CHAPTER 22
When Woon rushed into the burning structure amidst the mounting chaos, Pung, Chae-woo, and the Crown Prince plunged in right behind him.
Moving through the dense smoke and roaring flames, they swiftly evacuated every trapped person inside.
Outside, bucket lines of palace guards scrambled desperately to douse the inferno.
As the survivors gathered on the lawn, a court lady stumbled out of the haze, clutching her chest as she gasped for air.
“Lady Kim Yun-ah and Lady Choi Yun-ju are still inside!” she screamed.
“What?!” the King roared, stepping toward the blaze.
Before anyone could stop him, the roof timber groaned violently as the structure began to collapse.
Without a second thought, Woon turned and leaped back straight into the inferno, disappearing into the wall of fire to search for the young noblewomen.
Outside, terror gripped the courtyard.
The King and his court watched in sheer horror.
As the minutes stretched and the fire consumed the main beams, hope began to fade.
At that moment, the two young princesses—having safely slipped back into the palace crowd—ran up to their father’s side, holding their breaths in shared dread.
Then, through the blinding curtain of fire and embers, a lone silhouette emerged.
It was Woon, carrying both Lady Kim and Lady Choi in his arms.
Just as he reached the threshold, a massive burning crossbeam snapped, plunging downward directly toward them.
Instinct taking over, Woon dropped to his knees, laying the two women beneath him and using his own back and shoulders as a human shield against the crushing, fiery impact.
The crowd gasped in horror.
Woon remained kneeling, his head bowed low to the dirt.
Thick, dark blood pooled from his scalp, trailing down his face and dripping onto his torn, char-blackened robes.
In that single, devastating moment, a ghost from the past seized the King’s mind.
The sight of Woon kneeling in blood, unyielding till the end, overlapped perfectly with the night General Kang Mu-shin died—kneeling in his final moments before drawing his last breath in the King’s arms.
Trauma and memory collided, causing the King to hallucinate, seeing Mu-shin’s spirit standing directly within Woon.
“Mu-shin…” the King whispered, his voice trembling.
Pung leaped into the burning frame, hauling both unconscious noblewomen out to safety.
Before the guards could react, Woon let out a long, ragged breath.
Forcing himself up with sheer willpower, he stood on unsteady legs and staggered out of the burning ruin.
Bleeding and battered, Woon walked straight toward the King, bowed his head in quiet respect, and took his position beside his sovereign.
The Crown Prince rushed forward to embrace him, but Woon instinctively winced and recoiled a step back.
Fresh blood was visibly pouring down his arms and soaking his sleeves.
“Take the ladies to the inner palace and summon the royal physicians immediately!” the King commanded, his voice echoing across the courtyard.
“Yes, Jeonha!” the court ladies cried out, rushing to assist the dozens of affected candidates. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
The King turned to his son and gave a firm nod, silently signaling him to see to Woon’s injuries.
As the Crown Prince, Pung, and Chae-woo escorted Woon toward the medical quarters, Woon limped heavily, wincing with every step.
“What were you thinking back there?” the Prince asked, looking at Woon with genuine concern.
“How could you just throw your life away like that?”
A faint, tired smile touched Woon’s blood-stained lips.
“I don’t know, Your Highness… believe me, I am thoroughly regretting it right now.”
Pung glanced over at the Prince, his tone quiet.
“Your Highness… were those two young ladies who ran to the King earlier… the princesses?”
“Yes,” the Prince replied.
“Have you seen them somewhere before?”
Chae-woo frantically widened his eyes at Pung, shaking his head and making subtle, desperate hand signals behind the Prince’s back.
Pung caught the hint instantly.
“No, Your Highness. I was merely curious.”
They arrived at the East Palace quarters, where a senior royal physician was already waiting.
Pung and Chae-woo helped Woon sit upon the examination bench.
“Please remove your robe, young master,” the physician instructed, setting out his medical tools.
Woon looked up, shooting a quiet, meaningful glance at the Crown Prince, Pung, and Chae-woo.
Understanding his unspoken request for privacy, the three men quietly stepped outside the chamber.
Once the doors closed, Woon pulled down his bloodied robes.
