Chapter 17

In the morning, after finishing a light round of cleaning, Inho made his way to the library.

He strolled leisurely through the spacious interior, selecting a book to read at his ease.

Serving as an attendant under Prince Eunhun’s personal staff was exceedingly satisfactory to him.

The Inyeondang, where he worked, was conveniently close to the guest quarters, the Pharmaceutical Hall where Seol studied, and the stables where Moonbyeok was kept.

Thanks to the prince spending most of his day outdoors, there was little actual work to do.

Moreover, he could often slip into the library under the pretext of cleaning — a privilege that pleased him greatly.

While important individuals did occasionally come through the audience hall, as all of Prince Eunhun’s visitors had to pass his office, he had yet to encounter anyone he personally knew.

Only once had he felt a certain unease — when he met Bun Hoegyeong, the seongsu¹ of Hwalwon Palace. When daegun were granted their palaces, the rulers would change, but the post of seongsu, the chief retainer serving closest to them, often remained within the same family for generations. Knowing that Hwalwon Palace’s destruction was inevitable, Inho could not shake the thought that the entire Bun clan, too, was fated to be wiped out. Even knowing it was unavoidable, it was difficult to push the thought of him from his mind.

As Inho stepped out of the library with a book in hand, he turned a corner and collided hard with someone, staggering back.

“Watch where you’re going, will you? …Well now. I don’t recall seeing your face before — who are you?”

The woman brushed off her clothes. Initially scolding him with annoyance at being bumped, she then narrowed her brows when she got a proper look at his striking face.

Meeting her eyes, Inho also stared intently.

This woman…

He was certain he had seen that face before. As his memory raced past numerous names, his lips parted slightly in recognition.

Kim Nok-hee. No… Shin Yeong-yeong… no, that wasn’t it…

From somewhere in the vague boundaries of acquaintance, her name finally rose to mind.

“Seo-jeong… nim²?”

Inho had muttered without thinking, hastily adding the honorific just in time. Fortunately, Seo-jeong seemed unconcerned, clapping her hands when she recognized him.

“Oh, you must be that boy! The one His Highness brought in. What are you doing here? Don’t tell me you were caught red-handed stealing a book from me? Ha ha ha!”

“I’m assisting with the work at Inyeondang during my stay.”

“Spending the whole winter here, are you? His Highness is ever so generous — he can’t simply walk past anything pitiable without helping.”

Her muttered comment barely registered with Inho; he could not take his eyes off her, so great was the difference between the woman he remembered and the lively figure before him now.

“What are you staring at so fixedly? Have you something to say?”

“…No, nothing.”

And then, he remembered.

The madwoman of the Shinul family — Bun Seo-jeong.

The Seo-jeong he knew had eyes empty as death itself. Compared to that hollow figure, her present vivacity was such that he had not recognized her at once.

“You know my name? Did His Highness speak of me?”

“…I have merely heard that the head of the Black Wolf Troop was famed for exceptional martial skill.”

Though Eunhun himself had not said as much, Inho pieced his answer together from bits of hearsay and delivered it smoothly. Bun Seo-jeong, laughing heartily, clapped him on the shoulder. The blow was so strong that his eyes nearly popped open in shock.

“Ha ha ha! Quite right. And you’d best remember it well — I will be the next seongsu of Hwalwon Palace.”

“Ah…”

While Inho could only manage a vague sound at her confident declaration, the martial attendant beside her shook his head in mild reproof.

“Master! If you say such things, Lord Bun Seongsu will scold you again.”

“It’s the truth — what of it? Father only pretends to scold me; inside, he’s pleased. It’s only that narrow-minded Gajin who insists on secrecy.”

Shrugging, Seo-jeong looked down at Inho.

“Since you’re wandering about, His Highness isn’t here, is he?”

“Yes, he said he would go to the western fields earlier and has not yet returned.”

“I see. Well, when he comes back, tell him I stopped by. Don’t you forget!”

With that, Bun Seo-jeong turned and strode out of Inyeondang with her subordinate.

Watching her retreating back, Inho murmured the name to himself.

“Bun Seo-jeong…”

At the time he had known her, she had been a commoner without even a surname. Her activities were so few that he had met her only twice while visiting Mokryeon Palace.

Though people tried to keep it quiet, everyone who knew of Shinul’s affairs was aware that the third son’s wife had gone mad.

Shinul I-hyeon, the third son, and his wife had died on the same day — the official story was that they had been caught in a landslide and killed while traveling. But Inho knew the truth: Seo-jeong had killed her husband and then taken her own life.

It had always puzzled him. In those days, Mokryeon Palace was the wealthiest and most politically powerful of the Twelve Palaces of Taeseong, and the Shinul family naturally enjoyed commensurate prestige as seongsu. Even if far removed from the race of succession, it was rare for any son of the house to take a commoner as lawful wife — and rarer still if she were his only wife.

