209 – 41. Kim Ha-neul and Kim Ha-neul
“It’s been a long time, sister.”
“Woosung, you.”
“Why are you glaring at me like that? Isn’t that too much for a lifesaver?”
Kim Woo-seong, who jokingly ignored Kim Ha-neul’s malicious gaze, put the bow into his artifact pocket with a smile.
When Kim Ha-neul playfully raised his hands above his head to indicate that he had no intention of attacking, Kim Ha-neul quickly sighed and put his javelin in his arms.
“Sister, what spear did you originally use?”
“…It’s broken.”
“What? Are you kidding? That’s a high-quality artifact. Unless it hasn’t received any maintenance──”
──Oh my.
Under Kim Ha-neul’s feet, the sight of the artifact that was her favorite song being shattered.
Of course, there is no way that raiders of this level could really destroy the artifact. I guess it was almost a limit from the beginning.
‘A member of the collateral royal family has not had even one artifact maintained?’
Before and after the exchange meeting, Kim Woo-sung was also looking for his own way of life, so he could hardly care about Kim Ha-neul.
Her situation seemed more miserable than expected.
Perhaps it’s possible to secretly leave this small landing pad…… It might have been the best for her given her circumstances.
“Sister, you look quite tired, huh?”
“…So, you messed with that fortuneteller and cursed him harshly? I heard that your power in the imperial family was destroyed.”
“Should I just do this to the sister who is hated by His Majesty the Crown Prince?”
“……………….”
Everyone in the know knows that Kim Woo-sung was killed when he tried to touch Nam Goong Min by mistake.
Although it was disguised as Gyeong-jin Cho’s responsibility on the outside, those with political insight would have noticed the inside story. But it doesn’t matter if you notice.
The real secret that needs to be kept secret is that Kim Woo-sung went under Namgoong Min’s staff…… After graduation, you will be given another opportunity.
‘Until then, I will only be seen as an example of the royal family that was destroyed.’
It was actually true. If I hadn’t hit my head right then and there when I saw Namgoong Min again, I would have been in trouble a long time ago.
But even if it’s just cancer.
Unlike Kim Woo-sung, who only messed with his ‘friend’, Kim Ha-neul stuck to the emperor’s side and opposed him.
There will be no forgiveness or anything.
‘If the emperor had won, things would have been the other way around.’
In the end, the winner was the prince, and the emperor was virtually cut off from all power and influence and only sent out a single-handed attack.
To see Kim Ha-neul like that…… I suddenly thought of my mother and sighed for a moment.
Now was the time to fulfill my duty.
“…What are your intentions?”
“What are your intentions? I just saved my sister who was in danger on the road.”
“Woosung, you’ve been good at covering up bullsh*t for a long time. Look at the location of this takeoff field. Even if you give in a hundred times and people like you can walk this way, at this early morning? Especially today?”
“Hmm.”
“Woosung. It may sound very annoying, unpleasant, and disgusting, but we’ve seen each other since we were kids. Out of the collateral world, we’re the only ones with heads turned. Isn’t that right?”
“Sister, I don’t think things are going well anymore? You took the wrong side, didn’t you?”
“……I still don’t regret that.”
“What?”
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter. What I want to ask you is what your intentions are. You didn’t think I would really believe that coincidence bullsh*t, did you?”
Well, of course you won’t believe it.
If the position were the opposite, Kim Woo-sung would not have believed the story that he was saved by chance.
‘But here it has to be a coincidence.’
That was also Namgoong Min’s order.
Kim Woo-sung himself thinks it would be much easier to ‘work’ that way.
Didn’t Kim Ha-neul say that?
He has been good at packaging bullsh*t since long ago.
“Sister, I know you’re crowded around here, but aren’t you feeling too suspicious?”
“What?”
“Do you think it’s worth it for me to investigate and rescue you now?”
“……………….”
Kim Ha-neul gritted his teeth at the extremely poignant words.
Yes, she probably knows.
