Chapter 30
Dongbaek’s gentle smile triggered He Jin’s complex. He Jin was originally a butcher who slaughtered livestock. Normally, he wouldn’t have been able to set foot in the imperial palace, let alone approach noble households. However, because his younger sister, Empress He, had seduced the current emperor with her outstanding beauty, He Jin, as the empress’s brother, was able to rise to the position of general. A brother riding on his sister’s power. A lowborn butcher. He Jin resented all of it.
He Jin was not just proud but arrogant. Since his days as a butcher, he had ambitions to rise to a high position, banking on his superior strength and his sister’s beauty. And those ambitions became a reality.
But after rising to office, he found that while his sister served as a reliable windbreak and screen, he had the major disadvantage of not being able to step out from behind that screen. Having to be mindful of his sister’s wishes in everything he did was unbearable for his hot-tempered, choleric personality.
Dongbaek had scratched at that sensitive spot deep in He Jin’s heart. Thinking he had been mocked by a mere 11-year-old boy, He Jin’s face turned red with anger.
“How dare an eunuch’s son be so impudent! I won’t be able to quell this rage unless I whip you right now!”
He Jin pulled out the long whip hanging at his waist and cracked it against the floor. A sharp sound split the air. He raised his arm and aimed the whip at Dongbaek. The tip of the whip flickered like a snake’s tongue as it shot toward Dongbaek.
But the whip never reached Dongbaek. Other guards standing behind He Jin had to practically hang onto his thick arm to barely stop him.
“You must not, General He!”
“Please calm yourself, he’s just a child!”
He Jin’s strength was no joke, requiring several guards throwing their whole bodies to stop him. His angry breathing was almost visible. He wanted to crush Dongbaek’s face, which was staring at him steadily without the slightest change in expression. Such an impudent brat without any fear.
He Jin threw off his subordinates who were restraining him. They tumbled far away, leaving no one around to stop him. Yet Dongbaek’s expression remained unchanged. Rather, this precocious child didn’t hesitate to make statements that further provoked He Jin’s temper.
“I don’t know what displeases you so much, but you should stop now. Nothing good will come from causing a disturbance in the palace. If you have something to say, perhaps outside the palace…”
Before Dongbaek could finish speaking, He Jin’s pot lid-sized hand roughly grabbed his collar. Though Dongbaek was tall for his age, he was still far from adult height. Lifted until his toes couldn’t touch the ground, Dongbaek was shaken back and forth twice by He Jin’s hand.
He Jin held Dongbaek up in the air, then opened his hand. Dongbaek fell straight down.
His brain properly rattled, it wasn’t easy to maintain balance. Fortunately, by grabbing the railing behind him, he managed to avoid the unseemly display of falling flat in front of He Jin.
He Jin leaned in close, his scowling face just inches from Dongbaek’s, and hissed a threat.
“Exactly. Causing a scene in the palace won’t do anyone any good. But I don’t understand what makes you so confident about dealing with me outside the palace. If the eunuch you call your father is all you’ve got to rely on, you’d better watch your step.”
He Jin spat on the polished stone floor before stalking off. Even he knew how ridiculous it looked to go to such lengths to harass a child.
Still, it was those insolent eyes—eyes that seemed to say, No matter how much gold you drape yourself in, you’ll always be nothing more than a butcher. Those infuriatingly fearless eyes drove He Jin mad. Even the boy’s lack of reaction to his threats added fuel to the fire.
Though He Jin pretended to be bold in his words, in truth, Zhong Changshi Zhang Rang wasn’t someone who could be easily messed with. Even though Dongbaek was just an adopted son, picking a fight and beating him for no reason could potentially cause problems. Having to mind someone’s backing and being unable to touch an opponent he disliked—that was what angered He Jin the most.
“Hmph! Such an impudent child.”
He Jin continued on his way without looking back. Only Dongbaek remained in the corridor. To make a scene all by himself and leave satisfied all by himself—what a sight. Dongbaek let out a light sigh and patted his crumpled clothes smooth.
Jao, who had been watching the situation from afar, flew over to perch on the railing.
“Why does that guy always pick on you whenever he sees you?”
“I know, right? It’s not like I acted arrogantly toward him from the beginning.”
Rather, she remembers being overly gentle and friendly. While he wasn’t someone who needed to be feared if displeased, he also wasn’t someone worth displeasing. In reality, why was he being such a nuisance?
