A day had passed when she had finally understood why the 'tattoo' on her neck nearly scalded her. 

As they were finishing their lunch, a soldier hurried over, bowed to her and her father general, and said that the Eunuch's entourage was approaching.

The little accursed thing, then, as if on cue had started to get 'warm' again as if to warn her.

this . Now she understands she can freely curse the Empress and get away with it because this thing acts like a radar that prompts her or warns her about the 'reason' of how the resentments came to be. It's like a fancy and prickly version of find my iPhone. 

Dara simply shook her head and turned away to leave upon hearing the news. Too let down by the choices the Empress made in her early years.

She looks around first before leaping up. Aided by the soft wind, the plum blossom flowers which had been lying motionless on the snow filled ground start to scatter in the air as if wanting to follow her but cannot. She used her qinggong and leaped stealthily through the houses' roofs.

She descended gracefully onto a nearby rooftop, her pale yellow skirt billowing noiselessly in the little wind, the delicate ribbon of her sky blue jeogori fluttered slightly. Placing her hands on her back, she strolled languidly to the pointed part of the roof like a naughty kid, eager to see the source of the greatest annoyance of her life—the monarch's dogs.

Her gaze flickered as soon as a plain yet elegant-looking carriage—possibly housing the head eunuch—came into her field of vision. She suddenly remembered another portrait that she had seen on the museum, her eyes darkened slightly.

That head eunuch probably had done some underhanded means.

“Even a castrated bastard has the nerve to incur Jeongjun's resentment? The audacity” 

This -less prick...To ever incur the resentment of Her Highness, to be included to the list of those portraits of the punished within the museum... She hasn't read that part much, she was too engrossed into the juicy gossip that has happened with the Emperor and the Empress that she forgo reading about those unenteresting supporting characters.

Damn it, had I known i'll need that information I should have persisted reading and looking at those uninteresting s.

She decided to go down the roof, lest she really fall and break her neck.

It was already night time when the Head Eunuch arrived at their courtyard house of the General’s manor. Yes, because their little grand excursion walked so damn slow, even a snail is faster than them. 

It was recorded that Empress Sujin stayed within the border throughout, refusing to go back into the capital because of those evil scheming hoes that resided there, excluding her sick mother of course.

The General heavily doted on his daughter, that even if it’s dangerous here, he still deemed it safer than inside the General’s manor in the capital, thus he had acquiesced to her wishes to the point where in the General made her wear male clothing throughout, to help conceal her identity, to protect her reputation.

That’s also the reason why from then on, in historical records written about her, when the scholars from the later generation dug that small detail that was deeply buried by the Imperial Family, about her wearing male clothing at a certain period, the adjective that was frequently used to describe her was "handsome" instead of "pretty" Specially when she had donned an armor and fought alongside the soldiers of the Empire. There was even a portrait of it in the museum!

When she first emerged from the courtyard house, it was said that half of the female population fell in love with her at first sight due to her porcelain-like skin, thin reddish lips that don't need rouge, and those icy Phoenix eyes that resemble a lake that has been frozen for centuries. She also had an air of nobility and bearing that some of the Imperial Family couldn't match; exuding an aura of an immortal being who was strolling through the mortal world. 

Even the men weren't spared; with a quick look from her, they began to doubt their ual orientation thinking she was a man. If not for her horrible taste in men, I would also praise her. But she just had to be dumb.

She sigh in frustration.

‘He’ is obviously a male, sporting a black loose long shiny hair in a high ponytail. A wooden guan was enclosing ‘his’ hair. She plucked a thin branch of a wooden hairpin that she chose at random from among the many Plum Blossom trees that dotted the courtyard to serve as its lock.

On that cold and heavy snow, he was wearing a shuhe which is composed of a gray cross collar black tunic, gray leather wrist guards, gray sash as his belt, black trousers and black boots. It was quite cold and snowy that day. And although it was intended to be a common outfit for the common people, she clearly did not resemble a regular person at all.

There was even some snow on top of ‘his’ hair because of the lack of any covering on ‘his’ head, but it didn’t diminish his ‘handsome’ prowess any bit. Especially when 'he' smiled at the servant beside him. He simply assumes the appearance of a young master in order to blend in and enjoy a quiet stroll along the border's streets, but he was just too handsome to be ignored.

And that was the very same “outfit” that Dara is currently wearing as she walks through the thick snowy path. Looking behind at the prints of her boots, not really caring about the presence of the -less dog of the Emperor. It was the same outfit, but she changed it up a bit. Letting her long hair fall like waves, only a small portion was hooked into a wooden brach of the plum blossom she plucked. Anything can go wrong but not her fashion style and aesthetics; it.must.be.on.point. She attached a long string of black beads the size of an ant to it. When she walks, her hair sways alongside that string of beads that acts like a strand of hair that glitters.

The castrated bastard wore standard corse attire due to safety precautions. He and his small entourage were let in, under the guise of being a member of our family from a different branch. But is there a 'member' of our family that didn't waste time, made use of the coldest time and the thick snow that covered the earth, as he made us kneel? I scoff.

