Chapter 225

Chapter 225

A month before Seol encountered Seol Hong—or rather, a mysterious little girl in a remote town...

Hong Yeon, the capital of the Khan Empire.

If someone were to ask which place shone the brightest in this city of streets adorned with fantastical lanterns, everyone in Hong Yeon would say the Dragon Palace.

The Dragon Palace was the resting place of the Dragon Emperor, Hong Cheon, the founder of the Khan Empire.

Step...

Step...

Seol Hong had arrived at the entrance of the Sleeping Dragon Room, a place where most of the Dragon Palace's significant events were held.

She stepped inside and immediately noticed a muscular guard with a stern gaze, surveying the room.

Despite her small stature compared to his, Seol Hong approached him and asked a question.

“Haah... Where do I have to go?”

“Your seat is over there, Lady Seol Hong.”

“...Isn’t that seat really far from the platform? I doubt I’d be able to see anything from there...”

“It is the same everywhere. I apologize, but these seats were assigned according to the Dragon Emperor’s rules.”

Seol Hong smiled brightly.

“Then I guess I have no choice! I’ll try to open my eyes as wide as I can!”

“......”

The guard kept his mouth shut, choosing not to add any more comments.

It wasn’t as if Seol Hong did not know about the guards’ situation either.

Step...

Seol Hong sat down in her seat.

She found a seat in the furthest corner, so isolated that she wondered if she was still in the same room.

There was no particular reason she was assigned there, either. It was because she simply lacked influence.

“Is that you, Seol Hong?”

“Yes, Elder Brother.”

“You don’t need to be so stiff... Just call me by my name.”

“Ja Hyo... Don’t you think our seats are way too isolated?”

“There’s nothing we can do. As children abandoned by the Dragon Emperor, we are not allowed to get any closer.”

“You shouldn’t talk down on yourself like that!”

“It's called knowing your place, Seol Hong. You know that too, don’t you?”

Ja Hyo was Seol Hong's older brother.

However, the Dragon Palace was full of people Seol Hong could also call 'older brother’.

Hong Cheon, the Dragon Emperor, was a monster who had lived for over 300 years. It would be naive to think he had only one wife or concubine during that time.

In fact, he had over 500 concubines during that time, fathering countless children.

Having lived over 300 years, Hong Cheon's children also varied greatly in age, with more than half of them dying before him.

Still, that didn't mean there were only old concubines and children around him. Hong Cheon continued to take in new concubines and father more children over the years.

And though there were hundreds of his children at the Dragon Palace to hear the important news he was about to deliver, there weren't many elderly individuals.

In fact, Ja Hyo, the man who sat down next to Seol Hong, who was in her teenage years, was in his thirties.

"Hm? Haha! Well, look who it is! It's Seol Hong."

"Oh? It really is her!"

A pair then approached Seol Hong after recognizing her.

The man with the buck teeth was named Hyun, while the woman with the freckles was named So Eun.

“Oh no... You were assigned to such a faraway place...”

"Hahahaha... Well, I guess the seating assignment really was fair, considering you ended up in a corner like this...”

Seol Hong responded with a smile.

“Hello!”

“Yup. But did you really need to come here?”

“I know, right? Maybe she was told to come to fill the seats?”

Step...

Step...

Another individual approached them.

“Out of the way.”

“Who the... hup...”

If there were children from concubines, then there would, of course, be children from wives as well. As expected, the children from the emperor’s wives who showed promise received preferential treatment from the moment they were born.

The stern-looking man who was currently looking down at Hyun was one of such children.

After a haughty gaze, he slowly walked past them.

"Why should Seol Hong not come when even trash like you are sullying the great Sleeping Dragon Room? Close your mouths and return to your seats. It will begin soon."

Clench...

“O-Okay.”

The individual who saved Seol Hong from Hyun and So Eun was named Tae Yul.

Not only was he the child of a legitimate wife, but Tae Yul was also regarded as the most gifted among the Dragon Emperor's children, and he was considered the most likely to succeed the crown.

Despite being saved by Tae Yul, Seol Hong’s expression did not grow any brighter.

After all, he didn’t save her because he was a kind person.

He simply needed a means to display his authority and power.

The Dragon Palace was a place filled with such individuals.

Regardless, the Dragon Emperor had still not shown up.

“Silence!”

