Chapter 11: The Futile Proposal

The bitter scent of medicinal herbs drifted past the tip of her nose.

Huiyeon lifted her heavy eyelids and spotted a figure scurrying about the room. She parted her lips to speak.

“……Choyong?”

“Ah! Princess, you’re awake? I tried to be quiet, but I must have been too noisy. I am sorry.”

Watching Choyong limp toward her, Huiyeon pushed herself up.

“It is fine. I only closed my eyes for a moment. But why are you working here instead of resting?”

“Well, I was anxious knowing you were here alone. I wanted to make sure there was nothing dangerous and…….”

“What could possibly happen in the General’s own home? You worried for nothing.”

Though she spoke lightly, she was grateful to Choyong for coming out of concern. Having someone familiar by her side in this strange land made her feel secure.

“But, Princess…….”

Choyong, who had been helping tidy Huiyeon’s disheveled clothes and fixing her hair, hesitated before speaking again.

“What is it? Did something happen while you were being treated?”

Worried that Choyong’s wounds might have worsened, Huiyeon inspected her maid with concern.

“It’s not that…… It’s just, I heard something after my treatment.”

“What kind of news makes you hesitate so much?”

At Huiyeon’s urging, Choyong bit her lip and swallowed hard, as if bracing herself.

“They say there will soon be a grand celebration in the Hoye Kingdom.”

“A celebration?”

Huiyeon repeated the word, not immediately grasping the gravity. A celebration—a joyous event to be congratulated. She knew the definition, of course. But a celebration in Hoye? Surely…….

“They say…… there will be a royal wedding in a few months.”

Choyong’s voice trailed off as she watched Huiyeon’s reaction.

“A royal wedding? ……You mean a Queen has already been chosen?”

Huiyeon murmured blankly.

“H-however, it’s likely just gossip among the servants who don’t know any better. I’m sure that’s all it is!”

Choyong tried to deny it, but both of them knew better. These weren’t rumors from a marketplace; the household of a Great General wouldn’t spread such groundless tales.

“I am…… too late.”

If they hadn’t been ambushed by assassins—if they hadn’t been delayed—would it have been different? No one could know for sure. But at the very least, she wouldn’t have arrived after everything was decided, trapped in a situation where she could do nothing.

“Princess, will you return to Taeseong like this?”

At Choyong’s worried question, Huiyeon shook her head and whispered softly.

“No……. I must try everything I can.”

She was prepared to fall to her knees and beg for this nation’s help if that was what it took. Upon hearing this, Choyong’s eyes grew as wide as saucers.

“Pardon? Princess, no matter how desperate, to a man with a wife…… No, they aren’t married yet, so is it okay?”

To think Choyong’s first thought was that “trying everything” meant seducing the King. Huiyeon wondered exactly how one’s train of thought had to branch out to arrive at that conclusion first.

“Why? Is entering as a concubine not an option?”

“What?! A concubine! That is absolutely out of the question! A precious Princess becoming a concubine!”

In truth, Huiyeon had no intention of becoming a concubine, but she had said it because Choyong was being so overly serious. Yet, having said it, it didn’t seem entirely like a bad idea.

‘Precious’ Princess. The unfamiliar word from Choyong’s mouth left her with a strange feeling.

She hadn’t come to the Hoye Kingdom seeking marriage out of a desire for love anyway. She was only here because it was the only way she could stay alive as a twin and help Jeongcheon. Therefore, if she could borrow the dragon’s power, what did it matter if she was a concubine rather than the Queen?

It seemed like a more dignified path than begging on her knees. As Huiyeon entertained these thoughts, she heard a presence outside.

“Ahem. Are you asleep?”

Yu-chang had returned from the palace.

Since she had only just woken up and it was somewhat awkward to invite a man into her room at such a late hour, Huiyeon asked for his understanding and requested he wait outside for a moment. It didn’t take long, as she only needed to throw on an outer robe and fix her hair.

When she opened the door, she saw Yu-chang’s back as he stood in the middle of the courtyard with his hands behind him. Standing in the moonlight, the man looked just as massive and threatening as he had on Mount Geumryeong. Even though he was in comfortable indoor clothes without a sword at his waist, his unique, overbearing aura remained.

