Wandering Through Vol. 3 Chapter 66 - Kidnapping 02

“Three lives?” Eunbi asked in response. 

 

Gukmu gave a small nod. (Gukmu and Yangmu is the same person)

 

In the darkness, Eunbi caught the motion of his head and murmured, “Those are just old folktales, aren’t they? I used to listen to them for fun when I was little. Like how a fairy is reborn in the mortal world, and where she dies unjustly, a lotus blooms. And from that lotus comes a boy who seeks revenge, or something like that…”

 

She brushed her hand over Gukmu’s back, asking in a joking tone—as if trying to lighten the heavy darkness of the night even just a little.

 

“So, what? Is some fairy targeting us out of resentment from a past life? Is that the danger I should be worried about?”

 

“No. I don’t know anything about our past lives, Eunbi. What I’m worried about isn’t hatred from a past life, but hatred in this one.”

 

“What have you or I ever done to earn anyone’s grudge?”

 

“Didn’t I steal you from your husband and run away?”

 

“Ha…”

 

Eunbi’s short, scoffing laugh cut sharply through the quiet night. Her voice, once tenderly comforting Gukmu, turned icy as she spoke of the man who had once been her husband.

 

“The grand prince would only complain that my abrupt departure caused a stir in the household. Beyond that, he wouldn’t care at all.”

 

It was a terrifyingly accurate assessment. 

 

Eunbi continued ruthlessly, “I guarantee he wouldn’t even recognize me if I passed right before his eyes. Look for me? He’d never go through such trouble. That half-cripple finds even breathing a nuisance. If anything, he’d be glad I’m gone—one less annoyance to deal with. I’m sure of it.”

 

The still night air grew sharper. Gukmu held Eunbi close, soothing her with quiet words. He knew well enough that while the grand prince had disliked Eunbi, her hatred for him ran far deeper.

 

“What you say is true, but you never know. It might not just be the Grand Prince—someone from the royal family or even Eunbi’s own household could come looking for her and forcibly drag her back to the Grand Prince.”

 

“Even if that happens, the Grand Prince would just scold them for making useless trouble. In any case, even if I’m caught, the inner quarters of the Grand Prince’s residence are no longer mine. Who would let a runaway wife back into the inner chambers? If I’m caught, beaten, and humiliated, I can just escape again.”

 

“That may be so for you, but what about me?”

 

“…”

 

“If I’m caught, I’ll lose my head,” said Gukmu

 

The difference in their status made it so. 

 

Even if he held an official post, Yangmu was still of low birth, and if they were caught, the crime of seducing a noble lady away would undoubtedly lead to his execution.

 

Eunbi whispered to Yangmu as if pleading, “That’s why, if anything happens, you must run away. I’ll find you later, so you absolutely have to escape.”

 

“…”

 

“With your skills, it wouldn’t even be difficult. Even if dozens of ordinary people chase after you, they wouldn’t be able to catch you.”

 

The title ‘Yangmu’ itself meant a state-appointed shaman. He was, after all, publicly recognized as the best shaman in the country, which was why he held the official title of Yangmu.

 

However…

 

“If the Grand Prince intervenes, I will be caught.”

 

Yangmu muttered quietly. Eunbi parted her lips as if to argue, but his next words came a beat faster.

 

“He is a dangerous man.”

 

To Eunbi and ordinary people, the Grand Prince might have seemed like nothing more than a half-crippled man who couldn’t even properly use his own body, but in Yangmu’s eyes, he was more dangerous than any evil spirit.

 

“But the Grand Prince…”

 

“Yes. He has no interest in us. As you said, even if we passed right before his eyes, he might ignore us. The Grand Prince is someone who finds even blinking bothersome.”

 

Unlike others, Gukmu knew that the Grand Prince barely remembered anything that had happened before last year.

The Grand Prince’s sudden lethargy since last year could only be explained by him having forgotten something crucial.

 

Originally, the Grand Prince was…

 

Far more sensitive, always on edge—like a mother beast guarding her young.

 

Yet, surprisingly, he would readily lend a hand if the king desired it. Of course, the price he exacted for such favors was never light.

 

Though he pretended to be lazy during the day, he was reasonably diligent at night, and above all, he seemed to have been utterly absorbed in… something. 

 

Something that made him lose track of day and night…

 

But what that ‘something’ was, Gukmu had no memory of.

 

And that was why Gukmu felt uneasy. His own memories before last year were also largely gone, which likely meant both he and the Grand Prince had lost the same memories.

What could they have forgotten?

