Struggle Chapter 6

Saon jumped as the arrow tip pressed firmly against his lower lip. His lip split vertically in a thin line, and blood welled up. Covering his mouth, Saon protested in a tone full of righteous indignation, “Why are you doing this!” Taerok responded nonchalantly.

“Your words were so long, I wanted to see if your tongue had grown longer. If it had, I was going to cut it off for you.”

“It hasn’t grown! It hasn’t gotten longer! Goodness, if you keep being so frightening like that, even your affectionate nephew will end up being scared of his uncle.”

“Let him be scared. That child needs to learn a thing or two about fear.”

“Isn’t it better for him to just laugh ‘hehe’ without a care in the world, completely off guard?”

“Saon, he’s a royal kinsman. A Grand Prince. No matter what, he’s not someone you should be running your mouth about.”

At Taerok’s weighty words, Saon raised both hands and shook his head. There wasn’t a shred of sincerity in the gesture that said, please kill me. Taerok left the endlessly frivolous Saon be. Saon’s family was humble compared to the meritorious subject families, but it was a robust military clan that had fought against barbarians at the borders since the fall of the previous kingdom. Moreover, Saon’s memory also served him well. Within his calculations, crossing a certain line was something Taerok could overlook plenty. As long as it stayed within the domain he could accept.

Taerok’s lines and domains were drawn differently for each person. For the meritorious subject families, it was drawn particularly stingily; for his brother the King, though not a type of person he favored, it was still generous since he was his brother; and for Saon, too, it was drawn with considerable leeway. The only one for whom he hadn’t yet decided where exactly to draw the line was Nanyoung, who hadn’t fully grown yet.

“Anyway, I hear the Office of the Royal Clan and the Ministry of Rites are searching far and wide to find a wife for the Grand Prince, right?”

“So I’m told.”

“You speak as if it’s someone else’s business. It is late, of course. Once you take a spouse, won’t this desolate Grand Prince’s residence improve a bit? As someone who married earlier than the Grand Prince’s household, shall I tell you how wonderful it is to have a spouse?”

“It’s not necessary.”

“Indeed… Since you can see how wonderful it is all around you…”

The “all around you” Saon spoke of likely referred to the King and Queen. The royal couple was famously devoted to each other. That was a blessing. But the problem was always that the couple, being too alike, longed for an unfunny game of playing happy family like a noble household. And aside from the Queen’s disposition, the maternal relatives were like a huge serpent.

“Do you have a type of partner you desire?”

Taerok, who had grabbed the last arrow shaft, cut the crookedly grown shaft and sorted the feathers. As if organizing his arrows, he recited the image he desired.

“I dislike a frail body. She must be healthy. I also dislike a timid and delicate temperament. I don’t care if others call her rough, so I’d like her to be bold. As for family, it would be best if they are not just humble but outright impoverished.”

“Truly, those are strange criteria.”

“Are they? I find them rather clear and good.”

“In many ways, it does make me very curious who will become the Grand Prince’s wife.”

“You bustle about, whispering here and there. If you happen to get a connection to the Office of the Royal Clan or the Ministry of Rites, go ahead and spread the word that the Grand Prince Baekan’s tastes are like this.”

“Do you take me for a brambling? I’m hurt!”

Even as he said he was hurt, Saon’s expression was bright.

Two days later, Saon relayed this story to a low-ranking official at the Office of the Royal Clan. Ten days later, the Office of the Royal Clan sent the Four Pillars of prospective candidates suitable to be the Grand Prince’s wife to Grand Prince Baekan, Lee Taerok. Taerok, who read them one by one, threw the list over his desk.

“They want to clip the wings of the royal clan, yet they send daughters of meritorious families. Tell them to just pick one. Just one.”

Having said that, Taerok sent the messenger awaiting a reply back empty-handed.

∞ ∞ ∞

“Uncle, are you getting married?”

“Married.”

Sim Eung was dumbfounded by Nanyoung’s candid question. Taerok plopped down, observed Nanyoung’s still unimproved posture, and asked back.

“Married? Who says such a thing?”

“I simply heard it.”

“It seems there are many around you with loose lips.”

With a chilly gaze, Taerok swept his eyes over the court ladies standing behind Nanyoung. He dusted himself off, stood up, and straightened the direction of Nanyoung’s wooden sword, which had somehow drooped down.

