episode_0539

*** ***

All right. All right.

Entering the imperial palace was not that difficult.

In the past, even if there was a special reason for me, being summoned by the emperor was something of a strange thing, but now I have become a renowned martial artist who wouldn’t be particularly surprised if His Majesty called me.

Specifically, if I had been summoned to the imperial court in the past, I would have immediately thought, ‘What kind of trick is the imperial palace planning to summon a top-notch rogue? ‘It’s suspicious!’ If there was a rumor like this, the rumor that I am now would be ‘I am a person of the brain, so I am attracting attention from the imperial family.’

I entered the imperial family through procedures I had already experienced once.

“I never imagined that I would ever enter the imperial palace in my lifetime.”

“That’s right. However, thinking of it as the main family of the great brother, it somehow feels familiar.”

“But I don’t know if it’s okay to do this…”

Those who entered the imperial palace expressed their own feelings. Expressions of excitement, nervousness, and even signs of concern for me.

Before coming to Luoyang, the group had fully understood through Hyeok Kirin’s words that Yu-kyung was his seriously ill younger brother, so such concerns were natural.

Even the mother-in-law of the Soga Clothing Store couldn’t help but feel angry when she first encountered the group, and it was as clear as seeing fire how Yu-kyung, her seriously ill younger sister, would react the moment she met the group.

Even though I clearly knew that fact, the reason why the situation is like this is…

“Hehe, don’t worry. Your brother will be happy to welcome you. Above all, if not for this opportunity, when would I be able to introduce you to my brother?”

It was because of Hyuk Gi-rin who had no doubt that Yu-kyung was an ordinary older brother, or rather, a very understanding older brother.

A wry smile appeared on the faces of the companions. Even Dokgo Iseol, who admired the imperial palace more than anyone else, had such an expression on his face, so what should I say anymore?

“Cheer up. Senior.”

“Okay, I have to try hard not to die.”

Well, this is the path I chose. I have to endure evil with tenacity.

It’s obvious that Yu-kyung’s eyes will turn over when she sees the group, but will they really have to catch me and kill me?

Haha, I’m so worried that it seems like that.

I wanted to take a deep breath, but I swallowed hard when I saw Hyuk Kirin, who had returned to the palace after a long time, with a bright smile on his face.

I arrived at Gungcheongjeon with various worries and returned to the palace, receiving familiar precautions from familiar court ladies. Unlike before, the court ladies released me freely after only confirming a few things, and when I tried to check what was going on with my companions, I was caught in the middle of their capture by the court ladies.

Well, he’s probably receiving training for those who are new to the imperial palace.

Knowing from experience that it wasn’t going to end anytime soon, I went out for a walk.

It wasn’t because I was bored, but because I needed to organize my thoughts.

Hyeok Kirin.

Hyeok Kirin has as many as three identities.

Hyeok Gi-rin, a cross-dressing woman and a great disciple of the fortune-telling sect. Princess Yuya. And one of my companions was Sowol, whose name is little known in the martial arts world.

It is impossible to marry me with the status of Hyukkirin, and in reality, it is absolutely not easy to marry me with the status of Princess Yuya. On the other hand, the marriage itself could be said to be easy for those with the status of Hwangwol.

But what would be the use of marrying me under the name of Hawwol? All it would do is to cut off the connection with the Jeomchang faction and the imperial family.

It’s difficult. It’s difficult.

As I sighed and shook my head, I suddenly looked ahead and realized that this worry was too extravagant.

…Because I could see two familiar faces wearing familiar internal officer uniforms from far away.

Yu-gyeong, or rather Du-jak, was making a benevolent expression and was repeatedly gesturing towards me to come closer. As an expert in flower painting, my eyes caught the veins on his forehead that did not match his gentle expression, and his eyes were not smiling at all…

I realized that my worries just a moment ago had been extravagant, and I burst into laughter.

First of all, you have to be alive to hold a wedding ceremony and wedding ceremony.

“Oh my gosh, Dujak!”

First of all, I smiled at Yu-kyung, happy to see her, and walked away with a long stride, quickly shaking my head.

Yu-kyung appeared a few steps faster than I expected.

Since he was my younger brother, I thought meeting Hyeok Kirin would be my top priority, but my calculations were wrong.

From my perspective, the meeting was like a surprise attack, so I had no choice but to greet Yu-kyung with great joy.

