It meant, “Since you’re in front of the Eighth Prince, please shut up.”
But Ogwang seemed to ignore the “Eighth Prince” part and, fussing, snatched the handkerchief from Sahyeon, pressing it firmly against the blood on his face to wipe it clean.
“I really won’t go back to the cockfighting ring again!”
Despite knowing he shouldn’t say that now, he blurted it out.
“Shh!”
Sahyeon quickly hushed him and glanced nervously at Dan Ijae.
He saw Dan Ijae smile.
It wasn’t exactly a friendly smile but more of a smug grin, as if he had caught a weakness.
But Sahyeon wasn’t in a position to care about his dark intentions.
He just smiled back, pretending not to notice.
“Well then.”
Dan Ijae stepped forward again.
The scent of lotus flowers, which had been teasing his nose, suddenly grew stronger.
Sahyeon pushed Ogwang’s annoying face away and looked up at Dan Ijae.
Perhaps because he managed to calm himself, or because Dan Ijae was standing with the sunlight behind him, making his eyes less clear, he wasn’t suddenly overwhelmed by nausea this time.
“It’s not that difficult to request an audience with His Highness.”
Or maybe because he saw the white falcon that had been sitting quietly on the eaves silently swoop down into the yard and start wandering around.
He tried to look directly at Dan Ijae, but his gaze kept drifting toward the bird, especially since it kept nodding its head teasingly as if it was about to peck at ‘that.’
Dan Ijae clicked his tongue and lightly grabbed Sahyeon’s chin. Only then did Sahyeon steady himself and look back at him.
“Is it alright to arrange the audience? If you roll your eyes like that in front of His Highness, your head might just roll.”
“Well… that is…”
Feeling like he needed an excuse, Sahyeon looked back toward the white falcon.
The bird, which had been cautiously watching, finally snatched ‘that’ with its beak.
“Is that really okay?”
“What?”
When Dan Ijae turned his head, he caught sight of the falcon biting into Sahyeon’s freshly cut wrist and flapping its wings.
Dan Ijae released Sahyeon’s chin and hurriedly grabbed the falcon’s neck.
“Spit it out!”
—Squawk!
“Damn it! Once you taste human flesh, you’ll start with my eyeballs!”
—Squawk!
“Can’t you let go?”
—Squawk!
A fierce struggle ensued as Dan Ijae tried to pry the falcon’s beak off the wrist it was firmly gripping.
The bird, stubbornly fixated on the wrist, only spat out the grotesque piece after the innkeeper brought a bloody piece of pork.
Then, clutching the meat in its beak, it flapped away.
Sahyeon cautiously approached and plucked a white feather stuck to Dan Ijae’s head.
Though he offered a gesture of goodwill, the only thing returned was Dan Ijae’s sharp glare.
“Huff… Well, whether your head rolls before His Highness is none of my business.”
Still, seeing Dan Ijae change his mind after trying to pick a fight twice meant Sahyeon had benefitted from the falcon twice today.
Spinning the white feather between his fingertips, Sahyeon thought that if things went well, he’d buy fresh meat with his first salary to feed the bird.
“So, you’ll arrange the audience…”
“If His Highness has interest in Chaegong, he’ll call for him. I have no reason to persuade His Highness.”
“Of course, Your Highness. Just let us know if the request for the audience is approved.”
Dan Ijae frowned at something Sahyeon said, but without further words, he roughly brushed the feather off his clothes and started to turn away.
Then he stopped again, his fingers nervously touching his temple.
“Let me give you one last piece of advice.”
Sahyeon stepped forward quickly, ready to listen.
Dan Ijae sighed unhappily and nodded toward Ogwang.
“Don’t let that one into the palace.”
Then shaking his head, he left the inn.
Sahyeon turned to look at Ogwang, who was holding the dirty handkerchief tightly with an innocent expression.
Ogwang, with his ungainly build, nervously twiddled his fingers and cautiously spoke.
“Did I make another mistake?”
“No, Oh-hyung (older brother). You didn’t make a mistake; you did something wrong.”
Ogwang shrugged his shoulders deeply.
