Chapter Text
The burst of magical power was a physical shock that made the hair on her arms stand on end. It was a power equal to what she felt every time she faced a high-grade monster, vast and untamed. She could sense it in the air, a deep thrumming that prickled her skin and grazed her nerves, rising and ebbing in a rhythm that felt so much like the sway of nature.
Several nobles that more attuned to magic instinctively walked toward the source, but the knights held them back at the ballroom's entrance. For their safety, they said. Kang Soyoung had to restrain herself from going as well when her own instincts urging her forward.
"It's like music," a voice caught her attention and pulling her from daze.
She glanced to her side then saw the Lady of Breaker was standing there with her arms crossed and a wry smile on her face. Soyoung blinked at her, still reeling from the magical power that reverberated in the air.
Moon Hyuna was kind enough to elaborate, "The way all those powers are clashing outside. At first it was almost deafening, but now it sounds more like a song." She huffed in amusement. "They must be having fun."
"They. Right." Soyoung nodded slowly, her mind immediately conjured the image of her former superior, still her superior now but just higher, and the mysterious man he had somehow managed to annoy into being his partner for the evening. Soyoung's lips thinned into a line of disapproval. She didn't bother to hide her annoyance and letting her face scrunch up in open displeasure.
She knew her superior wasn't perfect, his personality was as big a problem as he was capable. But this...this was the most he had ever disappointed her. Really, who the hell picks a fight with the person they interested in? Is he a teenager?
Did her lord truly not know how to properly woo someone? Surely a man as handsome, wealthy, and powerful as he must have experience with— Soyoung's train of thought screeched to a halt as she realized with horror that he, by the cruel jest of universe, didn't.
Though many pursued him, he had effortlessly scared them all away. That beautiful man in veil might be the only person on earth who could withstand her lord's weird antics and terrifying presence. And he might just screw up his one chance.
Soyoung couldn’t help but facepalmed. A sense of weary sympathy bloomed in her chest. For them, the poor fools who attempted to seek his lord’s favor. Not him, never for him. Not after he'd so unceremoniously dumped all his cumbersome responsibilities on her. The new appointed Lord of Seseong sighed. It must come out deep and loud because the Lady of Breaker was now looking at her quizzically.
“Well,” the younger one began with a hint of helplessness in her voice, “it just, sometimes His Majesty can be so…” she gestured vaguely in the direction of the recent magical explosion, for lack of a better word, “you know.”
The Lady of Breaker gave her a knowing, toothy grin. “That he is.”
Soyoung exhaled deeply and trying to regain her well-practiced composure. Perhaps they can still salvage this. Surely whatever incomprehensible thing her King was doing out there wouldn’t be that bad.
…Right?
When the magical power suddenly vanished, she practically leaped toward the entrance. Her enthusiasm caught the Lady of Breaker by surprise, but the older noblewoman quickly followed after her. The knights let them pass, even as they prevented other nobles from leaving the hall.
Finally, Soyoung reached the garden where she had felt the power emanating from before and spotted the knight commander at the entrance. He gave her a sharp nod, and she returned it respectfully. Without a word, they entered the garden together.
After navigating the intricate layout, she spotted her Lord standing in the middle of a clearing. He was gazing up at the sky, one hand lifted, something small and shining clutched in his palm.
Soyoung didn't even give her brain a chance to process how picturesque her Lord looked at the moment and immediately glanced left and right, trying to use her senses to pick up any remaining traces of the immense power. When she felt nothing, she fixed an accusatory glare on her King.
The blonde noblewoman sucked in a sharp breath. "I knew it," she grumbled with tone full of exasperation.
The King, as if hearing her internal monologue, finally chose to stop his melancholy rumination and looked at the new visitors in the garden. He smiled, but Soyoung was having none of his empty smiles right now.
The knight commander and Lady of Breaker immediately began to speak with him, but Soyoung just stood there with a mix of annoyance and a little, a smidge, of pity in her eyes.
“He left?” Commander Taewon asked in disbelief.
The underlying question of 'how did he manage to get away from you?' was wisely kept to himself, but the four of them had worked together long enough to understand the unspoken.
The King looked torn between pained and pleased. In the end he simply smiled amiably and said, “It was teleportation. My Princess is very talented, it seems.”
The Lady of Breaker whistled, genuinely impressed. Meanwhile Soyoung clicked her tongue. Great. Just another reason why they can’t lose him. And now he's gone.
The King gestured for them to move to another location, so they briskly walked to his personal office. Once the door was closed, Lady Hyuna wasted no time in questioning him. “So, what exactly happened in the garden?”
“I suppose you could say he finally accepted my request for a dance. Then we were having a moment under the moonlight. Quite romantic, if you ask me.”
Lady Hyuna rolled her eyes at that nonsene. And Soyoung would have too, if she weren't already so vexed.
The King glanced at her. “Hmm? I wonder why our Lady of Seseong seems to be in such a bad mood.”
“You must have imagined it, Your Majesty.”
The King seemed willing to let it slide and focused his attention on Lady Hyuna, who said, “I suggest we ask the Lord of Haeyeon about that man. I saw how he observed him with rapt attention during the ceremony.”
The King turned thoughtful at that. “I see,” he said after some time with a convinced nod.
The Lady of Breaker raised a brow at him, to which the King smiled smugly. “I’ve seen his face.”
The noblewoman looked surprised before her face morphed into dawned realization. “I see,” she said thoughtfully this time.
Soyoung just stood on the side with her mouth slightly open, not understanding the situation. She turned to the knight commander, throwing a questioning gaze at him, but the man just shook his head tiredly.
After that, the King summoned his personal attendants. A brief instruction was enough for them to return with stacks of documents a short moment later. The King and Lady Hyuna perused over the documents while Soyoung was more than happy to accompany the knight commander in standing on the side of the room.
