Chapter 2.1 (1/2)

“Just how hurt is he?”

Princess Muyeo asked Eunuch Sa as she quickly got out of her palanquin.

“He has passed the critical stage and is now recuperating from his wound. Please do not worry.”

“Don’t worry?! An arrow pierced Brother’s chest, so how can I not worry? What’s so good about that land of savages for everyone to be making such a fuss over it?!”

All men were fools. Why were they invading these minor nations when they hadn’t done anything wrong? Why would they only be satisfied once they had conquered all the lands stretching to the ends of the earth?

It was nauseating to think that they viewed the conquest of foreign nations as a personal accomplishment.

“Then he should just personally go there and do it himself.”

Muyeo couldn’t hold in her boiling anger. He had sent Brother out once again and caused him to gain yet another wound. Why did he hate him so much? That’s why people didn’t see the Red King has the second prince and called him the emperor’s ‘dog’.

In the middle of winter. And he only gave him a thousand soldiers to pass through Mount Baran. Last spring, he was ordered to take over the southern nation of BuYoung. Then he was ordered to head to the north and conquer the Three Nations.

Sending Brother out on all these pointless campaigns… Wasn’t he basically just telling him to go out and die?!

The sound of the angry princess’s footsteps and jingling hair ornaments echoed in the air. The eunuch quickly followed after her as he clicked his tongue in his heart. The king needed to rest. He had come a long way back while carrying such a serious wound.

The Crown Prince was probably overjoyed to hear that the Red King had come back with an arrow lodged so close to his heart.

The heavens had helped him keep his life, but he had been ordered to withdraw his troops by the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince had always feared that the Red King would succeed and come out victorious. On the outside, he claimed that he was worried about his younger brother’s wound, but everyone could clearly see his calculations.

“Brother!”

Princess Muyeo shouted out as she noisily pushed aside the beaded curtain.

Leaning back in his seat, a handsome man was basking in the spring sunlight. As if he had fallen asleep while reading, a book was lying on the floor. Piles of documents were spread out around him.

For a man who was called the ‘Blood Wolf’, his sleeping face was surprisingly calm. Underneath his masculine brows were his stiffly closed eyes, a straight nose, and finally a pair of arrogant, sensuous lips.

His shoulders were broad, and he was so tall that the seat couldn’t hold all of him. However, in this environment, he didn’t seem like a warrior. Instead, he looked more like an elegant artist.

Instead of holding a sword, he should have just become a poet.

“Brother, stop pretending you’re asleep.”

He definitely would have heard her make a fuss from far away. Eunuch Sa squirmed like a dog that needed to take a poop behind her, but Muyeo didn’t care. She approached Garan and grabbed the book he had been reading.

HwanSoolGi (Record of Military Deceptions and Tactics)

He was reading these kinds of books again?

A hand flashed out and took the book from her hands. Muyeo raised an eyebrow and glared at Garan. The man who was on the other end of this glare merely grinned back at her.

“You came?”

“Did you seriously just ask me if I came in such a relaxed manner? In this situation? It’s a lie, right? Right? You didn’t get hit by a girl’s arrow, right?”

“I’m human, too. Did you think an arrow would just ricochet off my skin?”

“Liar!”

“Bring in some tea for the princess.”

“What tea? Just bring me some cold water.”

This made no sense!

Muyeo stared at the Red King in disbelief. He looked like his usual self. Therefore, the rumor must have been a lie. Brother would never get struck by an arrow like that.

“You can just tell me. I’ll keep your secret safe no matter what.”

Princess Muyeo was the biggest blabbermouth in all of YeonSung. The Red King snorted.

“I got hit.”

“Liar! You look completely fine.”

Muyeo wanted to believe it was a lie. She wanted to take off the Red King’s clothes this instant to make sure he was okay. If the palace maids hadn’t come in just then to serve the cold water, she would have done exactly that. Garan sighed and sat up in his seat.

He actually felt that getting hit with the arrow was for the best. He had no choice but to attack Yeha under Father Emperor’s orders, but he detested fighting a war without any justification.

