The night wind was bitterly cold.
Silver-white hair dragged pathetically through dirt and gravel. Every movement of her arms and knees sent sharp pain through her body, yet her limbs moved forward on their own, driven by an instinct she could neither understand nor control.
‘Stop…! Stop moving, you damn body!’
Baek Muhyeok screamed inside her head. Her mind was still that of the arrogant Flower General who had never knelt before anyone. But her body had already become a stranger — soft, weak, and unbearably sensitive.
A low, broken whimper escaped her throat. Not words. Just a pitiful, animalistic sound.
Then she heard footsteps approaching from above.
A middle-aged woman in elegant yet simple robes was descending the path, flanked by two servants holding lanterns. It was Lee Sunrye, mother of the Empire’s Chancellor.
Lee Sunrye stopped. The lantern light illuminated the crawling figure — a woman of breathtaking beauty, silver hair disheveled, torn military uniform barely covering her flushed skin.
“Oh my…” A soft, almost reverent sigh left her lips.
One servant hesitated. “Madam, she looks dangerous…”
But Lee Sunrye slowly approached and crouched down. She gently brushed the tangled silver hair away from the woman’s face. Even in this wretched state, her beauty was enough to steal one’s breath.
“You poor thing… What a beautiful female beast you are.”
The moment Lee Sunrye’s warm hand touched her cheek, the woman’s body betrayed her once again. Instead of pulling away, she unconsciously pressed her cheek deeper into the palm, seeking the warmth like a lost, trembling creature.
Lee Sunrye’s eyes curved with quiet satisfaction.
“Strong yang energy… This must be the one the High Monk spoke of.”
She stood up, her voice calm but carrying absolute authority.
“Wrap her carefully in a blanket. We’re taking her to my son’s residence right now.”
“This is fate.”
As the servants lifted the trembling silver-haired woman, violent curses echoed inside her mind.
‘Let go of me…! I am Baek Muhyeok! I’ll kill every last one of you—!’
But all that came out was a small, exhausted whimper. Her body, completely drained, went limp in their arms as they carried her down the mountain.
Toward the forbidden mansion where no woman had ever set foot. Toward Seo Yunhan.