The Doje, looking at me with a face full of pity, asked with concern:
“Have you perhaps been cornered?”
“No.”
“Did that kid threaten you?”
“No.”
“…Are you even in your right mind?”
“I’m perfectly sane…”
But the pity in the Doje’s eyes was overwhelming.
Yet, that was short-lived. Coming to his senses, he suddenly shouted:
“No, wait! That’s not the issue! A double marriage?!”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Goodness! How shameless can you be?!”
The Doje sighed dramatically, then opened his eyes wide and glared at me.
Frankly, it wasn’t strange for the Doje to react this way. While others were making a fuss over Chaejin not being qualified as the Grand Disciple, the Doje believed in her.
Also, their relationship in Heavenly Bright Moon wasn’t bad. Of course, when Chaeran earned her position as Grand Disciple through her own strength, she switched without complaint, but up until then, the Doje had acknowledged Chaejin as the Grand Disciple.
If you think about it, the Doje’s affection and trust for Chaejin couldn’t be considered low at all.
The only reason the Doje wasn’t waving a sword around right now was probably because I wasn’t a complete loser.
I straightened up and looked him in the eye.
“If my abilities allow, affection is boundless.”
“Sounds nice.”
Grumbling openly, the Doje turned his head away as if dissatisfied. I smiled and raised my bottle.
Then, I poured some into the Doje’s empty glass and filled my own as well.
“What kind of ability makes you so confident?”
“Well… what kind of ability do you think?”
“It’s about strength, of course.”
“Are you saying only someone strong is enough? Even if they’re from the Demonic Cult? Or a cruel villain? Or scum…”
“No! Where do you get those trashy ideas?! Ahem. Then they should have honor.”
“Do you think the name of Shinsan Seonja is light?”
The Doje frowned.
“What about money…”
“I have plenty of money.”
“…What about status…”
“I’m currently appointed. I’m a Saerye Tongsa. If I wanted, I could rise even higher.”
It’s not that I didn’t care about my official position; if I set my mind to it, I could climb higher.
The Doje frowned at me even more.
“But still, a double marriage! My daughter’s happiness is…”
“What do you think happiness is?”
“Living the way you want to live.”
He took the drink I poured in one gulp and looked at my glass. Is he telling me to drink too?
I downed my drink in one go as well.
Then I poured again.
A second serving.
He looked at it uncomfortably, but the Doje was waiting for an answer instead of pouring me more.
“I’ve already talked things over with Chaejin. While the Sword Saint and Hongryeon will be together, she says she wants to live with me.”
“…You tell that to a father with a daughter?”
“I can’t tell a lie, can I?”
“Ha! The only person who can say such things confidently in front of me is you. I liked your boldness at first, but now that I’m faced with it, it’s driving me mad!”
“I liked your boldness, but facing you like this is really infuriating.”
“Ha ha ha.”
The grumbling guy took another sip of his drink. I poured myself another glass as well. As I was about to make my third drink, Doje, who was fidgeting, snatched the bottle from my hand and poured it into his cup.
“Thank you.”
“Ugh. It’s because it’s you that I didn’t drop it; if it was someone else…”
“I’d be dead, right? I’m sincerely grateful for that.”
If Doje and I weren’t drinking buddies, I probably would’ve received a fist to the face regardless of my status.
“…By the way, you haven’t done something that you can’t take responsibility for, right?”
Something that you can’t take responsibility for…
“Do you think I have the power to get you drunk against your will?”
“…Well, that’s true.”
I couldn’t really force Chaejin to do anything anyway. If I could, it seems Doje thought that Chaejin would have already done it.
“…You haven’t been caught up in something you can’t take responsibility for, right?”
“Not yet.”
But seeing how clingy she’s gotten and how she’s been expressing affection more often lately, it won’t be long until that changes.
Human patience is ultimately a depleting emotion, and I wonder how long she can hold on.
If I don’t resolve this properly, I could very well end up with Chaejin starting a bloody mess and creating a kidnapping and depletion ending, so I must persuade Doje here.
Doje asked me various questions, and I answered without hesitation.
Thus, our conversation got long, but it wasn’t burdensome at all.
In fact, I did have a way to persuade Doje in one go.
I put my hand in my pocket and gripped what was inside.
It was the Moonlight Token I received from Doje before.
A token that allows one to make a single demand of Moonjeong.
Even the superhuman Doje can handle it.
If I use this, getting permission to marry Chaejin shouldn’t be difficult.
But…
I shouldn’t use it.
This is a situation where I must push through head-on.
I released my grip on the token and took a swig of my drink.
After a moment of silence and passing the drink around a few times, Doje asked,
“So, how did it come to this?”
“Well…”
I told him everything from when I first met Chaejin up until now.
He nodded slightly as he listened attentively.
“Hmm. Is that so? Quite fate-bound indeed. But not just because she’s my daughter, isn’t she sweet, has a nice personality, and is pretty?”
“That’s right.”
“In a situation where you’ve accepted a proposal, I can’t see her just sitting still.”
“Ha ha ha…”
It has certainly been hard to resist her advances lately.
“But seeing you ignore that… by any chance… were you having a hard time this morning?”
Not a daughter thief.
Just a man genuinely worried for me, he pulled out a small pouch from his coat.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a really good medicine for men, but it’s hard to explain.”
Ah, that kind of medicine?
“It’s fine, I don’t need it. I’m already strong enough…”
“Still, take it.”
