Chapter 10: Leverage

In truth, Ahnok’s grip was not particularly strong. Having never thrown a punch in his life, he had no idea how to strike someone effectively. His blow wasn’t enough to make Seol Ga-muk stagger, but it was sufficient to force the man to release his hold.

“You’ve finally lost your mind! Do you have any idea who I am? How dare you…!”

“Aren’t you just a Pyeong-in?”

Ahnok’s voice was now trembling uncontrollably. Han-wol, still held by Ahnok’s hand, noticed that the fingers gripping his wrist were shaking slightly as well.

The phrase ‘just a Pyeong-in’ was more than enough to provoke Seol Ga-muk. Ahnok had intentionally targeted Ga-muk’s deep-seated inferiority complex toward his older brother, Seol Ga-hyo.

As the eldest son, Ga-hyo was superior in every way and possessed the trait of a Yang-in. Conversely, Ga-muk had no legitimate claim to succeed the King of Baekya and had grown up being compared to his brother at every turn.

Predictably, Ga-muk’s face flushed a deep crimson, and he cast a menacing shadow over Ahnok.

“What?”

The deed was done. Reflecting on his actions, Ahnok thought to himself that blood was indeed thicker than water; his recent outburst wasn’t much different from the way Seol Ga-hyo had once struck him on the cliff side.

Yet, having done it, he felt strangely relieved. Though he feared the consequences, Ahnok wasn’t entirely without a plan.

He released Han-wol’s hand. He had felt the boy twitching, desperate to run. As expected, the moment Ahnok let go, Han-wol turned and vanished. Focused entirely on Ahnok, Ga-muk didn’t even seem to notice the boy’s departure.

“What did you just mumble?”

Ga-muk stepped closer, his posture looming and predatory. He was clearly livid.

Setting aside his brief sense of relief, Ahnok found it overwhelming to face Ga-muk, who was trying to crush him with a high-handed and threatening aura. But he reminded himself of his resolve. He couldn’t overturn providence or change the great tides of fate, but he could change himself.

The urge to flee—to simply have his body vanish into thin air—was strong, but he suppressed it with the thought that he must finish what he started.

“It seems your preparation is lacking for someone attempting such a deed.”

“You…!”

“Even if you shock the heavens and shake the earth, Master Ga-muk, the fact that you are a Pyeong-in remains unchanged. It is the law of the world for an Eumin to harmonize with a Yang-in; why would I be toyed with by the hands of a Pyeong-in? Furthermore…”

Ahnok gritted his teeth and spoke as if delivering a warning.

“Regardless of trait or status, forcing unwanted acts upon another is behavior lower than that of a beast.”

“So, you’re saying I’m lower than a beast.”

Veins bulging in his neck, Ga-muk raised his hand to retaliate for the strike he had received.

I’m going to be hit, Ahnok thought. How much will it hurt, getting struck by a hand the size of a pot lid? He instinctively squeezed his eyes shut.

“What on earth is going on here?”

Ahnok waited for the pain, but nothing happened. Instead, a loud, rebuking voice rang out—one that definitely didn’t belong to Seol Ga-muk. A third party had intervened.

Ahnok opened his eyes. Taking in the scene, the situation became clear: Ga-muk’s raised hand was caught in the grip of Seol Ga-hyo. Standing behind them was Han-wol, gasping for breath.

“Ga-muk, why are you here? Explain yourself. What was I just looking at?”

“Ahnok, this insolent bastard struck me across the face!”

Ga-hyo, who had been glaring at his younger brother with intense eyes, roughly let go of Ga-muk’s arm and turned toward Ahnok. He had hurried to the annex after being told he was needed urgently, and he was utterly confused.

The departure for the Great Jin Imperial Palace was only two days away. Yet here was Seol Ga-muk, seemingly forgetting that and trying to strike Ahnok—only to claim he had been hit first. He couldn’t make sense of the situation.

Ga-hyo looked at Ahnok, demanding an explanation. “You. Explain.”

Ahnok swallowed hard. He had acted as if he’d lost his mind in front of Ga-muk, but now that Ga-hyo was present, the gravity of his actions hit him. However, he had anticipated this possibility. In fact, while he expected to eventually have to answer to the King of Baekya, speaking to Ga-hyo was a better alternative.

