Jo-Woon, the first to realize the danger, drew her sword used for guarding the king, and threw it immediately. The sword pierced the coachman's neck and embedded itself in the carriage. The coachman shuddered before collapsing, blood gushing from his body.
"Protect His Highness! His Highness must not be harmed! Your Highness, quickly, to the royal palace…!"
As Jo-Woon shouted, her voice abruptly cut off. King Gyeonghye turned around with a pale face to see an arrow lodged in Jo-Woon's back. She reached tremblingly for the arrow, then gritted her teeth and grabbed a dagger she carried as a spare. Quickly scanning for the enemy, she threw the dagger like a throwing star. King Gyeonghye couldn't see where it landed. He tightened his grip on the reins, feeling no guilt for leaving her behind. Instead, he used her as a distraction to escape.
Jo-Woon watched him go, her expression blank, before picking up a fallen sword. Poison must have coated the arrow, as her body grew increasingly paralyzed. Her head spun, and her movements slowed, but she still moved to kill those pursuing King Gyeonghye.
'Your Highness, you must become the Crown Prince.'
"If you wish to proceed, you must cut me down first!"
She slashed the chest of the largest assailant diagonally, catching him off guard as her face turned pale from the poison. Blood poured from his wound as he fell. To prevent him from rising again to kill her, she raised the sword and severed his neck. However, another attacker pierced her stomach from the front. Thin, long blades repeatedly stabbed her, puncturing her chest, neck, and abdomen, staining her body red. The overwhelming pain was somewhat alleviated as the poison deadened her senses. Despite the wounds, she remained upright, skewered by three spears. The assassins left her and rode after King Gyeonghye.
As her vision blurred, she glimpsed the brothel from where they had come. Though now distant, she inexplicably felt the world was painted in red. It reminded her of the field of red flowers where she first met King Gyeonghye. His bright smile as he reached for her in that flower field filled her mind.
'If only I had known… I would have told him I loved him.'
Her fingers twitched. But the last attacker on horseback beheaded her, ending her thoughts. Her head hit the ground with a thud, leaving only her speared, headless body behind, grotesque in its incompleteness. Despite the gruesome death, no one came; it was as if the entire capital were dead.
“Damn it! What the hell…!”
King Gyeonghye ran without looking back, running and running. How far had he come? As he ran, he glanced sideways, seeing blood splattered on the wall. Screams erupted behind him, not from one or two people, but from many. The sounds of his guards defending him ceased, replaced by the noise of assassins charging after him.
Who could it be? King Jinyeong? Kang? King Sohyeon? He thought of the few potential culprits but found no answers.
“Arghhhh!”
The scream of his last guard being killed by the assassins reached his ears. Drawing on his limited war experience, King Gyeonghye instinctively knew that the assassins were numerous. Not only those who had emerged from the carriage but others already lying in wait, relentlessly targeting him.
They wanted nothing but his death. Emotions he had felt on the battlefield surged within him. Tears streamed down his face, soaking his face and chest. Despite his years as a royal prince, he was still just a 17-year-old boy.
“Damn it all!”
A comrade who had shared hardships with him on the battlefield was dead. Jo Woon, who had admired him with sparkling eyes, surely hadn't survived either. He had left her as bait to escape, so it was inevitable.
King Gyeonghye narrowly dodged a blade that brushed past his head, his back growing cold with dread. His plain clothes were drenched with sweat, but he couldn’t feel it. The instinct to survive was all that drove him, leading him naturally to the nearest place of refuge, King Yeonghyeon's residence. He believed Kang would protect him. Kang, with his kind and gentle nature, might see his plight and spare him. King Jinyeong would surely seize the opportunity to kill him, but Kang might genuinely pity him and let him live.
The residence of King Yeonghyeon came into view, not far off. Just a little more, and he could escape the assassins. Hope flared in King Gyeonghye's eyes as he focused on the faint lights of the residence.
However, the assassin chasing King Gyeonghye did not miss his moment of inattention. Drawing a dagger, the assassin, whose mask had nearly fallen off, aimed for King Gyeonghye's neck. Sensing the danger, King Gyeonghye twisted his head just in time.
"Aah…!"
But the assassin, still on horseback, didn’t relent. He leapt into the air, raising the dagger high and slashing King Gyeonghye's face from his left eye down to his chin. The face he had cherished and maintained so meticulously was now marred. Blood splattered, and though the assassin succeeded in wounding him, he fell from the horse, rolling and snapping his neck.
"No, no, nooo! Nooo!"