There is a saying that you can’t spit on a smiling face, so wouldn’t His Majesty’s anger be lessened if you were greeted like this?

“Nice to meet you! Have you had any trouble so far?”

“Hahahaha! Is there really anything to worry about, other than the fact that I can’t help but feel anxious as I watch you take my sister and go to great lengths?”

Our Emperor, His Majesty, was a man without common sense.

“I have nothing to say about that…”

“Hehe. I guess I know. But, did you really know that? It is truly questionable whether it can make sense for someone he really knew to arrive at the imperial castle now. ”

A cold sweat broke out all over my back!

The situation was extremely unfavorable to me.

The reason why Hyeok Kirin left the imperial family and was absent for such a long time was obviously because of me.

But there was no escape route at all.

“I’m really sorry. Even though Princess Yuya often expressed her longing for her brother, my circumstances were not favorable…”

“…What?”

“I feel a very deep sense of responsibility for this matter. You often talk about your brother, whom you respect greatly…”

Instead of anger, curiosity began to appear on Yu-kyung’s face.

A story about myself came up in my absence.

Anyone who hears something like that would be curious.

But what if the person who said those words was his or her beloved younger brother, and the tone of the words exchanged was positive?

“I truly feel responsibility as a member of the great empire…”

“No more apples! Big… big. So what did Yuya say specifically?”

I’m sure you can’t wait to hear it somehow.

Although Yu-kyung was trying hard to ignore it, I could definitely feel it.

Yu-kyung’s ears are completely wide open!

I activated all the brain cells in my head.

Find it! A piece of memory! I gather all the passing mentions of Yu-kyung that I once heard!

“He takes care of state affairs passionately…He knows how to establish dignity towards his subjects…”

“Hmm! Did Yua really say that?”

your majesty. The corner of your mouth will ascend to heaven.

I tried my best to pretend to be skeptical, but the corners of my mouth kept twitching, so anyone could tell that I was satisfied.

Although I guessed it during Cheon Sanru, he is a person who really likes his younger brother.

Are you really happy to hear that you received a few compliments?

“How could I tell a lie?”

“Hmm. Hmm…I see…”

It is true that Hyuk Kirin said that to me.

However, rather than saying that Hyeok Gi-rin had any intention of praising Yu-gyeong, he said, ‘I am worried that you are so passionate that you are holding on to your subjects like catching rats. It was like a by-product of worry, ‘It’s good to be dignified with your subjects, but it would be better to show tolerance…’

Well, it’ll be okay! I’m not making this up, Yu-kyung is happy and I survived, so isn’t it a good ending for everyone?

It was a time when I was thinking like that and trying to control my conscience.

“Is it all?”

“…Yes?”

“You said that you often mentioned your brother, whom you always respected. I’m asking if that’s all the praise Yuya gave me.”

“Ah.”

“Let’s see if it increases. I’m really curious about what Yuya thinks of me!”

Yu-kyung’s words made me realize that I had dug my own grave. There was no way Yu-kyung, who was seriously ill, would be satisfied with just one or two words of praise…!

Yu-kyung’s eyes are shining with a strong determination to hear one more compliment from Hyeok Kirin, even if it means scraping the memories out of her head!

“Uh-huh, what are you doing? I told you to say it quickly?”

…I was captured by Yu-kyung and had to squeeze out my memories until my companions came to find me.

*** ***

“Nice to meet you. I am Yuya’s older brother.”

Yu-gyeong appears wearing an official uniform. The companions, who knew well that Yu-kyung was the emperor, were very nervous and introduced themselves.

“I come to see His Majesty the Emperor. The girl is called So Yeon-hwa. In martial arts, the name black cat is also used.”

“ A disciple of the Jeomchang school, he is called Yeoil-ye.”

“It is said to be the Dokgo migration theory of the Amryongmun.”

“This is Moyong Yeonhwa from the Moyong family.”

“Hmm. Nice to meet you all. It is true that I am the emperor of this country, but right now I am just Yuya’s older brother, greeting my friends, so I don’t want you to feel too burdened.”

“Thank you for your consideration like Hahae.”

“Hehe. no. I also have new feelings. Actually, I never even imagined that I would meet Yuya’s friends.”

