Camellia Permeates the Snow

Episode 12

**Standing on Blood**

Yeonhwa entered the room with Ari and looked at her with worried eyes. Ari’s cheek, struck by Heegyeonggung, appeared even more swollen and red than before.

If only she had behaved a bit better, Ari wouldn’t have been hit. A deep sense of guilt filled her, feeling that it was all her fault.

‘Just because you inherited your mother’s name doesn’t mean you’re anything special. You’re merely a vessel for her spirit.’

‘Useless. If you can’t become a spirit, you’re nothing but a bug.’

‘Because of you, your family has suffered. Your parents and even your little siblings, all because of you.’

Suddenly, the voice of the deputy court lady echoed in her ears like an apparition. During her training as a spirit, the deputy court lady often said such things to gnaw at Yeonhwa’s spirit.

Yeonhwa wasn’t particularly flawed or lacking. She had performed all the tasks assigned to her by the court ladies well, was obedient, and, over time, showed little emotion like other royal family members.

Before entering the palace, she had desperately tried to save her family, who were imprisoned. Some even whispered that she was better than the late Queen Jeonghae.

While everyone had bowed their heads upon hearing this, the deputy court lady had originally been Jeonghae’s maid.

Having grown up as her handmaiden, she probably didn’t want to accept that the queen had become a wandering spirit, and she likely loathed Yeonhwa, who had been brought in to contain that spirit. When Yeonhwa became the de facto mistress of the inner palace, the deputy court lady tormented her even more.

She would mix dirt into the meager rice porridge allowed once a day, making it inedible, and would deliberately pour cold water over her during baths.

Whenever Yeonhwa tried to show any will, the deputy court lady would thoroughly trample and suppress her. When there were no ears to listen to, she would treat her with disdain before entering the palace.

‘How dare a wretch like you contain the queen’s spirit? It seems heaven has turned its back on the kingdom.’

Having endured such treatment for ten long years, it was only natural that all the world’s sins felt like her own.

“I’m sorry…”

Yeonhwa couldn’t even bring herself to look closely at Ari’s cheek and lowered her head like a sinner. Even touching that cheek felt like an act of shame.

Seeing Yeonhwa like this, Ari instead blinked her eyes with tears.

“What did you do wrong, Yeonhwa? It’s all my fault.”

Ari said she had endured even worse scoldings before becoming a maiden, so this was nothing.

“And Heeg yeong gung is known to be one of the hardest to please in the royal family. There was a time she kicked out a court lady just for not standing properly. It’s a relief that it ended with just a slap!”

Ari lowered her voice as if sharing a great secret and smiled brightly.

“So don’t worry about me.”

With a smile that showed her raised lips, Ari squinted slightly and then looked at Yeonhwa with a bright smile.

On her innocent and cheerful face, Yeonhwa could see Songhwa overlapping. She was the most beautiful child in the world. Though she could be a bit spoiled, she was bright and cheerful, listened well to her parents, and even showed maturity beyond her age, winning the love of the townspeople.

Especially, Songhwa adored Yeonhwa immensely. Whenever there was delicious food, she would share it with Yeonhwa, and whenever she saw something pretty, she wanted to share it with Yeonhwa.

When Yeonhwa embroidered, Songhwa would pick up a needle with her tiny hands, and wherever Yeonhwa went, she would follow. She even wanted to imitate her steps and would follow her around all day.

It was almost a habit for her to say she would grow up to be like her sister. Such a young and lovely child had withered away before blooming.

Because her sister refused to become a spirit. Because she tried to defy the royal decree. At not even five years old, she had her breath taken from her mercilessly.

If only she had tried a little harder, if only she had become a spirit a day sooner, could she have saved that child? Perhaps their parents would not have been executed after resisting in prison. Days passed, filled with endless regret and longing, burning and extinguishing in the face of irreversible time.

How could she bear to see Ari, who was not even family, suffer for her sake?

‘Perhaps it would be better to just stay alone in the inner palace like before, having given everything up.’

Did Ari catch a glimpse of Yeonhwa’s thoughts? With a serious expression, Ari took Yeonhwa’s hand.

