SYM 86
by EmerlynThree Princes?
Eun-hyeon quickly rummaged through his memories, but nothing specific came to mind.
More than anything, the novel he had read was a story centered around Cheonma, and it didn’t feature the Imperial Family or the government in detail. Therefore, the word “Prince,” which suddenly popped up, was unfamiliar.
Eun-hyeon stared at the man in front of him, who was wearing a smile as if painted on.
At first glance, the man before him looked like nothing more than a slender, pale-faced scholar. However, since Cheong-un had gone to the trouble of using Telepathic Transmission to warn him, he couldn’t be ordinary.
Just as he was worrying about how to get rid of the man, Cheong-un stepped forward.
“Are you perhaps, Young Master Yi-hwa?”
“Do you know me?”
When Cheong-un spoke with a smile, the man frowned slightly, as if displeased.
Perhaps it was because he knew the man’s identity as a Prince, but even such a simple action seemed strangely arrogant.
“How could I not know Young Master Yi-hwa, who is renowned for his skills in poetry, calligraphy, and painting? I have also stayed as a guest of the Namgung Clan. I am Ha Yeo-un, the White-robed Divine Dragon. It seems you left the Namgung Clan before I went there.”
“Ah, Great Hero Ha. I have also heard of the White-robed Divine Dragon Great Hero Ha’s reputation. He is said to be one of the rising stars of the Martial World. Great Hero Ha and Young Master Eun-hyeon, let’s move our seats and have a cup of tea at a teahouse while we talk.”
[Master. Let’s move together for now. There’s no way he approached us for no reason, so we need to find out what he’s planning.]
Eun-hyeon was annoyed by the man’s attitude of deciding things on his own without listening to the other party’s answer, but he decided to follow Cheong-un’s words for now.
Knowing that the other party was a Prince, he became suspicious and cautious about everything. There was no way that a Prince suddenly bumping into him in the Market street was a coincidence.
But the problem was that he didn’t know why the Prince was interested in him. He felt a strange, uneasy feeling that was hard to describe.
The place Yi-hwa led them to was a teahouse not far away.
The teahouse owner seemed to know Yi-hwa, and upon seeing him, immediately guided them to the best seats.
“I always come here when I’m in Seoan. The tea is excellent.”
Even though they hadn’t ordered tea, the teahouse owner brought it out on his own. Just the slight opening of the teapot lid released a rich tea fragrance, indicating that it was a rare, high-quality product.
Tea of this quality was more expensive than gold. To bring out such tea without asking, and to maintain a consistently polite attitude.
Eun-hyeon was convinced that the teahouse owner knew Yi-hwa’s identity.
And judging by the fact that he didn’t bother to hide this clue, Eun-hyeon thought that perhaps Yi-hwa had no intention of concealing his identity.
“The taste of tea is only good when the water is good. Perhaps it’s because the water in Seoan is good, but I find the tea I drink here suits my taste.”
Yi-hwa placed teacups in front of Cheong-un and Eun-hyeon, respectively.
Eun-hyeon hesitated, holding the teacup and looking around. He was tired of poisoned tea. Even though he didn’t think a Prince would do anything strange to the tea, his hand didn’t easily reach out.
While he was hesitating, Cheong-un brought the tea to his lips first.
“Indeed, it’s a place that Young Master Yi-hwa would recommend. The tea is excellent.”
As he put down the teacup, he smiled slightly at Eun-hyeon, as if to reassure him that it was safe to drink. Only then did Eun-hyeon take a few sips of the tea.
Indeed, the tea was excellent, as a Prince would boast.
“It’s said that if people are meant to meet, they will meet somehow. I never thought I would meet Namgung Heir in Seoan. Ah, excuse me. The word Heir is just stuck in my mouth.”
Yi-hwa fanned himself with a fan, staring intently at Eun-hyeon. It felt more intentional than a mistake.
“It’s alright. It can happen. Please call me whatever you’re comfortable with.”
“Haha, I appreciate your understanding, Young Master, but I can’t do that. There is already someone else who is the Heir. Now that I think about it, I heard the sad news from the Namgung Clan. Madam Hwang took her own life. How could such an unfortunate thing happen in the Namgung Clan…? Tsk tsk. I express my deepest condolences.”
Eun-hyeon tilted his head.
He clearly had no relationship or connection with Yi-hwa or the Third Prince, so why was he trying to provoke him like this?
Deliberately throwing out words that would make him uncomfortable and observing his reaction was very malicious.
Did Yi-hwa want him to get angry? Or was he simply trying to test him?
He didn’t know what he should do.
If he didn’t know the other party’s identity, he would have gotten angry by now, but knowing that he was a Prince, he hesitated to get angry.
