"What news do you bring?"

At the mention of important news from Joseon, Murong Sang-ah's eyes trembled ever so slightly, betraying her unease.

And no wonder her eyes would tremble.

For her, any news from Joseon meant the treason scandal of the Kang family, the brutal execution of her husband’s entire kin, and the dismembered corpse of her lord publicly displayed a year later.

But contrary to her anxious premonition, what came from the mouth of the Spearwind Guard Captain was good news.

"They’ve successfully rescued all the women of the Kang family who had been enslaved."

Most of the women of the Kang family had died from hardship or suicide after the treason scandal, but a few had survived, only to be sold into slavery.

Murong Sang-ah had poured her heart and soul into rescuing those women, and now the news of success had finally reached her.

"Is that true?"

Her eyes widened at the unexpected news that they’d all been saved.

"Yes. As you commanded, we gathered those who owed their lives to the Kang family, and through them, we were able to retrieve all the women who had become slaves."

Last year, due to a ridiculous blunder by the officials she sent to Joseon, the women of the Kang family had refused her rescue efforts.

After that, Murong Sang-ah had reassembled a new rescue team and sent them back to Joseon.

"Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness."

A smile of relief appeared on her face for the first time in what felt like forever.

"However, I must report that far more funds were consumed than we had estimated. They offer their apologies for the overspending."

"I don't care if it cost double or triple. All that matters is that we rescued those who suffered because of the Kang family’s downfall. Where have they been taken?"

Her face lit up as she turned to the Spearwind Guard Captain.

"We initially intended to take them to Liaodong Fortress, but they all firmly refused to leave the Joseon Peninsula where their families are buried. So, we brought them to a secure location instead. It's a place away from prying eyes, with beautiful scenery and pure waters—perfect for rest and recovery."

"It’s a pity. If they had come to Liaodong, I could have cared for them more directly."

It’s always easier to look after people when they’re close by. Murong Sang-ah’s expression showed a trace of regret.

"No matter how much hell life becomes, it’s never easy to leave your homeland."

Whether they were people of the Kang family or of the Murong family, it was the same. The Spearwind Guard Captain gazed out the window at the Murong Estate and murmured bitterly.

"They suffered because of me. Spend whatever is necessary. Make sure they lack for nothing."

Though she understood the captain’s point, Murong Sang-ah deliberately turned her focus away from Murong family matters and back to the rescued women.

"As you wish."

"And..."

A hesitant voice slipped from Murong Sang-ah’s lips, breaking the color that had returned to her face. She looked at the captain with eyes full of turmoil.

What is she hesitating about? What’s troubling her? The Spearwind Guard Captain understood immediately.

"Do not even think about going to apologize."

His voice was firm.

"They went through hell because of me."

"They’ve suffered both mentally and physically beyond what anyone should bear. Their hatred for the Murong family reaches the heavens."

"That’s exactly why I must go in person."

Her determination only hardened when he tried to dissuade her.

She absolutely must not go. If she were to meet the Kang family’s survivors, something disastrous would happen. Watching her, the captain thought grimly.

She’s drowning in guilt. She can’t stop herself, and she won’t bend her will.

It’s been nearly two years since the Murong family split in two.

Had this been last year, he wouldn’t have been able to stop her even if he tried.

But now, even when she’s impossible to stop, he had found a way to make her pause and reconsider.

"If you show yourself to them now, it would be like throwing a torch into the fragile peace those women have finally found. Do you think the Young Master would want his family and his wife to meet at this time?"

The only way to stop her now was to bring up the love she could never forget. He did just that.

"They suffered because of me..."

It worked. Just the mention of the Young Master made her falter. Would he really say that? Would he tell her, for the sake of his family and for her, that now is not the time?

She questioned herself again and again in her heart, and at last, her resolve wavered, though she still offered a faint protest.

"Miss, it doesn’t have to be now. When I was young, I too had an enemy I hated so much I thought I would die from it, over what turned out to be a small misunderstanding. But years passed, and when the scars on our faces became wrinkles, only then could we sit down together over a drink."

"This is no small misunderstanding."

Murong Sang-ah grimaced, tortured by the weight of her guilt.

"Which is exactly why they need more time. When enough time has passed, when their faces can wear a smile again, when their bleeding hearts have turned into scars of the past, then you can stand before them and ask for forgiveness."

"......How could I ask them for forgiveness?"

All she wanted was to bear their rage, to take their pain upon herself. That alone might soothe them, if only a little.

Murong Sang-ah couldn’t even lift her head from the torment.

"The Murong family depends on you. The Spearwind Hall exists for you and you alone. The people here move only for you. So, for now, let’s give them time."

She couldn’t argue against his words.

"Take care of them. Spare no effort."

Before she joined her lord, the day would come when she would stand before them.

She would not ask for forgiveness. She would not hide. She would face them, and endure their wrath.

With her resolve renewed, she moved to the next topic.

"What news is there of my lord?"

