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Chapter 3

"That guy\'s a tough one."

That\'s what I\'ve heard countless times since I joined the Blood Cloud Fortress and picked up a sword.

I was a pretty strong guy.

"Your Highness. Your Highness, Your Highness...."

So.

"I\'m a \'Your Highness\' now, huh."

Being tossed into the palace didn\'t mean I had to cower.

"Well, things will work out somehow."

Roughly half a day had passed since I returned from the brink of death and started this new life.

I opened my eyes in the dead of night, and now the first light of dawn was breaking.

I was squatting on the wooden floor in front of my chamber door, frowning as hard as I could. I couldn\'t relax my expression. There was a lot to think about.

For some reason, I felt like frowning would help me solve my problems.

"Prince... Prince Ikwon..."

That\'s me.

That\'s what they say.

Another title for me is Yegyeong.

That\'s my name.

Yet another title is Hyeonnyeongdang.

That\'s because the name of my chamber is Hyeonnyeongdang.

It seems they usually call me Prince Ikwon.

"Well, well."

My new name was quite grand, so it seemed like I\'d need some time to get used to it.

Even though I was adopted into the Baek family, I didn\'t think of myself as a true member.

The Blood Cloud Fortress Lord was my benefactor. I wouldn\'t dare dream of acting like a noble. I was still just a warrior from a remote border fortress.

Even if they said I saved the Fortress Lord or that I was a genius swordsman, that was my place, and I never dared to dream of anything more.

Staying put in Blood Cloud Fortress and keeping my place there, that was my whole hope and goal.

But overnight, I became \'Your Highness,\' a prince.

"Hmm."

Actually, that wasn\'t really important.

"He said he\'d kill me if I didn\'t protect the country..."

I raised my hand and scratched my head vigorously. Maybe because I was a prince now, my hair was softer than it used to be.

"Damn spirits. That old ghost..."

According to the old man, the eunuch, it was currently the spring of the 12th year of Cheonrok.

The original me, Baek Yeon, died in the late autumn of the 22nd year of Cheonrok.

That meant I knew the history of the next 10 years.

Of course, if I intervened and changed events, the future would change too.

But as a prince, it would be difficult to intervene in events outside the capital, so at least things outside the country wouldn\'t change much.

I could control the events within the country as if they were in the palm of my hand.

"Let\'s see."

I picked up a nearby twig and started drawing a map on the ground.

First, I drew the royal family tree.

The current king, who would later be called Bonhyeon the Posthumous, had two sons.

The first was Yegyeong, born to Queen So. The second was Yehui, born to Royal Consort Woo.

The idea of Yegyeong and Yehui fighting over the throne was unthinkable in the past. That is, until the first queen, Queen So, was deposed.

The situation changed three years ago when Queen So was stripped of her title and Royal Consort Woo became the new queen. Yehui, who was previously a concubine\'s son, was also recognized as a legitimate heir.

The power of the first prince, Yegyeong, rapidly diminished, and the second prince, Yehui, became the more likely successor to the throne.

On top of that, the second prince awakened his supernatural ability, so it was only natural that the public\'s attention shifted to him.

On the other hand, there was nothing remarkable about the first prince Yegyeong\'s abilities. All I knew was that he was a notorious troublemaker.

The first prince couldn\'t have been cooped up in his room all the time, so there should have been at least some rumors about him.

But there were no rumors at all. That meant his faction had gone to great lengths to silence any talk...

No matter how much I tried to think positively, there was only one reason for such thorough control.

It led me to believe that the first prince didn\'t have any supernatural abilities.

...Or did he?

I clenched my fist and felt my body, but there was nothing special.

If there were no signs of anything unusual even though I was in the first prince\'s body, then he probably didn\'t have any abilities.

Compared to my original body before I died, the only noticeable differences were that this body was weak and frail, and I had tinnitus.

The tinnitus was just a minor annoyance that I could ignore if I wanted to.

Maybe he had some kind of underlying illness?

A prince with a body that looked like it hadn\'t eaten a decent meal in ages and a mind that wasn\'t quite right...

A sign escaped my lips.

What a mess. Of course, it wasn\'t my problem originally, but now I was that very Yegyeong.

But even this wouldn\'t be a big deal compared to what would happen later.

In just six years, the king would leave a will on his deathbed, and the capital would be turned upside down.

"Something\'s definitely strange."

While the king was alive and well, he simply turned a blind eye to the second prince suppressing his older brother and running rampant.

But right before he died, he threw a stone into the peaceful court by declaringthat the first prince, Yegyeong, would inherit the throne.

