Chapter 14: The Road to the Capital

The party leaving Baekya-bu for the capital was modest. The only difference from seven years ago was the addition of Han-wol.

The items packed as a dowry were meager compared to the treasures found in the Prince of Myeong’s residence. However, Ahnok did not refuse what was offered. The jewelry and trinkets the Queen of Baekya had packed would surely prove useful as currency later.

“Are you truly not going to ride in the carriage?”

Haunted by the memories of his past life, Ahnok had refused the carriage. The Queen of Baekya had expressed her displeasure, grumbling that Ahnok was refusing to listen to her even in the smallest matters, but surprisingly, the King of Baekya had granted permission.

However, it seemed the King was equally uncomfortable with the idea of the future primary consort of a Prince exposing his face so freely to the world.

Checking the horse he was to ride, Ahnok turned around leisurely.

“I appreciate the concern, but a horse is more comfortable. It is faster for me to ride than to be confined in a carriage.”

With that, Ahnok turned back, hooked his foot into the stirrup, and swung himself onto the horse’s back in one fluid motion. His movements were remarkably light.

Han-wol, sticking close to Ahnok’s horse, looked terrified—as if Seol Ga-muk might burst out of the estate at any moment to scream at him. He still seemed unable to believe he was actually going to the capital.

“If everyone is ready, let us depart,” said Seol Ga-hyo, who stood at the front of the group.

He had decided to accompany them as far as Habin-bu, which marked the official beginning of Great Jin’s central territory. Having a long journey ahead, he seemed anxious not to waste any time.

The group departed quietly, but as they began to pass through the town, a significant crowd gathered, whispering and staring.

“—Is that child the son of Manyeong? They look exactly alike.” “I heard he’s twenty, but he looks younger than that.” “He’s certainly done well for a bastard.”

Ahnok remained indifferent to the gossip. At the comment about him “doing well for a bastard,” he almost let out a dry laugh, keeping his head bowed to hide his expression.

“Are you alright, Master Ahnok?” Han-wol asked worriedly from beside him.

Ahnok offered a small smile to reassure the boy, but he quickly composed his face when he noticed Seol Ga-hyo glancing back at the noise. That calm smile, however, did not last long.

“But didn’t the Shaman say it? That child will destroy our tribe.” “Since we’ve sold that unlucky omen off to the Imperial Family, won’t his ill fate follow him there?” “Looking at him, I only feel sorry for the Third Prince. He even observed three years of mourning for his nephew, yet because of this consort, he won’t even be able to enter the Eastern Palace.”

The biting words felt like they were piercing through his spine, and Ahnok instinctively straightened his back.

A bastard born with an ill-fated destiny.

Even in his second life, that label followed him from birth. It was the starting point of a massive destiny that he could never truly outrun.

His limbs felt stiff, as if frozen. But as he dwelled on their derogatory words, a sense of inner mockery took over.

Regardless of Yeo Jae-won’s personal character, he was not a man who would fall from power simply because he failed to form a matrimonial alliance with a powerful family. Nor was he so politically inept that marrying a consort from Baekya-bu would prevent him from claiming the position of Crown Prince.

They have it all wrong.

At the same time, Ahnok felt a twinge of guilt.

Was it truly not my fault that the people of Baekya-bu died back then? Of course, Ahnok had never asked Yeo Jae-won to exterminate the tribe, nor had he wished for it. But if they had died because of the prophecy he was born with… he couldn’t bear to look them in the eye.

“Don’t pay any mind to those words,” Han-wol whispered, noticing Ahnok’s hardened expression.

The young boy knew well enough about the rumors surrounding Ahnok. However, Han-wol chose to believe only what he saw with his own eyes.

Ahnok looked down at Han-wol. The boy spoke merely to comfort him, but he wasn’t wrong. Now was not the time to worry about such talk.

Unlike last time, he wasn’t in a carriage, so they would reach the capital in fifteen days at most. And once they arrived, he would be forced to face Yeo Jae-won.

He had to steel his heart now. If he didn’t, his body would surely be pulled back by the emotions of his old memories. Ahnok still lacked confidence in himself.

He must not harbor any emotion toward Yeo Jae-won. If he were caught in the Prince’s orbit again, he would be helpless.

Desperately, Ahnok tried to summon only the coldest, most heartless moments he had experienced with the man. For instance, the expressionless gaze that had looked down at him as he wailed, unable to let go of their child’s cold body.

—The Prince… he isn’t breathing. The child… our child is so cold.

