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Chapter: 31

Gae Yeohwa opened her eyes.

Lord Naam, who had been waiting for her to wake up, asked eagerly, "What did you see?"

Despite his urging, she didn\'t answer readily. This was unlike her usual self, who would answer immediately when asked. In that brief moment, Gae Yeohwa\'s expression darkened, and Lord Naam frowned.

"Quickly!"

Gae Yeohwa remained silent for a bit longer before finally giving an answer. But it was not an answer that would satisfy Lord Naam.

"...I don\'t know."

Lord Naam\'s eyes widened at the unexpected response. His face quickly reddened, and he shouted, "What does that mean!"

Gae Yeohwa hesitantly replied, “It\'s exactly as I said... I don\'t know."

Lord Naam asked her again in a soothing tone, but his face was still flushed.

"No, what on earth does that mean? Explain it so I can understand. You\'ve never said you didn\'t know before. But to say you don\'t know... I can\'t understand it at all."

Gae Yeohwa swallowed a sigh. She was just as bewildered. In fact, she was even shocked.

This had never happened before.

"Yes, as far as I can remember, I have never said that I didn\'t know before."

"That\'s right. Tell me again. I got excited. It\'s not a usual thing..."

"I understand, Father."

"Yes, yes."

Lord Naam anxiously examined Gae Yeohwa\'s expression. His adopted daughter possessed the supernatural ability to foresee the future. He had received so much help from her so far.

Of course, he couldn\'t always get timely prophecies. But his prophet had never spoken with such uncertainty.

\'I don\'t know.\' With that answer, Gae Yeohwa\'s face darkened. That made him uneasy.

Lord Naam had frequent interactions with Duke of Mungong, Woo Joong.

He never wanted to lose his connection to the Duke of Mungong.

That\'s why he even made a promise to hand over his precious prophet to the Duke of Mungong in the future. It was a painful deal, but in return, he would be able to marry off his own daughter into the royal family.

Surely, a figure like the Duke of Mungong wouldn\'t break his promise. He would undoubtedly receive a great reward. But it was as if he had handed over his own leash to the Duke of Mungong.

Therefore, Lord Naam wanted to gain even stronger trust from the Duke of Mungong. He was in a situation where he had to fear even the slightest doubt.

But then came the sudden visit of Prince Ikwon.

The visit of that reckless prince!

It was only natural for Lord Naam to feel uneasy.

"...I\'m sorry, Father."

That was the answer Gae Yeohwa gave after a long time. Her voice was even trembling slightly. Her once somber face was now pale.

"...Sorry for what?" Lord Naam asked in a hardened voice.

Gae Yeohwa hesitated to answer. Her hesitation fueled his anger even more.

"Speak at once! What did you see?!"

"...Nothing," Gae Yeohwa said, her eyes lowered. "Nothing. I saw nothing. Nothing at all... I truly can\'t see anything."

"Wh-what?"

The blood drained from Lord Naam’s face in shock.

"Th-this..."

His face contorted as if he had seen something horrifying.

"Useless thing!"

Lord Naam abruptly stood up and swung his arm.

Gae Yeohwa, seemingly anticipating what was coming, squeezed her eyes shut. A sharp pain flashed across her face. Lord Naam had slapped her.

"You dare lie to me! What is the reason? Huh? Did you dare utter falsehoods because you want to be thrown out this instant?!"

The Lord of the Naam Fortress had not experienced battle in a long time. However, to say that he was not a warrior because of that would be untrue. Gae Yeohwa, struck by his calloused hand, was already sprawled on the floor. A chair lay overturned beside her.

Blood filled her mouth. It tasted metallic. Her ears were ringing. Gae Yeohwa swallowed the blood pooling in her mouth and quickly knelt.

"I apologize."

"Damn it!"

Lord Naam kicked at something in frustration. The chair he kicked toppled over with a loud noise. But Gae Yeohwa remained kneeling on the floor, unmoving. She was used to her adoptive father\'s violent outbursts.

"See again!" Lord Naam shouted.

Normally, she would have obeyed his command. But now, she couldn\'t do anything. It wasn\'t her will. Truly, literally, she couldn\'t foresee anything.

She couldn\'t see anything.

This was the first time this had happened.

"...I apologize. But it\'s impossible. I can\'t see anything."

At Gae Yeohwa\'s response, Lord Naam couldn\'t control his rage, his facial muscles twitching. He grabbed a fan from the table and swung it. The fan struck Gae Yeohwa\'s head, who was kneeling on the floor, and shattered. Gae Yeohwa staggered but didn\'t fall.

Her neatly combed hair was now a mess.

"Damn you!"

Lord Naam turned around and left the room with heavy footsteps. Gae Yeohwa waited, motionless, until his footsteps were no longer audible.