No, wait. Maybe he threw a turd.

Anyway, that\'s how the fight between the brothers started. The second prince wasn\'t the type to quietly accept losing the throne he thought was his.

And unfortunately, the result was Yegyeong\'s crushing defeat.

In other words, he died.

And that was me now.

I would die within the next 10 years.

That is, if I did nothing.

"Yegyeong, huh?"

I suddenly looked up at the dawning sky.

"I prefer Baek, but..."

Well, there was no need to overthink it.

I knew the next 10 years of the future.

And if Mokryeo remained safe, then Blood Cloud Fortress in Seopyeong would be safe too.

That\'s all that matters.

That\'s my entire goal.

If I can recruit those who will become future warlords and make them my allies in advance, the plan will be much easier.

Like Jincheon, for example.

Of course, it wouldn\'t be easy.

To truly change the future, I couldn\'t be satisfied with just being a prince.

At the very least, I needed to secure regency so that I could control the situation even in the worst-case scenario.

And that\'s not all. The second prince\'s rebellion after Bonhyeon\'s death happened because the successor was still unclear at that time.

If I became the crown prince early, I could eliminate any justification for his actions.

"Helping the second prince and trying to make things work... that\'s too optimistic, isn\'t it?"

I knew it was best to avoid causing trouble as much as possible.

But trying to turn the second prince into a wise ruler now would be even harder than me becoming king myself.

That\'s because even after successfully rebelling and killing his half-brother, the second prince remained a tyrant.

If I handed over the throne to someone whose only goal was to sit on top and indulge, I wouldn\'t be fulfilling the promise I made to Taejo.

The promise to save this damn country.

Wasn\'t it the second prince who, after becoming king, neither fought back nor sought peace, but only catered to his maternal relatives and ultimately ruined the entire country?

That\'s why I had to become the king.

What a world...

And becoming the crown prince was important in itself. No matter what, I had to stay alive to do anything.

Whether I became the crown prince early or late, the second prince\'s actions will still be a rebellion.

But there\'s a difference between being ousted as a crown prince who\'s been actively involved in state affairs and one who hasn\'t.

Right? If I become the crown prince early on and be involved in governing, it wouldn\'t be easy to get rid of me.

Even if I was incredibly incompetent, as long as I didn\'t commit any crimes, it would be almost impossible to depose of me.

So, first, I need to become the crown prince.

"Crown prince..."

Bonhyeon only decided on his successor right before his death. I had to make that happen earlier than in the original history.

I needed not only achievements and recognition from the court but also the trust and favor of Bonhyeon himself.

But the problem is that Bonhyeon had treated the first prince like dirt when he was alive . To overcome those disadvantages and become the crown prince...

"Hahaha."

...I had to become an incredibly outstanding person.

"Ha."

But it was doable.

If I could save countless lives by taking on this burden, there was nothing I couldn\'t do.

"It\'ll be a hell of a lot of work."

Suddenly, I remembered our Fortress Lord.

-You are the third son of our Baek family. Remember that. The path you walk, the deeds you do, the place where you die. All of that will follow your name, Baek Yeon.

Fortress Lord.

Can I do it? Even if I\'m a prince on the outside, I\'m still the same beggar from the streets at heart.

Then, the Fortress Lord would probably say this:

-Or don\'t.

The benevolent... no, was he benevolent? It was closer to a silent threat. Anyway, the Fortress Lord\'s smiling face was vivid in my mind.

"...Yes, of course. This Yeon is a seasoned expert in hardship, isn\'t he? Let\'s think positively. Yes. Well, being here will make it easier to meet people than starting over at Blood Cloud Fortress..."

Like the heroes who will make a name for themselves in the future.

Of course, there will also be traitors.

It would probably be easier to approach those people as a prince.

"After rotting away in the countryside for 24 years, it\'s time to move to the capital, right?"

I nodded, even though anyone who saw me would think I was a crazy person mumbling to himself.

Then, suddenly sensing someone\'s presence, I turned my head.

"Your Highness."

It was the eunuch I had met as soon as I opened my eyes here.

His name was Han Seon.

I didn\'t think the first prince, notorious for being a troublemaker, would have been kind to his attendants, but this eunuch showed no sign of disliking me.

Well, I\'ll find out his story later.

"What?"

As I turned to face him properly, crossing my left leg over my right knee, the eunuch\'s lips twitched.

I asked again, "What?"

Eunuch Han bowed.

"Please maintain your dignity."

I didn\'t think this troublemaker had ever lived with dignity.

I said without much thought, "When have I ever had dignity?"