Taking a light breath to push aside her instinctive fear and discomfort, Huiyeon stepped forward. At the sound of her rustling footsteps, Yu-chang turned around.

“Must you really go to the palace?”

Huiyeon had naturally learned over the past few days that this man was impatient, but she hadn’t expected him to be unable to wait the few steps it took for her to reach him.

She easily grasped why he was saying this. It seemed the story Choyong heard was indeed not a false rumor. However, it was surprising and unexpected that Yu-chang—of all people—was asking if she really had to go, as if he were worried she would be hurt.

Actually, there was something even more surprising: the look in Yu-chang’s eyes.

‘Worry? Is this not the same man who looked at me with nothing but contempt, suspicion, and disgust the entire time?’

Huiyeon pushed the absurd thought away and let her slender eyebrows arch slightly, showing her displeasure as if his words were merely offensive.

“That sounds like you are telling me I must not go. Has the King of Hoye rejected our visit?”

When she shifted all responsibility to the King, a flustered Yu-chang quickly denied it.

“No. His Majesty did not say such a thing.”

“Then…… why are you saying this, General?”

Huiyeon acted as if she knew nothing. Even if she already knew, it wouldn’t change the situation, and she wanted to avoid the misunderstanding that Choyong had been snooping around the household.

“That is……”

Yu-chang furrowed his brows in annoyance and bit his lip. He looked like a man who didn’t even know why he was acting this way himself. Huiyeon quietly waited for the words to flow from his mouth.

“The person who will sit beside His Majesty has already been decided. So even if you enter the palace tomorrow……”

“It does not matter.”

Huiyeon cut him off firmly before he could even finish, rendering her wait for his explanation pointless.

“It…… doesn’t matter?”

The look in Yu-chang’s eyes as he repeated her answer was not much different from Choyong’s, making her almost want to laugh. He seemed to be thinking the same thing. However, she didn’t throw a joke at him as she had with Choyong.

“Did I ever tell the General that I came to Hoye to request a marriage? I came to the Hoye Kingdom merely as a member of a diplomatic mission—for the harmony and peace of both nations.”

Harmony and peace. There wasn’t a person alive who didn’t know that the only thing a Princess of one nation could offer another for such a cause was a marriage alliance. However, as long as she didn’t bring it up first, it was impolite for him to assume. This was exactly the point Huiyeon was making.

“……I see. My apologies for the rudeness.”

Yu-chang backed down, even though he knew the loophole in her words. Pushed outside the line she had drawn, Yu-chang still looked as if he had much to say, but his tightly shut mouth did not open again.

It felt as if…… 〈Whether it is a delusion or the truth, General, it would be best if you did not voice every thought that crosses your mind.〉

She had a strange feeling that he was remembering and following those words. Though it seemed impossible for such an arrogant man to do so. His peculiar behavior continued to nag at her.

“Since you must be exhausted, why not rest well and enter the palace late tomorrow afternoon?”

“I shall do that.”

Though a sense of urgency to meet the King and resolve things as quickly as possible rose within her, Huiyeon nodded obediently. This felt like enough conversation for now. Regardless of how things turned out, the King of Hoye had permitted her visit. That was enough.

“It is late. The General must be tired as well, so why not go and rest?”

“Yes, I should.”

“Then, I shall go in first.”

Huiyeon turned and walked away. She felt Yu-chang’s gaze following her back as he remained standing there, but she did not look back.

“Princess.”

She paused for a moment at the voice that reached her just before she opened the door, but she kept her back turned to him.

“If you find yourself with nowhere to go, you may come here.”

At his words, which sounded like a prophecy of her failure, Huiyeon’s expression hardened.

“I shall keep that in mind.”

Leaving behind a response that was neither an acceptance nor a refusal, Huiyeon opened the door and stepped inside. She wondered for a moment what had changed the man, but she quickly cast the thought aside.

She didn’t want to know, and she didn’t want to care.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

What Should I Do When Girls Keep Trying to Win Me Over After Rebirth?

CampusRomanceHaremlove

Read Now →
Not interested