Surviving the Romance Fantasy

“…If there are people who listen, big trouble will happen.”

“How is it? Baekseon Palace is originally a place that is not always popular. Now, now… Like calling an old friend, call her affectionately, Hwaryeong. I do it because I think it will be so much fun. It was my dream to have such a close friend. huh?”

It’s not that people are treated as toys, but people have changed after sitting on a throne of power.

It seems that he has already become a man of power by holding back his laughter and making demands on me.

Perhaps, when I manage to say the name of Pohwaryeong with difficulty, he will laugh out loud at his embarrassed appearance, apologize for his apologies, and eventually say thank you in a cool way. Hyeonbi Pohwaryeong was such a person.

It hurts my pride to see this series of processes at a glance, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is embarrassing and difficult to call the first name.

Still, since no one seemed to be listening, it was better to end it quickly. First of all, sending Hyeonbi Po back to Hyeonmu Palace is an urgent priority.

“fury…”

“Ohhh…!”

“…”

“…”

It was really disgusting to see him holding back his laughter, but… It’s right that he do his best because he ordered it. I raised my voice as much as I could and spoke down.

“…Hwaryeong-ah.”

“…”

silence for a while.

It was a little different from what I expected to like, making a fuss with big laughs.

As if he had been hit by an unexpected blow, Po-ryeong made his pupils tremble once, then suddenly lifted his sleeve and covered his lower crown. And then he lowered his trembling eyes.

It was a reaction as if he had been stabbed with a knife, so it was a lot different from what I expected. So, I couldn’t help but be a bit perplexed.

“…”

“… Po Hyeonbi.”

“Ah, no… It was different from what I expected, so I was taken aback for a while. I didn’t know that I could sing with such an atmosphere. Hegisa, you were a man who did everything right with a good mood.”

“…I didn’t set the mood.”

“You were polite and respectful, but then suddenly spoke in a flat language, and you feel very different. No, no, I’m leaving anyway! The lady-in-waiting will be worried!”

The way he quickly climbed the fence seemed somehow urgent.

“Yeah, that’s it!”

Po Hyeonbi ran out without even being properly greeted.

Seeing them running toward Hyeonmu Palace seemed urgent, I couldn’t send them off properly either. It may be a big disrespect for a samurai escort of Baek Seon-gung, but it’s fortunate that no one is watching and he doesn’t seem to care.

“…”

However, I felt a cold chill running down my spine.

…Even though it’s definitely spring.

Tea Party of Chaos (1)

– ‘Hwaryeong-ah.’

Hwaryeong-ah – Hwaryeong-ah – Hwaryeong-ah –

Po Hyeon-bi, who was walking along the floor of the Blue Dragon Palace, flinched and shuddered. It hadn’t even been a while since I had visited Cheongryonggung for today’s tea party.

The lady-in-waiting Anrim, who was following her, also took a step back in surprise, but then calmly lowered her head and rolled up her sleeves.

My master sometimes trembles as if he had stepped on a sharp object, and then there are times when he gazes at the distant mountains.

Anlim, who was quick-witted, quickly remembered such trivial habits, and had a sense of knowing how to act accordingly.

However, rather than a habit, it was more like a sudden surprise attack.

‘…At times like this, my memory, which doesn’t forget what I’ve seen once, works as poison.’

Hyeonbi Po thought while looking up at the distant mountain from the top of the floor.

If it was spring when I left Qingdao Palace and made a fuss, then when I woke up, it was already midsummer.

Against the background of cicadas chirping, the sky with cumulus clouds is bluer than usual.

I want to say that time goes by so fast, but when I think about how hectic I have been, I think it’s just as fast.

‘No matter what, it’s been a while since the season has changed, so I’ll think of it as if it was yesterday-.’

Hwaryeong-ah- Hwaryeong-ah- Hwaryeong-ah-

When I meditate on the name and serious expression that I quietly called in front of the back wall of Baek Seon-gung, I lower my head quickly. This savage memory was to vividly reproduce the memory that was only for a short time that day, as if it were just yesterday.

