Chapter 113 – Palace Maid (6)
“There was a noise over there!”
“Gasp! Another intruder!”
“Protect His Highness the Crown Prince… huh?”
I felt sorry for giving the palace guards no rest and being such a nuisance, but I couldn’t back down either.
Swish, whoosh, whoosh—
Blades swinging at me with impossible speed.
‘They really are invisible!’
When the assassin hired by the crown prince to kill the thief died, his line—“An invisible blade?!”—was directly incorporated into the setting.
Whoosh—
But my body, now built on “my world,” was just as far from common sense. A near-precognitive danger sense dodged every invisible attack.
And I counterattacked!
“Hup!”
I picked up scattered tile shards from the roof and hurled them with full force.
“Huh?!”
The thief’s eyes widened as he vanished from sight without warning.
Where to?
‘Behind!’
Without checking, I crossed my legs, retreated, and threw a back kick toward what had been empty space behind me.
THUD—!
A solid impact.
In reality, I controlled taekwondo kicks to avoid killing, but here there was no need.
Accurate! Powerful! Fast!
And I used my body—strengthened beyond reality—without restraint.
“Urgh~?!”
I didn’t kill him.
I could have, but I didn’t want to sacrifice a leg to an invisible blade in exchange. So I adjusted the path slightly.
Still,
‘It landed clean in his side. I wanted to snap his spine in one shot, but my body was slower than expected.’
Regrettable I didn’t kill him, but it was a severe enough injury to knock him out!
But I couldn’t be satisfied. I needed to finish the thief here and now to move safely to the next plan: assassinating the crown prince.
Crack…!
I kicked off the roof hard enough to make the tiles scream and leaped.
‘Just one shot!’
The thief—sent tumbling unsightly backward from my kick and falling off the roof.
I’d pursue immediately—
Twang—!
I tilted my head slightly to dodge an arrow aimed at my head.
“Damn.”
Looking down at where the thief had fallen, I saw it: countless arrows raining down on me like a storm!
Swish! Swish! Swish…!
I wanted to ignore them, but my body wasn’t as tough as a sword demon’s.
‘Too hasty! This is why I should’ve negotiated with the crown prince first!’
I was taking out the thief—the thorn in the crown prince’s side—for him. But since they didn’t know that, to the palace soldiers I was just another intruder.
Frustrating, but unavoidable.
Whoosh!
I ran blindly.
If it had been daytime, it would’ve been tough, but now it was pitch-black night.
Not a modern city lit up like daylight, so once you put a little distance between you and pursuers, shaking them off was easy. That’s how the thief had infiltrated the palace all this time. No reason I couldn’t do the same.
‘By the way…’
I couldn’t figure out why the thief was heading straight for the crown prince’s quarters instead of going to meet the palace maid.
It never happened once in the original <Palace Maid Deok-chun>.
It wasn’t for assassination. Killing the crown prince would be easy for the thief, but there’s a “world rule” that he doesn’t because it’s for the nation’s future.
“Hmm… no idea.”
Including why the crown prince—who should be studying hard to become the next king—wasn’t in his room at this hour!
Too many unknowns.
(Why does everything you do always get tangled?)
Ahem.
The Blood God’s sudden appearance and jab made me clear my throat involuntarily.
(I told you not to call me Blood God, right? Should I start with the romance story of you and Park Han-hee meeting at the marathon finish line?)
“Gah!”
Spare me! Senior!
(We’ve left the complicated airport and are heading to the hotel. Kekeke! Capitalism is nice. I skipped the line and finished immigration quickly.)
“Ah…”
Thank you so much!
It’s a shame I can’t see it myself, but knowing Senior is taking care of my body and explaining the situation put me at ease.
(I’ve been watching the whole time. The farther you get from the patient, the weaker “your world” becomes. That’s why you couldn’t finish the thief and struggled.)
Huh? Really?
(This drama is a romance about a man and woman’s love. It doesn’t need power to split mountains in one strike. It shouldn’t have it. If the crown prince gave up or yielded the heroine because he was overwhelmed by the thief’s strength, the picture would be ruined.)
