"Have you seen enough?"
His voice was playful, yet there was still the unmistakable bloodthirst reeking from him. The smell of blood filled the carriage as he joined me once again.
"So. What does Young Master Baek think of me now?"
His slitted eyes, which reminded me of a snake's, watched me with the utmost attention.
For several seconds, I simply stared at him blankly. There were so many thoughts chaotically roaming through my mind, yet I couldn't form a single sentence.
'So now it's Young Master Baek again?'
Ki Jongmu was a strange man.
Confusing.
I couldn't make any sense of him. The way he occasionally showed interest in me so blatantly, only to turn distant again. His terrifying reputation was something I hadn't truly grasped until now, because the man who stood before me seemed just like anyone else—someone who liked to laugh, someone who joked around, and someone who loved to adorn himself lavishly.
Maybe it was my mistake in viewing him as merely a respectable man of society, a powerful martial cultivator, that made me fail to notice how, again and again, I was swayed by him.
I had crossed the line between our statuses more than once. He was a Prince. Not just any Prince, but the Crown Prince of Silla. He was the Demon of the Palace, the most terrifying man in Silla. Jongmu would one day become the King of this country and grow to be the most powerful man in the kingdom.
'Father warned me countless times, and yet...'
While I was lost in thought, I suddenly felt a hand lifting my chin.
Of course, it belonged to the man standing before me.
Ki Jongmu, the Crown Prince.
"Young Master Baek?"
His sly eyes seemingly devoured me. Tension slowly crept up as he held my chin. The man always handled me so easily, moving my body like a puppet. It felt unpleasant, yet somehow made one feel falsely close to him.
"Your Highness, forgive my lapse. Watching you defeat those bandits was beyond anything I've ever seen or heard of before. Truly impressive. You do the title of the Most Magnificent Man of Silla great honour."
I gently removed his hand from my chin while keeping my gaze lowered, avoiding his eyes.
My resolve not to cause any more offence grew stronger. The terrifying yet strangely fascinating sight of him beheading the bandits had brought me back to my senses.
For days I had been telling myself not to be swayed and to respect the distance between our statuses, yet I had never truly done so.
"We should arrive by afternoon."
Jongmu, not responding to my praise, changed the subject.
I nodded silently, acknowledging the news. This tedious journey would soon come to an end. Although it had only been a few days, I already felt drained from having to be cautious and careful with every word, even though I had mostly failed at keeping my loose tongue in check.
"Once we arrive, we will have to visit the Manshin[1] of the village before using the array."
Jongmu's expression was now much more serious. Even his habitual smirk was nowhere to be seen.
I frowned, almost appalled. I had heard many stories about shamans and their twisted ways of using ghosts to curse people. Most cultivators considered them terrifying. Although martial cultivators were physically stronger than shamans, they still didn't dare underestimate them. Shamans could curse you and make you lose your cultivation. If you weren't above the Spirit Severing Realm, you could become a target of such malice.
Seeing my frown, Jongmu told me to speak my thoughts freely.
Thinking it was acceptable to speak more directly with his permission, I finally asked what had been weighing on my mind.
"Why would we seek out a Mudang[2] before returning to the capital?" The displeasure in my voice seeped through.
"Mudang? Young Master Baek should be a bit more polite when addressing her later. We will need her assistance, after all."
Jongmu once again reached out to me, gently caressing my startled face. The temperature of his hands was cold, yet his touch was unbearably gentle. As if my skin were made of porcelain, he carefully appraised me.
"Don't furrow this pretty face of yours."
Silence.
This time I couldn't avoid his eyes, and our gazes met directly. His dark eyes made people lose themselves in them. He was truly a beautiful man.
His gestures were so sudden and natural that I didn't even have time to become flustered. Instead, I simply let him do as he pleased.
He stepped closer, the smile on his lips returning. I preferred him like this much more. Not that my likes or dislikes held any importance. Still, I wished for him to smile warmly instead of wearing the cold indifference he had shown over the past few days.
"You might not know this, but Plumyeong Village is a sacred place for all the shamans of Silla." He observed my still-furrowed face. "According to legend, it is the village of the Sword Sage Sun-ok. Therefore, it is blessed land protected by the gods. Most of the people living there are shamans."
Hearing those words, I couldn't help but be surprised. I had never heard of any such village before. My furrowed expression eased, replaced by one of astonishment.
"The village of the first Sword Sage..." I drew in a sharp breath.
There was perhaps no citizen of Silla who wouldn't feel honoured to visit the birthplace of such a highly revered Sage.
My earlier distaste was easily replaced with admiration. I now found myself eagerly looking forward to visiting such a place.
"Although your frowning face is also quite lovely, I still like you better when your lips are curved into a smile."
His whisper brushed against my ear. With a fluttering heart, I hid my blushing face behind a paper fan.
From the corner of my eye, I could see him smirking once again.
'Such a strange man.'
***
The capital was a bustling place. Markets and vendors sold their wares to crowds of people. Inns and restaurants were full wherever the eye could see.
Among the crowd was a young woman dressed in bright green and coral robes.
Her hair, arranged into two neatly braided buns, complemented her youthful, rosy face.
"Young Miss!"
The voice of a woman, out of breath as she pitifully hurried after the younger woman, called out to her.
"Hm? Saha, do you want one too?"
The young woman offered one of the many meat buns she carried to Saha, who repeatedly shook her head.
"Young Miss, we have to return to the Baek Estate quickly to prepare for the Young Master's return..." She paused for a moment, glancing left and right before continuing. "...and His Highness's."
"Didn't you say they would take the teleportation array from Plumyeong Village?"
Saha nodded, unsure where her Young Miss was going with this.
"Then we still have plenty of time. The servants of the estate have already been informed in advance. Our presence isn't urgently needed."
The young woman's sugary-sweet voice casually dismissed the idea of returning immediately.
"But, Young Miss, the teleportation array will transport them directly to the Baek Estate. They could arrive at any moment."
Saha urged her again.
"Don't you know about Plumyeong Village? It's also called the Village of Mu[3]. Those shamans won't let them leave so easily, so don't worry too much."
Saha's eyes widened with shock and surprise, and she couldn't help letting out a dumbfounded shriek.
"So let me enjoy the bustling markets a little longer. It's been a while since I last visited the inner city."
With those words, she hurried to the next vendor, buying all sorts of strange trinkets.
Saha could only watch helplessly as her young miss's pockets filled to the brim.
The Young Miss, the youngest daughter of the Baek Clan, Gong Yo-rim, was only sixteen this year, yet she had already been roaming the Jianghu since the tender age of fourteen.
She spent most of her time discovering new places, from small villages to distant foreign lands.
Starkly different from her older brother Jaeyeong, she wore her emotions openly and was always full of energy, with a lively and adventurous heart.
As a result, the sibling she got along with best was Hana. The two of them had always fooled around together when they were younger, spending most of their time playing tricks on their brothers.
"Young Miss, are you interested? These are rare ice sea pearls from the deep caves of the Bei Empire."
Yo-rim, who had originally planned to move on to the next stall, halted her steps. She looked at the beautiful bluish-white pearls and nodded.
'I still need a wedding gift for unnie.'
[1] respectful address for a korean shamn. Mostly used for female shamas but is generally gender-neutral.
[2] neutral term user for shamans amongst commonors. Only the elite (high-ranking families and nobles) use it as a degratory term.
[3] General term for a korean shaman