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Episode 56
Nine breads. Shit is still shit; it can’t become doenjang (6)
Irein continued to breathe calmly, waiting for her prey.
Franz had taught Irein a great deal in a short time.
As he said, Irein had a god-given talent.
No matter what weapon she gripped, she handled it as if she had held it and wielded it her whole life; she could move it however she wished. She could control the force and timing freely.
‘How can I do this?’
‘Because it works?’
‘Does this make any sense? How on earth did you do that?’
‘How am I supposed to explain? You want me to explain how I breathe?’
‘What you did isn’t something that comes as naturally as breathing…’
Because she had never exercised, her body had almost no muscle. Normally she should have lacked the strength to sustain those moves, yet Irein did them as if it were nothing, without much strain — which was strange.
Irein had actually assumed, deep down, that Franz wasn’t that strong and she’d be surprised by him.
Or that he might be showering her with exaggerated praise just to encourage a student.
But that wasn’t the case.
When Irein didn’t believe him, Franz—feeling wronged—took her to the guild headquarters. There, Irein met friends Franz had introduced and received instruction from them.
Among them were people as thin as Irein who worked alone as mercenaries. They all acknowledged that Irein’s talent was not ordinary.
At the time she’d been so happy. Irein thought she could leave her father, go off traveling with Franz, and live independently.
Such an innocent thought.
If Franz hadn’t died she might still be dreaming.
A habitual tear fell from Irein’s eyes.
I’m sorry, Franz. I’m truly sorry.
Irein thought herself lucky.
She had no mother, but she had a father who loved her twice as much, and she had lived feeling loved. Even if something was wrong, she believed there was no doubt about the depth of that love.
But the moment she stepped outside the mansion, doubts started to sprout in Irein’s heart.
Was what her father felt for her really love?
Was it really for her?
Her father habitually told her she could do whatever she wanted, but in truth there was nothing from head to toe that she could choose for herself.
Was that really love?
‘You know how obsessed the duke is with your sister, right.’
Irein no longer could tell. But she no longer had to wrestle with it.
Franz had died because of her, yet what he had taught remained entirely with Irein. She would avenge him with the sword he had bought for her, and atone with her life.
With every breath her head cleared and her vision brightened.
She felt she could do anything. Right now she felt unbeatable.
“Irein, it’s me.”
It was Seth’s voice. Irein deliberately did not answer.
A hunt is most likely to succeed when the prey doesn’t notice.
Seth wouldn’t suspect that Irein intended to harm him.
There was movement outside the door. Irein waited for the moment the door opened and sprang forward. She seized the throat and slammed him against the wall.
His weight was heavier than expected and she felt as if her arm might snap, but she convinced herself she was simply weakened from before. As she drew the blade to stab at his heart, a familiar voice came from behind her head.
“Prince Mark!”
“Ugh! Hah!”
The one Irein had slammed into the wall was not Seth but Mark. Irein twisted the point of her blade. The sword passed across his chest and lodged between Mark’s arm and torso.
“You bitch!”
At the same time, a heavy fist struck Irein’s face.
She braced with her feet and, turning her head, glanced at the terrified, flustered Seth. A savage gleam lit up his eyes. Seth swallowed.
The first attack had failed, but the sword was still in Irein’s hand.
To finish the hunt she had to take Mark out first. Pretending to fall, Irein grabbed his arm, threw her weight onto him and, dangling on him, kicked his ankle.
No matter how big a man is, the ankle is relatively narrow. When dealing with a large creature it is advantageous to bring it to the ground.
Before Mark could even understand what had happened, he fell in a pathetic heap. Irein interlaced her fingers around his head and struck down hard. The hilt struck his skull with a thud.
Mark collapsed with his eyes wide open.
“Your Highness! Irein, what, what did you—?!” cried Seth.
“…….”
Whatever Seth yelled, Irein first checked Mark’s breathing. Luckily, he was still alive.
Irein slowly rose and looked at Seth. Her expressionless face was cold and hard.
Seth trembled, afraid that Mark might be dead. His father had promised not to remove him from the line of succession if he treated the prince well.
He’d been placating to avoid making his father upset; if Mark were dead—then—
‘I’m a dead life.’
He needed to avoid responsibility. Seth screamed like a madman.
“Do you even know what you did?! Don’t you know who that is?”
