Chapter 145
Chapter 145
Iron Emperor — Chapter 145
Chapter 42: Who Am I!
The procedures and formalities of any banquet were unutterably tedious, and this was no different whether one followed Gauri customs or those of South Roselin. It was hardly surprising that two deep furrows were etched into Go Jin-cheon's brow—he had spent nearly his entire life on battlefields.
"I'm going to perish at this feast table."
Jin-cheon's voice leaked out quietly. Eulji Buru and Eulji Uru, seated behind him, belonged to the same breed as Jin-cheon, and they sat there with bloodshot eyes. Only Yeon Hwi-garam and Revion Gowin, who was accustomed to this culture, suppressed their laughter at the sight of the three.
"Then, to the prosperity of South Roselin and Gauri!"
"To prosperity!"
The opening toast of the banquet was raised in the hands of the guests. Naturally, Jin-cheon and the Eulji Brothers, who had been on the verge of exploding moments before, now wore expressions of relief like men who had just enjoyed a satisfying bowel movement.
Music flowed and people clustered together, laughing and chattering as they celebrated this latest victory. Jin-cheon's party, too, was conversing amiably with Prince Alsein.
Ironically, the smaller Gauri contingent was still not using translation items, while the majority South Roselin nobles were participating in the conversation through translation items or translation magic cast by wizards.
"This is a bit much."
It was a mutter to himself, but Prince Alsein, his every nerve attuned to Jin-cheon's every move, quickly asked,
"Is something troubling you, by any chance?"
"No."
Jin-cheon denied it in his usual curt, matter-of-fact tone.
For a man accustomed to setting a liquor jar or bottle on the table and passing it back and forth freely, the act of taking individual glasses from the trays carried by serving maids, draining each one, setting it down empty, and picking up yet another fresh glass—it was both inconvenient and maddeningly unsatisfying.
"Hmm..."
Jin-cheon's gaze shifted to one side. There, the Eulji Brothers had commandeered an entire tray from a serving maid and were drinking without pause.
Even for Jin-cheon, going that far felt a bit too embarrassing, so he merely raised his glass and sipped at it the way the South Roselin nobles did.
"Oh my! Did you really?"
"Heh, indeed I did."
On the other side, noble daughters had surrounded Hwi-garam and were bursting into laughter again and again.
And what was worse...
"It was truly grueling. Fighting a battle with barely fifty men..."
Not quite to Hwi-garam's extent, but a fair number of noble young ladies had also gathered around Gye Ung-sam.
'Even you, Gurajaengi...'
Jin-cheon was feeling a profound sense of betrayal.
Gowin, whose name was already well known as a commander and who was the least intimidating presence, was chatting with young knights and noble ladies. Risel, too, was absorbed in pleasant conversation under the admiring gazes of young male and female wizards. Everyone seemed to be having a memorably good time in their own way.
Jin-cheon, who had been surveying his surroundings, turned his head back.
"And so the logic of power on the continent..."
The first thing that met Jin-cheon's eyes was Prince Alsein, reciting what sounded like carefully rehearsed lines. Beside him, Marquis Helios Baikal and Marquis Rui Terikan came into view.
"Even this very incident—is it not the result of the Holy Empire's aggressive ambitions!"
"Indeed it is."
Marquis Terican nodded along with Prince Alsein's words. Marquis Baikal quietly tipped his glass beside them. All three entered Jin-cheon's sight at once.
'Why... am I the only one stuck here with this brat and two old men?'
He felt something surge up the back of his neck.
Crack.
Ting!
"Oh! The glass!"
"..."
When a fissure split the metal cup in Jin-cheon's grip, Prince Alsein stopped mid-sentence and opened his eyes wide.
"My apologies. What are you doing! Fetch a new cup at once!"
As a flustered Marquis Terican called for the serving maids, a sweet voice reached them.
"Please, use this to wipe your hands."
"Sister."
The voice belonged to Princess Yunias.
At the same moment Prince Alsein called out to Princess Yunias, Jin-cheon accepted the handkerchief and replied,
"Thank you."
"I am called Pamilion Yunias Roselin."
"Go Jin-cheon."
A smile touched the corner of Jin-cheon's lips for the first time since the banquet began. Marquis Terican let out a sigh of relief at the sight, while Prince Alsein could not conceal his complicated feelings.
