"Haven't you already made up your mind?" Ryang asked back.
"I would appreciate your support," she continued, returning her gaze to Ryang.
"The funds we provided will be of considerable help," Ryang replied.
"I'm not talking about money."
Ryang evaded a direct answer. "What did the Scholar say?" he asked.
"She said we cannot ignore a path to knowledge that has opened before us," Kyeong'ui replied. "Song'un Wu and Seo'oh are true scholars with much to teach. They have placed their faith in me and are prepared to risk everything. I'm afraid of disappointing them."
"They show such determination because they have faith in you," Ryang said. "Don't be impatient. Gaining faith isn't easy."
"But I haven't done anything."
"Has there ever been a scholar dispatched to Birahng by royal decree since Dahn's founding?" Ryang asked. "A scholar of the Sanctuary is like an Emissary Divine of Wi. Their status is incomparable to that of a governor confined to Hyangdo. Although the Lady of Nahmgyo disapproves, it is entirely thanks to you that the light of Reason and Intellect has reached this island."
Ryang hoped his sincere praise would suffice, but Kyeong'ui was persistent.
"Do you have that kind of determination?" she pressed.
Sensing a subtle resistance in his gaze, she waited for him to answer. Ryang straightened his posture.
"You said you trusted us," he said. "But you concealed the existence of this secret record until I showed you the sword today."
"I apologize if you felt slighted," Kyeong'ui replied.
"Do you need the support of someone you don't trust?" Ryang countered.
Kyeong'ui's expression turned cold. "I have a question for you as well," she said. "Are you hiding anything from me?"
"What are you suspicious of?" Ryang asked.
"I have many questions about your disappearance," Kyeong'ui said. "Nothing has been properly explained."
Ryang met her gaze and lied. "I also have many questions about what I experienced. I'm not deliberately concealing anything."
"I believe House Myeonghyeon and I are truly in the same boat now," Kyeong'ui said. "If someone seeks to harm you, they might seek to harm me as well in the future. Hiding a threat from me, for whatever reason, endangers me and everyone around me."
She pressed once more. "Are you truly not hiding anything?"
"No, I'm not," Ryang replied firmly.
Kyeong'ui studied him for a moment, then softened her tone. "Then I will continue to believe you."
Although they spoke of trust, the conversation left both of them unsatisfied. Ryang asked to keep the copy of the record for a few days, and Kyeong'ui agreed, reminding him not to show it to anyone else. The copy in Ryang's possession was meant to be duplicated and sent to Wicheong Palace, so it was a promise he couldn't keep, just like the other promises and oaths he had made to Kyeong'ui. Kyeong'ui sensed a faint unease from him.
Although they didn't find the connection to the sphere they had hoped for, Wu and Seo'oh didn't seem too disappointed, as they were excited to see a well-preserved sword of the Celestial Scions. As Kyeong'ui and her entourage were about to return to the camp, they encountered Seon, who was returning from a meeting with Seolyo Jin at the back gate. Seon was momentarily surprised by Kyeong'ui's unexpected visit, but she quickly greeted her with a bright smile and a respectful bow.
"Greetings, Your Highness," she said.
Kyeong'ui returned the greeting with a cheerful smile. "I was disappointed not to see you," she said. "It's good to see you, even for a moment. I heard you had urgent business."
"Thank you for your understanding," Seon replied. "What brings you here?"
"It's a long story to tell standing here," Kyeong'ui said. "You can hear it from your brother when we leave."
Noticing an unfamiliar face among them, Seon looked at Ryang inquiringly. Ryang, acting as if there had been no discord between them, introduced Song'un Wu, Seo'oh, and Seon to each other. During the brief introductions, Seo'oh stared at Seon, unable to close his mouth. Seon was used to such blatant stares, but Seo'oh wasn't accustomed to Seon's exceptional beauty, rare even in Sunyahng.
"At least pretend to control your gaze in front of Her Highness," Wu teased. "Your jaw is about to drop."
Seo'oh, startled, glared at Song'un Wu and closed his mouth. After a brief moment of amusement, Seon turned to Kyeong'ui.
"If you're on your way back, let me escort you to the south gate," she offered.
"I'd love that," Kyeong'ui replied. "Let's chat while we walk."
They left their horses with the soldiers and strolled leisurely through the streets, enjoying the sights. The streets, which had seemed crowded even when they rushed through earlier, were now even more bustling. Colorful paper chains adorned with ropes connected the roofs of the shops lining the streets, and residents were busy on ladders, finishing the decorations. They encountered carts laden with earthenware pots and people busily salting seaweed in baskets.
"Nahmgyo seems especially busy today," Kyeong'ui remarked to Ryang.
"It's Summer Greetings soon," Ryang explained.
"Summer Greetings? Is that a Wian holiday?"
"Not exactly," Ryang replied. "It's a holiday unique to Birahng. It's also called the Night of Summer Greetings. The night we greet the first summer heat."
"But it's only May," Kyeong'ui said.
"The heat arrives early in Birahng," Ryang explained.
