Chapter 55 (1/2)

Yangyang went on in a trembling voice, “Though I knew it was rude, I stopped at my spot and watched them as if I was bewitched by somebody. I saw that woman who was about to go back to the North Palace ….”

With an angry and sorrow look, Yangyang stared at Hosana. She didn’t mention Hosana’s name on purpose. Swallowing her anger, Yangyang continued with a heavy heart, “I saw her receiving something from Prince Ruhae.”

According to her testimony, the court lady received something suspicious from him.

At that moment, Ruhae jerked his head in shock, which Bipaan must have noticed it obviously.

Ruhae also remembered what she testified. The moment he saw Hosana tied up with a tight rope, he recalled that scene. The court lady was pretty nervous after seeing him in front of the narrow gate, dropped something on the ground while turning back hastily. It was a small pouch containing incense. So, he stopped her and gave the pouch to her.

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“At that time I didn’t know what it was, but when I looked back, it looked like poison.”

Poison.

Piercing through the terrifying atmosphere of the interrogation place, this short word shocked everyone there.

Breaking the icy silence that dominated the place, Ruhae protested, “No, I don’t know anything about it. It’s true that I stopped the court lady and handed that pouch to her, but it was not something I prepared, but she dropped.”

“Was it an incense pouch?”

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Repeating what Ruhae just said, Bipaan looked at one of the soldiers and called him by a nod. And then he quickly went out of the place.

Bipaan asked Yangyang, “Did you see Hosana drop something on the ground first?”

“I checked out the narrow gate when I heard Prince Ruhae calling that woman, so if he called her after he first picked up the pouch…”

“Did you see her drop it first or not? Just answer!”

Bipaan cut off her words when she tried to reply cautiously, fully taking into consideration Ruhae’s position. Stricken with fear, Yangyang replied, “I didn’t see it.”

Ruhae protested again, “When I picked up the pouch, I called that court lady who was hastily leaving the place. After I called that woman, Yangyang saw me. When she noticed me, I was holding the pouch, so it’s natural that she didn’t see me picking it up. Please think of the logical sequence of the situation.”

Ruhae’s protest fell on deaf ears.

Bipaan wouldn’t listen to him and nodded for her to leave. After she went out of the interrogation place, Bipaan started the questioning again.

“How often do you see Prince Heyjin as her prenatal education teacher?”

“I see her every other day, and three times per week at most.”

“It looks like you went to see her pretty often.”

“That’s because…”

“I already know that you have a sense of strong responsibility,” Bipaan said, cutting off his words and praising him, but Ruhae felt his praise was a joke to make fun of him.

As expected, Bipaan sharply pointed out, “You used to go there so often with such a strong sense of responsibility, but you don’t go there these days, do you?”

“I was busy taking care of the state exam for civilians, which is taking place in the fall.”

“Do you stage the civil state exams usually around this time?”

That was a trick to entrap Ruhae. His trick was too obvious, but Ruhae told the truth.

“I can’t point out the exact timing of the exams, but I have the exams ready around the same time every year.”

“When you were so busy like that, you went to the North Palace eight days ago, right? Even at that time you went there for Princess Heyjin’s prenatal education?”

Eight days ago, Ruhae found he was going to be snowed under with work, so he got nervous. He was afraid he might have to delay conveying his letter to Kyosul when he was overwhelmed by his workload.

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That’s why I barely took time out around that time to go to the North Palace and convey that letter.

That day Ruhae turned back to the South Palace after seeing Kyosul at the North Palace to convey his letter. Was it his mistake not to have met Prince Heyjin as he got carried away with having seen Kyosul and hastily came back?

Ruhae answered with a heavy heart, “No, I didn’t see Princess Heyjin that day.”

“Why didn’t you see the princess that day?”

He went to the North Palace that day only to convey his letter to Kyosul, but Ruhae couldn’t tell the truth.