Unless it is truly a coincidence── there is no reason for him to save Kim Ha-neul.
“I was smashed to pieces by His Majesty the Crown Prince once, but it’s enough for me to be flat on my back. So, I shouldn’t do anything that stands out. But you’re deliberately going to investigate and save a sister who is hated by Your Majesty?”
“…Even if it’s really a coincidence, if you look at it like that, you have no intention of saving me.”
“Why don’t you have loyalty? Oh, of course, my loyalty to my sister is a bit lacking. But I’m also loyal to the imperial family, right?”
“What…Is this bullsh*t?”
“Look at these raiders. You can tell they were sent to deal with your sister, but if they had been sent by the imperial family, they would have been much more thorough. Have you seen their level?”
“……So?”
“Then you’re saying it’s a force other than the imperial family, but that’s still not true. Even though you’ve already fallen, you’re part of the royal family of the Korean Empire. As members of the same royal family, there’s no reason to watch with your eyes open as the royal family is murdered by these scoundrels, right? “
“Ha.”
“If this news reaches your Majesty’s ears, you may be praised for saving the prestige of the imperial family. For a member of the royal family to be attacked and killed by another force within the Romance Academy, could there be a more indecent thing than that? “You probably want to be a lieutenant, right? Even if a member of the royal family dies, he or she must die within the imperial family.”
“……………….”
“So just believe it, just a little bit. I just went out for a night walk. Rather, I’m the one who wants to argue, right? This is my usual night walk route.”
“…The usual route?”
“It’s perfect because there are no people and the scenery is nice. Actually, what’s absurd is that it’s me, right? I went out for a walk as usual, and there are my sister and the attackers? So as soon as I saw that, I threw a big, flashy weapon.”
This is bullsh*t. Even if you look at it objectively, it was great bullsh*t.
There was no evidence, no witnesses, and it was all lies.
But the truth is hidden inside. A brilliant blow, saving Kim Ha-neul, and the words that if you are a member of the royal family, you should die inside the imperial palace.
The truth cleverly mixed…… Kim Ha-neul has been exhausted both physically and mentally for a long time.
Finally, she lowered her head.
“…Yes, I was too suspicious of you.”
“What. So what were you doing? At this time, on this takeoff field?”
“……………….”
“Are you really going to keep your mouth shut? Well, then there’s nothing I can do. If I’m caught talking to my sister like this, I’ll have to kneel down and pray in front of Your Majesty? I’m leaving.”
“Now, wait!”
“What is it?”
“…I was going back to the imperial family.”
“What about the academy?”
“I dropped out… I dropped out.”
“Really?”
Pretend to be surprised. Acting like this is the easiest thing in life.
Nevertheless, the usual Kim Ha-neul would have been able to notice her discomfort, but she did not notice as she had already been pushed to her limit for a long time.
Just as a person who is pushed to the edge of a cliff has no choice but to reach out to anyone.
She couldn’t say they were on good terms with empty words, but Kim Ha-neul wanted to lean on Kim Woo-sung.
“You… Have noticed, right? I’m not in a good situation right now. I haven’t been able to get the creative wheel I’ve wielded since I was young… The support from the imperial family was cut off, and when it became known that I was hated by the crown prince, all funding lines were cut off. At the base, “I got kicked out, I ate at a convenience store, and somehow sewed my own clothes.”
“……………….”
“Still, I held on. I gritted my teeth and held on. If I give up now, I’ll just be a loser, but at least…If I can at least receive a diploma from the Romance Academy, I can make a fresh start. Get out of the Korean Empire, and use the diploma to gain strength and “Because we can take advantage of opportunities by gathering forces.”
Opportunity, opportunity.
Kim Woo-sung narrowed his eyes at that word.
‘Normally, even if I had a fresh start, I wouldn’t think of returning to the imperial family again.’
Is that because Kim Ha-neul’s ambition is beyond her imagination?
Or is it because she has a reason to be obsessed with the imperial family?
