91.
If they had intended to make him the heir, they should have assigned people to protect him. Even if some of the elders were vehemently opposed, leaving him so defenseless was an incomprehensible action.
No, that’s by normal people’s standards. A typical father with affection for his child, that is. Ruhan would probably consider this just another test for Yu Jin to overcome.
‘Thinking about it that way, it’s a bit pitiful.’
But Grey’s sympathy ended there. He wasn’t the type to jeopardize a mission out of pity for someone. Today, Yu Jin would be bound to Lyunne here. If that happened, Ruhan might abandon Yu Jin, but even that was within Grey’s range of expectations.
That monster wasn’t immortal after all. Once he dies, opportunities would arise. Grey smiled, raising the corners of his mouth.
The party at the Roeng Duke’s family was no different from any other party. Only the scale was different, but the sequence of events was almost identical. With Lyunne right beside him explaining everything, it was easy to participate.
“Is it alright if you don’t go see your family?”
“It’s fine. Anticipating this, I gave Father plenty of congratulatory words before the party started.”
Lyunne’s face looked incredibly innocent as she said this. Yu Jin had tried to distance himself because it felt burdensome, but Lyunne wouldn’t budge no matter what he said. Meanwhile, people were gathering around them. Most were men of marriageable age, and seeing them made Yu Jin’s head ache already. It wasn’t difficult to predict what would happen next.
“Good evening, Lady Lyunne. It’s been a while, Lord Yu Jin.”
A man with a clean-cut appearance greeted them.
‘The eldest son of the Marquis Mellock family.’
Although considered inferior to Lucid, they were still a marquis family. This meant they had the power and wealth befitting such a title. Moreover, he was also after Lyunne. The youngest daughter of a duke’s family who was of marriageable age, supported by her family, intelligent and beautiful. It was natural for numerous noble men to pursue Lyunne.
Hector, the eldest son of the Marquis Mellock family, was no exception.
“Hector, it’s been so long. Have you been well?”
Lyunne greeted Hector with a smile. Hector kissed the back of Lyunne’s hand and looked at Yu Jin. Yu Jin wanted to ignore him but knew he couldn’t.
“Yes, it’s been a while.”
“The last time we met was at the funeral, wasn’t it?”
To be precise, they had briefly seen each other at Yu Jin’s mother’s funeral. Because his father wanted to monopolize his dead mother entirely, Asha’s funeral wasn’t a proper ceremony. After the superficial event ended, the true funeral was held in a space only his father knew about.
‘I cried a lot back then.’
Few people comforted the child grieving the loss of a loved one. What expressions did Pamina and Azeth have when they saw Yu Jin like that?
‘They smiled.’
Seeing them, Yu Jin realized the terrible future that awaited him. The child deliberately showed a misaligned appearance and struggled to survive by recklessly using his body. Few people would know this fact. Hector was also young then, so he probably only saw Yu Jin crying and suffering. Yet, the fact that he deliberately brought up that time made his intentions clear.
What should he do? Should he shout and get angry? Or should he subtly provoke the other side like they were doing? While Yu Jin was contemplating, Lyunne stood close to him.
“So you met at the funeral. How sad. If I had been there, I could have been by your side, Yu Jin.”
It was Lyunne who provoked Hector on Yu Jin’s behalf.
“Thank you. Your words are a great comfort.”
“Not at all. It’s only natural.”
Lyunne looked up at Yu Jin with gentle eyes. Yu Jin also fabricated a similar gaze, causing Hector’s face to crumple. Although he quickly composed himself, Yu Jin clearly saw that expression.
“By the way, have you prepared a gift for the Duke?”
Hector swiftly changed the topic. He probably knew there was nothing to gain by continuing this subject. They could pursue it further, but that would only tire both parties. After all, Hector wasn’t the only man after Lyunne. So Yu Jin also answered compliantly.
“Yes, I have prepared one.”
“Our family has acquired the Fairy Crown, said to have been made jointly by dwarves and elves in the past. It was extremely difficult to obtain due to its high value and rarity. What did you bring, Lord Yu Jin?”