The group gradually relaxed due to Yu-kyung’s gentle attitude. Yu-kyung, who was curious about how Hyuk Kirin was doing outside, asked various questions, and the companions explained step by step the time they spent with Hyuk Kirin.

Squeak!

“Princess Yuya liked Seogong very much from the moment she first saw him.”

“The name Seogong was also given by Gongjumama.”

“It’s truly amazing that this little guy is a spirit creature.”

Yu-kyung, who had never been close to an animal, let alone a pet, let out an exclamation as she petted Seo-gong, a spirit creature.

The audience, which was not an audience, ended in such a friendly atmosphere that only Yoo-kyung and Yu-gyeong remained in the hall.

“Aren’t they good people?”

“Yes. I know very well that they care about you. So, you must have also been angry at the unfair treatment of So Yeon-hwa and demanded a royal arrest.”

“I just did what I had to do as a member of the imperial family.”

Yu-kyung laughed out loud as she looked at Hyuk-ki-rin who was embarrassed by her praise.

“By the way, you had a chat with Hocheonan Daehyup on the promenade, right? What did you talk about?”

“Hehe, it was a trivial story. I just caused a bit of trouble.”

“…Brother.”

Even though Hyuk Kirin’s eyes narrowed, Yu-kyung chuckled.

Yu-gyeong gives Ho Cheon-an a lot of trouble through a surprise attack that is much faster than Ho Cheon-an expected.

Seeing Ho Cheon-an struggling was like bowing down to receive me, but I also heard a lot of praise from Hyeok Kirin, so just thinking about it made Yu-kyung happy.

“I will give you trouble every time I see you from now on, so just know that. If you were going to pamper someone else’s precious little brother like that, you should have been prepared for that!”

“Ha, don’t be too harsh.”

Yu-kyung laughed and Hyuk-ki-rin sighed. The conversation stopped for a moment and silence fell in the hall.

It was Yu-kyung who broke the silence.

“You look like you have something to say.”

Hyuk Kirin hesitated for a moment at Yu-kyung’s gentle urging before opening his mouth.

“I want to marry Hocheonan Daehyup.”

Is it coming?

Yu-kyung was surprised at herself for remaining calm even when the word “marriage” came out of Yu-ya’s mouth.

Why?

Yu-kyung, who calmly pondered the answer, was able to come to a conclusion before long.

“It’s a difficult story. It’s a very difficult task.”

“….Yes.”

Yuya’s expression darkened at Yukyung’s answer. It was just as Yu-kyung said. The marriage with Ho Cheon-an, or more precisely, the marriage of Hyeok Kirin, was extremely difficult.

“With the status of Princess Yuya, she marries Hocheonan. This is truly an improbable story. It was not a marriage that could be called an arranged marriage, and there is no known relationship between you and Ho Cheon-an, so everyone in the world will question your marriage.”

“However, it makes even more sense to turn one’s back on the imperial family and marry a nameless barbarian from the martial arts world. How can a marriage that will cost you the rest of your life continue with a fake identity?”

After speaking up to that point, Yu-kyung waited for Yu-ya’s answer.

“What you said is all true. Considering my complicated status, where would the word “marriage” be appropriate? But…”

Yu-kyung looked into Yuya’s eyes as he uttered the word but.

It was a look in his eyes that showed his determination not to give in to adversity.

“Still, I want to do it, I want to try it.”

Yu-kyung looked at Yu-ya’s eyes and recalled the memory of that time. The moment when I showed myself as a martial artist, Hyuk Kirin, and gained enlightenment. The moment when Hyeok Kirin, a martial artist, and Yuya, a princess of the empire, declared that they would not give up on either side of their lives.

The same strong will was shining in Hyeok Kirin’s eyes as before, so Yu Kyeong could only smile bitterly.

At that time, he claimed to be his first helper before his brother, so how could he interfere with Hyuk Kirin’s burning of will like this?

“Yes. Let’s do it together.”

“…Brother.”

“Admiral.”

“Please specify.”

Yu-gyeong recalled Ho Cheon-an while calling Sima Gyeong-hwi. A thief trying to steal his younger brother! However, since the thief was also a party to this matter, wouldn’t it be possible to proceed with the matter without him?

And although I hate to admit it, Ho Cheon-an probably has something in mind, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to hear about his plans.

“Bring him in.”

The three-way meeting has begun.