Where Kyle and Tara convey their intentions....
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Episode 61. 77kg (5)
After about three seconds, tears welled up in Beth's eyes.
"No, why, why are you crying?"
"Heuk.... Heuk.... I was so scared for you.... Waah. I was afraid you were going to get hurt, and I opened my eyes to see Bernard got a cut in his side, which made me freak out. I thought he was going to die on the street. I'm so scared.... Hic, Hic...."
Then she scrambled to her feet and walked over to Bernard to examine his wound.
"Oh... Are you okay? Let me see."
"No, I'm fine, go away."
"It's not OK, it's an open wound! Hic...And it's bleeding. I'll get you some medicine from Oliver as soon as we get back to the mansion, just hang in there, alright?"
Blushing, Bernard continued to pull his shirt down while Beth pushed it back up to look at his wounded side.
Witnessing the scene, Nick grimaced and quietly returned to his position.
‘Let's stay out of it.'
"Just... Don't do that. It's fine, really."
"Thank you, Sir Bernard. I survived thanks to you. You are my lifesaver."
Hissing in pain, Bernard backed away hurriedly, but Beth quickly followed, checking for any more injuries.
At the sight, the knights of the Second Prince's Order of the Phoenix slowly backed away, trying to get away from them.
***
Meanwhile, inside the Imperial Palace's beloved tea house, [Tea and Co], the atmosphere was tense.
"How funny. You say I'm the biggest threat to the Elias Family.... I didn't know I'd get such an interesting answer when I asked you why you wanted to work for me. This can’t be some kind of joke?."
Kyle chuckled to himself and took a sip of the green tea from the Far East.
It was bitter, but flavorful, so it wasn't bad. After setting the teacup down, he asked casually.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean it literally. Your Highness will be the greatest threat to our House in the near future."
"In the near future?"
"Yes. In the near future, I believe you will."
Intrigued, Kyle asked, "In what way?"
Tara opened her mouth, her eyes shining. As if things were going the way she intended....
"Hmm… Please don't misinterpret my words and listen carefully."
"That won't be the case. Speak."
Tara swallowed hard and opened her mouth, slightly nervous. Then everything poured out without hesitation.
"Your Highness was not meant to survive in the Imperial Palace."
".....!"
Kyle thought for a moment that he’d heard wrong.
No one had ever had the audacity to discuss his life in front of him like this, never.
But here, this eighteen-year-old brat, a Third Secretary, and his subordinate to boot, was fearlessly broaching the subject.
Only a madman would do such a thing.
"Are you insane?"
"I’m completely clear headed."
"I've noticed since I met you on Lackton Street, you seem to act quite recklessly at times."
"I'm trying my best to explain, so you can see that I'm telling the truth. If I don't do this, Your Highness will think I'm lying, and I may get hauled off to die in a dungeon."
"Ha! That's interesting, let's hear more, go ahead."
She knew better than anyone else that he would not send her to the dungeons.
If he was going to jail her, he would have done so long ago. He was no different than the god Shouxing, born as an old wiseman who only grew wiser with age.*
"Despite being illegitimate, you were elevated to Second Prince. Being second in the imperial hierarchy means that, if something were to happen to the First Prince Franz, you would become Emperor. If you were legitimate, I wouldn't be so concerned.You are intelligent and exceptionally talented, but your life has been hard because your status has done you no favours. And, I'm afraid that will continue to be the case."
"Just because I let you speak, do you think you can say anything that comes to mind?"
".... Should I stop?"
"Huh, no, I’ll hear you out. I'm almost curious to see how far you will go."
Tara gave him an awkward smile, but then her eyes lit up again and she continued talking.
She wasn't intimidated at all. The more he looked at her, the more interesting she became.
"That's why I wanted to work under you, Your Highness. I'm sorry to have described you as my most dangerous enemy. You know I don't truly mean it. Ha,ha...."
"......"
"Yes, as I was saying, you are the person who poses the greatest danger to my family, and I wanted to minimize that danger… Or rather, I wanted to prevent dangerous events from happening in the first place."
"Don't spin it, get to the point."
Tara swallowed hard to clear her throat.
"I never wanted this, but all but one of my siblings ended up in the Palace. The fact that special arrangements were made for my brothers following the written exam will surely be used against our Family. This created a weak point, and if that wasn't troublesome enough, I can foresee that my Family will be dragged into the strife within the Imperial Family which, as you well know, stems from the struggle for the throne."
"You're going to try to prevent that?"
"Yes. I believe my siblings will be caught in it, and you will be at the center of it all. Therefore, I was determined to stay close to the riskiest person to prevent this crisis. That's why I applied to the Ministry of Security and accepted my military assignment."
"......"
The room fell silent for a moment.
Kyle looked at Tara, sitting across from him, and realized he was on the verge of laughter.
No one had ever called him illegitimate and a threat to his face.
No, no one had ever dared.
What was even funnier was that he didn't feel offended at all. He didn't even have the heart to protest.
"What if I told you that you were delusional?"