 

What memories could the Grand Prince, and he had shared over a lifetime?

 

In this life, there was no way such memories existed. From the very beginning, the Grand Prince and Gukmu had not a shred of interest or interaction with each other.

The Grand Prince merely gave occasional orders, and Gukmu simply followed them.

 

In any case, both Gukmu’s sparse memories and the records he had left behind confirmed this much.

 

Since there was no possibility in this life, suspicion fell on their past lives.

 

Gukmu suspected that the wooden tablet might contain records of the Grand Prince’s three lifetimes. And if that were true, he couldn’t shake his unease over why he himself had left it behind.

 

If, as the instinctive premonition he felt when trying to discard it suggested, it had been left by his past self as a means to someday revive Eunbi… then—

 

Gukmu never imagined that one day, she might use this wooden token to beg the Grand Prince to save Eunbi’s life.

 

If such a future were to come, it would mean the Grand Prince had emerged—at least enough to heed her plea and spare Eunbi—from that terrible lethargy that had consumed him since last year.

But then again… perhaps their greatest danger was a Grand Prince who had shaken off his usual indifference.

 

The thought of the Grand Prince free from his apathy filled Gukmu with dread.

 

In truth, he was the root of all her fears and anxieties. Once, she had wished for him to break free from his numbness and care for Eunbi. But now that she and Eunbi had fled, she found herself hoping he would never escape that lethargy.

 

Gukmu quietly voiced her fear.

 

“I’m afraid that instead of lying there listlessly, the Grand Prince might take an interest in dealing with us. If he starts seeing us as more than just a nuisance…”

“That won’t happen,” Eunbi replied. 

 

“He’s not the kind of man to stir even for His Majesty the King.”

 

Gukmu fell silent at her words. She didn’t want to elaborate on her unease and burden Eunbi with it.

Yet she couldn’t bring herself to falsely agree, either.

 

Though not as clear as before, the future she glimpsed still whispered that one day, she might have to face the Grand Prince again.

 

Gukmu simply held Eunbi close and murmured softly, “I hope you’re right. If we could just live like this forever… That would be enough. Truly.”

 

🦋

 

After his second wife eloped in the dead of night, the grand prince kidnapped his first wife. 

 

What could his intentions be?

 

“Clear out the inner quarters.”

 

At the grand prince’s command, the servants busily sprang into action. 

 

Lady Shanggung, utterly bewildered, numbly called for the servants to clear the inner quarters. 

 

No one in the household could make sense of the situation, but Leegwang remained composed as he carried Yiseo into the men’s quarters and sat down.

 

Since Eunbi had taken most of the valuables when she fled overnight, clearing the inner quarters wasn’t difficult. 

 

Once the space was meticulously cleaned of any trace of Eunbi, Leegwang laid the unconscious Yiseo down.

 

By the time Lady Shanggung regained her senses half a day later, the household servants had already spread the news far and wide. 

 

To outsiders, it must have seemed like quite the spectacle—rumors that the grand prince had abducted his former wife spread like wildfire.

 

“The old customs are the most efficient, and he’s only realized it late!”

 

“But still, dragging back a half-dead cripple…”

 

By the time Lady Shanggung belatedly tried to hush the gossip, it was too late.

 

Eunbi’s family, startled by the rumors, sent someone to investigate.

 

For now, only Eunbi’s elopement had been revealed—no one but the grand prince knew she had fled with the state councillor. So, her family was at least trying to come up with some sort of explanation.

 

In truth, the grand prince was the only one who had clearly noticed the emotions exchanged between Eunbi and the shaman. The two had been extremely cautious—they never met without an excuse, and even when they did, they only spoke from a distance about auspicious clouds or feng shui.

 

It seemed that at least one of Eunbi’s maids had somewhat caught on, but whether she knew or not, Eunbi sent her far back to her hometown a few days before her midnight escape, and all contact was lost.

 

“My lady, I heard His Highness the Grand Prince went somewhere far and brought back a guest…”

 

No matter what, Eunbi knew that her midnight escape alone was a crime, so she couldn’t bring herself to press further and instead subtly probed. 

 

Lady Shanggung, however, gave vague, evasive answers and barely managed to deflect the question. 

 

After that, people from the royal family or the Office of the Royal Clan came by and similarly tried to probe, but Lady Shanggung blocked them all like an impenetrable wall.

 

“Hmm…”

 

Leegwang, well aware of Lady Shanggung’s struggles, sat beside the bedridden Yiseo, deep in thought.

 

Perhaps the cleanest solution would still be to find and kill Eunbi.