Chapter 071. The Lost Kingdom (10)
"Hoyeon?"
Even in the chaos of the grand banquet hall, Hyeon immediately recognized the voice calling him.
He felt someone's gaze.
Slowly...
He turned toward the bottom of the platform.
And when Hyeon finally turned completely around...
Bam's time stopped.
A silver dragon was clearly embroidered across his dark blue robes.
His noble face had a sharp nose and strong jawline.
That cold, arrogant atmosphere...
It suited him perfectly.
As though he had finally returned to where he truly belonged.
Nam Hyeon.
Crown Prince Nam Hyeon.
That was Hoyeon's true name.
His true identity.
When Bam had not known the truth...
She had been Hyeon's master.
She could order him around however she wanted.
Give him every unpleasant task.
Wherever she went...
He came running.
He threw his body in front of danger to protect her.
He silently listened to her endless talking.
Bam had been able to keep him beneath her protection.
As someone who belonged to her.
But now...
The man standing upon that platform and the mercenary she remembered seemed completely different.
The contrast made Bam feel miserable in a way she could not describe.
Hyeon's status had changed instantly from slave to royalty.
Between Crown Prince Hyeon and Merchant Lady Bam...
There now stood a wall of status that could never be crossed.
[I only serve you because I need to protect my own life.]
She remembered his words.
[So please treat promises spoken between people lightly, like objects bought and sold.]
Now that she thought about it...
Hyeon had never once spoken words he could not take responsibility for.
He had always remained close enough to touch.
Yet somehow...
He constantly stepped away and created distance.
The Rang Merchant Group's enormous wealth.
Its trading network.
Its countless mercenaries...
All of it had only been a tool allowing him to reach this place.
Then how cheap must all those memories with the merchant lady have looked to him?
Hyeon was just as shocked.
His little master should already have left.
Why was she inside the grand banquet hall?
Bam stared at him without moving.
Her beautiful blue eyes remained fixed on his face.
It was an expression Hyeon had never seen before.
Not anger.
Not wounded pride.
Not simple irritation.
She looked like a lost child.
Like the entire world she knew had collapsed.
Hyeon had never wanted to hurt her.
That was why he had wanted to send her somewhere far away before she learned everything.
But perhaps...
The truth was simpler.
Perhaps Hyeon had simply lacked the courage to see Bam's wounded face.
He shook his head.
He had already hardened his heart once.
Doing it again should not be difficult.
Hyeon looked down at Bam with cold, emotionless eyes.
Then turned away.
His robe fluttered behind him.
That single action broke something inside Bam.
She could not say anything to him.
For some reason...
The only thing she wanted was to escape this place as quickly as possible.
The mercenaries who had been chasing Bam gathered around her.
When they tried to drag her away again, Bam shook off their arms.
"Take your hands off me."
Her voice was quiet.
"I'll go back on my own."
Her eyes suddenly burned.
Heat gathered behind them.
Bam bit her lip hard.
I'm the owner of a merchant group.
I have no blood or tears.
She walked quickly out of the banquet hall.
Hyeon continued climbing upward after turning away from her.
His tall body cast a long shadow across the stairs.
His eyes were empty.
As though trying to calm the emptiness inside him...
He habitually touched the name carved into the handle of his sword.
"Son."
A voice came from above.
"Come up here."
King Nampyeong sat beneath an enormous folding screen.
His body was bent forward.
Cold eyes flashed beneath thick eyebrows.
"Did you not come here to cut off your father's head?"
The king smiled.
"If you can do it, then come and cut it."
The voice dug into the weak point inside Hyeon's heart.
Even after hating this man his entire life...
Drawing a blade against him was not easy.
Hyeon would have to live with the guilt of abandoning basic human morality.
And the shame of being remembered forever as the man who murdered his own father.
Still...
Hyeon had promised those who followed him.
He would personally execute the criminal known as King Nampyeong.
Hyeon slowly walked toward the pavilion.
"Stop!"
A powerful shout blocked his path.
Private soldiers of the Jin Clan surrounded the royal pavilion in layers.
Large shields formed a defensive wall.
Chancellor Jin Sangwon stepped down from the platform.
He walked toward Hyeon.
"Your Highness surviving is truly an overwhelming blessing."
Sangwon bowed deeply.
Then an unreadable smile appeared.
"However..."
His gaze became sharp.
"If Your Highness tries to advance any farther, I will no longer stand aside."
Hyeon's voice lowered.
"I intend to remove the source of trouble from the royal court."
His eyes hardened.
"Move aside, Chancellor."
Until now, Jin Sangwon had simply watched everything unfold.
Now...
He had finally moved to protect his ruler.
Perhaps the greatest obstacle to the rebellion had remained until the end.
Sangwon smiled.
"Then how about this?"
Hyeon stared at him.
"I would like to request a sword match with Your Highness."
Murmurs spread.
Sangwon continued.
"Let us compare our martial skill."
His smile deepened.
"The banquet has been rather boring anyway."
Everyone looked confused.
A sword match?
At a time like this?
It was absurd.
Sangwon sometimes practiced with the sword.
But he was still a civil official.
Stopping Crown Prince Nam Hyeon, known as the greatest swordsman of Hui Kingdom, should be impossible.
No one understood why the older Sangwon wanted to fight personally instead of using his soldiers.
"This old body may be rusted."
Sangwon smiled.
"But I believe I can receive two or three exchanges from Your Highness."
Seung-gyeom immediately knelt before Hyeon.
He raised his weapon.
"Your Highness."
His voice became serious.
"To request a sword match at the moment when you are reclaiming your rights is obvious mockery."
He looked toward Sangwon.
"Allow me to handle the Chancellor."
Hyeon raised one hand and stopped him.
He had become curious about Jin Sangwon's intentions.
"I accept the Chancellor's request."
Hyeon stepped forward.
"But if you lose, you will move aside without another word."
Sangwon nodded.
The two men faced each other like beasts testing one another.
Hyeon moved first.
