The people struck by the raining arrows turned into hedgehogs. A woman who was fleeing in a panic stumbled and fell, caught on a root. King Sohyeon rushed over and beheaded her with his sword. Since it didn't come off in one stroke, he repeated the motion two, three times, severing her head. King Sohyeon presented the head to the eunuch, who proudly displayed Sohyeon's catch by impaling the head on a spear. Sohyeon spoke to the eunuch in a cheerful voice, "My first catch."
"Is that all you can be pleased about?" teased King Jinyeong with a hearty laugh, prompting a sulky response from King Sohyeon in an immature voice.
"Just that, brother?"
"It's too early to be pleased with just one."
The hunting grounds, with its open fields and dense forests, created considerable distance between King Jinyeong and King Sohyeon, requiring them to raise their voices for conversation. Consequently, their calm and cruel conversation naturally pierced Kang’s ears. Kang raised his buried face and saw the woman caught by King Sohyeon. The corpse of the woman, with her severed neck fully exposed, hung from a high tree root.
Kang's expression turned sickeningly weary as he saw the woman, who had to die cruelly just because she was a citizen of the fallen kingdom. His hand gripping the reins trembled with tension, and he felt powerless, like a dry tree. King Jinyeong's expression grew stern as he observed his younger brother, seemingly weak.
"Kang."
Despite his affectionate tone and gestures, King Jinyeong's gaze was stern.
"This hunt is to gain approval from Father, but do you think you can participate while being so weak? If you want to fulfill your role as a prince, you must discard unnecessary sympathy. They are not people here. They are animals. If you continue to behave like this, Father will no longer see you as a prince or a son."
With deliberate intent, King Jinyeong halted his speech, scanning Kang with a cold gaze as he curled his lips disdainfully. Kang's pupils remained resolute.
"You're nothing more than a pet that Father finds cute. Just a creature that's cute as long as you're adorable."
Kang looked at his brother with a sullen gaze, his lips twitching with particular emphasis on the reddened ones. There was still lingering affection in Kang's eyes toward people.
"People are people. Not animals."
"So you're just going to run away like this?"
King Gyeonghye, who had been silent during the conversation, interjected. Despite his clothes, he was dressed flamboyantly, radiating a dazzling white happiness more blinding than the sunlight. King Jinyeong frowned as he observed King Gyeonghye, who stood out with his commanding presence and laughed with an authoritarian attitude.
"Fine, if you're scared, run away. It suits you. You're just a useless pet hiding in Father's embrace, doing nothing."
"I'm not a useless pet."
King Jinyeong placed his hand on Kang’s shoulder. Kang shrugged it off. King Jinyeong chuckled as he wiped his cheek as if the stubborn Kang was cute, saying, "If you were a pet, you'd be cuddled up in Father's embrace right now, but here you are with us."
Feeling besieged by both of his brothers' words, Kang bit his lip hard. The back of his hand gripping the reins turned white. Despite everything, knowing that he had his brothers and family here, Kang restrained himself and calmly spoke.
"You have quite a way of insulting someone."
"Insult? What insult?"
King Gyeonghye locked eyes with Kang, his eyes slightly tinged with warmth, creating a beautiful contrast against his handsome yet stunning face. With an indifferent gaze, King Gyeonghye pulled the reins. His attendants and guards followed suit, automatically stepping back.
"If you're going to leave, now would be a good time. Hunting only gets rougher as it progresses."
King Gyeonghye commanded shortly, "Let's go," and moved further inward. Kang's gaze turned towards the emaciated belly, protruding grotesquely. Calling it pitiful would be an understatement.
And if the only means of gaining recognition was through such methods, he wouldn't do it. If proving oneself required killing another person, it wasn't necessary. If there were a legitimate justification, he might have fought against people, but not now. The pleasure of killing had to disappear. He had learned that in Hanyeong-jeon, and Kang was moving according to that standard.
"Do you really think killing for pleasure is justifiable?"
Kang asked subtly, and King Jinyeong murmured, stroking his chin.
"Theory and reality are always different. Then let me ask you the opposite."
Turning his back to Kang and facing him directly, King Jinyeong raised both hands to his shoulders.
"Do you think the current situation is good? Act wisely. Why are you hesitating to act, even though you know you cannot become the crown prince? If you were born as the Emperor's son, you should fight us openly. Why do you hesitate and fear, trying to please Father?"
"But... I don't want to fight against my brothers."
"Don't adapt to the situation."
King Jinyeong cut him off decisively, patting Kang's flushed cheek. He then spread his arms and embraced Kang, whispering in his ear.
"Don't adapt to the situation and become tame. Each person has their own path. It's solely up to you to choose."
"I understand."
Kang asserted his will by separating himself from his brother. He still glanced nervously at King Sohyeon, then turned resolutely to King Jinyeong.
"But I don't want to earn recognition by taking innocent lives. I should hunt animals in the traditional way."
"Kang."
"I know what you're concerned about, brother. But I'll handle this situation in my own way. I want to consider methods like killing later."