"Ah, that's right. I've been sweating a bit during the day." The sharp glint in Kyeong'ui's eyes from the tea room was gone, replaced by curiosity.
"What do you do on that day?" she asked. "Are there any interesting events?"
Ryang smiled wryly and shook his head. "It's not something you would enjoy."
"Why not?"
"It's..." He trailed off, and Seon interjected.
"The streets become a bit... indecent."
Kyeong'ui laughed. "More indecent than Yeonyahng? I quite enjoy indecency..."
"If you're curious, come visit that night," Seon offered. "It's in seven days. We'll be happy to have you here."
Ryang shot Seon a warning glance, but she ignored him. Kyeong'ui welcomed the offer.
"I'd love to," she said.
"Can we come again too?" Wu asked from behind.
"Of course," Kyeong'ui replied. "Seeing a variety of things would be more beneficial to the Royal Scholar than to me."
Wu and Seo'oh beamed like children. As they approached the south gate, Kyeong'ui asked casually, "Is there anything special the people enjoy during Summer Greetings?"
"They make and eat laver pancakes all day," Seon explained, "and share a large pot of anchovy soup. When the sun sets, they drink tangerine wine, which has been fermenting since winter, all night long. Children drink boiled tangerine peel water instead of wine. They say that those who stay up until sunrise won't suffer from the heat that year. And how they stay up is up to them."
Seon winked playfully, and Kyeong'ui chuckled. "So that's why the streets become indecent," she said. "But isn't tangerine wine a precious liquor? Even in the palace, we only get to taste it a few times in spring."
"That might be the case in Sunyahng," Seon replied, "but it's common in Birahng. Grain alcohol is more precious here."
"And what's this anchovy soup you mentioned?" Kyeong'ui asked.
"Anchovy is a small fish that lives in warm coastal waters," Seon explained. "It's tiny and doesn't have much meat, but if you boil a lot of them, the broth is refreshing and delicious."
Kyeong'ui was captivated by Seon's explanation, her face alight with genuine interest. Ryang, watching from a distance, felt a pang of sympathy for Kyeong'ui, whose curiosity to learn about the world beyond her sheltered life was a mark of her youth. He wasn't middle-aged or old, and he wasn't that much older than Kyeong'ui, but life had eroded his curiosity for new experiences. The days when he looked at the world with the same wonder as Kyeong'ui felt distant, more than ten years ago.
Before fully exiting the city gates, Kyeong'ui glanced around, her eyes darting nervously. Ryang and Seon waited patiently, sensing she had something difficult to say. Finally, Kyeong'ui made her request.
"Can you procure enough tangerine wine for the soldiers to have just one drink?" she asked. "There have been reinforcements recently, so altogether it's a little over sixteen hundred... Of course, I'll pay for it all."
Sixteen hundred. The scale of the forces Kyeong'ui mentioned fixed Ryang's attention. He deduced this number must be the precise total of reinforcements, oarsmen, and laborers combined. Even just enough to quench the thirst of sixteen hundred men would be a significant amount, so Ryang replied with a troubled expression.
"I don't know if Nahmgyo has that much to spare, but I'll procure it."
"And could you send a few residents to the camp who know how to cook anchovy soup?" Kyeong'ui asked again. "I'll pay them handsomely."
It wasn't a difficult request, but Ryang blinked, curious about the reason. Kyeong'ui, realizing it was a rather troublesome request even to him, hesitated before replying.
"Coming to Birahng is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these soldiers," she explained. "So I want them to enjoy themselves. They can't leave the camp to come to Nahmgyo."
Ryang's lips curved into a faint smile.
"I'll find them and send them to the camp," he replied. "Don't worry."
Kyeong'ui beamed at his reassuring reply. "When I return to Sunyahng," she said, "I'll ask my father to commission a study on the customs of each region. It's my country, yet there's so much I don't know."
"Your Highness," Seo'oh interjected, "if His Majesty grants your request, could you summon me as well?"
"Of course," Kyeong'ui replied with a bright smile.
"Actually, there are a few similar books," Seo'oh said, "but they're not ours. They were compiled by Sungian scholars. I didn't bring them with me, unfortunately, but I'll give you the titles so you can find and read them when you return to Sunyahng! And..."
Ryang and Seon saw them off as Seo'oh excitedly rambled on and Kyeong'ui patiently listened. The warmth from their earlier conversation seemed like a mirage, replaced by a chill between the siblings as they returned. Once inside the rear garden, Ryang grabbed Seon's arm and stopped her. The gentle smile he'd worn in front of Kyeong'ui vanished.
"Are you insane?" he demanded.
"What's wrong again?" Seon retorted.
"There will be over a thousand of our soldiers pouring into the streets on that night," Ryang said. "Did you not consider that they would see us pandering to the Princess?"
"Then we can tell them to familiarize themselves with her face," Seon replied nonchalantly. "It'll make it easier to capture her later."
Ryang stared at her in disbelief. Seon countered, "And what was that about handing over Yeonyahng to Lady Seolyo?"