The darkened streets of the capital were completely deserted.
That was because the Imperial Guards had blanketed the city, forcing all citizens to stay indoors.
Following So-ryong through the dewy night toward the ship, the princess thought about the conversation she’d had earlier with the Crown Prince.
“His Majesty will be furious once he wakes, but I trust you’ll handle it wisely.”
“M-me, Your Highness?”
“You can manage it, can’t you?”
“Princess—no, Sister...”
When they were young, she’d always insisted he call her “Sister” when they were alone. Realizing his mistake, the Crown Prince quickly corrected himself.
With a composed expression, the princess said,
“Since it was with my help that you became Crown Prince, shouldn’t you repay the favor and do this for me?”
She said it half-jokingly.
She hadn’t truly meant it that way.
And so the Crown Prince feigned distress, playing along.
“Well, I do believe I should... but it’s scary, you know?”
But despite claiming to be afraid, the Crown Prince was grinning from ear to ear.
“Don’t lie. What kind of scared person grins like that?”
“Well, it’s just... I’m happy my sister’s found a man she likes. Do you know how worried I was when you said you’d become a nun?”
“You used to be such a cute kid. When did you become so insufferable?”
“Insufferable? That hurts, Sister.”
He had been upright and adorable as a child—how had he become such a nuisance?
With a soft chuckle, the princess said to him,
“My going to So-ryong will be good for you, too.
His Majesty seems intent on sending me to the next Grand Academician, planning to have them assist you after his passing. But as long as I remain, I’ll only be a burden to you. ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) That’s why I think it’s best for me to fade into seclusion.”
“Since you’ll be marrying into a martial clan, you’ll sever ties with court anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to get proper permission? His Majesty might actually approve, given that it’s So-ryong. He did speak favorably of him.”
“That’s my business. I think it’s best to leave before he wakes.”
The Crown Prince seemed to contemplate her words for a moment before nodding.
“Hmm. Alright then. Sister. This little brother will do his best.”
He gave a cheeky reply, but the princess felt genuinely glad she had made him Crown Prince.
Any of the others would’ve flatly refused—but not him. If he said he’d do it, he’d try, even if it meant abdicating.
That’s just the kind of man he was.
“I really think I did the right thing by telling His Majesty you should be made Crown Prince.”
“Wait—are you saying you didn’t think so before?”
He looked genuinely hurt despite the praise.
With a matter-of-fact tone, the princess replied,
“I didn’t know you’d go around flirting with all the court ladies.”
“Ah, that was just to dodge the ministers’ scrutiny...”
“But didn’t you enjoy the process quite a bit?”
“Ahem.”
Scratching his head, the Crown Prince avoided her gaze.
To reinforce her earlier instructions, the princess asked,
“You haven’t forgotten what I asked you, have you?”
“No. I’ll reissue the decree declaring the Five Venoms Sect and the Blood Cult as high traitors, and I’ll grant the Imperial Son-in-Law permission to raise the venom beast called World-Destroying Golden Toad. I haven’t forgotten.”
“Im—Imperial Son-in-Law...?”
“Haha. To think I’d get to see my sister blush. This is a rare treat.”
“Y-you rascal... Enough nonsense. I’m counting on you.
And... I may not survive to see you again, so let’s consider this our final farewell. Stay healthy, and become a wise and virtuous king.”
As the princess stood to leave, the Crown Prince followed, saying,
“Sister, do you remember what you said when I asked why you recommended me for Crown Prince, even though we share no blood or resemblance? You said that was exactly why.”
“I remember.”
“Well, today... I realized we’re actually quite alike.”
“We are?”
“Yes. We have similar taste, it seems.”
At first, the princess didn’t understand what he meant. But as she followed So-ryong and saw his profile, the meaning hit her—and she turned back toward the palace with wide, alarmed eyes.
Could it be...? Did the Crown Prince swing that way?
‘This rascal...?’
***
Dugudugudugu... Kung-jjak-jjak! Kung-jjak-jjak!
As soon as they boarded the ship and entered the cabin, So-ryong started making strange sound effects with his mouth.
He had placed a birdcage—prepared by the Crown Prince—on the table and was staring at it with a look of manic excitement in his eyes.
He kept lifting the cloth covering the cage with both hands, then letting it fall again.
“Hehehe...”
Bewildered by So-ryong’s sudden behavior, the princess discreetly sent a voice transmission to Gun Hye-rin beside her.
