The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die

Chapter: 100

Gulp-

They say it\'s better to get it over with quickly, but I couldn\'t help but feel nervous when it was actually time to face the music.

That\'s why I was standing in front of the Wolhan Fortress Lord\'s office, conflicted.

Should I go in, or not?

Should I just go back?

There was no reason to quit bellflower right away, was there? I was still managing for now.

Hmm.

Hmm...

After a brief moment of contemplation, I made up my mind.

Alright! Let\'s just go!

It was at that moment, as I was about to turn back, that I heard a voice from beyond the door.

"Why are you standing at the door instead of coming in?"

I was startled because I didn\'t know he was already aware that I was here.

"Uh, uh...?"

"Please come in."

Damn it.

It was too late to pretend nothing had happened. I swallowed hard, opened the door, and entered the office.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

"Yes, well..."

I felt guilty, so it was difficult to meet his eyes. I looked away and stared into space.

"What brings you here?"

"Well, it\'s..."

My reason for coming was to ask for medicine to treat bellflower addiction.

But the reason I was uncomfortable right now was because of that very bellflower, so how could I bring myself to say it?

Wolhan Fortress Lord offered me a seat.

As I smiled awkwardly and sat down, he said, "Perhaps..."

His tone was as calm as ever. It was hard to predict what he would say next.

"Is there something you find difficult to say?"

...It seemed he had already anticipated everything.

I took a deep breath and answered.

"It\'s nothing much, but I..."

I glanced at the Wolhan Fortress Lord\'s face.

His expression was impassive. I wondered what was going through his mind.

"...I\'m a bit unwell."

I needed to sound as casual as possible, but it wasn\'t easy.

"I\'m a bit unwell, it\'s, uh, well... it\'s nothing much."

I started speaking and then gauged his reaction. There was no particular response.

"I wasn\'t aware that you were unwell. Then, are you saying that you will step down from your command?"

I waved my hand.

"No, it\'s not that. It\'s nothing much, I said. It\'s really not a big deal."

Yes. It wasn\'t a big problem...

"Did you perhaps misuse some medicine?"

The Wolhan Fortress Lord said with his eyes downcast.

This must have meant that he had predicted what I was going to say, right?

Gulp-

"Yes. Actually, there\'s a medicine I use regularly."

"What is it?"

It seemed he wanted me to say it myself. There was still no change in his expression.

"...Bellflower."

The Wolhan Fortress Lord quietly nodded.

His reaction was milder than I had expected. I had even anticipated him threatening to report me to the palace.

"What is the reason? I apologize for my boldness, but you do not seem like someone who needs that medicine."

His expressionless face made me even more uncomfortable. I continued speaking as calmly as possible.

"Have you heard about King Taejo’s supernatural ability?"

The Wolhan Fortress Lord’s eyebrows twitched.

Of course, I knew that Taejo wasn\'t a favorable figure to the natives of the Northern Region. However, clearing up misunderstandings was the priority.

"Yes, I have heard of it."

"Well... actually, I have that too."

The Wolhan Fortress Lord stared at me blankly, as if he hadn\'t heard anything.

Just as I felt like his gaze was piercing through my skin, he spoke again.

"I apologize, but I have never heard that you possess a supernatural ability."

I nodded.

"That\'s to be expected. No one knows."

Actually, it wasn\'t that no one knew. My grandfather, Merchant Guild Leader Shin, and even Eunuch Han knew.

The Wolhan Fortress Lord seemed lost in thought for a moment after my reply. His calm eyes stared straight into me.

"Then, are you saying... that you have been keeping your ability a secret all this time?"

"That\'s right. It was a secret."

"But you have revealed this secret to me."

"Because I don\'t want to be misunderstood."

The Wolhan Fortress Lord slowly nodded.

"Then, have you cleared up the misunderstanding...?"

"How did you know that I knew about it?"

"I overheard it when I came to your office last time."

Ah. The Wolhan Fortress Lord let out a short sigh.

"As I thought."

"So, you don\'t misunderstand?"

"The presence or absence of an ability can be easily proven, so it cannot be false. And if you had misused bellflower, there would be outward signs of addiction, so it is also difficult for you to not be an addict."

"Well, of course."

"Also, since you have stayed in Wolhan Fortress for a considerable amount of time, there is no need for you to prove anything."

Judging from his expression, which didn\'t look very pleased, it seemed like an unpleasant situation. Still, the fact that he remained silent must have meant that he needed me.

It was like a tacit alliance had been formed.

"I don\'t know much about King Taejo\'s ability, but if I were to guess... did you need its pain relief and numbness?"

"That\'s right."

I nodded.

"But there are difficulties in relying solely on medicine." I added awkwardly, "It\'s not good to be noticed by others either."

