Camellia Permeates the Snow

Don’t you dare, no one can touch you

Chapter 6

Melted snow rolled like tears down Kang-yoon’s cheek where Yeon-hwa’s hand had touched him.

Kang-Yoon glanced down at Yeon-hwa, who had fallen unconscious in his arms and seemed to have finally given up.

Ari, who had been stunned by the unexpected turn of events, quickly dropped to the ground and said.

“I beg your pardon, crown prince; the girl has dared to speak, and she seems to have shocked you. Please kill her!”

“What didst thou say?”

“My lady, I spoke to you about the king of the Yue state…”

Ari was terrified, and she burst into tears.

She was so frightened that she crouched down and was like a rabbit. Her tiny body fluttering about looked no different from Yeon-hwa’s body in his arms.

Kang-yoon sighed inwardly and gave her a short order.

“Go and fetch Tae-ri.”

Then he gently picked her up.

As she lay limp and unconscious, she could see a white hand clutching her sleeve as if it were her last sinew.

Unlike its master, who had calmly spoken of death, the out-of-control hand was desperate. As if to say, please don’t let me go.

The lips that were desperately swallowing the breath he had breathed into them were no different. Kang Yoon held her hands and lips in his eyes for a moment, then lifted his head again.

“Come this way.”

Boshan, who had heard the situation, bowed deeply and led Kang Yoon into the hall.

Tap, tap, tap. Heavy footsteps followed, matching the pace of the cane’s tread on the floor.

The women quickly unfolded the futon, and Kang-yoon carefully laid Yeon-hwa on top of it.

Tae-ui soon entered and checked her condition. After taking her pulse and checking her aura for a while, he shook his head and said,.

“Fortunately, there are no life-threatening problems, but her body is almost completely drained of jin and her energy is extremely weak.”

“I’m sure they didn’t waste any time managing him.”

“It seems that you have been in a serious condition for a very long time, and your body has atrophied itself to survive.”

“Atrophied to survive.”

“Yes, it is, and so it would not have been able to take in any food that might have been offered to nourish it, just as a tree loses all its leaves in winter, no matter how much fertilizer is applied.”

Winter trees. Somehow, it was a fitting word for Yeon hwa. Kang Yoon stared down at Yeonhwa, who had fallen into a deep sleep.

“What kind of harsh environment did she have to live in to be so broken?

The image of a slender hand, still clutching his cuff, flickered across his retinas.

The inexplicable emotion settled in his chest like a thick fog once more.

This time, it seemed to be more of a pity than anger. Staring at the hand, Kang-yoon turned back to Tae-ui.

“What should we do then?”

“In a case like this, if you try to fill in the gaps right away, you’re likely to end up exhausted. It’s best to take your time and restore your strength.”

Tae-yi prescribed a diet and medicinal herbs for Yeon-hwa.

But even after Tae-yi left Manhae-dang, Kang-yoon did not get up from his seat.

The crown prince remained in his seat without a word, and the women of Manhae exchanged fearful glances, fearing that they would be criticized for not taking proper care of the coronation offerings.

Ari sobbed softly and worried about Yeon Hwa. Amidst the dizzying chaos of everything, only Bo San could be seen staring at Kang Yun’s seat with a puzzled expression.

“Your Majesty, I’ll bite the children for a while.”

Kang Yoon didn’t reply, and Bo San, realizing that this was permission, quietly retreated from the room with a sobbing Ari and the other priestesses.

With a click, the door closed, leaving only Kang Yun and Yan Hua in the room. Kang-yoon pushed Yeon-hwa’s hand away from the hem of his robe, and when her hand was on the floor, he placed his own over it.

Her ice-cold hand was completely enveloped in his hot body. When he looked up, he saw moisture beneath her long lashes. With my other hand, I gingerly brushed under the corners of my eyes.

The teardrops that formed reminded me of my earlier cry.

I was on my way to Manhae-dang to discuss the date and location of the altar construction.

The moment he heard the wailing from over the fence, Kang Yun felt the blood in his body rush to his veins.

All at once, Yeon Hwa came to mind.

His body moved before his mind could think, and by the time he regained his senses, he was breathing his lifeblood into her.

