The moment Huiseung murmured it in a deliberately grave tone, Huian understood. Why the imperial house had sent him the proposal. It was surely the Empress’s influence. To keep the prince from producing an heir, they’d deliberately chosen him as the crown princess. No doubt.
“If I were the prince, I’d never accept this proposal.”
Huian said it with a faint smile.
“No, that’s not so.”
Huiseung said at once.
“The crown prince will have no choice but to accept. They chose you because of the curse.”
At the word “curse,” Huian felt his heart sink coldly on its own. Without realizing, he glanced at Huigeon’s face. Of course, Huigeon didn’t stir. He only kept gazing down at the desk, expressionless as ever.
“A curse? What do you mean?”
At Huian’s question, Huiseung began with “as you know,”
“The prince campaigned against Gwonryong three years ago. His merits there earned him the crown princeship.”
Igang was seventeen then. And the Juwon forces under Igang not only drove the invading enemy from the borderlands but pushed into Gwonryong territory itself. There, Juwon’s troops killed everyone in sight and burned villages. That they slaughtered even civilians so mercilessly was surely meant as an example.
“They likely burned countless dragon temples then too. Their priests say he’s earned the dragon’s wrath and curse. There’s no way to break it, but if they bring a bong — which eats dragon hatchlings — he’ll suffer no more harm, they say—”
“…that’s what he said.”
In short, it was a bolt from the blue.
“And in Juwon, choosing the crown princess is originally the Empress and Empress Dowager’s share. The prince can only follow.”
Having said that much, Huiseung closed his mouth a moment. Then, with a low sigh, he continued.
“My thought is, the Empress likely knows Prince Jinhyeon’s story quite well.”
Huian agreed. No matter that Hye sat at the continent’s southern tip, no matter that it was a small state trifling compared to Juwon, it held a fairly important position among the vassals. The envoys from Juwon at Myeongseong alone were dozens daily. There was no way they hadn’t heard the whispers even the palace servants gossiped about. It would have reached the Empress’s ears intact, of course.
“That she chose you despite that means there’s a reason.”
The cold voice belonged to Huigeon. Having said so, he looked at Huian.
“What will you do.” Huian couldn’t understand why he bothered asking him.
“Does my opinion mean anything in this situation.”
Huigeon didn’t answer. He just propped his chin on one hand, head tilted, gazing at Huian. Looking at that unreadable face, Huian suddenly regretted it. He had to go anyway — he should have just said “yes, I understand, I’ll go.”
Hiding his discomfort, Huian asked Huiseung in his usual calm tone,
“If I go, what does Hye gain.”
“They’ll lower the share of taxes and corvée collected yearly. And likely Juwon will man the border watch against Gwonryong.”
The latter was expected. Gwonryong, crushed in the war with Juwon three years ago, had been quiet a while, but rumors said they were stealthily rebuilding forces. If they waged war again, the target would likely be Hye. Everyone guessed the order: swallow this side to grow stronger, then march on Juwon again.
“If we marry into Juwon, Gwonryong will have to hesitate for that alone. But if their army stations west and guards the border region, we’d be all the more secure.”
Even so, Guso, the borderland with Gwonryong, suffered frequent raids and rampant crime, and the people’s hardships were severe. Hye’s soldiers guarded it, but were outmatched by the increasingly brazen bandits and criminals. If Juwon’s army took the border watch, they’d quiet the rampaging bandits and watch the west’s movements — beneficial to both nations. And to escape heavy taxes and labor — from Hye’s standpoint, not a bad deal. No, strict—
Strictly speaking, it was a great gain. Sending one royal who was as good as nonexistent and gaining this much — however you looked at it, it was manifold profit. Of course, that royal’s life couldn’t be guaranteed.
“If my going helps Hye, then of course I should.”
I shall follow Your Majesty’s will. Having said so, Huian rose and bowed and turned before the king even told him to withdraw.
