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Chapter: 114

Rustle-

Startled by the sound of the falling spoon, Gon, who had been curled up in a corner, lifted its head abruptly.

It glanced between me and Commander Heo, before returning to his sleeping position.

"Uh... why?"

What a strange question.

"No, it\'s not so much why he\'s coming... but how?"

The general leaving the capital? What on earth had he done?

I didn\'t think the king would let him go willingly. After all, weren\'t the two of them natural enemies?

"Does His Majesty allow the general\'s departure?"

"I haven\'t heard of any problems with the general\'s departure."

Well you could technically find any reason but… it was hard to believe that a high-ranking official like the general would be allowed to leave without any conditions.

"Why is he coming?"

"Don\'t you know?" Heo Seokgyeom asked as if I should know.

Why are you asking me that? Don\'t pick on someone who\'s sick. It\'s so unfair.

"...I don\'t know."

Heo Seok-gyeom sighed softly.

"Why are you sighing?"

I tried to scold him, but it was useless. He ignored me and continued.

"General So is, privately, Your Highness\'s grandfather."

Huh?

Everyone knows that.

“That’s why I said grandfather just now.”

"Yes. But why are you asking about his reasons?"

Heo Seokgyeom paused and looked at me.

He looked at me as if I should know something I didn\'t, then bowed his head.

"I apologize. I misspoke."

"Why?"

I was genuinely asking, but Heo Seokgyeom didn\'t explain.

"Why? What is it? I don\'t know. Give me that."

I pointed to the spoon Heo Seokgyeom had picked up.

“...It’s just that I misspoke. And you can’t use that. I’ll bring you a new one. Please wait a moment.”

“If it was just a mistake, why can’t you just tell me? I don’t understand. Whatever, do as you please. But don’t bother getting a new one, just give me the spoon and let me eat.”

“How can you use something that fell on the floor? ... It\'s not appropriate.”

Why won\'t he give it to me? I reached out to grab it, but he hid it behind his back and ran out of the room. I stared at the door blankly and scratched my chin.

So my grandfather, a general, is coming here.

"Is that a good thing?"

"How could it be?"

I heard a voice scoff from the corner.

“You startled me.”

“As if you weren’t expecting it.”

Gon, who had raised its head as soon as Commander Heo left, flapped its wings and jumped onto the bed.

"Are you a chicken?"

It glared at me.

"How dare you compare this noble being to a mere chicken."

Well, you eat the food I give you, so I don’t see the difference.

But I didn\'t say it out loud because it would probably just peck at me.

"Think about it. With a head that\'s dozens of times bigger than mine, how can you not think? Is your head just a pot for growing hair? Is it for decoration? If it\'s for decoration, there\'s no reason to make it so heavy, so why don\'t you just take it off? It would be cooler in this hot weather."

I felt annoyed for no reason.

"Are you crazy? Why are you picking a fight? If you\'re going to pick a fight, go back to sleep."

"If I opened up your head, I\'d find a clump of noodles instead of a brain. How frustrating! How pathetic! Your grandfather is coming to help you, and you\'re asking silly questions like why he\'s coming and if it\'s okay?..."

I waved my arms to shoo it away, but it didn\'t do much against a creature with wings.

Gon flapped its wings, dodging my attack, and settled back on the edge of the bed.

"You should be glad he\'s coming. You should be relieved he\'s coming, even if it\'s dangerous. You\'re the only blood relative he has left in this world. How could he just sit in his manor when he hears you\'ve been injured? How can you be so clueless? How can I not know what you don\'t?"

It sounded exasperated.

"And that\'s not all that\'s frustrating. A prince, no less! You need to be more aware of your status. You\'re a direct descendant of the Ye family, destined to be a great prince or even a king. And you have magical powers. You should act like it."

Usually, I wouldn\'t just take insults lying down. If I had, I probably would have been beaten up less in Blood Cloud Fortress.

Well, that was before the fortress lord adopted me and I became a soldier.

Anyway, I usually wouldn\'t just let someone talk to me like that...

But as I listened to Gon rant, I felt strange even though it was clearly insulting me.

"Just because you rush into things doesn\'t mean it\'s always the right thing to do. What if you die? What about your followers who came with you? What about the lord of this fortress? Don\'t you think about the consequences?"

I tried to argue, but it wasn\'t wrong.

If I died, the nobles from the capital who followed me would be blamed for failing to protect me. They would definitely be punished.

I should try to minimize the trouble I caused.