“…Did Young Master Yi-hwa have a relationship with Madam Hwang?”
When Eun-hyeon hesitated, not knowing what attitude to take, Cheong-un spoke to Yi-hwa.
Come to think of it, Yi-hwa had shown almost no interest in Cheong-un.
Usually, Martial World people in the Central Plains paid more attention to Ha Yeo-un than to Eun-hyeon when they first met. Occasionally, people with strange tastes would cling to Eun-hyeon, but it wasn’t a frequent occurrence.
But Yi-hwa seemed to be paying more attention to Eun-hyeon, even though he wasn’t giving him greedy looks?
“Madam Hwang invited me as a guest, so I went to the Namgung Clan, so I can’t say we had no relationship. But to think that Madam Hwang would end up like this.”
“Isn’t it said that flowers don’t bloom for ten days, and power doesn’t last for ten years? No matter how great the power one possesses, it’s not eternal.”
Eun-hyeon was startled and glanced at Cheong-un. He thought that those words were a bit too extreme to say in front of a member of the Imperial Family.
Yi-hwa frowned slightly at Cheong-un’s words, as if he had heard something dirty.
“If you covet a position that doesn’t suit you too much, you’re bound to destroy yourself. Madam Hwang was the Madam of the Namgung Clan, but when you think about it, she was just a merchant, and her vessel was too small to handle the Namgung Clan.”
Yi-hwa answered smoothly, looking at Eun-hyeon and Cheong-un’s faces. Eun-hyeon felt a chilling sensation as if something cold was sweeping over him.
“But you know, Young Master Eun-hyeon. I heard that Young Master Eun-hyeon did a great job this time.”
Eun-hyeon, who was sipping tea, thinking of tasting the expensive tea that the Prince had bought, blinked.
Him? What did he do?
“…Me?”
“I heard that the Namgung Clan was able to avoid being destroyed thanks to Young Master Eun-hyeon.”
Wondering what he was talking about, Eun-hyeon glanced at Cheong-un.
But Cheong-un couldn’t give him an answer either.
“I tried to find out more because I was curious, but I couldn’t find out more because the Namgung Clan went into seclusion. But since I met Young Master Eun-hyeon here like this, I can’t help but ask about that matter first.”
“So, what are you talking about…”
“I’m talking about what happened at Godeok Temple. I heard that Young Master Eun-hyeon has made such a contribution that he has covered up all the scandals of the family, is that right?”
Eun-hyeon instinctively realized that this question was the reason why the Prince had come to find him.
Considering that the other party was not just a famous writer but a Prince, it was not unreasonable to think that he knew the truth about the Godeok Temple incident, which the Martial Arts Alliance was still keeping quiet about.
Judging by the way he was asking, it seemed that he also knew that the Hongbaek Sect was involved.
“…I’m sorry, but I can’t say anything about that matter. I made a promise with the Martial Arts Alliance that I wouldn’t reveal what happened that day.”
“I see. I can’t force you to break your promise because of my curiosity.”
The Prince nodded more readily than he had expected. That made him feel even more uneasy and tense.
“I heard that the incident at Godeok Temple was related to the Hongbaek Sect, which the entire Martial World has declared as an enemy. A terrifying formation technique, and even Undead, it was like hell had descended on the human realm.”
Yi-hwa looked at Eun-hyeon, saying the truth that Eun-hyeon said he couldn’t say.
“But Young Master Eun-hyeon has no martial prowess, so how about being careful in such matters in the future?”
“…Yes?”
Eun-hyeon’s eyes widened at the unexpected words, but Yi-hwa smiled and naturally changed the subject.
“Seeing Young Master Eun-hyeon traveling around so leisurely, I’m truly envious. What’s so special about life? It’s about seeing good things like this and occasionally eating delicious things.”
“Ah, yes…”
He couldn’t understand what the man was trying to say at all.
Eun-hyeon glanced at Cheong-un with an awkward expression. It was really fortunate that Cheong-un was with him in this place.
“Young Master Eun-hyeon, please continue to see good things and take care of your health. How many people would be sad if something happened to Young Master Eun-hyeon?”
Why did that last word sound like a threat?
The Prince, who had been spouting strange words like a Zen riddle, was somehow eerie in his last words.
“I have a prior engagement, so I’ll get up first. I’ll pay for all the tea you enjoyed here, so please enjoy yourselves.”
Yi-hwa, who had been so persistent, got up from his seat after saying what he wanted to say.
It was absurd, but it would be ridiculous to argue about it. Since there was no more business to be done, the two of them got up from their seats not long after.
As soon as they came out of the store, Cheong-un whispered in a low voice.
“Master. I think the Third Prince is related to the Hongbaek Sect.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”