“Yeonhwa, I’m okay. So don’t make that face.”

Yeonhwa felt Ari’s soft and warm body temperature on her hand.

A pure heart, free of calculations, was contained within it. Why was she doing this for her? Why? Her heart warmed as if she had received an unrepayable favor. For the first time, Yeonhwa, who had been weak and sitting idle, felt a will stirring within her.

“Ari.”

“Yes, Yeonhwa.”

Right. If she couldn’t keep her distance, it would be better to do something to protect her rather than sitting quietly and losing her like before. Yeonhwa clasped Ari’s hand, which had been resting on her palm.

“Though I may have no power here, I will somehow protect you.”

In truth, she had little she could do to keep that promise, but Yeonhwa wanted to make that vow to Ari. Just as Ari had done today, she would protect this child, even if it meant throwing herself into danger. Perhaps that simple vow resonated with Ari’s heart. Ari tightened her grip on Yeonhwa’s hand, showing a determined expression.

“No. I will help and protect you even more, Yeonhwa.”

At that moment, Yeonhwa finally lifted her hand to touch Ari’s reddened cheek.

“Is your cheek okay?”

“Yes! It feels cool.”

Ari closed her eyes and smiled softly as if she liked the touch. For the first time, Yeonhwa felt grateful for her usually cold hands. Gradually, a faint smile of comfort appeared on Yeonhwa’s face as well. She was truly glad to have this child.

—

“Thus, it is deemed appropriate that the workers and their families participating in the altar construction be exempt from labor during the construction period.”

Park Cheomsang bowed deeply, waiting for a response. However, as time passed, there was no answer from Kang-yoon.

When Park Cheomsang glanced up, he saw Kang-yoon staring into space, seemingly lost in thought. Rather than calling Kang-yoon again, he looked at Yang Taegam, who was standing beside him.

He couldn’t bring himself to urge the Crown Prince, so he hoped Yang Taegam would catch his attention. Yang Taegam, receiving the signal, softly called out to Kang-yoon.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

At that call, Kang-yoon’s gaze returned to focus.

“Is there a problem with exempting the workers and their families from labor?”

Yang Taegam didn’t forget to reiterate Park Cheomsang’s request skillfully.

“It’s fine to exempt the workers, but if their families are also completely exempted, there will be considerable loss in the region.”

Kang-yoon answered naturally, as if nothing had happened. The thoughts that had been swirling in his eyes moments ago had vanished without a trace.

He proposed a suitable compromise to ensure that the families of the workers would not suffer while their loved ones were engaged in the altar construction. Kang-yoon was always fair and acted according to the law, capable of seeing the bigger picture.

This time, all the officials nodded in agreement to proceed as proposed. Once the discussion concluded, the officials quickly withdrew. The matter was finished earlier than expected, leaving a bit of time before the next schedule.

While he considered moving the schedule up a bit, Kang-yoon soon opted for a break, asking Yang Taegam for warm tea.

He was fatigued from a sleepless night and a day of discussions about the altar construction. Soon, Yang Taegam brought tea with a faint fragrance. It seemed to be chrysanthemum tea, which was known for its calming effects. Whenever Kang-yoon requested tea, Yang Taegam typically brought this one.

After stepping back, Yang Taegam bowed and spoke.

“If you command, I will tell Yu Taebu to delay the discussion on the stonework a little, Your Highness.”

He knew. He understood why Kang-yoon seemed distracted and troubled today. Although it appeared that he was agitated over matters concerning Yeonhwa, Kang-yoon had never once shown any signs of distraction in his duties.

He was the Crown Prince, known for his impeccable conduct and unblemished reputation. However, there was one time of the year when Kang-yoon looked precarious: the anniversary of the previous princes’ deaths.

Once, there had been seven princes, including the eldest son, Kang-yoon. Each was brilliant and excelled in both appearance and martial skills, rivaling Kang-yoon.

Unlike the previous generation, where princes were embroiled in power struggles from a young age, the brotherly bonds between them were so strong that they were recorded in history. Until ‘that incident’ occurred.

