The emperor was staring blankly at the moon from his quarters.
[I really, really dislike older brothers!]
“Would you like a drink?”
The awakened Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi poured liquor into the emperor’s cup. The emperor shook the cup while gazing at the moon reflected in it.
“Did I… do something wrong?”
“How could there be right or wrong in an older brother’s concern for his younger sibling?”
The emperor silently brought the cup to his lips.
[I can’t stand older brothers!]
“Ha ha, Yuya says she can’t stand me. Can’t stand me, she said…”
Regret.
Regret filled Yoo Gyeong’s chest. If she had known she would be hated like this, she wouldn’t have brought up that Ho Cheon-an character.
“Don’t even step near the palace for a while!”
Thinking of Hyeok Gi-rin’s angry expression and his booming voice made Yoo Gyeong’s heart ache again. Don’t come see me. Then how can I apologize and make amends?
Yoo Gyeong’s face darkened with gloom.
“If that child truly hated me this much, I wouldn’t have done something like this…”
Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi sighed inwardly as he watched the distraught Yoo Gyeong. To be so weak-minded over “I really dislike older brothers!”
Where had the clever emperor gone? Now, all that remained was a frustrating lord entangled with his younger sibling.
“I also have a younger sister named Yeon.”
Yoo Gyeong’s powerless eyes turned towards Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi.
“To be honest, my sister and I fought like crazy. There were quite a few times I secretly punched her when our parents weren’t watching, and each time she would charge at me, nails out. We would shout at each other, ‘You’ll never get married!’ and ‘I can’t stand you!’ Looking back now, I wonder why we fought so much.”
Was he reminiscing? Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi’s brow furrowed.
“If we weren’t family, we probably would’ve insulted each other to the point of never wanting to see each other again. Yet, we would casually face each other, fight, and help each other again. Thinking back, it wasn’t that I disliked her that much, so I can’t figure out why we fought.”
Clink.
Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi filled his empty cup and continued.
“But it seems we weren’t the only siblings like that. Everyone fights like that. Someone once said that siblings are meant to fight from the moment they are born. It resonated with me. Everyone fights like that.”
“That’s quite different, isn’t it? How can you compare the childishness of youth to the current situation? I have touched Yuya’s heart, so she must truly despise me.”
As he spoke, the melancholy emperor buried his face in his hands. Yuya… how could she be so angry? What if she says we should never meet again?
Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi wanted to toss everything aside as he watched Yoo Gyeong curl up, but he held it in for now.
“You just met Princess Yuya after twelve years, right? If you met someone else after twelve years, would you be this happy and think of them so fondly? That’s only possible because of blood ties, just like with Princess Yuya.”
“…Is that so? She didn’t mean it when she said she hated me, that she never wanted to see me again, right?”
When did she ever say she never wanted to see him again?
Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi barely managed to swallow the words that rose in his throat and nodded.
“Of course, Your Majesty. If you show sincerity one step at a time, Princess Yuya’s anger will surely fade.”
“Alright… I understand.”
Yoo Gyeong’s sadness still persisted.
In truth, Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi’s consolation didn’t resonate with her much. No matter how much Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi might have fought with his sister Sa Ma Yeon, he probably had never heard anything like “I really dislike older brothers!” or “I never want to see you again!”
Again, Hyeok Gi-rin had never said any such thing, but…
Still, Yoo Gyeong found some realization in Sa Ma Gyeong-hwi’s words.
If one makes a mistake, they must make amends.
“I’ll go find Ho Cheon-an when daylight breaks.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Thus, Yoo Gyeong resolved to seek out Ho Cheon-an.
* *
A mourning house.
Yes, the atmosphere in the quarters was precisely that. The court ladies looked wilted. Even the leftover pickled vegetables from yesterday’s lunch seemed fresher than the court ladies now.
Surely, without the court ladies’ cooperation, the two couldn’t have contacted me, so it seems they were scolded by Hyeok Gi-rin as well.
Honestly, what crime do the court ladies have? If the royalty comes out and orders, they simply must obey.
