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Chapter: 113

"A golden opportunity has presented itself. If not now, it will never be. This is your chance to take action, General."

So Ik-Gyeom furrowed his brow. He had been careful to keep a low profile for many years, ever since that fateful day twelve years ago. He hadn\'t raised his voice once.

Yet, as if to attack him directly, Shin Gwiryung made this sudden, outlandish suggestion.

"You\'ve never reached out to him, have you? What good is it being his only grandson if you\'ve done nothing for him?"

He calmly responded to the unexpected taunt.

"There was nothing I could do."

But his outward calm didn\'t reflect his inner turmoil.

A still pond remains calm only because no new ripples disturb its surface.

He was like a pond where the influx of new water had been artificially blocked. But stagnant water eventually rots.

Shin Gwiryung had thrown a stone into that rotting pond. It was only natural that great waves rippled through his heart.

"You know it yourself," he said, as if venting his frustration.

"You know that just by approaching him, my intentions would be misconstrued. You know that the closer I got to him, the farther he would be pushed away from the King. How can you say such things?"

A drop of water fell from Shin Gwiryung\'s drenched hair.

It rolled down her cheek, looking almost like a tear.

So Ik-Gyeom knew that she was not a woman who cried easily.

Seeing tears rolling down the cheeks of someone who would never cry, no matter what, seemed almost surreal.

"So what? Does that excuse you? No matter what excuses you may have, the fact remains that you never once embraced the child who lost his mother. It was those lonely days, abandoned in the cold Hyeonnyeongdang Hall, that made him the way he is."

Images of the cold, desolate Hyeonnyeongdang Hall involuntarily appeared in his mind.

Yegyeong had moved into Hyeonnyeongdang Hall after the Queen\'s death. Before that, he had lived in the East Palace.

Although he had not been officially named Crown Prince, he had been treated as the heir apparent.

"You know as well as I do that he wasn\'t always like that."

From the East Palace to Hyeonnyeongdang Hall. For Yegyeong, who was too young to understand, it had simply been a move to a new residence. But for others, it was a signal that they no longer needed to be kind to him.

Overnight, the palace servants who had smiled at him and reached out to him had changed their attitudes.

The young prince was too young and innocent to understand this changing world.

"He was a weak and fragile child. He would cry at the slightest thing, and then he would smile brightly if someone offered him a piece of candy. Wasn\'t that him?"

So Ik-Gyeom sighed, feeling a deep sense of frustration.

The other party was well aware that he had intentionally neglected Yegyeong after the Queen\'s death. He had no choice. He couldn\'t afford to lose his grandson too, as revenge was not a solitary pursuit.

So Ik-Gyeom glared at Shin Gwiryung with resentment.

"You\'re trying to make me feel guilty. You have no other goal; you just want to stir up my emotions."

She nodded readily. "You\'re right. So what?"

She scoffed.

"What difference does it make if you can see through me?"

There was no difference.

Despite her irritating words, tone, and expression, he felt even more miserable because he knew he couldn\'t refute her.

“……Since you know my feelings so well, you must understand my situation.”

When he resignedly replied, Shin Gwiryung looked at him with contempt.

"Get to the point. Sending my private soldiers is a crazy idea, but you\'re not a gambler."

She nodded.

"Is there a solid reason now?"

“Yes. His Highness was attacked,” she confirmed.

So Ik-Gyeom’s eyes flickered. He slowly blinked.

He felt manipulated, but there was nothing he could do to avoid it. Hadn’t he already admitted to himself?

“Is he alive?”

He asked cautiously, but the reply was delivered in a nonchalant tone.

“Of course. If he were dead, would I be here?”

“Yes, I suppose not…”

So Ik-Gyeom chuckled bitterly.

“You’re such a cold-blooded person. You have no interest in anything that’s broken beyond repair.”

Cold-blooded. Her mother was a courtesan. Her father, having risen through the ranks with the support of his wife’s family, had kept Shin Gwiryung hidden from his wife\'s view.

Then, one day, she had suddenly turned on her father, blackmailing him and taking his wealth.

With that money, she had established a trading company that had become the present-day Pyeonggwang Trading Company.

Since even her parents were mere tools to be exploited, a mere general was nothing more to her.

Perhaps she herself was a tool.

