1.
That day was particularly bright.
“Han-Ryang, you fool!! Even if Celosia asked you, should you have granted the request so easily?!”
“…My lady.”
“Yes, you fool! Even if I asked, you shouldn’t have agreed so easily!”
“…My lady?”
The day before, after being caught on a long walk and scolded by the nobleman, Han-Ryang had been sulking. At noon, the lady personally visited him and handed him dried persimmons.
“Pfft.”
“…Why are you laughing?”
“I just imagined you, a man of such stature, holding onto it like a rabbit, nibbling on it carefully.”
“…Regardless, thank you.”
“Alright, later on, repay me with that Western sweet. Was it called caendy? Cauldy?”
“…That’s a delicacy reserved only for the King or the guardian spirits.”
“Oh hush. Anyway, pay me back with ten… no, a hundred of those caendy later.”
Because she had lost her sight in a fire, Han-Ryang gazed into her pink eyes and muttered softly.
“I’m sorry.”
“Hm? For what?”
“Because I failed to protect you properly, my lady’s eyes…”
…Clench.
Han-Ryang bit his lips.
If that day, I had stopped my lady from running off to save that child, or at the very least, if I had saved the child first…
“My lady wouldn’t have had to—”
Chop!
As his head lowered in guilt, both his cheeks were suddenly cupped and lifted back up.
“What did I say before?”
“…But.”
“Oh, you stubborn oaf. Stop thinking nonsense and answer me.”
Seeing Celosia’s serious expression, Han-Ryang reluctantly opened his mouth.
“You said it wasn’t my fault. That it wasn’t your fault, nor the child’s… that it was just something that had already passed.”
“And?”
“…And that if I still felt guilty, I should dedicate my life to serving you. That’s what you said.”
“Exactly.”
Only then did her lips curl into a smile.
“What? Have you grown tired of serving me?”
“N-No way! You are someone far beyond what I deserve!!”
“Hoooh? And how much beyond do you think I am?”
“T-That is…!!”
Thinking as hard as he could, Han-Ryang clenched his chest and answered with conviction.
“You could ask for my life, and I would give it to you without hesitation!”
A clumsy but resolute response.
“…Is that so?”
Celosia’s hands, guided by his voice, gently wrapped around the back of Han-Ryang’s neck.
“Then give it to me.”
“…Huh?”
“Tsk, so the great man speaks twice with one mouth. You don’t even live up to your size.”
“No! I would give it to you this very moment if—Oh…? M-My lady, wait…!!”
Flustered, Han-Ryang panicked as Celosia climbed onto him.
Tap.
Soft lips briefly touched his tightly shut lips before pulling away.
“…Ah?”
“You said you’d give me your life, so I took it with a kiss.”
Though her smile was playful, Celosia’s own face flushed red from embarrassment.
At that moment, rank, circumstances, and worries disappeared, leaving only the sincerity that swelled within them. Unable to hold it back any longer, Han-Ryang finally spoke.
“You, who are always enchanting, will forever be my unchanging love.”
Realizing what he had just blurted out, Han-Ryang’s face turned bright red, while Celosia, feeling his warmth through her hands, let out a small chuckle.
“Han-Ryang, you… you can say such sweet things? Weren’t you the one who said you’d live alone forever?”
“…My lady.”
“Pfft. How cute. Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Come closer.”
As Han-Ryang leaned in at her words, Celosia kissed him once again, then naturally pulled him into an embrace and whispered,
“You, who are always enchanting, will forever be my unchanging love.”
After wandering for so long, their hearts finally reached each other.
“…My lady. I… I don’t know if I deserve to be this happy…”
“…A great man crying? Well, I suppose it’s charming in its own way.”
Though they could not announce it to the world just yet, the two shared their love for several months.
For those few months, Han-Ryang thought deeply.
Among the many reasons they could not be together, the greatest was the limitation of status.
Though he had been taken in as a slave and later became a commoner, that alone was nowhere near enough.
“I intend to apply for the Special Military Examination.”
“…The Special Military Examination?”
“Yes, my lady.”
If he could pass the military examination and become one of the Eastern Jangseung, and if he could return in glory—
“Then, as the consort of the sole heir of the Cheon family, the guardian family of the East, I will be worthy of loving you without shame.”
“…A Jangseung, huh.”
One of the highest-ranking positions in the East, granted only to those with unparalleled martial prowess.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Celosia asked,
“Is that the only way?”
Han-Ryang already knew.
That she had pleaded with her father for him. That Celosia’s father had acknowledged him.
However.
“The only reason the lord hesitates is because of the disparity in status.”
The Cheon family was a high-ranking house responsible for maintaining order in the East, and for that reason, they always had to possess sufficient strength to prevent threats.
“I will return soon.”
“Alright, don’t worry about me and go.”
“…I’ve always thought so, but my lady is quite terrible at acting.”
“…Was it that obvious?”
“Yes. Very much so.”
“…”
Han-Ryang vowed to dedicate himself entirely to erasing that single concern.
“So, how long do you expect it to take?”
