Ch.138Origin Point (2)

BANG!

The enraged man slammed his fist on the desk violently.

His anger made the other military officials flinch.

“How can this possibly make any sense!”

“B-but His Majesty’s solemn command…”

“You must restrain yourself.”

“Ha…”

The person showing such anger was none other than Yi Uibang, the commander of the Gyeonryong Guard, the royal guard unit.

The reason for his fury was that the king had said he would adopt his only daughter into the royal family and give her away as a wife to barbarians.

“I can no longer endure such humiliation.”

Fire sparked in Yi Uibang’s eyes.

His determination to overthrow everything, king or not, was evident.

“Please calm yourself, sir.”

At Yi Go’s words, Yi Uibang glared at him.

Then he pointed his finger at him accusingly.

“I followed your suggestion and agreed to His Majesty’s ongoing plan. And this is what I get in return.”

“…”

“Do you have anything to say?”

At Yi Uibang’s cutting remark, Yi Go could only keep his mouth shut.

Again, in the minds of Goryeo people, the Mongols were nothing but savages.

Sending a cherished daughter to such barbarians was unthinkable.

“However…”

“If you say one more word, I’ll tear you to pieces.”

At Yi Uibang’s fiery rage, Yi Go bowed his head.

As his dangerous anger filled the room, Jeong Jung-bu, the Gyeonryong Guard’s lieutenant, had no choice but to step in.

“Your Excellency.”

“Even you cannot stop my anger.”

“I fully understand your anger. But this is both His Majesty’s decision and the result of the civil officials’ actions.”

“The civil officials…?”

“Yes. I heard that the Right State Councilor made the proposal, and after hearing it, the Honorary Grand Preceptor recommended your daughter.”

“Kim Bu-sik…!”

Yi Uibang twisted his face in rage and glared.

He looked ready to tear Kim Bu-sik to pieces right then and there.

“How little must the civil officials think of us to suggest offering the daughter of the Gyeonryong Guard Commander to barbarians?”

Yi Go, who had been watching cautiously, spoke these words to redirect Yi Uibang’s anger toward the civil officials.

Yi Uibang nodded at this.

“I’ll slaughter all those civil official bastards right now.”

“Please calm yourself, Your Excellency.”

“Do I look calm right now?!”

“I completely understand your feelings. But to kill all the civil officials, we need His Majesty’s approval.”

At Jeong Jung-bu’s accurate point, Yi Uibang had no choice but to nod.

As Yi Uibang was merely a military official, acting independently to eliminate civil officials without the king’s approval could result in severe backlash.

Therefore, it was important to capture the king’s heart.

“Even so… my daughter…”

“Your Excellency. It’s unavoidable for the greater cause.”

At Jeong Jung-bu’s earnest words, the military officials who had been watching cautiously immediately stood up.

They bowed to try to change Yi Uibang’s mind.

“This is a time when you must endure.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“…for the greater cause…”

Yi Uibang bit his lip.

Then he stood up and pulled out a small dagger.

“I will sacrifice for the greater cause. And as proof, I will leave evidence with my blood.”

Saying this, Yi Uibang cut his little finger with the dagger.

Then he left his mark on a piece of white cotton cloth.

Those present immediately understood what he was demanding.

At this, Yi Go, who could be considered Yi Uibang’s close associate, immediately stood up and approached him.

“I will follow Your Excellency.”

Saying this, he immediately cut his finger.

And he left his mark next to Yi Uibang’s.

“I too will follow you with my life.”

Following Yi Go, Jeong Jung-bu left his mark.

Once Jeong Jung-bu, who could be considered his closest aide, left his mark, the prostrated military officials rushed to leave their own marks.

* * *

Belgutei couldn’t say anything as he faced the woman before him.

This was because the woman who had been practicing archery was now looking directly at him.

“Is this… a dream… or reality…”

Belgutei pinched his cheek in disbelief.

The woman smiled, finding his action amusing.

“It’s real.”

Belgutei said this while recalling what had happened yesterday.

Yesterday, Belgutei had been summoned by the King of Goryeo and headed to the palace.

There, receiving the king’s congratulations, he was about to hold a wedding ceremony.

As he was about to go through with the wedding, he heard shocking news from the interpreter who had come with him.

It was that the person he was to marry was not Princess Hwasun (和順宮主) but Princess Hwasun (和純宮主).

Although the languages of Goryeo and Mongolia were different, their systems were similar.

Because of this, when Belgutei first heard this, he had no idea what the difference was.

But later he learned that the middle character “sun” was different.

The “sun” in the first Princess Hwasun meant “to obey,” while the latter meant “pure.”

In other words, though the pronunciations were similar, the meanings were completely different—they were different people.

