A Feast of Thorns
I followed the guide straight to the location.
Our destination was the banquet hall. By the time I arrived, a large crowd had already gathered.
I was already struggling to keep my face neutral because of the letter I had received from Moyong Yeong-sun.
Stepping inside only made it worse.
“Oh my,” a voice murmured.
“…….”
The moment I entered, I spotted a face that absolutely shouldn't have been there. A stunning beauty radiating a cold aura—Moyong Yeong-sun was sitting right there.
She offered me a faint smile, which I desperately tried to ignore by looking away.
Why on earth is she here again?
Seeing her earlier today had already filled me with a sense of impending doom. I never expected to run into her here as well.
The absurdity of the situation left me speechless, but to make matters worse, the only vacant seat left was right next to her.
I scanned the room, hoping for another option, but in the end, I had no choice but to take that seat.
Dragging my heavy feet, I walked over and sat down.
“We meet again,” she said, greeting me warmly.
“……Yes.”
I couldn't help but look like I had just chewed on a lemon in response to her cheerful greeting.
Just as I was wondering how things had turned out this way—
“Young Master Bang……”
While Moyong Yeong-sun sat to my right, another person spoke from my left.
Dang Ye-ran was calling out to me hesitantly.
“Are you…… feeling alright now?”
“Ah, yes. I'm fine.”
I stole a quick glance around.
After checking our surroundings, I whispered to Dang Ye-ran.
“……Lady Dang, shouldn't you be sitting somewhere else?”
“Pardon?”
“It looks like the rest of your clan members are seated across from us.”
The direct line of the Dang Clan. While the Clan Leader sat at the head table, her mother, the Young Clan Leader, and...
Why is that guy glaring at me like that?
The fiercest-looking youth sitting opposite us, Dongnyong, was glaring at me with intense hostility.
He really looks terrifying.
It was hard to even look back at him. He already had sharp features, but the murderous intent in his eyes made his aura feel incredibly oppressive.
And that wasn't all.
[...That little bastard...?]
The one who looked like a carbon copy of Dongnyong.
Or rather, the one Dongnyong was said to resemble perfectly—Dok-jon. He, too, was floating in the air, glaring down at me.
[How dare he ignore our precious Ye-ran... and who is that sharp-tongued girl anyway?]
[They are both lovely. Personally, I prefer the one on the right.]
[Are you insane? Are you saying Ye-ran is inferior to her?]
[To each their own. You've grown narrow-minded in your old age. Tsk, tsk.]
“…….”
I pinched the bridge of my nose at the old men's bickering. I wished they would just shut up.
Perhaps noticing my distress, Dang Ye-ran tried to speak to me again.
“……Young Mas—”
“Leave him be,” Moyong Yeong-sun interrupted.
Moyong Yeong-sun cut her off smoothly.
“When he looks like that, he's deep in thought. It's best not to disturb him.”
“…….”
Moyong Yeong-sun took a sip of her tea as if this were second nature to her. Hearing this, Dang Ye-ran's pretty eyes narrowed slightly.
“……You two seem to know each other very well.”
I blinked in surprise at Dang Ye-ran's remark.
There was a subtle trace of discomfort laced in her tone.
Moyong Yeong-sun let out a soft chuckle at Dang Ye-ran's reaction.
“Of course. We go way back.”
“……Lady Moyong. Please.”
“How well do we know each other? Well, we were practically betrothed. Weren't we?”
……Ah, damn it all.
I was about to tell her to keep quiet, but she just had to blabber it out like clockwork.
“……Betrothed?”
“A betrothal?”
Sure enough, whispers immediately broke out around us.
“The Young Sword Saint and the Moyong Family were betrothed……?”
“I've never heard of such a thing……?”
Sensing that the situation was rapidly spiraling out of control, I quickly raised my hand.
“……It's not what it sounds like. Please calm down. There seems to be a misunderstanding. It's a former betrothal.”
The engagement had been broken long ago. It had been at least five or six years.
I tried to continue explaining, but—
“According to whom?”