She asked about the one thing she had longed to hear more than anything.

"You mean the whereabouts of Young Master Kang’s body?"

"Yes. Have you found where he is? Who gathered him, where he’s buried—if any word has come, tell me now."

Her voice was tight with anxiety, barely held together.

And why wouldn’t it be? Kang Yun-ho’s body had been desecrated, dismembered after being dug from his grave.

No one dared to claim the corpse of a traitor. It had been left rotting in the street, until someone—no one knew who—had taken it.

As his disavowed wife, unable to even find his grave, the shame and sorrow crushed her every day.

"We still have no lead."

The captain spoke, his face dark with regret.

"I told you, spare no expense in finding him, just like with the Kang family’s women."

"This is another country. No matter how much we spend, our investigation can only go so far."

"You mean you haven’t found a single trace?"

"Only rumors."

"Rumors?"

"They say a man carrying a body on a stretcher disappeared. Some claim it was someone indebted to the Kang family who ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) risked his life to retrieve him."

"That... could be true."

"If they were caught recovering the Young Master, they’d be branded a traitor too and executed. So even if someone did take him, we may never hear from them."

"Then... I’ll never find his body?"

Despair crept into her voice.

Seeing this, the captain, understanding her pain, quickly offered a sliver of hope.

"There are whispers that someone close to Young Master Kang might have taken him."

"Someone close to him? Of course... he must have had friends. Maybe one of them took care of him?"

Surely he had friends in Joseon. If she asked around, maybe one of them would come forward.

A flicker of hope lit in her chest.

"Not a friend. It’s, uh, well..."

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The Spearwind Guard Captain hesitated, unsure whether he should report what he had heard.

"Speak."

"There are rumors... that courtesans secretly took his body."

"......Courtesans, you say."

There was a coldness in Murong Sang-ah's voice.

"It’s only speculation. Among courtesans, there are many orphans with no families, and surely one of them must have had aff—no, must have been close to Young Master Kang. The talk is that perhaps one such girl might have taken him."

"A courtesan who admired him... has his body. A courtesan who admired him..."

The captain tried to smooth over his words, but Murong Sang-ah wasn’t someone who would miss even that slip.

As she repeated the words, the air around them seemed to grow heavier.

The captain quickly tried to steer the conversation to another possibility.

"The most likely explanation is that those who initially moved his body later recovered it again. The escort guards and slaves who took him to Joseon have disappeared without a trace. It’s very likely they stayed loyal to the end."

"Then we should start by looking into them."

She pushed aside the emotion that had surged in her just moments ago and spoke in a cold, focused tone.

"Yes. There are still leads. Please be patient a little longer, and I’m sure we’ll hear something."

"Find them. I don’t care who recovered his body—a courtesan, a slave, whoever it was—they’re all people I owe. If they want a fortune for returning him, give it to them."

Her will was unshakable, her voice firm.

"My lady—"

"He might be out there, under the cold wind, who knows where. Find him quickly."

The voice of a wife who had lost her husband’s grave was more desperate than anything else.

------------

Murong Sang-ah, heavy-hearted from the news from Joseon, went to the residence where Murong Tian lay bedridden.

"What brings you here?"

As she entered, she found the physician she had brought personally, tending to her father.

"I came to see my father. How is he?"

"There’s little more I can do—just help him sleep more comfortably and reduce the cold sweats."

"His face certainly looks better than before."

She looked down at her father. He still couldn’t rise, but there was more color in his face.

What would he think if he saw her now? The Kang family, the founding of Spearwind Hall, the re-examination of the Martial Treasury... What would he say if he woke?

Though her father’s condition had improved, he still wouldn’t awaken. Murong Sang-ah felt like she, too, was walking deeper into a labyrinth the more she tried to move forward.

"I will be leaving soon."

The physician’s words snapped her from her thoughts.

"Thanks to you, we’ve found a clue. Please, stay a little longer."

"I’ve done all I can as a physician. I’ve sent detailed reports of his condition to the Sichuan Tang Clan’s delegation, and the doctors at Spearwind Hall are more than capable. They understand everything I’ve prescribed—they can continue in my place."

"Even so—"

"No matter how long I stay, your father won’t wake. But if I leave, I can save many more lives."

His resolve was firm. He had given up a position as a royal physician not just to treat a few nobles, but to help as many people as possible.

Reading his determination, Murong Sang-ah abandoned her intention to stop him and gave a respectful bow.

"Thank you for everything. Because of you, my father has a chance to wake."

"My, my... both of you are peerless beauties, yet one is wild as a colt and the other so composed..."

He chuckled, clearly reminded of someone.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing. Just thought of a certain tomboy and wondered if she’ll ever get married."

He muttered something vague about how only after marriage does a woman become a true adult, then bowed to her and took his leave.

------------

As Murong Sang-ah left her father’s residence and made her way back to Spearwind Hall—

"Ahem. May I have a word?"

An elder from the council, who had been quietly waiting for her, called her aside in secret.