The King's Guest and the Shadow of Revenge
After soothing Shin Yuhee’s emotions in the garden, we returned to the throne hall. It was as if the meal at the hotel had been a mere appetizer; we were now being treated to a truly magnificent feast.
"Come, eat up," the King said, sitting in the royal seat—the very seat of a king. "The desert treats its guests with the utmost hospitality. Eat to your heart’s content."
It was a spread of delicacies from land and sea. There was so much food, and such a wide variety, that I couldn't help but wonder if it was appropriate for just four people.
"My goodness..."
"Do you eat like this every time?"
"Every time? No, certainly not. Naturally, we only prepare like this when welcoming honored guests. In normal times, we would only eat this much."
King Lampades swept his hand across only about half of the dishes laid out before him. Even that, however, was already quite diverse and plentiful.
"There is no meaning in leaving it all behind..."
"......."
"Ah, look at me. A king, speaking of such depressing things."
I had expected as much. Even if the refrigerators and freezers were stocked with ingredients to make every delicacy imaginable, what would it matter if there were no people left to eat them in a month? So, they lived and enjoyed themselves as if there were no tomorrow. Not that they would act so recklessly as to run out of food entirely. 'Everyone looked physically fit, after all.'
A slight deviation from the norm. They say even a ghost who dies after eating looks better. Once we had eaten our fill, the atmosphere would likely turn grim about a week before the Day of Calamity.
"Have you ever tried Sandworm? Some call it a giant earthworm, but if you remove the toxins and grill it well, it’s a delicacy among delicacies."
"Is this the Sandworm?"
"Indeed. Ah, don't worry. Once you know its effects, you'll find yourself unable to eat enough of it."
"Unable to eat enough?"
"Well, you see, it’s quite good for a newlywed husband. There’s no easy way to explain it. *Ahem.*"
King Lampades cleared his throat and let the sentence trail off. Naturally, I knew exactly what that meant—
"Senior."
"Yeah."
"Ahhh."
"...Do I have to?"
"Yes."
Shin Yuhee knew it too. She was even trying to feed me the perfectly grilled, steak-like Sandworm meat with her own fork. 'Is she planning to drain me dry tonight?' Was this just a performance of a newlywed wife subtly taking care of her husband? Hardly. If we could have enjoyed our free time without the royal family watching, Shin Yuhee would have dragged me straight to the hotel. Of course, I would have done the same.
Even though it was traditional Lampades attire, there were things to discuss regarding her wearing a dancer's outfit and being educated by Ernette. And about the acting Shin Yuhee had been doing. I chewed.
"Hehehe."
For now, I ate the meat. It didn't hurt that it was good for stamina, and the taste itself was so well-prepared that I didn't even think of it as monster meat.
"It's quite good. There's almost no toxicity, and to grill it until it's this tender..."
"Hoho. Have you eaten Sandworm before?"
There had been times when I had to chew it raw.
"I've eaten similar meat before."
"Is that so? That couldn't have been easy to cook. Ah, do you have any questions about Lampades' cuisine?"
He was trying to steer the conversation back to food. It was clear he intended to shift our interests toward general topics—cooking or otherwise—related to Lampades' culture.
"My wife has been having some trouble eating Lampades' food—"
"If there happens to be a cookbook, I think you could show it to me."
"Hm? You?"
"Yes. Since I am in charge of the cooking."
King Lampades blinked in surprise. Ernette looked equally shocked, as if it were unexpected, and Shin Yuhee nodded as if she had known—though she was just acting. I was a bit flustered by her sudden ad-libbing regarding Park Changsoo earlier, but Shin Yuhee was definitely helping me by improvising to fit the situation. 'Seeing how well she pulls it off, she could have gone to theater school.'
Was this a case of new talents emerging in extreme situations? The King must have heard what I said, and the Princess must have shared it, yet they were biting their tongues and not saying a word about Park Changsoo or the suspicious visitor. They might have misunderstood, as I expected, but it was likely out of consideration for Shin Yuhee.
Should I toss out some appropriately uncomfortable bait?
"I'm a decent cook myself, and my wife had a hard time eating for a while. She suffered such a great shock that it took quite some time for her appetite to return."
"Ah, um, I see."
"There was a time when she couldn't even eat bread or soup, and had to survive on water."
That was the story from the arena. But it was obvious how they would misinterpret that story.
"Thinking back to that time, I really wondered why I even learned to cook... but she ate so well yesterday. It’s been a long time since my wife ate until the bottom of the bowl was visible."
"...You can't stay bound to those 'chains' forever."
Shin Yuhee gave a bitter smile and clutched her wrist. Even if she said her wrist was sore, it was only because I had pinned her wrists during sex and thrust into her. "......!!"
But look at the expressions on those two. Their faces were darkening, as if they were letting their imaginations run wild.
"For the sake of the child we will have, I need to take care of my body now. It won't be easy, but I have to try."
A sorrowful smile that looked like it had a story behind it. I offered comfort only by clasping Shin Yuhee’s hand, which was resting on the table.
