Beast, Blue Blood - Chapter 82

Chapter 82

“After all, the servant identified the body and confirmed that the criminal was Changwon-gun. There’s nothing more Si-woo can add.”

If it were revealed that Si-woo was closely involved with the victim, he could have been accused as the culprit. Fortunately, Si-woo had been confined to his room since the evening of the 9th, so many people could testify to his innocence. However, getting his name involved in such an incident would still leave him with a stigma that would follow him for life. Especially being known as the lover of a deceased servant girl…

After passing the state examination, Si-woo could become at least a 4th-rank official, with the potential to climb even higher depending on his abilities. His father was desperate to prevent anything that could ruin the future of his only son.

Although Ah-eun returned home an hour ago, she still had no idea what to do.

Should she tell Si-woo?

If she did, what should she say? Should she just tell him that Eop-ji seemed to be dead? That… she had been murdered?

She couldn’t bring herself to say such things to his face.

Of course, she knew that hiding it wouldn’t solve anything. That’s why she kept walking towards Si-woo’s room, only to stop herself repeatedly.

If someone else had told Si-woo that Eop-ji was dead, Ah-eun would have hated that person for it. It wasn’t just the fear of being resented by Si-woo, but the knowledge that such devastating pain would burn within him that made her unable to speak.

* * *

She had gone to Changwon-gun’s house, but as expected, the doors were firmly locked, and no one could enter or leave. Climbing over the wall was no big deal for Ah-eun, but it was still daylight, and someone could see her, so that wasn’t an option either.

‘I’ll come back when it gets dark.’

With that thought, Ah-eun returned home.

However, as she approached the house, something felt off. Several servants were standing nervously at the gate, so she approached and asked.

“What’s going on?”

One of the servants, seeing Ah-eun, began to complain as if seeking sympathy.

“Oh no, the young master ran off before anyone could stop him.”

Her heart sank.

The servant continued as if trying to explain that it wasn’t his fault.

“Both of you weren’t home, so there was no one to stop him.”

Another servant chimed in.

“Yes, he suddenly seemed possessed or like he had become a demon—I’ve never seen such an expression in my life.”

“Did someone say something to the young master?”

Ah-eun urgently asked, and the servant made a face that said it was better not to ask.

“How would I know? The only person who can approach the young master is Duk-man…”

It was clear that Duk-man had said something careless again.

“Where did he go? Huh? Which way did he go?”

Normally quiet and easygoing, Ah-eun’s sudden, intense questioning startled the servant into answering.

“Uh, that way…”

Ah-eun immediately ran in that direction. Watching her retreating figure, the servants murmured as if possessed.

“Who knew she could run so fast?”

* * *

She searched the entire city for Si-woo, but he was nowhere to be found.

She even went as far as the palace gates, thinking that Si-woo might have gone to the king to report the matter himself. However, seeing the guards standing watch, Ah-eun couldn’t muster the courage to go inside. Entering the palace felt like crossing a line from which there would be no return.

By then, the sun was setting.

‘He might have returned home by now.’

Although she had gained nothing, Ah-eun returned home. The house was still in a state of turmoil. It seemed even more chaotic than before.

Ah-eun went inside and asked a servant she encountered.

“Has the young master returned?”

The servant sighed and shook his head.

“The master and the mistress are also out searching, completely beside themselves. Everything is in such a mess these days.”

Ah-eun looked toward Si-woo’s empty room.

In the end, all she could do was wait for nightfall.

* * *

Ah-eun landed lightly on the roof tiles.

A soft light glowed from within the house. She would only be able to find out if something about Eop-ji or Si-woo was being hidden once everyone in the house was asleep. Yet, it seemed that someone was still awake deep into the night.

“The words of that servant are unreliable.”

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence. Ah-eun looked down at the tiles beneath her feet with a serious expression. It was the voice of Changwon-gun.

“If I just deny the words of a mere servant to the end, that will be the end of it.”

So, it really was Changwon-gun who… did that to Eop-ji…

Ah-eun clenched her fists tightly, her hands trembling. She didn’t want to believe that someone of such high status could commit such a cruel act, and somewhere deep down, she wanted to believe in this stranger. But now, she felt ashamed of even having that thought.

Meanwhile, Changwon-gun continued speaking.

“The Three Offices won’t be able to do much unless the identity of Go Eop-ji is confirmed. Besides, the king is on my side. Since I’m his senior in the family lineage, he hesitates to punish me, so if I deny everything to the end, he likely won’t dig any deeper.”

His shameless words made Ah-eun want to scream in frustration.

“But if Si-woo confirms Go Eop-ji’s identity, it’s over.”

Changwon-gun acknowledged.

“Si-woo’s words carry weight. And given their relationship, people would think it impossible for him not to recognize his lover.”

Then he said.

“So Si-woo must remain silent.”

He said it as casually as if he were talking about what to eat for breakfast the next day.

Perhaps it was the nonchalant tone that made Ah-eun momentarily fail to grasp what that meant, leaving her with a puzzled expression.

“Mount Samgaksan (Bukaksan) will gladly take him in.”

When Changwon-gun spoke mockingly, Ah-eun flinched.

‘No way…?’

She quickly turned to look at the mountain casting a massive silhouette in the darkness to the north of the city.

