The three of them immediately left the bamboo grove where the slaughter had taken place.
Yunseo took the lead, opening the way. Wary of any possible pursuit, he killed his presence with every step.
Behind him followed two women, one on either side, both of peerless beauty yet exuding entirely different airs.
From only a brief exchange, Yunseol had discerned Wolhwa’s true identity.
The empress who had lived confined within the deep palace.
To be honest, there was no reason for her to feel fond of her.
After her father had suffered an unjust death in prison, her feelings toward the court had not been favorable either.
Even so, her manners as a subject standing before her sovereign did not falter.
So Yunseol was no soldier ignorant of propriety.
Before long, the terrain began to change.
A massive fissure, carved out by a flood that had come down from the mountain, blocked their path. Far below the gorge, fierce currents roared as they surged past.
There was only one way across.
A narrow, precarious bridge that looked ready to collapse at any moment, made by laying rotten wood over the rocks.
“If we cross this bridge… we can shorten the journey by at least a day.”
Having finished calculating while looking down at the map, Wolhwa slowly raised her head.
At the end of her gaze lay the bridge, swaying dangerously.
Her martial arts had never been specialized for movement techniques in the first place. Moreover, the Fire-Heart Poison in her body was especially averse to cold and dampness.
Yunseol also looked over the bridge.
Her brows drew together, but for someone seasoned in the army, terrain like this was not enough to pose a problem.
“I will cross first. I’ll check its condition and send a signal.”
Her tone was brief and composed. The words carried the distinctive breakthrough momentum of the Jinbuk Army.
It was an attitude that contrasted sharply with the hesitant empress.
Wolhwa’s eyes narrowed.
It felt as though Yunseol was ignoring her judgment and trying to flaunt her own ability.
“I have my own judgment. There is no need for you to step forward first.”
She cut her off coldly.
Yunseol closed her lips. She did not refute her, but the distance in her eyes widened further.
It was then. The sky darkened in an instant.
No sooner had black clouds seemed to cover the space above their heads than thick raindrops poured down without warning.
In the end, all three of them were drenched in an instant.
The narrow bridge, soaked with rainwater, became even more slippery and dangerous.
“Your Majesty. The situation is urgent.”
Yunseo did not delay. He turned his back to Wolhwa and bent his knees low.
“I will carry you across.”
This time, Wolhwa did not hesitate either. She immediately climbed onto his back and wrapped both arms firmly around his neck.
Yunseo rose and crossed the swaying bridge as though he were almost floating over it.
Amid the downpour, his form flashed and vanished, and by the time the bridge shook violently once, he had already landed in the safe area on the opposite side.
Now it was Yunseol’s turn. She drew in a deep breath. Then she stepped onto the bridge.
She thought she could cross well enough on her own.
But—
The wound left on her shoulder and the rain-slick footing became fatal variables.
It happened when she reached the middle of the bridge.
A rotten wooden plank suddenly snapped, and the ground beneath her feet gave way.
“Careful!”
It was the very moment Yunseo had set Wolhwa down. He immediately unfolded the Phoenix Step.
His body shot out like thunder.
Just before she fell off the cliff, his hand snatched Yunseol’s wrist and pulled her in with all his strength.
“Ah—!”
Yunseol let out a short scream.
Drawn by inertia, her body plunged deep into Yunseo’s embrace.
The impact drove both of them back several steps.
Only after Yunseo’s back struck the rough rock wall did they barely regain their balance.
At that moment.
Yunseol had no choice but to feel it.
The beat of his heart against her chest. The hot warmth and firm strength of the arm wrapped around her waist.
Rainwater ran down both their cheeks.
They were too close.
When she raised her head, Yunseo’s eyes met hers right before her nose.
Her heart lurched violently. She hurriedly tried to pull away, but his arm held her even more firmly.
“Do not move.”
A low voice sounded right beside her ear.
“Behind you is a cliff.”
On the opposite side.
Wolhwa was watching the scene.
The two of them, pressed close together in the rain, holding each other.
In particular, the sight of Yunseol completely held in his arms, her body entrusted to his embrace, grated on her eyes.
An emotion difficult to explain surged up from deep within her chest.
Jealousy.
And anger.
As the agitation of her emotions overlapped with the cold, the Fire-Heart Poison within her body stirred faintly, and her complexion grew even paler.
“Yuk Yunseo!”
Only then did Yunseo come back to his senses.
He slowly released Yunseol.
But he did not let go completely. He supported her with his arm until she found her balance.
“General So, are you all right?”
Yunseol nodded and turned her gaze away. The tips of her ears, visible through her wet hair, were flushed red.
She could neither look at Yunseo nor face Wolhwa, who had gone cold and rigid on the other side.
The rain only grew heavier and showed no sign of stopping.
