Surviving in a Romance Fantasy Novel

– I will never swing my sword at people again.

In the bandits’ den that was filled with corpses twisted in agony and drenched in blood,

I remembered a boy trembling as he clutched his sword amidst that murderous chaos.

It was said that White Immortal Lee Cheol Woon, upon taking in that boy who exuded nothing but killing intent, had quietly muttered those words.

For this child, only two paths lay ahead.

To become a Sword Master remembered in history, or to become a bloodthirsty murderer.

“……”

After slaying the Plague Demonic Spirit and rising to the position of Grand General, I found myself once again sitting blankly on the porch of the White Immortal Palace, where memories of the past began to surface one by one.

I remembered how aimless I’d been when I first arrived at the White Immortal Palace as an apprentice warrior.

“Those were good times.”

Maybe everyone who took the seat of White Immortal was cut from the same cloth, because I’d heard that Ahn Cheon, who became the White Immortal after Lee Cheol Woon, had also left the palace unused for a long time.

Because of that, the White Immortal Palace had been neglected for years without proper maintenance.

Parts of the building were worn down, dust had piled up, and several areas had been damaged during the disaster of the Plague Demonic Spirit.

Even so, much of it still looked as it had when I was a child, and that familiarity brought with it a strange sense of peace.

Yeah.

The past was always something to long for.

– General Seol! General Seol! Where are you?!

– General Seol! All the officials of the palace are looking for you! Even Lady Ah Hyun is furious beyond words!

From beyond the outer wall, I heard the voices of soldiers calling out for me.

Yeah, that was right. I had slipped away for a while, overcome by a sudden emptiness in my heart.

And the place I had run off to was none other than the White Immortal Palace where I had once spent my days in comfort. My body had grown, but perhaps the recklessness of my childhood still lingered somewhere in my heart.

Still, such a small act of rebellion could never last forever.

People were creatures who lived in the present, and so, if the time had come to return, then return I must.

…It was spring in Cheongdo Palace when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.

And today… was the day of my wedding…

***

“General Seol has run away.”

“…….”

“Um… Lady Ah Hyun….”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. He’ll be back soon. Really… General Seol can be so mischievous sometimes. Ohoho… ohohohoho….”

Though it felt like a cross-shaped vein might pop out of her forehead, the maid quickly pretended not to see it and scurried away.

She had been dragged into this marriage against her will, and now he was running off because his feelings had gotten all tangled up?

Yeon Ri dusted off the hem of her wedding robe, which was almost too extravagant to believe, and cast a nervous sidelong glance at the wedding platform.

At the very center of the Inner Palace, a large open space where one could look straight up at the Heavenly Dragon Hall.

There, the face of Seol Ran, the Heavenly Maiden who had overseen all the arrangements, was shadowed with gloom.

How many years had she spent in the palace, working herself to the bone, all to see her younger brother properly married?

Now that her dream was finally coming true, the very moment it should have been realized, that little brother of hers had worn an empty expression and then suddenly vanished from the ceremony.

She had gathered all the high-ranking officials with great effort, laid out a grand feast, and even adorned the court ladies so beautifully that they looked like celestial maidens.

It should have been the happiest day of Seol Ran’s life, a day to leap with joy, but with the main character nowhere in sight, her lips couldn’t help but pout.

“L-Lady Seol Ran. Shall I bring you another cup of tea?”

“Yes. Thank you. But more importantly, still no word from General Seol?”

“..….”

“I dressed him in fine clothes, prepared the seat, and yet… he chooses to torment me like this? Ugh… ughugh…”

“I-I’ll go get the tea right away!”

The Headmaid of the Heavenly Dragon Hall quickly grabbed the tea set and rushed down to the brazier prepared behind the platform.

“Well… with Tae Pyeong’s personality, he won’t stay in hiding forever…”

Seol Ran rested her chin on her hand and stared blankly up at the sky with empty eyes.

In any case, Seol Tae Pyeong wasn’t the kind of person to truly throw everything away and just keep running.

When it actually came time to get married, it was probably just that he wanted a moment to reflect on his life.

Given time, he would surely return, but not knowing when made the wait all the more unbearable.

With her dream just a single step away from coming true, Seol Ran found the delay unbearably nerve-racking.

Looking down from the platform, the maids of the Four Palaces were busily adorning their mistresses in a competitive frenzy.

Determined that their mistress had to look the most beautiful, those devoted maids had scoured the entire Cheongdo Empire to gather every precious cosmetic they could find.

Seol Ran had already expected such a rivalry to arise, as the maids of the Four Palaces were the kind who couldn’t bear to see their mistress lose face anywhere.

And it wasn’t just the maids…. there was also a quiet but obvious sense of competition among the mistresses of the Four Palaces themselves.

Right. Open hostility must be avoided, but becoming too easily unified is also problematic.

Power struggles, factional disputes, battles over interests… those dark and foul fights can be left to the high officials at court who quarrel all day long… A charming little love rivalry like this is just the right amount.

She wished to avoid manipulating people through power or profit as much as possible.

