The journey to the capital was much calmer than I had anticipated. I expected bandits and beasts to cross our path, but even after two days of travel, there was no sign of any disturbance.
On second thought, it was only natural. With the Kunlun Sect and countless other martial arts clans around, no one would be stupid enough to dare cause trouble.
"Are you tired, Young Master Baek?" Jongmu casually entered the moving carriage.
I shook my head. Maybe because we were still in civilian areas, the roads were well maintained and not bumpy at all, making the carriage ride far less nauseating.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am fine." I fanned myself. It was hot outside, and I felt like dying. But I didn't want to go outside and ride alongside Jongmu, fearing that I would be teased once again.
"Your Highness, forgive me, but why are we traveling by carriage? Wouldn't it be quicker to use Lightning Steps?" I finally couldn't help but ask. If he had used qinggong, we would already be in the capital.
Jongmu didn't say anything and merely hummed. He languidly ran a finger across his face as he smiled.
Seeing this, I sighed, knowing that this expression meant I wouldn't get an answer from him. Over the last two days, the conversations I had with him could be counted on one hand. It was a relief, but at the same time, it made me uneasy. It made me question why this bastard had changed so suddenly.
"We'll stop at Plumyeong Village and use the teleportation array there. You'll have to endure one more day, Young Master." Jongmu's voice was cool.
I furrowed my brow. I should have been managing my expression in front of him, yet I couldn't. He was making me nervous. The way he answered questions and responded to what was said was strangely irritating; my temper often couldn't help but flare up.
Why is he acting so differently? Was all of his previous behavior an act?
And once again, silence returned. There was nothing to talk about between the two of us. The departure from home only made that more apparent. I hadn't noticed before, but even during our stay at the Baek Residence, we hadn't spoken much to each other. Thinking about it rationally, it was only natural. What conversation topics could there possibly be between the crown prince of a nation and a simple noble young master such as myself, whose family had no political power?
The answer was: none.
"Your Highness..." I broke the silence once again.
"What?" Jongmu raised a brow.
His cold, dismissive voice carried a hint of annoyance. It made irritation rise inside me, but I suppressed it.
"Saha, my maid. She hasn't attended to me since we departed from the residence. It worries me. If I cou—"
"Ah? So that's it...?" Jongmu's voice was full of ridicule. "I was already asking myself why the young master wasn't shutting up and was talking so much."
He blatantly disrespected me.
"Hah? You—" I bit my tongue, stopping myself from committing the crime of cursing royalty, and swallowed my anger. "I am deeply sorry if I have annoyed Your Highness. Please forgive me, but I really would lik—"
"She's not traveling with us," he interrupted.
"What?" I asked in confusion.
"She's not here." Jongmu sighed and massaged his furrowed brows. "I ordered her and the other servants to use the transportation array of the Kunlun Sect. They'll be waiting for us in the capital."
'They're already in the capital? Then why didn't we use that array as well?'
I should have noticed it earlier. It explained why I saw no servants nearby. No one had come to bring food or ask after our well-being.
Yet despite that, it was still strange.
I wanted to ask why, but I knew I would only get a vague answer or none at all. The prince had been strangely distant and cold. I didn't know what had changed, but his behavior proved that I had acted too carelessly before. He was still the crown prince, someone with a reputation that wasn't to be taken lightly.
There were rumors of him being a demon. It was the most prominent rumor about him, one that even faraway villages had heard of. After all, he was the son of his mother, the former queen, Joh Hak-ja, the sole reason why the position of queen remained vacant to this day. It wasn't because the king deeply loved the queen, but because no one dared take her place.
Joh Hak-ja, the Seductress.
The Mad Queen.
The Blood Witch Who Betrayed Humanity.
She was someone who possessed not only power and wealth but also a disposition that rivaled that of a king. In her prime, it wasn't the king who ruled the court, but her.
Of course, such a woman could only give birth to brutes as evil and terrifying as she herself was. She bore three children: two sons and one daughter.
Among them was Ki Jongmu, her eldest child and the most outstanding : talented, strong, clever, and ruthless enough to use others as mere chess pieces before discarding them.
He was the son of a tyrant and had grown into a demon himself. His cruelty only helped paint a picture of him as someone bloodthirsty and dangerous.
Thinking about those rumors, I couldn't help but stare at him. For someone like him to have a fated partner seemed strange. I couldn't imagine him becoming infatuated with someone, let alone falling in love and exchanging sweet nothings.
"Will you marry that person?" My curiosity won, and I finally asked.
"Hm?" He looked surprised by my sudden question. For a second, he stared at me blankly before slowly nodding.
"I'll have to, won't I?" He mockingly twitched his lips. "After all, they say it's fate. How could I dare challenge it?"
