SSCP | Chapter 3

Episode 3

The Crown Prince—no, this rotten bastard guy—looked between my adoptive father and me with a look of great interest.

He’s going to hurt his knees. I immediately approached my adoptive father, knelt down, and grasped his arm to help him up.

“Ah, no. Don’t do this, Ena. Go back into the mansion at once.”

My father’s face had gone completely pale. A silent despair overtook his expression—despair of the deepest kind.

I stared at him for a moment, then turned to look at that rotten bastard. He was standing there with his arms crossed, shrugging as if he didn’t understand the situation.

“What?”

“Say something. Quickly.”

“E-Ena. What kind of tone is that to use with His Highness Prince Reynold?”

My father looked truly flustered. So I glared at rotten bastard this time. Would this expression at least come off as intimidating?

“Father has misunderstood.”

“How is that my fault? I didn’t do anything.”

“No, you said something very misleading. Anyway, Father misunderstood because of you…”

“Isn’t the misunderstanding the fault of the one who misunderstood?”

I let go of my father’s arm and stood up.

A sigh escaped me. Suddenly, over that unfamiliar face, I saw the image of my overbearing boss, PD Cha Do-Hyuk. My irritation flared up.

I’m sorry, but first I need to send my father away. I helped him to his feet and forced him back into the mansion, then turned to Cha Do-Hyuk.

“Couldn’t you just yield for once and say, ‘Alright’? Whether in the past or now, how can you always be this cold?”

“Are you bringing up the past? I was your boss. If something’s wrong, I have to say it’s wrong. What do you expect me to do, just agree blindly? If that’s the case, I might as well return my salary.”

I sighed. He wasn’t wrong. But that wasn’t the point I was trying to make.

“You’re too inflexible, PD-nim. You only ever care about work. Sure, being rational is good, but it wouldn’t hurt to show some care for the people around you too.”

That rotten bastard crossed his arms and looked like he couldn’t understand what I was saying.

“Do people working for money need emotional exchange? As long as they do the job well, that’s enough.”

“Are people machines or what? How can you work without emotions like that?”

Working well is important, but it’s not like we worked alone.

We worked together, together!

“This guy seriously hasn’t changed at all. We’re just not compatible. Not compatible.”

And for some reason, when that rotten bastard heard that last mutter, his face lit up with joy.

“Jwi-Bang-Wool. You haven’t changed either. You’re exactly the same. And that’s why I’m grateful.”

With a smile as bright as sunlight, he grinned at me. I stared at his smile for a moment, then realized—he’s not even my boss anymore, so why am I tiptoeing around my words?

“Now that we’re at it, I have something I’ve always wanted to ask. You calling me Jwi-Bang-Wool, fine. Whatever. But when we were working—why was it always me? I’ve really been curious about this. Some staff thought you and I were the only ones working on the show. Even on set, it was always ‘Jwi-Bang-Wool this, Jwi-Bang-Wool that.’ In the end, even the cast only came to me. All because of you!”

As I kept talking, my frustration boiled over, and my voice grew heated.

“Even an elementary school friend I hadn’t spoken to since graduation contacted me. Said they saw the show. Asked if that writer Jwi-Bang-Wool was really me. Sure, the name’s a bit unusual, but still!”

I let out a deep sigh and then pointed my finger at that rotten bastard, yelling.

“I told you I didn’t want my face on TV! I said I have a disease where I die if I get attention!”

“What kind of disease is that?”

That rotten bastard, who had been calmly listening, asked. But that wasn’t the important part right now.

“It exists! Shame-death! Anyway, even after you died, my world was still all about you. Whenever people saw me, they always asked about you…”

My words trailed off in the end. The emotions I had felt after his death suddenly surged over me. My last words came out more like a bitter murmur.

I got too emotional and said something I shouldn’t have. As I berated myself and lifted my head, I saw rotten bastard staring straight at me with an unreadable expression. It was an ambiguous smile—unclear if he liked or disliked what he heard.

“It really feels real now. I love that you’re angry. You don’t know how much I missed you.”

Despite his expression, his voice was thick with emotion. He opened his mouth again but said nothing, then shut his eyes.

“I thought I’d go crazy from missing you.”

That rotten bastard, now back to a calmer tone, stepped close and gently placed his hands on my shoulders. His pained eyes were tinged red.

“Maybe the only reason I stayed alive until now was to meet you again.”

Then, without warning, he stretched out his arms, pulled me into an embrace, and buried his face in my shoulder with a relieved sigh.

Wait—hold on. What the hell is this? I can’t breathe.

I can understand how happy this rotten bastard was to see me. I was glad to see him too. But for a man who has lived in a new world for 26 years, to greet a former subordinate this intensely… it was definitely strange.

What kind of life had this rotten bastard lived in this world?

I had heard that Crown Prince Reynold’s reputation wasn’t particularly good. Maybe that desperation came from that?

Lost in those useless thoughts, I looked up.

The midday sun was high in the sky. Not a single cloud. The weather was so clear it felt like it was washing my messy thoughts clean.

“There are really a lot of people.”

A noble seated behind me muttered. Just like he said, there were indeed many people.

I glanced around at the crowd packed around the royal palace’s knight training grounds. It was supposed to be an event only for high-ranking nobles, yet the number of attendees was considerable.

And in between, the number of eyes focused on me was overwhelming. Though it’s been five years since I was incorporated into the noble society of the Alpine Empire, I was still a curious outsider to them.

