of Lady O’s death. She is dead—I’d thought he had been referring to Lady O, but I wondered again. What if, in his terror and intoxication, Inspector Han had indeed mistaken Lady O for his mother? Rain pouring in sheets, a woman bleeding at the neck, blood oozing out from the gash like a mother who had jumped only to land on to the craggy shore. Had he held Lady O in his arms? Hence, the blood on the sleeve and the torso of his robe? Mother is dead, Mother is dead.
A movement caught my attention. A woman’s silhouette crept along the shadowy wall opposite from me. The guards seemed oblivious, standing still. What was a woman doing inside the men’s quarter? Seeing her disappear through the side gate, I leapt off the wall to follow, and soon I heard her footsteps scrambling down the street. The woman had a cotton robe draped over her head and flapping behind her.
“Excuse me?” I called out.
The woman hiked up her skirt and ran faster. My suspicion spiked. Breathing fast, I chased after her, surprised by the woman’s speed. Even in the village when I had raced other girls, I had always won. Pushing myself faster, I managed to latch my hand onto the woman’s shoulder, whipping her around. Her robe came flying off, and I saw not a woman but a young man, his coarse black hair falling over his eyes. It was Ryun, the inspector’s manservant. I gaped at him in confusion.
“Curses. It’s you.” He reached down and threw the robe over himself again, allowing only his face to peek out. “Don’t stare at me like that. Disguise is the only way for me to wander the streets during curfew.”
At length, when my nerves settled, I asked, “Where were you going in such a hurry?”
“You must know what happened. My master got arrested. Not that you would care. You wounded his face, didn’t you?”
“I can explain—”
“No time. I can’t stand around talking to you when his innocence needs to be proved.”
“You don’t think he is guilty of murder?”
“Of course not!” Ryun shook his head, a frown crinkling his thick brows. “Councillor Ch’oi is involved somehow. Only a few days ago, His Lordship summoned Senior Officer Shim to his residence and must have convinced him to betray the inspector. He must have used Officer Shim’s weakness somehow.”
Realization dawned on me. “I think I know how Councillor Ch’oi convinced Shim.”
In the distance, I heard footsteps and the low murmuring of male voices. Patrolmen, perhaps. I couldn’t risk getting caught.
I grabbed Ryun’s cloak. “Come. There is a safe place nearby where we can talk without being seen.”
I led him toward the haunted mansion, the last place I wanted to be, yet its presence—only a few winding alleys away from us—tugged at me with an inhuman force. The mansion, though swamped in shadows and the coldness of death, was still the place where everything had begun for me.
* * *
We sat on the veranda, staring at the empty courtyard of dirt and weeds. Not wanting to disturb the haunting stillness, I spoke in low murmurs, telling Ryun about Councillor Ch’oi, Madam Byeol, and the bastard son who had been thrown into a well. I also told him about the jade and the wooden horse-dragon pendants, as well as the “Mighty Infant” tale that Senior Officer Shim had mentioned.
“This was a startling coincidence,” I said. “Among the many tales Officer Shim could have chosen from to describe the mythical horse-dragon, he chose the story that was related to Councillor Ch’oi’s bastard son.”
“So what are you suggesting?” Ryun asked.
“Madam Byeol’s son fell into the well at the age of thirteen. This was seventeen years ago; so if the boy had lived, he should be around thirty. And the bastard son would have come to the capital, to the place where his father lives.”
“Thirty…” Ryun stood up and rubbed his chin, the frown never leaving his brows. “That is Officer Shim’s age.”
I nodded and licked my dry lips, my throat parched from talking so much. “You said Councillor Ch’oi must have discovered Officer Shim’s weakness. Perhaps their blood connection became Shim’s downfall. Surrendering a friend to gain his father’s approval.”
“You are making quite the leap … All you’re basing this on is the fact that Shim chose the ‘Mighty Infant’ tale, and nothing else. We don’t have enough information.”
“But I heard there are many horse-dragon legends. Why that one?”
“It is the only horse-dragon legend that belongs to Joseon,