***

About ten years ago, Kang-yoon and the princes, unlike any other day, were ambushed by assassins during a trip to Yu-reop.

Unfortunately, Crown Prince Kang-yoon went missing, and only the remaining princes returned to the palace.

They all barely survived a life-and-death situation, but the fact that they returned without the Crown Prince made their ordeal irrelevant. Returning without the Crown Prince became poison for them. It would have been better if they had all gone missing.

No, they should have all died in that place.

Those who preserved their lives without being able to protect the Crown Prince were all imprisoned under the screams of Queen Hwanjeong.

They had to endure horrific torture, praying desperately for the Crown Prince’s safe return. They couldn’t allow themselves to close their eyes in comfort while the Crown Prince suffered somewhere unknown, all because of Queen Hwanjeong’s command.

Did their cries reach heaven? Miraculously, Kang-yoon returned on his own six months later.

Although he was in an unstable state and couldn’t remember the events of that day clearly, he returned unharmed except for severe injuries. However, even this miracle from heaven couldn’t quell Queen Hwanjeong’s fury. She began to plead with the Emperor to execute the princes.

‘Your Majesty, please reconsider!’

‘They shamelessly returned to the palace after losing the Crown Prince. How can we know what intentions they harbor?’

‘That’s not true. They protected me until the end!’

‘Crown Prince, you must not lie to your mother. You too cannot remember the details of that day, can you?’

No matter how much Kang-yoon pleaded and tried to protect the princes, it was useless. Queen Hwanjeong insisted on executing the princes, using Kang-yoon’s unstable memory against him.

She had always been wary of the capable princes, and perhaps this was a perfect opportunity for her. Given the circumstances, the Emperor could not ignore Queen Hwanjeong’s wishes. For several days, the cries of the empty palace shook the royal residence, but Queen Hwanjeong was unwavering.

Eventually, the princes became the main suspects in the attempted murder of the Crown Prince, and one by one, they were executed after being stripped of their titles.

The only one who survived was Huseong. He had fled with the Crown Prince during the assassination attempt and had held onto him until the last moment they fell into the waterfall, thanks to the testimonies of the princes and Kang-yoon’s appeals. Of course, he only saved his life, but Huseong was branded with a large mark of a criminal and exiled to a deserted island. The disgraceful executions of the once-close princes.

All of this was due to the guilt Kang-yoon felt for not remembering the incident fully. Witnessing the unjust deaths of his brothers, Kang-yoon couldn’t bear the weight of self-blame. The intense fever that followed ultimately erased even the remaining memories.

All the intertwined memories of that chaotic incident and the six months before returning to the capital were gone. All that remained were fragments of shattered memories. Horrifying images of the princes’ bloodshot eyes as they faced death, or Huseong’s tear-streaked face, covered in blood, desperately holding on until the end. And sometimes, an inexplicable longing chilled his heart.

***

Those who died as traitors were denied funerals and ancestral rites. Thus, when the terrible anniversary of that day came around, Kang-yoon would be filled with turmoil.

He needed to prove their innocence as soon as possible. He had to help them rest peacefully by alleviating their deep grievances.

No matter how hard he tried, the broken memories refused to piece together, and even after many years, the shock and helplessness from that time clung to Kang-yoon like a shadow. He must not show any signs of mourning. Yet he could not forget them either.

The first thing he wanted to do once he reached the pinnacle of power was to restore the princes, who had died as traitors.

So how could he not be concerned about Yeonhwa, who stirred up those faint memories from the moment they met? If he could, he would do anything to recover his memories through her.

‘Was that why the High Priestess warned me not to get close?’

It is said that Bosan can see through all things. Perhaps she had seen it.

The moment he regained his memories through Yeonhwa, the moment he brought ‘that day’ back to the surface. What kind of bloodstorm would sweep through the royal family?

‘If that is also the price of my sins, then I must endure it.’

He stood on the blood of his brothers. As long as he could reveal the truth, Kang-yoon was prepared to endure anything. Even if it meant risking everything he had.