Requiem of Subdued Souls

“Whose rosary is this? This doesn’t seem like the regular one, so why is this here?”

Seol Young asked. His voice was firm this time.

“The thing is…”

The Queen hesitated a little to speak. 𝗯𝐞𝐝𝗻𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥.𝐜𝗼𝐦

“We called a high monk from the Heungryun-sa Temple. But….”

“What happened to that person?”

“After reading the sutra to the Princess and returning, she was said to have been murdered by something horrible.”

“What was that?”

Zaun turned and looked at the Queen. It seemed like even she was unaware of it.

“Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“My Lady wanted to inform you, but we stopped her.”

The ladies-in-waiting spoke.

“If word goes out that a high monk came here and that happened… we were afraid that people would be too scared about it and not heal the Princess. It was all our fault, please forgive us.”

All of the ladies-in-waiting could not raise their heads. Seol Young was confused and said to the Queen,

“I cannot do things like this.”

“…”

“If you have called me, you need to believe in me. If you had thought of us as people who would be frightened by such words, then you shouldn’t have even bothered bringing me here in the first place.”

Talking about it also made him angry. It wasn’t something that happened once or twice.

“I am risking my life for this. Lying to me and putting me in danger is another thing. If I lose my breath like this, I won’t just die, my soul will suffer forever. It would be much better for you to drag me out and slit my throat.”

“I apologize. I was short-sighted.”

The Queen looked sad.

“That’s the only thing we didn’t mention. Other than that, we hid nothing else.”

Her words seemed to be true.

“Then I understand.”

Seol Young carefully turned around and performed the detection spell again.

There was another burst.

.

It was behind a large vase and a calligraphy scroll.

He went there and retrieved two rosary beads.

‘For the resistance of the evil spirit to be strong enough to break them…’

He felt this was a serious matter.

Seol Young asked for a clean cloth and wrapped the beads. After putting his palms together, he paid respect to them.

Meanwhile, the evil spirit took over the body of the Princess once again.

“Euk!”

She let out a scream and tried to break free again.

Seol Young pressed down on her forehead with his sword. This time, the spiritual power spread without being obstructed.

The Princess, who was looking furious, had calmed down. She slumped to the ground as her head hit the ground.

“Ah…!”

Came a sound.

The Queen asked,

“Did the evil spirit leave?”

“It isn’t that. It is just taking a break.”

Seol Young calmly said.

“To think that a high monk has been killed means that its power is too strong. I guess we need to try to know. Anyway, the important thing is that you believe in me and follow me.”

He emphasized it to the Queen once again.

“Some things happen for no reason in the world of the living, but nothing happens without a reason in the world of the dead. Did you know that?”

“If this exists, that exists, and if this arises, it is because that arises. Without this, there is no that, and because this vanishes, so does that vanish.”

The Queen mumbled a sutra of Buddhism.

“In other words, this happened because of fate?”

“In terms of Buddhism, yes. When I got close to the Princess earlier, I smelled a strong earthy smell. Using that as a clue, ask your trusted aides to investigate it.”

“I understand.”

At that time, the old lady-in-waiting came forward and said,

“We will change the guards.”

Seol Young was then reminded that this was the Old Palace. And what the lady-in-waiting said….

‘It has been such a long time since a Hwarang came here. The eyes and ears secretly planted by the Queen’s enemies might notice it.’

That was what they meant.

The queen said, ‘Ah,’ as if she had only thought of it now, and her eyes suddenly looked desperate.

“My Ajin…. Save the Princess. As long as the Princess is fine, I do not care about other things.”

Seol Young couldn’t respond to that.

He didn’t have a mother, so he would easily become weak when mothers became desperate for their children like this.

“I will do my best.”

The Queen looked at Princess Ajin again. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched the child slump.

“If you run into a difficult situation at work, show this.”

She pulled something from her sleeve. The lady-in-waiting stepped closer and took it. Then she handed it to Seol Young.

It was a golden card with a lotus engraved on it.

“I understand.”

Seol Young bowed to the Queen and went out. At that time…..

“Wait.”

Zaun followed, stopping him.

“My Lady, do you have something to tell me?”

With a piercing look on his face, she said,

“I decided to trust you for once. Do you know why? Because I saw you blink a few times after the blindfold was taken off.”

