Chapter 27

Amidst the bold declaration of sibling rivalry, Yeonghwa imagined how Mantian would attack and prepared countermeasures, but all her efforts were in vain as Mantian did nothing.

He simply—kindly and indifferently—took care of Yeonghwa.

Like when she wanted a side dish at the table but it was too far, so she gave up and reached for another, only for him to silently place it closer.

Or when she tried to grab a book out of reach and almost fell backward, he caught her.

Or when she stayed up late reading in the reception room and shivered from the cold, he casually draped a coat over her.

He quietly did his own thing, but when she needed help, he stepped in without a fuss, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

He didn’t do anything special. He was just there when she needed him. That’s all.

…But to Yeonghwa, Mantian’s actions didn’t feel like mere indifference.

Having grown up solely under the care of her mother and maids, Yeonghwa had virtually no contact with men. Thus, Mantian’s “courtship” behavior was utterly bewildering.

‘A grown man… expressing his feelings so directly… how vulgar… how improper…’

To Mantian, these were just acts of familial affection, caring for his younger sister. But in Zoroastrianism, marriage between siblings is possible.

Moreover, from the perspective of Zoroastrianism, which emphasizes modesty between men and women, Mantian’s actions were undeniably a courtship dance toward a woman he loved.

Frankly, he was wagging his tail, excitedly declaring, “This woman is mine.”

But unaware of this context, Mantian assumed Yeonghwa’s guard had lowered and decided to unveil his ultimate weapon.

He reached the pinnacle of his courtship.

***

‘…Huh? What’s that? A pipa sound?’

After finishing her morning prayers, Yeonghwa tilted her head at the beautiful pipa music coming from outside and opened the window. There, she locked eyes with Mantian.

Mantian had placed a chair under a tree with petals fluttering around. He sat there with his usual shameless smile, plucking the pipa. He played it annoyingly well, which irked her.

The fluttering petals, carried by the wind, flew toward Yeonghwa. Upon closer inspection, they weren’t petals but square pieces of colored paper.

Looking up, she saw the servant who always accompanied her brother—his name was probably… Jang Sambong? Anyway, he was perched in the tree, scattering the colored paper from a basket.

…At the utterly ridiculous sight, Yeonghwa was left speechless, staring blankly. Mantian began to sing, matching the beautiful pipa melody.

The audience was just one. For his shy and scarred younger sister, Mantian sang.

‘GTO – Don’t Rebel – Last Piece’

“I’ll be with you, I’ll watch over you~ So your wounds won’t hurt anymore in my memories~”

“Will you lean on me? Will you open your heart to me?~ When you need me, I’ll be by your side~”

“You worry, you hate, you deceive yourself~ You show others a mask of hypocrisy~”

Instead of studying the past, Mantian poured all his talent into martial arts and fun. His pipa skills were already top-notch.

And if he couldn’t sing, she could’ve just told him to stop. But no, he had to sing annoyingly well. She couldn’t help but keep listening.

‘What’s with his voice… no! What’s going on?!’

Though already flustered, unfortunately, Mantian’s antics didn’t end there.

Suddenly, he stood up from the chair and slowly approached Yeonghwa while playing the pipa.

Despite his limp, he walked with a dignified stride, his shining eyes fixed solely on Yeonghwa, approaching her gracefully.

“What are you doing…?!”

Before Yeonghwa could finish, Mantian stopped playing the pipa and reached out, gently grasping her delicate hand.

“You’ve been waiting, haven’t you~ For me to hold your hand~ The touch you’ve always longed for.”

Though she was stunned and her hand was easily caught, the warmth of his touch snapped Yeonghwa back to reality.

She couldn’t take it anymore. Not Mantian’s ridiculously stupid pipa playing, not his singing, not the warmth of his hand—none of it. Especially the most unbearable thing—

Her heart, racing uncontrollably at his utterly foolish antics.

Yeonghwa’s face turned bright red in an instant. She quickly slapped Mantian’s hand away and slammed the window shut with a loud ‘BANG!’ to hide her flushed face.

Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Mantian blinked and stared at the firmly closed window.

‘…What? Was it not fun? Was this not her taste?’

As he pondered, Jang Sam-i approached from behind, carrying the basket under his arm.

“Young Master, what’s wrong? Did something not go well?”

“Well… I expected her to laugh and say, ‘What are you doing?!’ But I guess it wasn’t her taste.”

“Really? I thought it was so ridiculous it was funny. Well, as you said, everyone has their own tastes. Cheer up.”

Mantian snorted at Jang Sam’s unnecessary encouragement.

“I’m not discouraged by this. If I fail, I’ll just try another way. In the end, I always win.”

“If you’d put that determination into studying for the exams, you’d have passed with flying colors long ago. Instead, you’re just messing around with the pipa and go.”

From Jang Sam’s perspective, being born into a good family, it’s only natural to study hard and become an official. But from Mantian’s perspective, in a world where martial arts exist as a fascinating power, flipping through books is a waste of life.

He absolutely—absolutely—would not study for the exams. He’d live as a carefree nobleman, learning the family business under his father while spending his free time enjoying martial arts.

But his philosophy wouldn’t be easily accepted. What a harsh world.

Thus, for Jang Sam, who kept spouting boring, conventional ideas about exams and success, Mantian decided to quote a classical poem and play another tune.

“生來不會讀詩書 (Since birth, I’ve had no interest in studying poetry)~”

“安排香餌釣鰲龍 (I prepare fragrant bait to catch the dragon)~”

“準備窩弓射猛虎 (I ready my bow to shoot the fierce tiger)~”

*Twang!*

He deliberately plucked the pipa hard. Smiling brightly at Jang Sam and the world.

“英雄不會讀詩書 (A hero doesn’t bother with studying)~”

*Clap! Clap-clap-clap~ Clap! Clap-clap!*

As the tune ended, applause rang out.

Oh ho~ Such enthusiastic applause. Is he a man who knows how to have fun?

…No. It was his mother.

His mother approached, clapping with a smileless face. She spoke gently, as usual.

“So that’s how it is. You have no interest in studying. This mother didn’t realize and has committed a great discourtesy to the hero.”

Using honorifics… a sure sign she was furious. He needed to escape immediately. Glancing to the side, Jang Sam had already fled.

While everyone’s attention was on him, he had quietly slipped away. What a coward.

Forcing a calm expression, Mantian slowly inched away.

“Everyone makes mistakes. I don’t mind. Don’t worry about it.”

“…Come here right now.”

What Mantian was most grateful to his master for was teaching him martial arts, which had greatly improved his leg condition.

Using his internal energy, he strengthened his legs to move at high speed without being noticed.

***

Meanwhile, Yeonghwa leaned against the window in her room, biting her finger with her white, pretty teeth, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart.

“Hoo… hoo… haa…”

She gently placed her hand over her rising and falling chest. Her shamelessly racing heart felt like it was going crazy. What a shameless heart.

No! It’s all because of my brother!

How could he, without any shame, passionately perform a love song for his lover, so fervently, so intensely?!

Her heart was racing simply because she was embarrassed. There was no other reason.

“Heh- hoho- how foolish.”

As time passed and her heart calmed, Mantian’s face as he sang came to mind, and she laughed belatedly.

It wasn’t that the song was funny, but the fact that Mantian had prepared colored paper and sang to win her heart was what made her laugh.

…What a foolish brother. What an amusing brother.

She had clearly told him she didn’t like him. Yet, he shamelessly courted her so passionately. Moreover, whispering love outside…

Before being a saintess who could set the world ablaze, as a devout Zoroastrian, Yeonghwa could never have imagined such a thing.

She looked into the mirror, idly playing with her well-maintained black hair.

‘…Does he really like me that much? …What a strange person.’

The corners of Yeonghwa’s lips curled up slightly. Sitting on her bed, she brushed her hair and unconsciously hummed the song Mantian had sung.

A cheerful hum filled the girl’s room.