And finally, when the sound of footsteps faded away, she raised her head and brushed her hair with one hand. As she tidied her hair, fragments of the fan that had struck her fell to the floor.

She glared at the doorway with eyes filled with resentment.

"...Son of a bitch."

She hadn\'t lied. She hadn\'t tried to deceive Lord Naam.

Truly, she couldn\'t foresee anything.

It wasn\'t something she could control with her effort or will. Even normally, her prophetic ability showed random moments.

"That bastard deserves to be fried in boiling oil. I\'d be happy to scrape all the fat off his belly and throw it to the monsters in some mountain valley."

After muttering curses for a while, her anger subsided a bit.

"Ugh, seriously. My life... What did I do so wrong to be connected to such a person? There\'s a limit to bad luck. How am I supposed to endure this if he acts like this every other day?"

She gathered the scattered fan fragments from the floor and stood up.

"Even with his tantrums, there\'s a limit to my patience."

Gae Yeohwa let out a long sigh.

Even if she said that, she couldn\'t leave this fortress. Her choices were limited.

Obey Lord Naam, or die by his hand.

Or find another master.

But finding a new master who would free her from Lord Naam\'s grasp was nearly impossible.

So if she didn\'t want to die, she had no choice but to live like this, acting as a fortune-teller.

Forget being treated like a daughter, she\'d be grateful if she wasn\'t beaten. But things never went her way.

A long sigh escaped her.

There was never a day she didn\'t have to sigh.

Even though Lord Naam had left after venting his anger, she couldn\'t feel at ease.

"This is truly the first time this has happened."

Standing there, she fell into deep thought. Ever since she was so young that she could barely even remember, she had possessed the ability of foresight. And from then until now, this had never happened before.

She didn\'t think she always made useful prophecies. That wasn\'t true. It was quite common for her to foresee useless scenes. But even those were still prophecies.

Even if they were useless prophecies, there had never been a case of emptiness.

"Why?"

Why couldn\'t she see anything about the reckless prince? Why?

This question filled Gae Yeohwa\'s mind.

* * *

Entering the Naam Fortress was smooth. It couldn\'t have been any smoother. Even entering the royal capital wouldn\'t be this easy. Without a doubt, it was the most effortless entrance in the world.

"It\'s an honor to have you here, Your Highness!"

"Hmm."

"I couldn\'t attend your birthday banquet, so this is the first time I have the pleasure of meeting you in person, Your Highness. And finally seeing the prince I\'ve longed for, I\'m overflowing with joy, almost to the point of tears. I will remember this day until the day I die."

"Is that so? You seem to like me a lot. I believe this is the first time I\'m seeing you too. And the first time we\'re conversing, right?"

"Yes, yes. I am deeply humbled. I have long wished to pay my respects to Your Highness, Prince Ikwon, but how could someone of my lowly status dare ask Your Highness to spare your precious time? Please forgive me for not visiting you sooner."

"Forgiven."

"I\'m eternally grateful."

"But you\'re staring at me quite intensely."

"Ah, that\'s because I can\'t take my eyes off you. Your noble appearance...! It is far more magnificent than I could have ever imagined."

"Is that so? Thank you."

To describe Lord Naam in one word...

"You\'re a unique person."

"I\'m overwhelmed! Your Highness, may I take that to mean you will remember me and not forget me?"

"How could I ever forget you?"

I looked around.

Before me was a feast fit for a king. I wondered how many animals they had slaughtered for today, judging by the number of dishes.

"To receive such a warm welcome..."

The Naam Fortress was a far more bustling place than Oro Fortress. Of course, it wasn\'t as bustling as the royal capital.

Perhaps that\'s why the treatment was different.

The flattery was on another level entirely.

It was amusing to watch their efforts.

"If Your Highness is pleased, what greater joy could there be? I would do anything to bring joy to Your Highness."

Lord Naam grinned and raised a hand.

From somewhere, courtesans in colorful clothes appeared. Each held a wine bottle the size of their heads.

I waved my hands in alarm.

That damned reckless prince and his infamous reputation.

"No, I\'m abstaining from alcohol. It\'s fine. I\'ll pass."

"Oh...! What a shame. But if you\'re abstaining, how could I dare disturb your resolve? Your success is my success, your health is my health, and your joy is my joy. Please do as you wish."

Lord Naam shouted at the courtesans to leave.

"Lord."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Honestly, I have a different interest."

Lord Naam replied readily.

"What is it? Please, just say the word."

The lord looked as if he would pluck the stars from the sky if that\'s what I desired. But Lord Naam had nothing to gain from me. Objectively speaking, there was no reason for him to show this much favor.

So, all of this was just an act.

He could probably make a good living as a conman instead of a lord.

I chuckled and said, "I have some interest in your daughter."

Instantly, the air around us turned cold.

Did I say something I shouldn\'t have?