I let out a dry laugh.
“Then, Great Hero, who do you think is in the wrong between the two of them?”
“It’s my older brother! I just spoke a bit harshly…”
“Then if your older brother regrets his mistake, he should come to apologize.”
Hyeok Gi-rin had a look on his face as if it wasn’t such a simple matter. But honestly, it was such a trivial quarrel that I couldn’t even understand why Hyeok Gi-rin was mulling it over.
“But… I told him not to come for a while, so would he really come to apologize?”
“Hoh hoh hoh. Don’t worry. He will contact you soon.”
Had Yoo Gyeong never had a quarrel with Hyeok Gi-rin? From what I’ve experienced, the Imperial Family is quite strict. In their childhood, Yoo Gyeong and Hyeok Gi-rin wouldn’t easily get into a fight; it might well be their first brawl.
Thinking about it, Yoo Gyeong is an emperor and might find it difficult to apologize easily.
“I did say for a while, but once we leave Nangyang, who knows when they’ll meet again? In the meantime, will your older brother come to apologize?”
Is that really the issue at hand?
Opportunities for Hyeok Gi-rin and Yoo Gyeong to meet are rare. No, I should say they are practically nonexistent. Since Emperor Yoo Gyeong can’t leave his position, Hyeok Gi-rin needs to make a move, but there’s no easy excuse for him to frequent the palace.
Returning to the palace as Princess Yuya isn’t an easy task either.
What I meant was that opportunities for these two to meet freely like this are rare.
After that, I tried my best to comfort Hyeok Gi-rin, but the gloom on his face didn’t disappear.
“Sigh…”
I also felt a bit uneasy. It was only natural to be concerned since my request had caused Hyeok Gi-rin and the emperor to fight.
All of this was because of that irresponsible Dujak. In the end, that guy pulled a strange trick on me, forcing me to rely on my connection with Hyeok Gi-rin, resulting in a conflict with the emperor, Yoo Gyeong, and ruining their relationship.
Anyway, carrying a vague sense of unease, I was spending time at the pavilion after lunch when…
“Uhm.”
Dujak and Sa Ma Hwi-gyeong. The culprits appeared.
“No way…”
Honestly, the first thought that crossed my mind was disbelief. Is it even possible to walk around the palace after causing such a major incident yesterday? The fact that they managed to smuggle the emperor’s guest out of the palace could be somewhat excusable, but attempting to steal the emperor’s gifts was an enormous crime.
Their faces didn’t look good, and they seemed drained of energy, but that wasn’t the important part. The involved parties could come back to the palace less than a day after causing an incident.
I was left agape, staring at Dujak, and as soon as my gaze landed on him, Dujak subtly turned his head and started to cough.
While I waited to hear what he had to say, Dujak coughed for a long time before finally speaking.
“I… I regret what happened yesterday.”
“Hoh.”
What kind of situation is this? I took a moment to compose my thoughts while looking at the two of them, then I spoke.
“Please sit down. Sa Ma Hwi-gyeong, you should sit too.”
To be honest, as long as there was no lingering resentment, I didn’t care whether this Dujak learned his lesson or not; I only needed to collect the compensation offered by the emperor.
However, for Hyeok Gi-rin, this period in the imperial palace was a rare time to stay at his family home, and it was also an opportunity to reconnect with the royal family after a long time. This time was precious, like a rookie soldier’s rare holiday. I felt anxious that he was burdened with unnecessary worries during such an important period.
Though I felt anxious… there was nothing I could do. I needed to pretend I didn’t know Hyeok Gi-rin’s identity, so I couldn’t delve too deeply into the fact that he had a conflict with his older brother. I could only offer superficial comfort to Hyeok Gi-rin.
So I was trying to let it go, but… then, the two appeared before me. Seeing them, a thought of absurdity crossed my mind, and it dawned on me that this situation had become serious.
It was serious that these two could appear in front of me now.
Hyeok Gi-rin must have been furious, yet these two were wandering around the palace without a care. What did that mean? No matter how involved Hyeok Gi-rin was in the Martial World, he was from the direct line. Even if those two were to receive punishment later, being confined at home would be the least of it.
But now they could freely enter and leave the palace? And the court ladies didn’t stop them?
