Episode 4

Sunwoo Yeonha was in her room, looking into the mirror as she carefully applied her makeup.

She was already beautiful—radiant enough to satisfy anyone’s praise—but suddenly, the image of Jegal Seoyul’s stunning appearance and the dazed expressions of the older brothers who had been watching her earlier wouldn’t leave her mind.

Snap!

She crushed the hairbrush in her hand, grinding her teeth as she muttered under her breath.

“Hmph. Once I grow a little more…”

Yes, she told herself, she just hadn’t fully blossomed yet. If she grew a bit more, she would be just as dazzling as Jegal Seoyul.

After all, people already praised her as one of the most beautiful women in Gwiju Fortress.

As Sunwoo Yeonha comforted herself like that, voices of maids passing by outside the room suddenly drifted in.

“Oh my, really?! The Fourth Prince got beaten and injured by the Third Prince?”

“Yeah! And the Third Lady went into a frenzy because of it!”

Sunwoo Yeonha froze mid-movement.

“But is that even possible? That pig of a prince—how could he?”

“I heard it was an accident. The Fourth Prince bumped into the Third Prince’s outstretched hand.”

“Really?! Heeheehee! That must have been hilarious!”

“Want to hear the funniest part?”

“What is it, what is it?”

“The Fourth Prince was trying to impress Lady Jegal, but he ended up fainting right in front of her!”

“What?! Hohoho! That’s priceless!”

At that moment, Sunwoo Yeonha flung the door open with a bang.

“Hey!”

“Ah! M-Miss?!”

She glared at them with a fierce look they rarely saw, her voice sharp as she demanded,

“What did you just say? That Brother Ki got beaten and injured by Brother Jin? That he actually fainted?”

The maids trembled and bowed their heads, intimidated by her deadly gaze.

“Y-Yes, Miss. That’s correct.”

Sunwoo Yeonha clenched her teeth tightly.

Her eyes flashed dangerously with anger.

“How dare they…”

---

Jegal Seoyul of the Cheonhye Geombong clan, assigned a lavish guest room, handed a sealed letter to her friend Hae Cheongyeon, who was staying in the same room.

“Here, this is the information you asked for on the Third Prince Sunwoo. They said they bought it near Haomun.”

“Thanks. I’ll pay you back right away.”

Hae Cheongyeon’s flat voice earned a small smirk from Jegal Seoyul.

“Pay you back? Between us? Anyway, why did you want info on that fat prince? I was honestly shocked. Can you believe someone from the Sunwoo family could look like that? He was buried in fat, his eyes just slits. Seriously.”

Hae Cheongyeon replied indifferently.

“Yeah, that’s what I heard.”

She glanced at the doll she’d been fiddling with.

It was a soft, stuffed bear with eyes drawn as simple slits.

Seeing it, Jegal Seoyul chuckled softly.

“Ha! Now that you mention it, that guy does kind of look like your precious doll. You didn’t ask me to investigate because of that, did you?”

Hae Cheongyeon answered again, as if it were nothing.

“No way. I just thought the move he used to knock out the Third Prince was unusual. I want to know more about his past.”

“Huh? That move? Wasn’t it just a coincidence?”

Jegal Seoyul’s puzzled question was met with a detached reply as Hae Cheongyeon read through the documents.

“Who knows.”

“Hmm, well, you have better judgment than me when it comes to martial arts. But still, is it worth worrying about a pig who gets tired and collapses after just a little movement?”

Focused on the papers, Hae Cheongyeon didn’t respond, so Jegal Seoyul gave up.

“Yeah, your strange curiosity is something even the great Ha Daehyeop gave up on. How could I possibly understand it?”

She looked at her friend engrossed in the documents, then suddenly asked again.

“I’ve always wondered—how can you read with your bangs covering your eyes like that?”

Hae Cheongyeon’s bangs hung low, almost to the middle of her nose, completely blocking her eyes.

Yet her answer was as flat as ever.

“If I can see, I can read.”

Jegal Seoyul knew well that when Hae Cheongyeon focused on something, she ignored everything else. Still, she couldn’t stand the silence.

“When are you going to move your bangs? I really don’t get why you hide that beauty of yours.”

Hae Cheongyeon countered with the same monotone.

“Do you want me to move them?”

Jegal Seoyul paused to think, then shook her head.

“No, I don’t. I don’t want the attention to be divided. And if you got more attention than me, I might get jealous. Just imagining that is terrifying.”