A few moments later, Chancellor Bang Hyu, the Dragon Emperor's close aide who ranks second only to the emperor, stepped onto the platform.

“The Dragon Emperor... shall not be visiting the Sleeping Dragon Room today.”

“What?”

“Oh my god...”

“Why...?”

Weaker Dragon’s Flowers often took their first step toward gaining influence by recruiting powerful Dragon’s Stones by their side.

"Do you think there are any Dragon’s Flowers without a Dragon’s Stone by their side, like me?"

"Please don't speak like that, Lady Seol Hong. Your time simply hasn't come yet. One day, someone will recognize your true value."

"But if it doesn't happen during this Dragon War... no, if it doesn't happen right now, what's the point?"

“I guess there’s no choice,” laughed Cheon Ju. “It seems that I’ll have to get better by tomorrow to stop hearing you whine, Lady Seol Hong.”

“Cheon Ju...”

The old woman gave a big smile before patting Seol Hong.

“Stay strong... we will overcome it.”

Cheon Ju then tightly held Seol Hong.

After hearing their conversation, an individual outside took their leave.

* * *

‘How could this be...’

The ‘individual’ who eavesdropped on their conversation was Seol.

And now, after uncovering Seol Hong’s identity, he was extremely confused.

The reason wasn’t because of her, but because of her existence.

- So basically, she’s a princess who’s forced to fight to succeed the throne?

- That little kid?

- I feel so bad for that grandma and her granddaughter ????

- I don’t think they have that relationship, though...? It’s a maid and a princess.

- Dragon War? I don’t know what that is, but it sounds fun lol

- Why does Snowman look like that, though? LOL

- He’s sweating hard...

- Seriously, is something up?

Seol had reserved the room right next to Seol Hong and Cheon Ju.

Since it was a rather remote town and the rooms weren't very good, securing a room was easy.

With the compass constantly pointing toward the girl named Seol Hong, he was forced to confront a shocking truth.

“If it’s Seol Hong... then... she’s my...”

Seol knew who Seol Hong’s mother was.

Yu Hwa, the Swordsdancer, was not only the woman the Dragon Emperor loved the most but also one of Seol’s pieces.

Seol was a player who had nurtured over 30 pieces. He didn’t confine his pieces to any particular mold.

Sometimes, he played as a woman; at other times, he played other races.

Like a god, Seol had inhabited the bodies of various beings.

Yu Hwa, the Swordsdancer, was once inhabited by the god Kang Seol long ago.

In other words... Yu Hwa’s daughter is also Seol’s daughter.

‘No... I guess calling her my own daughter would be too much of a leap?’

Although Seol enjoyed the game, he was not responsible for the lives of his pieces. Therefore, Seol Hong was the daughter of Yu Hwa, not Seol.

Regardless, what was important right now wasn’t whether Seol Hong was his daughter or not.

It was a truth that he should have learned after meeting Hamun, Orgo’s successor.

Seol’s pieces had left a mark on Pandea that are still breathing to this day.

Seol Hong was just another one of those marks.

His heart began to pound after meeting Seol Hong, an individual who he had forgotten entirely.

The crucial question now was what Seol should do after discovering her true identity.

Should he take action on her behalf?

No, that wasn’t the answer.

Would it be better to do nothing? That wasn’t it either.

‘I’m certain, though... Yu Hwa must have left something behind with her. I need to confirm that first.’

In the end, he had to make contact.

Then when would be the appropriate time?

‘It would be harder the longer I delay it.’

In the end, Seol changed into a different pair of clothes and went to find the tavern’s owner.

A few moments later...

Knock knock...

“......”

Knock knock knock...

“What is it?”

Someone was knocking on Seol Hong and Cheon Ju’s door.

“Excuse me... I was knocking on your door because...”

“Just tell me what it is.”

The tavern owner scratched his head before answering.

“A doctor... has come.”

“Wh-what? Really?”

Seol Hong had asked the tavern owner a few days ago, without much expectation, but to her surprise, they had managed to find a doctor.

Creaaaaak...

Seol Hong slowly opened the door.

Seol stood at the entrance, wearing a different set of clothes than normal.

“I heard there was a patient here.”

[Quack’s Bonus Effect activates.]

[The others do not question your identity.]

“Cheon Ju, get up! A doctor has arrived!”

Seol continued to gaze at Seol Hong's face as if he were trying to see through her.

He lingered on the lonely mark he had left on this world.