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Chapter: 44

The Lord of Naam Fortress accepted my fake proposal. Since it was difficult to proceed with the formalities immediately, he wrote a temporary Sasung as proof of our engagement and handed it over. The proper way would be to return to the capital later and submit a formal proposal.

Gae Yeohwa looked uneasy before I left.

It was absurd how her thoughts were written all over her face.

She seemed to be thinking, \'I\'m going to become this man\'s subordinate...\'

Even though the engagement wasn\'t sincere on my part either, her expression, as if she had been tainted by something filthy, annoyed me.

But it was only natural, since it was a transaction, not loyalty.

If it weren\'t for her prophetic ability, I wouldn\'t have been so desperate.

Thus, I finished my business at Naam Fortress and mounted my horse.

Compared to Oro Fortress, where I had stayed before, it was quite noisy. Perhaps that\'s why my departure wasn\'t quiet either.

You could say there was a bit of a commotion.

"Eunuch Han, are you alright?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

I\'m not talking about Eunuch Han.

"Are you really okay?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Don\'t worry."

Eunuch Han answered confidently. He was smiling. But it must still be uncomfortable. No matter how much he said he was fine, his actions couldn\'t lie. I didn\'t quite believe him.

"I don\'t know..."

It couldn\'t be helped. It was something I had to take care of. It was my fault too.

Gon was the one who caused the trouble, but I was the one cleaning it up.

I suddenly looked up at the sky. Thanks to the cool breeze, it was gliding through the blue sky.

As a human who couldn\'t leave the ground, it was a strange sight.

"Eunuch Han, tell me if you\'re tired."

"Don\'t worry."

"You must tell me."

Since we were traveling with someone who wasn\'t fully healed, it seemed we would need to take frequent breaks along the way.

"Yes, Your Highness. I will."

Eunuch Han closed his mouth, seemingly embarrassed.

Does he think he\'s the one who should be taking care of me? It\'s possible. After all, he\'s a eunuch.

He also seemed concerned about the group\'s travel speed. But even Heo Seokgyeom, who had been nagging me, wasn\'t actually a bad person, so he didn\'t say anything about Eunuch Han falling behind.

He just kept nagging at me.

Did he find me easier to pick on than Eunuch Han?

Since I was already labeled a troublemaker, I thought it wouldn\'t be bad to become even more approachable and make friends. Just then...

Rustle.

Suddenly, in the middle of our journey, I sensed the presence of people. It wasn\'t just one or two people moving. To exaggerate a bit, even if I were taking a nap, I would have woken up startled by the presence.

It seemed I wasn\'t the only one who felt it, as the others in my group, starting with me, turned around one by one.

"What is it?"

I was the first to speak among the group who were now looking back. Then, the others also added their comments.

"I sensed a presence, Your Highness."

"Ah, it wasn\'t my imagination."

"It seems someone is following us."

Since we had just entered a deserted road, it was possible that some idle fools were clinging to us. Like bandits or something.

If the identity of those presences turned out to be bandits, they would probably become the unluckiest bandits ever. Except for Eunuch Han, everyone in the group was a trained warrior.

Moreover, even if they risked their lives and attacked us, there was nothing to steal.

"I will check it out, Your Highness."

While we were pondering what to do, one member of the group stepped forward. Was his name Lee Gyeon-ui?

"Do so. Let\'s stop for a moment."

As the group stopped moving, Lee Gyeon-ui got off his horse and walked towards the rear.

The group watched him quietly. And a moment later, Lee Gyeon-ui, returned with a group of merchants.

As soon as the merchants came into view, the group drew their weapons and changed their stance.

The air turned cold in an instant.

However, the fight we expected didn\'t break out. As soon as the merchant saw me, he knelt on the ground and bowed his head.

"We greet your esteemed presence."

"Uh... uh-huh."

You might think receiving formal greetings would always be exciting, but in reality, it\'s quite cumbersome and burdensome.

Anyway, bowing their heads like that meant they already knew who I was.

Lee Gyeon-ui wasn\'t a fool, so he wouldn\'t have already told these strangers my identity. That meant they already knew about my movements, which was...

Very suspicious.

Before allowing these people, whose identities I didn\'t even know, to raise their heads, I asked about them.

"What is that?"

And instead of Lee Gyeon-ui\'s answer to my question, I heard Eunuch Han\'s advice.

"Your Highness, it is not proper to refer to people as \'that\'."

Tthe group\'s expressions turned strange. How should I explain it? It was an atmosphere as if they were pitying Eunuch Han.

Why? I\'m a troublemaker, so what\'s wrong with acting like one?

To change the subject, I asked Lee Gyeon-ui again.

"Anyway, who are they?"

They didn\'t seem like an ordinary group. In the first place, if they were people who farmed for a living, they wouldn\'t even think of leaving their village.

They were carrying a lot of luggage, so they were merchants, but since they suddenly appeared near me, the prince, it was worth being suspicious.

They even knew my identity. Maybe they were guests sent by my ugly younger brother.

"They are merchants who stayed in Naam Fortress for a while..."

"Merchants?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Merchants traveling north from Na-am Fortress.

"Shall we check them out?"

I had the military officials in the group check the luggage the merchants were carrying.

"The inspection is complete, Your Highness."

"Did you find anything? Anything strange?"

"There seems to be nothing unusual."

The luggage contained goods for sale.

There didn\'t seem to be any reason for major suspicion, but my gut still told me they were fishy.

I raised my hand and beckoned Lee Gyeon-ui closer.