"Indeed, if the effects you seek are pain relief and numbness, I can see how there would be inconveniences."

The Wolhan Fortress Lord seemed to have made up his mind.

"Then will you help me?"

The answer I had been waiting for came.

"I will prepare the medicine for you."

"Thank you. But could you also tell me how to make the medicine?"

"While you are in Wolhan Fortress, I will manage the preparation of the medicine. Do not worry. When you return to the capital, I will have the recipe delivered to your eunuch."

It was unexpected kindness, but I couldn\'t just take it at face value.

My return to the capital would only happen when Wolhan Fortress was completely safe, so his words meant that I shouldn\'t even think about leaving until the problem was resolved.

Nothing was easy.

But since I would be returning to the capital eventually, it wasn\'t a bad offer.

"And."

"Yes?"

"I found the person who tampered with the prison under Elder Son Gye-du\'s orders."

The WOlhan Fortress Lord’s eyes widened. However, he didn\'t seem too surprised.

"If you point them out, I will interrogate them."

"I want a confession."

"Yes, of course, I will get a confession."

“Not a confession extracted through torture."

"Do you have a plan in mind?"

"For now, I\'m going to keep him close. Is there a need to get a confession urgently?"

"There is nowhere Son Gye-du can go or anything he can do. There is no need to rush."

"Alright."

After having my say, I observed the Fortress Lord’s expression.

There was no change compared to before I mentioned the bellflower. So I still couldn\'t read his thoughts.

* * *

I returned to my quarters and sat at my desk. I knew it would be useless, but I decided to write a letter to send to the capital.

Just in case the palace changed its mind and decided to send support...

After writing a few lines, I tilted my head back.

"Ah. What am I hoping for?"

Perhaps they were hoping I would die here.

That way, the second prince would easily ascend to the throne. It was lamentable that the court had been taken over by his cronies.

Indeed, there would be quite a few people eagerly awaiting my death.

But then again, King Bonhyeon was going to pass the throne to the first prince eventually.

I couldn\'t understand why he made such a decision when he was nearing the end of his life and would eventually have to support me.

"He\'s truly an incomprehensible person."

As I grumbled to myself, I heard a sound from the window.

Thud-

"Hmm?"

Was it something blown in by the wind? I ignored it and picked up my brush again, but then I heard another sound from the window.

Thud-

I had to check it out after the second time. Thinking it must be Gon, I opened the window.

"Why didn\'t you open it sooner!"

As expected, it was Gon. It was a mystery why it was waiting for someone to open the window when it knew how to open not only windows but also the main gate.

"I was writing a letter. Why?"

Gon ruffled its feathers and replied, "Why bother writing when you won\'t get a response even if you send it a hundred times? It seems you have forgotten that paper and time have value."

This impertinent bird-brain.

"Hmm, maybe your time has no value."

"No food for you today."

"Cawww!"

Gon flapped its wings, scattering black feathers.

"Didn’t I tell you to stop doing that? Now I have to clean the room again because of you."

"Hmph, cleaning the place where you live is something you should do every day. And you, a mere human, cannot give orders to me. To bring up food as a threat... You cunning creature. There are principles that intelligent beings must uphold!"

"There\'s nothing to uphold."

"Indeed, you\'re not an intelligent being, so you wouldn\'t have any principles. You foolish creature. How pitiful."

It was being extra annoying today.

I narrowed my eyes and glared at it.

"Why are you acting like this today? Did you eat something wrong?"

"Ahem, ahem, I didn\'t eat anything wrong, but I did hear something interesting. You\'ll faint on the spot if you hear what I\'ve learned."

"What did you hear? Earn your keep."

Lately, all this guy did was eat a hearty meal and then poop a hearty amount.

It was commendable that it had picked up that piece of cloth from the servant Eulgeum\'s clothes last time, but it had accomplished nothing else.

"I saw the old man you\'re after talking to a suspicious, shady-looking man."

"Old man? Son Gye-du?"

"That\'s right."

Suspicious, it says.

Although Gon’s way of speaking was strange, this guy never said anything wrong. It had the same discerning eyes as a human.

Ah, of course, I couldn\'t take Gon’s opinion on fashion seriously.

"Who was he talking to?"

"I don\'t know."

"Then what do you mean by suspicious?"

"His face was covered by a black cloth. You proudly show off your face, so why was he hiding his? If he wasn\'t trying to hide it, what other intention could he have?"

"That\'s surprisingly logical."

"How dare you ignore me. You insolent creature."

Gon bit my hand. Meanwhile, I stared blankly into space.

A suspicious masked person... It was indeed suspicious.

I held Gon with both hands and said, "Tell me exactly what he said. In detail."