Chapter 3: The Wastrel Prince

Wastrel.

That guy’s a wastrel.

I’d heard those words countless times since I joined Hyeolyunseong and took up the sword.

I was a pretty strong guy.

“Your Highness. Your Highness, Your Highness…”

Right.

“So I’m Your Highness.”

Being thrown into a palace doesn’t mean I’ve got any reason to panic.

“Well, it’ll work out somehow.”

It’s been roughly half a day since I returned from the underworld’s threshold and started this new life.

I opened my eyes in the dead of night, and now dawn is just breaking.

I’m squatting on the veranda outside my quarters, frowning as hard as I can.

I can’t ease my frown. I’ve got a lot to think about.

For some reason, scrunching my brow makes it feel like my problems might sort themselves out.

“Prince… Grand Prince Ikwon…”

That’s me.

So they say.

Another title is Ye-kyeong.

My name.

Yet another is Hyeonnyeongdang.

Because my residence is called Hyeonnyeongdang.

The title they use most seems to be Grand Prince Ikwon.

“Damn.”

The new name’s pretty grand, so it’ll take some getting used to.

Sure, I was adopted into the Baek clan, but I never really thought of myself as one of them.

The lord of Hyeolyunseong was just my benefactor. I never dared dream of acting like nobility. I was still just a lowly warrior from a border fortress.

They called me a genius swordsman for saving the lord, but that was my place, and I never aspired to more.

My only wish, my entire goal, was to hold my post in Hyeolyunseong, where everything was still intact.

But overnight, I’ve become His Highness the Prince.

“Hm.”

Honestly, that’s not the important part.

“He said he’d kill me if I didn’t protect the kingdom…”

I raise my hand and scratch my head furiously. Maybe because I’m a prince now, my hair feels softer than my old scalp.

“Sacred spirit, my ass. More like a damn ghost.”

That old man—I checked with a eunuch, and it’s the spring of Cheonrok 12 now.

The original me, Baekyeon, died in late autumn of Cheonrok 22.

That means I know the next ten years of history.

Of course, if I intervene and change events, the future will shift too.

But as a prince, meddling in events outside Mokryeo will be tough, so external affairs will likely stay mostly the same.

Internal matters, though, I can play like pieces on a board.

“Let’s see.”

I pick up a nearby twig and sketch a map on the ground.

First, I draw the royal family tree.

The current king, later called King Bonhyeon, has two sons.

The first, Ye-kyeong, born of Queen So. The second, Ye-hwi, born of Consort Wu.

The idea of Ye-kyeong and Ye-hwi vying for the throne was unthinkable before.

That is, until three years ago, when Queen So was deposed.

After that, Consort Wu became queen, and Ye-hwi, a bastard, was recognized as legitimate, changing the game.

The first prince, Ye-kyeong’s influence, shrank rapidly, while the second prince, Ye-hwi, became the likely next king.

Then Ye-hwi awakened a special ability, so naturally, all eyes turned to him.

But there’s no real talk about Ye-kyeong’s abilities. All I know is that the first prince was notoriously useless.

He wasn’t just holed up in his room, so some rumors should’ve leaked out.

Yet there’s nothing. That means his faction worked hard to hush things up…

No matter how I try to spin it, there’s only one reason they’d be so thorough.

It all points to Ye-kyeong having no special ability.

Maybe?

I clench my fist and pat myself down, but I feel nothing unusual.

Even in the first prince’s body, there’s no sign of anything special, so he probably has no ability.

Compared to my original body before I died, the only differences are that this one’s weaker, less stamina, and I hear a ringing in my ears.

The ringing’s annoying but ignorable.

Some kind of illness, maybe?

A prince with a body, so frail he could barely eat porridge, and barely holding it together mentally…

“Ugh.”

What a damn mess. Sure, it wasn’t my problem before, but now I am Ye-kyeong.

Still, looking at what’s coming, this might not even be a big deal.

Just six years from now, the king will leave a will on his deathbed that flips the capital upside down.

“Something’s off.”

