Beast, Blue Blood - Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Changwon-gun was a young man who looked so youthful that he seemed awkward even holding his hands behind his back, as if he had just reached his twenties.  

“Why are you searching my home?”  

Changwon-gun asked with a stern expression. Although it might be hard for ordinary people to hear due to the distance, it was clear as if someone was speaking right next to Ah-eun.  

One of the men standing opposite Changwon-gun spoke up.  

“We have received a royal decree to search the premises.”  

‘Royal decree?’  

Ah-eun was surprised.  

It was clear that the people confronting Changwon-gun were not ordinary individuals. Among them were officials from the State Tribunal wearing black robes patterned like a board game, who were responsible for escorting criminals.  

Despite this, Changwon-gun did not blink at the mention of the royal decree.  

“My home is not listed in the records. Whatever decree you received, how could my home fall under that category? If there were anything suspicious in my home, I would report it to the king myself. Now, leave.”  

Changwon-gun waved his hand and tried to turn away.  

“I have been ordered to search thoroughly and uncover the truth.”  

A man who appeared to be a clerk stubbornly said.  

“Don’t you hear me telling you to leave?”  

This time, Changwon-gun shouted in a loud voice that even ordinary people could hear.  

“Are you disrespecting me? I am a member of the royal family, and your rudeness is beyond words. Arrest these officials!”  

At this, Changwon-gun’s men tried to capture the clerks and the officials.  

With the commotion escalating, Ah-eun quickly decided to leave to avoid getting caught in the middle. She was trembling, unsure of what was happening.  

Given that even the officials sent by the king were being driven away, it seemed impossible for her to call the officials herself. So, Ah-eun had no choice but to return home for the time being.  

However, not long after, Tae-eul, dressed in the official attire from the Office of State Affairs, came in looking somewhat flustered and asked a passing servant.  

“Is Si-woo here?”  

“Yes. He is in his room.”  

The servant answered, but Tae-eul asked again, somewhat urgently.  

“Has he been in the room the whole time?”  

The servant looked puzzled but answered honestly.  

“Yes.”  

Tae-eul stood there with a frown and asked another passing servant.  

“Is it true that Si-woo has been in the room the whole time?”  

“Yes.”  

“There’s no mistake?”  

“Yes. I’m sure. I saw him myself, and Ah-eun also saw him.”  

When the servant pointed out Ah-eun, who was standing in front of the room, Tae-eul looked at her. Ah-eun flinched inwardly, but since she hadn’t even met the officials, Tae-eul couldn’t have known that she was trying to help Si-woo.  

True to form, Tae-eul said nothing and went into the room. Shortly after, the mistress, as if she had heard some news, went into the inner chamber in a flurry.  

Although it felt strange, at the time, it didn’t seem particularly noteworthy.

* * *

‘That’s strange.’

Ah-eun thought, tilting her head.

She had gone to Changwon-gun’s house a few more times to deliver news, but the main gate remained firmly closed. Moreover, the unusually grim-faced gatekeepers coldly turned away anyone who came to visit, regardless of who they were.

It seemed that Changwon-gun had become entangled in some conflict with the king. However, even though the king was involved, it was a matter entirely unrelated to her, floating high above her concerns. Ah-eun had no choice but to wait it out.

On the other hand, Si-woo’s surveillance had intensified for some reason, and for the past few days, he hadn’t been able to step out of his room. Initially, meals were brought to him at regular times by anyone available, but now only certain people were allowed near him. As a result, Ah-eun still hadn’t had a chance to inform the news.

“I don’t know what’s going on.”

Mak-rye said, who was folding laundry.

“It doesn’t seem like Young Master did anything that bad.”

“That’s right.”

Ok-bun agreed from the side.

“It seems like he must have seriously offended someone important. They say he’s been put under confinement even on sick leave.”

It appeared that Tae-eul had made a firm decision for the sake of his son’s future. Si-woo, perhaps to calm his father’s anger, was quietly enduring the punishment without any particular resistance.

As Ah-eun was about to enter the inner quarters, Tae-eul suddenly came out of a room and signaled for her. Ah-eun approached with concern.

“Where have you been?”

Tae-eul asked in a tone that was as usual, though it was unusual for him to show interest in where a servant had been. It seemed like he was just making conversation.

“I went to the market for a while.”

Ah-eun answered from the lower veranda, and Tae-eul looked at her silently.

“By any chance…”

He started.

“Do you know what Si-woo has been up to lately?”

Tae-eul finally asked.

Ah-eun noticed a faint unease in his voice and instinctively replied.