Ahnok had desperately denied the death then. Even as he said the child wasn’t breathing or was cold, he refused to use the word “dead.” He knew that the moment the word left his lips, he would crumble completely.

—Your Majesty, please call another physician. Issue an Imperial Decree to find a renowned healer, please! —……. —He is our child. Save him, please… Your Majesty, say something… please.

As Ahnok clung to the child, soaking the cold corpse with his tears, Yeo Jae-won had simply commanded the guards he brought with him to take the Prince’s body away from the Empress.

Meeting Ahnok’s eyes with a gaze that held not a single trace of grief, Yeo Jae-won had said:

—Wake up, Ahnok. The child is dead.

Cruel words that had strangled Ahnok’s heart.

Even though it was only a memory, Ahnok felt a tightening pain in his chest, as if it were being wrung out.

“Master Ahnok…?”

At Han-wol’s call, which pulled him back to reality, Ahnok blinked rapidly. He managed to catch his breath without it being noticeable and shook his head.

It was thanks to Yeo Jae-won that he, who had been extremely timid and prone to showing his emotions, had become so skilled at hiding his inner self. The Prince used to tell him: Even if you crumble, never show your knees buckling. Never let others see your weakness.

Since then, Ahnok had become increasingly adept at feigning composure. The only time the nearly perfect, noble Empress had ever truly broken down was the day the Prince died.

“I’m fine.”

Saying it to Han-wol—and to himself—Ahnok fought to steady his heart.

When he looked around, he realized they had long since passed the town. As they entered the beginning of a forest path ripening with early summer greenery, Ahnok squinted his aching eyes against the piercing sunlight.

To cross from Habin-bu into the capital’s surrounding Gyeonggi region, they had to traverse a Great Mountain Range. This range, massive even on a map, was the reason the northeastern region of Great Jin was called Maek-dong (East of the Pulse).

The journey from Baekya-bu to the capital took fifteen days, and nearly four and a half of those were spent just crossing these mountains. They were rugged and notoriously difficult to pass. Once over them, they would enter the capital’s outskirts. It meant they were halfway there.

“The send-off ends here.”

Seol Ga-hyo’s voice was quite cold, but Ahnok wasn’t hurt. Though they were half-brothers, Ahnok didn’t consider the King of Baekya his father, so it was only natural that he didn’t see Ga-hyo as a brother.

In any case, Ga-hyo was a man he was unlikely to meet again. Everything living in Baekya-bu was destined for destruction; there was no way Ga-hyo could escape that fate.

“Thank you. Please return safely, Master Ga-hyo.”

Nevertheless, Ahnok did not neglect his final farewell. If this truly was the end, he didn’t want to leave it on a bad note.

“Ahnok.”

Seol Ga-hyo, who had mounted his horse without a hint of lingering attachment, suddenly called out. Ahnok, who had been about to set off, turned back slowly.

Because of the way Ahnok had covered for his own mistake before their father and the way he had handled Seol Ga-muk, Ga-hyo saw him in a new light. Of course, he hadn’t developed an affection for his half-sibling in that short time, nor did he feel pity. To Ga-hyo, Ahnok was still the ill-omened bastard. Yet, he felt he had to say this one thing.

“Go, and live well.”

Ahnok blinked his deer-like eyes slowly. His moist eyes widened in surprise before settling into a calm state.

Go and live well. It was the first time he had heard those words. Aside from Chusan, he had almost never heard the word “well” from anyone in Baekya-bu.

It was surprising, but not unpleasant to hear. However, Ahnok didn’t easily promise that he would live well. He simply let his large eyes curve into a soft smile.

He likely wouldn’t live well in the way the King of Baekya or Seol Ga-hyo expected. He wouldn’t become the Consort of Myeong, as his only plan was to leave Yeo Jae-won’s side.

Watching Ahnok smile in silence, Seol Ga-hyo finally gripped his reins and turned away completely. Ahnok stood there for a long time, watching his back as he headed back to that distant land where a long winter was destined to fall.

All that remained were a few wagons containing the minimal dowry provided by the Queen, the guards protecting them, and Han-wol. Ahnok looked them over and mounted his horse once more.

“We must hurry.”

Now that even Seol Ga-hyo had left, the journey truly began. He already knew there would be no accidents on the road, but because he hadn’t expected to travel this path again, he felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

It was the road leading to Yeo Jae-won.

Strictly speaking, it was the road he was traveling to meet him—only to leave him.

Ahnok steadied his resolve once more.