King Gyeonghye screamed, clutching his bleeding face. The pain was excruciating, but even worse was the realization that his cherished appearance was ruined. The blood ran down his face, mingling with his tears, as he stumbled towards the flickering lights of King Yeonghyeon's residence, desperate for safety.
King Gyeonghye cried out, holding his face with one hand. He needed to escape, but consumed by bitter regret over his ruined appearance, he staggered in despair. Blood and tears streamed from his left eye, now devoid of function, while tears flowed from his right eye, the only feature left intact. Clutching his face with both hands, he wailed in agony.
King Gyeonghye groaned as he pulled the reins frantically, the sound of his horse's hooves pounding like a drumbeat in his disoriented mind. He had to reach King Yeonghyeon's residence. Even if his face was destroyed… as long as he could survive. He would live to seek vengeance.
Peering through his blurred vision, King Gyeonghye moved forward. "Huuk, heuk… Kang, Kang! Come save me, Kang!"
Desperately, he shouted towards King Yeonghyeon's residence. It was strange. Why were there no soldiers on duty at this critical hour? Had the defenses of the capital crumbled so easily?
As both Emperor and father, he had always spared no expense in fortifying the defenses, believing that if the defenses fell, everything would crumble. He had done everything in his power to ensure that no one could attack the capital.
Yet now, among the multitude of defense forces, there was not a single soul in sight. It was as if someone wished for his genuine demise.
"Surely not…."
King Gyeonghye bit his lip. Yet, his crying didn't cease. Euh, huh.... A sorrowful wail burst forth from his mouth. Due to the copious amount of blood he had shed in an instant, his head spun, but with Abamama's blood coursing through his veins, he wouldn't easily succumb to death. He could still hold on.
"Abamama! I was your son too!"
He had strived to earn his love, and when he turned away, cold and unfeeling, he had resolved to become a traitor and kill him. He should have killed him. He should have killed everyone, including Kang and Song, and buried them in the ground!
"I was your...."
The wail rose to the tip of his chin and then subsided.
The assassin who had pursued him to the end aimed for King Gyeonghye's back. King Gyeonghye tried to dodge. However, in his dazed state, he couldn't evade entirely. As he attempted to pull his arm inward, King Gyeonghye felt metal pierce through his armpit.
Then, the door to the palace creaked open, and at the moment when the guards of King Yeonghyeon, who had rushed to save him, poured in, King Gyeonghye's arm jutted into the air.
"Aaaargh!"
King Gyeonghye's cry finally broke the silence. Copious amounts of blood spurted from his severed arm, and from his gaping mouth, cries of agony flowed. An arrow, inscribed with the protection of the king, pierced the neck of the man who had severed King Gyeonghye's arm. Then it aimed at the fleeing assassins. With calm precision, King Yeonghyeon charged forward, protecting King Gyeonghye. The few surviving assassins, pursued by other soldiers, fled hastily, while King Yeonghyeon hurriedly approached King Gyeonghye.
"Hyung...."
King Yeonghyeon's eyes widened as he looked at King Gyeonghye, who was covered in blood and sobbing. The left side of his beautiful face was severed, blood dripping steadily, and his left arm was gone. His arm had turned into a lump of flesh, rolling on the dirt ground. Yeonghyeon dismounted from his horse and hugged King Gyeonghye, who was barely leaning against the horse's head. Despite the emperor's robes, soaked in blood, Kang was desperate to save King Gyeonghye.
"Hyung! Pull yourself together! We need to get you to the palace!"
"Kang...! Save me. It hurts too much.... I feel like I'm dying. Please.... Save me....!"
King Gyeonghye clung to Kang's chest, crying pitifully like a motherless child. Kang embraced his brother with a despairing face, trying to help him onto his horse. But he was already half out of his senses and couldn't mount the horse. Kang examined his body, panting, and applied pressure starting from the bleeding arm. He tore his own clothes to bandage the wound and then lifted King Gyeonghye onto his back. King Gyeonghye's large body collapsed heavily against Kang's torso. He trembled in pain before losing consciousness.
"Hyung, this won't do. Pull yourself together!"
Kang's face paled at the thought of King Gyeonghye dying. Despite the humiliation and ridicule he had faced from his brother, he didn't want him to die like this. After all, they had grown up together as brothers.
Gritting his teeth, Kang carried him towards the palace. People who rushed out of the palace noticed Kang and called out, "Your Highness!" Kang pushed them aside and entered the palace, shouting,
"Bring the royal physician! We need to save my brother!"