[Wh-what on earth is he doing?]
[Ah, that...]
Her tone suggested she was quite familiar with this.
The princess expected an explanation—but Gun Hye-rin gave a baffling response.
[Don’t try to understand it with your head. You won’t be able to.]
[Excuse me?]
[I’m saying don’t try to make sense of So-ryong’s actions.]
[Are you implying there’s some deep, unfathomable principle behind it? Something only those in the Transformation Realm can comprehend?]
The princess, still only at the superior peak level, wondered if it was some profound truth that only experts like So-ryong and Gun Hye-rin could grasp.
If it was something only martial masters could understand, then of course she wouldn’t get it.
But the reply that came next left her dumbfounded.
[No, I mean... it probably doesn’t mean anything at all. He’s just in a really good mood because he received a spirit beast. It’s like humming to himself. You’re registered with him now, right? Can’t you feel it? That overwhelming sense of happiness?]
[H-huh...?]
She had assumed there must be some deeper meaning to his bizarre behavior—but it was just... humming?
Noticing her reaction, Gun Hye-rin chuckled.
[Bit baffling, right? Kind of absurd?]
[Y-yes... a bit...]
Yeah. It was a bit baffling.
The So-ryong she knew was the kind of man who’d suddenly appear with a “ta-da” and resolve any problem with a “bam.”
A warm-hearted man, beloved even by the smallest of creatures.
But this?
This was... unexpected. Almost deranged, really.
The princess’s eyes widened slightly as Gun Hye-rin offered a word of advice.
[Empty your mind and watch with your heart. Then you’ll find it adorable.]
[A-adorable!?]
[I didn’t think I’d find even this side of him cute. But you like him, don’t you? Oh, is it still a bit early?]
[H-how did you know!?]
[Ah. So it’s progressing quickly. Must be your low realm.]
[What’s that supposed to mean?]
As the princess silently demanded an explanation with her eyes, Gun Hye-rin looked toward So-ryong and clarified.
[That Beast-Heart Technique. Once it hits, you get bonded—and you start to like the person.]
[So when you said we’d be close forever, that’s what you meant?]
[Exactly. But don’t worry. I’ve learned that the Beast-Heart Technique doesn’t activate unless there’s already genuine affection involved. So this just means your feelings for him have grown. Your feelings for So-ryong aren’t fake.
I realized the same thing. After he resolved an issue I’d struggled with for years in an instant... I felt it, too.]
So the whole “you’ll be close forever” part wasn’t just poetic metaphor.
It was true.
But the princess wasn’t too concerned about what Gun Hye-rin was worried about.
After all, she had already liked So-ryong before the Beast-Heart Technique ever activated.
[Well... too late to regret it now...]
[I don’t regret it.]
[Hmm. Is that so?]
[By the way, that means you like So-ryong too, right?]
[Well... I-I guess so.]
Startled by the princess’s question, Gun Hye-rin stiffened.
The princess asked,
[But... does So-ryong know? That we like him?]
At that, Gun Hye-rin shook her head with a slightly bitter look on her face.
[He doesn’t.]
[Hmm... It would’ve been embarrassing if he found out, so I guess that’s a relief.]
The princess did like So-ryong—but having her feelings exposed would’ve been a little mortifying.
Having someone see into the deepest part of her heart was, no matter how you put it, an embarrassment.
Right now, she just wanted to slowly express her feelings at her own pace.
So she felt a bit relieved that her heart hadn’t been revealed yet—but then Gun Hye-rin shook her head.
[No, that’s not a good thing.]
[Why not?]
Up until now, Gun Hye-rin had answered casually, but now her face turned serious.
Staring at So-ryong with affectionate eyes, she said,
[That man... has no interest in women.]
[What do you mean by that?]
[Just what I said. From what I’ve seen so far, he has no interest in women. How should I put it? It’s a bit different, but... when it comes to women, his mentality is nearly like that of a eunuch.]
[W-what!?]
The man she liked was basically a eunuch?
That meant... he was, well, non-functional.
The princess burst out in disbelief.
[W-what are you saying!? So-ryong already married Hwa-eun!]
Exactly. It was ridiculous.
So-ryong had already had a proper wedding with Hwa-eun.
If he had any problems with his body, why would the Sacheon Tang Clan have accepted him as their son-in-law?
