brushed across Yunseo’s lips.
“Do not worry.”
He added calmly.
“The other elite soldiers are also devoting themselves to training. Before long—”
His gaze flashed sharply.
“A greater force will be ready.”
At that single remark, the ministers of the court felt a chilling terror.
In just a few days, he had trained so many new soldiers and completed his seizure of the palace.
If he were given even more time?
The mere thought sent a chill down their spines.
“You may withdraw.”
At Wolhwa’s single command, the ministers hurried out of the court.
—
After everyone had left.
Wolhwa spoke to Yunseo as if it were nothing.
“Follow me.”
Yunseo silently followed behind her.
Their steps stopped at the Empress’s bedchamber.
Yunseo’s lips were lifted slightly, as though pleased.
Watching him, Wolhwa could not hold back and burst into laughter.
“Judging by that… you had everything planned from the very beginning.”
The smile at her lips did not easily fade.
“You must have deliberately kept your words from me, leaving only my curiosity behind.”
Yunseo gave a light shrug.
“If I had told you in advance—”
Mischief sprang to life in his eyes.
“It would not have felt as satisfying as it did today.”
Yunseo smiled gently as he spoke.
“Please think of it as a small gift. After today, some of the resentment that had built up in you must have eased. There will be many more gifts waiting for you in the future.”
Wolhwa snorted.
“A gift, is it.”
Her gaze slowly swept over Yunseo.
“You do have a talent for surprising me.”
But soon—
That gaze subtly settled.
“However.”
Wolhwa’s voice lowered.
“To strike a minister as you pleased without saying anything… was dangerous for you as well.”
Yunseo smiled as if it were of no concern.
“When I am wearing the imperial yellow jacket, what is there to fear?”
At that single remark—
Wolhwa’s eyes trembled slightly.
“…You still have not taken it off?”
Yunseo smiled meaningfully.
“Your Majesty knows better than anyone, does she not?”
He took one step closer.
The air shifted faintly.
When he drew so close their noses seemed about to touch, Wolhwa cleared her throat and turned her gaze away.
“Enough useless talk. I merely trust you.”
The air grew calm once more.
Yunseo’s gaze turned serious.
“They will not withdraw like this.”
His voice spread low and quiet.
“Your Majesty must steel your heart. The only choice left to us now is to trust each other and face them as one.”
Wolhwa nodded.
“I know.”
She spoke heavily.
“That is why I ask.”
Her gaze fixed on Yunseo again.
“What are you hiding?”
Yunseo chuckled.
“The secrets of Heaven are not so easily revealed.”
He shook his head.
“If I told you everything now, would that not ruin the fun?”
Wolhwa clicked her tongue.
“Your mouth remains tightly shut to the end.”
Then, after a moment, she murmured softly.
“…You really are like a fox.”
Yunseo’s gaze briefly darkened.
“The real fox is someone else.”
What Yunseo was about to say next was something Wolhwa had already guessed.
“The Duke.”
—
Meanwhile.
Bang—
The gates of the Duke’s estate slammed shut roughly.
The Duke’s face was flushed crimson with rage.
Before him—
His son-in-law lay collapsed, his arm completely ruined.
The physician had already come and gone.
“Reattachment is impossible.”
That was because Yuk Yunseo’s swordsmanship had been so vicious that the sinews and meridians themselves had been utterly destroyed.
“Father-in-law… please… avenge me…”
Looking at his son-in-law clinging to him in tears, the Duke roared.
“Shut your mouth! What kind of man bawls so disgracefully?”
He spat the words out like a lash.
“What on earth were you thinking, interfering in the court!”
Rage was mixed into the Duke’s voice.
“I told you not to move without my permission!”
His son-in-law tried to raise himself, looking wronged.
“This lowly one merely… thought the situation was unfavorable to you, Father-in-law…”
“You foolish wretch!”
The Duke’s voice boiled with fury.
“Did you think I could not handle that much?”
A heavy resentment settled in his eyes.
“His Majesty would not dare touch me easily. At most, it would have ended with saving face. And yet!”
The Duke stopped mid-sentence, breathing for a moment in frustration before closing his mouth.
“Because you stepped forward like an idiot, you ruined the entire board.”
Veins stood out on the Duke’s forehead.
His gaze pressed down on his son-in-law.
“Now my weakness has been seized.”
Remembering the meaningful look the Empress had given him, the Duke began to grow uneasy.
He started to suspect that the Empress might soon turn him into nothing more than a Duke in name only.
His son-in-law’s face went deathly pale.
“Father-in-law…”
“Shut your mouth.”
The Duke cut him off coldly.
“Your body is already useless.”
There was no longer any affection left in his eyes.
“From now on, sever your ties with the court and remain quiet.”
The Duke took one step closer.
“If you pointlessly step forward again—”
An icy killing intent permeated his voice.
“When that time comes, I will twist off your neck with my own hands.”