Hyunbi Po doesn’t know. There is an art technique called ‘familiarity’ in the world.

It is to make a new feeling by expressing a daily concept or notion in an unfamiliar way. This is such an effective and universal means of expression that it was applied equally to human relationships without much difference.

In other words, I thought of them as close friends and asked to call them by name, but the moment the name was called so seriously, the girl realized it.

He is a man who usually speaks with respect and treats him politely and prostrates himself in front of Po Hyeon-bi. However, the spirit itself felt is different when we momentarily become equal and face each other as people.

The man in front of me is a subject no matter what, and a person below him. Seol Tae-pyeong’s dignified attitude planted such an awareness in Po Hyeon-bi’s underlying psychology. However, once the relationship becomes unfamiliar, the character Seol Tae-pyeong comes to be seen as a man.

And Po Hyeon-bi himself was fully aware of how dangerous it was.

So after I left Paekseon Palace that day, I never went out of Hyeonmu Palace again.

For a long time, as the owner of Hyeonmu Palace, he focused on his duties by adjusting his posture and controlling the ladies-in-waiting. As I was doing that, summer had already reached its halfway point and more than half had passed.

However, this memory is both a blessing and a curse.

– Hwaryeong-ah- Hwaryeong-ah-

There was a time when I breathed a strange life into those few letters that were not a big deal and made my head dizzy.

When we ate soup together at Chunhyangjeong Pavilion, when we visited Salsu at Dokseonbang, and when we ate at an abandoned house in the rain… Samurai Seol Tae-pyeong acted as a thoroughly loyal subject.

There was nothing better than giving it more meaning. Hyeonbi Pohwaryeong is a person whose duty is determined.

“Ehh.”

“You look very worried.”

“No, Anrim. If there’s nothing more to prepare, let’s go to the tea party…”

He is quite used to living as the owner of Hyunmu Palace.

Originally, he was good at acting, so it was not a big deal to pretend to look roughly old-fashioned.

However, it is difficult to deal with the crown princes at the tea ceremony.

Consort In Ha-yeon seems like a big person, but there are times when she says things that seem to feel impatience in strange parts.

Sukbi Jincheongrang doesn’t know why, but it seems that Hyeonbi Pohwaryeong is not very happy.

Deokbi Howeol always smiles and makes the atmosphere lively, but there are times when his deep inner feelings are revealed.

Po Hyeon-bi’s senses keenly capture that subtle feeling.

When that sharp sense and superhuman memory are combined, it often creates an illusion that it is like reading a person’s mind.

‘It would be nice if everyone just got along well without worrying about anything… but there are a lot of things that are tangled up, so that can’t be the case…’

Hyeonbi Po sighed and walked out of the floor of the Blue Dragon Palace.

The sound of cicadas chirping reverberated throughout the palace.

*

“Start with Cheongryonggung and go around the four palaces to check the state of the jinbeop.”

“…yes?”

“Especially take a look around the Blue Dragon Palace. It’s strange that I can feel the energy these days, but I feel like a few of my amulets around the Blue Dragon Palace have been incapacitated. It may turn into a big deal later, so please check carefully and inform me of the situation.”

It was the name of an old man with ringworm.

Occasionally, the old man with ringworm passed me a little on what he was doing. Most of them were busy with other important things or circumstances.

However, it was a great burden to serve as a substitute for one hundred royal court selections, and even more so, when the place was a concubine, he felt like shaking his head and wanting to resist.

“Uh, does the elder have something else to take care of? It’s rare to entrust such an important task to me…”

“Uh huh, you’re talking back again.”

Usually, when ringworm does something, most of it was for a reason. That’s why I didn’t bother to throw up.

But this time, the desire to resist once more came over me.

