They don’t like me.
Why? What’s the reason?
I need to know why so I can do something about it.
If it’s because they see me as a mad prince, the solution is simple. I just show them I’m not. It’ll take time, but the method and results would be certain.
But monitors? Surely they didn’t assign people to watch me because they’re afraid I’ll break dishes or furniture.
At this rate, they’ll follow me to the outhouse.
I was so overwhelmed by this lavish treatment that I felt like I’d go insane.
Of course, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but if they keep treating me like this the whole time I’m here, I really might lose it.
“What a grand reception, isn’t it, Nangjang Yu?”
When I asked, Yu Geung whispered back, “Yes, Your Highness. I was just thinking the same.”
As expected, Yu Geung was straightforward.
Since I ran into Yu Geung on my way to see the Lord of Wolhanseong, I planned to have him accompany me as an escort.
At least on the way to the inner castle to meet the lord alone, I could be free from the soldiers’ surveillance for a moment.
“The lord has summoned only Your Highness.”
But as soon as I reached the hall housing the lord’s office, a guard separated Yu Geung from me.
I asked, incredulous, “What?”
“My apologies, but it’s an order from above.”
Even when meeting the king, they don’t go this far. So, is the Lord of Wolhanseong above the king?
Sure, inside, I’m someone who’d not only kneel but grovel before a lord, but as a prince on the outside, this treatment crosses a line.
I replied with a twisted smirk, “Is that the Lord of Wolhanseong’s will?”
The soldier only repeated his apologies. I got that he was sorry, but did the lord herself say so? I never got an answer and entered the hall alone.
The path to the lord’s office was heavy with tension. Servants passing in the corridors walked with heads bowed low, as if afraid of being noticed.
Is this normal? Is something going on?
They seemed unwilling to meet my eyes, so I didn’t bother stopping a busy servant to ask.
I soon learned why the inner castle’s atmosphere was so subdued.
It was the moment I reached the lord’s office.
“Are you suggesting we send him back, Elder?”
“Keeping him here will only cause trouble. Yes, send him back!”
The voices were loud. Didn’t they know I was coming? One was the Lord of Wolhanseong’s, the other belonged to someone I didn’t know.
Send who back?
“The elder council meeting is over.”
Her voice was stern.
“Go back.”
She sounded like she was suppressing anger.
“If my lady doesn’t oppose the elders’ will, why would I, So Gyedu, not comply?”
Then came a thud. Unmistakably, a fist hitting something—furniture, not a person.
Hmm, it seems So Gyedu and the lord are arguing. She didn’t seem like the type, but the Lord of Wolhanseong has a fiercer temper than I thought.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Leave now.”
A huffing sound grew closer, and the door swung open. A man appeared from within, his eyes meeting mine.
He looked startled, then his face crumpled.
“Grand Prince… Your Highness?”
A new face, but he recognized me. Good enough. I nodded. His face scrunched up like discarded paper.
“I’m here to see the lord. She’s inside, I presume. Could you step aside?”
He bowed deeply and moved aside. Who knows what he was thinking. I spotted the Lord of Wolhanseong beyond the open office door.
Her expression was complex. When our eyes met, she stood. I grabbed the doorframe, lingering as if I’d stay there.
“Seems I came at a bad time.”
“No, Your Highness. Not at all.”
I’m not beneath the Lord of Wolhanseong, but I haven’t fully shed my old habits. I felt like closing the door and quietly leaving.
“I can come back later, no problem.”
The lord’s face looked utterly exhausted. I spoke bluntly.
“You requested my presence through my father, so call me when it suits you.”
“I’m grateful for your consideration, but how could I make Your Highness come twice? Once is enough inconvenience.”
I let go of the doorframe.
“Come in.”
In front of her desk was a table, likely for guests. The lord moved to it. I sat in a chair at the table.
“I apologize for showing you an embarrassing scene.”
Fighting with family in front of outsiders is humiliating, isn’t it? Embarrassing? Having no family to fight with, I wouldn’t know.
“I’ll think of it as a family matter and forget it.”
The lord let out a sigh-like breath.
“I’m deeply grateful.”
In the north, especially the frontier, blood ties are said to be paramount. An elder would be her kin. Their poor relationship suggests a serious dispute.
I couldn’t ask what they were arguing about. If it’s something I need to know, she’ll tell me.
“Shall we get to the point? I’ve heard little from my father about the situation.”
All I knew was my delegated authority and that magical beasts were appearing at the northern border, which Wolhanseong has long defended.
The lord didn’t respond immediately. She hadn’t expected me to ask so directly.
But expecting eloquence from a former beggar like me?
After a moment, she spoke.
“Our castle has always been a place where magical beasts appear.”
I knew that. I nodded.
“I know.”
“You likely know that this northern castle’s history is shorter than the southern frontier’s.”
By northern standards, even Seopyeong is southern. Few castles are as old as Hyeolyunseong. So, her words were correct.
“Hmm.”
“Except for the southwestern border, no place needed a castle and fortress more than Wolhanseong. You likely know why.”
I nodded.
“Too many beasts to even clear the land.”
“Yes, Your Highness. The beasts’ invasions required walls, and walls needed soldiers, so fortresses were necessary. But building walls was difficult, fortresses were hard to construct, and gathering troops was challenging. Before this castle, the frontier was a barren plain without a single city.”
No cities, no kingdom. The frontier was home to barbarian tribes. The Mokryeo Kingdom’s writing, language, and clothing reached them a century after the kingdom’s founding.
“But we adapted and held on.”
“Saying that means something’s gone wrong with what you’ve maintained.”
The lord’s expression darkened.
“Indeed.”
It’s no small matter. Yet, Wolhanseong seemed quiet to my eyes, even though the border was visible from the walls.
“I need more explanation. It’s hard to grasp how serious this is.”
A shadow fell over the lord’s face.
She spoke in a grim tone.
“We’ve already ordered several villages near the walls to evacuate.”
The villages outside?
The most vulnerable were being driven out. Having lived a beggar’s life, my heart ached a bit.
“Where did they go?”
“They’ve formed settlements within the castle.”
There’d be friction there too. The beasts need to be driven out quickly to restore their places. But there was another unfortunate fact.
It was the farming season.
Mobilizing a large force wasn’t feasible.
I shifted the topic slightly.
“The most recent battle with the beasts?”
“Three days ago.”
Three days. Not long ago.
That aside, for someone who plastered monitors on me, the lord spoke candidly.
I thought the monitors were because of my reputation as a mad prince, but does she only feel uneasy when I’m out of sight?
“If I’d come three days earlier, I could’ve seen and judged the situation. A pity.”
She looked surprised. Was it that odd for me to want to see a beast fight?
“Seeing it with your own eyes would be better than a hundred explanations in this room.”
She had a point.
“As you say, seeing it myself would help me understand the situation better.”
“If you’re not opposed, I’ll take Your Highness to the site.”
“Let’s do it.”
That concluded the discussion on the situation for now.
Something else came to mind.
“One more thing I’d like to ask.”
“Speak.”
Her demeanor was calm, but considering the monitors, who knows what she was cursing inside.
My reputation as a mad prince was likely part of it.
It’s all Ye-kyeong’s fault, this mad prince… Why do I have to bear it? It’s unfair.
But I’d bet my reputation isn’t the only reason for the monitors. There’s definitely something else.
They wouldn’t treat someone they requested, someone here to help, like this otherwise.
“Answer casually, no big deal.”
But my words made her tense. Her face stiffened.
Is she pretending not to know? It won’t work.
“This is my first day, but aren’t you putting too many people on me?”
Her response was unexpected.
“Putting people on you? What do you mean?”