Additionally, the more he came back victorious from the campaigns ordered by their father, the more the Crown Prince was going to keep him in check. However, Muyeo didn’t know this and was making quite a fuss.

“What kind of bitch could have done something like this? YeonSung has been buzzing ever since we heard the news that the Red King had been struck by a girl’s arrow. Why were the soldiers just standing there? They should have chased after that bitch and ripped her limbs apart!”

They didn’t move because he hadn’t ordered them to.

The arrow seemed to fall directly in the center of the sunlight. Although it was just one arrow, one couldn’t help but be awed by its perfection.

Riding the wind, the arrow was powerful. With the sun at its back, it made a perfect arch before hitting its target. Almost as if it had been predestined. It almost seemed supernatural. He could hardly believe it was shot by a human.

Yeha’s ChungMae.

That’s what the people called the one who had shot the arrow. He recalled the way her black hair had fluttered in the wind as she rode her chestnut horse.

He was surprised to find that the woman used a horn bow which even men had a hard time wielding. Yeha had many excellent soldiers, but that woman was even more surprising.

How did she become so proficient in that technique?

The arrow had hit so close to his heart that the doctor almost fainted when he saw the wound. Thankfully, the sharp arrowhead didn’t hit any vital areas, so he was able to survive.

Although an arrow like that could be considered a miracle, the heavens also helped him survive.

“Brother!”

Muyeo realized that her brother wasn’t listening to anything she was saying, so she angrily called out to him.

“Are you really going to be like this?”

“Ugh.”

Instead of giving Muyeo another excuse, Garan grasped his chest with his hand and frowned.

“B-Brother, what’s wrong?”

“Didn’t I tell you I got hurt? Call for a eunuch.”

Muyeo quickly called for a eunuch. She sat back down next to him worriedly and didn’t nag him anymore. The doctor came in and checked his wound. Now that Muyeo saw for herself that he was actually wounded, the false rumors in YeonSung would settle down. After all, there wasn’t another princess who gossiped as much as Muyeo.

Once the uproar had settled down, Muyeo still didn’t seem like she wanted to go back to her own residence. She stayed by his side as she held her teacup.

“Did you hear the rumors? Duke MoonYeo got married!”

“That’s good news.”

Garan replied with his usual indifference.

“No, how is that good news? It’s strange news. You know this, too, Brother…”

Muyeo lowered her body as if she was preparing to spread another rumor. Then she continued to whisper.

“That… Duke MoonYeo cannot embrace a woman. Have you heard the rumor?”

“Rumors are merely rumors.”

“That’s what I thought, but something surprising happened this time.”

“What do you mean?”

Realizing that she finally had her brother’s attention, Muyeo grinned and lowered her voice.

“Well, when Duke MoonYeo first said that he’d get married, everyone went crazy. They just assumed that it would be another grass widow, and everyone pitied her. Duke MoonYeo is quite cold with the ladies, remember? But what do you know? That is…”

Muyeo’s voice lowered even further as she whispered to her brother.

“I heard they slept well.”

“What?”

The princess’s eyes tilted up mischievously.

“That is… Do you know how upset Princess Yeowa was when everyone was talking about how Duke MoonYeo had a problem in bed? I heard that there was clear evidence that the bride and groom shared their first night together in the bridal chamber. The princess was obviously very pleased and bragged about it to everyone.”

“Tsk. It seems that you women talk about all sorts of things.”

“It’s always fun to hear stories about someone else’s bedroom matters. I heard that Duke MoonYeo has changed a lot. I heard he goes around with his wife in his arms.

“He must have found his other half.”

“I plan on seeing her just out of curiosity. You should come with me.”

“How can a man join a group of ladies? It’s not proper.”

“Aigoo, Duke MoonYeo is our cousin. How can it be improper when we’re all family?”

At that moment, Eunuch Sa entered and lowered his head.

“Your Highness.”

The Red King slightly turned around, but the eunuch kept his head lowered.

“It seems that I need go out.”

“What?”

Muyeo’s eyes widened in surprise.

“How can you go out in that state?”