Kang walked towards the waiting horse, Baram. When the horse saw Kang, it neighed happily and nudged its head forward. Kang gently patted its head, eyes lowered. His leather boots, stained with dirt and blood, were also a precious gift from the Emperor.
"I find myself contradictory. Unable to kill a person, yet I have to kill innocent animals like you...,"
Kang murmured with a heavy breath as he hugged the horse's neck.
"It's pathetic and contradictory, but I have to do it. Since I can't run away anymore. So please don't call me unlucky."
The horse rubbed its face against Kang's cheek as if to reassure him. Kang couldn't help but chuckle at the familiar smell of hay and the strong breath from the horse.
The arrows stored in the quiver were almost depleted. They had been consumed in hunting down people who couldn't run like deer. King Gyeonghye, checking the remaining arrows by hand, glanced back. He saw his three favored attendants and three guards, along with scattered soldiers standing by to protect him.
"Hey."
"Your Majesty?"
King Gyeonghye commanded the uneasy attendant beneath his horse with a stern voice.
"Dismiss all the guards. Including yourselves."
"Yes?"
"I said dismiss them. Can't you understand?"
Gyeonghye spat out the curse with an elegant smile on his face. It sounded less like an insult due to his smooth and dignified tone. After belatedly noticing Gyeonghye's furrowed brow, the attendant realized he was being ordered to leave and retreated with the guards. In the damp forest, there were courtiers and officials who were there to serve and honor Gyeonghye as the crown prince. They approached him naturally. Gyeonghye dismounted and headed towards a clear stream, sitting on a protruding rock to wipe the blood off his hands. But it wasn't easy to clean. Tsk, he clicked his tongue and wiped his hands on the shadow cast by his foot.
"The priest still refuses to speak?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Anyway, the palace is overflowing with useless people. Like the priest or those incompetent advisors."
His intentionally hushed voice was low and coarse. Despite nearing early summer, the water was as cold as ice. Gyeonghye, who reflexively shrank his shoulders from the cold starting from his fingertips, turned his head at the warmth gently settling on his shoulder. It was General Jo-Woon, who had removed her ceremonial jacket and draped it over Gyeonghye. She used the darkness as a curtain to illuminate her face with a blush. Gyeonghye glanced at her indifferently, then tossed the jacket aside. Joyun picked it up from the floor with a somber expression.
"You're Song’s person now, you shouldn't treat me like this. I told you not to follow me."
"But I want to be with Your Majesty."
Jo-Woon’s face flushed, but she had said all she wanted to. As a general to King Jinyeong, she was a fearsome woman who had killed many on the battlefield. Yet, seeing her groveling like a puppy with just one word, one glance, was both amusing and somewhat endearing. Gyeonghye laughed aloud, clapping his hands on the rock as he chuckled. With a delicate softness, Gyeonghye tilted his head and smiled, causing Jo-Woon to sparkle as if she had seen something enchanting.
King Gyeonghye clicked his fingers, and Jo-Woon hurried over. Not only Jo-Woon, but two generals also approached one after another. King Gyeonghye positioned them behind his back like a shield. From the outside, only the backs of the three could be seen, with King Gyeonghye sitting among them, wiping blood away, invisible.
"We need to clear away the most annoying obstacles first to move forward, but this stubborn boulder doesn't seem to want to budge."
King Gyeonghye muttered as he kicked the stone with his leather shoes. With his kick, the stone, which had been resisting, was finally dislodged. Looking at where it had been embedded, it was surprisingly deep. The part that had been buried seemed larger and more solid compared to the visible portion, indicating it had been entrenched in the ground for a long time. King Gyeonghye stood up and kicked the stone like a beast. It splashed into the stream, making a sound.
"I want to become the crown prince."
Watching the faces of the three as if observing their facial expressions, King Gyeonghye opened his arms and gathered them in. They were the servants who had been with him until now. Jo-Woon was a woman who loved him, General Gyeonghojin was a general raised by his grandfather, and the one on the far right was the son of Bo Go. They smiled as King Gyeonghye embraced them.
"We should start by removing the most irritating one."
King Gyeonghye said, looking at General Gyeonghojin standing firmly in the middle.
"Let's start with Song."
A bird flew overhead. It was pierced by an arrow and fell to the ground. In an instant, the three closed their mouths and looked around where the arrow had come from. There was only a life form confirmed by dots, with no distinction between male or female. King Gyeonghye pushed aside the three who were standing still and walked towards the dying bird. Not far away, the bird's corpse was visible. He checked the arrow's feathers. A black background with a red pattern. It was Kang's arrow.
Kang was always skilled with a bow. He could catch flying birds in an instant and effortlessly capture unseen prey from atop a galloping horse. However, he didn't particularly enjoy it due to his inherent nature. If he wished, he could even aim at King Gyeonghye's neck.
King Gyeonghye opened his mouth and let out a subdued laugh.
"Next, shall we target Kang?"
With a beautiful smile, King Gyeonghye looked at Kang, who was approaching from a distance.
"Sending only Song might make him lonely. It would be perfect for brothers to warm each other in the afterlife."