Chapter 598 – The Tale of the King (2)

Shiba is unable to frolic freely.
This is due to a malady afflicting her roots, akin to legs in a plant.

Thus, her sphere of activity has always been restricted to this diminutive one-room space.

Her everyday existence is devoid of playthings, a life of simply reclining on the bed, awaiting her father and elder sister. Hence, whenever Si-heon and Tae-yang found spare time, they put their utmost effort into entertaining Shiba.

“Si, Si-he…”
“You can do it, my child.”

The square spaces in the workbook.
Shiba, filling the spaces with Hangul in her curved handwriting, cried out, her eyes sparkling.

“Siheon, the tree, devours it!”
“Indeed…! No, wait. What, what?”
“Beep?”

A handmade workbook, crafted by Tae-yang.
It’s an instructional book that involves writing sentences and reading them, but the content seemed peculiar.

Devouring in a child’s workbook?

‘Just look at that… teaching weird things to a child?’

The absence of Tae-yang, due to the termites’ incident, is regrettable.
Lee Si-heon, with his stomach churning, chuckled awkwardly.

“That’s improper language.”
“Improper language?”
“Yes, don’t use ‘devour’. Understand?”
“Beep!”

Shiba nods in agreement.
She may not fully grasp the meaning, but the process of learning something new from her dad is genuinely delightful for her.

“Shiba, I love you, daddy!”

The next sentence is one she has rehearsed countless times.
Shiba’s branches quivered as she pronounced it flawlessly.

‘Daddy’, ‘My Daddy’, ‘Shiba’, ‘I love you’.
These are words that Shiba comprehends thoroughly.

“Paa~!”

Occasionally, ‘Daddy’ is mispronounced as ‘Paa’, but that can’t be helped.

Her adorable and endearing pronunciation is a peril. Lee Si-heon’s lips twitched, and they relaxed effortlessly.
His vengeful feelings towards Tae-yang faded like melting snow.

-Woosh!

Unable to resist, Si-heon embraced Shiba and showered her soft cheeks with kisses.
Shiba giggled and repeated the words she knew.

“Ah, my daughter. Who’s daughter is this beautiful?”
“Paa~!”
“Right, you’re daddy’s daughter, right? Who do you like the most?”
“Paa!!”

Shiba, who gives the same reply, and the father who asks the same question.
Shiba’s delicate hands wrapped around Si-heon’s neck, and her cherry-colored lips made a beeline for her father’s lips.

-Smack!

“Beeheehee~”

Does Shiba realize that she has stolen the lips of a man who has been loved by countless women?
How many men will she make cry when she grows up!

They remain in each other’s arms for a while, both laughing.
Si-heon too, did not let go of his daughter until Shiba was worn out.

“Shiba… do you want to stay with daddy forever?”
“Do you?”
“Beep~ So… Do I have to live as long as Grandpa Carrot?”

Not Grandpa Carrot, but Grandpa Dangun… . Well, never mind.
Si-heon’s hand stroked Shiba’s forehead.

A faint sensation of heat. Gradually, the time was upon them. The child’s eyelids lowered.

“Coo…”

Shiba, gently lulled into sleep. Now it was time to eat, and to soothe the weary body.

Holding a child barely the size of his forearm, Si-heon paused, drawing out the time for a long while.

‘My daughter.’

He pondered why the small being of 15kg he cradled felt so incredibly heavy.

This weight wasn’t physical.

It was the burden of the heart.

The more he cherished and held Shiba dear, the more she seemed to grow, becoming overwhelmingly heavy in his hand despite her tiny size.

– Grrrr.

His belly rumbled, but he remained still. Using the sound of Shiba’s breathing as his sustenance, he succumbed to slumber.

He was tired. Every joint in his body screamed for respite.

Yet, he was cautious, moving gingerly for fear that his daughter might awaken.

‘Slowly.’

He shifted his position, moving as he held Shiba, all the way to the side of the wardrobe. Slowly, as if a cockroach crawling unbeknownst to us.

‘We’ve arrived.’

Now, he could finally afford to rest. Leaning carefully against the wardrobe, Lee Si-heon allowed the oncoming drowsiness to close his eyes.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“Brother, oh… brother.”