While alive, the king ignored Ye-hwi lording over his brother like it was someone else’s business.

But on his deathbed, he threw a stone into the calm court, saying he’d pass the throne to Ye-kyeong.

No, more like he lobbed a pile of shit.

Anyway, that sparked a fight between the brothers. Ye-hwi wasn’t the type to sit quietly while his bowl was snatched away.

And the result, regrettably, was Ye-kyeong’s utter defeat.

He died.

And that’s me.

In the next ten years, I’ll die.

If I sit still, that is.

“Ye-kyeong, huh.”

I look up at the dawning sky.

“Baek suits me better…”

What’s the point of overthinking?

I know the next ten years.

And if Mokryeo is safe, Hyeolyunseong in Seopyeong will be too.

That’s enough.

That’s my entire goal.

If I can recruit future heroes to my side early, the plan gets easier.

Like Jincheon, for example.

It won’t be easy, of course.

To truly change the future, I can’t settle for being just a prince.

I’ll need at least regency power to control things if it comes to it.

And that’s not all. Ye-hwi’s rebellion after King Bonhyeon’s death happened because the succession was unclear.

If I become crown prince early, I can eliminate his cause entirely.

“Help Ye-hwi and make it work somehow… Nah, that’s too optimistic.”

I know it’s better to avoid conflict if possible.

But trying to turn Ye-hwi into a sage king now would be harder than me becoming king myself.

After succeeding in his rebellion and killing his half-brother, Ye-hwi remained a tyrant.

Handing the throne to a guy whose goal was just to sit at the top, eating and drinking, would break my promise to the Founder.

That promise to save this damn kingdom.

He didn’t fight, didn’t negotiate, just dawdled, watching his maternal kin, and ended up ruining the whole country. That’s Ye-hwi as king.

So I have to become king.

What a world…

Being a prince itself matters too. Whether this way or that, I need to stay alive to do anything.

Whether I become crown prince early or late, Ye-hwi’s rebellion will still be treason.

But being ousted as a crown prince who’s done some work is different from one who hasn’t.

Right? If I’d already been crown prince, handling state affairs, kicking me out would be no small feat.

Even if I’m utterly incompetent, as long as I don’t commit crimes, being deposed is near impossible.

So, I need to become crown prince first.

“Crown prince…”

King Bonhyeon only named his heir on his deathbed. I’ll have to push that forward.

I’ll need merit, court approval, and the king’s trust and favor.

But the fact that he doted on the first prince in life is a hurdle. To overcome that and become crown prince…

“Ha.”

I need to be damn exceptional.

But it’s worth a shot.

If I can save countless lives by taking on this mess myself, what wouldn’t I do?

“It’ll be a hell of a grind.”

Suddenly, I think of our lord.

“You’re the third son of our Baek clan. Don’t forget. The path you walk, the deeds you do, the place you die—all will follow your name, Baekyeon.”

Lord.

Can I do this? Even in a prince’s shell, I’m still the same beggar from the streets.

He’d probably say:

“Then don’t do it.”

That kind… Was it kind? More like a silent threat. Anyway, his smiling face is vivid.

“…Right, of course. This Yeon’s an expert at grinding, second to none. Let’s think positive. Yeah, being here’ll make it easier to meet people than starting over in Hyeolyunseong…”

Like the heroes who’ll later make their names ring across the land.

There’ll be traitors too, of course.

Approaching those types will be easier as a prince.

“After rotting in the sticks for 24 years, it’s about time I hit the capital, right?”

Anyone watching might think I’m a nutcase muttering to myself, but I nod.

Then I sense someone and turn my head.

“Your Highness.”

It’s the eunuch I saw the moment I woke here. That middle-aged eunuch.

His name’s Hanseon.

The first prince was notorious as a wastrel, so I doubt he’d have kept close aides, but this eunuch shows no hint of unease around me.

Whatever his story, I’ll figure it out later.

“Oh.”

I turn to face him, propping my left leg on my right knee, and Han’s mouth twitches.

I say, “What.”

Han bows.

