I Became the Owner of the Heavenly Flower Palace-Chapter 8: Night Ride

Jincheon pondered.

He wanted to ask where they were going and what kind of people they were.

There was nothing wrong with asking those questions. The problem lay elsewhere.

"But how do I phrase this to make sure I don't get on their bad side?"

He had heard that polite and humble people would be ignored in this place.

No wonder his client had even instructed him to "speak rudely, speak without respect."

But since he had never intentionally been impolite before, it was difficult.

‘...I’ll just stay quiet.’

There’s an old saying that says if you stay silent, you’ll at least make it through the middle ground.

Jincheon decided to remain silent and not ask any questions.

The anxiety? It would probably fade away on its own, right?

Clack, clack.

The light sound of hooves echoed, and the gentle ride of the carriage embraced Jincheon, easing him into a comfortable rhythm.

But the unease didn’t leave him.

‘Why are we traveling so far?’

For Jincheon, this was a simple task—deliver a small, pretty bead and receive the reward. It shouldn’t have involved all this trouble.

Why the complicated steps for something so small? What kind of high and mighty place required such a process?

Jincheon’s frustration grew as he thought about all the hardships he had gone through and the annoying people still making things difficult for him. Without realizing it, he muttered aloud.

“Where are we going?”

He had forgotten to use formal speech. But it was already too late to fix that.

The woman opened her eyes and fixed her gaze on Jincheon.

“You can’t be told.”

Her voice was soft but firm. Jincheon didn’t back down.

“Then how far are we going?”

“You can’t be told.”

“Is there anything that can be told?”

This time, there was emotion in Jincheon’s voice.

The woman’s gaze turned cold, but Jincheon felt certain it wasn’t just his perception.

“...I can’t say.”

If this had been Jincheon under normal circumstances, this would have been enough of a line crossed.

But perhaps because of the atmosphere?

Jincheon added one more comment.

“Is that so? It seems there’s a lot you can’t say.”

The woman didn’t respond. But Jincheon could clearly see her fingers twitch slightly, the movement betraying her tension.

‘...Did I go too far?’

He had failed in his delivery, but at least he had succeeded in speaking rudely.

But was provoking his opponent the smartest thing to do?

‘Ugh.’

Jincheon groaned inwardly.

Being rude was harder than he thought. As he turned his head, he realized that the atmosphere had become thick with unspoken tension.

The curtains around the carriage blocked his view of the outside, and above him, the border’s night sky was full of stars.

Clack, clack.

The rhythmic sound of hooves continued as the carriage moved steadily in an unknown direction.

“...Get up.”

Jincheon awoke with a start at the sudden voice.

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

His mind was foggy, and the unfamiliar voice of the woman came again.

“Wake up.”

“Ah!”

Jincheon quickly realized what had happened.

He had fallen asleep.

The carriage had been so comfortable, and the long journey had exhausted him, causing him to doze off.

The drowsiness vanished instantly, and Jincheon could feel cold sweat breaking out across his body.

He tried to rise as naturally as possible.

“Hmm. Have we arrived?”

Jincheon muttered, pretending to talk to himself.

Thankfully, his voice didn’t crack. His tone was calm.

However, the woman did not respond.

Through the veil, Jincheon could feel her gaze, as if she were looking at him with disdain. It didn’t seem like just his imagination.

Swish.

He glanced around, noticing that the curtains had already been lifted, and bright lights from the outside flooded in.

“...Get down.”

After a brief silence, the woman spoke ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) again, her voice steady.

Ignoring her brief pause, Jincheon stepped down from the carriage.

“Oh.”

It was immediately clear that they had arrived at a large mansion.

It wasn’t overly extravagant, but the lanterns lighting up the area made it seem bright and spacious.

‘This place is big.’

Not only was the building large, but the layout and structure were expansive as well.

The carriage had even driven inside the mansion grounds and stopped there.

‘What’s going on? They acted all secretive and wouldn’t show anything, but now it’s all wide open and bright?’

It was quite a contrast from the secretive approach earlier.

‘But I guess that’s not a problem.’

After all, he would just deliver the item and receive the money. It didn’t hurt that the place looked like there was ample space for a proper exchange.

As Jincheon looked around, he noticed something strange.

‘There’s no one around?’

In a mansion of this size, there should be staff or servants visible.

But there was no one.

It was eerily empty.

“Follow me.”

The woman’s voice broke the silence as she gestured toward a door.

Jincheon cleared his throat once and followed her into the room.

Thud.

‘Is this an office or something?’

The room was large, but there wasn’t much furniture.

There was a table, chairs, and a bookshelf, but the place still felt bare.

“Please, sit down.”

The woman motioned for Jincheon to take a seat.

Jincheon sat in the chair.

‘This looks old.’

He had already noticed that the place was large and well-lit, but there was no decoration or extravagant furnishings.

It was clean, but the emptiness made it feel more like a rarely used space.

‘For a place they call the palace... this feels...’

Before Jincheon could finish his thought, the woman placed a tea cup down on the table and began pouring tea.

Sssss.

The aroma of the tea filled the room, its fragrance slowly enveloping the space.

“Thank you.”

Jincheon expressed his gratitude.

Jincheon briefly considered that maybe he should have spoken rudely, but it was already done.

Moreover, after waking up from his brief nap, he felt that it didn't really matter anymore.

"Do you live here?"

Clack.

As the woman sat down, she stared at Jincheon through the veil.

‘Ah, here it comes. She can’t say...’

“No.”

The woman answered quietly.

“But you didn’t come here to ask that, did you?”

She was right.