"I\'ll ask one thing myself."

I jumped off my horse and approached the man who seemed to be the head of the merchants. Judging by his appearance from above, he wasn\'t someone I knew. But why did he feel familiar?

Huh?

Wait, a familiar feeling?

After a brief moment of conflict, I spoke.

"Raise your head."

Then, all the merchants raised their heads at once.

"Hmm?"

Something...

I don\'t know why, but it was a very familiar atmosphere.

I unconsciously leaned my head forward and stared at the man in front of me.

I didn\'t just stare, I tilted my head from side to side, observing him carefully.

"Hmm..."

Why did he feel so familiar?

"Who are you and where are you from? State your name and affiliation."

When I asked, the man replied.

"My name is Go Yeong-shin, and I am the head merchant of Pyeonggwang Merchant Group."

Go Yeong-shin, the head merchant of Pyeonggwang Merchant Group...

Wait.

What?

"Pyeonggwang Merchant Group?"

Go Yeong-shin bowed his head and answered.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Pyeonggwang Merchant Group?

That\'s absurd. Was this the reason I found them suspicious? I scoffed. But Go Yeong-shin didn\'t react.

"...So that\'s why you appeared like this."

The situation was clear. Who was the head of the Pyeonggwang Merchant Group? It was none other than Shin Gwiryung, my maternal grandfather\'s supplier of the bellflower.

A head merchant wasn\'t a low position either. That meant he had sent someone of that rank to follow me.

I wasn\'t particularly offended. Regardless of the reason, it meant that at least a head merchant was needed to be worthy of following me.

If they were from the Pyeonggwang Merchant Group, it was understandable why they knelt as soon as they saw me.

"Alright. Now that I know, you can go back."

I waved my hand dismissively. But they wouldn\'t have come all this way just to say hello. They would stick around, as expected.

And as expected, they did.

"Your Highness."

"Yes, what is it?"

"With all due respect, we have an earnest request."

Ugh.

I didn\'t have any ill feelings towards this man, but for some reason, Shin Gwiryung, who must have given the orders from above, made me uncomfortable.

Even if it wasn\'t him directly but someone associated with him, it was still uncomfortable.

I felt like Shin Gwiryung was watching me from somewhere, even though I was dealing with someone else.

...It must be my imagination, right?

He was a busy man, so it would be impossible for him to chase me all the way here. Yeah.

I reluctantly replied.

"...What is it?"

Go Yeong-shin\'s eyes lit up as he spoke.

"Thanks to Your Highness\'s grace, our Pyeonggwang Merchant Group is prospering without any trouble, so we are deeply grateful even to speak to you..."

Was it okay to say something like this? But even if everyone else in the world was a fool, Shin Gwiryung wouldn\'t be.

He was destined to become the head of a giant merchant group that would devour the entire nation and even expand overseas. He wouldn\'t make a mistake like this. He clearly wanted to make it known in front of my entourage that I had a connection with the Pyeonggwang Merchant Group.

I didn\'t know if it was for my benefit or his, but even if it wasn\'t for me right now, it would all come back to me someday.

As long as Shin Gwiryung held a grudge against Queen Woo, there was no one else he could reach out to but me.

"We earnestly beseech you to allow us to travel with you, Your Highness!" Go Yeong-shin exclaimed passionately.

It wasn\'t uncommon for merchants to attach themselves to a group of warriors. Whether it was bandits, wild beasts, or magical beasts, they were all dangerous enemies to people like them.

I could feel everyone staring at me. Their gazes poked at my back.

"Where are you going?"

Actually, it was something I didn\'t even need to ask.

There was only one place a merchant group heading north from the capital could go.

The center and focal point of the north.

Wolhan Fortress.

Among the places you could go by passing Naam Fortress and heading further north, there wasn\'t a single place where commerce flourished. Except for Wolhan Fortress. But that wasn\'t because Wolhan Fortress had a thriving economy or amazing specialties, it was simply because there was a big city in Wolhan Fortress.

"For your information, I\'m going to Wolhan Fortress. You\'re going to Wolhan Fortress as well, right? It\'s obvious. We\'ll stop by Gurye Fortress on the way, but we won\'t stay long. You guys, uh, sell stuff, right? You must be selling something. I can\'t wait for you to do that."

The fact that I was going to Wolhan Fortress was already widely known in the capital. And I had already confirmed that they were from the famous Pyeonggwang Merchant Group. So even though I had revealed my destination, my entourage didn\'t try to stop me.

"Our destination is also the same, Your Highness. We plan to only spend the night in Gurye Fortress and pass through, but if it goes against Your Highness\'s wishes, we will not impose and will rely on our own strength..."

"Alright."

I nodded, feigning annoyance. Then, Go Yeong-shin and the merchants bowed their heads.

Formal greetings are truly uncomfortable.

As someone with a commoner\'s disposition, I still found the act of bowing awkward.

"Then let\'s go."

I mounted my horse again. Since the merchants were traveling on foot, the group\'s speed inevitably slowed down. But even this time, Heo Seokgyeom didn\'t express any dissatisfaction.

I guess I\'m the easiest target.

As we were traveling for a while, Yoo Geung spoke to me.

"Your Highness."

"What is it?"

"I am deeply moved by Your Highness\'s kindness."

I looked at Yoo Geung with a weary expression, and saw his eyes were sparkling.

It was a very burdensome gaze.

"Commander Yoo."

"Yes! Your Highness!"

Look at that spirited response. Why is he acting like this?

I frowned.

"Just look ahead."