Eunuch Han glanced at me, as if he was used to this.

"Well."

"I beg your pardon, but I will offer my counsel a hundred times if I must."

"No one\'s around. What does it matter how I act?"

Just then, I heard footsteps from beyond the pavilion wall.

Ah. Scratch that about no one being around.

Seizing the opportunity, Eunuch Han said, "I\'m worried that the workers from outside the palace and the foreign envoys might misunderstand Your Highness."

"That\'s strange. Why are they wandering around here?"

Eunuch Han\'s eyes widened as if he was exasperated.

"It\'s not strange, considering His Majesty\'s birthday is approaching."

"Birthday?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Why did such a major event have to happen so soon after I possessed this body?

Damn it. It was like being thrown into the middle of a battlefield without any time to adjust.

"I think my memory\'s a bit fuzzy."

"...Pardon?"

"Maybe I hit my head."

Eunuch Han\'s face instantly turned pale.

Changing facial expressions was one thing, but changing the color of one\'s face wasn\'t easy.

If his reaction was genuine... it seemed he was closer to the first prince than I thought.

In fact, unless Eunuch Han was a spy, it would be difficult for him to betray me.

If he didn\'t have any other backing, there was no way he could escape his master\'s downfall.

It might sound extreme, but it was the truth.

There was no worse situation for me than not being able to trust Eunuch Han.

Honestly, I couldn\'t guarantee that I could act like the first prince without arousing suspicion.

First of all, I knew almost nothing about him.

Of course, I knew a few major events, but that wouldn\'t be enough for a country bumpkin swordsman to impersonate a prince.

I had heard that the first prince was quite the troublemaker, but even so, he was still a prince. Surely acting like my old self would seem strange.

"I\'ll call for the royal physician."

"No need."

I waved my hand dismissively.

"You say there\'s no need. But there\'s nothing more important than Your Highness\'s safety."

"I\'m fine. Really."

"But if there\'s a problem with your memory, it\'s a big deal, isn\'t it? So..."

"I said I\'m fine. You don\'t believe me when I say I\'m okay?"

Pretending to be sick was also tiring.

"My memory will come back on its own."

Of course, my memory would never come back. I didn\'t have those memories to begin with.

Eunuch Han\'s face was a wrinkled mess.

I decided to change the subject quickly.

"But why was I passed out there?"

I mean, when I first woke up in this body.

I was collapsed in a corner of a palace alleyway.

With mysterious injuries.

They weren\'t serious, though.

"Well..."

Eunuch Han, who was about to answer, suddenly gasped and closed his mouth.

"What?"

"N-nothing, Your Highness."

"What is it? Go on."

"It\'s nothing, Your Highness. I misspoke."

Eunuch Han bowed deeply.

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Eunuch Han?"

"...Yes, Your Highness."

"Look."

I raised my hand and pointed to my left eyelid with my index finger.

My eye was bruised and swollen, and my lips were cracked and bloody. I had checked my injuries in the mirror as soon as I entered the chamber yesterday.

Of course, that wasn\'t all.

Injuries that couldn\'t be explained unless I had been in a fight.

"You wouldn\'t happen to know why I\'m in this state, would you, Eunuch Han?"

It was Eunuch Han who had found me lying there and brought me here, so he must have had at least a rough idea of what had happened.

Eunuch Han seemed to hesitate, as if he wanted to answer. But he still didn\'t readily open his mouth.

"Eunuch Han."

"Yes... Your Highness."

"Don\'t make me ask multiple times."

"I don\'t know the exact details..."

"A eunuch wouldn\'t be clueless."

"...I apologize for my boldness, but I believe Prince Jaean\'s bodyguard acted disrespectfully towards Your Highness."

"Prince Jaean?"

Prince Jaean. The second prince, Yehui.

"You mean my younger brother?"

"Y-yes, Your Highness."

Eunuch Han averted his gaze.

"But it wasn\'t my brother himself, but his bodyguard?"

"Yes, yes, Your Highness."

A prince got beaten up by a mere bodyguard. I scoffed.

Was this even possible?

"That\'s absurd."

I frowned.

"Eunuch Han."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Do you happen to know why I was beaten up by my brother\'s bodyguard?"

"I\'m not sure..."

"You know, don\'t you?"

I persistently followed Eunuch Han\'s gaze as he tried to avoid mine. Giving up on escaping, he hunched his shoulders.

"Eunuch Han."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"You know, don\'t you?"

Eunuch Han\'s lips twitched. As I suspected, he knew why I was beaten up by the bodyguard and left lying on the street.

"That is..."