Threat Vs. Negotiation

WARNING: Reader discretion is advised in the following scene.

Ps. I am not quite sure if this is how a warning should be done.

"You do not need to force me, King Yeon," Song Yuna tried to hide her being nervous by smiling. This was what she always did. "I want to negotiate with you."

"A negotiation?" The king mused and raised his thick brows, with an incredibly unamused facial expression plastered on his face. "What do you mean by that?"

"As easy as it sounds," Yuna replied as she kept her chin held high. Getting scared while proposing a negotiation is a no-no. The king was right; he was not an enemy. "If I were to do what you want, there should be something in return."

The king snorted and then laughed with all his might. As much as Yuna just wanted to run away from the situation and the 'responsibility she was given, she chose not to.

Who would actually think that a random king somewhere called someone in the parallel world to save and unite the kingdom with him?

Yuna was just a simple nineteen-year-old girl who prioritized being a trainee and will later debut as an idol. When she finally got the dream that she always wanted to, it was taken away from her by being called to summon a mythical creature whom she did not even know existed.

Not to mention that she even got her first kiss stolen by a trashy prince who thought he was the best in the whole universe.

"You want something in return, High Priestess?" The king's face hardened as he pursed his lips before speaking. "Do you really know your position here, young lady?" His voice lowered, and Yuna could sense him exerting his authority over her. "I can get you killed in just a matter of seconds!"

Gulping, Yuna already knew that there was no turning back.

The king was right; she can get killed in just a matter of seconds. But that did not mean that the king would act on it.

Why?

No one else could summon the mythical white tiger but her!

Yuna nodded and grabbed the small pocket knife she had brought to her bag. She gripped the handle on that small pocket knife like it was her lifeline. The palace guards gasped, and while the king was just staring at her, it seemed like he was surprised as well.

"Lady Yuna," Min called her, but she just ignored him.

"King Yeon," Yuna spoke as she tried to emphasize her words; her cheerful voice was nowhere to be heard. "In just a matter of seconds, I can kill myself with this too. "If I aim correctly," The blades of the knife touched the skin of her neck as she continued. "I can bleed to death within five seconds."

Yuna could hear the palace guards murmur, saying that the priestess had the guts to go against the king like that.

"I know that you know that too well, King Yeon," Yuna challenged as she showed no fear with the way she handled the knife. "I am sure that a lot of people have died using that method within your armed men."

She memorized the names of the kings of the Goguryeo era, but there was no king named Yeon. It can be the fact that the whole world was fabricated. A parallel world aside from the world that Yuna was born into existed.

It was something you would only see in the movies. Definitely weird if you would ask anyone.

But if they were still following the same unification of the three kingdoms, then that would be it.

"You are out of your mind, young lady," The king sounded worried, and that alone made Yuna want to scream in joy. Her threat was definitely working. "I do not think you would dare to do that."

"Why would you think I won't?" Yuna did not yield in as she tilted her head slightly to the side, showcasing her neck. "I was living fine in the world that I live in but I was suddenly asked to do something dangerous. Why would I waste time? I should just die and wait for me to get reborn! I have nothing else to lose anyway!"

"Are you threatening me, the king of this place?" The king exerted force in his words as it seemed like he was getting worked up by Yuna's cheeky actions.

"As you said, you are not an enemy, my dearest king," Yuna spoke with a gentle and calm voice. "You may see this as me trying to threaten you but if you see it in another perspective, I am negotiating with you."

"A negotiation?" King Yeon exclaimed. "I don't think you are! Are you not afraid of the heavens, young lady?!"

"You can think whatever you want, King Yeon." Yuna's facial expression calmed as she immersed herself in the situation she was in. "I am afraid of the heavens, of course. But that is the best way to drag you as well." Her expression darkened as she continued. "You called me over here so I am sure you did some black magic to do that, and if I end up dying, I am sure that you priced with something equally as well."

Instead of getting angry or scared, the king just clapped his hands as if a circus clown just performed in front of him.

The king was so worked up earlier but now he was already as calm and playful as before. Was this also just a part of his act?

Who was actually playing with whom?

"Brilliant! You are extremely brilliant! That old lady sure had a great intuition," The king continued to give Yuna a round of applause for her fantastic performance. "She got the kingdom of Goguryeo, a smart and cunning lady as the priestess that will summon the white tiger!"

Everyone was astounded. The look on their faces seemed surprised; even Min could not follow their series of conversations.

"High Priestess," King Yeon approached Yuna, extended his hand while nodding at her as a sign of respect and acceptance. "Tell me what you want in exchange for following my orders to unify the other kingdoms with Goguryeo!"

Song Yuna loosened up as she let go of the small pocket knife she had been holding on to her neck. And as it fell to the ground, she could hear the palace guards sighing in relief.

"Grant me a relatively high status as the high priestess and one wish to spare for me to be able to go back to my own world."

"What else?"

"I also want you to take care of a mother and a child," Yuna's voice finally trembled, but as she thought she was showing the king a sign of weakness, she cleared her throat and spoke. "There is someone I know that is suffering from tuberculosis and is in a grave condition. Please take care of her."

"I see," The king spoke; his baritone voice was now calm and relaxed. "It seemed like you are attached to the celestial warrior who happened to have found you in the midst of getting lost."

"Just make sure that you are going to keep your word," Yuna told the king.

"Of course. But you should be careful." King Yeon kept his gaze on Yuna as he spoke, "Later on, this might become the weakness that would bring you down."