I Decided to Give the Contract to the Male Vassal - Chapter 42
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 42
Looking at that expression, I could tell for certain.
In this sparring match, Wicheonso must have given Yeonhopyeong a sliver of hope.
‘He came to boast about his achievements to me, but got angry when my reaction wasn’t to his liking.’
What should I do?
After today passes, I’ll never have to meet Yeonhopyeong again anyway.
So it wouldn’t be bad to use this opportunity to add fuel to that inferiority complex of his.
“Prince Pyeong.”
I stepped closer and whispered in his ear.
“I will never marry you. I’ll make sure of that.”
At that moment, Yeonhopyeong’s expression twisted.
Simultaneously, Yeonhopyeong’s blade grazed precisely past my temple.
“What do you think you are…!”
There was no killing intent.
It was merely an attack meant to intimidate me.
Crushing such expectations, I stared at him without even flinching.
“Why? Are you going to kill me with that sword? Then we really won’t be able to have a wedding.”
“Has this wench gone mad before the wedding ceremony?”
Yeonhopyeong’s eyes widened as he raised his sword.
Along with the sword wind, flames erupted from the blade, threatening me.
Befitting the young master of the Yeon Hwa Se-ga, it was a secret technique of the Flame Demon Art passed down from Yeonjo.
He was trying to suppress me, who officially couldn’t even use martial arts, with advanced techniques.
I found that sight ridiculous.
Meeting Yeonhopyeong’s eyes, I shouted in my mind.
‘Stop!’
In an instant, my heart contracted coldly. With the feeling of my pulse stopping, the flames froze in mid-air.
Even Yeonhopyeong’s sharp gaze seemed frozen in place.
In that gap, I reached out and grasped his sword hilt.
Right after snatching the sword from Yeonhopyeong’s hand, time began to flow again.
Yeonhopyeong wore a stunned expression as he saw his sword disappear before his eyes.
His sword was now in my hand.
My heart raced, and the price for stopping time crashed over me.
Still, perhaps because I had removed another needle, it wasn’t as painful as when I first paid the price.
I bit my lips tightly and glared at him.
“Oh my. I didn’t know a swordsman could drop his sword.”
When I held his sword right in front of his face, Yeonhopyeong gasped and clenched his right hand. It was completely empty.
“You… did you just use martial arts?”
Yeonhopyeong trembled as he looked at me.
“Martial arts? I merely used a little trick.”
I had only used my ability, not martial arts.
Yeonhopyeong also seemed to find this situation hard to believe since he couldn’t sense any internal energy from me.
“With such skills, Prince Pyeong could never defeat the Third Prince. Unless you encounter some fortuitous opportunity.”
I dropped the sword at his feet while scratching at his pride.
Yeonhopyeong kept his head down. His face was probably horribly contorted.
“I wish you good luck.”
Leaving only those words, I entered my residence.
Yeonhopyeong stood in the garden with a dazed expression for quite a long time.
I watched that sight through the window before eventually turning my gaze away.
I could predict Yeonhopyeong’s next move.
❖ ❖ ❖
It was ten years ago.
Yeonjo, the head of the Yeon Hwa Se-ga, returned home with a young girl.
Her pale hair looked as soft as clouds, and her cheeks were red like peaches.
“Pyeong. This child, Chung-rin, will become your bride.”
His father sent him an expectant gaze.
At that moment, he understood.
He was the young master of the Yeon Hwa Se-ga, a prestigious family even within the Heavenly Sect.
Chung-rin was a trophy, no different from a toy forever held in his grasp.
For the past ten years, this had been an unchanging truth.
But then Chung-rin threw herself into the lake.
Though she survived after much trouble, she had lost her memory.
The demon dog Wicheonso must have done something when he saved her.
“Lady Chung is too good a woman for you.”
Right after the sparring ended, Wicheonso’s words grated on Yeonhopyeong’s nerves.
Suddenly, anxiety surged.
He wanted to go straight to Chung-rin’s residence and confirm that she was his.
But when he heard that Chung-rin had taken a night stroll on her own whim, his mood soured.
After holding the wedding ceremony, he would confine her to the inner residence as before, never allowing her to wander alone at night again.
She had to be his toy for life.
But Chung-rin’s sharp words denied that truth and provoked him.
“I will never marry you.”
The girl who used to tremble in fear had become a completely different person after losing her memory.
It was also suspicious how she snatched his sword in the blink of an eye.
‘Surely Chung-rin was a martial arts cripple…!’
He had known her for ten years. Her damaged dantian couldn’t have been fixed instantly.
‘What is this?’
An ominous feeling wrapped around his heart.
Suddenly, he recalled the sight of Chung-rin and Wicheonso conversing under the Yeongseokmokryeon tree.
‘It’s because of that bastard after all.’
Chung-rin’s change couldn’t make sense unless it was related to Wicheonso.
Perhaps today’s strange behavior was also a result created by receiving some artifact from Wicheonso.
‘I need to eliminate that demon dog first.’
It was a thought he never would have had before.
But from today’s sparring, he could be certain.
If he could absorb all the Bloodstone Flowers, he would have a chance of winning.
‘If I kill that bastard, Chung-rin will have nowhere to turn.’
A strange smile appeared on Yeonhopyeong’s lips.
❖ ❖ ❖
It was when Wicheonso returned to the guest hall after sparring several times in the training hall.
“My lord, you’ve returned?”
Chungbeom stopped checking the wooden tablets and scrolls to greet him.
“There were no Bloodstone Flowers at the location Lady Chung mentioned. As she guessed, they must have been moved from there.”
Wicheonso had deliberately gone to the armory Chung-rin mentioned and personally wielded those weapons in combat.
He felt nothing when touching them, and Yeonhopyeong showed no agitation even when Wicheonso sparred using those weapons.
It was proof that the Bloodstone Flowers weren’t there.
“Instead, I confirmed that the young master of the Yeon family’s skills have improved.”
In truth, Wicheonso didn’t know much about Yeonhopyeong’s abilities. There wasn’t much need to know either.
Since Wicheonso had reached a transcendent realm from the beginning, he couldn’t feel much difference among peers at the young master’s level.
However, by casually matching his pace today while observing the reactions of those around, he could confirm that Yeonhopyeong’s martial prowess had advanced considerably.
“My lord, do you suspect the young master?”
“It’s closer to certainty than suspicion.”
“Then if we search around him, we should be able to find the Bloodstone Flower.”
Chungbeom seemed to believe so, but Wicheonso shook his head.
“There won’t be any need for that.”
“Pardon?”
“Because I’ve already cast the bait with certainty.”
Most of the Bloodstone Flower seemed to have been absorbed by Chung-rin. However, Yeonhopyeong appeared unaware of this.
‘If it’s the meticulous Chung-rin, she would have left enough for Yeonhopyeong to absorb.’
Wicheonso had deduced this early on and was certain of it.
He had deliberately given Yeonhopyeong an opening to attack, and provoked him by mentioning Chung-rin.
“The young master will guide me to where the Bloodstone Flower is hidden himself.”
Wicheonso sat in his chair, his splendid red robes fluttering.
“Chungbeom, from now on you will monitor Yeonhopyeong.”
Chungbeom bowed his head and answered that he understood.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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