108.
Rector clicked his tongue as he greeted the bird that had returned with news.
“What a foolish disciple.”
Life is lived only once, he could have lived as he wished. Worrying about and cherishing the other person, only to have them snatched away by some random guy.
‘Jinhyeon, huh.’
From what he heard, the place where he was first discovered was a desert. At that time, he couldn’t fight properly, but now they say he’s become strong enough to defeat knights.
“A genius, perhaps.”
He’s not even that young, yet his progress is so rapid. If he had encountered swordsmanship earlier, he would have become even more remarkable than he is now. It would have been quite enjoyable to fight him then.
His own disciple was also quite talented, but not to the extent of being called a genius. Still, he was better than the average person. Especially the intense rage he harbored deep in his heart was remarkable. Enough to make Rector want to take him as a disciple.
As he tickled the bird’s chin and scattered some feed, it flew happily towards it. While he was leisurely watching this, a familiar voice came from behind.
“Rector.”
As he turned around, a man with a shiny bald head was glaring at him.
“Oh, Aksen.”
Rector smiled, pulling up the corners of his mouth.
“I heard your disciple came back defeated this time?”
As he spoke teasingly, Aksen’s shiny head turned as red as a boiled octopus.
“Watch your mouth!”
“I didn’t say anything particularly offensive.”
Rector shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly. Seeing this, Aksen’s fists clenched, but he didn’t lunge at him. The Twelve Zodiac members right below the leader of Leviathan were not allowed to fight each other without permission. That’s why Aksen was just fuming like that.
“Every time I talk to you, I feel my anger rising.”
“Oh my. It’s because of your nasty personality that you get angry so often.”
“Rector!”
“I can hear you without you shouting. So, why did you come looking for me?”
There was no reason for Aksen to seek out Rector first unless something was up.
“The leader has summoned us.”
“Me?”
“You and me.”
At those words, Rector narrowed his eyes.
“Come quickly.”
Aksen shuddered and disappeared first. Rector scratched his chin and followed behind Aksen. As he slowly moved his feet, the surrounding scenery changed in an instant. And soon after, he found himself standing before the leader.
“We are here to see you, Leader.”
“We are here to see you.”
As Rector echoed the end of Aksen’s words, Aksen glared at him as if he wanted to kill him.
“How disrespectful!”
“I think you’re being more disrespectful by raising your voice in front of the Leader.”
Rector calmly replied while looking at the leader. Anyway, the leader knew well that this was Rector’s personality, and thus often overlooked his small disrespects. And today was no exception.
“That’s enough.”
Aksen made an aggrieved expression, but the leader didn’t react further.
“So, why did you call us?”
The leader answered Rector’s question.
“There’s a mission you need to carry out.”
“Do I really have to do it with that guy?”
“I know you two don’t get along, but it’s necessary. Rector, you excel in combat skills, and Aksen specializes in stealth and illusions. So, cooperate with each other this time.”
“…We’ll try to cooperate.”
“We’ll do it.”
And so, Rector and Aksen received their mission from the leader.
As Lucid’s party drew near, numerous people came in and out of Yu Jin’s mansion. Costume makers, shoemakers, jewelers, beauty experts, etiquette teachers, and so on. Every space that had been left empty due to the small number of people compared to the size of the mansion was now being filled with goods. In this situation, gifts from others poured in like a flood. He had experienced something similar before, but this time the quantity seemed to be several times more.
The fortunate thing was that there were additional staff members, including Parsen. Parsen skillfully sorted through the gifts and sent back those that seemed inappropriate. Thanks to this, Haruna and Keith could focus on their own work.
“This is overwhelming.”
When Yu Jin spoke as if he was disgusted by it, Parsen replied.
“This is moderate. When you eventually move into the main house, even more gifts will come in.”
Although the rank was limited to viscount due to not having direct royal bloodline, no one would dare to disregard Lucid. This was because they possessed such power, money, and strength. To think that he would become the head of such a family. Had he perhaps thought something wrong? Yu Jin let out a small sigh as he watched people coming and going in the garden.
Regardless of Yu Jin’s feelings, the preparations proceeded steadily. And time flew by quickly, and the day of the party arrived. Ruhan sent a carriage drawn by six white horses and a group of knights to the mansion. With knights already at the mansion and additional ones being sent, the procession became excessively grand.
