26

"Your Highness, congratulations on the engagement!"

His eyes pierced at the servant who stood there with a congratulating scroll from the Gold Dragon Castle; the main castle where The King and The Queen reside. He put away his brush and pointed his finger towards his assistant to get the scroll for him.

The assistant who wore a green robe passed the scroll to him. He unrolled the scroll, read the details, and sighed.

"Who is this girl?"

"A lady from The House of Sun..."

"A niece or...?"

"The General's daughter, sire..."

He slammed his palm on the table. Everyone was startled as they bowed immediately.

"So, that old geezer tries to control me discreetly. Wicked!"

"The conjugal tie had been arranged since you were 10. It's a family arrangement since your grandfather's era,"

"I don't care. I marry a girl that I want!"

"I believe it's impossible to end or undo the engagement, sire. The goodwill and the kingdom's reputation are at stake if you do that," his assistant tried to straighten up his mind.

Khittan tossed away the scroll. He gazed at the man who stood in front of him, all in sweats.

"I would love to kill you. But, you are just a messenger. Not worth it," the man shook like a falling leaf. Consider himself lucky for today.

Usually, whoever works with the Royal Messenger puts their life at stake by delivering such news either internally or externally. The risk is just the same. Especially if you were assigned to relay some matters at the Jade House, the main castle for The Crown Prince. Some even say it's better if you get killed even before you reach the main gate. The bad news is a bad omen for this castle.

Based on the reaction, that kind of announcement was a bad omen for the castle.

"Your Highness..."

"I'm taking off," Khittan raised from his seat, and prepared himself to leave the castle. He felt suffocated enough after the news.

:::

The stream looked serene. The surroundings felt cold. It was raining heavily last night. Thus, everything is soaked with rain plus morning dew.

Khittan watched the stream with a heavy heart. He felt unjust after hearing the news. He wondered how easily The King agreed with the conjugal tie.

Does he know what kind of man The General is?! He grunted silently while throwing pebbles into the stream.

"Your Highness..."

"Talk."

The man in black attire reached him slowly.

"It's confirmed. A witness saw them coming out from the tavern last night," his teeth gritted together, suppressing the anger that boiled inside.

So, they put up a plan against me! Khittan cursed under his breath.

"That bastard is crossing the line now!"

"What do you mean, sire?"

"Guess you missed the news," Khittan glared at the man. He put down his head, daring not to look directly into the eyes of The Crown Prince.

"There will be a conjugal tie between The Jade House and The House of Sun," said Khittan.

"You mean...?"

"I got engaged with the daughter of that bastard," replied Khittan. The man slowly gasped.

"He might end up getting the power through his daughter...."

"That's what I thought. He couldn't drag me down and burn me to ashes, so he used a slightly sneaky way to gain the power," Khittan turned around and glared at the man. "He uses his daughter," he continued.

"If it's Lady Karin that we're talking about right now, I believe we have no issue in the future," the man told Khittan. "I heard that the girl is not on the same page as her father," said the man.

"People can change. I will put a doubt on her until I see it with my own eyes. Besides, I hate this arrangement! I don't understand why The King puts a favor on The General!"

"Because he is a general that controls the army. Without the troops, the throne would be in great danger. There will be a coup d etat, that's for sure," said the man.

"I want to see how far he can go..." Khittan smirked.

"We'll make some arrangement, just in case, sire..." Khittan nodded. The man left him as soon as he got approval from Khittan.

"What did you get?" another man approached Khittan. He wore a purple royal attire with a nobleman's hat.

"That bastard is kissing my brother's ass! Now they joined forces to finish me off," Yug sheepishly laughed. He patted Khittan's shoulder to ease him.

"That mad, huh?" he asked. Khittan swatted him with a deadly stare.

"Enough of me. What about you? Did you find anything?" asked Khittan.

"Hmm.. I did try to ask people around. But no one ever saw the girl that matched your description. Should I ask the personnel?"

"No need to. It's gonna cause a ruckus. Besides, I met the girl at the House of Sun. People might put her as the next target," Khittan stopped Yug.

"Are you sure she's not Lady Karin?" he asked Khittan, just to make sure the real deal.

"I don't think so. She wore a commoner attire. Maybe she's her trusted maid. The one who keeps intact closer to her" replied Khittan.

"Hey, if it's true, that means you still have a chance to be around her! I mean, of course, you can't marry a maid, but you can appoint her as the royal concubine!" said Yug in merry.

"You and your dirty thoughts!" Khittan playfully smacked Yug's head. His cousin rubbed the spot with a long annoying whine.

"Yug..."

"Yes?" Khittan stared at him.

"Do you know anything about Lady Karin?"

Yug sneered as he playfully teased Khittan with his gaze.

"Hmm.. Someone put some interest!"

"To infiltrate the enemy lair, we have to gather all possible information," Khittan smirked.

"Ah...."

"So?"

"Hm... As far as I know, no one ever sees her or encounters her except for the personnel of her own house and close family. In this context, her parents, her siblings, and her trusted entourages," Khittan frowned.

"Wait. But why? I mean, usually, all the royal ladies tend to show off when they reach a certain age. You know, like a potential bride thing," Yug nodded, understanding the inquiry made by Khittan.

"The House of Sun is different. I heard The General is ashamed to have a girl as the firstborn. So, he hides Lady Karin from the world so he can keep his reputation," said Yug.

"What an asshole!" Khittan grunted.

"Well, I heard another version, too. Because the conjugal tie between you and Lady Karin happened when you were ten, General Sun decided to keep Lady Karin exclusively for you," Yug smirked at him. A way to tease his cousin subtly.

"Or he might discreetly train her how to seduce and kill me!"

"That's how much you hate her?"

"I rather marry her maid than her. Well, that's not a bad idea. I can just kill her and marry her maid instead!"

"I know you're in love but don't be a fool!"

"Nah, I'm not a fool. I just doing the right thing. Right now, we never know what kind of lady she is. Maybe she was indeed sent by her father to destroy me. I won't let that happen!"

"Cousin, I suddenly remember an old folk said," Yug tapped Khittan's shoulder.

"What?"

"Don't hate the person so much. You might end up falling for them.."

"Hah, in my dreams! I won't fall for her, even if I got reborn thrice!" Khittan grunted. Yug can only laugh, watching his cousin expressing his anger and devastated mood.

"Be careful what you wish 'cause it might come true!"

"Shut up or I'll ask my guard to cut your tongue!"

"Oi, chill!"

And that evening ended with those two bickering back to the Jade House.

:::

Guess he was the one who swallowed his tongue now. When he lifted the veil, he could feel lumps inside his throat.

The girl that he fell in love with in the tie-dye house turned out to be the girl that he was supposed to hate.

Khittan could hear the Heaven was laughing at him.