“Now that you mention it…”
Even the invisible blade hadn’t felt that threatening.
(In contrast, wuxia is all about combat. If it were the Heavenly Demon, a flick of his hand would massacre everyone in this palace. Mao Zhai, who absorbed my power, goes without saying. Don’t compare that kid to them.)
“…”
Surprising pride in his homeland from the guy who tried to massacre everyone in the Central Plains for the future.
(It’s not pride. Just stating facts.)
“Yes.”
Yet because I was relatively weaker than in <Is This Heavenly Demon for Real?>—due to distance from the patient—I felt the thief from <Palace Maid Deok-chun> was stronger than Mao Zhai.
Conclusion?
I’m significantly weakened, and the cause is distance from the patient!
(Exactly. Like your cheap old smartphone losing Wi-Fi signal the farther you get from the router.)
“Oh…”
I was impressed by the perfect modern-person analogy.
(While we’re at it, notice: I’m going to replace that junk old smartphone and cheap plan of yours completely.)
“Guh! Why?!”
I was perfectly happy with them!
(You might be fine, but it’s frustrating for me! What are these clothes at home? You really went on dates with Song Sun-young wearing these rags. I’ll swap everything at the department store. Ah! The hyacinth perfume gets a pass.)
“Ugh…”
Entrusting my body to Senior wasn’t all good!
Anyway…
‘Can’t find the crown prince.’
I was chatting with Senior while searching every corner of the palace.
No sign of him.
He should be in the central palace studying, but it’s empty.
‘Probably out chasing intruders personally.’
Common sense says no, but in this drama, yes.
I’d wasted another trip.
But the night was still young.
‘First, eliminate the thief.’
Once he’s dead, persuading the patient (palace maid) will be easier.
And…
(Senior, any advice?)
(No need to rush. The patient’s vitality is low, but she’ll hold until the Olympics if you drag it out.)
Really?
(Yes. But don’t take too long. The farther you are, the weaker you get.)
Got it.
I leaped across roofs, heading toward the thief’s likely path.
‘Found him.’
A presence moving stealthily toward the maid’s quarters.
Whoosh!
I landed in front of him.
“You again?!”
The thief glared warily.
Perfect.
Now to finish him fast and find the patient.
King, queen, concubines, prime minister, princess…
I spotted several people who looked just like the actors from the drama, but the crown prince was nowhere to be found.
Where could he be?
There weren’t many places left I hadn’t checked.
(I don’t want to butt in, but your head is definitely just for decoration.)
Why?
(An uproar like this in the palace and the crown prince doesn’t know? That doesn’t make sense. Simple conclusion: he’s either in a place where he can’t hear the noise or somewhere he’d be in trouble if discovered.)
“Ah…”
I’d been acting like an idiot all this time.
(The thief came looking for the crown prince instead of meeting the palace maid. That means he didn’t meet him—not that he didn’t want to.)
I stopped walking and decided to head to the palace maids’ quarters.
Where would that be?
(Don’t look around like an idiot. Look right. See the fifth tiled building? That’s it. Jeon Ji-eun brought a detailed palace layout map. If this drama follows any historical accuracy, that’s the one.)
“…Convenient.”
It was worlds apart from before, when I had to solve everything myself.
Whoosh~
The quarters were quiet.
“Mmm…”
“Ahh…”
Unlike the family-friendly drama, the maids’ erotic moans assaulted my ears mercilessly.
Gulp.
Is this for real?
(Of course it’s real. All palace maids belong to the king. But on average, there were 600 maids per generation. Most never received the king’s favor and had to relieve their desires through masturbation or lesbian relationships… until they grew old or sick and died.)
I know that.
Senior’s historical knowledge came from my own head, so of course I knew. I just never expected to see it in person.
Adultery by a palace maid: mandatory death penalty!
Any man who touched the king’s woman: also mandatory death penalty!