Cold spread through the gorge.
Their wet clothes clung to their skin, carrying a chill that seeped into their very bones.
“We need to find somewhere to shelter from the rain.”
Yunseo swept his gaze around their surroundings. Soon, his eyes stopped on a cliff face on one side of the gorge.
The three of them carefully moved along the slippery rock wall.
A short while later—an entrance to a cave, half-hidden by vines, revealed itself.
Yunseo pushed the vines aside and entered first. After quickly checking for traces of beasts or any signs of danger, he nodded.
“Come in.”
The cave was not deep, but it was enough for the three of them to avoid the rain. The inside was dry, and it felt like an entirely different world from the fierce wind and rain outside.
Yunseo soon moved about inside the cave, gathering dry branches and withered moss. With practiced hands, he struck the flint, sending out a brief spark, and before long a small ember came alive.
Soon, a campfire blazed.
The three of them sat around the fire.
The air inside the cave grew warm, but the atmosphere did not thaw in the slightest.
Yunseo took out a mountain rabbit he had hunted earlier and placed it over the fire. Each time fat dripped down, the flames crackled and leapt.
But even that sound could not break the wordless chill flowing between the two women.
Wolhwa sat neatly to one side.
Though she was a fugitive, her posture still had not lost the dignity of a sovereign.
However—
Her gaze occasionally brushed past Yunseol.
It was a cold and persistent gaze directed at Yunseol as she cleaned her sword.
And then.
Wolhwa was the first to speak. Her voice carried a natural pressure.
“General So. I have long heard of your father, General Soyeol’s loyalty and valor. Though the north is now scattered… have you no idea where the surviving officers and soldiers may have dispersed?”
Yunseol’s hand, which had been wiping her sword, paused for a moment. But she did not raise her head.
“I am grateful for Your Majesty’s concern.”
Her tone was calm and cold.
“The soldiers of the north have not yet shed all their blood, nor have their spirits scattered. However, at present, there is no central point to gather around. With treacherous ministers holding power… even if I were to step forward, it would not be a situation where they could easily assemble.”
The corner of Wolhwa’s mouth curved ever so faintly.
“That does not matter.”
After a brief pause, she spoke.
“I am here. Once we reach Geumneung, I will issue an imperial decree and redress the wrongs done to the So family. And I will allow you to inherit your father’s will… and raise the Jinbuk Army once more.”
Outwardly, they were words bestowed like a favor.
But her true intent was clear.
Recruitment. And utilization.
It was a declaration that she would bind the remnants of the northern army beneath the emperor’s banner.
Only then did Yunseol raise her head.
To Yunseo, Wolhwa might be a benefactor who had saved his life, but in Yunseol’s eyes, Wolhwa’s gaze and manner of speech felt as though she were placing everything on a scale and weighing it. An instinctive aversion bloomed within her.
“I thank you for your promise. However, the rebuilding of the Jinbuk Army… is not a matter that can be discussed by my ability alone.”
After taking a moment to steady her breath, she added.
“For now, I simply… must first cut off the head of the one who framed my father.”
As she spoke, her gaze unconsciously tilted toward Yunseo.
More than the gaze of an empress filled with political calculations, the presence of the man silently tending the fire felt far more reliable and solid.
Yunseo did not needlessly intervene.
He simply offered the roasted rabbit leg to Wolhwa first.
“Your Majesty. You must recover your strength.”
Wolhwa accepted it and took a small bite. The movement was elegant.
Yet her gaze still did not miss anything between Yunseo and Yunseol.
Yunseo picked up another rabbit leg and handed it to Yunseol.
“General So. Your wound is deep. Please eat well.”
“……Thank you.”
The moment their fingertips brushed, a very brief glance passed between them.
Even that short, silent exchange—
Did not escape Wolhwa’s eyes.
[Ding!]
[UR Card — Nation-Toppling Empress Gang Wolhwa]
[Bond Stage Increase: Intimate (75 / 100)]
[Potential Rival Detected]
[Dependence and Possessiveness Slightly Increased]
[SSR Card — The Isolated Fierce Tiger of the North, So Yunseol]
[Bond Stage Increase: Contact (15 / 100)]
[Gratitude · Curiosity · Admiration for the Strong Generated]
Yunseo swallowed a laugh inwardly.
‘Good.’
This was the picture he had wanted.
This subtle tension.
This unseen competition.
It would bind the two women even more firmly to his side.
That night.
The three of them exchanged no further words.
At dawn the next day.
They cleared away the embers and set out again.
Thanks to a night’s rest, on the surface, they all seemed calm. However, the subtle tension remaining in the air had not faded in the slightest.
After they had traveled for roughly half a day.
As they emerged from the dense hills, their field of vision suddenly opened wide.