His neck felt as if it was about to snap from pain. The sound of a voice roused Lee Si-heon from his sleep.

“Uh, yes… huh?”

“Oh, you’ve slept so deeply. Our poor brother.”

The calloused hand of Tae-yang caressed Si-heon’s forehead.

His blurred vision gradually came into focus. Si-heon, upon opening his eyes, saw Tae-yang. Tae-yang was smiling, a bitter grin etched on his face.

“Is it Tae-yang?”

“Yes, it’s the great Tae-yang. Why did you fall asleep sitting up again, brother?”

“…….”

Lee Si-heon remained silent. He knew any needless words here could land him in trouble.

“Why sit and sleep, leaving a perfectly good bed behind? Leaning on a cupboard.”

“Well, that’s…”

Shiba had fallen asleep in his arms.

“Then you could just put her on the bed and sleep holding her.”

“But what if she wakes up?”

“…Brother, are you an idiot? Just say you are. I’ll just kick you.”

Tut-tut. Tae-yang, clicking his tongue, crouched down and took Si-heon’s hand.

On the back of Lee Si-heon’s hand, fine lines traced along his veins, as if he’d been whipped.

“It truly breaks my heart, you not telling me you’ve been hurt.”

A symptom that manifests when one’s magic output is excessively increased. This is usually what happens when the human body’s magic organ malfunctions.

Tae-yang immediately unpacked his backpack, took out a potion, and prepared to apply it.

– Swish.

Upon uncorking the bottle, a faint yet sweet aroma filled the room. Tae-yang was poised to pour the potion, but Si-heon lightly pushed it away with his hand.

“The potion’s precious.”

“But brother, you need it for your pain. Don’t you know the saying? If you hoard too much, it turns to waste.”

Though his countenance was fair, his words were anything but.

“Just take it quietly.”

“…Am I not the king anymore?”

“Not now. You’ve been royally backstabbed after all.”

That was indeed the case.

Lee Si-heon gloomily stared at the floor, a pang of guilt reflected in Tae-yang’s eyes. This life on the run wasn’t their initial undertaking.

Lee Si-heon had once formed a team with Gu-seul and the Eighth Leaf. However, his failure to acquire the crown turned the kingdom’s powers against him. They betrayed him, seeking another crown-bearer. It was a decision provoked by their underestimation of Lee Si-heon’s abilities.

“…Tae-yang.”

“Yes, my brother.”

“How did we end up like this?”

“Don’t speak weakly.”

Tae-yang’s hand tipped, the potion blanketing the back of Lee Si-heon’s hand. She gently massaged his wrist, her lips tightly pressed together.

“…I’m sorry. If only I had persuaded them better…”

Perhaps Gu-seul, Engahero, and Flower might have accepted Lee Si-heon. But such conjectures were futile. Si-heon chuckled and shook his head.

“It’s my fault for being weak.”

The same had happened when he lost Lee Se-young. His power was too feeble to withstand formidable enemies.

‘……’

His fists clenched. Noticing this, Tae-yang put down the potion and drew Lee Si-heon into an embrace from behind.

“Calm down, brother. I’m here, alright?”

“…What should I have done?”

Loss had rendered him fearful. Since losing Lee Se-young, he had only hesitated in saving others. As a result, those around him fell one by one.

Sansuyu had become an experiment of the Cornus family. The star had sacrificed its life to enable his escape. The Heavenly Demon, whom the deceased star had introduced through connections… They had tried to warn him, but were instead killed by one named Mugung.

“Brother…”

He had joined the Eighth Leaf, vowing vengeance. But it was a thorny pit.

In the end… he had fallen into a state where everyone was against him.

“Should I have been a little more villainous?”

“No, brother.”

“You’re right.”

Tae-yang had once advised him. To indiscriminately embrace more people, to extract whatever power he could. Only by amassing it relentlessly could he reach the heights they desired.

“…I was just a naive fool.”

Now, he knew.

“Why did I hesitate, knowing it was inevitable?”

“Listen to me, brother.”

Tae-yang cradled Lee Si-heon’s head. Her mournful voice stirred Si-heon’s senses.

“Oraboni did everything he could. What other reason could there be for me to be here? Despite being a fool and a pushover, that’s why I… I live under your protection.”
“……Shiba is on the brink of death. You almost died as well.”