“No, I haven’t seen Young Master outside.”

“I see.”

Tae-eul replied more lightly than expected and turned to leave. Ah-eun furrowed her brow slightly and watched his retreating figure. Everything felt strangely unsettling.

* * *

“Changwon-gun.”

A familiar name caught Ah-eun’s attention, and she turned around.

“Oh my.”

The women gathered at the market whispered among themselves.

“What are you talking about?”

Unable to suppress her curiosity at the familiar name, Ah-eun asked. The woman turned to her and lowered her voice.

“You know, right? The female corpse was found outside Dongnimmun a few days ago.”

“Oh… yes.”

Ah-eun vaguely recalled hearing something about that. It was during a busy time, so she had forgotten, but she remembered hearing some people talking about it.

It seemed that a corpse had been discovered a few days ago near Mohwa-gwan outside Dongnimmun. Due to the gruesome nature of the incident, the king had personally ordered that the perpetrator be identified. It was said that the three judicial offices (the Office of Justice, the Office of Censors, and the Office of Seoul) were all investigating the case.

The woman continued.

“The face was smashed from falling off the city wall, so we couldn’t identify her, but it turns out she was a servant working at Changwon-gun’s house.”

Ah-eun suddenly recalled the scene from a few days ago when State Tribunal officials were at Changwon-gun’s house. Her heart began to race for some reason.

Even though she thought it couldn’t be true, Ah-eun asked urgently.

“What was the name of that servant?”

“Well, I don’t know the name.”

The woman replied, seemingly indifferent to the name.

“Anyway, there’s a rumor that Changwon-gun killed someone who worked at his house. Also, his house is right next to the city wall, you know. Isn’t the place where the body was found exactly where someone would fall if thrown from that wall?”

While the women continued whispering, Ah-eun stood there, unsure if she was in shock or simply confused.

‘Could it be…?’

Even though Changwon-gun had several servants, Ah-eun quickly turned and headed toward Dongnimmun. She went to the area east of Mohwa-gwan, outside the city, and north of the house of the royal relative, Lee Mun. But the spot where the body had fallen was already cleaned up, and there was no sign of what had happened.

Ah-eun looked toward the northwest, where Gyeongbokgung Palace was located. Even though she wanted to go see the body, she had no idea where it might have been moved. Later, she would learn that the body was transferred to Hanseongbu for examination, but as an ordinary maid, she had no way of knowing that at the time.

“Excuse me.”

Ah-eun stopped a passing woman and asked without thinking.

“When was the body discovered here?”

The woman looked surprised by the sudden question but seemed to take it as mere curiosity and answered willingly.

“Oh, about ten days ago.”

Then she walked away. Though the vague answer didn’t reveal much, Ah-eun couldn’t help but remain there, aimlessly looking around like someone who had lost their way.

Later, Ah-eun discovered that the body was found on the morning of January 11. She had seen Changwon-gun refusing the search on the 20th, and Si-woo had been confined to his room since January 9, for over ten days.

‘Now that I think about it, it’s strange.’

No matter how serious Si-woo’s offense might have been, it was unnatural for a grown son to be confined for so long. Even the servants had worried about Si-woo’s health and had asked Tae-eul to calm down.

But if Tae-eul had deliberately kept Si-woo confined to prevent him from going outside after learning that the servant he was meeting had been found dead, it made sense. Given that the murder happened during the time Si-woo was locked up, it was unlikely he was the killer. He was simply not a witness, so it wasn’t exactly a crime.

However, Tae-eul, knowing his son’s character well, would have sensed that if Si-woo learned about the murder, he would head straight to Gyeongbokgung Palace immediately.

Ah-eun looked up at the city wall, the sunlight blinding her eyes. She hoped that what seemed impossible through Si-woo and the official might somehow become possible. But if their status did not separate them, then only death would divide them.

* * *

“Those who might know the identity of the deceased have all been summoned to Hanseongbu to identify the body.”

The mistress’ whispering voice said.

Ah-eun, passing by, glanced at the inner room from which the voice was coming.

“Is there anyone who saw Si-woo with that servant?”

Tae-eul asked in a fearfully locked voice from inside the room.

“It doesn’t seem so.”

Duk-man answered.

“That won’t do.”

The mistress urged.

Duk-man replied in a trembling voice.

“Since they always met secretly, I’m the only one who knows about their relationship.”

“That must be the case.”

Tae-eul said firmly.

“In any case, since the identity of the deceased has already been confirmed by that servant and Changwon-gun is certainly the culprit, Si-woo has nothing more to add.”