“I’m confused whether Your Highness is interested in your uncle, or in resting.”

“Of course it’s you, Uncle…!”

I must have gotten a bit too comfortable, seeing how he chatters.

Taerok tilted his head as if annoyed.

“Then grip it properly and do a bit more. It’s Your Highness who might not be able to get married at this rate. Of course, as a Grand Prince, it’s not going but receiving a spouse, anyway.”

“Ah…”

“I don’t know about getting married, but I plan to go hunting. Therefore, I will not be able to enter the palace for a few days starting tomorrow. Do not neglect your practice.”

Taerok treated his nephew with formality. However, setting aside the formal diction and looking only at his tone, it was closer to a nonchalant poking. Nanyoung felt his pride prickled. He didn’t want his uncle, who in his eyes was the most magnificent man in the world and whom he admired and wanted to be like, to find him bothersome. As young children often do, Nanyoung confused what he shouldn’t touch to avoid being a nuisance, and acted in the exact opposite way.

“Can’t I go with you? Please take me too.”

Taerok glanced at Nanyoung, who was clinging to his arm. Won’t he just shove him away? He’s certainly the type who might. The eunuch was burning with anxiety, unaware of his feelings.

Fortunately, Taerok didn’t push Nanyoung away. He rolled his eyes lightly and said, “I don’t want to.” The attitude was so childish that the watching eunuch was slightly taken aback.

“Why would I take Your Highness? You’d be nothing but baggage. Don’t torment your uncle who can’t even get married.”

And only then did Taerok push Nanyoung away. It was truly a light push, yet Nanyoung stumbled three whole steps back. Flabbergasted by that frailty, Taerok ended up looking down at his own palm. Sensing that his uncle was inwardly flustered, Nanyoung sidled up, looked away, and feigned pain unnecessarily, saying, “Ouch… it hurts…” Yet, he was still eyeing him. It was behavior that drew a hollow laugh. Ever since his last visit under the guise of inquiring after his health, Nanyoung had opened his heart to Taerok to a plainly visible degree.

Of course, just because Nanyoung opened his heart didn’t mean Taerok would open his too, nor would he fall for such shallow tricks.

“We will be sleeping outdoors too. Your Highness catches a cold from just a chilly wind, so you wouldn’t be able to do that. Considering His Majesty’s sincere heart, it would be best for you to give up any thought of following me early on.”

“Then what if I become sturdy? What if I become healthy enough to sleep outdoors?”

As if such a day will come. Taerok was skeptical. The Crown Prince had also suffered from minor illnesses when he was young, but had become quite sturdy as he grew. Looking back, that seemed to have just been the usual childhood ailments. Now, he rarely even catches a cold.

However, Nanyoung, even at a glance, had a constitution that was inherently frail. Taerok threw his own wooden sword, which was three times the size of Nanyoung’s, into the air, caught it with a smack, and didn’t answer. The lack of reaction was his answer. Nanyoung’s face flushed bright red.

“Someday, the day will come when you, Uncle, will take me hunting.”

“Yeah. Trusting an elder like that isn’t a bad thing, at least.”

“You only ever tease me like that, Uncle.”

“Do I? I always treat Your Highness with sincerity.”

“…Really?”

“It’s a joke.”

Nanyoung’s eyebrows instantly drooped down. At that sight, Taerok couldn’t help but laugh. As the small back turned away, dropping the wooden sword and walking toward the eunuch, Taerok called out, his voice lowered, “Now, now.”

“What kind of discourteous act is this.”

“…”

“Come here, Your Highness.”

Nanyoung hugged the eunuch’s legs tightly and didn’t look back. Taerok picked up Nanyoung’s wooden sword, held it together with his own, and placed his hand on his hip. Even at the sound of a sucked breath, Nanyoung didn’t turn around. The eunuch, caught in the middle, didn’t know what to do. Honestly, he thought Taerok was in the wrong, but Nanyoung’s attitude was not desirable either. Meanwhile, blood being thicker than water, he was worried about what would happen if Nanyoung got scolded by Taerok, so he quietly soothed him, saying, “Young master…”

“Lee Nanyoung.”

The reason Nanyoung, who hadn’t budged an inch despite the eunuch’s anxious coaxing, flinched was because of Taerok.