“…It feels like everyone around is staring at us.”
As Yu Jin spoke as if already tired, Haruna, sitting opposite him, smiled slightly.
“Nobles usually like to show off.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I don’t particularly like it either. But it can’t be helped. It’s such an important day after all.”
Haruna tried to comfort Yu Jin.
“I know. That’s why I’m enduring it.”
Yu Jin leaned against Jinhyeon sitting next to him. He felt so nervous that he wanted to throw up, so he wanted to find some stability like this. Then Jinhyeon held Yu Jin’s hand tightly. As he felt the warm touch, his stomach seemed to settle. Then he looked at Keith. After Haruna’s warning, Yu Jin deliberately stayed closer to Jinhyeon and observed Keith.
If Keith was going to explode someday, he wanted to hasten that time.
‘I was wrong.’
When he received Keith’s confession, he should have been more clear. It was too late to regret now. While lost in these thoughts, the running carriage came to a stop.
“We have arrived.”
As the door opened, the sight of knights lined up on both sides came into view.
“Welcome, heir!”
Amidst the resounding cheers, Yu Jin stepped out. He returned to the mansion he had fled from, now being welcomed. It was a new feeling. Yu Jin walked slowly between the knights. For now, he was being treated well due to Ruhan’s power, but someday he would have to achieve all this with his own strength. So he decided to steel his heart.
As they reached the entrance of the mansion, a familiar face appeared.
“Welcome.”
The head of the family, Ruhan, had come out to greet them personally.
“I greet you, Master.”
Yu Jin politely greeted him and headed to his old room. Since the party was to be held later, Ruhan told him to rest until then. The room Yu Jin had used when he was young was neatly tidied up, but nothing had changed. Even the box containing toys he used to play with was still there. Jinhyeon looked around the room with an interested expression. Then he discovered a portrait covered with cloth.
“What’s this?”
“A portrait drawn when I was young.”
“Can I look at it?”
“Sure.”
Jinhyeon immediately pulled away the cloth. The large frame revealed underneath showed a woman with a gentle impression and a small child.
“You were cute when you were young too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I wish I could have seen you in person then.”
“What would you have done if you had seen me in person?”
Yu Jin chuckled and sat on the sofa. By now, Haruna and Keith should also be in their rooms. They would come to fetch him when it was time. As he gently closed his eyes due to fatigue, he felt someone sit down beside him.
“If you’re sleepy, why don’t you lie down on the bed?”
“Maybe I will.”
No sooner had the answer fallen than Jinhyeon picked Yu Jin up and laid him on the bed.
“The bed is a bit small.”
Jinhyeon grumbled as he lay down next to Yu Jin.
“It’s because I used it when I was young.”
“Since it’s small, we need to be closer.”
It’s not that small. Yu Jin laughed, understanding Jinhyeon’s intention. The room he had returned to after a long time didn’t feel as bad as he had thought.
Not long after Yu Jin fell asleep, maids burst into the room. They woke Yu Jin up and polished him until he shone. The maids at Yu Jin’s mansion were quite skilled, but these were on a different level. Their skills were so good that when they finished dressing him up, he looked as if an angel had descended to earth.
Jinhyeon, who had also been dragged away by the maids like Yu Jin, looked at Yu Jin with a surprised expression. Then, not long after, he furrowed his brow.
“It’s a bit too much.”
“Too much?”
“Yeah, you’re so pretty that I’m worried others might covet you.”
At those words, Yu Jin unconsciously slapped Jinhyeon’s back with his palm.
“Others can hear you!”
“So what if they hear?”
Jinhyeon smiled softly and kissed Yu Jin’s forehead. It was just that, but somehow his forehead felt ticklish. This proper romance, a first in his life, felt so good. After finishing all the preparations and walking down the corridor, the outside that should have been dark was bright. It was because of the lights hanging here and there in the garden. Thanks to this, the endless stream of incoming carriages was visible at a glance.
“Are you nervous?”
Jinhyeon, who was walking hand in hand with Yu Jin, asked.
“No, maybe because I slept well. I’m fine.”
“That’s good then.”
It was fortunate that Jinhyeon was there. The two also joined up with Keith and Haruna midway. Keith was also wearing clothes with more decorations than usual, and Haruna was wearing a long dress. Although she usually said long clothes were uncomfortable, it seemed she had no choice for the party.
