Chapter 87: Villainess (4)

A month had passed since Moyong Sang-ah received news of Kang Yunho.

Moyong Sang-ah was swinging her sword in her private training grounds.

“My lady, it has already been a month. Please, take a break and eat something,” the Phoenix Spear Guard captain, who had been watching her train for some time, spoke up as her intensity began to wane.

“I have no appetite.”

With those few words, Moyong Sang-ah unleashed another powerful strike, as though an invisible nemesis stood before her.

“My lady, It has been a month since you’ve dedicated yourself to martial training without a proper meal. At this rate, your body will collapse.”

Since that day, Moyong Sang-ah had barely touched food, focusing solely on her martial arts practice.

“I told you I have no appetite.”

How could she eat, knowing that Kang Yunho had suffered even beyond the grave because of her?

Instead, she devoted her time to training.

If her training ensured that she could cut down even one more member of the Demonic Cult, then it would be worth it.

For that sole reason, Moyong Sang-ah continued to wield her sword tirelessly.

The Phoenix Spear Guard captain watched her with a look of pity.

Since hearing the news of Kang Yunho, Moyong Sang-ah had been like a galloping horse being relentlessly driven forward.

Some servants had expressed concern to him, noting that it wasn’t just meals that she wasn’t properly partaking in—but sleep as well.

No matter how strong a horse might be, if it kept running without food or rest, it would eventually collapse.

Although she appeared indifferent, her body was visibly thinner, and no matter what the Phoenix Spear Guard captain said, it seemed she had no intention of stopping.

He needed to find a way to stop the young lady.

The Phoenix Spear Guard commander decided to take drastic measures, even though he was hesitant.

“Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of your marriage. The late Young Master would not have wanted to see you like this.”

“What could you possibly know about him?”

Moyong Sang-ah’s voice trembled with emotion as she stopped her training and responded.

“That night, Young Master Kang Yunho had already taken a sedative in advance. He wouldn’t have done that unless he knew he was going to die. Doesn’t that suggest the two of you had a conversation before leaving the manor?”

“…”

Moyong Sang-ah lowered her gaze, unable to answer.

“I don’t know what was said between the two of you that night. But if my assumption is correct, he would never have wanted to see you like this.”

At first, the Phoenix Spear Guard captain thought everything had gone according to a clever plan.

Kang Yunho’s death had brought a great reversal of fortune for his lady, Moyong Sang-ah.

But… what if it hadn’t been planned?

What if it had been the sacrifice of one man?

What if Kang Yunho’s escorts had deliberately waited for the Phoenix Spear Guard forces to arrive, rather than fleeing in haste?

What if this man, who had already lost everything, used his final moments to give his life for one woman?

What if their short yet fiery love had led to this situation?

Then he could understand why his lady had changed so drastically.

“There is no time to delay if I am to carry out his wishes.”

“Were the late Young Master’s wishes for you to collapse from exhaustion? A man who sacrificed himself for the woman he loved would never have wished for that,” the Phoenix Spear Guard captain spoke with conviction.

“…”

Moyong Sang-ah recalled the words of her beloved from that night:

— Live.

— Reclaim the Moyong Clan. And if you have time after, lay a single flower on my grave.

…Is she truly living now?

Moyong Sang-ah glanced at her body.

Thinner and weaker compared to a month ago.

A body not alive to live but surviving to die.

Could she truly honor Kang Yunho’s wishes and place a flower at his grave in this state?

“…Captain, how goes the search for his grave?”

“We’ve deployed additional people to Joseon to track down the one who retrieved his remains. Good news will surely come.”

She had to find his grave.

But… with the condition she was in, she might collapse before ever reaching it.

“…I’ll have dinner tonight.”

“Truly? Then I’ll arrange for someone to prepare a delicious meal.”

“They say rich food can upset the stomach when eaten suddenly. I’ll have porridge tonight.”

“Do you promise to eat tonight?”

“Yes, I promise.”

She couldn’t afford to collapse yet.

“Since the young lady has made this promise, I shall take my leave.”

Satisfied by the resolve in her eyes, the Phoenix Spear Guard captain quietly left her private training grounds.

The next day, late at night, near midnight.

Moyong Sang-ah ordered her servants to prepare a feast of sumptuous delicacies.

Although she typically ate very little, the servants were puzzled yet delighted by her sudden command, especially since it marked the end of her self-imposed fast.

Late into the night, they joyfully prepared the meal.

“I don’t need anyone to serve me. Leave the room.”

As instructed, the servants placed the food and left.

The time passed, and midnight came and went.

Once the room was silent, Moyong Sang-ah began opening all the windows.

Although it was officially spring, the cold winter wind still lingered in the air.

From a hidden place, she retrieved an object and placed it at the center of the table laden with delicacies.

Inscribed on the object were the words.

It was a memorial tablet for her deceased husband, prepared by his widow to honor him in a ritual.

Today marked the anniversary of the unforgettable night they shared.

It was also the first anniversary of Kang Yunho’s death.

Beside the tablet, Moyong Sang-ah placed an incense burner and lit incense.

The fragrant smoke began to fill the room, a soft, solemn offering for the deceased.

Pouring a cup of wine for her late husband, she bowed deeply to the tablet and spoke, “I prepared a feast for you. Dishes that are rare in the Central Plains, and famous delicacies from the Eight Provinces of Joseon.”