A while later, the King finally put the papers down, a hand reaching for the glass bracelet that she already guessed who the true owner was.
"Han Yoojin. The elder scion of Haeyeon," he murmured while fiddling with the bracelet.
“Five years older than his brother. The former Lord and Lady of Haeyeon passed away eight years ago, but there was no news of him taking over the position as their heir. Then he relinquished his right of succession to his younger brother five years ago.”
He swept the papers onto the desk in one smooth motion, then tapped a single finger on the polished wood surface, “That’s it. End of story.”
Lady Hyuna frowned, still skimming through the paper with a sharp focus that she rarely aimed at paperwork. “There is surprisingly little information about him.”
“Maybe the house was doing it on purpose because of this.”
Hyuna took the paper that was offered to her and grimaced at the content. “What kind of bullshit is this?”
“What is?” Soyoung couldn't help but step closer in curiosity. The older noblewoman handed her the paper without a word. She recognizes it as the registry that every noble owned after their coming-of-age ceremony.
She read some of the information out loud. “Han Yoojin, House of Haeyeon, born in the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox as the firstborn of…” Then her eyes fell on his magical and talent metrics, and she stuttered, “W-what…”
There she read, “Mana affinity and grade: none. Mana reserve: negligible. Innate gift: none. Physical metrics: average. Okay, maybe that made sense considering his build, but what does it mean that the strategic and intellectual aptitude are unassessed due to his lack of magical ability?”
She put the paper on the table, glancing at the far bottom where the seal of the imperial registry and the signatures of the Grand Mage and Royal Chancellor rested. The document was real.
She couldn't help but peered at her Lord. “Your Majesty, are you sure they’re the same person?”
The blonde man was already staring at the noble’s portrait in the document. As Soyoung followed his gaze to the young man’s coming-of-age picture, she saw a smile grace the King’s lips. A smile that was very much different from his usually empty one.
With his eyes still fixed on the portrait, he said, “He’s still cute despite being many years older.”
Soyoung closed her eyes, took a very deep breath, then nodded solemnly. She glanced at the knight commander who was silent but no doubt already watching them with undivided attention.
He met Soyoung’s gaze then looked over the other two before saying, “I will inquire with the Lord of Haeyeon about this matter.”
When Soyoung followed after him, none of them protested.
Haeyeon manor in the capital looked exceptionally well-maintained, surpassing most surrounding noble houses, because they recently renovated most parts of it, following the rapid growth of their territory. Their guards were highly efficient, they didn't look too distressed by the sudden visit of a knight commander and the Lady of Seseong before swiftly verifying their identities. Shortly after, the attendants already ushered them into the reception room to await the house lord.
Lord Yoohyun did not seem surprised or alerted by their abrupt late-night visit. If he was annoyed, he masked it well, regarding the two of them with a neutral expression. Commander Taewon, however, understood that the young man held little fancy for pleasantries. Despite the serious face, Yoohyun’s attention was clearly elsewhere, so they moved straight to the business at hand.
“We have come to inquire about your elder brother,” the knight commander stated. That finally got the young lord’s attention as he finally really looked at them. His full attention weighed on them, almost burdenful, and the glint in his eyes went unnecessarily sharp.
“What about him?” he demanded, not kindly. The cold edge in his voice made Soyoung shudder. Although they were near the same age there was something about the Lord of Haeyeon that disturbingly reminded her of the King.
“We seek to confirm his presence at the event tonight,” Soyoung explained. “The attendance rolls and guard reports stated you came to represent the House of Haeyeon alone.”
“No. He did not accompany me.”
“I see,” Commander Taewon calmly responded. “We must inform you that a particular individual at the event tonight caused quite a scene before he vanished. The King has since confirmed he saw the face, and our initial inquiries suggest the individual held a strong resemblance to the elder scion of Haeyeon.”
The taciturn young lord raised his brows. “What scene?”
Commander Taewon did his utmost to not grimace when he recalled the chaotic events of the previous hours. Soyoung saw this as an opening and took the lead to brief the unsociable young lord on the night's events.
“First, he cursed at His Majesty, then he declined his offer to dance, then he splashed him with a glass of wine, and finally, he treated the King as his personal attendant.”
Young Lord Yoohyun blinked once. “I am surprised the King permitted such insolence.”
“Actually, His Majesty appeared to enjoy it. Wait, that sounds quite wrong...” Soyoung trailed off. From the corner of her eye, she caught the sight of the knight commander bracing himself to not facepalm.
The Lady of Seseong gracefully chose to ignore that and continued. “At any rate, after all that, the King clearly took a liking to the individual. His Majesty even personally fed him and escorted him to his private garden. Unfortunately, there was a... disturbance there, and the person vanished using some form of teleportation magic.”
“He managed to evade the King?”
Soyoung nodded with an eagerness she couldn’t quite explain, feeling a strange surge of pride at that particular fact. “That is correct.”
“And the name of this individual is?”
“He refused to provide his name, so His Majesty chose to refer to him as ‘Princess.’”
“If my understanding is correct, this person is a man?”
Soyoung nodded again with fervent affirmation. “Correct.”
“…Alright.”
“Right,” Soyoung nodded once more, feeling a profound sense of satisfaction as if she were just performing a splendid feat of recounting a great tale of centuries, while the Knight Commander seated beside her released a heavy and weary sigh.
The second son of Haeyeon listened to the information with a stoic expression. It was hard to discern what he's really thinking at the moment. “Any further information regarding this person?”
Commander Taewon paused before responding. “He has a slender build, average height, fair skin, and apparently, he wields a unique magical power.”
Lord Yoohyun did not so much as blink at the information, but neither Soyoung nor Taewon missed the subtle tightening in his bearing.
“Then he is not my brother,” Yoohyun stated flatly. “My brother is a recluse, useless, and doesn’t possess an ounce of mana.”
