Heehee! I'll Marry You If I Win the Archery Contest!
I too once sucked at archery just like you, my lord!
The root of it all was a misunderstanding from the magistrate saying there was only one tiger-head pendant as a prize. Kim Si-jin's betrothal gift was the tiger-head pendant. Kim Si-jin had brought it intending to give it as a trophy. The winner of the top prize would receive Kim Si-jin's betrothal gift. The winner of the top prize would marry Kim Si-jin. Because of this mix-up, I'd been suffering since the crack of dawn. Kim Jin-sa came storming in, yelling his head off, and Eori's father showed up demanding to know what was going on. I could brush off Kim Jin-sa like some yapping dog, but Eori's dad was a different story.
He'd heard the rumors while out working and arrived covered head to toe in blood, a knife clutched in his hand. Eori's father raging like that was so terrifying even Kim Jin-sa cowered. The misunderstanding only cleared up after we went to the magistrate's office together. The magistrate apologized and promised to add this clarification to the archery contest poster, which hadn't been put up yet. But even with the correction, the rumors had already spread far and wide.
On the way back from the office and even after arriving home, people kept asking if it was true I'd really marry the winner of the archery contest.
"Hee hee hee hee."
But the indirect subject of those rumors wasn't upset at all. If anything, she practiced archery the whole time without ever losing her smile.
"No, Eori. Even if I married some other woman, you'd be okay with that?"
"Hee hee, no, my lord."
"Then why do you keep laughing?"
"Hee hee hee hee."
Eori's laughter echoed softly from the makeshift archery range north of Chaekho Village. I found the situation frustrating, but seeing her beaming smile made my own lips twitch upward despite myself.
"My lord."
Eori, who had been smiling so wide she could barely draw her bowstring, turned to me with a radiant grin.
"Is it true, my lord? If I claim the top prize in the archery contest, can I really marry you?"
"I told you it's not."
"Hee hee. How could it not be? If I take first place there, I can proudly stand by your side as your wife."
"How did it turn into that?"
If I were her, I'd have felt betrayed. But Eori was the type to turn crises into opportunities. She was scheming to win the top prize and claim the spot right beside me fair and square.
"Are you confident?"
"Of course, my lord. Watch this."
With that, Eori nocked an arrow, drew the bowstring taut, and extended her drawing arm straight while aiming at the target about 150 paces away.
"……!"
Even innocent, smiling Eori wore a serious expression now. Her face devoid of any mirth, she glared at the target for a moment before releasing.
Thwang!
The bowstring snapped back with a sharp crack like an explosion, propelling the arrow. It arced through the air and slammed into the distant target.
Thack!
The impact rang out louder than a matchlock's report.
"Phew. See?"
Eori's archery didn't end there. With a now even sexier expression—free of any smile—she drew another arrow. Repeating the process, she loosed it again.
Thwang!
"?!"
But the impact sounded different this time. It was hard to see clearly from the distance, but I could tell her new arrow had struck the previous one, shattering it like glass.
"Wh-what? How did you just do that?"
"Hee hee hee hee!"
"Seriously, how?"
It was unbelievable even seeing it with my own eyes. I jumped up from the small rock I'd been sitting on in shock.
Eori flashed me her innocent smile again and said, "I learned it from Mother!"
"Your mother can do that too?"
"Yes! And others in the village can too, I think—ah."
She boasted proudly at first, then froze in realization. It wasn't the face of someone caught spilling a village secret; it was the dawning horror that her fellow villagers were now rivals too.
Haah, this is driving me nuts. Maybe I should've just skipped the contest altogether.
"M-my lord, you try shooting now!"
If we went to the contest like this, it'd just be my humiliation parade. To prevent that, I stepped up for some practice.
"Hngh……!"
Standing where Eori had been, I nocked an arrow and drew the string. Feeling my muscles tremble, I focused and released toward the target.
Thwang!
The string cracked as it launched the arrow, which slowly curved downward and thudded into the ground...
"My lord?"
...about three paces short of the target.
"Are you unwell, my lord?"
"N-no! Just a sec! My hand slipped!"
Ignoring my burning face, I pulled a fresh arrow from the quiver at my waist. Nocking it again, I concentrated like I had with the tiger and released.
Thwang!
The string's crack was identical to Eori's, but the arrow buried itself in a nearby tree sprouting vigorously.
"No, w-wait. What's going on? Is the wind picking up?"
The third, fourth—I kept focusing and shooting. Each arrow landed progressively closer, and on the sixth, I finally clipped the edge of the target.
"Oh! Oh! I hit it! Eori! Look! I hit it!"
"……."
When I turned excitedly, Eori wore an expression I'd never seen before. Shock at what she'd witnessed, and disappointment that I had such pathetic archery skills.
"My lord."
"N-no! I'm just not feeling great today! Ah! Last time, that barbarian kicked me in the side! My aim's been off ever since! That's all it is!"
"Could it be... you can't shoot a bow at all, my lord?"
"……Yeah."
