Hwarang emerged into the room, while the woman followed behind him.
"But...how did she get hurt and where are you coming from? You don't look like you're from around this area." The woman queried with a nervous tone as she carefully stated her words with prudence, to prevent offending the strange dangerous man in her midst.
Hwarang's jaws ticked as he averted his gaze from Nari who was still unconscious to the woman, as he veered around to meet her with a stoic expression on his face. His emotionless black eyes peered into hers and she gulped softly when he started approaching her.
She moved her feet back with hands shaking in trepidation until Hwarang shoved his hand into his pocket and brought out a pouch filled with gold coins.
He outstretched his hand with the pouch toward the woman and her eyes slightly dilated.
"Your payment." He said with a flat tone as he ignored her questions and she gave out a shaky nervous chuckle.
"No, it's fine." The woman said, but it was obvious she was wearing a mask. She wanted the coins.
His hands still hung in the air as he outstretched it, not moving an inch until the woman nervously grasped the pouch of gold coins and she bowed slightly in gratitude.
"Do you want a warm bath? You're also wet from the snow, you must be feeling cold." The woman suddenly spoke again with a light tone.
"No." He replied in a short clipped tone.
"Ahh, do you need anything then?" The woman queried again and he felt his grip on his sword tighten with the urge of sweeping her head off her neck.
"No." He said with a stiff tone between gritted teeth, warning her of her limit and she pressed her lips shut in a thin line as she silently exited the room with a slight bow and hurried footsteps.
He let out a heavy sigh of irritation and exasperation as he stared at the door for a second before dropping his gaze on Nari whom was still unconscious. Her breathing was stable and her heartbeat was normal after the treatment and he felt lightly relieved.
Her black long hair sprawled loosely on the mattress and her outfit had been changed into a plain hanbok gown, with an emerald top and blue skirt embellished with simple embroideries, even though it wasn't as exquisite as her expensive princess gowns, she still looked ravishing in whatever she wore.
He dragged his feet toward her as he watched her while she was unconscious. Her skin colour that was pale gradually had a tinge shade of colour on it and her dried pale lips were now a bit glossy and a faint pink.
Her long dark thick lashes brushed the upper side of her cheeks as her eyelids were closed and he found himself being enthralled by her beauty.
He quickly averted his gaze from her face to stop on the edge of the bandage sticking from beneath the collar of her dress and then his gaze narrowed to her white unblemished skin. He swallowed softly before averting his gaze from her body to scrutinize the room.
It wasn't the right time to have such lewd thoughts and also when she was sleeping. It was rather discourteous and cringe, so he observed the room instead which he thought was rather furnished nicely to be situated in a plain village as such.
He wandered around in the room and then halted at the window side, looking out for any impending danger, but it was quiet till the skies fell dark as nighttime arrived and darkness loomed over them. He continued staring out the window in a frozen state as his thoughts wandered in his head aimlessly.
What was his next step?
If he successfully got rid of the assassins and evaded them, then he'd probably start a new life with Nari? He shook his head thoughtfully in negation.
He was in a muddled state because she might not reciprocate his feelings and things hadn't been appropriately sorted out between them on their emotions as they haven't had time to talk, but instead run and they might keep on running for God knows how long.
They would only be unburdened from running until the assassins spilled his blood or he evaded their wrath, which seemed almost inconceivable.
He watched the physician from the window as she approached the gate and took hold of a parcel from an unknown typical looking villager and she went back into the building.
He veered around when the hanji screened door was pulled open by the woman as she emerged into the room with her figure occupying it.
"A stranger told me to deliver this parcel to you." The woman said as she extended her hand with the heavy parcel on it.
He took hold of it effortlessly and he heard the woman let out a sigh of relief as she wriggled her arms.
"Aigoo. Do you know who its from? I didn't see any letter and the man didn't say who either, it's really weird." The woman queried with lifted brows in confusion.
"You can leave." Hwarang said with a firm tone as he locked his dark gaze on her and her mouth opened and closed like a fish as she kept silent with a crooked smile on her face before she exited the room.
Hwarang stared at the parcel. It was a large black receptacle encrusted with golden designs and the emblem of Silla kingdom which made him realize it was the assassins sending him a message.
He placed the parcel on the table and unfurled the lid. His expression still retained the emptiness as his black eyes narrowed at the contents that laid inside it.
Three bloody head of his family, consisting of his parents and brother were seated inside with empty eyes open and void of life, staring straight into his, but he didn't flinch or react in the slightest as he stared at their bodiless corpses.
He was ready aware they would execute his family, after all they were the family of a traitor and a fugitive, so they would punish him by spilling their blood for treason.
His gaze dropped on the thorn shaped seal that laid inside the box, half immersed in blood and he took it out with blood dripping from its sharp tip.
A wicked grin spread across his lips as his gaze peered into the seal. There was no redemption for him and the seal said it all.
The thorn seal of the assassins delivered to a person discerned the meaning, that death would be bestowed on them no matter where they hid or how far they ran.
The Hwarang assassins had sent him a guttural message with the seal of death. They were coming for him, no matter where or how far they ran, they would always haunt his path and they would never stop coming for him, not until he killed them all.
The only way to truly evade the assassins was to lay them all to waste and wipe out their existence from the face of the earth, as that would be the only liable way to end it, he had to end them before they would end him first. At the end, only one of them would hover above the corpse of the other.
It would end with blood and he was ready to spill.