"And what about them? Do you think they won\'t care if you die?"

"Huh?"

Of course... they wouldn\'t be happy. They would probably be punished, right? And they\'d have to find a new leader, which would be a hassle.

If I died suddenly, there wouldn\'t be time for a proper handover.

"Do you think I wouldn\'t care?"

Gon’s voice was filled with anger. I mumbled a reply.

"I guess not. What was it you said? You said you needed me around to talk to people, right? Oh, and you said you were losing your memory, too."

When I said that, the creature started trembling. It seemed to be so angry that it couldn\'t control itself.

But why was it so angry? It had already yelled at me enough. If anyone should be angry, it\'s me, considering it had just insulted me.

Maybe it was something to do with its injury.

"Are you hurt somewhere?"

"Ha!"

Gon let out a loud scoff. I was completely baffled.

"You\'re the biggest idiot in the world. That\'s why everyone in the palace looks down on you. You\'ve been sleeping on the streets for so long, you\'ve turned into a beggar."

I could ignore the first part, but this was a bit too much.

"A beggar?"

"Yes."

"...Do I really look like a beggar?"

"Are you just realizing that now? I thought you were finally acting like a human being."

My jaw dropped in shock.

So that\'s how I looked... I looked like a beggar...

And Gon continued.

"A prince? A great prince? Ugh... as far as I\'m concerned, you\'d be better off working as a stable boy on some farm."

I was so shocked, I just stared blankly into space.

Goni flapped its wings.

"I\'d rather die than see you die. You\'re such a reckless idiot."

I felt so defeated. I wasn\'t usually so easily discouraged.

"Well, what do you expect from a reckless fool? Tsk, tsk..."

After venting for a while, it suddenly fell silent.

After a moment of silence, it said something unexpected.

"I\'m sorry."

Gon suddenly apologized and flapped its wings, flying back to its nest in the corner.

It was nothing more than a pile of my old clothes, but it curled up inside and prepared to sleep again.

A little later, Heo Seokgyeom returned with a new spoon.

I stared at the shiny new spoon and resumed eating.

As I ate, I occasionally glanced at the nest where Gon was making soft breathing sounds.

Its black feathers rose and fell intermittently, revealing patches of bare skin.

It was a shame it had to go through this hardship just to follow me when it could have lived comfortably in the palace.

Today was a day when I hadn\'t taken my bellflower tea, so I could hear its irregular breathing very clearly.

I knew it wasn\'t really asleep, but I didn\'t say anything.

I let it pretend to be asleep.

* * *

At the same time, in the capital city.

The king was alone in his private study, deep in thought.

His mind was filled with what had happened yesterday.

"Why don\'t you greet me?"

Late yesterday afternoon, the king had visited his private study. General So Ik-Gyeom had requested an audience, so he had to meet him.

Even though he had given So Ik-Gyeom the position of general, he had not granted him a private audience for a long time.

He desperately wanted to refuse, but there was no good reason to do so, so he had to accept the request for an audience.

But for the king, So Ik-Gyeom was always an uncomfortable and unpleasant person.

So, with a heavy heart, he finally met the general after a long time. But the general did not greet him.

He simply bowed his head low, making it impossible to see his expression or know what he was thinking.

That\'s why he asked that question.

And the answer was just as unpleasant.

"Your Majesty, considering that everything I have is due to your grace, it would be nothing more than a selfish desire for me to greet you and ask after your well-being. How could I dare to show such audacity in your presence?"

"Look up."

The general finally raised his head, and their eyes met.

Surprisingly, the general looked much older and frailer than he remembered.

"Well, what do you want to see me about?"

He didn\'t want to look at the man\'s face any longer than necessary, so he wanted to get straight to the point and send him away as soon as possible. But the audience lasted longer than he expected. And it wasn\'t unpleasant.

It was because of one answer the general gave to his question.

"Although I have lived thanks to Your Majesty\'s grace and the nation\'s favor, I believe it is best to spend my old age in nature. Therefore, I wish to quietly leave this place. Just as a flowing river does not look back, I too wish to leave without a trace."

If the general wanted to leave the capital of his own accord, there was no reason to stop him.

So Ik-Gyeom had endured humiliation, knowing full well that the king had stripped him of his position as a mockery and a threat.

"However, if I could end my days with a bit of nostalgia, there could be no better ending."

The deep sense of weariness that had clouded the king\'s face disappeared, and a happy smile appeared. It was a smile he hadn\'t worn in a very long time.