Soyoung blinked at how harsh the young lord described his own brother, but the Knight Commander merely offered a brief nod of acknowledgment. With a few clipped words of apology and thanks, they then excused themselves.
Not long after Taewon and Soyoung returned to the King’s office, they received a report from the King’s personal agents that Lord Yoohyun had left the capital by horse as soon as the two of them departed the manor.
Soyoung raised a questioning brow at her King. The old fox certainly worked fast. She didn’t even want to consider when or why he had dispatched his people to tail the young lord.
“He moves stealthily, but the urgency is clear,” the King said, trailing his gaze to everyone in the room. “The rest of his convoy will leave for Haeyeon in the morning, pretending their lord is with them, when the truth is he is already rushing back to his manor. Most likely to check on his older brother.”
Lady Hyuna was looking out the window, arms crossed. “‘My brother is a recluse,’ he said. ‘Useless,’ he said. Well, ain’t our Ice Prince so cold,” she mused with a touch of mockery in her voice.
Commander Taewon glanced briefly at Lady Hyuna, then outside the window, before bringing his attention back to the room. “He’s trying hard to feign indifference. Even I could have been fooled.”
Suddenly, it all clicked in Soyoung’s mind. Ah... so that’s how it is.
“Well. This is getting rather interesting. I truly wish to follow him myself…” That statement earned a sharp glare from Commander Taewon and Lady Hyuna. The King simply smiled at their reaction. “But of course, fate has never been kind to me, except for when I met with my partner tonight. So, I suppose someone else must go instead of their King,” he finished with a theatrical sigh.
“Was that really necessary?” the commander questioned.
The King’s smile grew wider. “Well,” he drawled, “I have the feeling that things can only get more heated from this point.” He threw his gaze outside the window towards the dark horizon. “Besides, as we speak now, I continue to lose contact with the people I sent to follow him.”
The Lady of Breaker tilted her head at that, interested. “Are your people not supposed to be elite?”
The King merely shrugged, looking as uncaring as someone who had only lost a few chess pieces.
“I will go after him,” Commander Taewon decided quickly.
Soyoung glanced at the moon, now already resigned from its throne on the highest point of the night sky. She then closed her eyes, earnestly hoping that the intuition her King proposed right now would not get any truer. When she opened her eyes again, it was with a newfound determination. “Take me with you, Commander.”
How utterly naive of her. She cursed the moon for not granting her prayer, and she cursed her King because, of course, his ever-so-sharp intuition wouldn’t be wrong. But when he suggested the situation could get "more heated," she didn't expect it to be literally on fire.
They did not rush into the Haeyeon territory that night because there was preparation to be done and work to be delegated so she and the Knight Commander could only mount their respective horses the next day, one day after the Haeyeon convoy had left the capital. They would arrive sooner than the main convoy, but still later than Lord Yoohyun.
Soyoung fully expected that the house would be surprised by their visit, not the other way around. She certainly did not expect to find the manor ablaze. The smoke and explosion could be seen and heard from a distance, which was more than enough to make them both speed up their riding to maximum velocity.
When they arrived, they saw the servants huddled and shivering in fear while the guards tense at their current predicament. The knight commander was sweeping the scene to quickly assess the situation when someone was violently thrown from inside the manor. The body landed harshly and rolled on the ground. The figure coughed and crumpled painfully, some of his clothing already burned and his skin marred with blood.
Following that, Young Lord Yoohyun walked out from the billowing smoke of the burning manor. He looked like fire itself, eyes bloodshot and magic flaring uncontrollably around him. Every step he took sent an invisible tremor through the air. Soyoung braced herself as Commander Taewon instinctively positioned himself in front of her.
The young lord drew his sword, which gleamed brightly in his hold, and pointed it towards the man on the ground. Commander Taewon was already dashing forward to intervene when a wall of water suddenly eclipsed the sky above them, easily engulfing the entire manor, accompanied by a shout that bellowed like the crash of a tidal wave.
The cold water slammed over them as a massive surge of a wave. Commander Taewon swiftly conjured his magic, ashen aura surrounded his palm and he punched with all of his might at the incoming water. Soyoung remembered that his magic was not supposed to be wide-ranged, but it successfully broke the wave and lessening the impact against them and the people around.
Soyoung blinked the water from her eyelashes and gasped for air. She could feel her clothes get heavier because of the water. When the wave receded, it had already doused the flames and destroyed most of the property in the splash area. In the middle of the disaster stood Lord Yoohyun, hissing in fury, soaked and steaming. Amidst the chaos, Soyoung absurdly thought that he resembled a drenched cat, a rabid one.
Soyoung was brought back from her musing when a girl suddenly landed beside the young lord and smacked him on the back of his head with enough force that it wouldn't be a surprise if his skull cracked. The Lady of Seseong couldn’t help but gape and wondering aloud, “Who is that crazy girl?!”
“Bak Yerim,” Lord Yoohyun growled. The girl actually faltered for a brief moment at how menacing the young man looked, but she soon steeled herself.
“Get a hold of yourself, won't you? You can’t just go manic and burn everything down. I am sure Ahjussi would be really sad if he knew you injured your people.”
Surprisingly, Lord Yoohyun actually took a moment to steady himself after the last sentence. He then swept his gaze around, a flicker of surprise crossed his expression when he finally spotted Soyoung and the knight commander. He looked at them for a few seconds with an unreadable expression before turning his attention back to the one person that was still lying helplessly on the ground.
He pointed his sword towards the man’s neck. “Fix your mess. Cancel the engagement and find my brother. I don’t care whether you flip the land over or uproot the forest. I am very willing to burn this territory to ashes if it is what it takes to get my brother back.”
The man, to his credit, managed to hold eye contact with the furious lord. He gulped once, then nodded firmly. Lord Yoohyun then sharply turned from the man and walked towards them, the lingering heat and flames trailing behind him like a cloak. His sword still unsheathed and very much glowed. The Lady of Seseong soon noticed with horror that the tip of the sword was melting, the molten metal dripped and hissed at the ground.