This meant that there was some influence from someone higher than Hyeok Gi-rin, specifically Emperor Yoo Gyeong.
Contrary to Hyeok Gi-rin’s intentions, Yoo Gyeong had either given these two a ridiculous minor punishment or decided not to punish them at all, which probably led to Hyeok Gi-rin arguing with Yoo Gyeong.
If not, the mere appearance of those two in the palace didn’t make sense.
Well, this sort of thing would push the usually gentle Hyeok Gi-rin to finally raise his voice against his older brother after a long time.
Hyeok Gi-rin’s worries weren’t unfounded. Considering what these two had done, they deserved severe punishment. Yet for some reason, Emperor Yoo Gyeong chose to side with them.
I had no idea why the emperor made such a decision, but perhaps there was something that led him to support Dujak instead of his younger brother. Because he was making this choice as an emperor rather than as an older brother, he might not apologize to Hyeok Gi-rin.
This meant that if I just sat back, the emperor and Hyeok Gi-rin would only continue to get farther apart, potentially wasting precious days.
Hyeok Gi-rin’s vacation in the imperial palace was in danger of being ruined.
Thinking about Hyeok Gi-rin’s troubled expression, I realized I couldn’t just sit back and watch.
“About what happened yesterday…”
I raised my hand to stop Sa Ma Hwi-gyeong from speaking. Sa Ma Hwi-gyeong was not to be underestimated. If I let him start talking, there was a high chance I would get carried away.
“Let Dujak speak.”
Sa Ma Hwi-gyeong, who had committed a crime, looked flustered and shut his mouth, while I fixed my gaze solely on Dujak.
Dujak sighed deeply, then opened his mouth.
“The incident started because of my younger sister. We were discussing the topic of guests of the imperial family.”
“Is that so.”
It sounded completely out of the blue, but the more information, the better. Instead of pressing for the main point, I focused on soaking in Dujak’s words.
“As we talked, we ended up bringing up the subject of gambling addicts who sacrifice their hard-earned money to the gambling table. It’s been said that he lived that way for quite some time.”
“Oh.”
That could definitely classify them as a serious gambling addict. My instinct as the guardian of the gambling table stirred, but I quelled it and concentrated on the story.
“But my sister still defended that man. She said that he would be safe at the gambling table and could control himself.”
Dujak sighed heavily.
“Then, with an innocent expression, she showed me the tricks used at the gambling table, and I lost it.”
“…Oh.”
Dujak’s demeanor and tone radiated his love for his sister, but it was astonishing that such a sister would show favor to a gambling man and teach him gambling techniques.
“So… that’s why you contacted me. Even if he’s a talented gambler, you wanted to show that one can lose at the gambling table…”
“So you intended to trap him to show your sister just how worthless gamblers are?”
“Ahem. Um!”
From my perspective, this was all rather frowning. Moreover, I didn’t particularly trust this story.
Yet, this absurd statement was not completely devoid of persuasion.
I had naturally assumed that these two were attempting to rob me of the emperor’s gifts after luring me out of the palace.
But what if they simply intended to sneak me outside the palace and play a prank on me at a gambling den? If that’s the case, their only crime would be sneaking the emperor’s guest outside, and the charge of trying to steal the emperor’s gifts would become nonexistent.
Sneaking the emperor’s guest outside was not a light crime either, but it could be regarded as an infraction for royalty.
On the other hand, if those two had attempted to lay their hands on the emperor’s gifts, it would be impossible for Dujak, no matter how significant his standing in the royal family, and Sa Ma Hwi-gyeong, as a member of a prominent family, to remain unscathed.
Could they even be roaming around like this?
And if I assumed that what the two were saying was true, I felt that the emperor and Hyeok Gi-rin would have valid reasons to argue about their treatment.
The emperor might prefer to suppress the shame of such an incident involving the royal family rather than airing it publicly. He could have worried that if this incident came to light, others would speculate that I was attempting to steal the emperor’s gifts, just like in my case.
Conversely, what about Hyeok Gi-rin? Remembering the fierce expression he had at the time, he probably wouldn’t let this go easily.
“Hmmm. I see.”
Of course, I recognized the possibility of such a situation, but I certainly wasn’t completely convinced.
It roughly made sense, but the realism was still far too lacking. No matter how fond one is of their sister, could they really go so far as to lose control over a mere gambler?