This royal family really needs to discipline their eunuchs. It may have been a correct protocol, because duh? It's an imperial edict from the Emperor, but this -less eunuch just had to choose the snowy ground to make people kneel.

Just you wait, you little . If I find that you're still alive in this time then wait for me to make you kneel on either the snow or the firepit.
 

That day, the real Sujin easily knelt to "receive" the Imperial Decree, while I stayed stood in a corner, surveying the scene and focusing on his arrogant, haughty countenance with contempt.

If this little castrated motherer had the audacity to make me kneel, then maybe he's tired of living. I never ever kneeled to anyone, okay? Even when I was still inside that damned place, I never did then, what more outside?

I was just standing there, arms crossed, watching everyone's response and taking in the entire ordeal as though it didn't affect me. Because this curse shackle around my neck isn't going to pulsate randomly like it was out for blood for no reason. It's like those warning bells in your gut.

I saw how the Castrated bastard’s mocking smile turned to an amiable one quickly when Father’s stern and firm gaze landed on him. 

My gaze narrowed. 

There's some reprimanding from my father's gaze, obviously warning the head eunuch about something. 

Dogs do inherit certain characteristics from their owners. This dog, who no longer has a , has the unusual quality of being a haughty bastard, much like that obnoxious monarch who is constantly wary of everything and that punch-inducing thick face of his son Lee Donghae.

“By the grace of heaven, the Emperor decrees that the beloved General has a daughter in the legitimate line with outstanding character and appearance. My worries has lessened, since the Ninth Prince has finally found his love;"

Dara gave a low laugh. 

His love? 

More like his trophy military tool to usurp your damned throne later on, lol. 

If only the former Emperor had known, even at a glance, how much his son had been salivating his throne, he would have refused to approve of this marriage under any circumstances.He'd rather give that marriage to a commoner that he can later on promote, so that he'll get a handle from the General's residence. 

Unlucky for him though, because the day Empress Sujin became the Ninth Prince's Consort, is the beginning of his worst decision ever. 

Assuming my understanding is correct, he will be declared a monarch who renounced his throne due to his 'love' for his 'timid' ninth son, just a few months after the Royal Wedding.

Awe, so cute right?

But the real deal, a detailed information, that happened became buried with the mere words brushing it off, the only thing that they had written in history was that he was 'forced' to abdicate his throne. And that's it. No further details entailing what really happened there. Same as the unedited one. 

"A lady that he’ll be spending his life with,” 

A lady that he'll be spending his life with? Excuse me? Not long after, the Empress died. What spending his life with? 

She snorted.

This imperial decree is becoming more and more fake news. 

Well, what can she say? They wouldn't even know that their Empress has a short life span.

“Issued by his Imperial Majesty” 

To sum up all of his rumblings, I’ll be departing with them to that damned capital to hold my goddamn wedding. 

Yeah, sure thing, so that I can get out of here quickly. My eyes are getting white from searching for the eye of the Array, which is not here, so maybe it's somewhere around the capital or something,

I'm betting on it cause I’ve been laying low replenishing my energy and healing my internal wounds as much as I can as I wait for a chance to leave this hell hole. Because i'm sure there's going to be a fight no matter what.

A girl just wanted to get the out of this okay? Because I have a sinking feeling that the more I stay here, the more it will be hard to get out and I'm trying really hard to be optimistic about my situation, because God knows I really want to breakdown so bad with this unfamiliar that i'm in, but I just can't 'cause my uncle didn't raise no ! And because I am claustrophobic! I'm just holding it in because of the fragile situation that I am in. I know that having a breakdown right now is not the bests of idea, it's not going to help, so I need to pull myself up every damn waking time that i'm still here!

The Caster is probably going to fry my for intruding here. Thankfully I hid over Empress Sujin's 'body' here, or else I'm really ed. I don't really know how that happened, because technically the things here are fake and powered by spiritual energy, so why is it that Jungjeon has a body? Because if not, then what the hell did my soul enter into?

, that only makes this array more complicated, which is something I really don't want to know or comprehend at all. I'm a curious person, but stuff like this... I just want to get the out of here a-s-a-p. Anyone can do every little they want, okay? Who am I to judge? I'm not Yama or Yan wang. I just don't want to get involved in it. I'm just here to get revenge on behalf of her Royal Highness, not to snoop around other people's...shady 'business'; I'm unhinged, all right, but let's just keep those topics apart out of respect for one another's 'interests'.

When all the formalities were over, Father General gently pulled me into a corner and said, "Take care.." with much difficulty; his eyes betrayed the complex and conflicted emotions he was currently experiencing.

Yes, the little Sujin won't be able to see it, but the sensitive me can. That dumb , really.

The hesitation in his eyes as he worriedly peered at his daughter's cabbage, which was going to be devoured by a pig, made me feel bad again. Looking at her, as if carving the image of her smiling face so radiantly into his mind. I may not admit it, but I do envy Jungjeon mama right at this moment, having a father like this is really heart warming. 

“She's truly lucky to have a father like you…” I whispered. Well, it’s not what Jungjeon had said to her father then. I really don’t know what they had talked about because it wasn’t recorded