Doje placed the bag of medicine in my hand. The herbal smell wafting from the pouch was sharp.
I tucked it away and resumed drinking with Doje.
I tucked it in my pocket and had another drink with Doje.
After a few rounds of drinks, Doje spoke with a serious expression.
“Ha… I need to think about this.”
“By all means.”
“But what if I say it won’t work? What are you planning to do? Just ignore it and get married?”
Well, that might work too, but wouldn’t a blessed marriage be better?
I shook my head with a smile.
“Chaejin has been looked down upon by our family for a long time.”
“Ahem.”
It seemed Doje had nothing to say about that, as he cleared his throat.
Seeing him mutter softly, “As a father, I should have protected her better…” it seems that weighed on his mind quite a bit.
“That’s why it became a burden to her. And she was able to eliminate that gaze by reaching the level of a superhuman.”
But to come running to me without even receiving Doje’s approval from Moonjeong?
I could imagine the amount of criticism Chaejin would face as much as the joy she experienced today.
That would also be painful for her.
“No matter how much I like her and she likes me back, it’s just feeding my own greed. Do I look like that kind of person to you?”
“Well… not really.”
“Exactly. So, I have to persuade her as much as possible.”
“You’re not saying you’ll just give up… what if I don’t yield?”
“I’ll keep trying until it works.”
I stared straight at him, and Doje let out a chuckle.
*
I always think about how amazing he is.
To work with this Doje and never lose composure.
Honestly, I felt that way since the first time I saw him.
His immense will prevents Yu Wol from being rattled.
So I didn’t think Yu Wol would easily lose himself to drink.
“Ha.”
After the drinking party ended, Doje sat alone, lighting a cigarette and pondering.
Shinsan Seonja Yu Wol.
He’s someone who has been rapidly gaining recognition in the martial world lately.
Many sects acknowledged him, and he played a significant role in defeating the antagonistic Iron Blood Clan.
Even the government recognized him, it seems.
Moreover…
Doje chuckled.
What I liked most about Yu Wol wasn’t his remarkable knowledge, vast assets, or his skills in investment and development; it was his adherence to righteousness.
Earlier, I felt a bit disappointed when I saw him put his hand in his pocket.
Moonwalpae.
A token that allows one to request anything from Moonjeong.
If he had used that, Doje would have accepted it but felt uncomfortable about it.
But he didn’t use it.
He simply persuaded himself calmly.
Expecting someone to give up their daughter under the pretext of a debt is nothing but a tactic for scoundrels.
How noble it is to stick to one’s principles and persuade logically, no matter how formidable the opponent is!
“Ha… what can I do?”
Chaejin liked him enough, and I didn’t think someone who walks such a path would make my daughter unhappy.
And I didn’t think he would make Chaejin suffer either.
He didn’t seem foolish enough to misallocate affection.
He didn’t guide me.
One should ponder deeply but briefly.
He finally sighed and stood up.
“So, as the elder of the clan… uh?”
At that moment.
A spark flashed through his mind.
*
The next morning, the Doje called me. When I went to his room, not only was I there, but also Chaejin, as well as the Sword Saint and Hongryeon.
Seeing that Sayoon and Chaeran were absent, it seemed like they were called because of yesterday’s incident?
“Chaejin.”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to marry Yu Wol?”
“Uh. Uh. Well…”
Chaejin, with a flushed face, stammered and nodded. The Doje, who was staring at her, sighed.
“I see. Since you’ve come this far, I can’t refuse. But promise me one thing. No matter how many marriages there are, you will make my daughter happy.”
“Happiness is something that isn’t given but something created together, they say. However… yes. I won’t cause any distress to you, Father-in-law.”
“I believe that Shinsan Seonja won’t babble nonsense. Anyway… so it seems I’ve become the head of the Yu family.”
That’s true, right?
After all, I don’t have parents either.
As I nodded, he grinned and glanced at the Sword Saint.
Seeing her look questioning, the Doje laughed even more.
“…What’s with that contemptible expression?”
“Ah! How could you act like that towards the elder of the clan?”
“…Huh!”
The Sword Saint, looking at him as if he was talking nonsense, was taken aback. The Doje spoke leisurely to her.
“Child. Didn’t you say you would stay by my son-in-law’s side? Surely you wouldn’t dare to commit an utterly horrific act of disrespect towards the esteemed and respectful head of the family.”
His logic had no flaws. The Sword Saint, perhaps aware of that, trembled and spoke weakly.
“…Doje, sir. Haha. What are you thinking…?”
“Puahahahaha!!”
In the end, the Doje burst into laughter while the Sword Saint sulked. I held her hand and smiled as I said.
“I hope you’ll show a more elder-like demeanor, Doje. Just being old doesn’t make one an elder.”
“Oh dear…”
“Of course, you will be my father-in-law, but as a husband, wouldn’t you support the hand of the person who will be my wife? If Chaejin were to be oppressed, I would support Chaejin’s hand regardless of who the opponent is.”
“Ugh…”
Ultimately, the Doje drooped his shoulders and spoke to the Sword Saint.
“Ahem. Just a joke, so bear with it. There’s really no need for formalities. Once is enough, twice feels embarrassing.”
Does he mean it’s enough to tease just once? I was relieved that the Doje wasn’t someone who does it repeatedly.
However, aside from that, the Sword Saint and the Doje seemed to glare at each other.
…It’s a long way to go.
I hope that as a result of this, Hongseong and Moonjeong become a bit closer.
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