“Here you go, brother. Eat a lot.”“Thank you, I will eat well.”Yeonghwa smiles brightly and hands over a bowl of rice filled with affection. He eats it deliciously.Living under the same roof with a younger sister who is also a lover, serving rice and taking care of him, it feels wrong but also happy.Ah… No matter how others see it, this is Zoroastrianism-style pure love.Really, Persia-chan is greedy for keeping such a good religion to herself.Munch~ Munch~.Anyway, glancing to the side, I see Master Wang Miaoyang, her cheek slightly puffed like a cute rodent, enjoying her meal.She used to be a bit shy, but now it’s comforting to see her accustomed to eating together at the table.…Though the head of the household hasn’t shown up.I quietly look at the empty seat of my father.“Where’s father?”At my question, Yeonghwa sighs softly and shakes her head.“He said he has things to think about, so he’s eating in his room.”‘…Again?’He’s been like this since I came home yesterday. He called me saying he had something to say, but hasn’t shown his face.It’s not like he’s Cao Cao refusing to come out because he doesn’t want to send Guan Yu away.As I look at the empty seat at the table, I notice another empty seat.It’s Poong Ran’s seat.…Come to think of it. Where’s Ran?She’s the daughter of Poong Baek, my father’s friend and subordinate, who is staying here due to work.“Uncle, I don’t see Ran. Is something wrong?”“She said she has some worries, so she’s eating in her room today.”At Poong Baek’s words, I nod. I did notice she looked a bit tired this morning.Seeing her out for a morning walk like me, maybe she stayed up all night or couldn’t sleep?“Hmm~ Worries are a big deal.”“Haha… Indeed.”At Sima Mantian’s carefree concern, which is obviously about Poong Ran’s main worry, a stiff laugh escapes Poong Baek’s mouth.He can’t understand why his precious only daughter fell for such a rascal.…And here, another person unintentionally harmed by that rascal.Sima Family servant, guard, and assassin.“Ah- Really! Young Master! Manage your girlfriend! I almost died-!!”Jang Sam-i bursts into the dining room with a bundle of letters tied to an arrow in one hand.“Girlfriend? Guhae? Why Guhae?”The situation was roughly this.Guhae wanted to meet Sima Mantian, but wary of Sima Family Head… her prospective father-in-law who dislikes her, she climbed the estate wall, looking around.“……!!”A familiar face from childhood.“I am~ Jang Sam-i~ the master of sweeping~ the yard~ If expressed like the Young Master~ a celebrity servant~ detteroge~ detteroge~.”Discovering the servant Jang Sam-i, who was happily humming while sweeping the yard.Whoosh-!!“…Huh?!”Quickly, she shot an arrow with a letter tied to it, grazing past Jang Sam-i’s head and hitting the pillar behind him.“You’re not some nomadic tribe… Young Master, be careful not to get kidnapped later.”“Stop talking nonsense and give me the letter. Let me read it.”Dodging the arrow without internal energy, ignoring Jang Sam-i’s exaggerated complaints.I unfold and read the letter Guhae sent me. The content was simple.[I miss you. Let’s meet tonight.]Of course, I want to see Guhae too, and if I want to meet her, I can just go out and see her…“Tonight?”I tilt my head at the letter saying ‘Let’s meet tonight.’ without a meeting place.“…Ah!”Jang Sam-i lets out a short exclamation as he remembers something he forgot.“Ah… that… while you were out, the Martial Alliance contacted us.”“They said there’s a Dragon and Phoenix Association after-party tonight… Many families and sects will attend. They said you should come and show your face…”Avoiding my gaze, Jang Sam-i mumbles, then suddenly lightly taps his own head and sticks out his tongue, pretending to be cute.“Hehe~ I’m cute, so forgive me!”I blink in disbelief.I wonder where he learned that, but of course, he learned it from me.“Sigh…”Quietly picking up Tagujang, I lightly hit Jang Sam-i’s head.“Urk-?!”“You worked hard sweeping the yard, go eat.”The Dragon and Phoenix Association after-party hosted by the Martial Alliance.Well, I’m also a related party, a related party who ruined the Dragon and Phoenix Association.I did receive the nickname ‘Clever Tiger’ as the winner…But should I really go? Won’t the party atmosphere turn into a funeral?