Even My Life Is Yours Chapter 6

When the training ended, the sun was setting.

Hongyo, having returned to the training hall after a long absence, was truly in his element. It was evident from his extraordinary form with the wooden sword how much he must have been itching to train. Though Hongyo’s true skill lay with the bow, despite having only picked up a sword six months ago, he was growing rapidly, starting to stand out even in sparring matches.

“Everyone, good work.”

As Sujin brought out cold water, the boys, finished with their training, gulped it down without hesitation. Hongyo and Gamyoung were no exception. After emptying his cup, Gamyoung looked at Sujin, who was holding the tray in front of him.

“Have you finished?”

“Yes.”

Gamyoung wiped his mouth and set down the cup, and Sujin smiled faintly.

“You seem even more energetic today because Young Master Hongyo is here.”

“…Do I?”

“Yes. The two of you are very close, aren’t you? You always seem to be in a good mood on the days Young Master Hongyo comes.”

Is that so? Gamyoung laughed awkwardly, and Sujin smiled brightly, bowed, and approached Hongyo. Gamyoung watched them. Hongyo might be smaller than the other boys, but he was still a man. Standing before the petite woman, Hongyo looked quite impressive. Dressed in his dark blue training uniform, he smiled brightly at the woman who was smiling shyly at him.

Does he like women that much? Gamyoung looked at Sujin. No man would dislike a small, beautiful, and kind woman who seemed to fit perfectly in his arms.

“Hmm…”

Gamyoung frowned without realizing it. He didn’t know why, but he’d felt irritated since earlier, as if he had a grain of sand in his shoe. Gamyoung called out.

“Hey, Yeo Hongyo. Let’s go.”

“Yeah, just a minute.”

Gamyoung jerked his chin towards the gate and urged Hongyo on. Annoyed that Hongyo was still chattering away in front of Sujin as if he had so much to say, Gamyoung suddenly stepped behind Sujin.

“Lady Sujin. Thank you.”

Gamyoung whispered softly near Sujin’s ear. Sujin’s eyes widened, clearly startled. At the same time, so did Hongyo’s, as he looked at him. Seeing those eyes, Gamyoung felt a sense of triumph mixed with confusion about why he had done such a thing.

Gamyoung deliberately ignored their gazes and grabbed Hongyo’s hand.

“What are you waiting for?”

˖°⛩️⋆˙️

“What was that about?”

“What?”

“Why did you do that to Lady Sujin?”

Hongyo asked grumpily. But Gamyoung didn’t know what to say. Before leaving the training hall, even Gamyoung himself didn’t understand why he’d acted so petulant. Gamyoung quickly racked his brain and made up an excuse.

“What? I was just thanking her. Is there any other reason?”

Hongyo stopped walking and stared pointedly at Gamyoung.

“Don’t be mean to Lady Sujin. Why are you acting so unlike yourself?”

Hit by the truth, Gamyoung was speechless. He didn’t know why he’d been so sullen, but it annoyed him that his closest friend, the one person he least wanted to discover his true feelings, had seen through him. But he kept his mouth shut, feeling that revealing his feelings now would only make things awkward.

Gamyoung suppressed his inexplicable ill temper and started walking again. Hongyo hurried after him and asked,

“Are you even listening to me?”

“Hmm, I’m hungry. What do you want to eat?”

As he always did when at a disadvantage, Gamyoung changed the subject and entered the marketplace. Hongyo, who had been questioning him, suddenly stopped in front of a stall selling accessories and looked back at Gamyoung.

“Wait a minute. I have something to buy.”

Women’s hair ornaments were displayed on the stall. Hongyo stared at them for a moment, then without hesitation reached for a hair ornament shaped like a plum blossom. It was the most ornate and expensive-looking piece among the displayed items. The merchant at the stall said,

“You’re the young master who came by before, right? You looked at it several times, and now you’re finally buying it. Whoever the young lady is, she’s lucky to receive a gift from such a handsome young master.”

“It’s not like that.”

Hongyo scratched the back of his head and laughed shyly. He then paid for it without haggling, unlike his usual self, despite the price being rather high for his budget.

“Why are you buying that?”

Gamyoung, who had been watching, asked in surprise, and Hongyo replied,

“Senior Brother Kyungrak is getting married soon. I can’t attend the wedding, so I wanted to give him something. He said he’s returning to his hometown after the wedding. I don’t know what kind of lady he’s marrying, but I hope she likes it.”

Hongyo carefully tucked the hair ornament, wrapped in silk by the merchant, into his arms. Kyungrak’s marriage was not just any marriage. The Crown Prince’s wedding had already taken place, and when Kyungrak ascended the throne, a formal national wedding would be held. And the bride-to-be held the esteemed position of future Empress. Even though Hongyo was acquainted with Kyungrak and was the adopted son of the High Priestess of Hyunjingwan, the coronation ceremony wasn’t an event just anyone could attend.