Belgutei tried to object to this.

It was clearly fraud.

But the Goryeo envoy showed the diplomatic edict sent to Mongolia and pointed to the cleverly changed “sun” character.

Despite wanting to get angry at this blatant deception, Belgutei couldn’t do anything.

Again, this was a union between nations, so who he married wasn’t that important.

Of course, the fact that he was marrying a princess of royal blood was important.

But as if predicting this aspect, Goryeo introduced Princess Hwasun as an adopted daughter.

This way, although there was no blood connection, she was still the king’s daughter, making it difficult to argue.

In short, Belgutei had been completely duped.

Belgutei had no choice but to meet the person who would become his wife.

And there sat the woman he had unknowingly come to admire.

Because of this, Belgutei couldn’t help but feel pleased despite being deceived.

“S-so… I… um…”

“Hehe.”

The woman smiled at Belgutei’s bachelor-like behavior.

At this, Belgutei gave an embarrassed smile and continued speaking.

“Y-you probably don’t know this… b-but… I’ve been watching you all this time… it’s frustrating that we can’t communicate.”

Belgutei pounded his chest as if he was bursting with frustration.

Princess Hwasun, as if understanding his feelings, took something out.

It was none other than paper and ink.

“Ah…!”

This meant she wanted to communicate through writing.

Belgutei realized that Princess Hwasun was not only skilled in archery but also wise.

With this thought, Belgutei’s heart leaned even more toward Princess Hwasun.

“But I don’t know Goryeo letters… Ah! Let’s draw pictures!”

Belgutei recalled his childhood days playing with his brothers.

They used to draw horses and bows on the steppe ground and play.

Recalling those times, Belgutei used the brush to draw a person.

It was just a figure made with three lines, but with two legs and two arms, it was recognizable as a person.

Then he drew a bow in the hand of the stick figure.

Belgutei pointed at this drawing and looked at Princess Hwasun.

“I have been watching you all this time.”

Though he wasn’t sure if she would understand, Belgutei was conveying these words.

At his words, Princess Hwasun looked at the drawing and tilted her head.

“What’s wrong… did I draw it too poorly…?”

Seeing Belgutei’s disappointed expression, Princess Hwasun waved her hands.

Then she pointed at the person in the drawing with her finger. And with her other hand, she pointed at herself.

It was as if she was asking if this was supposed to be her.

Realizing that they were communicating, Belgutei nodded with a happy expression.

“Y-yes. That’s right!”

He was so happy that he was speaking formally.

At his behavior, Princess Hwasun laughed loudly. She laughed so much that tears came to her eyes.

Belgutei could only tilt his head at her reaction.

“W-what? Is this funny in Goryeo…?”

When Belgutei tilted his head, Princess Hwasun shook her head.

Then, pointing at the person, she gave a thumbs up as if to say it was well drawn.

The meaning was simple.

She was asking if the person in the drawing was indeed her.

“Ah…! Ha… haha… I should have drawn it more carefully… ha… ha…”

Belatedly understanding the princess’s words, Belgutei wore an embarrassed expression.

At his reaction, the princess silently looked at Belgutei.

Then she covered her eyes with both hands and then turned them around to point at Belgutei.

“The princess… knew about me too…?”

At this, Belgutei’s face turned red.

And his heart began to beat rapidly.

It meant that they had both been aware of each other’s existence.

“Ah…”

The princess looked at Belgutei as if finding him cute.

Then she pointed at herself and then pointed to the sky as if to say she was higher than Belgutei.

“She can’t mean she’s taller than me… could it be… she’s saying she’s older than me… ah!”

Once they had communicated once, it became easier to understand afterward.

The princess’s message was simple.

It could be understood as “I am older than you.”

“A-ahem. This doesn’t look good for me as a husband…”

At this, the princess stroked his head as if finding Belgutei cute.

Belgutei couldn’t do anything.

In his life full of men… or more accurately, with just one younger sister, the existence of an older sister was unfamiliar.

To be precise, she was more like an older woman than an older sister.

“S-stop that. I-I am not a child. I am to be your husband.”

Saying this, he puffed out his chest.

The princess found this cute too and smiled.

“I need to show how manly I am…”

At that moment, he felt something warm on his lips.

At this sensation he had never felt before, Belgutei’s reason soared high into the sky and disappeared.

Though it was a brief moment, Belgutei felt as if time had stopped.

This feeling continued until the princess’s body moved away.

“Uh…”

Belgutei, as if enchanted, stroked his lips with his hand.

And he blankly stared at the princess.

The princess was smiling broadly.

At this, he smiled along with her as if enchanted.

An unfamiliar emotion settled in Belgutei’s heart.

This emotion was love.