Instead, Seol Ran had chosen love as her bait.

After all, humans were creatures who couldn’t help but be led by love.

As proof, even the most brilliant beauties of the Four Palaces were now burning with fierce determination all for the sake of winning the heart of a single man.

The greatest Taoist in Cheongdo Empire bearing the might of the Azure Dragon, the finest female swordsman blazing with the Vermilion Bird’s fire, the gentle immortal of the Black Tortoise Palace who embraced all with her generosity, and the cunning strategist of the White Tiger Palace who had mastered plots and scheming…

In the end, each of them would become a sword for Seol Tae Pyeong.

With the protection of the Four Divine Beasts behind him, Seol Tae Pyeong’s power was not something anyone in Cheongdo Empire could dare challenge.

If she could only succeed in binding them to him in marriage, the Hwuayongseol family would have the Cheongdo Empire in its grasp for at least a few hundred years.

Just imagining the sight brought her great satisfaction, and Seol Ran leaned back against the throne’s headrest and smiled sweetly once again.

“Um… Lady Seol.”

“Oh. Yeon—no, Lady Ah Hyun, it seems you’ve finished preparing. My younger brother has yet to be found, as he’s still being childish, so I must ask for just a bit more patience.”

“O-Of course. It’s just…”

What had shocked not only the high officials but all the officials within Cheongdo Palace to the point their eyes nearly popped out was the presence of the official wife.

The position of official wife to General Seol Tae Pyeong, who would come to wield the greatest influence in Cheongdo Palace for at least several decades.

The person sitting in this position so coveted that every woman in the Cheongdo Empire, let alone those in the palace, would have been drooling with envy for it, was none other than Ah Hyun, the former Heavenly Maiden who had long since been banished from the Cheongdo Palace.

“General Seol looked quite troubled in his heart… Must this wedding really be forced through like this? I heard even the high officials are strongly opposed…”

“Their opposition likely stems from the arrival of a Grand General wielding absolute power. That’s all it is.”

“Th-That may be true, but still…”

“Hmm… Lady Ah Hyun, perhaps…”

Seol Ran gently stroked her chin and smiled kindly. Her face was veiled in a faint shadow of coldness.

“Hmm… Do you not want to marry my brother?”

“Eek…! N-No, of course not. I was just speaking thoughtlessly.”

“I thought as much. All the mistresses of the Four Great Palaces are women so exceptional that it wouldn’t be strange for them to define an era. But even they couldn’t reach the position of official wife. You, Lady Ah Hyun, will live your entire life as the woman all others look up to.”

Seol Ran spoke proudly and confidently and a deeply satisfied smile bloomed on her face.

Yeon Ri who had been listening to this responded with a vague, complicated “Yes…” and lowered her gaze toward the floor.

…Wasn’t this supposed to be a moment of overwhelming joy?

Though she found Yeon Ri’s lukewarm reaction rather puzzling, Seol Ran reminded herself that it was still a celebratory day.

She only hoped her younger brother would come to his senses and return soon.

And just as Seol Ran’s worry seemed to reach the heavens, the Grand General finally appeared at the entrance of the banquet hall.

– Grand General Seol Tae Pyeong has arrived!

– General Seol is entering the banquet hall! Everyone, bow your heads!

The only time high officials bowed their heads was when appearing before the Emperor.

But now, even the high-ranking officials gathered at the scene were all paying their respects. This made it not at all strange to say he was being treated as the Emperor himself.

Seol Tae Pyeong walked gracefully between them. Though he was her younger brother, to Seol Ran, he looked truly dignified and noble.

Of course, Seol Ran had made a huge fuss to prepare the finest wedding garments and adorned him from head to toe with the best ornaments, so… even in a situation like this, it would be difficult for him to appear anything less than impressive.

As Seol Tae Pyeong walked into the banquet hall, he quietly greeted the crown princess consorts of the Four Great Palaces who had gathered beneath the platform.

Each of them twisted awkwardly and glanced around nervously in front of him. It was typical behavior when standing before Seol Tae Pyeong.

“Congratulations, General Seol. To think such a great occasion would come. Even the Emperor of Heaven watching over Cheongdo must be observing today’s celebration.”

“General Seol! I’m Gil Han Seong, the Minister of Rites. To honor today’s joyous event, I’ve brought a large offering of the finest teas from Anhwa Province. I hope they suit the refined tastes of the noble ladies well-versed in tea ceremonies.”

“General Seol. My name is Bi Hyeon Ho from the Jeongseon Garrison. I’ve admired you since my days as an apprentice warrior. I sincerely congratulate you on this wonderful occasion. I will train harder so that one day, I too may become a famous warrior like you.”

Seol Tae Pyeong accepted the officials’ words of celebration with a smile and at last, after walking and walking, he reached the top of the platform.

Seol Ran who was seated at the place of highest honor rested her chin on her hand and finally gave a wide smile.

“…Was it really necessary to gather all these high-ranking officials for this?”

“We’ve lived so diligently, haven’t we? It’s fine to make a bit of a fuss for an occasion like this.”