The young lord stopped a good distance in front of them. “I request an audience with the King,” he demanded without any preamble.
Soyoung glanced at the knight commander, who warily studied the young lord’s ablaze eyes. His voice when he responded was surprisingly calm. “You can ask the territory mage to connect to the palace communication stone. The King might already be waiting on the other side of the link.”
The young lord nodded at that and was ready to walk away, but not before barking his order. “Call the mage. And usher the guests.”
As if on cue, the crowd began to move in panic, doing whatever they could to avoid the House Lord’s wrath. Soyoung noticed that the girl named Bak Yerim smiled wryly, then offered a brief bow toward them before hurrying to follow her Lord.
The Lady of Seseong finally loosened the grip on her sword, suddenly feeling the exhaustion due to days of horse riding and… everything seeped to her bones.
Kim Sunghan still could not quite grasp the true nature of the turmoil gripping their territory these days. Yet, he understood one thing: like many other problems that happened in Haeyeon, this one too could be traced back to Han Yoojin.
It began the day after they returned from their week-long expedition to cull monsters in the northern territory. The young mage Yerim cheerfully rushed back to the manor, proclaiming she needed to check on her Ahjussi. Hours later, he spotted her lurking around the manor, anxiously asking every servant and guard about the whereabouts of the elder young master.
At first, Sunghan dismissed it, assuming the useless older brother had simply decided to act as he pleased while his younger brother was gone to the capital. But days passed, and Yerim continued to go to places in search of the unruly first son, looking more distressed as the time passed.
Then the situation abruptly escalated when Lord Yoohyun returned unannounced from the capital, days ahead of the House Haeyeon cortege. The young lord vaulted from his horse and took no time to even draw a breath before demanding his brother. Yerim practically flew to him, screaming in panic that she couldn't find Han Yoojin anywhere in the territory.
It was chaos immediately thereafter. Sunghan certainly hadn't anticipated Lord Yoohyun's immediate, explosive rage upon discovering his brother’s disappearance. He looked ready to tear the manor apart, questioning every servant and guard with such vehemence that the entire estate trembled nervously. His fury at their incompetence was immense as he commanded everyone to search for his brother.
They scoured every nook and cranny of the estate, sweeping every dark corner of the territory for days, but no trace of him could be found. During that time, Lord Yoohyun looked utterly distraught. Desperate was too mild of a word to describe his state, he was driven to the edge of unraveling. He had forsaken sleep entirely and had barely thought of eating or resting.
Not even the knights had ever witnessed their lord in such a state, even in their most helpless situations on the battlefield. This fact alone made Sunghan wonder why the disappearance of Han Yoojin, the one person everyone considered an embarrassment, could make their lord, the strongest and most respected knight in the estate, behave like this.
At first, Sunghan had assumed the useless first son had caused some trouble, big enough for his young brother to rush back from the capital to clear his mess or perhaps deliver a good beating. But in the frantic way his lord behaved, beyond the fury and frustration, it was worry and fear that etched itself in his eyes, in his sighs and groans, and in his absence of sleep.
It forced Sunghan to think that the young lord genuinely cared for his brother. Why? And since when? Had he been blind all this time?
He had no time to ponder this new revelation, as his lord’s agitation worsened with each passing moment, further unsettling the already restless house. All hell broke loose when Sir Simyeong carelessly slipped that Han Yoojin must be running away because of his engagement with the Choi family.
It must have been his imagination, but at that moment, Sunghan felt the temperature in the room drop past point zero. His lord’s voice was icy when he inquired, “What engagement?”
“Ah, I regret not being able to inform you before this, Sir, that the engagement between Han Yoojin and Choi Sukwon has already been finalized.”
“On whose authorization?”
Seok Simyeong paused to carefully assess his liege’s expression and chose to tread carefully. “My deepest apologies, my Lord, but this engagement was deemed to be in the best interest of Haeyeon—”
“Simyeong.”
Seok Simyeong closed his mouth instantly.
“Who granted you permission to set this engagement?” Lord Yoohyun slowly rose from his seat, never taking his eyes off the aide.
Sir Simyeong adjusted the position of his spectacles and answered, “My apologies if I acted without your full knowledge, but I surmised it would be for the best if we were to send Han Yoojin out of the house as soon as—”
The aide couldn't continue his words because a hand shot out and grabbed his neck. After that, things happened in a blur. He could hear Yerim shouting from the side before a sudden burst of fire exploded. The room immediately turned red and scorching hot. The walls cracked, and the windows and some part of the roof instantly disintegrated. He could hear the deafening screams of the servants and the frantic sound of people running for their lives.
In the middle of the blazing hell, Lord Yoohyun stood tall, still choking Seok Simyeong, dangling him in the air by the neck. He didn't utter a word, but the fury in his eyes was dizzily loud. Yet, beneath all that fury, more subdued, there was another emotion Sunghan managed to parse: the feeling of betrayal.
Sir Simyeong seemed to realize this too, as his eyes shook and he loosened his grip on the young lord’s burning hand that still strangled him. Lord Yoohyun looked on the verge of snapping the man’s neck in half but managed to violently throw him instead. Before Sunghan could do anything, a thick blanket of water suddenly fell onto them. He hastily deployed his shield just as the water crashed into the estate.
He didn’t quite catch what Yerim said to his lord, but he was grateful that it caused the young man to finally calm down. When the lord ordered Sir Simyeong to "fix his mess," they all knew it was the aide's final chance to regain his trust. Sunghan saw the man on the ground nod with grim determination and found the same resolve rising in his own chest. Seok Simyeong might not care for Han Yoojin, and neither did he, but both of them would do anything to prove themselves worthy to their lord.