“Right? Then it’s settled.”

Jegal Seoyul smiled brightly, satisfied.

“I see. I’m glad you don’t want the spotlight. I really like you, Cheongyeon.”

For the first time, Hae Cheongyeon turned to look at her and replied.

“I like you too, Seoyul. Even if you’re not quite like a normal person.”

Her tone was calm, but Jegal Seoyul smiled warmly.

She knew well that such words rarely came from her unique friend.

---

The next day was finally the day I would leave the family estate.

Outside the main gate, ronin were waiting early in the morning to accompany me.

My father had explained they would escort me to the front lines in Yunnan Province, but anyone could tell they were there to keep an eye on me, making sure I didn’t run off.

The family members who came to see me off were few.

Besides the servants, only my father and Yeonha were present.

“For the honor of the Sunwoo family, I hope you stay healthy and perform well,” my father said, his usual authoritative and stern expression in place.

But now, I could easily detect a hint of sorrow and tenderness in his eyes.

I wondered how I hadn’t noticed it before.

“I will uphold the family’s honor and return safely,” I said, kneeling and bowing deeply.

My father simply nodded, his eyes slightly reddened.

Next, I greeted Yeonha.

“Thank you, Yeonha, for coming out so early to see me off.”

She looked at me with concern.

“It’s nothing, Brother. It’s only natural to see you off on such a long journey. And here.”

She handed me a small, neatly wrapped bundle.

“What’s this?”

“Rice balls. I made them for you to eat on the road.”

Surprised, I asked, “Rice balls? Did you make these yourself?”

“Yes, though I can’t promise they taste good.”

I smiled and thanked her.

“Thank you, Yeonha. You’re the only one who would do this. I’ll eat them well.”

With that, I mounted the prepared horse, and we departed from the Sunwoo estate.

After a while, when the estate was completely out of sight, I stopped the horse and dismounted.

One of the ronin approached me.

“What’s the matter, Young Master? It’s not time to rest yet.”

He was Jang Gangseong, the leader of the hired ronin.

His furrowed brow showed he was worried I might throw a tantrum and refuse to go on.

I spoke firmly.

“I’m going to run all the way to Yunnan from here.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I said I’m going to run. To lose some weight, too.”

The ronin gaped, speechless.

“N-No, but where exactly do you think you’re going running in that condition…?”

I understood their disbelief perfectly.

But if there was anything urgent for me right now, it was losing weight.

No matter how much knowledge I had about the battlefield, if my body wasn’t up to it, it was just useless information.

So I decided to run to Yunnan.

It would take at least three days on horseback, so running might be…

Well, I wasn’t sure.

Anyway, in my past life, when I arrived at the front lines, all the squad leaders of the Flying Dragon Thirteen looked at my body in shock.

No one wanted to take me into their squad.

Of course, Squad Leader Seolpung had smiled and taken me in, but I had no intention of repeating that embarrassment in this life.

Absolutely not.

Because not only Seolpung but also she—who was still alive—would be there.

“This time, I’ll make a good first impression on her. This time, I will definitely…!”

Clenching my fist, I burned with determination.

Then Jang, the leader of the ronin, looked troubled as he spoke.

“Master, we understand your resolve, but we have a contract. If your arrival is delayed, we’ll suffer losses for those days. We can’t just…”

While he rambled on, I cut straight to the point.

“What do you think about this?”

I pointed to the horse I had been riding.

He looked confused.

“That horse? It’s a very fine horse. But what about it?”

“I’m giving this horse to you all. A horse like this is worth quite a lot, even just selling it.”

The ronin all turned their heads toward the horse at once.

Their eyes sparkled as they examined it carefully.

This horse was specially chosen by my father for me—one of the best in the Sunwoo family.

If sold to someone who knew horses, it would surely fetch a high price.

So it was obvious what they were thinking right now. Probably celebrating inwardly, feeling like they’d hit the jackpot.

Jang, the warrior, who had been quietly watching me, cleared his throat and finally spoke.

“At that level, well… it seems worth the price.”

Worth the price, huh? Just barely worth it?

Well, I had expected him to say something like that.

After all, these were ronin I’d never see again. For them, gobbling it up quickly was the best deal.

But after a brief hesitation, he sighed deeply and added,

“To be honest, I don’t think you fully understand horses. A horse like that is worth every penny. It’s too much to take from our fee.”

“Huh.”

That was an unexpected response.