Watching the wilted court ladies, I felt a bit sorry for them, but I also had to survive, so there wasn’t anything I could do.
Anyway, starting my day with a soup made from fresh ingredients was much more refreshing compared to the wilting court ladies.
After practicing the audience protocol with the court ladies a few times, I had some free time.
“Hmmm.”
I pondered whether I should meet Hyeok Gi-rin but decided against it. The court lady seemed lifeless, and the two eunuchs must have been busy with their work.
I thought for a moment about how the current situation might be unfolding.
I don’t know what position Dujak holds among the royalty. However, I could surmise a few things.
One certain fact is that Dujak is not a direct bloodline of the imperial family. If he were of the same age range as direct bloodlines, it could only be Emperor Yoo Gyeong, which just doesn’t make sense.
Why would the emperor do such a thing?
Therefore, the conclusion is that he belongs to the branch clan, and since Hyeok Gi-rin has taken the lead, it must end smoothly.
That’s because Hyeok Gi-rin is the second in line in the royal hierarchy. Moreover, because of the current Emperor Yoo Gyeong, he’s second; simply considering the line of succession, he should be first.
Hyeok Gi-rin is the child of the first empress, while Yoo Gyeong is the child of the second empress.
That’s why Hyeok Gi-rin could be said to have stepped into the martial world. The supporters of the first empress were gaining power while the second empress gave birth to Yoo Gyeong, causing a shift in the power dynamics. Six years later, Princess Yuya—Hyeok Gi-rin—was born.
From what I can tell, the current emperor and former emperor Yu Seon seems to have had difficulty producing heirs, indicating that he was a feeble man. It was a time when the imperial authority was weak, and the ministers were fighting, regardless of the will of the empress and the empress family.
The fundamental reason Hyeok Gi-rin rushed into the martial world can be attributed to the weak imperial authority and Yu Seon’s delayed parenthood.
Anyway, Hyeok Gi-rin’s movement in the martial world prevented the central forces from fracturing into two factions, allowing Yoo Gyeong to ascend to the throne swiftly.
Moreover, this was a decisive event that allowed the current emperor Yoo Gyeong to establish a strong imperial authority.
The emperor’s power seems weak, as the two factions try to seize the future emperor and manipulate power. The Hyeok Gi-rin faction was losing focus due to Hyeok Gi-rin entering the martial world, while the Yoo Gyeong faction had not contributed adequately to Yoo Gyeong’s ascension.
For the Yoo Gyeong faction, Hyeok Gi-rin’s actions were disastrous. They had to face numerous political conflicts to set up Yoo Gyeong to be the next emperor, but suddenly their rival faction crumbled.
They couldn’t rein in Yoo Gyeong, who ascended without much trouble.
The faction supporting Hyeok Gi-rin suddenly lost their central figure and fell apart, while the forces supporting Yoo Gyeong found themselves unable to stop his advancing steps.
Yoo Gyeong took advantage of that situation to soar freely, expanding the Dong Chang and Golden Guards’ powers immensely, thereby successfully strengthening imperial authority.
In other words, Hyeok Gi-rin could be considered a major contributor to allowing the current emperor Yoo Gyeong to establish strong imperial authority.
That’s why the bond between the emperor and Hyeok Gi-rin couldn’t be anything but deep.
I digressed for a moment, but back to the main point, Hyeok Gi-rin holds a position where Dujak has to tremble at just a single cough from him.
With the crimes he committed, he wouldn’t have a single word to say in defense.
Even though Dujak might be a complete rogue, in the end, he’s an ordinary person who hasn’t mastered martial arts. Ultimately, power is a weapon.
With Hyeok Gi-rin on the move, Dujak can no longer play any tricks on me. No matter how diligently the eunuchs and court ladies obey the royal commands, as long as Hyeok Gi-rin is superior to Dujak, his orders won’t carry any weight.
Looking at the frail court ladies, it seemed Hyeok Gi-rin had caused quite a stir everywhere, and it’s safe to assume that Dujak wouldn’t be safe either.
However, seeing as his antics are quite rogue-like, it’s not impossible for him to barge in recklessly… but with this incident, he’s likely lost all his limbs and can’t pull off anything big.