And just as Huian was about to leave the study—
“Huian.”
At the voice calling him, Huian turned without thinking. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Huiseung but Huigeon who called him as he rose.
“If you need time to think, I’ll give it.”
In that instant, Huian thought: the one who needed time was the king, not him. Though the conclusion would be the same.
“No need.”
Pointless deliberation was a waste of time. Huian said it firmly and left the king’s study.
“You’re back.”
Arriving at Jodamhyeon, Wiryang hurried over to greet him. Offering to help him change, Wiryang’s mouth kept working — he looked dying of curiosity about why the king had summoned him. Finally, when the changed Huian headed to his room, Wiryang brought tea as if waiting and said,
“Your Highness, by the way, His Majesty…”
“Brother.”
Before Wiryang could set the teacup down, the door opened and Huimin burst in noisily. Seeing him rush in pale, Wiryang quickly vacated. The moment Wiryang left, Huimin seized Huian’s shoulders and said,
“I just heard at the temple. From Juwon — a marriage proposal came from Juwon. It was already circulating in the temple before I knew — I must have heard it from our fourth brother, who’s a priest. I can’t understand why everyone else knew before me about my own affair, but whatever now.” Huian answered in his usual calm tone,
“Yes.”
The answer seemed too short for the matter. Lest Huimin feel awkward, Huian added with a forced smile,
“Live long enough and all sorts of things happen.”
“You didn’t accept, did you.”
This time, genuine laughter burst out.
“Yes.”
“What happens if you don’t accept.”
“Please, think again.”
Huimin said, collapsing into a chair.
“You’re not going as a prince, you’re being sold as a talisman against evil.”
He’d rushed so hastily his white headpiece was half off. Come to think of it, they’d said all the palace physicians were on emergency because the king’s third son, Seongwu, couldn’t keep food down and only vomited. Huimin, as head physician, must have gone days without sleep watching the third prince. That he’d rushed here to Jodamhyeon on hearing the news — Huian was grateful to his fifth brother, and said in a deliberately calm tone,
“Who’d pay that much for a mere talisman. Don’t worry. I won’t be treated as a proper crown princess, but they’ll handle me like a precious object.”
“That’s because you don’t know the prince’s nature.”
The prince won’t accept you kindly. Huimin was nearly weeping.
“What kind of man is he. At seventeen, he led soldiers into Gwonryong, laid the country waste, burned every temple.”
“Brother. That happened because Gwonryong invaded Juwon first.”
Huian said calmly.
“The prince was subduing the enemy and rode that momentum across the border. The massacre was likely to make an example. So they’d never—”
“What’s important about that now!”
Huimin shouted, cutting Huian off.
“Do you know the crown prince of Juwon is such a brutal, cruel man! If Gwonryong invaded first, that has nothing to do with our side. And if Gwonryong invaded first, does that justify killing innocent people? Moreover, isn’t he one who serves the black kirin, the Gakdan tribe? Kirins have since ancient times cherished even a blade of grass if it’s living. How can one who serves the kirin be so cruel?”
Huian trembled as he denounced the prince. Knowing Huimin’s nature, one more word and it’d be “why do you keep siding with the prince, the wedding hasn’t even happened and already you’re like this, raising a brother is useless,” and he’d end up weeping alone from sorrow. It had already been an unusually tiring day, and not wanting to make more work, Huian quietly shut his mouth and just listened.
“Now do you understand. How fearsome the prince is. No need to bring up the war. Just look — he’s devoured two wives in three years.”
Suddenly Huian pictured a great black kirin gaping its mouth and swallowing two women whole. A kirin, who cherished life above all, devouring people—
It was definitely grotesque and horrible.
Of course, the prince “devouring” his brides was only a metaphor. But if, as Huimin said, he truly was that cruel and vicious, then two crown princesses dying in three years didn’t seem like mere coincidence. The two might have suffered abuse from the prince, mental or physical. But…
“They won’t do that to me.”
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