If he had secretly opened his eyes and looked, he wouldn’t have had to blink to adjust his eyes. Since he was honest about keeping his eyes closed, she was saying that she would believe Seol Young and not the rumors around him.

“Of course, that could also have been a meticulously calculated performance.”

Zaun added coldly.

Should he thank her for trusting him?

But it wasn’t her whom he should thank. The Queen’s position was so messed up by this issue that she couldn’t help but summon Seol Young.

‘And… when did we get so close for her to call me YOU without an honorific?’

With that thought, he looked at her. Even though they looked like siblings, the two were completely different.

In Zaha’s case, there was indifference in his eyes, and in the way he spoke, and at times, he came up with an absurd look on his face too.

But he couldn’t imagine Zuan ever making such a face.

Her lips were firm, and her chin was stern. What was the difference between the first and second child?

Looking at her like this, it seemed like the second child grew up with more love and comfort.

‘Anyway, those eyes look the same when he makes people work—that shameless confident look.’

And then their eyes met, making Seol Young come to his senses. He had been staring at her for too long.

Zaun asked,

“You seem to have something you want to ask me?”

“I do.”

“Then say it.”

“Even though you were loyal to the Queen, there was a fact that she hid from you and didn’t tell you. Don’t you feel betrayed?”

He was genuinely curious, and Zaun didn’t seem to expect that question.

Her eyes showed it—the light that shone at the unexpected question—but it soon disappeared.

“I do not blame the actions she made out of fear.”

With that, she immediately left.

As soon as the door closed, people in black appeared.

“Then, let us leave.”

Said the masked old man, who handed him the blindfold again.

Just because Seol Young knew the way to the Queen’s secret residence, there was no way that he would sneak in and do something later.

Maybe they knew that too.

However, this was a procedure in their work that couldn’t be omitted, so Seol Young just accepted it.

“That, and this too…”

A silk robe and a hat with a long draped cloth were also handed to him. As if they were disrespecting a woman, the men in black masks bowed their heads.

But there was something they didn’t know.

‘What is this?’

There was nothing Seol Young wouldn’t do to catch an evil spirit. And he didn’t care what attire he would be asked to wear in order to do that.

Everything was done the same way after that. After disguising himself as a lady, he turned around and left that place. As they guided him, he climbed the palanquin again.

The palanquin went round and round, making him lose his sense of direction.

Seol Young just thought to himself.

‘How do I solve this case…?’

While thinking deeply, the palanquin stopped.

“You can get off now.”

The masked people said.

He thought that they would bring him around again.

He wondered and went down. Everyone hastily uncovered him, so they took off his clothes, and they reached out and removed his blindfold.

This wasn’t the room he was staying in. It was a road outside the palace.

But why here?

He noticed it right away.

In the darkness ahead, someone was staring in his direction. Just like a rare, ferocious golden tiger ready to pounce.

Sharp eyes were scanning those in black, and they weren’t just looking. It felt like he would pull out his sword at any time.

“This is a place where anyone can kill and bury someone without other people knowing, yet you take a person to such a place without letting anyone know? A Hwarang of ours? Who told you to do that?”

At Zaha’s question, the men in black couldn’t even look at him.

‘He knows who did this.’

This was him rebelling against his sister. He meant to tell her that he was enraged by her actions.

Seol Young motioned for the masked people to step back.

They all bowed too deeply and moved back.

He thought that now that the task was finished, they wouldn’t care about being polite, but this was such a shock. However, even after they left, Zaha’s anger didn’t subside.

“Are you doing it?”

His tone was very angry.

‘Taking a person to such a place without anyone knowing. A Hwarang of ours.’

Did he consider this incident as his sister trying to show off her power? Was this a clash between the siblings?

Seol Young shook his head.

It may look like he was taken to the Old Palace, instead of her place, but there was a reason…

But anything he said now would only enrage Zaha more.

There was no need to do it.

‘I need to use it a lot sooner than I thought.’

Seol Young put his hand inside the sleeve to pull it out.

“What is this?”

He showed it to Zaha—the bright golden piece, just like his eyes. There was a lotus pattern engraved on it.

Even in the midst of anger, he looked shocked.

“This…?”

“You are on the right track.”

“Then the person you met…”

“Yes.”

Seol Young began to drag him away.

“It is a huge problem.”