To that, Gun Hye-rin wiggled her finger and replied,
[Oh, I didn’t mean there was anything wrong with his body. I do know they consummated their marriage. His body’s fine. I just meant he doesn’t have any interest in ordinary women.]
Hearing that, the princess let out a small sigh of relief.
At least it wasn’t a physical issue.
Looking slightly reassured, she asked,
[But... isn’t Hwa-eun just an ordinary woman too?]
Right—when you thought about it, Hwa-eun was a fairly normal woman.
Sure, there was a difference in social status, but beyond that, there wasn’t much separating her and the princess.
Then came an answer from Gun Hye-rin that was a little hard to grasp.
[Hwa-eun is different. There’s a reason why So-ryong would like her.]
[A reason? What kind of reason?]
He loved her because of a reason?
Did that mean Hwa-eun had some special trait that made her lovable?
The princess thought her looks weren’t inferior to Hwa-eun’s—so if she could figure out what that trait was, maybe she could work toward it too.
That’s what she meant when she asked, but the answer she got was... unexpected.
[Poison.]
[Poison?]
Poison—that was the answer.
What was that supposed to mean?
The princess blinked, unable to make sense of it, and Gun Hye-rin asked,
[By the way, Princess, have you trained in poison arts?]
[N-no.]
[Then have you practiced any external techniques that harden your skin like an insect carapace?]
[No.]
[You don’t have any snake scales on your body, do you?]
[I... don’t?]
[Of course not. But to be loved by So-ryong, you need to have at least one of those three.]
[Wha—what kind of nonsense is that!?]
You needed to either master poison arts, have carapace-like skin, or have snake scales to be loved by So-ryong?
The princess’s face went blank.
It was utter nonsense.
Hence, her outburst—but then Gun Hye-rin said,
[It’s not something I made up. Hwa-eun told me that herself.]
[W-what? Hwa-eun did?]
Hwa-eun said that?
That was hard to believe.
Poison arts, external hardening... weren’t those techniques considered unfeminine?
And snake scales?
Suddenly, she felt a touch on her shoulder.
Turning her head, she saw Gun Hye-rin had placed a hand there.
[Of course, I already knew the princess wouldn’t qualify for any of the three. But don’t worry. I, Gun Hye-rin, have already thought of a method to earn his love. I’ll teach you too.]
[W-what?]
[Well, since we’ll both be serving the same master, right? I’m not the kind of person to keep that to myself. Hehe.]
Gun Hye-rin smiled slyly and raised her right hand.
Slowly, her hand darkened to a glossy black.
It became semi-transparent and pitch-black as her fingernails grew long and sharp.
It looked like some kind of demonic martial art. Showing it off proudly, Gun Hye-rin explained:
[Black Jade Hand. In my case, I concentrate demonic energy into my hand, turning it jet-black and hard as jade. I can even inject that energy into an enemy’s body through my nails like poison.
Once it’s fully mastered, my whole body will turn black and harden like this.
In your case, Princess, since you practice orthodox martial arts, your hand and body might turn white instead? Let’s call that White Jade Hand.]
So if she mastered that, she could be loved by So-ryong?
She didn’t quite understand how that worked—but if a Transformation Realm expert was offering to teach her martial arts, it was both thrilling and surprising.
Then, as if something important had just occurred to her, Gun Hye-rin suddenly said,
[Ah! There is one more way to appeal to So-ryong—while you’re still a normal woman.]
[There is? What is it?]
[Do you... have any body hair?]
Her gaze drifted down toward the princess’s lower half with a sticky look.
Startled, the princess shouted,
[W-what kind of perverted—!? Why would you ask that!?]
Out of nowhere, asking about that? It was outrageous.
Just as the princess shouted in horror, a voice cut in—calm and serious.
[It’s important.]
So-ryong said it with an utterly grave expression, which made the princess answer involuntarily.
[I-it’s just... normal...]
And then came a reply she couldn’t believe.
[I heard So-ryong doesn’t like hair. If you’ve got any, you’d better burn it all off with Sammae Flame Purification.]
Hearing that, the princess’s mind went completely blank, unable to think straight.
At that very moment, So-ryong finally lifted the cloth off the birdcage and spoke.
“Grand opening! Please... just don’t let it be a hairy one.”
Hearing that, the princess silently resolved to try the Sammae Flame Purification alone in the cabin later.