“Please mind your decorum.”

I doubt this wastrel lived with much decorum.

I shoot back without thinking, “Since when did I have any decorum?”

Han glances at me, as if used to this.

“What.”

“I humbly submit, though it pains me, I’ll remonstrate a hundred times if needed.”

“Not even an ant passes by here, so what’s it matter how I act?”

Then I hear movement beyond the pavilion’s wall.

Oh. Scratch that ant comment.

Seizing the moment, Han says, “I fear workers and foreign envoys outside the palace might misunderstand Your Highness.”

“Odd. Why are they wandering around here?”

Han’s eyes widen, exasperated.

“His Majesty’s birthday is near, so it’s not strange.”

“Birthday?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Why does a big event like that have to happen right after I’ve possessed this body?

Damn it. Thrown into a battlefield with no time to adjust.

“My memory’s a bit spotty.”

“…What?”

“Maybe I hit my head.”

Eunuch Han’s face paled instantly.

Changing expression is one thing, but shifting face color like that’s no small feat.

If that reaction’s genuine… he was closer to the first prince than I thought.

Unless he’s a spy, betraying me would be hard.

With no other backing, he can’t escape his master’s ruin.

Maybe I went too far, but it’s true.

Right now, there’s no situation bad enough to distrust Eunuch Han.

I can’t guarantee I can act as the first prince without raising suspicion.

I barely know anything about him.

Sure, I know a few big events, but a backwater swordsman can’t pass as a prince with that.

I heard the first prince was no ordinary notorious prince, but even so, acting like me would look odd for a prince.

“I’ll call a physician, Your Highness.”

“No need.”

I waved my hand and head.

“No need? Your Highness’s safety is paramount.”

“I’m fine. Done.”

“But if your memory’s an issue, isn’t that serious?”

“I said I’m fine. You don’t believe me?”

Pretending to be sick’s a pain too.

“Memory’ll come back eventually.”

Of course, it won’t. I don’t have those memories to begin with.

Eunuch Han looked like a dejected old hag.

I quickly changed the subject.

“Why was I sprawled out there?”

When I first woke in this body, I mean.

I was collapsed in a palace alley corner.

With mysterious injuries.

Not life-threatening, but still.

“That’s…”

Eunuch Han started to answer but suddenly gasped and shut his mouth.

“What?”

“No, nothing, Your Highness.”

“What’s that? Keep talking.”

“No, Your Highness. I misspoke.”

Eunuch Han bowed deeply.

I took a deep breath and let it out long.

“Eunuch Han?”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

“Look.”

I pointed to my left eye with my index finger.

My eye was bruised blue, and my lip was split with a scab. Injuries I checked in a mirror right after reaching my quarters yesterday.

That’s not all.

Injuries that only make sense if I got into a fight.

“You really think I don’t want to know why I’m in this state, our Eunuch Han?”

He woke me up and brought me here, so he probably knows something.

Eunuch Han hesitated, as if to answer, but didn’t open his mouth easily.

“Eunuch Han.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Don’t make me ask again.”

“I don’t know the exact details…”

“A eunuch wouldn’t lack for insight.”

“I beg pardon, but Grand Prince Jean’s escort is said to have been rude to Your Highness, I fear.”

“Grand Prince Jean?”

Grand Prince Jean. Second Prince Yehwi.

“My brother?”

“Y-Yes, Your Highness.”

Eunuch Han averted his gaze.

“Not my brother himself, but his escort?”

“Yes, yes, Your Highness.”

A prince got beaten by an escort nobody. I let out a hollow laugh.

Does that make sense?

“Ridiculous.”

I furrowed my brow.

“Eunuch Han.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Do you know why I got beaten by some escort nobody under my brother?”

“I don’t know well…”

“You know well, don’t you?”

Chasing Eunuch Han’s dodging eyes, he gave up and hunched his shoulders.

“Eunuch Han.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Our Eunuch Han knows, right?”

Eunuch Han’s mouth twitched. He knew why I was sprawled in the alley, beaten by an escort.

“That’s…”