“But…I’m going back now.”
“You’ve been holding on for a few months and now you’re here?”
“……Let me tell you first of all, I did not give in to food, clothing, and shelter. Even if I gave up all my dignity, I was able to hold out until I graduated.”
“Then?”
“……………….”
“Are you really not going to tell me?”
“……I received a letter, a letter.”
…… Letter?
“What letter?”
“Dear father…A letter from His Majesty the Emperor.”
“………!!”
In an instant, cold sweat broke out on the back of Kim Woo-sung’s neck.
The emperor who lost the political battle with Prince Kim Seong-il. It wasn’t because mentioning him was actually taboo.
It was not because Kim Seong-il was arresting or pressuring everyone related to the emperor.
Just.
‘It’s awesome…… !’
Because it was clear that this was an opportunity beyond imagination.
Namgoong Min’s faithful hunting dog has had an appetite.
At this rate, it was clear that the piece of meat that would be returned to him would also be large.
If it’s like this…… Because it was enough to ask for a plea for his mother.
Kim Woo-sung hid his torn smile.
*
“…This is crazy.”
No, the emperor appears here?
When Kim Woo-sung reported with a confident expression on his face, I inadvertently swore.
As a result, Kim Woo-sung’s confidence faded little by little.
“Uh, Namgoong Min? Is this really not a good thing…?”
“No, that’s not it. It’s definitely an incredible opportunity. A chance to uproot the emperor’s last roots.”
There are still doubts about the emperor.
The reason for calmly accepting the deal, his true purpose.
It is no exaggeration to say that now that the principal and mediator have been resolved, the only remaining issues are the emperor, the pope, and me.
…… Looking at it this way, it was a bit much, but it would be best if we could completely conclude the emperor’s affairs.
In the end, the reason I muttered a curse was not because of the emperor himself.
This incident…… It was because of my intuition that it would never go easily.
“From the beginning, Princess Kim Ha-neul took her emperor’s side. It was natural for her to receive letters from her emperor.”
“Of course it is. But isn’t this a great result in terms of having physical evidence this time?”
“I guess the problem is the content.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Kim Woo-sung immediately lowered his head as if he knew what was coming.
Yes, I understand that the letter arrived. But what about it? Isn’t that the real highlight?
However, Kim Woo-seong could not find out the contents of the emperor’s letter.
It was because Kim Ha-neul’s boundaries were too firm.
“I tried to cajole him somehow, but he didn’t show me the letter itself.”
“Is it possible that the letter is a lie?”
“Nothing. Even if you do, there’s no reason to say it’s a letter from the emperor without lying or making excuses.”
“You know?”
“Yes?”
“In Princess Kim Ha-neul’s opinion, you, Kim Woo-sung, are also people who hate Prince Kim Seong-il. Of course, her situation is better than his, but there’s no problem in thinking that she holds a grudge against the prince, right?”
Therefore.
“You… Were trying to drag me in on purpose? Let’s join the emperor?”
“I don’t think that’s nonsense at all, right? If you’re the emperor now, you need to secure as many people as possible. If it’s you, Kim Woo-sung, it’s perfect.”
So, there is a high possibility that Kim Woo-sung lied to me.
Although he was actually asked to cooperate with Kim Ha-neul, he intentionally did not say anything.
So, you could be trying to walk a tightrope between me and the emperor.
Even though he noticed my suspicion, there was no change in Kim Woo-sung’s expression.
“You are correct. Kim Ha-neul could have tried to persuade me in the opposite direction.”
“Then what?”
“…But, that won’t happen.”
“Why?”
Unlike usual, he speaks confidently in a quiet yet low voice.
When I continued to inquire about Kim Woo-sung’s attitude, he soon answered with a bitter smile.
“That’s right…Kim Ha-neul’s mother.”
“……….”
“Because my mother was poisoned.”
“……………….”
“So, there is no way Kim Ha-neul would ask for my cooperation… And even if she did, I wouldn’t be able to help her.”
*