Sahyeon had many things he wanted to say, but as soon as the tension eased, he lost the strength to speak.
No matter how many times he warned him not to gamble, to be careful what he says around strangers, Ogwang always forgot and repeated the same mistakes.
So Dan Ijae was right: for Ogwang’s safety, he must not be dragged into places where mistakes are unforgivable.
Of course, no matter how much Sahyeon explained this, Ogwang would nod in understanding but then cause a scene wanting to enter the palace on the day it mattered.
So it was easier to cut it off quickly.
“Because of you, I almost got dragged by bad people and got humiliated in front of the Eighth Prince. Honestly, even if we sever our brotherly ties today, our late teacher would understand.”
“Hyun-ah! I was wrong, so don’t say such scary things. Even though the teacher is gone, if you leave me too, how am I supposed to live alone?”
Let’s just overlook that he’s saying things he shouldn’t at his age.
“Do you want forgiveness?”
“Yes, Hyun-ah. I’ll do anything. Please forgive me.”
Sahyeon glared at him coldly and pointed to the door of their room.
“Then don’t take a single step outside this inn until I say it’s okay.”
Perhaps because he was often scolded by the teacher, Ogwang faithfully obeyed punishments without question.
Sahyeon decided to restrain this troublemaker first and then deal with more important matters…
Suddenly, he wanted to run away.
Even if Ogwang stayed at the inn waiting for Sahyeon and became like a stone statue.
“I will, I absolutely will.”
Whenever he felt physically and mentally exhausted, this urge arose.
But since he knew he really couldn’t abandon Ogwang, that was probably why the teacher entrusted him with him.
“Now that the two scholars’ friendship has been seen, shall we clean up this mess? Oh, Your Highness, you could’ve just let the falcon keep the wrist. Why throw it in the yard?”
No sooner had the conversation ended than the innkeeper intervened.
The wrist, already covered in blood, now showed beak marks and looked even more gruesome.
“I’ll handle it! Hyun, you go rest in the room.”
Good-natured Ogwang grabbed his wrist with bare hands and tossed it into a sack.
While the innkeeper dragged Ogwang around making him do small chores, Sahyeon trudged to the well.
After washing his dirty face and returning to the inn, he noticed the footsteps of guests for dinner scattered over the bloodstains in the yard.
For people used to war, such bloodstains were probably nothing to avoid.
But Sahyeon disliked the sight of it, so he covered the stains with fresh dirt.
***
On the east side of Jeonghangung (政翰宮), where the King of Pasa resided, was Unkyungung (雲敬宮), where the king’s children, including Taejeonggong, lived.
Originally, after Taejeonggong was appointed, it was customary to grant fiefs or houses to the remaining princes and princesses and have them move out of Unkyungung.
However, the current king kept his older children confined within Unkyungung and was reluctant to let them go.
Perhaps it was because he intended to tighten Taejeonggong’s life until the very last moment when he would naturally pass away, fiddling with the cards he held in his hand.
“I saw General Yeom looking for you; were you outside the palace?”
As soon as I entered the main gate of Unkyungung, I came face to face with the ‘actual master’ of this palace.
Taejeonggong DanKyeong.
If you consider their age difference, she was more like a mother than a sister.
This formidable elder sister waved her hand and spoke kindly as soon as she noticed Dan Ijae.
Unable to ignore her, I approached, and in front of her, two soldiers were struggling to string a longbow.
“What did you bring that out for?”
“I haven’t been hunting lately, and my shoulder’s stiff, so I thought I’d stretch a bit. But the bowstring had already deteriorated.”
Since the longbow was taller than most people, there was naturally no need to use it inside.
Seeing her deliberately take it out, dust it off, and replace the worn string meant she must have been feeling quite stiff or had someone she wanted to shoot at.
Most likely… it was ‘that person’ residing in Jeonghangung.
The soldiers, having just tightened the string, tested it by drawing the empty bow.
The strong bowstring rarely yielded to their hands.
DanKyeong, as if satisfied, took the longbow from the soldiers and suddenly held it out in front of Dan Ijae.
Dan Ijae raised her eyebrows slightly and accepted the longbow.
“Try pulling it.”