“Master Ga-muk harassed both me and my servant simply because we are Eumins.”

“And so you struck him?”

“He would not let go of us, so I had no choice.”

Behind them, Ga-muk began to raise his voice again, shouting “That’s…!” but Ga-hyo cut him off with a sharp gesture.

Then, Ahnok lifted his gaze—which he had kept lowered—and looked Ga-hyo directly in the eye.

“If you wish to punish me for this… yes, I will accept it.”

The unexpected submissiveness made Ga-hyo suspicious. However, Ahnok’s voice, which had been calm and resigned, took on a firmer tone in the next breath.

“However, if that happens, I will also travel to the capital and report this matter to His Highness, the Prince of Myeong.”

“…What?”

“I will tell him that I cannot marry while having been violated by my half-brother, and ask him to please nullify the engagement with Baekya-bu.”

In truth, the word “violated” was a provocative exaggeration Ahnok chose on purpose. His point was clear: if they tried to harm him for this incident, he would escalate the matter, so they should judge their next move carefully.

Was Ahnok always this kind of person? Seol Ga-hyo quickly recalled the rumors circulating about the “ill-omened bastard.”

Some said Chusan’s coddling had turned him into an idiot. Others said he was a simpleton. He had thought Ahnok was nothing more than a patchwork of those pathetic rumors, but the person standing before him was entirely different.

His thin frame and pale face gave an impression of frailty, but occasionally, a spark of unshakable resolve flickered in his eyes, startling Ga-hyo.

“What will you do?” Ahnok pressed for a decision. Would they bury it, or escalate it?

Actually, there was no need to weigh the options. Seol Ga-muk was a disposable card, protected only by blood. But Ahnok was now tied to the Great Jin Imperial House. To risk the wrath of the Imperial family just to protect Ga-muk’s ego would be more than foolish—it would be like bashing one’s own head against a stone floor.

“Ga-muk, you are not to take a single step out of your quarters until Ahnok leaves this estate.”

“Brother…!”

“Silence! How much longer must I tolerate your pathetic behavior?”

After staring at Ahnok for a long time, Ga-hyo barked the command at his brother. Despite his resentment, Ga-muk knew he couldn’t win against the eldest, so he quickly shut his mouth.

“It is over now. You, too, must not mention this matter again.”

“It is not over yet.”

“…What?”

“I have not received an apology.”

Ahnok stared at Ga-muk with eyes so resolute it seemed no words could sway him. A tense silence stretched between them, as if someone were pulling the air tight from both sides.

To Ahnok, Ga-hyo’s declaration that it was “over” was almost laughable. It was overstepping for someone who wasn’t even a party to the conflict to decide when it ended.

“Are you telling me to ask for your forgiveness?” Ga-muk, who had been dazed for a moment, asked with a sneer.

It was only natural to apologize and seek forgiveness when one had done wrong, yet Ga-muk spoke as if he were granting a great favor.

“Ga-muk.”

Ga-hyo shot a glance at Ahnok, then tried to restrain his brother, who was only making things worse. But Ga-muk, provoked by his own words, began to huff with rage.

“Brother, look at how arrogant this bastard is being!”

Seol Ga-hyo felt like sewing Ga-muk’s mouth shut. Just as he was about to scold his brother, Ahnok spoke in a frigid tone.

“The arrogant one is not me, but you, Master Ga-muk. You seem to have no sense of shame—what an inhuman way to behave.”

“You lowly…!”

Allowing the conversation to continue would only provoke Ahnok further. The only way to end the situation was an apology. Ga-hyo didn’t enjoy seeing his brother bow his head to a mere bastard like Ahnok. But as Ahnok said, Ga-muk’s guilt was plain, and he couldn’t let him continue acting with such shameless pride.

“Apologize.”

“Brother! Are you even being swayed by that lowly thing?”

“If you do not apologize here and now, I will report this matter to our Father.”

At the mention of the King of Baekya, Ga-muk flinched visibly. It was a pathetic, cowering display. Since Ga-hyo had stepped aside, Ga-muk was now fully exposed to Ahnok’s gaze.

Though he was trembling inside, Ahnok stared him down with unwavering resolve. Finally, Ga-muk’s mouth, which looked like it would never open, twitched. He glanced at Ga-hyo one last time before muttering in a tiny, muffled voice:

“…I am sorry.”