From then on, there was no room for Prince Alsein and the two marquises to insert themselves into the conversation.
"But isn't it rather strange?"
Their exchange was mostly a series of Princess Yunias's questions and Jin-cheon's terse answers. In the midst of this, Princess Yunias tilted her head and spoke, and Jin-cheon met her eyes.
"A country called Gauri. If a nation so powerful and with such a distinctive culture existed, it surely would have been known by now... Fufu, at any rate, it is a mysterious country."
At Princess Yunias's question, Jin-cheon gave a bitter smile. But that was all.
"Hmm... I do hope I might receive an invitation one day."
Princess Yunias, after a moment of slightly coy expression, spoke with a faint smile at her lips. At the sight, Jin-cheon smiled deeply and opened his mouth.
"Gladly."
"Truly?"
When the word gladly emerged from the normally curt Jin-cheon's lips, Princess Yunias's eyes widened with delight. Jin-cheon nodded as if to confirm it and added one more remark.
"Once this war is over, contact me. I shall invite you anytime."
"Ah..."
The smile that had been spreading across Princess Yunias's face at Jin-cheon's answer vanished.
In short, the meaning was: If you fight well and survive, then come visit. At the sudden silence, Jin-cheon looked at her with puzzled eyes and asked,
"Do you not wish to? We are at war. If a member of the royal family were to depart for another country now, would it not heighten the people's anxiety? Naturally, I judged it best that you come after the war is over."
Uncharacteristically for Jin-cheon, he had spoken at length, but for the listener, it would almost have been better if he had not. Princess Yunias sensed that they had misunderstood something.
"Shall we go get some fresh air together for a moment?"
"Very well."
Princess Yunias, now showing a slightly shadowed expression quite unlike her earlier demeanor, spoke, and Jin-cheon nodded and rose from his seat. At once, Hwi-garam and the other warriors moved simultaneously toward Jin-cheon.
"I shall go alone."
"Understood!"
The men, who had been scattered across the vast hall engaged in separate conversations, moved the instant Jin-cheon rose—as if on a prearranged signal. The sight made Marquis Baikal marvel once again.
'Incredible.'
They were not even acting as close bodyguards. The fact that they could move like this in perfect unison from a distance meant that the conversations they had been having were little more than a performance from the start.
The appearance of being drunk on the festivities had, in fact, served to reassure the South Roselin nobles and put them off their guard.
"Do not follow me, either."
"Your Highness."
Princess Yunias, too, stopped her escort knights from following and stood beside Jin-cheon. The knights' helplessness was plain to see.
"It seems you do not trust me."
At Jin-cheon's cold remark, Marquis Terican approached with a smile on his face.
"How could that possibly be? It is merely..."
"The security here can hardly be that lax... Is there some other problem?"
At Jin-cheon's words, he could say nothing more. After all, the current situation was one in which South Roselin had kicked away a windfall of good fortune and was now desperately clinging to it again.
'Perhaps this could even turn into a good opportunity. At the very least, he seems to harbor some goodwill toward the princess...'
Marquis Terican comforted himself with the thought as he watched the two figures, man and woman, step outside.
Walking through the well-tended garden, the pair would have appeared genuinely affectionate to anyone who did not know them. But looking closely, not a single word passed between the two as they walked.
"You are a man of few words by nature, I take it."
"Mm."
It was Princess Yunias who broke the silence. At her words, Jin-cheon answered with nothing more than a small, awkward clearing of his throat.
"Would you marry me?"
"..."
At her direct words, Jin-cheon's steps halted. When he stopped, she, who had been walking a step ahead, slowly turned around.
Her eyes were sad.
"Pfft. There's no need to look so serious."
She looked at him with sad eyes and gave a sad laugh.
Swish.
Jin-cheon's hand reached toward her face.
At his sudden movement, Princess Yunias gave a slight start, but she made no move to stop him. No—she simply stared blankly at the approaching hand.
"Ah...!"
A small gasp escaped her.
Jin-cheon's hand brushed the area around her eyes and then withdrew. The moisture on his fingertip glistened, reflecting the moonlight.
Only then did Princess Yunias realize that tears had been falling without her knowledge.
"It seems something got into my eye. Fufu."
