Chapter 234
Chapter 234
Iron Emperor — Chapter 234
As he enjoyed the warm, cheerful atmosphere, Go Jin-cheon apparently grew dissatisfied with how small his wine cup was. His brow furrowed slightly as he spoke to the lady-in-waiting pouring drinks nearby.
"The cups are far too small. Bring the whole jar."
When the flustered lady-in-waiting didn't know what to do, King Bera Han nodded.
"Here it is."
Thunk.
"......."
"Pfft!"
"Hurk!"
The moment the wine jar was placed on the table, Buru, who was seated beside Jin-cheon, spat out his drink, while Gye Ung-sam, seated below, turned pale.
"That's... the vessel that held the wine we were just drinking?"
"Yes. It is the vessel you presented as a gift through Count Haman the other day. The color is so beautiful that we use it for the guests of honor at grand banquets like this one. Ha ha ha!"
Behind King Bera Han's booming laughter, Jin-cheon's expression slowly hardened. And for good reason—the wine jar was, in truth, a chamber pot. What's more, Jin-cheon knew perfectly well that it was one Eulji had used for urinating.
How?
Because he himself had occasionally used Eulji's in a pinch.
"Bleargh."
As Buru continued to vomit what he had consumed, Lian Su, sensing that something had gone very, terribly wrong, turned to the rigid Jin-cheon and smoothly changed the subject.
"Your Majesty is so majestic and commanding; I believe if you were seated with Her Grace the Yeolhu, you would be the envy of all."
"Cough."
"Pfft!"
"Urk! A chicken bone..."
As the subject naturally shifted to Eulji, Samdopyo, Mong Ryu-hwa, and Buyeo Gi-yul, who were concentrating on their meal at a lower table, all simultaneously choked as if something had gone down the wrong pipe.
Above them, Buru wore a troubled expression, his face pale as he fidgeted helplessly.
"Surely you haven't yet... married?"
Bera Han and Lian Su weren't blind to their discomfort. As Lian Su carefully posed the question, Gye Ung-sam's reply erupted from the lower table without warning.
"How could that possibly be! The bond between His Majesty and Her Grace is practically everyone's ideal couple! Why, among men, it's almost a legend. And besides, once Her Grace grows just a bit more— Hurk!"
"Grows... just a bit more?"
"......."
"......That damn mouth of his."
The moment an unnecessary word slipped out in Ung-sam's attempt to smooth things over, all eyes converged on him. Naturally, Ung-sam was slowly turning to stone, while the rest of the officers silently shook their heads and poured themselves more wine.
And as for Jin-cheon...
Glug, glug.
Forgetting all about the chamber pot in front of him, he was gulping the wine straight from it.
After the grand, eventful, and much-talked-about banquet ended a few days later, Go Jin-cheon turned his steps back toward Gauri. The long sojourn abroad was finally over; he was going home.
"Just beyond this mountain, and we're there."
The column of a thousand men led by Go Jin-cheon grew more and more energetic as they neared home. However warmly the Kingdom of Haian had welcomed them, could it compare to home?
A short while later, a report came from the scouts at the vanguard: Dae Mu-deok himself had come out to meet them. Seeing that Mu-deok had personally led a unit out, he must have been quite worried, even if he'd said nothing.
"Yourrr Majestyyyy the Yeolje!"
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
A long battle cry burst from Dae Mu-deok's lips as he galloped forward, kicking up a hazy cloud of dust.
"Ugh. I'm about to get an earful again."
The news that Jin-cheon had personally led the charge and scaled the walls during the Siege of Partean had already spread, and ever since, Jin-cheon had been dodging Mu-deok's persistent magic communications by claiming personal reasons. There was no way the strict Mu-deok would simply let it slide.
"Your Majesty!"
"Huh?"
"What!"
A delicate voice rang out beside Mu-deok, and Go Jin-cheon and his officers all opened their eyes wide in surprise.
The owner of that delicate voice, clad in silver-gleaming Chalgap armor and riding a horse, was none other than Eulji.
"Ha."
During the long period of the Roselin Expedition, Eulji had grown so much she was almost unrecognizable. Of course, she still had a youthful look, but judging by her outward appearance, one had to rub their eyes to believe it was truly Eulji.
"Whoa!"
"Your Majesty!"
Mu-deok and Eulji both reined in their horses almost simultaneously and dismounted. Faced with their "welcoming" reception, Jin-cheon also got off his horse.
"Your servant Dae Mu-deok beholds Your Majesty's august person after this long separation! Once more, I congratulate you on your victory in the Roselin War!"
"You have worked hard during my absence."
Jin-cheon answered Dae Mu-deok's lengthy formal greeting briefly, but his eyes couldn't leave Eulji.
"You've grown a lot."
"Seeing Your Majesty in good health, I am simply glad."
As Eulji smiled, gently covering her mouth, a hint of womanly grace had begun to show in her.
'Hey, how old is Her Grace this year?'
'Let's see... it's been four years since we left on the expedition, so she turns fifteen this year.'