Moyong Yeong-sun cut in, looking at me.
“I never agreed to break the engagement.”
“……Lady Moyong.”
I sighed, feeling a headache coming on.
“The broken engagement was already agreed upon by our families. You know very well that even if you didn't want to, there was nothing to be done about it.”
We had even received a hefty penalty fee for the broken engagement.
Since a prestigious family had requested the dissolution, my money-grubbing father had bragged about receiving an astronomical sum.
Though I have no idea where he spent all of it.
In any case, what was received was received, and since it was paid, the betrothal was officially off.
Furthermore...
“You were the one who wanted to break it off in the first place.”
It was Moyong Yeong-sun who had desired it.
She had made it clear she disliked me and warned me not to come near her. That was why the engagement was broken.
“…….”
When I pointed that out, Moyong Yeong-sun's expression froze instantly. Then...
“……Exactly,” she muttered, her face stiff.
She spoke with a deeply strained voice.
“I should never have done that.”
“……?”
I wondered why she sounded so utterly exhausted, but before I could think further—
“So, it means you two aren't on particularly good terms.”
“Huh……?”
“What?”
Dang Ye-ran's sudden intervention caused Moyong Yeong-sun's expression to shift instantly.
Her eyes grew razor-sharp, and a chilling aura began to swirl around her.
“……Lady Dang. What did you just say?”
“Oh, it's nothing much.”
Despite Moyong Yeong-sun's intimidating demeanor, Dang Ye-ran's response was even stranger.
“If the engagement was already broken, it means you aren't close anymore. Isn't that right, Young Master Bang?”
“……Huh? Ah……. Yes, well…… technically……”
“What do you mean, 'technically'? Watch your mouth.”
“……Ugh!”
Moyong Yeong-sun suddenly jabbed her chopsticks hard into my thigh. The sudden pain almost made me scream out loud.
How could I be any clearer than that?
Cold sweat began to bead on my forehead. Why were they both acting crazy on either side of me?
“…….”
“…….”
Dang Ye-ran and Moyong Yeong-sun locked eyes in silence. Though no words were spoken, the sheer pressure clashing between them was palpable.
“……Lady Dang.”
“Yes, Lady Moyong.”
“It's been a few years since we last met. You've certainly grown much bolder in such a short time.”
We haven't seen each other in ages, and you've developed quite the temper, haven't you?
“……Ah, is that so? I was thinking that you've become even more beautiful since then, Lady Moyong.”
You had a nasty attitude back then, and it's only gotten worse.
“…….”
“…….”
Wow.
I swallowed hard. It had been a long time since I had witnessed such a terrifying war of nerves.
Why were they suddenly fighting? And with me caught right in the middle, no less.
Just as I was raising the back of my hand to wipe away the cold sweat dripping down my face—
“Things are getting rather noisy.”
A heavy voice shattered the tense atmosphere between the two women.
The invisible clash vanished in an instant, and Moyong Yeong-sun immediately composed her expression and posture.
The owner of the voice was the Poison King.
“……My apologies.”
Moyong Yeong-sun bowed politely and offered her apologies. Without even looking at her, the Poison King took a sip of his tea.
“Is the Moyong Clan Leader doing well?”
“……Yes.”
“It has been quite some time since we last met, and I was curious about his well-being. I am glad to have run into you, Lady Moyong.”
Clack.
The Poison King set down his teacup, and a faint gust of wind rippled through the room with the sound.
Feeling the pressure, I clenched my fists. The hairs on my arms stood on end.
This was a warning.
A warning not to act rashly, given the gravity of the occasion.
“I heard we have precious guests. Although the Dang Clan is currently in a difficult situation, we have done our best to prepare this. I hope you will accept our hospitality with a generous heart.”
“……Not at all. I am deeply grateful just for the invitation.”
Even though their clan was in complete chaos, they still treated us as guests.
Cause any more trouble, and I'll kill you.
That was the unspoken message, and knowing this, Moyong Yeong-sun did not push her luck any further.