"...*Ahem.* So, have you two held a wedding ceremony?" King Lampades asked, clearing his throat. A new question. A question meant to end the discomfort and change the subject, but Shin Yuhee and I were momentarily speechless. We had disguised ourselves as a married couple, but we hadn't once discussed marriage seriously. In the first place, marriage is—
"No. We haven't held one yet, Your Majesty." Shin Yuhee spoke first.
"We haven't been able to tell our parents back home yet."
"To your parents...?"
"Yes. In this world, marriage isn't something that necessarily requires permission... but I still think we should introduce ourselves and tell them. Right, Senior?"
"That's right. If we ever return to your hometown, we'll have to greet them both then."
Before Shin Yuhee could speak, I pressed down on her foot. A signal not to say anything. Shin Yuhee quietly nodded and put food in her mouth—
"Then, what about Mr. Yu Siwoo's parents...?" Ernette took the bait.
"I am an orphan."
"......*Cough, cough.*"
Shin Yuhee, on the other hand, choked as if she had swallowed wrong.
"Uh, um, that is..."
"Since I don't even know if they are alive, my wife's parents will soon be my parents."
"I, I see. Is that so...."
"Senior. That's enough...."
She sent a look as if to ask if it was necessary to say that, but Shin Yuhee's true intention was a gaze that seemed to ask, 'Is that really true?'
Nod. I nodded briefly and put the remaining Sandworm meat in my mouth.
"We will hold a ceremony someday. But before that, there is something we must do."
"Something you must do before the wedding...?"
"Yes. That is...."
I glanced at Shin Yuhee and let the sentence trail off. Then, I gripped the knife I had picked up to cut the salad a bit dangerously, before returning it to normal and slicing the salad. *Slice.* That one action was enough. It was enough to complicate the minds of the King and Princess, who were already wearing complex expressions.
* * *
After the meal. Ernette disappeared, saying she would show Shin Yuhee around the palace, and I was invited to King Lampades' study.
"The thing you said you must do before the wedding. Is it to kill the man named Park Changsoo?"
"Yes."
Since he asked directly, I answered directly.
"It is a personal revenge, but it is also for a new beginning for my wife and me."
"Did he cast some kind of curse on you?"
"You could call it a mental curse."
Though it was my obsession. "Your Majesty. Honestly, I don't understand."
"What is it?"
"Why you would want to protect trash like Park Changsoo."
"...It is not that I wish to protect him."
Was Shin Yuhee's ad-lib effective? King Lampades readily admitted that he had lied.
"Even if an outsider who came to Lampades is suspicious, how could I punish him recklessly?"
"Where is he?"
"Calm yourself. Even so—"
"My wife cannot sleep just hearing the name Park Changsoo."
A blatant lie, of course. Far from trembling, whenever I brought up Park Changsoo, she would want to change the subject with a face that said, 'Is it really that bad....' Or she would steer the conversation elsewhere.
"King of Lampades. It is fine to forget about the story regarding the Grimoire. It is fine if I don't gain anything else. Park Changsoo. If I can only kill that bastard with my own hands, we can find peace here in Lampades and finally break the cycle of resentment and be liberated."
"...Why go to such lengths?"
A blue energy flickered in King Lampades' eyes.
"What on earth is the reason you must kill that man?"
"There are many reasons, but if I were to tell you a strictly personal one."
He seemed to be trying to discern whether my words were true or not, even using mana and magic. "He killed me."
Of course, I also knew the countermeasures for that. I spoke only the pure truth, and King Lampades' expression grew even darker. Dead? Socially? Conceptually? Did he resurrect or something?
"...I understand."
Since he wouldn't want things to get complicated, all that remained was for him to make a decision.
"I will let you meet him."
When King Lampades snapped his fingers, I closed my eyes and opened them to find myself in a completely new place. Teleportation magic. The place I had arrived at through magic looked better than Chekhov's Arena, but it was clearly a prison.
"Yes. Now, what will you do?"
"......."
Beyond the iron bars, a large bed. Park Changsoo was sleeping, sprawled out comfortably, without a single restraint on him. If there was any restraint, it was that he had a gag in his mouth. And the moment I saw that—*Clatter!* I ran to open the iron bar door.
"W, what are you doing now—"
*Rattle, rattle!*
I know. When a person who usually acts as cool and calm as possible suddenly starts acting like they've gone crazy, the people around them make certain assumptions.
"Park Changsoo—!!!"
I screamed loud enough to shake the prison, and even using my strength to pry the iron bars apart, I reached out toward the bastard sleeping inside.
"You son of a bitch! I will definitely—!"
Sleep
A strange sensation felt from behind. It was clearly magic meant to force someone to sleep, but as I surrendered my body to the drowsiness, I couldn't help but smile inwardly.
"Ugh, ugh...?! Wooo-ugh!!!"
Park Changsoo, having woken from his sleep, recoiled, letting out a shriek as if he had seen a monster the moment he saw my face. Thanks to that, the end of this great performance finally seemed to have reached its conclusion.
"...Shit."
King Lampades spat out a vulgar curse under his breath.
"The Mother of the Desert has truly abandoned Lampades. To think that even such trash would try to hide and flee to my city."