“Well, but… If some of the amulets of the Blue Dragon Palace were incapacitated, wouldn’t it be a very big deal? If possible, the elders would eat it themselves…”

“As I said, I have more important things to do.”

“What is that…?”

“…The spirit of the Celestial Dragon has weakened a lot.”

…

Having said that, I couldn’t think of anything to refute. Actually, it was more important.

The spirit of the heavenly dragon handled by Princess Cheondo Ahyeon has weakened considerably. As spring passed, many such rumors circulated around Cheonryongchae.

It is not easy to confirm the truth of the rumor, as Princess Cheondo did not go out of the Cheonryongchae in the first place. However, no smoke comes out of a chimney that has been removed.

After summer came, several lower demons began to appear in Baeksak Mountain. It is said that a ghost haunts Baeksak Mountain in the ecliptic, where the energy of the heavenly dragon is said to be the strongest. It was unusual, even for the weakest of the lower classes.

During the last birthday celebration, a hundred ghost night trips even took place… It is said that the number of ghosts has increased considerably in the border area.

It may just be a temporary phenomenon. That’s why I’m watching the situation… but I couldn’t help it that public opinion was formed in the palace to worry about Gongnyeo Cheondo.

…Was it like this in Love Song of the Celestial Dragon?

I don’t know because it’s a story from the past. This is the point at which the story of Heavenly Dragon Lovers has not yet begun.

“Today, I have to go around Mt. Baeksak and clean up my scattered energy. It’s just a matter of figuring out the problem with the concubine’s method and fixing it, but if it’s actually related to a ghost, there might be casualties, so I’ll have to do it myself.”

That’s why the old man Baekseon entrusted me with the check on the position of the concubine.

“…”

Having said that, I had nothing to say.

“Hu, you say you’re going to become a concubine?”

Wang Han, who had managed to finish his morning routine, was sitting on the floor of Baekseon Palace, wearing an accompaniment.

When I came out after talking with Baekseon, Han lowered his head and talked.

“…If what I heard from Yeon-ri is correct, isn’t the concubine a more dangerous place for Tae-pyeong to you than a battlefield where arrows fly around…?”

“…”

“…Well, it’s something that can be done by just checking the correctness without having to meet Bideul…but… I’m a bit uneasy…”

“Yes… especially the amulet of the blue dragon palace fell off…”

“…”

“…”

If you have at least some knowledge about Wanghando pilotage, you will be able to figure it out.

An amulet with piloting inscribed on it does not come off easily. This is because the magic technique of preserving the state of the talisman is also mixed with the magic technique.

To remove it, you either have to remove the whole pillar with the amulet attached, or the spell is obscured by the ghost’s yin energy, or if that’s not the case…

“…someone took off the amulet.”

“…Does that make sense? If you want to take off the amulet of the old man Baekseon, not someone else, you must have at least half of that skill in pilotage. How common is such a skill in Cheongdo Palace…”

“…”

“…”

If there was a person with that level of piloting skills, one person came to mind.

Wang Han must have had a similar thought, and his complexion turned very bad.

“…Eh, in my heart, I want to go instead… but as you know, I’m overcrowded… I’m afraid I won’t be able to visit Baekseon Palace again for the time being… This is an affair involving the high-ranking officials of the main palace. Uneasy…”

“…”

“…Be strong, Tae-pyeong. Didn’t I say that a crisis is an opportunity?”

Wang Han set down his drinking glass and pushed it across the floor, then patted his clothes and talked seriously.

“I can’t treat the crisis of my precious friend, our Tae-pyeong, as if it were someone else’s.”

Wang Han crossed his arms and spoke with a serious expression.

“First of all, according to what I heard from Yeon-ri, it seems that the crown princesses are not at all indistinguishable. You seem to understand that love feelings can become a blade to you. Although Aunt Jin is a bit vague.”

“so?”

“This… seems like a good thing, but it’s actually a bad thing.”

Wang Han began to explain in an unusually logical tone.