“I don’t know. The family head prepared it for me.”
“Oh, then it must be something extraordinary. But for someone who’s supposed to be the heir not to have even checked the gift…”
Hector seemed determined to pick a fight with Yu Jin somehow.
“You’re right. I’ll reflect on that.”
But with Yu Jin responding like this, Hector couldn’t openly provoke him. The conversations with other nobles after that weren’t much different. Most acted as if they couldn’t wait to belittle Yu Jin, and only a few wanted to have a proper conversation. Although Lyunne helped by his side, dealing with such people exhausted Yu Jin’s spirit.
“Phew.”
Lyunne seemed to feel similarly to Yu Jin. She let out a long sigh and tapped Yu Jin’s arm with her finger.
“Shall we go to the balcony for a bit of rest?”
“Just the two of us?”
“I’m fine with it not being just us.”
At those words, Yu Jin’s gaze naturally turned to Jinhyeon and Keith. Having heard their conversation, Jinhyeon nodded.
“Then let’s go.”
“I’ll guide you. I know a balcony where hardly anyone goes.”
The balcony Lyunne led them to was at the end of the hall. It was already in a secluded spot, and with the curtains drawn, it certainly seemed like people wouldn’t come here. Who would want to hide at a duke’s family party? Anyone with enough power to be here would have something they wanted.
Lyunne, who had first drawn back the curtain and headed to the balcony, beckoned to Yu Jin. Yu Jin, without much thought, followed her lead onto the balcony. And then, the very next moment.
Crash!
Simultaneous with the sound of something breaking, the entrance to the balcony darkened. The curtain blocked the light from the hall, and gray smoke that appeared from somewhere obstructed the door.
Yu Jin had thought something might happen, but he didn’t expect it to be like this. Lyunne was leaning against the balcony railing, looking at Yu Jin.
“Lyunne.”
“Yes?”
Lyunne answered, tilting her head.
“Do you believe such a shallow trick will help your future?”
“What if it does?”
“I’d like to tell you it’s a mistake. That door will be breached soon.”
Soon, Jinhyeon or Keith would try to break through the door. And even if they couldn’t, it didn’t matter. Where were they? In the hall just inside, numerous people were gathered to celebrate the Duke’s birthday. Surely one of them would know how to breach this.
“Ah. I thought of that too.”
Lyunne peeled herself off the railing and slowly approached Yu Jin. Even though she was a woman shorter than him, he didn’t feel like he could win. To begin with, he was a person who had recklessly used his body, so he lacked strength compared to the average adult male. On the contrary, Lyunne had the skills to easily defeat an ordinary adult man. If she tried something, Yu Jin would likely be unable to stop her.
Yu Jin stepped back as Lyunne approached, fumbling in his pocket. Weapons or magical tools weren’t allowed into the party. There had been thorough inspections at the entrance of the hall to prepare for any contingencies, but Yu Jin had smuggled in just one thing. It was something Tulin had procured for him, which magicians called a “surprise bead.” It was named so because it made a loud noise when thrown and broken.
‘It’s a useless item.’
In the past, when there were more monsters, it was used to herd them for hunting, but even that didn’t last long. Better items came out. There were many means to lure monsters, and among them, loud noises weren’t very helpful. They could attract unwanted monsters too.
‘But why is this necessary?’
‘We need something. They say this doesn’t get caught in magical tool inspections, right?’
‘The magic in it is so minimal. Plus, it’s not a lethal weapon. An elderly person might have a heart attack from such a loud noise, but even that probability isn’t high.’
‘I’m going to use it to call for help.’
‘That? Wouldn’t it be better to use something that emits light along with sound?’
‘I heard those contain more magic.’
‘That’s true.’
‘This will do.’
At the time, he had said that and obtained a box, but would it really be helpful? Surely the smoke blocking the balcony door wouldn’t block sound too? As Yu Jin was observing, he quietly took out the bead. Seeing this, Lyunne’s expression immediately hardened.
In fact, there was one more reason why he had asked for this bead. It looked exactly the same as the beads that explode when thrown.