“Fortunately, the mentor assigned to me by the lord said I have more than enough talent. It should take about three years.”
“…That’s long. Truly long.”
The somber mood only lasted a moment before Celosia smiled as brightly as ever.
“But I cannot rely on you forever either. I will learn to stand on my own.”
“…My lady.”
“…A great man shouldn’t cry.”
That night, under the silent approval of Celosia’s father, the two spent the night together.
“Come back safely, you crybaby.”
With Celosia’s farewell as his last memory, Han-Ryang departed on his journey to become a Jangseung.
The time they had spent so dearly together felt almost fleeting as the three years passed quicker than expected.
“Top scorer, Han-Ryang!!!”
Having passed the military examination as the highest-ranking graduate, Han-Ryang, filled with excitement, immediately set off on his journey home after the commissioning ceremony.
“This is what they call Western caendy.”
“Let me have some.”
“Well, since you’ve become a Jangseung, you ought to taste it. How many should I give you?”
“One hundred.”
“…Huh?”
“One hundred. Give me one hundred.”
“Th-Thank you very much!”
Carrying both hands full of gifts for Celosia, he confidently made his way back home.
‘What should my first words be?’
‘Can I finally call her Celosia instead of “my lady”?’
‘When should we have children?’
‘Five? Maybe even six would be nice.’
Though the journey home took an entire month, for Han-Ryang, it felt far too short.
‘…Alright. I’ll call her “my lady” for now, and then whisper Celosia’s name that night.’
No matter how composed she usually was, surely she would be a little embarrassed.
“Hehe… This is the first time I’ve seen you smile so brightly since passing the exam.”
“Ahem…!”
Just as Han-Ryang lifted his head at the teasing remark of his companion—
Fwoosh!
From the beacon tower built on the ancestral grounds of the Cheon family, five flames shot into the sky.
“…Huh?”
An engagement with enemy forces.
A level-5 emergency.
“My lady…!!”
Boom!!
Dismounting from his horse, Han-Ryang activated the power of the Jangseung, donned his mask, and sprinted forward.
“Please…!! Please!!!”
His lady, who had valued the life of a child more than her own eyesight—
The woman who had lost her sight to save another, whom he had sworn to protect for the rest of his life in penance—
“Please!!!”
The training that had pushed him to the brink of death.
The memory of his pink-blossomed lady that had kept him from giving up.
The promise he had whispered to her—that he would return as soon as possible and ensure their lifelong happiness.
After so many long years, he had finally returned to fulfill that vow.
“My lady!!!”
“……Don’t come near me!! Please, please, don’t make me kill you…!!!”
The woman who had once saved a child at the cost of her sight—
Now stood there, drenched in blood, amidst the slaughtered villagers.
“Something felt wrong…!! Something pierced me, and now my body… my body won’t move as I will it…!!”
Shaking hands.
Eyes wandering without focus.
And—
“Get away!!!”
Crunch!!
A vast, ominous black energy erupted, distorting the surroundings as if trying to crush everything in its wake.
“I…!! Because of me, these people…!!”
A ceremonial dagger, embedded in Celosia’s side, bore the imperial seal of the Babylonia Empire, appearing to be a vessel of a powerful curse.
“No, no…!!!”
Boom!!
Wearing his combat mask, Han-Ryang charged forward to subdue Celosia.
Though the cursed shadows were powerful, they were far too easy to evade, and as a Jangseung, Han-Ryang had no difficulty reaching her within moments.
“Ghh, hngh…!!!”
“My lady!! Please!!! It’s me!! Han-Ryang, the one who vowed to serve you forever!!!”
“Let… let me go…!!!”
Sharp shadows scattered in all directions, slashing deep wounds across Han-Ryang’s body, but he paid them no mind as he held Celosia tightly.
He had to think of a way.
— A curse, Master?
— Yes. It manifests around the medium, and once activated, there is no way to reverse it. A filthy trick used by the Western barbarians.
The knowledge he had gained during his training as a Jangseung screamed at him that it was impossible.
— Must it be considered filthy?
— Of course! They capture enemy families alive and force them to kill their own kin. What else could it be but vile sorcery?
— Hah… Then is there truly no way?
— None. You must kill them.
The only certainty was that there was no way to save her.
He could do nothing.
All he could do was hold the struggling Celosia tightly and desperately hope.
Hope that this was all just a nightmare.
But hope was meaningless—the curse only grew stronger, consuming Celosia’s very life force.
“I… I have to kill…!!! No!! This isn’t what I want!!!”
“My lady!!”
“No, this isn’t me…!!”
Just as the cursed shadows were about to strike the wounded survivors again—
Plop.
Han-Ryang’s bundle tore open, spilling its contents like raindrops.
Among them—
“Candy… Of course… It had to be Han-Ryang…”
For a moment.
The clouded eyes that had been darkened ever since the fire suddenly regained their light.
And finally, Celosia, facing the man she loved, made a request.
“…Han-Ryang.”
I’m truly,
Truly sorry.
“Could you… kill me?”