Now, at last, the reason became clear.

So she must have fled the branch family and barely clung to her life in the Shinul household…

How had a woman who could so boldly claim she would be seongsu come to such an end? Why had she killed the third son and herself? The questions rose unbidden.

Perhaps it was the stark contrast between the woman in his memory and the one he met today, but thoughts of her would not leave his mind.

It’s a fixed fate. It has nothing to do with me.

Inho closed his eyes, trying to shake off the useless thoughts.

Inho was reading rapidly when he noticed a shadow flicker across the door. Just as he closed the book, the door opened and Prince Eunhun entered.

“Your Highness.”

Rising to bow, Inho felt a twinge of tension as the prince, his expression one of interest, glanced at the piles of books on the desk. He had permission to enter the library and to read, yet still felt oddly on edge.

“I’ve disturbed you in your reading.”

“Not at all, I was only looking over things while tidying the library.”

“Nothing else keeping you busy?”

The question, unusual in tone, made Inho study the prince’s face for a moment.

“If there is anything I can help you with, I will do so.”

“Ha ha ha, if you can spare a moment, I’d be grateful.”

Following Prince Eunhun out of Inyeondang, Inho saw they were headed east, toward Sangbyeok Pass.

It was said that the shallow, dish-shaped hollow of the pass remained ever green, its grass covering it in defiance of the season — hence its name, “Ever-Green Pass.” In the midst of bare trees awaiting winter, this patch of verdure seemed strange indeed.

But what drew the eye more than the green was the massive beast lying on its side upon it, basking in the sunlight.

It was a wild boar the size of a small house. Among the night-dark bristles ran strands of gleaming blue, giving it an unearthly beauty.

“…Is that a shinsu³?”

“It is. This is my shinsu.”

Seeing Inho unable to look away, the prince chuckled low and, clasping his hands behind his back, straightened proudly.

“Gasari!”

At that great voice, loud enough to shake the heavens, the boar twitched its small ears and slowly rose.

Gasari turned its head, sluggish as if to say ‘why wake me?’, but the moment its eyes fell on the figure beside the prince, it sniffed excitedly.

Then, as if all irritation were gone, Gasari charged toward them with powerful strides. The earth shook beneath its hooves, dirt flying behind.

“Really… if you rush in like that, you’ll scare him,” the prince muttered, though the sight of Gasari’s vigor clearly pleased him.

Slowing as it neared, Gasari began pacing a small circle around Inho, snuffling and flicking its nose toward him. Then it flopped onto its side, rubbing its back against the grass.

The prince looked surprised at this unusual display of friendliness; Inho, too, could not tear his gaze away.

“I see you ignore me entirely. Do you like Inho so much?”

“…May I touch him?”

“Hmm… I doubt Gasari would allow that… You rascal, Gasari—”

The prince had been about to dissuade him, not wishing an injury to a young boy, but was rendered speechless as Gasari leaned its head toward Inho.

Reaching out carefully, Inho stroked the boar’s broad bridge of nose, avoiding the tusks.

In truth, he had little fondness for shinsu. Born without one himself — a half-blessed⁴, as they had cruelly called him — he had never kept close to the divine beasts; if anything, he had slain those belonging to other princes rather than befriend them.

For a prince, having a shinsu was expected; his lack had once been taken as an omen of the Sacred Line’s decline, and his very right to be a prince had been questioned. The slur “half-blessed” had become his brand.

This was the first time he had stood so near a shinsu of the daegun rank. Unlike the temperamental beasts of other princes, this one had calm, deep, almost benevolent black eyes — and that alone was wondrous to him.

“Is ‘Gasari’ his true name?”

“It is. As a child he’d chew on swords to soothe his gums — hence the name.”

The massive beast at such close quarters might have been fearsome, yet Inho showed no hint of fear, calmly meeting its gaze; Gasari, in turn, blinked its fist-sized eyes at Inho. The sight brought a satisfied smile to the prince’s face.

“Do you know that it was Gasari who found and rescued you?”

“Yes, I heard from the physicians. Gasari is indeed the savior of my sister and me.”

“It really is strange to see. Gasari has never offered his flank to an outsider like this — he’s fierce enough that even the children of the branch families fear him still. For him to both find you and act so gentle toward you… it seems the two of you are well-matched.”

At the prince’s words, Inho only smiled.

Notes:

1. Seongsu (성수) — The highest-ranking retainer in a gungu (prince’s palace), serving directly under the daegun; a hereditary role in some families.

2. Nim (님) — An honorific suffix denoting respect, here used after a name.

3. Shinsu (신수) — In East Asian-inspired fantasy, a “divine beast,” a supernatural animal companion bound to individuals of great status or lineage.

4. Half-blessed (반편이) — A derogatory term in this context for a prince born without a shinsu, implying incompleteness or lack of divine favor.