The physician leaned back, gasping softly at the sight of the young man’s torso and shoulders.
“Young man… how on earth did you acquire so many severe scars?” the physician asked softly.
Woon offered a dry, relaxed grin.
“Well… the world is a dangerous place. A few tiger claws here, a few rogue blades there.”
After cleaning the burns and binding the bleeding wounds with clean linen, Woon pulled his robes back over his shoulders.
He turned his head, his gaze turning sharp and cold as he looked the physician in the eye.
“Do not speak a word about my scars to anyone. Do you understand?”
The physician bowed his head respectfully.
“Understood, young master.”
The following morning, a tense atmosphere hung over the royal court during the morning assembly.
High officials and state ministers pressed the King aggressively, urging him to expedite the Crown Princess selection process.
They argued that the fire was clearly a targeted assassination attempt against the prospective candidates and that completing the selection was the only way to secure their safety.
Two days later, Woon returned to his post at the East Palace, his body still bound in tight bandages.
As he entered the courtyard, he bowed to the Crown Prince.
The Prince looked up from his scrolls in surprise.
“Woon? I did not expect you back at work so soon.”
“It takes more than a few embers to keep me down, Your Highness,” Woon replied coolly.
Pung and Chae-woo arrived moments later, walking over to check on Woon’s condition with subtle nods of relief. This story is hosted at novelping.com.
Meanwhile, along the eastern corridor leading toward the East Palace, the two princesses walked side by side, whispering back and forth.
“What do you think of Woon?” the first princess asked with a mischievous smile.
“You know… the man who saved the state ministers’ daughters from the inferno?”
The second princess flushed slightly, a soft smile appearing on her face.
“I think he is remarkably strong… beautiful, even. And perhaps a bit romantic.”
“So he is your type?” the first princess teased.
“Yes, Eonni,” the second princess admitted with a sly smirk.
“But… as you know, every time we met those men in the marketplace, we were dressed as noblemen. If they find out who we truly are, I doubt they will even want to look at us.”
“You think they will feel betrayed?” the first princess asked softly.
Before the second princess could reply, the doors to the main hall opened.
The Crown Prince, Woon, Pung, and Chae-woo stepped out into the walkway, coming face-to-face with the two royal sisters.
The princesses froze.
Their eyes widened in panic, and without saying a word, both sisters spun around on their heels and walked away as fast as their silk slippers could carry them.
The Crown Prince burst into a ringing laugh, shaking his head.
“Ah… true sibling affection at its finest.”
A short while later, the group escorted the Crown Prince toward the royal garden, where the King and his senior ministers were gathered inside a scenic pavilion overlooking the lily pond.
The Crown Prince stepped up into the pavilion, bowing respectfully to his father and the assembled court.
Pung, Woon, and Chae-woo took up their guard positions just outside the wooden pillars.
The Chief Royal Guard stepped up beside Woon, leaning in with a low whisper.
“You shouldn’t have returned to duty so quickly.”
“I am fine, Nari,” Woon replied quietly, keeping his eyes forward.
Inside the pavilion, the King gestured toward the perimeter.
“San Woon. Step forward.”
Woon stepped up into the pavilion and bowed low before the monarch and the ministers.
“This is the brave young man who saved our court from a terrible tragedy,” the King declared proudly.
He then motioned for Pung and Chae-woo to join them.
“These officers, alongside the Crown Prince, pulled our kingdom’s daughters from the burning quarters. But San Woon here nearly sacrificed his own life to shield your daughters from death. Chief State Minister… Left State Minister… treat him well.”
The Chief State Minister stepped forward, offering a polite bow to the Crown Prince before turning toward the King with a warm, diplomatic smile.
“Jeonha… these brave guards saved my daughter’s life,” the Chief State Minister said smoothly.
“With Your Majesty’s gracious permission, I would like to host a banquet and bestow fine wine upon them once they are off duty.”
The King paused for a brief moment, his sharp eyes weighing the minister’s request, before offering a gentle nod of approval.
“Granted.”
Pung, Woon, and Chae-woo bowed in gratitude before retreating step-by-step back to their guard posts outside the pavilion, the court’s eyes resting heavily upon them.