The offerings on the table were extravagant enough to rival any feast.

These were foods some might never taste in their lifetime.

It was a table fit for a king.

Yet Moyong Sang-ah could only smile sorrowfully as she looked at it.

“Even as I yearn for you, I don’t know a single dish you liked.”

Of all these offerings, is there even one Kang Yunho had loved in life?

Will he be disappointed to find nothing he liked?

Will he enjoy this meal?

She was unsure.

She wished there were someone who knew his favorite foods, but there was no one left in this world who did.

And it was all because of her.

“I’m afraid, Husband.”

For the first time in a year, she confessed her true feelings to her husband’s memorial tablet.

“My brother still holds firm to his power. The Demonic Cult continues to expand its influence in the Moyong Clan. The elders in the council are too consumed by greed to see the decay consuming us.”

Despair filled every corner of her world.

Her only hope was what her husband had left behind.

Yet, the more she used what he had given her, the more ruthless her actions became, and the more she became a target of scorn.

“I’m not afraid of their scorn. I can trample over it if it means expelling the Demonic Cult. I’m not afraid of fighting the Demonic Cult. As long as I live, I will pursue my goal. Those things don’t frighten me. What truly terrifies me, what I fear the most…”

She lowered her head, unable to meet the gaze of the memorial tablet.

“…is the thought of not meeting you in the afterlife.”

An honorable man, unjustly killed.

And the wicked woman who killed him.

Could the paths of a hero and a villain ever converge in the afterlife?

“Even if my body is torn apart in hell, I don’t care. Even if I burn for eternity, I’ll endure it.”

Her sins were too deep, and the place reserved for her in hell was certain.

She could accept any punishment.

Whatever retribution awaited her, it didn’t matter.

As long as one wish could be granted.

“I just want to see your face one more time, Husband.”

No matter the punishment, no matter how eternal, she would accept it.

So long as…

“It’s fine if you look at me with cold eyes. It’s fine if you shout at me in anger. Curse me if you must. I don’t care. Just let me see your face, even if only once.”

Tears began to stream from her eyes as she lowered her head, sobbing.

The searing longing constricted her chest.

“I want to see your face, Husband. I want to hear your voice. I want to… ask for forgiveness.”

But it wasn’t forgiveness she sought.

The sins she had committed were unforgivable.

Even in the moment of judgment, when she might confess her crimes, how could she dare to expect absolution?

Her only wish was that, if she were condemned to hell, the one to pronounce her judgment would be Yunho.

“If I could see your face again, I’d gladly accept whatever punishment you deemed fit, smiling all the while.”

Just as his final moments had been hers, she wished her last moments to be his.

Moyong Sang-ah bowed deeply to the memorial tablet once more before standing.

Will he come here?

Will he like the food I prepared?

Or would he learn the full truth in the afterlife and choose not to come?

Even as she prepared the tablet, placed the offerings, and prayed, Moyong Sang-ah was filled with dread.

– Whhhhoooosh.

Suddenly, a warm spring breeze entered the room.

A warmth unfitting for the chilly night.

The breeze gently circled the room before igniting the incense flame, as if signaling someone’s arrival.

“Could it be… Husband?”

Her voice trembled as she whispered.

The dead were said to visit their offerings, partaking in the food prepared by the living.

The breeze seemed to respond to her call, briefly fanning the incense flame before warmly enveloping her.

If it was him, she couldn’t show her weakness.

She had to show that she was living and not merely surviving.

Through her tear-streaked face, she mustered a faint smile.

The breeze tenderly caressed her tear-stained cheeks before disappearing.

“Husband…”

Could it really have been him?

She hoped it was.

If he had come here despite knowing all her sins, if he had come to comfort this cowardly woman, it must mean he was waiting for her in the afterlife.

Moyong Sang-ah carefully drank the wine she had offered him.

Eumbok—to partake in the food or drink of the deceased, receiving their blessings.

“Wait for me, Husband.”

The liquor burned her empty stomach, flowing through her veins.

A memorial was meant to honor the dead and give the living the strength to move forward.

The warm breeze that had caressed her tears.

The lingering essence of her husband flowed through her.

She now had the courage to keep moving forward.

One day, as Moyong Sang-ah began moving forward again…

“My lady! We’ve received a report from the conscripted Phoenix Spear Guard. Most of the Dragon Spear Guard 5th Division has been annihilated! Those discovered practicing demonic arts committed suicide on the spot!”

The Phoenix Spear Guard captain delivered the news to his lady with a delighted expression.

“That’s good news.”

“What should we do with the survivors?”

“Either persuade them or torture them to reveal what they know. Once they’ve talked, kill them all.”

“Most have already refused to talk, let alone be persuaded. I’ll tell them to make another attempt and handle the situation accordingly.”

With his report concluded, the captain left Moyong Sang-ah’s office.

Once he was gone, Moyong Sang-ah looked down at her left hand.

On her left hand rested a memento, a reminder of her husband who had gone far away, a symbol of her eternal thoughts of him.

“This is only the beginning.”

She had secured her foundation and managed to weaken her brother’s power, even if only slightly.

She didn’t know where this road would lead, but once began, she would not stop.

“Husband, please watch over me until the end.”

The villainess gently caressed the ring on her finger, renewing her determination.