However, if everything Dujak said was true, then there was truly nothing bad for me in this situation. I could still make Dujak owe some debt to Sa Ma Yeom, and there’s little to no chance of developing a grudge against Dujak, plus, with a little maneuvering, perhaps I could even mend the relationship between Hyeok Gi-rin and the emperor.
So let’s see how it goes and verify if their story holds true.
“It’s quite impressive how much you care for your sister. To be honest, I’m amazed.”
Dujak blinked in surprise.
“Do you… understand?”
“Honestly, I can’t say that I do.”
Before disappointment could cloud Dujak’s eyes, I quickly continued.
“I’ve been alone for as long as I can remember, so I can’t claim to understand the bond between siblings.”
“Oh… I see.”
“But I have always yearned for such sibling love. Lacking blood relations, I find those connections to be luminous.”
“Hmm… Is that so?”
“I can’t say I’ve lived long, but among those who cherish their blood relatives, there seem to be no bad folks. I’ve involved myself in nonsense, but… ultimately, I didn’t lose anything. I’ll just think of it as a bad dream and forget it.”
“I see… I can’t hold my head up high. You might think I’m just trying to save face, but the compensation I receive will also include recompense for this incident.”
“Ha ha. That sounds quite appreciative.”
When the atmosphere eased up, Sa Ma Hwi-gyeong slyly summoned some court ladies to set up a refreshments table. He was acting just like Sa Ma Yeom.
“I might drop by again tomorrow, so could you pour me a cup of tea?”
“Of course. Do visit often.”
Dujak seemed to have relaxed a little at my reaction. Well, for now, I’ll casually chat with them to glean more information.
First, should I discuss that gloomy expression?
“Are you still troubled by the incident involving me? You don’t seem well.”
“Do I really seem that way?”
Dujak let out a long sigh, then, watching me for a moment as if gauging my reaction, he hesitated before finally speaking.
“I had a big fight with my sister.”
“Oh, I see.”
If his sister heard the full story of this incident, she wouldn’t have reacted well. Even if they had fought, it was quite understandable.
Though I had the slightest inclination toward being sympathetic to his sister, right now, in front of me stood Dujak, not his sister.
“Still, it must weigh heavily on you, considering you did this out of love for her.”
“Sigh… How can I vent such feelings in front of you?”
Even as he spoke, his earnest eyes were pleading with me, as if he was about to burst with emotion.
“It’s alright. I find myself curious about this affair since I’m involved.”
“Then…”
As if waiting for that cue, Dujak began.
“Actually, my sister asked what I knew that would prompt such words from her older brother.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Of course, I initiated this, so I acknowledge that she’d be very angry with me. But with that being said, her response of not letting me speak and just getting angry… Sigh…”
Wait, does the royal family strictly regulate sibling quarrels? Shouldn’t one graduate from such squabbles before reaching adulthood? The fight between Hyeok Gi-rin and the emperor or the one between Dujak and his sister, it’s like a battle of dragons.
Wouldn’t “I really hate older brothers” be coming out any moment now?
“And then suddenly, she flushed and said, ‘I really hate older brothers!’ Hearing such words from her was a shock—it froze me.”
…Huh?
No way. It couldn’t be.
Unbeknownst to myself, I began examining Dujak’s face. He resembled Hyeok Gi-rin. No, wait, I shouldn’t entertain such imaginings; after all, Dujak was also a member of the imperial family, so of course, he’d look like Hyeok Gi-rin. Don’t jump to conclusions.
“But then she also said, ‘I can’t stand the sight of older brothers!’ Honestly, it crushed me.”
I swallowed hard. Just as long as those words don’t come out, it’s fine.
Dujak suddenly poured out his feelings, and as if recalling his past heartbreak, he lowered his head, saying,
“I want to apologize and seek forgiveness, but my sister told me she can’t stand to see me, so that really worries me!”
“Hoh, hoh hoh.”
I decided to stop denying reality.
“Aren’t you also being absurd? How can you see each other if you can’t go visit? How can you apologize and mend your relationship like that? Even if you’ve made a mistake, how could you treat family so harshly!?”
I clenched my fist and expressed my indignation towards Dujak. No, rather, I was looking at the current emperor, Yoo Gyeong.