“None of your business.”
“What….”
Irein?
Only then did Seth realize something was wrong with Irein.
Irein’s blue eyes were unfocused and her gaunt face had become so sharp she didn’t seem the playmate he knew.
Seth glanced at the dagger she held. It was a nasty thing that could carve wounds into a chest.
“Calm down. You were startled, right? You were scared, weren’t you? I understand, Irein. That could—could happen…. It’s Prince Mark’s fault for coming to a lady’s bedroom so late. Even though you asked for help….”
“I called you.”
“You have an engaged partner—how could you call me? Think of my position! His Highness and I came to talk with you.”
“…….”
“Let’s sit and talk. Okay? There’s some misunderstanding….”
“There’s no misunderstanding.”
Irein’s voice was flat and composed.
Seth was truly bewildered. The Irein he knew had grown up overly protected by her father—naïve to the point of being thoughtless and ignorant of the world.
Though she had been gloomy lately after an unexpected betrothal, he never imagined she could change so much.
“What’s wrong with you…?”
“Seth.”
“Yeah, tell me. Say it…”
Seth began to edge backward, eyeing Mark collapsed at Irein’s feet. If he ran away now he could try to pass it off as lovers’ quarrel between an engaged couple. He had nothing to do with it. Honestly, he did have no part in it, right?
Mark had been the one to go to the bedroom to taste his fiancée. It was Irein who had struck him down.
“Why did you do it?”
“Huh? What? Oh, you mean coming with Prince Mark? I told you—I’m his ‘friend,’ how could I betray him? And I couldn’t betray you either…. I keep my loyalty to you by not revealing your birth, so I won’t be accused of betraying our friendship….”
“Why did you kill Franz?”
“What?”
Irein bit her lip hard. Seth let out a nervous laugh.
“Who’s that?”
“You don’t even remember his name.”
Irein lifted the sword and stepped forward. Seth recoiled and shouted.
“I really don’t know! I swear I don’t! I can’t talk unless I know who you’re talking about!”
“You were with him. Are you really going to say you don’t know the person who traveled with me?”
“Wha—”
“You yourself said: if I don’t return I’ll use force.”
Irein moved a little closer.
Seth panted. It was absurd, but a pressure emanated from this thin, gaunt girl that made him feel he couldn’t possibly win.
She held only a short dagger.
Overcome with a choking fear, Seth blurted out.
“That was about taking you back by force! But you came back on your own!”
“…That’s because Franz is dead….”
“That bastard must have incurred someone’s grudge! Did you see me kill him? Did you see it! Are you going to pin a crime on an innocent man with no evidence?! Are you out of your mind or what?!”
“No! Franz wasn’t someone to earn grudges from!”
“You stupid bitch, use your head! How can you assume you know everything about him? And I didn’t need to employ someone to murder him whether you returned or not. I just gave in to your temptation and granted a ‘favor’!” Seth insisted, utterly sincere.
He was afraid of Duke MacClure, but he also knew better than anyone that the duke was soft toward Irein. His excuse that he couldn’t refuse Irein’s request worked well enough.
He would hear some scolding, but Seth himself was the Hastings heir and couldn’t be directly harmed over such a minor matter.
Seth was cowardly and petty, but he wasn’t stupid; he calculated risks carefully to safeguard his own interests.
“It’s the kind of thing your father would do! The daughter he dotes on is off with some nobody he doesn’t even know!”
“Don’t talk so filthy!”
“It’s true! Now put that blade away! Jesus, did you go suspecting someone without even knowing what kind of bastard your father is, and cause all this? Do you know what you did? You attacked an imperial prince and killed him, you crazy woman!”
“……I didn’t kill him……”
“If he’s not dead, then you’ll be the one to die. I’ll be kicked off the line of succession because of you!”
All that pleasing and dangerous groveling he’d done had been for nothing.
Seth shoved Irein’s shoulders hard. The ferocity she’d shown moments before evaporated and she slumped to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
“Don’t you ever tell anyone I was here, got that? If you tell them, I’ll reveal to the Imperial Court your filthy birth. Damn it, you’re so unlucky….” Seth rifled through Mark’s pockets, found a note, and held it up as he spoke.
“When you want to suspect someone, don’t spin fantasies—look for evidence, you empty-headed wench.”
Actually, he thought, you already know who killed your man.