I solemnly nodded.
'Fate...'
I curled my fingers.
"Will you love them, Your Highness?"
Jongmu's smirk faltered.
"Who knows?" He turned his head away from me. "It's a beautiful legend... but oftentimes reality is much uglier."
Seeing him like this somehow made me restless. I pitied him. Being bound to someone from the day you were born, someone who was a stranger to you, forcing you to give up on any chance of love you might encounter, it didn't sound romantic at all. It was just like any other arranged marriage, except the one arranging it was fate itself.
"Don't look for them. You are free, so love freely," I whispered.
It was silent inside the carriage, so my faint whisper reached his ears.
And I saw it.For a split second, his eyes widened.What followed was laughter.
It was not the low, restrained laughter of someone full of poise and dignity, nor the laughter of a refined prince. It was raw laughter. One that sounded genuine.
Yet it seemed completely at odds with the behavior he had shown over the last few days.
"Young Master Baek, you really are one of a kind."
I didn't respond. I merely stared at him dazedly,his smiling lips, the gentle curve now softening the sharp arch of his eyebrows.
He mesmerized me. And I disliked that fact.
'Beautiful bastard.'
****
It was the start of spring, and blossoms had begun to bloom. The sight of the cherry-colored petals made the surroundings appear warm and peaceful.
The only thing out of place in this beautiful scenery was the sight of two men facing each other in a silent standoff.
One wore a blank expression, while the other helplessly furrowed his brows.
"Young Master Namgong, I greet you." Jaeyeong cupped his fist against his palm.
The man opposite him returned the greeting and invited him into his courtyard.
"Jae—... ahem, Young Master Gong, what brings you here?"
The two of them sat down at a garden table while maids served them tea.
"Young Master Namgong, you owe me a favor. I'm here to request your help." Jaeyeong spoke as coolly as ever.
Young Master Namgong nodded.
"I see. How can I help you?"
"Young Master Namgong, I wou—"
Before Jaeyeong could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the young master in front of him, who was furrowing his brows.
"Jaeyeong."
He called him by his name, abandoning the earlier courtesy.
"Stop calling me Young Master Namgong already."
Wearing his usual deadpan expression, Jaeyeong shook his head.
"No. That would be inappropriate."
"You've called me by my name just fine before." Hyuk let out a sigh.
Jaeyeong pressed his lips together in thought before finally nodding.
"Hyuk-hyung, please go to the capital with me."
Hyuk's eyes widened.
'The capital?'
His face flushed red, and he nervously waved his hands.
"Jaeyeong-ah... you see, although we did that... that was... ahem... you see... don't... I didn't know... it's s-so sudden. I mean, I..."
Seeing the man in front of him suddenly flush red and ramble nonsense, Jaeyeong frowned. He didn't understand what the man was trying to say.
"What?"
Pang!
Inside Hyuk's mind, something exploded, and he looked even more flustered than before. Trying to calm himself down, he breathed in and out.
"Okay! I'll accompany you to the capital!"
'A man has to take responsibility...'
Hearing this, Jaeyeong felt relieved. He had feared that the man wouldn't agree without knowing why.
Jaeyeong and Hyuk had first met a few months ago when Jaeyeong left the sect for his outer training.
Back then, he had come across a small village bordering the Demon Realm. The state of the village had been dire. Many people were starving and living in poverty.
Such a poor village naturally didn't have any inns. No one visited such a dangerous and insignificant place, after all.
Jaeyeong had made up his mind to sleep outside. He was a martial artist and didn't fear the cold. But the warm-hearted village chief invited him to stay at his house, saying that another martial artist from outside was also staying there.
That man was Namgong Hyuk, the head disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, renowned for his powerful swordsmanship.
After meeting, they quickly became friends, eventually going so far as to become sworn brothers.
Later, when they discovered that demons were causing havoc, killing and kidnapping villagers, they decided to help.
Although they were successful in the end, Jaeyeong was poisoned by an unknown toxin during their final battle against a fox demon.
Jaeyeong didn't remember much. Only that he had lost consciousness at some point and had eventually been carried away by Hyuk.
When he woke up, his entire body ached, and strange red spots had appeared on his skin. However, he dismissed them as nothing more than side effects of the poison.
The strange thing was that afterward, Hyuk would always flinch whenever he touched him and avoid eye contact. And when they eventually parted ways, he told Jaeyeong that he owed him and that he should come to the Mount Hua Sect if he ever needed help.
That was why Jaeyeong, who was forbidden from going to the capital, had asked Hyuk for help. He needed assistance sneaking away from under his father's watchful eyes.
"I'll take responsibility!" Hyuk exclaimed with a flushed red face.
Jaeyeong: "...?"