He didn’t release his attention from Lord Yoohyun after that, tracking his every movement. It was then that Sunghan finally registered the presence of outsiders, one he immediately recognized as the knight commander and another noblewoman who, after a moment of inspection, he realized was the recently appointed Lady of Seseong.
He couldn't quite wrap it in his head as to why the two of them were there. Before the knight could make sense of their arrival in Haeyeon, he was struck with another surprise when Lord Yoohyun abruptly demanded an audience with the King. And even more surprised when the commander readily agreed, stating the King was likely already waiting. Lord Yoohyun simply nodded with easy understanding then swept his gaze across everyone around.
Kim Sunghan, who prided himself as one of the best knights in Haeyeon, quivered under the weight of that look. It was the same gaze his lord reserved for monsters he was determined to eradicate, now fixed upon his own people. His heart sank at that and at the same time he finally grasped the perilous gravity of their predicament, and the full extent to which they had offended their liege.
The territory mage was swiftly called after that and the magic link with the palace was soon established. The conversation between the young lord and the King was conducted with utmost secrecy. Lord Yoohyun permitted no one, not his own knights nor the knight commander, to approach the chamber where the communication via the magic stone commenced. He even used his own powerful magic to gatekeep the area.
When the conversation finished, his expression was grave. He announced that he would depart for the capital with the commander and the Lady of Seseong as soon as they had taken their rest. Lord Yoohyun then spent quite some time conversing with Yerim after that, and only with her did he choose to speak until he left for the capital. Sunghan bitterly understood that at this moment the young mage was probably the only person his lord trusted in the entire House of Haeyeon.
Thus, it was no surprise that he entrusted the management of the house to the young mage and no one else. Sunghan, along with all the residents of the estate, thought they could finally breathe after their lord’s figure disappeared into the horizon along with the knight commander and the Lady of Seseong. But then, they felt a sudden sharp drop in the temperature and a trickle of potent magical power.
When they turned around, they saw Bak Yerim levitating above the ground, arms crossed, her usual bright smile nowhere to be seen. “We are not done here,” she declared. “Yoohyun has personally asked me to clean the incompetent baggage that is of no use to this house.”
She deliberately directed her gaze toward the assembled knights. “I may not be as crazy as that bastard Yoohyun, but believe me when I say I’m angry, it means I am truly angry.”
As if to accentuate her point, her magical power glowered around her, making her look like a lone tidal wave raging upon the land. Sunghan remembered the wall of water he graciously had the chance to experience previously and shuddered. The truly scary one in Haeyeon was the young ones after all. And he realized with disbelief that Han Yoojin might be the one who had truly held their reins all this time.
Grace did not sulk at being left behind by her owner on the very first night of their meeting. She absolutely did not. In her owner's defense, the abandonment was not his fault, truly. She placed the blame squarely on that "zapping thing" who currently held her captive. She did not feel threatened by this measly electric nuisance who refused to leave her alone. She certainly did not, for she was a high-ranking spirit that only a few of her kind could compare.
This "zapping thing", they dared to call such a petty creature their king? She deserved to scoff at the notion. She knew the true spirit kings, and this tiny zap did not hold a candle to their power. She did not feel mortified by how unsettlingly similar his power was to those spirit kings. Respectfully, she didn't.
By now, this irritating creature they called king would carelessly handle her bracelet form. She was quite certain he did it on purpose simply to rile her. Brat. She would very much like to deliver him a powerful peck and squawk her displeasure, but she would rather remain a sullen, silent piece of jewelry than grant him that flicker of satisfaction.
Did she say she didn't sulk? No, not at her owner, because she is a great spirit that can be very much understanding. But as a great spirit who prided herself on many things, well, forgive her for being insulted to be subjected to this vexing situation. As the days bled into a maddening blur of frustration, this captor keep carried her everywhere: to his chambers, to council meetings, even during his solitary meals.
Infuriating.
It was only after some torturous days and nights that Grace found a sliver of reprieve, for she could finally sense a tiny fragment of her owner's presence approaching. It arrived with a Fire. The Fire was bristling, more aggressive and volatile than most of the fire spirits she had the displeasure of knowing.
Grace could sense that the fire was formless, yet her owner must have molded it into its current existence. Grace suddenly felt pity for her master. First the troublesome Zap, and now this unruly Fire. Why did her owner seem to attract things with this horrible kind of nature, and horrible personality, she didn't know.
As soon as the Fire was near, it spread its power and enveloped them. “You met my brother at that party. Why was he there?”
Her captor merely chuckled. “Ah, you two truly are siblings.”
The fire effortlessly ignored him. “And how do you know of my brother’s abilities?”
“He was generous enough to show them for me. In truth, he displayed them for all who attended the ball. Though naturally nobody realized the true nature of his power.”
“He used his power? In public?”
The Fire trembled violently, and Grace could feel a crushing wave of emotions echo in the air, so powerful it conjured old memories that resonate with those emotions. She saw her owner, smaller, younger, standing defensively despite his trembling body and red smeared on his face.
She heard a soothing voice, weak, soft. "It’s alright, Yoohyun. Shhh, it’s alright. Don’t be afraid."
Then she heard a frail voice call, "Hyung," and she felt hands reached at her vision, frail, pale. But the hug he gave afterwards was comforting, grounding. Behind her owner's back, she saw an inky mythical beast melt a pack of monsters into a vile glop of meat. She saw more red on her owner’s body, and the hug loosened.
"Hyung? Please..."
The warmth receded until there was only cold, terrible cold. Then her vision turned into a blazing inferno.
Her bracelet form shook violently with the intensity of the emotion and memories that flooded her consciousness. She momentarily panicked, finally aware that her owner would be in unimaginable pain after using the mythical beast's power. And she was not there to ease his suffering. She must go find him, she must help him, she must—
Grace felt a rude tap against her bracelet form, followed by a chilling voice. “You seem agitated.”
