Even If I Fall into the Mud, I Will Bloom

“Young Master Gyeong… You were alive?” The fiancé I had believed dead for five years was alive. “Yes. I have returned to kill you.” All that reflected in his eyes was hatred for me. Emperor Songmun, ruler of the Kingdom of Songyang and father of Sohwa, was a deeply suspicious man, the kind who would even kill his own brothers if it meant protecting the throne. The emperor tried to take Woni, the son of his loyal subject Baekjeong, as his son-in-law. However, his political enemies falsely accused Woni’s family of treason. Although Sohwa struggled to save her fiancé, she was detained by imperial order and could do nothing but watch helplessly as her lover’s family was destroyed. When Sohwa heard that Woni had been beheaded and his head displayed in the town square, she tried to follow him in death, but failed. From then on, she merely prolonged a life that felt no different from that of a corpse. Her brother Yujeong, who succeeded Emperor Songmun and seized real power, had always been jealous of Sohwa. Using Woni’s surviving mother and younger sister as hostages, he forced Sohwa to marry a man of low status and drove her into a miserable life. Five years later, a rebellion broke out to overthrow Yujeong, who had been abusing his power. Woni, whom everyone had believed dead, returned to the palace as a hero. But the joy of their reunion lasted only a moment. The man who had once loved her declared that he had returned to kill her, and Sohwa’s heart shattered all over again. The rebellion ended in success. However, Sohwa was accused of having paid tribute to the Baektu Sect under Yujeong’s threats. As a result, she lost her status and fell into slavery as an official servant. Woni hated Sohwa, the daughter of the man who had destroyed his family, yet he could not bring himself to kill her. Instead, he begged the new emperor to place her under his control as his slave. Sohwa had lost everything and fallen to the very bottom. And Woni still harbored feelings for her. To complete his revenge, he had to kill her. Yet the hesitation in his heart would not disappear. “I hate you so much… So why can’t I kill you?”