Lee Si-heon remembers that time.

“Oraboni, we must save Shiba. You must survive. Understand?”

When he was freshly betrayed by his comrade. Mok Tae-yang, who aided my escape even when his entire body was torn to shreds.
He could never forget the sight of Tae-yang, having returned from the brink of death, defiantly presenting his chest as if to showcase his triumph.

A desolate night.
Tae-yang’s hand slowly moved toward his groin.

Startled!

Si-heon, taken aback, pushed Tae-yang away and retorted.

“……What are you doing?”
“You seem so downcast, I thought I would offer Oraboni some comfort.”
“With Shiba still here, what the hell?”
“Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk then… do you want to touch my chest instead?”

Tae-yang grinned, holding his coat in his mouth as he revealed his upper body.
A generous chest enveloped in a black bra.
The peculiar chuckle that accompanied it was equally striking.

“That’s enough.”
“Did it help to lighten your mood?” “Huh? Huh? Huh?”
“It did, it did.”
“Hehe our Oraboni is so endearing.”
“Don’t laugh like that.”

It reminded him of Gu-seul and made him nauseous.

“Oh, sorry.”

Tae-yang scratched his head and laughed.

Well, there wasn’t a total absence of hope.
Currently, Lee Si-heon was operating under the command of the sage.
The last opportunity to save Shiba. The final chance to take revenge on Flower and the World Tree, and to ascend to greater heights.

“By the way, Oraboni, do you trust the sage?”
“…If I didn’t trust him, then who else would I trust?”
“Well, that’s a point. But can she truly save Shiba?”
“What are you implying?”

That Shiba can’t be saved.
Regardless of whether it’s merely conjecture, such words should not be uttered.

At Lee Si-heon’s sensitive response, Tae-yang closed her mouth and shook her head.

“Mind your words. Shiba can survive.”
“…I’m sorry, but Oraboni….”
“Why?”
“……From my perspective, I value Oraboni… far more than Shiba.”

A servant attending to her king.
Tae-yang would rather save him than Shiba.

But in this situation, how could those words be received with grace?
Moreover, Tae-yang is well aware of how much Lee Si-heon cherishes Shiba.

“Seeing as we’re both women, I can read her expressions. There’s something suspicious afoot.”
“…….”

So, should we just let Shiba die?

More than any other factor, that single fact occupied Si-heon’s thoughts.

“What will you do if you’re betrayed by the sage as well? You’ll be shattered before that happens.”
“Mok Tae-yang.”
“I want Shiba to live too. But one must trust someone to be trusted.”

In the end.

Lee Si-heon’s face contorted with anguish and then relaxed once more.

“…That’s enough.”
“Oh.”

Only then did Tae-yang seal her lips.

“Cease that noise.”

That night unfolded in tranquility.

It marked the first time we had a significant dispute since our paths intertwined.

* * * * * * * * * *

As Tae-yang is human, few flowers truly complement him.

“It’s a conundrum.”

Shiba symbolizes the freesia flower, embodying ‘naivety.’ A bloom picked with a father’s heart, allowing her to someday frolic with abandon.

As for Tae-yang…

Yesterday’s incident impelled me to offer a flower of reconciliation.

[Hyacinth]

A floral message of apology.

“This is the one.”

Lee Si-heon promptly purchased a bundle of flowers and embarked on a delightful escape. Memories of Tae-yang’s words from times past surfaced.

“Brother. You have no idea what a privilege it is for me to be able to serve you.”
“Everything you do is wonderful, isn’t it? Hehe. Honestly, just your hips, right? I would be ecstatic even if all you did was sway your hips on top of me.”

The latter was a misrecollection, while the former was the dialogue I intended to recall.

In any case, last night my words were too harsh.

He must have spoken those words for my sake too. Evening had descended, and fatigue had made me overly sensitive. Therefore… first, I should bow my head. Let’s proceed with the conversation.

Lee Si-heon hastened his return home.

“As compared to Shiba… brother, you are far more precious”

That day, Tae-yang was discovered lifeless in her studio apartment.

An assassin from King Mokryeong’s faction had struck her down, aiming at her neck.