Grace stilled, so did the Fire with its intense and flaring emotion. She wasn't even certain for which of them the statement referred to. This zapping thing is disgustingly perceptive.
“So, there are repercussions when he uses that power,” he concluded, annoyingly as astute as ever.
The Fire growled, “What did you do?”
“What did I do?”
“Do not play the fool. You must have done something. My brother knows better than to use his power, ever.”
“That's weird. He seemed quite fine even after using such a vast amount of power,” the King mused, if only to agitate the Fire further.
Then he was silent for a moment before shifted his tone to something more measured. “I will assist you in getting your brother back.”
The Fire snapped at that declaration, consuming the air with heat. “What do you want from him?”
“I harbor no ill will toward him. In fact, I would do whatever it takes to protect and keep him, for he is so precious and no one didn't quite captivate me as much as he did.”
The Fire snarled, not unlike a beast that felt threatened, “Keep your hands away from him.”
“That is a steep demand. I find the thought of not being able to touch him extremely torturous, you see.”
“Do not play your petty games with my brother.”
“I do not play games, Young Lord. And I need you to understand that I handle my possessions with exquisite care.”
“He is not yours.”
“Yet.”
“Watch your words. I care not that you wear the crown.”
“The two of you and your brotherly love are truly touching. I'm jealous, really.”
The air rattled with the Fire's impatience, “State your true intent, King.”
“For now, I simply desire to see him again.”
If she could, Grace would have dramatically rolled her eyes. The Fire certainly didn't buy the answer either.
“After that I am thinking of spending my time with him, keep him by my side.”
Own him. The desire shrieked from his very being. Grace heard that declaration loud and clear.
“And also protect him,” the King added at the end.
That last confession, unfortunately, felt genuine.
“I can shield him from the vultures that will surely flock to him now that his abilities have been glimpsed.”
“There is no need. I can protect my own brother.”
“Are you certain? Do you genuinely believe the House Haeyeon can provide him protection?”
The Fire wavered at the direct challenge, its heat momentarily subsided, and the Zap brightened in small victory.
“Did you ever consider why your brother came to the party in the first place? Apparently, he had his undivided attention fixed on a particular young noble during the entire ceremony. He gazed wistfully toward the youngest noble who climbed the podium to receive an award from the King that night.”
The Fire shook uncontrollably at the information, radiating pure devastation as if the revelation had pierced his very core.
“Did your brother truly disappear against his wishes, or did he choose to leave? Is it because of me, or is it because of you?” The voice dropped to a cutting tone. “Young Lord, can you truly protect your brother's heart?”
The Fire dimmed, and dimmed, the light nearly collapsing before flaring brighter than ever.
“And what makes you think you could?”
"Because I understand he deserves to be pampered by every comfort and all the riches the world has to offer. I can, and I will, provide it to him."
Gradually the air grew thick and static, humming with an uncomfortable charge, and Grace could feel something she rarely detected from this human king: anger.
“The commander and Lady of Seseong were barely on your estate, yet they already heard enough to paint a picture. How do you believe your own people have been treating Han Yoojin, anyway?”
That made the poor Fire burn with anguish. But this time, the Zap felt no satisfaction even after having successfully revoked that emotion. Instead, there's pity and a tiny bit of understanding.
The Fire only managed to speak again after some time, and he sounded pained. “Find him first.”
Then the Fire began to recede, but it paused to deliver a final threat, “I will end you if you ever hurt him.”
Once the Fire was gone, Grace heard the annoying zap sigh wistfully. “Not quite as cute as his older brother.”
She hated to admit it, but for once, she regretfully agreed.
"What is your intent this time, Your Majesty? You have already dispatched the royal knights to openly search the entire kingdom and your personal troop to hunt in the shadows."
A few days after the Fire's turbulent visit, Grace heard the demand addressed to her captor.
Ah, its the gloomy thing again, she mused. His power gave her an eerie sensation like she was getting lost in an ominous fog, and the power also felt sticky like mud. She certainly didn't fear it, it was merely uncomfortable.
"Just as I stated to the Lord of Haeyeon, I'll help him get his brother back."
"By announcing to the entire kingdom that their king is searching for his lost soulmate that he fell deeply in love at the first sight during his birthday celebration?"
"Sounds about right."
A weary sigh followed. "The kingdom will be thrown into chaos, especially with the description you provided. Did you deliberately make the announcement vague to cause widespread confusion among the people?"
"No? I thought it was quite precise, don't you think?"
Another sigh. "You declared, 'a young man of striking presence, with unmatched wit, and unusual defiance, but also shy, subtle in his gait and easily goes unnoticed.' You did not even specify his physical appearance."
A smug hum filled the air. "It is to allow room for interpretation."
"There is far too much room for interpretation, Your Majesty."
"Exactly."
A silence settled where the annoying one was being annoyingly excited, and the gloomy one, well, being relentlessly gloomy.
"Just wait, Commander. The result will surely be satisfactory."
"You are not the one who will deal with the aftermath. This action will generate countless false reports across the kingdom and many innocent people will be wrongly involved."
"Indeed. This will be interesting. I ought to thank my princess for making this entire situation possible."
One more silence, then a final sigh. "I wish you good day, Your Majesty."
Wish you a good day too, gloomy thing. Grace hollowly replied, though no one could hear her. She was getting unbearably bored and she feared it was beginning to affect her personality because, shameful as it was, she found herself anticipating the "interesting" situation that her captor predicted to happen.
After that, she listened to the reports humans brought to their King, confirming that the rumors had flown through the palace faster than a gale, reaching the capital and beyond. The people of this kingdom were proving quite enthusiastic about helping their king find his other half.
As a wise great spirit, Grace didn't judge the workings of the human mind. Well, as long as they're happy, she supposed. But there was one specific delusion she wished to strongly deny: the widespread belief that their King was truly, genuinely in love.