The situation had been so irrational that for a moment, Jincheon had lost his focus, but he had only come to deliver a small item. His curiosity about the woman’s identity or her veiled face didn’t matter to him.

Even her flawless skin, illuminated by the bright lantern light, wasn’t something he needed to focus on.

"That's correct."

Jincheon nodded.

He then reached into his sleeve.

It was a little clumsy, but after rummaging through his sleeve, he pulled out a small pouch.

Tock.

The pouch opened, and a red bead rolled into his palm.

"This..."

Bang.

The sudden noise startled Jincheon.

The woman, who had been sitting opposite him, suddenly stood up and immediately dropped to one knee.

Her chair made a loud noise as it tipped over, but she paid no attention to it.

“Why... suddenly...”

Startled, Jincheon reflexively gripped the bead tighter as he was about to speak. But before he could finish his words, the woman bowed her head.

And she urgently spoke.

“I kneel before the Red Dragon’s Wrath.”

“...What?”

Jincheon replied, his expression filled with confusion.

But he wasn’t the only one confused.

The woman jerked her head up.

The look in her eyes, visible through the veil, was frantic.

“Could it be... No, but that’s...”

She mumbled in fragments, as though she couldn’t make sense of what she was saying. Her gaze remained fixed on the bead Jincheon was holding.

Jincheon was just as bewildered.

But what he had to do was clear.

Swish.

Slowly, Jincheon opened his hand.

He showed her the red bead.

Her lips pressed together in a tight line, confirming that she recognized the bead.

‘At least I didn’t go to the wrong place.’

Jincheon felt a sense of relief and spoke up.

“This....”

Ah!

The woman sprang to her feet. She swiftly pulled off her veil.

Her beauty was beyond what Jincheon had imagined, and he widened his eyes in surprise. Then, the woman, stepping toward him, bent slightly and whispered.

"I dare to commit this act before the dragon’s form."

Her voice was filled with determination, almost a whisper to his ear.

But before Jincheon had time to process it—

Swish.

She suddenly embraced him.

“Ah!”

Jincheon instinctively tried to pull away, but she didn’t allow him to escape.

The soft touch and the fragrant scent disoriented him, and she effortlessly lifted him.

Jincheon was stunned.

But that was only the beginning.

She held him tightly and, without hesitation, launched herself forward.

Bang.

The door opened with a loud crash.

She carried Jincheon in her arms, racing through the mansion.

"Ugh, ugh..."

Jincheon instinctively struggled, but the woman’s voice, whispering in his ear, calmed him.

“Please bear with me for a moment.”

Her voice was filled with solemnity.

Jincheon looked up in surprise, seeing her pale face.

He couldn’t see her clearly, but he could tell she was gritting her teeth.

Tsk.

She stomped her foot on the ground and, in a low voice, said:

“I will soon take you to the palace.”

“What?”

Jincheon thought something was terribly off.

“Wasn’t this supposed to be the destination?”

Jincheon couldn’t understand what was happening.

Was he not heading to the palace already?

Just like he had traveled here in the curtained carriage, was he now going to be carried by her to the palace?

‘No, that can’t be right.’

Just then—

“What's going on?”

A heavy voice rumbled in Jincheon’s ear.

He turned his head and saw an elderly man standing, his appearance rough, near the stables.

It seemed they had arrived at the stables, as several horses were visible.

The woman responded.

“Please allow me to speak. This concerns the safety of the palace.”

The old man’s eyebrows twitched.

He glared at both the woman and Jincheon, who she was holding.

His gaze was menacing, but the old man stepped back.

“Take him.”

The woman nodded slightly, thanking him.

She then nimbly lifted Jincheon onto a sleek, gray horse.

“Ugh, uh...”

Jincheon had ridden horses before, but it was a bit unfamiliar.

As he nervously mounted the horse, the woman immediately climbed behind him.

She took the reins and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Take this one too.”

The old man’s voice came again, and Jincheon turned to see him leading a reddish-brown horse with fur tinged with red. The man handed the reins to the woman.

“...Thank you, Mano.”

The woman thanked him and immediately spurred her horse.

“Giddy up!”

The horse immediately charged forward.

“Huh, huh?”

Jincheon thought they should wait until they passed through the gates before galloping, but that worry was unnecessary.

The estate had no walls, and as soon as they left what seemed like a stable, they found themselves in the wilderness.

Nothing could be seen.

It was a desolate wasteland, with no lights except the ones from the mansion they had just left.

Clack, clack.

Now that the curtains had been lifted, Jincheon could finally see the surroundings he had missed while resting.

‘So this is where I was.’

The moonlit wilderness was both beautiful and eerie.

The horse, carrying both Jincheon and the woman, raced through the dark wasteland.

“Ugh.”

On the bouncing horse, Jincheon had nothing to hold onto.

But the woman’s arm around his waist kept him secure, so he didn’t feel any danger.

Jincheon gripped the red bead tightly in one hand, his other arm wrapped around the woman, as they raced through the night.

‘What is this...’

While it was strange enough to be pulled into an embrace in the middle of the night, now they were riding through the wilderness at full speed.

He didn’t know where they were heading, or even where they were.

He didn’t even know the name of the woman who was holding him so tightly.

‘What’s going on?!’

It was only natural for Jincheon to think that.

But the wind in his face kept him from speaking, and, of course, there was no one there to answer.

But he still had to fulfill his task, so Jincheon shifted slightly, tucking the precious bead into his pocket and keeping it safely close.

And so, Jincheon, completely at the mercy of the woman, raced through the midnight wilderness.