“If it weren’t for those who didn’t know about that, if you seriously refused and even hurt me, saying that it was a burden, you might have come to your senses with shock therapy…”

“…”

“However, if you know about it and still hold it in your heart… it makes things a little more complicated…”

“Han says something plausible after a long time.”

“Kheu-heo-eok.”

At that time, Yeon-ri appeared from behind the floor and put a hand rag washed in hot water on Han’s face.

It was a plea to wipe the snacks from the corner of his mouth.

Han was startled and took a dish towel and wiped his face. Lily looked at her and sighed.

“It’s Yeon-ri.”

“Taipyeong. It’s been a while since Han said the right thing. You have to keep your mind straight to survive. And, the fact that the Crown Princesses, who you all know, have feelings for each other… It means that your feelings won’t subside easily just because you say a few words…”

“Well, then…”

“…Certainly, shock therapy will be needed at this point.”

The heat of summer fills the courtyard of Baekseon Palace. The haze rising from afar seemed to represent the intensity of the intense heat.

Sitting side by side on the floor, we began to exchange opinions seriously.

“After Hyeonbi Po unexpectedly passed away last spring, it was quiet for several months… Now that you’ve sorted out your thoughts, I need to do something. Yes, let’s consider visiting the concubine as an opportunity.”

“A chance…?”

“As I said, the surest way is for the princesses to make Tae-pyeong learn from you.”

There was no point in trying to explain the situation in words and rationally understand it.

In fact, even though Ingwibi clearly understands the whole situation, she instructed her to stay away from her because emotions are something you don’t know what will happen.

“Now, you are starting to get a sense of who the owners of the Four Great Palaces are. Think carefully about what Tae-pyeong will do and dislike you the most, and act as it is.”

“Was it not enough that I tore my pants dance the other day…”

“huh. At that time, we definitely gave up… our lives were at stake… If this happened, we would have to be truly prepared and be disillusioned…”

It is said that if you know the enemy and know yourself, you are invincible.

I could roughly guess what Yeon-ri would say.

“Taepyeong-ah… You think that visiting the concubine this time is an exploration battle… Anyway, like last time, I will join the concubine together, so I’ll help you.”

“…Speaking of search battles…”

“If you think about it carefully, the owners of each palace will all have different inclinations, and of course they will all have different likes and dislikes. It’s just figuring out which human figure the ladies of each palace are most disillusioned with and hating, and then acting as it shows.”

After Yeon-ri said that, she knelt down and poked her head out and spoke firmly.

“step…! This intention must never be discovered by the Crown Princess.”

“…”

“Ah… Taepyung is acting that way to get out of this situation, somehow to get hated by him… and all of his intentions are read out. then it doesn’t make any sense Understand? You must be truly disillusioned. At least to the princesses, you have to show that sincerity.”

Yeon-ri said that and spoke with her eyes wide open.

“Trust me, Tae-pyeong. I have an idea…”

*

The atmosphere in the tea room of Cheongryonggung seemed to have transferred the mysterious energy of Lady Jin.

bluish cotton cloth and tea utensils. Datak just does his part neatly without any special skills. A unique comfort flows in the seemingly endlessly calm interior space.

In the late spring of last year, when Hyeonbi Pohwaryeong entered Hyeonmugung, all the positions of the owners of the four palaces were finally occupied.

The owner of the four palaces, wearing fancy court attire, sits around a low square table in the center. It was only natural that each and every one of them was a graceful beauty, and each of them had a strong will and diverse talents, so it was truly a place where stars gathered.

Consort In Ha-yeon of Jujak Palace, Consort Pohwa-ryeong of Hyeonmu Palace, Consort Jin Cheong-rang of Cheongryong Palace, and Consort Ha-wol of Baekho Palace.

Those who enter Cheongdo Palace as women are the place that everyone longs for. The four women sitting there were carefully conversing, examining each other’s appearance.