Therefore, to maintain his fabricated identity, Kyungrak had told Hongyo that he was returning to his hometown to marry as the son of a noble family from the countryside. Which was partially true. The prince of a nation was returning to the palace to inherit the throne.

However, unaware of this, Hongyo had saved up his meager allowance for months, earned from selling the skins of his hunted game, to buy this gift. No matter how expensive or valuable it was, compared to the ornaments presented to the imperial palace, it was no better than a pebble on the road. Moreover, the hair ornaments for the Empress were priceless treasures.

Gamyoung stared at Hongyo and then closed his mouth. What kind of friend was he, unable to reveal his true identity even to his closest friend, the one who had saved his life? Gamyoung forced down his bitter feelings.

˖°⛩️⋆˙️

Hyunjingwan was in a constant state of emergency preparing for the Imryongje. This wasn’t just an annual ritual for blessings; it was the ceremony where the next emperor was appointed by the dragon. Even though a human lifespan was nothing compared to a dragon’s, which spanned tens of thousands of years, there were priestesses who entered Hyunjingwan from the moment they manifested their powers and died within its walls without witnessing a new emperor’s coronation. Therefore, every priestess in Hyunjingwan understood the gravity and importance of this event, which held the fate of many in its hands.

“There must not be a single hitch in the ceremony, no matter how small. Everything that happens in Hyunjingwan and the imperial palace must reach my ears and pass through my hands.”

Mohyun, the head of Hyunjingwan, gathered all the priestesses and gave her instructions. This was about appointing an emperor. On that day, there must be no impurity, no blemish. Mohyun looked specifically at the young priestesses who had recently joined. Barely twelve or thirteen years old, they hadn’t yet grasped the atmosphere of Hyunjingwan. She had been their age when she first entered, but now she was over two hundred years old.

Mohyun watched the children trembling as they prostrated themselves, then, upon hearing that someone was looking for her, she hurriedly left Hyunjingwan.

Mohyun, arriving on horseback, found herself at the entrance of a dense forest, a short distance from the imperial palace. Even in broad daylight, the forest, dark as the maw of a beast, was off-limits to all but a select few authorized individuals and the soldiers guarding the entrance.

The Soyeonglim (Forest of Vanishing Shadows) was so named because even shadows disappeared upon entering. The forest itself wasn’t very large, but very few were permitted to enter.

Mohyun entered the forest. The densely packed, enormous trees cast long shadows, even at midday. The giant trees, so thick that it would take four grown men to encircle their bases, were remarkable not only for their girth but also for their height. Dense leaves blocked out the sky, as if refusing to allow even a sliver of sunlight through.

The deeper she went, the quieter it became, as if the sounds of the outside world were swallowed by the forest. Even the birds passing through silenced their songs. Everywhere she looked, there were only grotesquely large trees. It was said that those who entered this forest for the first time invariably lost their way. If even animals couldn’t navigate it, humans stood no chance. Countless people had become lost after carelessly venturing in, lured by its deceptively small size. It was a forest like a quicksand pit, from which there was no escape.

But Mohyun was different. She moved forward without hesitation, as if guided by an unseen hand. And finally, she reached a massive palace, so large it seemed impossible for it to exist within this forest. The palace, seemingly ancient beyond measure, was as large as the Yeomnokgung, the emperor’s residence within the imperial palace, said to be the largest structure within its walls. However, unlike the Yeomnokgung, built with gold and all manner of precious materials, this palace was constructed entirely of wood.

Jinwhanseo (Hall of the Returning Hour).

The name of this place, written on an old but well-maintained plaque, exuded power from every character. Though aged and weathered by the passage of millennia, as if it had stood in this very spot for thousands of years, the inscription itself seemed fresh, as if the ink had never dried.

Mohyun looked up at the plaque. Though she had spent most of her life in the imperial palace, she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed whenever she came here. Even though she possessed the dragon’s power, she wasn’t of the imperial bloodline. Before entering, Mohyun knelt before the plaque and bowed. The reason Mohyun, the head of Hyunjingwan, bowed outside this palace, which wasn’t even the emperor’s residence, was because of the being who occasionally manifested here.

“Ki Mohyun, Head Priestess of Hyunjingwan. I humbly request permission to enter.”

The heavy energy that had been pressing down on Mohyun lessened. Only then did she rise, adjust her clothes, and enter the Jinwhanseo. The old wooden building creaked with every step. She walked down a long corridor, turning several corners. Finally, stopping in front of a certain room, Mohyun knelt and waited quietly, sensing a presence within.

Two voices could be heard from inside the room. One was the voice of this nation’s sovereign, a most revered being. The other was the lively voice of a woman. A voice that brought a smile to the listener’s face with its bright laughter.

But Mohyun gripped her sleeves tightly, as if in pain, at the sound. Soon, the laughter stopped, and a deep male voice followed.

“Enter.”

Upon receiving permission, Mohyun opened the door while still kneeling and entered the room on her knees. To the sovereign, whom she dared not look upon without permission, Mohyun spoke,

“I greet His Majesty the Emperor.”