“Did you hit his nerve or something?”
“Hmm…”
Dongbaek thought about it for a moment but couldn’t pinpoint anything specific.
“Come to think of it, he did notably bring up Zhang Rang… Now that I think about it, every time he picked a fight, he never failed to mention Zhang Rang.”
“Why Zhang Rang? That bastard He Jin entered the palace by selling his sister, and you entered by selling your father—it’s the same thing. Is there a law saying only he can have backing? It’s not even funny.”
“That’s what I’m saying. He keeps harping on about eunuchs and court servants. Do you think it hurts his pride to have to defer to one?”
Dongbaek irritably scratched her head as if annoyed. Despite how the other party kept acting, Dongbaek wasn’t nice enough to keep bowing and scraping. There should be limits to getting on someone’s nerves, but He Jin went too far.
So Dongbaek also adopted the principle of ‘poison for poison,’ dealing with He Jin with increasingly twisted words, which led to several explosive situations like the one just now.
Watching all of this unfold, Jao chimed in with enthusiasm, thoroughly enjoying himself.
“Would someone with pride take office by selling their sister? What a laughable bastard. When others do it it’s adultery, but when he does it, it’s romance?”
“Ah, seriously, I’m so sick of it.”
Dongbaek shuddered. Jao, apparently not satisfied with just cursing so far, kept badmouthing He Jin while checking on Dongbaek.
“Such an ignorant bastard. Who picks up a child and throws them around like that? And even pulling out a whip against a child! Can’t even act his size. In the real world, I would’ve sued him for child abuse. Are you hurt anywhere?”
Those black eyes examining various parts of Dongbaek’s body were persistent. Though Jao was usually sarcastic, he was more caring about Dongbaek’s physical well-being than anyone else.
Dongbaek waved her hand as if Jao was overreacting.
“I’m fine. Honestly, my heart dropped when He Jin pulled out the whip… But nothing happened in the end. Whew. I could’ve had my back torn up.”
“It only ended at that level because others held him back. You too, Dongbaek, you should’ve been less provocative.”
“Who knew his patience would be as thin as a bean’s skin?”
Dongbaek shook her head and started walking toward her original destination, the library.
“Hey, wait up!”
Jao hopped several times along the railing but couldn’t catch up to Dongbaek who had already gone ahead. Being with that kid sometimes makes me forget how to fly. Jao clicked his tongue, jumped off the railing, and spread his wings. After gliding low in an elegant curve and rising again, Jao flew toward Dongbaek’s destination.
Jao’s searching gaze was sharp. If he had noticed He Jin’s approach earlier, the previous incident wouldn’t have happened. Jao carefully checked if there were any other troublemakers ahead.
Dongbaek smiled watching Jao act as a sentinel. Jao probably knew there wouldn’t be anyone else in the imperial palace who would openly antagonize him as He Jin did. But this must make her feel better.
‘If I didn’t have to run into that He Jin, my imperial life would be very comfortable…’
The prince likes her, and though it’s a bit creepy, Empress He favors her too. Even the Emperor, who can’t remember ministers’ names, remembers Dongbaek’s name and personally gives her birthday gifts.
Thanks to showing dedication to her studies by frequently visiting the library, she had a quietly good reputation even among seasoned scholars.
Among all the people she’d met, no one disliked her as openly as He Jin did. Even if they disliked her, they couldn’t show it due to fear of his backing, Zhang Rang’s power. But that very power of Zhang Rang seemed to provoke He Jin even more.
What could he do about someone who dislikes her?
Honestly… if someone like Zhao Zilong, or Guo Jia, or Zhou Yu—handsome and talented men—were to dislike her for such trivial reasons, Dongbaek would probably try to make them like her.
But look at He Jin. That unlikeable face and lacking abilities. Sure, he has above-average strength, but that’s all—not enough to cover for his muscle-filled head. Plus that unnecessary arrogance. There’s not even anything worth exploiting there.
It’s easier if you give up. This is an eternal truth. Instead of racking her brain over why He Jin acted that way toward her or wondering if there was something wrong with herself, Dongbaek decided it was easier to just think, He Jin is simply that kind of guy, and leave it at that.
Having reached that conclusion, Dongbaek felt much lighter—both in his heart and his steps—as he continued on toward the library.
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Thank you for reading! ♡