‘Hey- Sima Mantian! You ruined the mood, take responsibility!’Should I take responsibility and liven up the mood by playing the geomungo like an electric guitar…Anyway, there was plenty of time until evening.Tap- Tap-.I stop by the study in the house with my cane.Because my father, who said he had something to say, is holed up in his room and won’t come out.It’s not the main house, but a villa near the Martial Alliance, but if I look carefully, I might find a book about the family history.I don’t think I can uncover all the secrets with this…But it’s better than sitting still and waiting.Creak-.Thinking that, I open the study door. A guest who arrived earlier is there.Sitting in the light coming through the window is the troubled girl, Poong Ran.Her straight back and pretty hair tied back.A tower of books stacked on the desk, as if she’s been researching something.Rustle… Rustle…The sound of her carefully turning pages quietly echoes in the room.She looks like a literary girl straight out of a painting.“……”I find myself staring blankly for a moment.Poong Ran, sensing my presence, slowly turns her head and looks at me.“Who’s there… Yo, Young Master?!”“Sorry if I disturbed you.”Startled, Poong Ran half-rises from her seat, and I smile and speak casually.“Ah, no! It’s your house after all… that is…”Flustered, her eyes spinning, Poong Ran hurriedly gets up, gathers the books around her, and runs out as if fleeing.“Excuse me…!!”Thud-.…But Poong Ran didn’t know. While stuck in her novel writing, she was reading books in the study.When Sima Mantian entered the study, fearing her novel writing might be discovered, she hastily ran out of the room.In her haste, she accidentally dropped the most important book she was writing.…And Sima Mantian found it and read the title.“The Palace Maid Becomes the Queen of the Northern Khan?”···After a quick read, it was indeed a romance fantasy.The setting is a fictional Eastern empire and a northern nomadic tribe.The empire, defeated by the rising northern power, Dogolon Khan, decides to offer a princess.But fearing the royal blood would mix with the barbarians, they disguise a palace maid as a princess and send her to Dogolon Khan.‘Hmm~ Disguising a palace maid as a princess~.’…But even so, for an empire, such a lie would be easily discovered.It’s actually something the Han dynasty did when defeated by the Xiongnu.“Depppfut~ Stupid barbarians won’t notice, obviously!”-They sent a fake princess, but of course, it was discovered, and they had to send a real princess later.Anyway, should I keep reading? I haven’t read much romance fantasy, but it’s not like I’ve never read any.Thinking about it now, ‘Fushigi Yuugi’ I enjoyed as a child was also a romance fantasy.‘Fly high~ Vermilion Bird~ Wings of fantasy~.’Well, towards the end, it turned serious, traumatizing my young heart…But it did show a love scene between the heroine and hero, which was rare in shonen manga.Anyway, I turn the page. I know the basic setting, so I’m curious about the next chapter.–In an instant, she was bestowed the royal surname ‘Geum.’The girl, now named Geum Ran, smiled bitterly.The character ‘Geum’ meaning gold, and ‘Ran’ meaning orchid.The name felt like it was adorned with shining gold, similar to her situation of being sold as tribute.Originally, she would be cleaning the palace at this time.But now, sitting quietly in the barbarian’s tent, waiting to be received as tribute, it felt unreal, like a lie.“Hoh~ This girl is the empire’s princess to be offered to the Khan. She’s quite pretty.”“Women just need sturdy hips to bear children and big breasts to nurse. Why look at the face?”Two high-ranking barbarians with crescent swords at their waists approach and chatter.Geum Ran wonders if Dogolon Khan is among them and looks at the interpreter and envoy who came with her.But without a second thought, he firmly shakes his head.…And then, a horn trumpet sounds, and a loud shout is heard.“Dogolon Khan! He approaches-!!”“……!!”At that shout, everyone’s face changes. The lively atmosphere of watching the empire’s tribute turns cold and heavy.Tap- Tap-.The warriors who were full of bravado and the chieftains who seemed dignified now bow on either side, making way for the Khan to approach the tribute.Tap- Tap-.In the uncomfortably silent atmosphere, only the sound of a cane tapping the ground is heard.Geum Ran, for some reason, asks the interpreter.“What does Dogolon mean?”“Lame.”Even though he whispered quietly, it was heard very clearly.The empire’s envoy, usually arrogant, now sweats coldly, showing fear and even a bit of awe, whispering sharply like a finely honed dagger.“Lame… Khan.”…And at that moment, Poong Ran’s room was in chaos.“Ah- Ah- Ah, it’s gone! It’s gone! It’s gone!?”No matter how much she searches the bookshelf, the novel she secretly wrote, with Sima Mantian and herself as the protagonists, is nowhere to be found.“Ah, where is it… Please come out…”Tears well up in her pretty green eyes.She doesn’t even want to think about it, but if Sima Mantian is reading the lost novel…She might as well die.