‘Young Master!’

* * *

The long cigarette ash was about to fall.

Lost in thought, Ah-eun suddenly realized she was not alone and looked at Tauga. Then, as she flicked away the ash that was about to break off, she spoke.

“Sometimes I wonder. Was it fate that I happened to go to Hanyang at that time and ended up working at Young Master Si-woo’s household?”

No matter how she thought about it, it was hard to deny the force of fate at play. If she hadn’t been there that day, Si-woo might have been remembered in the annals of history with just a brief mention: ‘Chu Si-woo has died.’

* * *

Ah-eun anxiously searched the dark forest. Apart from the sound of a nightingale’s cry, there was nothing else to hear.

She had to find Si-woo immediately, but in this vast mountain, she had no idea where to begin.

Then it hit her.

‘The smell of blood.’

No matter who Changwon-gun sent, they couldn’t have easily killed Si-woo, a Gap-sa (royal guard). There must have been a fight, and whether it was Si-woo or his opponents, someone would have bled.

Ah-eun urgently followed the scent of blood.

‘There’s no time to lose.’

She couldn’t be late again like when Haji died.

Finding the scent of blood in this vast mountain seemed more impossible than finding a needle in a haystack, but it was possible. She was eerily sensitive to the smell of blood.

A few times, she followed the scent only to find nocturnal animals that had successfully hunted. They leaped away in surprise when they saw Ah-eun.

And finally, she found it.

Ah-eun crouched down and touched the ground.

“Young Master…”

The scent of blood rose from the earth.

It was faint, mixed with the smell of dirt, but she could detect drops of blood scattered on the ground. The blood was fresh, having fallen just recently.

The ground had been carefully leveled to remove any signs of digging, but the texture of the soil was soft as if it had been overturned once.

Ah-eun began frantically digging into the earth. Dirt wedged under her fingernails, and as she strained, the bones in her hands jutted out like hooks, only to disappear again.

She dug for a long time. It seemed they had buried the body deep to ensure it wouldn’t be discovered. Unlike with Eop-ji, they weren’t going to make the mistake of carelessly discarding the body this time.

If Ah-eun had been human—an ordinary servant of the Chu family named Chun Ah-eun—it would have been impossible to tell whether Si-woo had died from internal injuries inflicted by a blade or from the lack of oxygen.

Finally, beneath the damp, black soil, the pale and lifeless Si-woo appeared.

“Young Master…!”

She almost shouted out loud before catching herself and quickly scanning the surroundings. There was still a chance that Changwon-gun’s men might be nearby.

“Young Master?”

She called out a little louder, but Si-woo didn’t respond. His handsome face had taken on a deathly pale hue. It didn’t seem like he was breathing.

Ah-eun urgently dug out more dirt and lifted the unresponsive Si-woo into her arms. The oppressive and grim atmosphere of this tragedy seemed to drain her strength, making it harder than usual.

Srrrk. Srrrk.

Si-woo’s body made a scraping sound as it was pulled from the earth. Although he wasn’t heavy, he was much larger than Ah-eun, so his legs dragged along the ground.

She laid him on the ground and immediately bent down to check for breathing. As expected, he was barely breathing.

The wounds from various cuts and slashes revealed how fiercely he had fought. Blood soaked the hem of his robe, especially from a wound on his back where he had been stabbed, turning it a deep red.

In the end, the fatal blow seemed to be the one inflicted while he was fending off attackers—a stab from behind.

“Young Master…”

Ah-eun anxiously glanced around.

An eerie wind whistled through the dark trees.

A distant animal howled.

She looked back at Si-woo.

Though she had never turned someone into a vampire before, she instinctively knew how, just as a human instinctively knows how to breathe and walk.

‘The smell of blood…’

Ah-eun’s breathing became increasingly ragged.

The pungent scent of blood filled her nostrils—a scent so enticing it sent shivers down her spine.

Even in this dire situation, the thought that she could drink his blood made her feel disgusted with herself, bringing tears to her eyes.

Ah-eun leaned down and bit into the still-warm flesh of Si-woo’s neck. Her sharp fangs pierced his skin with surprising ease, and she swallowed the liquid that filled her mouth with a loud gulp.

‘It feels like my insides are burning.’

As she finally withdrew, Si-woo’s pale neck bore a gruesome wound, as if a beast had savagely bitten into it. He now looked as if he had no chance of survival.

Ah-eun pressed her fingernails deeply into her own arm. Her hand trembled violently.

She brought her bleeding hand to Si-woo’s mouth.

Drip.

A drop of blood fell onto his pale lips.

Blood began to flow down her arm, dripping into Si-woo’s mouth and messily across his lips.

Ah-eun then collapsed, exhausted. Si-woo still showed no signs of movement, and his complexion didn’t seem to improve.

‘Will this really work…?’

She couldn’t be sure. Without any memory of how she became this way, it was hard to believe that someone who appeared dead could come back to life.

Just then, something caught her eye—a glimmer from inside the pit where she had pulled Si-woo out.

‘What’s that…?’

She glanced at Si-woo, still motionless, before descending into the pit to retrieve the object buried in the soil.

It was a sword, its scabbard wrapped in ray skin, decorated with gold, and adorned with a red tassel.