“……”

Looking at Seol Ran smiling so gently brought back memories of the time they had run out of the burning Huayongseol clan and wandered through the imperial capital.

They had roamed through the corners of the slums, sometimes picking up discarded food scraps and putting them in their mouths.

They had slept in rundown abandoned houses on the outskirts and sometimes had to flee from low demonic spirits, living a wretched life… and yet at some point that poor brother and sister had found themselves in the most noble hall of Cheongdo Palace celebrating an auspicious event backed by the highest officials.

They had lived with such fragile lives that it wouldn’t have been strange if they died at any moment.

But somehow as they kept on living, they had stayed alive.

That’s just what life was like.

Looking back, that was what life came to mean.

There had been no grand ambition no noble resolve.

There had simply been a road and they had walked it with everything they had.

And in living that way things like the meaning of life or purpose… those things had come into being on their own.

Turning back, he looked at those gathered for the wedding.

Perhaps they had all lived in the same way.

And perhaps they would continue to live that way.

“Well, considering how remarkable all the women are, I’m sure you’ve had your share of hardships, but if you’re a man with grand aspirations, you should be able to handle that much, right?”

“Ran-noonim…”

“So say something to those gathered; you’re the greatest pillar supporting the nation of Cheongdo right now.”

The motto of working less and earning more had become meaningless. His one and only sister seemed intent on wringing every last bit of use out of Seol Tae Pyeong until the end.

There was no helping it. It was the price of having a talented family.

If one had a sister like Seol Ran, they were destined to work for the rest of their life.

Of course, Seol Ran herself had spent a lifetime struggling because of a brother like Seol Tae Pyeong… so neither of them really had anything to say to the other.

That was what it meant to be family.

Seol Tae Pyeong turned around.

Below the platform, the mistresses of the four great palaces were seated together.

It was plain to see that each one of them was doing their best to hide their nervous excitement.

Even the guests looked up at Seol Tae Pyeong with admiration in their eyes, and the officials, administrators, and even the palace maids all wore contented smiles as they applauded in celebration.

From that place, Seol Tae Pyeong spoke in a calm, low voice.

“I’m truly grateful to all of you who came and offered your congratulations. However, as you all know, the nation of Cheongdo is currently facing a crisis. It will take at least a few more years to heal the wounds left behind by the Plague Demonic Spirit, and even longer, perhaps, to bring order back to the land.”

The wounds ran deep.

To heal the nation of Cheongdo, Seol Ran would have to work even harder from now on.

“Before we begin the wedding ceremony, I want to take a moment to thank everyone gathered here.”

Seol Tae Pyeong let out a faint breath… then simply spoke, slowly.

“Through all those countless trials, you endured to the very end and held up the nation of Cheongdo. There are many loyal subjects who gave their lives for this country, and though we must never forget to be grateful to them until our dying day… I want to express my gratitude to all of you as well. Because it is thanks to you that the nation of Cheongdo still exists. Because it is your survival that gave meaning to the sacrifices of those who died for your sake.”

“So, thank you… for surviving.”

At Seol Tae Pyeong’s words, a still silence fell over the crowd.

The sight of the one who should have been receiving congratulations instead offering them was briefly bewildering, but before long, a round of encouraging applause burst forth once more.

All throughout Cheongdo Palace, cherry blossom petals fluttered like a symbol of spring.

Finally, the reality of having survived began to sink in, and Seol Tae Pyeong broke into a wide smile.

He had grumbled as if he disliked it, but the truth was, he had been happy.

“Well then… let us begin the wedding ceremony.”

And so, the long and arduous struggle for survival of the Sword Master Seol Tae Pyeong came to an end.

He had not achieved everything he set out to in that difficult life, nor had he always succeeded in upholding his beliefs.

But he could still look back and say it had been a life worth living.

And that was enough.

That, as life tends to be, was simply how it was.

Surviving in a Romance Fantasy Novel.

The End…..

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There’s no point in sitting here too long. The power I can wield is limited, and the mistresses of the Four Great Palaces will all be eyeing my seat with fire in their eyes. This can’t happen… this isn’t right…!

As she sat at the wedding, wearing the most graceful smile and carrying herself with elegance unmatched by anyone else, Yeon Ri’s inner thoughts were in complete chaos.

Now that the wedding had taken place and she felt the weight of people’s gazes on her, the true burden of the seat she now occupied finally began to sink in.

I have to escape…! If I want to survive… I need to give up this position as the official wife…!

But there was no way General Seol Tae Pyeong would ever allow that.

They had spent many years as close companions, and it was Seol Tae Pyeong who knew Yeon Ri better than anyone.

To escape his grasp… would not be easy.

Even so, if she truly wished to survive, she would have to run.

Someone’s battle for survival had ended in triumph and he was showered in the blessings of many…

But now, the struggle for survival of Lady Ah Hyun had only just begun.

The End.

***

(TN: This is the end of the novel. I really think it was a very good ending for a story. I hope you all enjoyed it till now and are feeling melancholic just like me. I searched but didn’t find any side stories.)