A Dragon Lives In That Scholar's Deep Spring - Chapter 3

– CHAPTER 3 –

Eon, who had approached Do-gyeom closely, lowered his voice and cupped his hands to whisper.

“If I make you a sire, I have a feeling there might be a fight between the princesses and the courtiers.”

At this point, Eon seemed to want to explain how many princesses and courtiers had been wandering around the Eastern Palace since Choi Do-gyeom, a handsome man, was the prince’s playmate. Of course, Do-gyeom didn’t listen attentively.

“Are you saying I’d become a sacrificial lamb for your sisters?”

“Huh? That’s true. The fact that you could be a bachelor at your age was purely because the princesses and courtiers came to some kind of agreement…!”

“Aren’t you in a similar situation at your age?”

After poking Do-gyeom where it would hurt if he faulted a friend, the gossip finally stopped. Just as the atmosphere was about to calm down, Eon suddenly grabbed his chest as if he had been stabbed.

“I think my bones are hurting from your prophecy, so can you please call the physician immediately? It’s urgent!”

Narrowing his eyes, Do-gyeom supported Eon, deeply concerned.

“Your Highness, please show it to me first. The physician might not know where you’re injured if he comes and tries to treat you without knowing exactly what’s broken, right?”

“…What?”

“Don’t worry. God will handle it in one go…!”

“No… Hey, Choi Do-gyeom!”

Two men who were about to engage in a physical fight over an absurd joke eventually burst into laughter.

Forgetting their worries and getting drunk, the two who had been behaving lightly soon regained their composure.

“…Do you know what I fear the most as the country leans towards collapse?”

“What is it?”

Smoothing out the wrinkles on his crumpled clothes with the back of his hand, Eon smiled faintly.

“A nation without laughter. I’m afraid of a world like that coming.”

There was no way to respond recklessly. It couldn’t be said that there was any hope for improvement or that the country would be buried in ashes if left as it was. Do-gyeom simply chose to stay by his friend’s side.

“I can only offer one thing: I’ll remain a friend who laughs with you when you laugh.”

Eon nodded with a grin.

“You’re quite comforting. That’s all I needed.”

As they walked to the entrance together for a farewell, the prince shrugged with a composed face.

“The unwanted guest will finally be driven away, so why don’t you make some plans?”

“That’s why you brought strong liquor.”

“Do you understand now? You possess the heart as broad as the sea, just like a vast ocean.”

Do-gyeom stared at the prince for a while. If the prince, who had been waiting, seemed to be swaying as he moved away with the courtier, then was he hesitating?

Turning away from that sight, Do-gyeom went back to the Juhapru, unfolded the books again, and eventually, with a heavy heart and a sigh that rose, he headed towards the window.

“Whew….”

Since the moon was still high in the sky, the various parts of the garden were quite brightly lit. He had always lived by looking at nothing but white paper instead of a snowy landscape, so when did this season of sprouting come? The unexpected feeling made Do-gyeom laugh wryly.

“Perhaps it’s because it’s been a while.”

Having naturally abstained from alcohol during a long drought, he seemed to be even more intoxicated today. While he had confidence in his academic depth and could spend several nights studying with Eon, he had no confidence in surpassing Eon when it came to drinking.

“It seems the proverb ‘all’s well that ends well’ isn’t far from the truth.”

Alcohol was truly a nasty fellow; it raised spirits for a moment but inevitably left a headache afterward.

Gulping down the cold night air that envied spring as he looked out over the garden, Do-gyeom, who was intoxicated by alcohol and the night air, soon finished his short stroll and turned back.

“No, wait a minute.”

He had intended to turn back. It was due to something that caught his eye in his blurry gaze. Was it a misconception that it looked like something inappropriate was floating in Buyongji, a square pond in front of Juhapru, which shouldn’t be there?

Do-gyeom, who felt foolish for seeing things due to being drunk and affected by the night air, tried to focus his eyes to confirm the reality.

And the next moment, he gasped as if he had drunk a mouthful of ice water.

“…What!”

The heavy eyelids suddenly felt as light as feathers, and the alcohol subsided. What Do-gyeom did immediately after that was like running out as if he had suddenly been hit by a sword, jumping down the wooden stairs two by two.

Even though his official robes fluttered wildly, he didn’t have the chance to pay attention to them.

Please let it be a mistake, or let it be a dream. Unfortunately, what Do-gyeom finally faced as he hurriedly arrived at the edge of the square pond outside was indeed a person.

Moreover, it was a woman floating unconsciously in the water with her pure white body exposed.