“Ho Cheon-an, the martial artist. Hyeok Gi-rin, the great hero, has requested a tea time.”
“Oh, understood. I’ll head there right now.”
I had just been imagining how the situation with Dujak was being handled, so this was well-timed.
Hyeok Gi-rin didn’t look very cheerful. Well, it’s not surprising that his expression would be gloomy with a rogue creating a mess in the palace.
“I can’t go into details, but the issue was resolved successfully.”
“Thank you. Hyeok Gi-rin must have worked hard too. How should I repay this kindness…”
“No, no. The culprit received quite a stern warning… I think.”
Hyeok Gi-rin’s face turned red for some reason. He bit his lips and seemed to tremble, looking rather unwell.
This seemingly gentle Hyeok Gi-rin expressing such intense emotions was unexpected. It must be a weighty incident that he’s mulling over.
I found myself wondering what had transpired overnight.
That rogue Dujak must have been an unimaginable troublemaker.
“Hahaha. If it’s all been well settled, that’s enough.”
Yet at those words, Hyeok Gi-rin’s expression darkened.
“Why do you look like that?”
“Hmm… it’s nothing.”
Hyeok Gi-rin’s countenance was very concerning. It’s true that I got involved in palace affairs. Even if Hyeok Gi-rin solved the palace problem, one could argue that he did it out of my request.
The worry on Hyeok Gi-rin’s face is likely due to yesterday’s events.
“Why not share your grievances?”
“My grievances… you mean?”
“Yes. Sometimes just complaining can relieve anxiety. If any sensitive matters arise, you don’t need to mention those parts.”
“…I see.”
Hyeok Gi-rin hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.
“About yesterday… I had a big fight with my older brother.”
“I see.”
It appears that Dujak is quite an important figure. It seems the emperor clashed over Dujak’s fate.
Hyeok Gi-rin’s face reddened again. It seems something did happen yesterday as he glanced at me from the corner of his eye. I opted not to point out Hyeok Gi-rin’s peculiar behavior and patiently waited for him to calm down.
“Ummm… misunderstandings… marriage… Haa…”
After a while of muttering something, Hyeok Gi-rin finally calmed down enough to continue.
“Yeah, that issue was something I have to decide. Ultimately, what weighs on my mind is… that I lashed out at my older brother.”
“I see. You are concerned about that, then.”
I nodded, taking in Hyeok Gi-rin’s words. Honestly, I found it puzzling why he would think that. Knowing Hyeok Gi-rin’s temperament, even if he were mad, he wouldn’t say something too outrageous.
What could he have said to the emperor that left him so troubled?
“What exactly did you say…?”
“I shouted at my older brother, asking if he knew anything about me.”
Ah, that was a typical opening line for a verbal spat. I lightly consoled Hyeok Gi-rin.
“Haha, your brother must have taken that as a cute complaint. It’s been a day; he probably forgot about it by now.”
“No, it’s not like that… I shouted that I really dislike older brothers.”
In truth, I had no real grasp of sibling emotions. You only learn through having siblings. Still, through life experiences, you inevitably observe how siblings treat one another. I recalled the interactions with the friends I played with as a kid and my sisters…
It was as if criticism of each other’s brains or looks turned into a sharp exchange of insults like comparing each other to sea creatures or mentioning the last number in multiplication tables.
Was that level of conflict not rather cute among siblings?
“Haha, if that’s the case, your older brother should be able to understand.”
Hyeok Gi-rin hesitated, then finally closed his eyes tightly. Seeing Hyeok Gi-rin like that, I prepared myself. After all, his attitude was rather off, and perhaps he truly had said something remarkable.
I should be careful not to unintentionally provoke Hyeok Gi-rin, hurting his feelings.
“I told my older brother not to come see me for a while. What if he decides not to come to see me again…?”
Ah.
I see now. You told your brother you never wanted to see him again. And not just forever, but for some time, no less.
Seeing Hyeok Gi-rin’s guilt-ridden face, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
What a loving sibling relationship.
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