episode_0378

***

Is it a promise you make to yourself, or is it a piecemeal way to show that you are just going to get out there?

The faces of his subjects crumpled at the cavalry commander’s brief declaration of victory.

“Rude…!”

Even the taciturn knight commander put his hands on his waist and got ready to draw his sword.

The vassals had no intention of easily overlooking the disrespectful attitude shown to the emperor, the ruler of the continent and the empire itself.

“You have to kill that guy!”

“How dare you, Your Majesty!”

Starting with the cavalry commander, the whispers of the vassals grew louder and eventually turned into arrows of criticism and flew towards the cavalry commander.

It may have been an expression of spontaneous loyalty, but it was also to prevent people from saying that he did nothing when the emperor was insulted.

Soon, loud noises denouncing the cavalry commander echoed around the area.

Unspeakable and cruel methods of punishment were mentioned, such as having to cut the throat, have the tongue pulled out, and have the eyes cut out.

And the emperor, who had remained silent amidst the commotion, spoke.

“If there is anyone here who opens his mouth any further, I will tear his mouth to pieces.”

“…….”

Everyone fell silent at the peaceful tone of the words, without any shouting or irritation.

Phew – the emperor took a deep breath and let it out.

During that time, my chest rose and fell slightly.

“I heard your declaration of victory carefully. It was impressive. I feel at ease because it seems like people are comfortable with me.”

“That’s not true.”

The cavalry commander corrected the emperor’s arbitrary interpretation of his thoughts.

Even though he was angry at his own words, the emperor did not say that he was being rude.

“But… did you just call me to say that? Do you really want to tell me those short words?”

The emperor takes a step closer. And one more step. The steps were light and light.

The knight commander flinched at the emperor approaching the enemy commander, but did not follow him.

This was because the instinct to follow the emperor’s orders took precedence.

The emperor, approaching close by, looks up at the cavalry commander.

Even when looking up, the emperor looked down.

The Emperor raises his arms and opens his palms. Then he slowly placed his hand on the cavalry commander’s chest.

I could feel the cavalry captain’s breath beneath the leather armor that was dirty with blood and sweat.

It was at this moment that the emperor’s slightly cracked face began to straighten slightly.

“If I came here to hear that I [won], then it doesn’t make sense…”

“I think so.”

The cavalry commander affirmed.

“It’s easy to say that it’s someone else’s business. How can you take advantage of a woman’s heart like this? How will I compensate for the excitement I felt at the thought of meeting you?”

The emperor let out a sniffle and opened his eyes gloomily.

“Um….”

“If they wanted to declare victory, it would have been better to just send them hanging on arrows.”

While he was choosing his words, the emperor added.

“Um… Then would you like to take a walk for a while?”

“Walk?”

The emperor asked back at the sudden remark, but also had a smile on his face.

“Yes. How are you from here to there?”

The emperor’s eyes followed the cavalry commander’s fingers.

“It’s quite a distance to walk.”

The Emperor gauged the distance by looking at the small tree hanging at his fingertips.

“I see.”

“But it will be very short with you, so let’s go.”

Grinning, the emperor smiled.

***

Naturally, the vassals did not follow the emperor.

The knight commander looked like he wanted to say something, but he bit his lip hard and swallowed his words.

Is it because he noticed his hard work? The cavalry commander untied the sword from his waist and handed it to the knight commander.

The cavalry commander’s inaction was enough to threaten the emperor without having to use a weapon, but the symbolism of his actions was so great that the knight commander had no choice but to let the emperor go, even though he looked disapproving.

The emperor and the cavalry commander walked side by side.

Their steps, walking slowly with the forest next to them, were different from those of the people on the battlefield.

“It’s been a while since I went for a walk.”

“Do you not do this often at the palace?”

“The emperor’s work is not leisurely.”

A man wearing leather armor and an emperor wearing old-fashioned street clothes.

The emperor glanced at the man’s rough hand grazing the back of his hand.

I felt a surge of desire to hold that wounded hand, but I quickly gave up on it.

‘It’s tomorrow that I will indulge you. I will make sure that there is no place that is unreachable by me.’

The emperor thought and thought again.

“So are you just going to walk without saying anything? Your skill in escorting a lady is worse than your horsemanship.”

The emperor said with a smile.

“I wanted to talk about it. I also had some questions for Your Majesty.”

The cavalry leader, who had been walking silently looking ahead, turned his head.

“Any questions?”

“Yes. I wanted to ask you why you wanted to have me.”

“I should have said it last time. I fell in love with your appearance.”

The emperor answered immediately.

“Can I ask what you fell in love with?”

“An ordinary woman would have criticized you for having no mood, but I am willing to tell you.”

The emperor laughed.

“I fell in love with the sight of you running forward even in a battle where you were likely to lose. And I fell in love with the way you knew how to cry while burying your dead colleagues.”

When the emperor finished speaking

“That’s why.”

The cavalry commander stopped walking.

“What?”

The cavalry commander met the emperor’s question.

“He chose to fight because the cavalry commander was a man who could do his duty even in battles that seemed likely to be lost and know how to cry for his dead comrades.”

“If I declare surrender and ask for mercy from Your Majesty, it would not be a cavalry captain that Your Majesty would look upon favorably.”

The cavalry commander speaks calmly.

“A man named Kang In-ho must have been looking for a way to survive. No matter what life I have lived, I have made those choices.”

Of course, I faced the inevitable death. He muttered very softly.

“Then wasn’t that enough? It would have been comfortable for both of us.”

In response to the emperor’s question, the cavalry commander shook his head.

“Isn’t that a reasonable choice for a cavalry commander? If you had chosen Kang In-ho, you would definitely have been disappointed. [Are you saying that this is the only man I thought highly of?]”

The cavalry commander laughed.

“Haha, you speak as if you know me well. Anyway, it’s Kang In-ho’s choice… Does this mean that the cavalry commander’s duties and your true feelings do not match?”

The princess spoke in a weak voice at the rare expression of emotion.

“Your Majesty does not know this.”

He laughed while saying something ambiguous.

“Will I be able to know after I capture you?”

Looking at his face, the emperor also smiled.

“You will have to work hard.”

“Same goes for you.”

The walk went peacefully.