Her tear-filled eyes showed despair for the first time. Like a single flower drowning in the depths of a cold lake, clouded with watery color.

Why did her first outburst of emotion feel so heartbreaking? When she looked like she was struggling to breathe, he thought he was going to lose his mind.

He forgot about his duties as crown prince and the rules of the palace, forgetting that there were other people around him at that moment, as he often felt whenever he was with Yeonhwa.

The strange feeling was that everything else in the world had vanished, and it was just her and him. KangYoon rubbed his fingers to dry them.

“How did you hide such a face?”

A low voice followed her, sinking beneath the surface.

“There was never a time when you wanted to die.”

Death was not really among the options Yeon-hwa wanted. Instead, she was screaming for life with her whole body.

She just wanted to be free of the excruciating pain.

Like her younger self. Wiping away the last traces of tears, KangYoon slowly rubbed the back of YeonHwa’s hand, which was slowly regaining warmth. The soft flesh slid easily away from his fingertips.

He felt so sorry for her that he wanted to protect her, and so annoyed that he wanted to crush her. Where did these contradictory feelings come from? he wondered, still uncomfortably aware of the uncanny sensation that seemed to come over him every time he looked at her.

‘Nahan…….’

Suddenly, the name of the person Yeon-hwa had called before she lost consciousness rang in her ears, and the smile on her face was unmistakable.

A wistful, wistful smile sent chills down everyone’s spine. Who could have called her that name with such an expression?

A family member, a friend, or a man with whom she had shared a relationship before becoming a puppet queen?

“…….”

KangYoon’s dark eyebrows rose and fell in a steady stream.

The last thought was not one she liked. He couldn’t believe he was even thinking about it.

But what bothered him most of all was that his name was also Nahan.

In Asian countries, children are called by their nicknames until they reach the age of fifteen, when they are eligible for a bar mitzvah.

It’s a superstition that calling a child by his or her real name will speed up the process of getting into the afterlife.

Nahan was a favorite nickname of the imperial family of the subjugated kingdoms, but it was also used as a name for commoners in the Yeo Kingdom.

“Mu Heon was also married by that name.

It would not be surprising, then, if there was a Nahan among the people she knew. Family, acquaintances, or even lovers.

“What does that have to do with me?

Kang-yoon slipped Yeon-hwa’s hand, which had regained some warmth, into the quilt and stood up. As he left the room, Mu Heon, who was waiting alone, bowed to him.

It was tempting to order him to search Yeonhwa’s circle for a man named Nahan, but if the queen was looking for someone who had been absent for ten years, it was likely to be someone from a long-ago relationship or a courtier of the empire who had lost his life in the war.

There were no such names on the prisoner lists. Besides, even if she did find him, what would she do?

‘Just a sacrifice.’

Dismissing his useless thoughts, Kang Yoon left the palace.

He thought it best to postpone the discussion of the altar until another time, as the hall would be a mess after what had happened earlier.

But just as he was leaving the hall, I saw an unwelcome procession approaching from not far away. It was the First Emperor’s Heegyeong Palace.

Once favored by the emperor and wielding as much power as the empress, she had lost so much since ‘that incident’ over a decade ago.

A woman who smiles brightly in front of you but behind your back, you wouldn’t be surprised if she stabbed you at any moment.

That was Hee Gyeonggung. And even if she wasn’t as good as she used to be, she still had a lot of supporters.

The power of the Won family, the main residence of Heegyeonggung Palace, and the emperor’s affection that once belonged solely to her.

Then there was the anti-empress faction, which had high hopes for her son, the crown prince Kangxi, who was living in exile. With a long tail of court ladies like a fox’s, the Empress Dowager walked up to Kang Yun and bowed.

“First Lady Hee Kyung Gung, greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Her ruddy lips curled into a thin smile, and though she was graceful on the outside, the knife in her mouth was sharper than anyone else’s.

Knowing this, Kang Yun kept his distance from her and opened his mouth.

“What brings you to the palace?”

“I heard that there was a great disturbance, and I came here in concern.”

“Your concern for Manhadang is great.”

“Manhattan is the place where the heavens and earth are read, so why shouldn’t we take it seriously?”

“The uproar has long since subsided.”

“If I walk slower than Your Highness, it is not because my heart is lesser, but because my body is weakened, and I hope you will recognize my sincerity.”