Yet, that was what had driven her to build the Pyeonggwang Trading Company. So who could blame her for her coldness?

“You’re saying we should use His Highness’s crisis as an opportunity.”

“We can’t let this chance slip by. How often do opportunities like this come along? Make a wise decision.”

So Ik-Gyeom sighed deeply.

At least, the fact that she had approached him like this proved that Yegyeong wasn’t facing an insurmountable crisis.

However, mobilizing his private army was still a concern.

Just like twelve years ago, his actions would have far-reaching consequences. To request his soldiers, he would have to mention the proposal he had previously rejected.

More than anything, he was worried about drawing the King’s attention again.

“I understand the urgency. But I need time to think.”

“General,” Her expression changed dramatically, like a mask had been removed. “You’re mistaken.”

Shin Gwiryung frowned, unable to hide her irritation. It was rare for her to show anger, though not as rare as her tears.

“You have no choice, General.”

Hearing those words, So Ik-Gyeom remained silent for a long time. Finally, he bowed his head.

Watching him, Shin Gwiryung said impatiently. She was surprisingly impatient.

“Will you refuse?”

“Why do you push me into a corner like this?”

“I’m simply seizing an opportunity. That’s the difference between you and me.”

“So you’re a gambler, aren’t you?”

“A gambler? General, there’s nothing in this world with a guaranteed outcome. Do you think I’ve never failed? Even you, who was once called an invincible general, have failed, haven\'t you?"

Splash, splash-

So Ik-Gyeom could only hear her footsteps as she turned and walked towards the door.

“……Yes, that\'s right. You\'re right. Everything is merely a tool to you. You have no compassion, no warmth. If you were cut open, instead of blood, molten iron would flow."

No, that wasn’t true. If she were truly heartless, she wouldn’t still be obsessed with avenging the Queen after all these years.

Feeling guilty for his harsh words, So Ik-Gyeom’s heart sank.

It was all his fault. He had ruined so many lives.

‘If only I had never entered the palace.’

He regretted it. Though he was now called a general, he hadn’t always been in such a position.

He had worked hard, and his victories had brought him fame. With each victory, his reputation had grown.

And then he remembered the King’s words: “You are too greedy.”

He hadn’t realized it was a warning at the time.

"He should have stopped there. He thought he was fighting for the country, for the royal family. But he was the only one who thought so."

The king had envied him and had wanted to bring him down. His innocent daughter had been used as a tool.

Being called a general was now unbearable. Ironically, his position was to command the king\'s personal guard.

The king knew his weakness all too well. As long as his bloodline lived in the palace, So Ik-Gyeom would never raise his sword against him.

"I... I don\'t know where I went wrong."

His voice was weak. Shin Gwi-ryeong replied, still looking at him with disdain.

"Even if you knew, you couldn\'t change it. It\'s too late."

With a creak, she opened the door and looked out, saying, "But you don\'t know. It\'s only while you\'re alive that you have a chance to fight back."

That was as good as a goodbye. She left the guest room immediately.

So Ik-Gyeom remained in the guest room for a long time, lost in thought.

He didn\'t eat a meal and simply pondered. He calculated his next moves in his mind.

How could he avoid the king\'s wrath? How could he prevent a conflict between the two princes?

How could he...

It was as if he were playing a game of chess against himself. He was so deep in thought that he didn\'t realize day had turned into night.

The next morning, he emerged from the guest room, looking pale. A servant who saw him was so startled that he almost tripped.

Ignoring the servant, So Ik-gyeom went to a room he hadn\'t entered in a long time. It was where he kept his armor and swords.

Clank-

He took down a sword from the wall. The familiar weight and feel of it filled his hand.

It felt strange to be holding it again.

He took the sword and ordered a servant to prepare his armor.

Then, he visited the homes of the officers who had previously offered him their troops.

A few days later, news spread through Wolhan Fortress that General So and his soldiers were heading to the northern border.

"General So... my grandfather is coming?" Yegyeong exclaimed in shock. The spoon he had been using to eat his porridge clattered to the floor.

The prince, who was usually as docile as a lamb at mealtime, was clearly very surprised.

Heo Seokgyeom, who had come to deliver the news, picked up the fallen spoon.

"Yes, Your Highness."