She had always been exceptionally quick-witted. There was no way she had missed the subtext.
“Now then,”
The Poison King took a brief breath before speaking.
“Let us…… begin the banquet.”
At his word, the servants moved in unison, placing dishes along the long tables.
The atmosphere was stiff, but no one dared to point it out.
The banquet was far from lively.
Banquets hosted by the Dang Clan were always quiet, but this one was exceptionally so.
Hmm.
Perhaps everyone was walking on eggshells, or maybe they were just matching the Poison King's somber mood.
Everyone simply ate their food in silence.
This was true not only for Cheon Ui-jin and Do-hyeong, who had been invited along with me,
but also for the direct bloodline of the Dang Clan.
I followed suit, putting food into my mouth just to fill my stomach.
Do they have no intention of discussing anything important?
I thought they would have something to say to me since they went out of their way to invite me.
Why is he staying silent?
The Poison King remained completely silent.
He was literally just eating his meal.
Hmm.
This silence felt incredibly strange to me.
There was no way he had gathered everyone just to eat.
Is he testing me?
There had to be some hidden motive, but I couldn't figure out what it was.
So, I quietly observed the Poison King's condition out of the corner of my eye.
He looks incredibly exhausted.
The Poison King never had a particularly healthy complexion, but right now, he looked exceptionally pale.
I hadn't seen him for a few days. Has he been moving around without rest?
Since the incident had occurred within his own clan—and was related to the Secret Vault, no less—
it wouldn't be surprising if he had been pushing himself to the limit.
But to host a banquet under these circumstances...
Hosting a banquet the moment he returned, despite his exhaustion?
There must be a reason.
It was proof that there was something unusual about the current situation.
Hmm.
What could it be?
Just as I was about to lift my chopsticks while lost in thought—
“Try this too.”
A piece of food was suddenly placed onto my chopsticks.
I wasn't sure what it was, but it was bright red.
It looked quite spicy at a glance.
“……Huh?”
“It's…… delicious.”
The one who had given it to me was Dang Ye-ran.
“Ah, yes…… I see. Thank you for the food.”
Awkwardly, I was about to bring the food to my mouth when—
“Don't eat that. Eat this instead.”
The food was suddenly snatched away from my chopsticks. This time, it was Moyong Yeong-sun.
She took away the spicy food and replaced it with another dish.
It was a dish with a much lighter color than the previous one.
“You can't eat spicy food, can you?”
“…….”
She was right. I couldn't handle spicy food well.
“That dish from earlier is incredibly spicy. It'll upset your stomach, so eat this instead.”
“……Uh, right. I see.”
Feeling too awkward to say anything else, I tried to eat it, but—
“Ah, so you can't eat spicy food. Then how about this?”
Just as I was about to put it in my mouth, Dang Ye-ran snatched it away and offered another dish.
“…….”
I could only smack my lips in frustration as the food on my chopsticks kept changing.
……What on earth are they doing?
Was this some kind of intentional bullying?
I was somewhat used to it, having experienced plenty of bullying during my school days in my past life.
What did I do back then? Ah, right. I think I used a voice recorder and a ghost to completely get rid of the bullies.
……But I can't exactly do that here.
Since that method was completely out of the question in this situation, I had no choice but to sit here and take it.
“No…… wait, this……”
“Rather than that, try this……”
“Or maybe……”
With them constantly snatching and replacing the food, my chopsticks had long since slipped from my hand.
I set them down neatly beside me and watched the situation unfold.
There was absolutely no sign of this ending.
Left with no choice, I let out a sigh and tried to speak.
“Excuse me, could you please stop—”
Slam!
“Huh?”
A loud noise suddenly erupted from across the table.
I blinked in surprise, wondering what was happening.
“……Hey. You.”
The fierce-looking youth sitting opposite me.
Dongnyong glared at me and growled.
“Follow me outside. I'm going to beat you to a pulp.”
“……?”
Why the hell is this bastard picking a fight with me all of a sudden...?