Startled, Do-gyeom instinctively turned around quickly, but with a sudden realization, this time he didn’t hesitate twice and immediately took off only his hat and shoes, and then threw himself into the water.

Although there was no need to swim because the water wasn’t deep, he felt a strong resistance, but more than that, the cold water refreshed his mind to the bone. He couldn’t think of anything other than the determination to save the person.

“Come here, come here!”

Hastily throwing off his belt out of the water, Do-gyeom covered the white body, which looked as pale as if it had been soaked in moonlight, with it. Since the clothes were already wet, it was more about protecting dignity than body temperature.

Perhaps because of the blue moonlight, when he looked closely, she seemed even paler and more lifeless than a corpse. In reality, Do-gyeom had resigned himself to the fact that whoever he was trying to save had already died until then.

“Please forgive me. There was no time to call for other palace maids….”

“…What bad luck.”

It was when he had just lifted her small body into his arms. A voice so cold that it made Do-gyeom hesitate as if doubting his ears for a moment. He might have been so surprised that his heart stopped altogether.

As he stepped back with widened eyes, the woman, perhaps on the threshold of death, managed to step forward on her own and stood up. Her eyes under the moonlight gleamed coldly.

“If there’s another one who dares to wake me up again, this time I’ll really kill them.”

“Wake you up? I only thought you had fallen into the water and was in danger…!”

He actually wanted to question her. Was the expression “sleeping in such cold water” appropriate here?

But Do-gyeom, who was about to defend himself, was helpless against the woman’s overwhelming strength as she grabbed his neck, leaving him unable to make any more excuses or even breathe.

“W-What is this!”

Is this a dream within a dream? If so, he should have woken up many times by now. There was not a single thing that made sense, from the fact that she was openly lying in the square pond of the Changdeokgung Palace to the fact that she threw over a man with her small and slender figure.

“How did such a weakling end up in my water? I bet it didn’t even taste good to break your neck.”

No, there was one thing: the painful realization that, as the strange woman said, it would be excruciatingly painful if his neck were to break soon.

“Ugh!”

Even though he was in the water, the monster not only raised him but also threw him out of the pond. Why were the stars that should have been in the sky coming down and spinning around?

Gasping for air and trying to breathe, Do-gyeom missed the chance to call out to someone. It was hopeless to shout as loud as he could, considering he was far from the quarters.

“Or perhaps, you didn’t want to kill me but wanted to die yourself?”

In a way that wasn’t defying the water but rather making way for it, the monster ‘stepped on the water-like stairs’ and emerged from the pond.

“If that’s the case, it’s not difficult.”

The woman spread her white hands. Then, misty white fog appeared around her hands, and a long, sharp ice spear was created.

“I came to save you!”

Do-gyeom, who had been reduced to begging for his life, expressed his injustice. But the woman didn’t hesitate to throw the spear, and Do-gyeom felt a sense of horror as if his breath was about to stop.

Fortunately, he wasn’t pierced, but the chilling coldness of the spear’s tip felt like it was piercing his skin.

“Who would just pass by when someone is floating in the pond in the middle of the night!”

Perhaps due to the white coldness emitted by the spear, even Do-gyeom’s breath seemed frozen white.

When he realized that the sudden appearance was nothing but a long, sharply cut piece of ice, he vowed never to drink again.

“What? A pond? My water won’t just stop…”

As the ice spear threatened Do-gyeom, the monster, who had been leisurely approaching, suddenly stopped in her tracks. Although her face couldn’t be seen with the moon behind her, her blue eyes were as clear as ever.

“Why did my water shrink like this? Where is this….”

While the strange intruder looked around in confusion, Do-gyeom quickly assessed the situation. He needed to remain calm and make calculated decisions in the face of this unexpected situation.

If this situation escalated further, a major confrontation would be inevitable. And beyond that, the king’s quarters were located.

Without much deliberation, Do-gyeom realized that he must desperately prevent this dangerous intruder from reaching civil war. His eyes, filled with a sense of duty, became even more determined.

“It’s not common to see someone floating in the water unconscious when looking down from Juhapru. I simply tried to help, but why is this happening to me?”

While criticizing the shameless attitude of the opponent demanding not a mere burden but his life, Do-gyeom discreetly searched his waistband with his hidden hand. He needed to buy some time to find a suitable weapon.

“And daring to lay claim to this water, the Buyongji.”

But tragically, he couldn’t find a knife. It seemed he had lost it somewhere during the struggle.

“Is there any other disrespect like this for His Majesty, the owner of the palace and the Most High?”