It was all so utterly, gloriously wrong. Being forced to be in the man's close proximity for a disgustingly long enough time now, she knew his nature well enough to understand perfectly that he didn't want to love her master, he wanted to possess him.
There was not a single sincere bone in his body and she would not change her conviction. No matter how many times he brought her out to spend hours basking in the moonlight every full moon, reminiscing about his first meeting with her owner. Nor did it matter how often he walked to the place where the lingering energy of their fight still remained, meticulously tracing every last bit of it. Nor his insistence on talking to her about her owner, despite her nonexistent response.
Amusement is what he sought. Grace refused to acknowledge that there was any trace of longing and endearment in his voice, like in this particular time when he randomly went sightseeing in the palace vault, something along the lines of war preparation they said.
"I think this jewelry would look good on him. The glass shoes he wore that night were especially exquisite, and blue certainly suits him well."
Huh, so this human does have taste after all. Not that she would grant him a positive point because of it. Not at all.
"But I believe a ruby-red jewel would also flatter him. Hmm, should I gift him some rouge? Imagine those shades of red on his pretty lips every time he said something utterly lovely with that clever mouth—"
Grace resolved that it would be best to bid the world farewell and seek refuge in a deep slumber until she could finally reunite with her owner. For her sanity, she could not listen to this crazy zap any longer.
The threat of war was ready to break alongside the first bloom of spring, yet her lord appeared to be uncharacteristically relaxed. In fact, he didn't seem concerned with the war at all. Since his coronation, several pressing state matters demanded his attention, such as the impending war with the neighboring kingdom, the consolidation of his authority, and the general unrest within the noble houses. Yet, since his birthday celebration last summer, the new King's singular focus was on finding his mysterious partner.
Sure, he's still meticulously executed his duty. Sure, he's still carefully preparing for the war. He even already issued the decree that every noble house must contribute to the war effort, which was one of the reasons Kang Soyoung was currently in the capital. However, it seems like he only did these critical tasks as if they were side chores instead of his main duty as a king.
Yet, despite all the dedication that went on for months, his endeavor of finding his mysterious partner has been moot so far. They caught spies from the neighboring kingdoms instead. A whole lot of them.
Funnily, the lack of progress led some people to believe that the mysterious individual might have already retreated to his abode. His abode, as described by the witnessing servant and knights, was a garden with a white tree.
It was both believable and unbelievable. Believable, because such a mythical place that is reserved only to mythical beasts and the like might as well be his dwelling. Many things about him seems magical after all. Unbelievable, because the location was, by its very description, a myth.
No one outside House of Haeyeon except the King, the knight commander, Lady of Breaker, and her, knew this person's true identity as the eldest son of Haeyeon. That was because both the King and Lord of Haeyeon insisted on keeping his real identity secret, which certainly didn't help with their search.
By now, Soyoung expected her lord to take on a more elaborate and drastic plan. But no. Instead, he just sat idly by the window while absentmindedly toying with a glass bracelet.
"Does Your Majesty not feel the least bit of frustration or something?" Soyoung couldn't help but ask.
The King regarded her imploringly, still no noticeable emotion in his face. The young noblewoman shook her head in resignation. "Never mind, Your Majesty."
The King gently tapped the side of the glass bracelet and contemplated her question. "Well, I do miss him."
Kang Soyoung met his gaze with a deadpan expression and the blonde King chuckled softly at her candid response.
"I wonder where he went that even you couldn't find him. Could it be that he already crossed the border into another kingdom? Or... is it true that he went to that white garden thing?"
The King hummed, and his lips slowly formed a knowing smile. Soyoung squinted at him. Of course, this fox of a king knew something everyone else did not and chose to be suspiciously secretive about it.
"You must understand that if he has made up his mind to be hidden, I dare say no one could find him," he stated smugly.
Was there anything to be proud about that? And if so, what was the point of their search up until now?
"Your Majesty speaks as though you have known him for years. You were barely acquainted with him for, what, hours that night."
The King hummed again, his mood visibly brighter now. "I don't, but I desire to know him better." He spun the bracelet on the polished table and Soyoung grimaced, she bet the trapped spirit within was seething and very much eager to beat him.
"But I know this one thing for sure..."
"And that is?"
"That he will come back to me by his own two feet."
Soyoung eyed him with skepticism. "And how can Your Majesty be so sure about that?"
"Well..." the King drawled as he shifted his attention to the window. "Ah, look, it is snowing."
His golden eyes watched the falling snow with the same piercing sharpness of a hunter watching his prey stumble into a perfectly set trap.
"It is the first snow of this winter. Are they not beautiful?" For some reason, his smile grew wider.
Soyoung felt a chilling sensation settle over her, and she's aware that it had nothing to do with the weather.
Kim Sunghan saw his lord standing in that specific spot again. He had often noticed Lord Yoohyun in that position before, believing his liege simply enjoyed the view from that particular place. Now, he knew better. It was a vantage point from which the Lord could clearly watch his older brother spending his time sitting leisurely beneath a tree.
Noticing something like this is what made him wonder how much he had missed about the two brothers all this time. What's more, he's been wrong about Han Yoojin. Was it too late to reconcile these thoughts now that the person in question was missing? Could they possibly find him before their lord was called to the battlefield for the upcoming war?
The thought sent a somber chill through his already depressing mood. Soon, they would send their cherished liege to battle. In fact, a feast was shortly going to be held in the palace to welcome the nobles that would participate in the war. But looking at Lord Yoohyun's current condition, the future looked grim. His Lord looked noticeably thinner than before and the dark circles beneath his eyes were stark and visible.
It made sense because he wouldn't eat or sleep unless Yerim reminded him, forced him, or sometimes even knocked him out. Always using the same reminder that his older brother would be sad if he were starved and lacked sleep. That was a bit disturbing because it appears as though his lord only ate or slept to make his older brother happy, that he only continued to breathe and walk another day for the sole purpose to find him.
