This Time, I Stood Up in the Selection Hall novel · Chapter 18 of 24
Chapter 18: The King's Question
The pond in the rear garden had frozen at the edges.
Snow lay along the pavilion railings in a clean white line.
The king stood at the far end of it with his back to them.
No chestnuts today.
Mujin knelt on the boards beside Soyul.
Someone had found him a guard's padded coat, and he had tied his hair back with a strip of cloth, badly.
His wrists were raw where the rope had been.
The king didn't turn around for a long time.
"My eunuch walked through Lady Hwang's courtyard an hour ago," he said at last. "Do you know what he found in the snow, Captain?"
Mujin said nothing.
"Her footprints. Her maid's, from before. And nobody else's." The king turned. "Not one big boot anywhere near her wall."
His sleepy eyes weren't sleepy.
"So where were you?"
Mujin opened his mouth.
"With me, Majesty," Soyul said.
Mujin's hand closed on her sleeve.
She didn't stop.
"And I'd do it again," she said.
The king looked at her.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–12 of This Time, I Stood Up in the Selection Hall are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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