I thought they’d be happy about having an easy mark.

The other ronin glared at me as if ready to tear me apart, clearly wondering what kind of nonsense I was pulling.

I let out a bitter laugh.

Looks like I’d misjudged him.

I’d assumed, since he was a ronin, he’d be all about the money.

With a serious expression, I bowed to him and said,

“Jang, I apologize. You’re far more honest than I thought. It’s an honor to travel with such a fine warrior.”

He looked surprised by my praise.

“W-well? I’m just…”

“I know the value of that horse well. Honestly, I’m giving it to you because I doubt I’d get its full worth once we reach the front lines. I worry that if I still had it, I might lose the will to run. So, let’s consider this mutual aid—I give you the horse, and in return, I ask for some help on the journey ahead.”

I extended my hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, he looked at it, dismounted, and firmly shook it.

“San Gongja, you’re nothing like the rumors say. Understood. Since you paid well, we’ll do our best.”

And so my running began.

From Guizhou’s Guiyang all the way to Yunnan Province.

Even if I rode without stopping, it would take at least three days.

I knew it would be incredibly tough for me.

But I was certain this run would be the nourishment I needed to be reborn.

Yes, in this life, I would change.

Without fail!

About fifteen minutes later—

I collapsed onto the ground, vomiting.

“Ughhh!”

Jang patted my back with a look of pity.

“Gongja, you’re not doing this just because you don’t want to go, are you?”

“What? No, ughhh!”

After a short rest, I got up again, but barely made it halfway through the next fifteen minutes before collapsing flat on my back.

The sky was swimming yellow before my eyes.

“Hah, hah, hah.”

The ronin glanced at the horse I’d dug a pit for with pity, probably wondering if it was really worth that much.

I was deeply embarrassed, but the exhaustion was so overwhelming that I couldn’t help it.

Then, suddenly, beneath the yellow-tinged sky, a handkerchief was offered to me.

“Huh?”

Startled, I turned my head to see a young lady holding out a handkerchief.

It was Je Gal Sojeo, the one whose bangs completely covered her eyes.

She said to me,

“Wipe your sweat.”

Her tone was flat, emotionless, but somehow her cheeks beneath the bangs looked flushed.

…Was I imagining it?

Anyway, at that moment, my embarrassment outweighed my fatigue, and I forced myself upright.

“Ugh! Lady Cheongyeon, I’ve shown you such a pitiful sight.”

She looked surprised.

“You… know me?”

I smiled awkwardly.

“I heard Je Gal Sojeo call your name yesterday.”

“Ah, so you have a good memory.”

Muttering that, she offered the handkerchief again.

“Use it. I have plenty, so just keep it.”

She was so confident about it that I couldn’t refuse.

Instinctively, I took it and wiped my sweat roughly.

Then she said,

“Cheer up. I’ll be rooting for you.”

And with that, she turned and walked away.

It felt like a storm had just swept through.

More like a natural phenomenon than a person.

Anyway, it was the first time in my two lives that a woman had handed me a handkerchief.

It was a strange feeling.

The ronin who had been watching burst into cheers as she disappeared.

“Oh! Lord Sunwoo, you’re amazing!”

“To receive a handkerchief from such a beautiful lady—so jealous!”

Weird things to say.

If she’s beautiful, just say she’s beautiful—not “looks like she might be.”

Well, I guess it’s hard to tell when you can only see half her face.

Of course, it wasn’t what they thought it was.

I knew my place too well to misread her gesture.

She must have felt sorry for me.

She seemed like a very kind lady.

“Well, still, it does make me feel a bit proud.”

To feel proud in front of others thanks to a woman—that was also a first in my two lives.

Suddenly, a surge of energy filled me, and I jumped up, shouting boldly,

“Alright, let’s go again!”

My fiery spirit was met with cheers from the ronin.

“Yeahhh!”

Of course, I still couldn’t last the full fifteen minutes.

“Ughhh!”

The ronin warriors now looked up at the sky with a resigned expression.

After a pattern of short bursts and long rests, we finally managed to leave Guiyang by lunchtime.

Seeing the ronin struggling to hide their irritation, I was glad I’d handed the horse over to them.

Jang shouted,

“Let’s eat before we go! Looks like we’ll be eating outdoors a lot!”

Hmm, that was probably meant for me to hear.

Embarrassing.

Turning away from them, I opened the bundle Yeonha had given me.

Inside were small, neatly wrapped rice balls.