‘From that perspective…’
It was simply astonishing that the maid “Deok-chun” had been caught multiple times having an affair with the thief and still hadn’t been flogged.
(Don’t nitpick.)
Yes, sir.
I quietly followed the strict supervisor who monitored the maids’ conduct and slipped into the quarters.
“…”
“…”
The young maids, sensing the inflexible overseer’s presence, instantly held their breath and pretended to sleep.
‘As expected…’
There was an empty bed.
The beautiful actress “Deok-sun,” who was always paired with the heroine “Deok-chun” in <Palace Maid Deok-chun>, was lying naked in the bed right next to it… Gah!
(Did you get a good look?)
This isn’t my fault!
“…”
Glance.
The overseer noticed the empty bed of the young maid but said nothing and moved on.
‘She already knows?’
Palace maids must always be ready to bear the king or crown prince’s bloodline, so they’re under strict supervision and surveillance. Mixing in another man’s genes is absolutely forbidden!
From that angle, the fact that the maid had been caught multiple times yet remained unpunished was simply shocking.
Yet at this late hour, a young and beautiful palace maid is missing, and the overseer just lets it slide without searching?
That’s not normal.
“…”
Senior?
(I can’t read thoughts. I’m weakened too, just like you. I have to make physical contact to bypass the world’s protection. Like disabling a computer firewall.)
Understood.
(Hurry. I have to attend a welcome party soon, so I’m short on time.)
Why?
(While we’re at it, remember this: I can only communicate with you when I’m stationary in reality.)
Ah!
(And the more still you are, the easier it is for me to move in reality. If you move around like this during an Olympic event, you’ll definitely screw up.)
“…”
I kept following the overseer with my eyes while listening to Senior’s advice—until she finished inspecting all the sleeping quarters and left.
Then, the moment the opportunity came,
Shhk—
I approached from behind and lightly touched the overseer’s cheek with my finger, then pulled away.
“Eek?!”
By the time she spun around in shock, I was already high in the sky, completely hidden.
(This is… unexpected. Or maybe it’s natural.)
“Hm?”
Senior’s voice, now reading the overseer’s memories, carried a hint of bewilderment.
Why?
(Yoon So-ra chose the crown prince.)
***
In the drama, the heroine Deok-chun repeatedly tested the crown prince’s patience, forgetting her status as a mere palace maid.
Having an affair with an intruder?
It wasn’t adultery, so no execution. But burning a pretty face with a branding iron, sewing up genitals, or 100 lashes were all possible punishments—extremely dangerous behavior!
This patient wasn’t like Kim Eun-jung, possessed by “Angelina Chimac” from <I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count Family>, with a head full of flowers.
‘This is way too realistic!’
Between the “thief’s wife”—doomed to a life on the run—and the crown prince’s consort with a guaranteed glamorous future.
It w’s only natural for Yoon So-ra to choose the latter without wavering like the original Deok-chun, eager to bear the crown prince’s heir as soon as possible.
“I love you!”
“Your Highness…!”
To evade the thief’s perverted superhuman smell and hearing—trained by some weird immortal on Mount Baekdu?
The only way was to hide in an even more perverted, secret location.
Rattle rattle.
The palanquin heading slowly toward the palace late at night shook violently.
“Urgh…!”
“Guh…!”
I felt sorry for the sweating palanquin bearers.
(The crown prince planned it in advance with her to keep the thief away. She pretended to run an errand, then met the crown prince returning to the palace. No one would suspect a man and woman doing it in the middle of the road. Usually.)
“Yeah…”
I had no idea how to persuade a patient who was practically guaranteed to become the crown prince’s consort.
Then—
“Aaaagh?!”
“Aaah?!”
Sudden screams.
The soldiers escorting the palanquin from all sides were instantly sliced into pieces.
The attacker’s identity…
Creak—
A sword demon covered in blood emerged from the darkness like a ghost.
“Again…?”
That made three tonight.
(Don’t go too wild. I have to attend the welcome party soon.)
“Yes.”
I’ll go wild just enough so Senior doesn’t get motion sickness.