I tried desperately to make excuses, but her blunt question left me nodding. The guy who'd felled a tiger with two arrows was exposed as someone who only knew how to string the damn thing.
"How did you catch the great tiger then? Did your mother shoot it?"
"I caught it, yeah. But it was super close at the time. Right in my face. Who misses that?"
The first arrow piercing the paper window had been pure luck. The second through its eye? Just point-blank range. If I'd been good with a bow, I wouldn't have grabbed a matchlock in combat. I'd bragged about it being the tiger-slaying bow while mowing down barbarians in a rampage.
"It was right in your face... and that was a great tiger......"
Eori muttered with a drained look, like she couldn't comprehend my excuses. Then she shook her head quickly and forced a bright smile.
"I-I'll teach you, my lord! I too once sucked at archery just like you!"
"I really suck?!"
"Ah, n-no, I mean... I used to make a lot of mistakes!"
"When was that?"
"Th-that was when I was ten, my lord."
Damn. What was I doing at ten? Trading stickers, folding paper, playing house. Just messing around. Wait—didn't I play with her back then too?
"Is my form weird?"
Ignoring the sudden thought, I drew another arrow and pulled the string. Eori circled behind and beside me, then shook her head.
"No, my lord. Your form seems fine... but......"
"But why?"
"Your back is a bit hunched."
What? Not just my memories, but my turtle neck from modern times came along too?
"Shall we rest a bit, then try drawing again, my lord?"
"Yeah. Gimme a sec."
I slowly released the string as instructed and relaxed. After a short break, I drew again into position.
"Hold it just like that."
Eori stood behind me, pointing out issues with her hands.
"Your elbow's a tad high. Don't crane your neck like that. Focus your gaze on the arrow tip."
"Didn't you just say my form was fine?"
"Everything else is good. And draw it a bit further. Twist your bow hand more too."
How bad was my form? This was how my mom and eldest young master had taught me.
"My lord. Straighten your shoulders."
"L-like this?"
"Oh, come on. Not like that. Like this."
"?!"
That's when Eori hugged me from behind, slipping an arm between each of mine under her armpits. Not satisfied, she wrapped both arms around my shoulders, pulled to straighten my back, and pressed her body flush against mine.
"Try shooting like this, my lord?"
"……!"
She whispered hotly into my ear, her embrace seamless. My face heated for a different reason, and my grip slackened on the string.
Thwang!
I released accidentally, and the arrow flew in a perfect arc straight into the target.
Thack!
"Whoa!"
"Hee hee! Well done, my lord!"
"Ahh......"
I yelped in triumph at hitting the target, then sighed as she pulled away. Oblivious or not to my feelings, Eori clapped with her innocent smile.
"My lord! That was great! Shall we try one more?"
"Yeah. Sure."
Even feeling deflated, I obediently drew another arrow. Then a brilliant idea struck, and I acted on it quick.
"Hngh, haaaaaah......!"
I drew with all my might, then sighed dramatically as if exhausted, slowly easing the string.
Eori approached, puzzled. "My lord? What's wrong?"
"Nah, Eori. I think I'm running out of strength."
"Is that so? Shall we rest more?"
"But... maybe if you help, I could manage."
"I'll help gladly, my lord! How?"
"Can't you teach me like before?"
"Yes! Of course! Hee hee hee!"
Eori beamed, thrilled at helping me, and approached. She hugged me from behind again, then let out a soft sigh.
"Ah."
"Hm? What's up, Eori?"
"N-nothing, my lord...!"
She denied it vehemently, but her voice trembled faintly in my ear. I bit my lip to stifle a laugh, pretending to focus on the bow.
"Like this, Eori?"
"Y-yes...! My lord......!"
"For real? Straighten my back like this?"
Pretending to adjust, I leaned back into her. Her stifled laughter tickled my ear.
"Y-yeah, a bit more... straightening your back... would be... g-good, I think......!"
"Like this?"
"Y-yes...! Hee hee......!"
Thump thump thump thump!
Besides her voice, I could hear my heartbeat now. Not hers—mine. No use pretending; my pounding chest gave me away.
"M-my lord."
"Y-yeah? What?"
I flinched, thinking she'd heard my heart. But her whisper was about something else.
"Next time... could you teach me archery? L-like this... holding me close...!"
"Y-yeah. Sure. Or, uh, w-wanna do it now?"
I eased the string and turned. Eori's dark skin flushed bright red. Mine probably wasn't much different. Seeing my face, she bit her lower lip with her front teeth and nodded.
"Y-yes. Please... teach me well, my lord."
"Y-yeah. Okay. Stand here."
Eori took position at the shooting line, pretending to draw. I "taught" her form by hugging from behind.
"M-my lord?"
"Wh-what?"
"Th-that... something hard... is poking me."
"?!"
I startled and looked down. My quiver—arrow tube on my belt—was bumping her hip.
"Oh, that's my quiver. Hold on."
"Y-yes... my lord."
Hearing her oddly disappointed tone, I readjusted the quiver to my rear waist and hugged her again. This time, I kept my hips back. And so, Eori and I prepared for the contest through archery practice like this.