“It was summer and it was very hot. I hope there will be no disruption to the Celestial Dragon Festival, which will be held next month. Isn’t it the festival that all the people of the imperial capital have been waiting for?”

“yes. Even the high-ranking officials seem to be on edge as the best festival of the year approaches.”

Gwibi In and Deokbi Ha, who are well versed in the political situation in Cheongdo Palace, were chatting.

The upcoming Cheonryong Festival was a huge scale festival held every summer on Cheonryong-daero in front of Taeseongmun Gate.

It is a festival where fireworks are lit on summer nights, lanterns are blown, and street vendors are full. The name was an event to pray for the health of Princess Cheondo, who serves the heavenly dragon.

“…Come to think of it, I heard that Lady Jin has greatly improved her piloting skills.”

“No, that’s right. The officials in the palace said with one mouth that Aunt Jin’s piloting skills were truly amazing.”

In Gwi-bi put a cup of tea to her lips, and naturally turned the topic to Jin Suk-bi. Hyeonbi Po quickly responded to those words.

Instead of answering that question right away, Sookie Jin took a cup of tea and drank it for a while.

After that, I covered my mouth with the cuff and looked around for a while with sharp eyes.

“…”

Po Hyeonbi swallowed dry saliva.

Sukbi Jin used to be wary of Ingwibi and Pohyeonbi to the point of being bizarre. On the contrary, Deokbi Ha, who felt a strange inner feeling from time to time, was not so vigilant.

“It’s not that great. I will have to work harder.”

Then, as a courtesy of expression of humility, he looked at the two of them again.

The gaze seemed to pierce the entire body, so Hyeonbi Po and Gwibi In had to avoid their gaze once in a while.

The eyes of Jin Suk-bi, who survived from a fever, are no different from those of a guru. It was difficult for Ingwibi and Pohyeonbi to clearly understand that fact.

‘…Let’s have refreshments when we get back to it after it’s done properly…’

Po Hyeon-bi still had a positive thought, but did not erase that lively smile…

‘Even if I’m like that… Why is Sergeant Jin so wary of Lady Poh…?’

In Gwibi saw through the strangeness of the situation with her quick notice.

Come to think of it, I didn’t have a chance to see Hyunbi Po often, so I couldn’t ask.

Why was Seol Tae-pyeong coaxed by Po Hyeon-bi, and why did Po Hyeon-bi protect Seol Tae-pyeong so much?

The reason for this was already clear.

The benevolent Hyeonbi Po hated having people who were unfair because of her. It is said that he was swayed by his stubbornness and forced to cooperate with himself, but he could not neglect the unfair warrior Seol Tae-pyeong.

In fact, everyone who knew Seol Tae-pyeong had a personality that hated getting involved in unnecessary things. So the commander of the Red Palace also understood that to some extent.

However, is that really all there is to it? Po Hyeon-bi’s coercion, and he only let her hang out?

Seol Tae-pyeong is a man who sticks to his convictions even when faced with an enemy like Tae-san.

Somehow, what kind of temperament of Hyeonbi Po did not stimulate such loyalty in Seol Tae-pyeong.

Would it be too foolish to imagine such a thing?

Hyeonbi Pohwa-ryeong is a woman who feels a certain sublimity that cannot be described in words even if she sees it.

It was that nobleness that allowed Seol Tae-pyeong to die.

“Does Hyeonbi Po know the warrior Seol Tae-pyeong of Baek Seon-gung?”

“Hib.”

“…?”

“I’m sorry. Hiccups for a while.”

Hyeonbi Po, who shrugged her shoulders as if she had been stabbed at her weak point, calmed down for a moment.

Ha Deok-bi tilted her head and looked at it, and Jin Suk-bi looked at it with sharper eyes.

“That… you mean the samurai of the Baekseon Palace?”

“Ah, yes…”

“Mo, not knowing is even weirder. At the last tea ceremony, it was that samurai that I asked for a petition. That, but why?”