Just then, the wind blew and the leaves of the great zelkova tree rustled. More beautiful than any noisy chatter was the sound of those crisp leaves breaking in the breeze.

I closed my eyes to the sound of the wind and, for a moment, forgot the stares directed at me. The unfiltered sounds of nature were more comforting.

“What’s wrong?”

My adoptive father, sitting to my right, tilted his head and asked.

I opened my eyes and looked at him. The smile spreading across his lips was incredibly gentle.

“It’s nothing. I’m just amazed. It’s my first time attending an official event at the Imperial Palace.”

He smiled with his eyes, clearly finding me endearing, and patted my head.

Today was the entrance examination for the Alpine Royal Guard, and also the knighting ceremony for transferred knights. Until now, I hadn’t attended under the excuse of my education, but today, since Rioel was being transferred from the 1st Order to the Guard, I came along with my father.

“I hope it’s an exciting visit, just as you hoped.”

At his affectionate words, I placed my hand over my heart and nodded with hopeful eyes.

“The entrance exam for the Guard is pretty intense. It’ll be fun.”

This time, it was Rioel, sitting to my left, who replied.

Rioel, who wasn’t taking the entrance exam due to being a transfer knight, was briefly seated in the stands. His face showed unmistakable pride in being part of the Royal Guard.

With that expression and a smile, he looked like a handsome youth straight out of a coming-of-age drama. I bet he’s quite popular.

“What are you looking at?”

Raising one eyebrow, Rioel asked. I shook my head. I couldn’t exactly say what I was thinking.

“It’s nothing.”

At my response, Rioel turned his head with an unimpressed look. As I shifted my gaze, I saw the Emperor, Prince Verdi, and his mother, Countess Mason, seated side by side in the highest section of the audience where the entrance exam would be held.

The problem was this. The Countess of Maison wasn’t the Empress. Though she bore the Emperor’s child and wished to become Empress, the Emperor already had an Empress.

Disliking the idea of giving birth under the title of “concubine,” the Emperor granted her a special title—“Countess of Maison.” But in reality, her status was that of a concubine. Likewise, Prince Verdi was not the Crown Prince, nor was he even the eldest son.

Where was the rotten bastard?

As I tilted my head in puzzlement, a man walked out into the center of the training grounds. A blood-red cape fluttered grandly in the blowing wind. The silver-haired man, clad in a spotless, stiffly pressed knight’s uniform, lightly swung the sword in his hand.

In an instant, my eyes were drawn to him. And it wasn’t just me—the noble spectators erupted in cheers.

Overwhelmed by the fierce aura dominating the field, the waiting knights all flinched simultaneously. I stared dumbly down at the training ground, then turned to my foster father in confusion.

“Isn’t that His Highness Reynold?”

At my question, my foster father clicked his tongue in disbelief.

“So it is. It seems His Highness Reynold will personally select the knights for the Imperial Guard.”

Upon seeing that, Rioel ran a hand irritably through his hair.

“His Majesty does enjoy pushing His Highness Reynold to the limit.”

Rioel crossed his arms and muttered with a face that showed he was used to this. My foster father nodded in agreement.

“Is Her Majesty the Empress not attending today?”

At my question, Rioel glanced sideways at the Countess of Maison, seated in the high seats.

“It’s not that she isn’t attending—she can’t attend. Because she has to watch out for a certain someone.”

“Rioel.”

At Rioel’s mocking remark, my adoptive father shot him a stern look, as if to tell him to watch his words. Rioel closed his mouth with a weary expression.

Just then, a whistle blew. The trial sparring for entrance into the Imperial Guard had begun.

Normally, the commander or vice commander of the Guard would personally attend and evaluate the knights during sparring, so why was the rotten bastard standing in that spot?

“Booo~”

Jeers rang out. It was unclear whether they were directed at rotten bastard or his opponent. But the rotten bastard paid them no mind—he didn’t even glance toward the audience as he swung his sword.

Sunlight struck the blade as it rose through the air, and it flashed dazzlingly. That was all I saw. The match ended in a single stroke.

I blinked dumbly, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Was it already over?

“As expected of His Highness Reynold.”

My adoptive father responded calmly, as if used to the sight. Rioel also smiled without surprise.

“The new recruits are quite unfortunate. Of all people, to have His Highness Reynold as their evaluator.”

Rioel clicked his tongue. While I tilted my head at the reactions of the two men, the second knight was already defeated.

Usually, after passing the document review and physical tests, the final hurdle for ordinary knights (those not affiliated with the royal family) was this sparring match. It was the most crucial test to determine a knight’s true ability, regardless of win or loss, conducted directly with the commander of the Guard.

I had heard of rotten bastard’s renowned swordsmanship, but was he truly skilled enough to stand in for the commander of the Guard?

“Hey. Can you close your eyes for a bit?”

Suddenly, Rioel looked at me with a worried face.

“Huh? Why?”

When I tilted my head in confusion, he cursed under his breath and covered my eyes with his large hand.

Sighs and screams erupted from all around. Had something happened with rotten bastard?

Startled, I hurriedly grabbed Rioel’s hand and pulled it down to see the training ground.

There, I saw bloodstains on the dirt and a man being carried away on a stretcher. It was hard to tell if he was dead or just unconscious—his condition looked that serious.

What on earth is going on?