Chapter 8 : King's IQ.

This voice belonged to an arrogant-looking man known as Kim Dae-Seok, the palace official.

He said while standing up from his seat and walking toward Ari. He then stopped right in her front.

He carried a silver cup with a drink in it obviously wine. After finishing saying his sentence, he leisurely took a sip from the cup.

Kim Dae-seok was a younger brother to queen Kim Sui making him an uncle to Ari.

However, the relationship between the latter wasn't quite good. Ari always felt uncomfortable with him for being too smug and thick-skinned.

"Elder you have misunderstood something. I'm just helping them because I know they are innocent."

"Ari do you like him or not?"

Kim Dae-seok asked.

Ari was at a loss for what to say. If she said no, she clearly knew that Yeli would be hurt which was something she didn't want to see.

But if she said yes, it might make the people here think that she was seduced and instigated by Yeli.

"Do you like that scoundrel or not?"

Kim Dae-seok continued asking the tough question.

"See! she is not even answering. I have already told you that what the elder said is right."

Kim Dae-seok said smugly as he had done something very important.

"That's not the case, that's how it is. I just want to help them "

Ari finally replied loudly with an angry, uneasy look on her face.

"Ari stop wasting your energy. I can't let those people stay in my land. I don't want to feel insecure."

King Choi yelled trying to defeat Ari.

"Yes. Tell your man to leave. Oh, is he even a man? Tell that girl to leave!"

Kim Dae-seok mocked Yeli again.

Yeli couldn't tolerate it any longer he raised his head and yelled.

"Hey, punk! Don't dare to call me a girl again."

It could not be said that Yeli was bad or good-tempered. Sometimes he could tolerate others to scold and insulting him as they wanted but sometimes, he could never tolerate it. It just depends.

"He's too arrogant! he even scolded my brother?"

Kim Sui muttered because Dae-seok was the first to take the initiative to scold Yeli.

Even when they were kids, Sui would always back his younger brother even when he was the one at fault.

Thus, he was too spoiled that he became smug and arrogant.

In the palace, Sui had influenced and instigated the king in many deeds on behalf of her brother, Dae-seok including appointing him to different highly esteemed positions.

Before anyone could talk again, Yeli took several steps toward the throne. His movement attracted everyone's attention as his large, thick and snow-white fur coat swept over the ground.

He looked like a charming prince of beauty. Freshness and purity aura erupted from his body.

He then bowed to the king before saying.

"Your Majesty king Choi, I only have one request. Allow me and my people to stay here for just a few months I'll pay you 100 kg of gold as a monthly tribute."

His tone was calm and relaxed.

The king's expression changed drastically. 100 kg was not easy wealth to obtain.

In many territories, people who had 100kg of gold were considered very rich.

But Yeli wanted to give that to the king monthly. The wealth that one would spend tens of years to obtain.

'How rich?'

After pondering it for a while king Choi decided to decline.

Since could afford to pay him 100kg of gold every, he had too much gold.

King Choi decided that he should use other means to snatch away the wealth from Yeli. Snatching Yeli's wealth would give him many more benefits than 100kg of gold monthly.

He wanted to snatch all of Yeli's wealth. How greedy?

Since Yeli hadn't brought his total wealth, in order to snatch his wealth, the king was supposed to find out where Yeli and his soldiers hide.

To do this he only had two ways.

The first way was to trick Yeli or Ari into revealing the hideout.

The second way was to use force and threaten Yeli or Joab into revealing it.

King decided to start with the first one. Tricking Yeli.

"Hah, how can I trust you? Maybe you'll attack after a few weeks, days, or even hours. In that case, I may die without collecting the tribute"

He raised a doubt.

After hearing the doubt expression on Yeli's face became serious. He sneered and said.

"Then you are too difficult to convince. There is nothing I can do about this. I just have to give up, I'll take my leave."

The moment king Choi heard this; his face darkened.

He had to talk more with Yeli so that he could trick and lure Yeli into revealing his hideout unknowingly.

But Yeli was too quick to give up on convincing king Choi and if Yeli would leave just like that, king Choi would end up with nothing.

Of course, they could send some people to spy on Yeli and Joab but if anything happened to the spies and end up missing the targets, it would be an easy total loss.

'Tricking him seems not to work. Should I threaten?'

"Punk, do you think you can just leave like that? unscathed? That's Impossible!"

Before the king make up his mind, Dae-seok had already taken the lead in threatening.

The king quickly chimed in.

"You were here to spy right? in that case I won't stand on ceremony. I will be merciless."

He planned to put the two behind the bars whilst forcing them to reveal their hideout.

"Father! What are you doing? The two are guests I brought why do you want to do the wrong?"

Ari cried out in an extremely poignant tone.

She was extremely scared that her father would kill Yeli and Joab.

She promised Yeli to put a good word for him before the king. She confidently assured him that nothing bad would happen.

But it was the complete opposite. Yeli and Joab were about to face the king's wrath.

'It's my fault! I'm guilty.'

"What guests? Not anyone is worth being a guest"

Dae-seok yelled coldly.

The king was pleased with him. He felt that only Dae-seok was helping him with the matter.

At the same moment, he realised that Ari would disturb him a lot. Thus, he had to chase her from the hall.

"Kim Sui! Take her away otherwise, she will test my patience!"

His words were stern and domineering.

Seeing this Kim Sui did not hesitate but pulled her daughter away.

"Father, you're too ruthless!"

Ari yelled while being pulled away.

Finally, her voice faded.

Only the king felt relieved.

"Nice move! Now, little punk you no longer have any backers. You'll definitely die."

Dae-seok overjoyed.

He was acting like he had an old feud with Yeli, yet this was their first encounter. Yeli had a bad impression of him.

"Your highness, I think you should not kill them."

A woman's voice filled the air.