The air pulled taut, as if neither man was willing to back down.

The air was tense as if a sword were about to fly at any moment, and only those below them held their breath.

There was no good in facing each other for long. Kang Yoon was about to bite him when he caught sight of Hee Kyung Gung.

“Your Highness, Crown Prince Haonde.”

Hee Gyeonggung moved his snake-like tongue first.

“I heard a very interesting story recently.”

Her eyes, which had been wearing a quiet smile the entire time, suddenly flashed a chilling light.

“It is said that the sacrifice for His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince’s enthronement altar is already here, in the Great Hall.”

His eyes, with a secret meaning in them, turned to the gates of the Great Hall.

He wanted to point out that he had already obtained the sacrifices before the altar was even allowed to be built. Hee Gyeonggung’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“I’ve heard that she was brought here from the East.”

“…….”

“That woman, the puppet queen of the Yeokuk,”

There was a hint of sneering in Najik’s words.

“I wonder if the crown prince’s coronation will be disturbed by the chatter of those who love to talk. Is it not a ceremony that should be held more sacred than any other?”

A cheap provocation in plain sight. As far as Kang Yun was concerned, it was something that would not even touch the tip of his spear.

“After hearing what Hee Gyeonggung said, I wonder if the nobles will be talking about it.”

“I’m sure they will, mostly about how to sacrifice the queen of a rebellious vassal state.”

“…….”

“Whether to burn her alive or wound her until her blood soaks the altar…

The royal family is the only ones who have escaped the wrath of the rebellion, so the greater the price, the greater the pride of the subjects.”

He did not hold back his cruel words, and it was not hard for Kang Yun to see that the fiery day was headed his way.

The enemy had imprisoned her only son and firstborn on a remote island for more than a decade.

To Hee Gyeonggung, Kang Yoon would be nothing more than that.

“I am indeed curious. The face of the sacrifice that will open the divine path to His Highness, the Crown Prince. It’s said to be quite off-white, isn’t it?”

Kang Yoon didn’t mind that Hee Jing Gung had crossed the line so blatantly, for he understood the depth of her resentment. In his hazy memories, he could see Hu Sheng crying in the turbulent waters, holding his hand to the end.

“She is the perfect woman for the throne.”

Of course, Hee Gyeonggung seemed to forget that it was only because of Kang Yoon’s desperate defense that Hu Sheng was sent into exile while everyone else was dying.

Kang Yoon did not harbor any guilt toward Hee Gyeonggung. It would be more accurate to say that he didn’t show it.

The moment she showed any signs of weakness, she would cause irreparable harm. Kang Yun leisurely raised the corners of his mouth as he listened to Hee Gyeonggung’s words.

“If that’s what the people want, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to show them once.”

Hee Gyeonggung drew a fine arc that mirrored his.

“As a bonus, I’d like to see those three lightweight tongues on the altar together.”

Until his dark pupils tightened like the eyes of a fierce beast, The corners of Hee Jing Gung’s mouth, which had been so delicately curved, stiffened. He realized that he was included in the light, three-pronged tongue. Kang Yun looked at the shattered mask with satisfaction as he spoke.

“It’s windy, Heejinggung. You shouldn’t let the chill seep into your body, so why don’t you rest now and think more about your body?”

He meant to be gracious in his dismissal. Hei Jinggong curled the corners of his lips inwardly.

“His Highness, the Crown Prince, has prized my old body, and I am grateful for your grace.”

“You should enjoy your blessings, Hee Gyeonggung.”

But Hee Gyeonggung was not to be deterred.

“Your Highness should also be more careful in the future.”

Her gaze landed squarely on Kang Yun’s left arm.

“After all, I heard that you were angry when you tried to protect that lady just before you entered the Ahwan Kingdom.”

Kang Yun’s eyes hardened at the impure gaze. He replied in a cooler voice.

“I don’t think the crown prince’s situation is something to be talked about so easily.”

“Even soldiers are prone to gossip.”

The corners of Hee Kyunggung’s mouth stretched a little longer.

“In that case, I’ll excuse myself first.”

Please don’t be fooled by a mere offering. Najik added it as an afterthought, and Hee Jing Gung turned to leave.