If You Claim the Fallen Heiress - Chapter 62

The palanquin procession stopped in front of the gate of the inner house. Several men stepped down from the palanquin first.

Though they weren’t wearing court robes, they were men familiar to Yuseol’s eyes. One of them entered the inner house and bowed his head with proper courtesy to the man who had come out to greet them.

It was Kwon Ujin, chief secretary of the Royal Secretariat. He was the adopted son of the former chief secretary who had faithfully assisted the late king, and was someone who had secured the chief secretary position at just over forty years of age.

Yuseol had always recognized him as a troublemaker who appeared at the right moments to take Kim Seon away. Wasn’t all of this incident also the result of him influencing Kim Seon? Kim Seon couldn’t have made the decision alone to strike down loyal subjects like her father and bring in the foreign influence Meisa.

But there was no reason for Kwon Ujin, who had been a loyal subject like her father, to make such decisions….

The man from Museolwon who had come out to greet them slightly turned his head to watch the king’s palanquin. Yuseol unconsciously looked at the man’s face. The arrogant profile was unmistakably Mu-yeong’s. Though his body was neatly wrapped in navy formal wear, his gaze looking at the palanquin was no different from the cold eyes he used to look at Yuseol.

Kwon Ujin looked at such a Mu-yeong and spoke with proper courtesy.

“His Majesty has arrived.”

When the eunuch opened the palanquin door, Kim Seon in everyday clothes stepped down. His bright pale blue dopo fluttered in the wind. Kim Seon’s face, which had only been pale and sensitive when she last saw him, now emanated a manly atmosphere.

Such a Kim Seon discovered Mu-yeong and smiled. His confident gentle voice echoed in the yard.

“It’s been a long time. I didn’t think we’d meet again like this.”

Chirp chirp. The birds in the forest flew away, chattering noisily. The tree leaves swayed slowly. The dark green waves gave off a strange tension. The scenery seemed to be creaking.

It was discord.

* * *

Noon at Museolwon arrived as always.

It was a particularly charming annex of the inner house. Kim Seon had been resting briefly and opened his eyes. When he opened the window, fresh mountain wind brushed his nose. Through his eyes filled with fatigue came a landscape where fog had settled deeply.

He stopped thinking at the beauty different from the palace and enjoyed a moment of leisure. It had been a tedious journey that continued for nearly a fortnight. Though he had endured it thinking to confirm Han Yuseol’s death and gain other benefits, his body and mind had been uncomfortable throughout.

Scholars of high virtue through long cultivation had come running from all over the country to the palace gates to stage sit-ins. The main appeals were pleas to reinvestigate the death of Prime Minister Han, Han Yuseol’s father, and petitions to expel the foreign influence staying in the palace came next. In such circumstances, it was natural that a schedule keeping him away from the palace for over a month was unwelcome.

However, if Han Yuseol appeared alive by any chance, a real rebellion could occur, so he had to confirm her corpse with his own eyes.

It was a week-long schedule. For the next three days, eunuchs would go around the village gathering information, and soldiers would thoroughly search the mountains. If he couldn’t retrieve her corpse, he planned to pressure the owner of Museolwon and collect governing funds.

Kim Seon smiled with satisfaction and went out to the yard. Meisa, who had come out first and was admiring the trees, discovered Kim Seon and bowed her head.

“You’ve awakened, Your Majesty. I had just come out myself.”

Meisa was tall and thin, about a head taller than Yuseol. Though her eyes still hadn’t shed their girlish freshness, her lips were full, giving off a mature atmosphere.

Kim Seon, who had a deficiency from losing his birth mother early in childhood, briefly admired Meisa’s face, which somewhat matched his taste.

Meisa enjoyed that gaze and looked around the scenery.

“Museolwon is indeed a place overflowing with the energy of heaven and earth, mist and clouds, and mountains, just as I heard. Perhaps for that reason, I could feel strong energy from that man who came out to see Your Majesty as well.”

Kim Seon narrowed his single-lidded eyes and asked.

“Stronger than the energy this one possesses?”

Meisa raised both eyebrows slightly and waved her hands.

“How can you joke like that? It’s preposterous.”

Kim Seon smiled leisurely and mulled over the Mu-yeong he had seen earlier. Even though the king had visited without notice, Mu-yeong had consistently maintained a leisurely appearance.

That’s why he was a man he wanted to avoid even more. There were only records in the royal family that he had often visited the late king, but no proper information. He could only infer from records that on days when he entered the palace, the late king ordered grand feasts and prepared tribute gifts. Probably a man who possessed more than expected.

Kim Seon swallowed an ominous premonition for some reason and opened his mouth.

“I’m curious about this Mu-yeong fellow. Even when I encountered him in the palace before, the feeling wasn’t good.”