She gave a laugh as though nothing had happened and discreetly wiped the corners of her eyes.
"Eighteen..."
"Pardon?"
As Jin-cheon's voice resonated in her ears, Princess Yunias raised her head and looked at him.
"It is not a young age... but at times, it is a cruel one too."
Jin-cheon's voice had returned to its usual tone.
"If you were younger still, you might at least throw a tantrum. If you were older, you might manage to be more composed..."
Jin-cheon's eyes were fixed on the two moons that had grown somewhat familiar by now. Princess Yunias quietly watched him.
"Do just one thing."
Jin-cheon spoke words of obscure meaning. His eyes descended from the moons and turned toward her.
Their eyes met.
"Right now—do the one thing you most want to do."
"..."
She felt she could grasp his meaning. The smile had vanished from her lips. In its place, hot droplets were streaming down her cheeks.
"Cry."
Along the path left by one tear, another wave of heat rolled down. Was her throat too tight to speak?
"Hic... hngh... h-hngh."
Sobs leaked from her tightly shut mouth. Like a child struggling to hold back tears, the sound of weeping escaped her. Her eyes were drenched and overflowing.
"Yes. Cry like that."
And so she cried.
She could not cry at the top of her lungs, but for the first time since coming here, she could lean against someone's chest and weep.
She could not tell how much time had passed, but one thing was certain. Tears no longer flowed from Princess Yunias's eyes, and her sobs had quieted as well.
"Thank you."
A smile drew itself across Princess Yunias's lips. Watching her, Jin-cheon wore an awkward expression as he replied.
"When you cry and then laugh, well..."
He trailed off mid-sentence, and Princess Yunias's face filled with a question mark. At her curious look, Jin-cheon seemed to hesitate for a moment before continuing.
"There's a saying—something about hair growing on your backside."
"Pardon?"
"..."
Aware that this was hardly something to say to a woman—much less the princess of a nation—Jin-cheon quietly turned his head away. From behind his turned head, Princess Yunias's laughter burst forth.
"Pfft! Ha-ha-ha-ha!"
"..."
When Jin-cheon glanced back at the sound of laughter, what met his eyes was not the forced smile or the sorrowful smile from before—it was a girl laughing like a child, mouth wide open, purely and without pretense.
"You certainly do look better when you laugh."
"Fufu."
Princess Yunias, smiling as though she had never shed a tear, was truly beautiful. Jin-cheon spoke to her.
"Had I not been sitting in the seat of the Yeolje... I would have heard your proposal just now and, without a second thought, had the bridal chamber prepared at once."
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of Jin-cheon's lips. In contrast, the laughter that had been spilling from Princess Yunias's mouth diminished. In the end, the political marriage that South Roselin desired had fallen through.
Even so, her smile did not fade.
Seeing this, Jin-cheon furrowed his brow for a moment and then added one more thing.
"No, that is not right. Come to think of it, it would also require the permission of my prospective wife."
"Permission?"
She wore an expression of having heard something unexpected.
Gauri was a land that worshipped an unwed mother—Lady Yuhwa—as a deity, and the status of women was not low there. Conversely, the status of women on the continent could be said to be low. Yunias's curiosity was therefore only natural.
A playful smile settled on her lips.
"Would she not like me?"
"Erm."
At her question, Jin-cheon's expression shifted to one of clear discomfort.
Finding the change in this blunt, iron-hard man entertaining, Princess Yunias's eyes sparkled as she pressed for an answer.
"Well, if you play with her, she'd probably like that quite a bit."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Hoo... I wonder if she's even learned to speak properly yet."
At Jin-cheon's sudden incomprehensible answer and sigh of lament, Princess Yunias could only wear a look of utter bewilderment.
"Let us move somewhere else."
"Shall we go back inside?"
They had not spoken long, yet Jin-cheon's casual informal speech came naturally, and she replied just as naturally in turn.
At Princess Yunias's words, Jin-cheon looked toward the building and furrowed his brow.
"Must I go back in there..."
"Heh, you find it stifling, I see. Is there somewhere else you wish to go, then?"
At Princess Yunias's question, Jin-cheon looked up toward the interior once more, then turned his gaze toward the exit leading outside. A deep smile spread across his face.
A short while later, the rear garden resounded with the thunder of hooves.