“I suppose I can understand that. But is that what you think?"
"No, unfortunately what you said is close enough to the truth. I am an illegitimate child, second in line for the throne and a threat to many people. That's why the nobles are reluctant to take my side. And that goes for House Elias as well. Whether your siblings serve in the Palace or not, eventually a House as powerful as the Elias's will have to pick a side.”
Kyle paused and sipped his tea.
"In the end, when they find out what my true intentions are, they won't spare me...."
‘.... His true intentions!’
Kyle stared at Tara blankly. She must have been curious about his 'true intentions', but didn't ask.
Although she had guessed what he was going to do, she couldn't bring herself to seek confirmation. When she was scared, she looked like an ordinary teenager.
Nevertheless, she had managed to get quite far in her reasoning.
He began to wonder more and more. Of how this kid in front of him was going to evolve and grow in the future. It made his heart race.
"And the second?"
"It's because I've determined that your department is relatively free of corruption compared to others, which means promotions will be based on merit."
"Why do you think that?"
"You can tell what an organization is like by looking at its leaders."
"Don't bother with flattery."
"You got me. Hehe...”
Kyle stopped short of reaching for his teacup in disbelief.
"......"
"I'm more than half serious. Your Highness is a man of integrity, strict but fair."
"But that's expected of my position. Now, what do you want in return?"
Tara let out a small sigh of relief. Kyle looked at her and unconsciously raised an eyebrow.
There was something about Tara Elias that gave him pause whenever they met like this.
Light and cheerful most of the time, but sometimes she looked desperate, nervous, and anxious. It was a demeanor reminiscent of someone who only saw a dark future ahead.
‘As if her days are numbered.'
He was puzzled, but his train of thought was cut short by Tara's next words.
"Before that, Your Highness, may I ask a question of my own? I hope you can give me an answer."
He lifted the teacup and took a sip. The tea was cold, but it didn't matter.
"At this point, I already know what you’re going to ask. You're wondering why I didn’t let you join the Ministry of Security and assigned you to the Military in Durben instead."
"Yes, that's what I'm wondering."
"I have two reasons as well."
"......?"
"The first is I always send my people far away when they have potential. Leaving home is a must to learn administration. A conflict area is also good to learn about the affairs of other countries."
"Ah." Tara nodded in understanding.
"The second is, I need someone like you. Someone who's willing to work, and not just play politics."
"Ah, so you've determined that I’m someone who will do real work?"
"Yes. What you've said today is more than enough reason to dismiss you, but I'm still interested in seeing what you can do."
"Oh..."
Kyle looked at Tara seriously.
"Your... Highness?"
Tara was probably going to be the most interesting administrator under him.
"Now, let's get this over with, what do you want in return?"
".....!"
"Get to the point. I've spent too much time here already."
Kyle stood up as he spoke. Surprised, Tara followed suit.
"Uh... uh, I'm not going to take up your time. What I'm hoping is that in about seven months from now, hmm... it could be six months, it could be eight months, I'm not sure, but either way, there's going to be a man coming to your palace, and I just want you to meet him."
"An assassin?"
"Pfft. What a terrible joke... If I were to send an assassin, I wouldn't have mentioned it to you. Haha.... My apologies."
"Who is this man you are referring to?"
"I wouldn't be asking this in return if I could tell you that. Nothing is certain, and he may not even show up, but I promise you that he isn't an assassin."
"......"
"I'll give him my name and a password. Giving my name is easy, as for the password....."
She ummed, seemingly agonizing over it. Her eyes glazed over momentarily, (did that make sense in the current situation?) and then she snapped her fingers.
"Let's call it 'Lighting the dynamite'." **
"Lighting what?"
It's just something that flares up. My favorite weapon."
Normally, he never would have allowed it, but he was curious. Who would come to see him? And what was this young noblewoman in front of him planning?
"I don't like the password, but I'll take it."
Kyle gestured to the green tea.
"This tea is good. I'll give you some to take with you to Durben."
"Ugh...."
Seeing the sour look on her face, Kyle threw out nonchalantly, "At least you didn't pass out this time, huh?"
"What?"
"There."
Kyle subtly pointed to her left temple with his chin, and Tara touched the spot with her fingertips.
"Ah!"
She grimaced as if she hadn't noticed it until now.
Editor's Note -
Shouxing * comes from the Chinese Pantheon of Gods. He's the god of longevity and is usually represented alongside 2 other gods as a trio. Fuxing the god of good fortune and Luxing, the god of prosperity, rank and influence. It is said that Shouxing was born old. His mother carried him in her womb for 10 years after all! He is usually represented with a peach, symbol of immortality and a high domed forehead, symbol of his wisdom. Also called Sanxing.
Lighting the Dynamite ** People speculate might be a BTS reference (according to the Bato comments on this manhwa chapter + KKP). Dynamite is a 2020 hit single and possibly one of their best known songs (the official on youtube has like 1.7 BILLION views it’s insane!) (Thanks @Rina for finding this!)
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