Yet, even with Lord Yoohyun's relentless, almost obsessive search, Han Yoojin's whereabouts remained unknown. He and the mage Yerim often embarked on their own private searches, visiting places Han Yoojin frequented or places they speculated he might have gone. Still, the months passed with no results.
Strangely, the King was also conducting a massive search during this exact same period. He claimed to be looking for his "first love" and the kingdom was practically going crazy at the revelation. The palace had launched a fervent search and everyone seemed eager to help. Sunghan believed they had already scoured the kingdom clean, but up to this date, there was no news that this mysterious person had been found.
Though he was not particularly strong in the brain department, the knight could certainly put two and two together. However, he found his own conclusion too absurd to believe, so he chose to take the rumors with a grain of salt.
It appears that the world was not kind enough to allow him to linger in his own mind because at that moment he felt a sudden disturbance nearby. It made him instantly snap to alert. Directly in front of Lord Yoohyun, a small rip in space appeared and a tiny, white entity materialized out of nowhere. It carried a single piece of parchment, dropped it before the lord, and vanished without a trace.
The young lord immediately snatched and opened the letter. The knight noticed that his hands were visibly trembling as he did so. Lord Yoohyun's eyes frantically moved to read the message, jumping from word to word with desperation. He seemed to read it again and again before he abruptly bolted away, leaving the paper drifting in the air before it landed softly on the floor.
Sunghan urgently moved to follow his lord, but glanced back at the abandoned letter and chose that it would be best if he safely retrieved it. But unable to contain his churning curiosity, he dared to take a quick glance at its content.
“... I hope you would always be safe and healthy. So you don't need to go to the battlefield, Yoohyun. Hyung will go instead of you. This might be my last birthday gift and the least I could do for you as your older brother. So let me say this... happy birthday, Yoohyun, my beloved brother. Hyung will always love you.”
The King sat on his throne like an obedient child. Aside from giving a brief speech at the banquet's opening, he did nothing but gaze at the entrance door, looking utterly and magnificently bored. At some point, he began to fidget with the glass bracelet on his wrist, a newly gained habit that emerged whenever he was lost in thought about a particular someone.
Suddenly, his finger stilled with a dramatic halt. And if Soyoung wasn't imagining it, his breath too, hitched for a fleeting second. Then, with an abruptness that startled the room, he stood from the throne. A murmur rippled through the crowd as heads turned in alert curiosity. To the surprise of every watching eye, the King grinned. His eyes, still fixated on the door, glinted with a dangerous and wild anticipation.
The grand hall's massive doors slowly creaked open, revealing a lone figure who began to walk in with careful steps. His appearance was more like that of a beggar and it was unthinkable that the guards had let him in. He wore a shabby, coarse cape instead of a celestial veil. His body was bare of any jewels or the striking glass shoes from before. What's more shocking is that the man was barefoot. The jarring sight was a stark contrast to how glamorous everything in the banquet was.
This time there was no extraordinary magical power emanating from him. In fact, there was no magical presence at all. But his mere being was enough to make heads turn and the crowd instinctively parted to create a wide berth for him.
The King already walked toward him with an unhurried step, which was contrary to how eager and bright his expression was before. The bracelet in his grasp began to glow and a radiant blue bird surged into existence. Soyoung's mouth fell open and she could hear the resounding gasps of dozens of nobles around her.
The spirit let out a melodious cry and soared toward the man. Its movements were like a current, fast and sharp, yet seamless and gentle at the same time. The young man lifted a hand and the spirit gracefully landed on his arm. The gust of wind from its movement caused the hood of his cloak to slip. For a split second, Soyoung caught a golden gleam in his eyes before it reverted back to an unassuming black, and she felt a shiver run down her spine.
The man then looked up and gazed directly at the King. For some incomprehensible reason, the King's mood had visibly dampened and his expression was now completely blank. Then, without warning he let out a stormy pressure that usually exuded from him during combat. The crowd staggered and grunted, struggling to keep their bearing amidst the heavy torrent of power.
A golden chain flew away from the King, its momentum carrying it mere millimeters past the man's head, straight to the floor, where it pierced the marble tile with a loud and terrifying noise. Soyoung held her breath. She swore that if there was even a scratch on that pretty face because of that stupid chain, she would (at least try to) punch that stupid king of hers straight in the face, superiority be damned.
The man simply stood there, steady and sturdy as a reef amidst the raging ocean. He calmly looked up at the King, never shying away from his gaze. Then, as if welcoming the invitation, he moved his hand. The spirit chose to leave his arm to perch on his shoulder instead. Those delicate fingers softly traced the surface of the chain before grabbing it firmly and began to walk slowly toward the King.
To the naked eye, it appeared as if nothing was happening. But for those who could perceive the invisible magical energy around them, it looked as if the man were wading through a storm of magical power, harsh and unforgiving.
Soyoung's mind was reeling and trying to make sense of what was happening. Honestly, the Lady of Seseong wanted to whack her lord on the back of his head, hoping it might knock some sense back into him. Personally, Soyoung didn't know how one was supposed to welcome a long-lost partner. But she guessed that after all that relentless searching, he could have at least given him an embrace or a soft greeting. Not... whatever the hell this was.
The man in cloak stepped closer to the King with unbelievably easy and steady steps. He even tilted his head in a subtly teasing manner. When he slowly caressed the chain with casual intimacy, Soyoung noticed how the King's pupils dilated and how he was unable to suppress his maniacal grin. The younger man smirked back, throwing him a look that was mocking, taunting, and playful all at once.
Ah. Now Soyoung knew why her king was so addicted to this being.
The chain retracted and slowly coiled around the shorter man, as if to guard him or prevent him from running away, or both. The King then offered his hand and lowered his body into a respectful bow. His eyes never left the figure in front of him as he spoke loud enough for the entire hall to hear, "Welcome back, Princess."