'Ha, she's all grown up now, isn't she?'
They thought they were speaking quietly, but Jin-cheon wasn't deaf to it.
"It's been four years, then."
"That is so."
Even though she was clad in Chalgap, her greatly increased height, the deep, dark eyes visible beneath her helmet, and her delicate, straight nose bridge were enough to erase the image of the child he had always seen in her.
"Your Majesty, you'll bore a hole through my face."
"Ahem. Hrm."
Flustered by Eulji's smiling face, now tinged with a rosy blush, Jin-cheon hurriedly turned his head and cleared his throat.
'I'm already thirty-nine years old...'
It had been fifteen years since he fell into this land.
Go Jin-cheon felt the swift passage of time anew.
* * *
The next day, when Go Jin-cheon arrived at the Gauri capital, Jolbon, a flood of cheers from countless citizens greeted him. The tremendous roar of shouts was enough to make the Reganza Mountains themselves tremble.
The people feasted well into the night, gazing upon their dignified and commanding Yeolje. But the citizens were not the only ones welcoming him.
"It's been a while."
"You look to be in good health."
She was already thirty-one.
Princess Yunias displayed an even more mature, womanly air as she offered Jin-cheon a calm, composed smile. That smile held joy, along with an inexplicable sadness.
"His Majesty Alsein contacted me not long ago. He said he would come here to fetch me once matters are settled. It seems the time has come for me to return as well."
"I see. The war is over, so..."
Jin-cheon nodded quietly and responded calmly. But an even deeper loneliness settled on Yunias's face.
That evening, Jin-cheon slowly lowered himself into the bath to wash away the fatigue of the long journey.
"Ahh."
The hot water stripped away every bit of weariness from his entire body. In his relaxed state, Jin-cheon found himself humming absent-mindedly. Then he heard a door open nearby.
"Hm?"
Ever since he had sent away the ladies-in-waiting that Dae Mu-deok dispatched during his very first bath, Jin-cheon had always enjoyed bathing alone. So when someone entered, he couldn't help but wonder who it was.
"Gah!"
"Your Majesty, allow me to wash your back."
Jin-cheon's composure didn't merely break at the appearance of Eulji with her clear, bright voice—it shattered. She had come in wearing only a thin layer of silk.
"Wh-what is the meaning—"
"Oh, come now. As if you don't know."
"......."
Eulji's clumsy coquetry hadn't changed one bit. The only things that had changed were her body (?) and her repertoire of playful charm. The silk quickly grew damp with moisture and clung to Eulji's body, plainly revealing every curve. Her height, tall even among women, reached around 170 centimeters.
In short, she was tall and slender.
When she was a child, he could brush it off when she came into the bath saying she'd scrub his back. But now, the situation had become a little... ambiguous, hadn't it?
Whether or not she knew Jin-cheon's complicated feelings, Eulji pushed her way right into the bath.
"Your Majesty, your back."
"Mm, mhm."
A youthful air still clearly lingered. Entrusting his back to Eulji's ministrations, Jin-cheon slowly closed his eyes, feeling the refreshing scrub of her hands.
'Heh.'
An unconscious smile crept onto Jin-cheon's lips.
"Hm?"
But then Jin-cheon tilted his head in puzzlement.
Splash.
"Oh!"
Eulji looked up at Jin-cheon with startled eyes as he suddenly turned his body around. But Jin-cheon paid no mind to her surprise and reached out and took her hands.
"You mustn't do such a thing in a place like this."
Flustered, Eulji looked down at her wrists in his grasp and spoke calmly as she turned her head away.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
In Eulji's ears, her heartbeat began to thunder in her ears. But Jin-cheon's next action (?) did not follow.
Rub.
"Ah."
Feeling him rub her palm, Eulji turned her head back to look at Jin-cheon.
"Your hands have become very rough."
What Jin-cheon had noticed was how calloused Eulji's hands had grown. They were hands where hard calluses covered her hands. This was the kind of callusing that could only come from gripping a weapon.
"I trained hard so I would not be a burden to Your Majesty."
"So that's how it was."
At the newfound warmth in Jin-cheon's voice, Eulji was able to wear a happy smile. In her young heart, she had unconsciously tried to become like Jin-cheon.
"That's right. You are a worthy mother to all the people of Gauri."
"Your Majesty."
"Hmph."
Tears welled in Eulji's eyes at the first praise she had ever heard from Jin-cheon. Wasn't Jin-cheon the closest person to her in this land?
Jin-cheon slowly embraced the tearful Eulji. He couldn't help but feel apologetic toward her.
Eulji's Eulji's warmth reached Jin-cheon, and she could feel happiness in his broad chest.
How long had it been?
Burying her face in Jin-cheon's chest, Eulji carefully parted her lips.
"......Your Majesty."
"Hm?"
"Something is poking me from below."
"......."
Go Jin-cheon was thirty-nine years old.
The many years he had spent sleeping alone had made his body act faster than his will.