Episode 296
The King of Taizhou, Jiangsu Province — Sa Wanglian.

Inside the building known as the Little King’s Hall, currently used by the eldest son of Sa Wang, Gwe Jeong-gi, he was listening to a report from one of his subordinates.

In a cold tone, he asked,
“So, Dong Jung-seo died fighting bandits while trying to welcome Seol Poong?”

His expression tightened slightly at the question.

Usually, his face was always cold and unreadable, but lately, more emotions had been flickering across it.

And all of it was because of one person.

The subordinate, bowing deeply, answered again,
“Yes, and it was Seol Poong who dealt with those bandits. That’s why Cheol Sim Naenghyeol Papa, Dong Chae-won, who’s acting as the temporary head of the Dong family, has been treating him with great respect.”

At this, Hong Chu, the White Bone Demon standing nearby, frowned and asked,
“Weren’t those bandits raised by Dong Jung-seo himself?”

Gwe Jeong-gi nodded.
“That’s right.”

Hong Chu let out a bitter laugh.
“So he was betrayed and killed by his own men? He was even more useless than I thought.”

Gwe Jeong-gi said nothing in response.

He suspected there was more to the story than what was publicly known.

But the White Bone Demon Hong Chu wasn’t the type to think that deeply.

And it wasn’t just him.

Gwe Jeong-gi had never bothered to cultivate a strategist by his side.

He took pride in his own intellect and believed he didn’t need a tactician.

In fact, among the Sa Wanglian, mostly straightforward warriors, there had rarely been anything beyond his wisdom.

But this time was different.

To his wounded pride, Gwe Jeong-gi couldn’t fathom how things had come to this.

And that fact stung him even more.

Every time it involved that Seol Poong, his pride took a hit.

Just then, Hong Chu spoke again.
“Anyway, because of that Dong Jung-seo fellow, Seol Poong’s status has only grown. What will you do now?”

Gwe Jeong-gi’s brow furrowed slightly.

That was the most humiliating part of all.

That the man he had chosen, Dong Jung-seo, had only elevated Seol Poong’s standing.

It was an unbearable insult to Gwe Jeong-gi’s pride.

But he kept his feelings hidden, answering as if it were no big deal.
“What else? This time, I’ll entrust the task to someone capable.”

“Someone capable?”

“Yes. Someone who wants to kill that Seol Poong and has the strength to do it.”

“Is there such a person?”

At Hong Chu’s question, Gwe Jeong-gi replied casually,
“Tell the third prince, Hang-gi, to meet me briefly.”

Hong Chu exclaimed in admiration,
“Ah, Prince Gwe Hang-gi?! If it’s the third prince, then he’d certainly want to kill that fellow!”

But then Hong Chu frowned again.
“Still, can his forces really take them down? Not just Seol Poong, but even the one who made Baek Gi-ryang and No Sa back off? I don’t think anyone under the third prince could handle them. Not even Hong Hae-ah.”

Gwe Jeong-gi answered expressionlessly,
“That’s why I’ll lend him my forces. I lent my troops at Hang-gi’s request, but what he does with them is none of my concern.”

“Ah, indeed!”

Watching Hong Chu’s admiration, Gwe Jeong-gi smiled faintly.

Seeing someone marvel at his wisdom helped soothe his wounded pride a little.

---

Seol Poong was walking alone, having left the Yangju Dong family residence, strolling through a small hill right behind the Dong family estate.

The hill was covered entirely with pear trees.

Thanks to perfect timing, the pear blossoms were in full bloom, blanketing the entire hill in white.

Seol Poong gazed at the snowy white pear blossoms with a distant look in his eyes.

Then, closing his eyes briefly, he inhaled deeply the sweet scent of the blossoms.

The sweet fragrance filled his entire body, as if memories from his childhood were drifting in through his nose along with the scent.

Seol Poong’s mother, Dong Ah-yeon, had loved those pear blossoms dearly.

So, in the backyard of the house where Seol Poong grew up, the pear trees would bloom profusely every season.

His mother would take young Seol Poong’s hand and walk through the white floral scent.

It was one of the few beautiful memories from his childhood that remained vivid.

Opening his eyes, Seol Poong exhaled deeply.
“Huuuu…”

But the breath sounded more like a sigh.

Though he had come out to ease his restless heart, the scent of the pear blossoms and the memories they stirred only made him feel more suffocated.

The reason for his heavy heart was a request from his great-aunt, Dong Chae-won.

After finishing discussions with Sun Woo-jin about future matters, she had turned to Seol Poong with a sincere plea.

“Poong-ah, the only child who can become the next head of the Dong family is Dong Ji-gam, the son of the late Dong Jung-seo. He’s still just a nine-year-old boy.”

Seol Poong, puzzled by why she brought up that child, simply nodded.
“Yes, I know.”

Dong Chae-won’s gaze grew serious.
“To me, that boy is no better than Dong Jung-seo, if not worse. That worries me deeply.”

“…”

“So I want to ask you something. Dong So-woon, the child who brought you here, is a beloved member of my branch family. Would you consider marrying her? I’m not asking you to make her your main wife, just to leave your seed in the Dong family.”

“…What?!”

For Seol Poong, it was a thunderclap.

He was already struggling with Yeon Tae-jin because of Na Seo-yu, and now they were asking him to marry someone he’d only met once—a request he could never accept.

But the problem was that the one making the request was his great-aunt, the younger sister of his late maternal grandfather, and the only blood relative he had barely reconnected with.

Moreover, the reason behind her request was hard to ignore.

Seeing Seol Poong’s stunned expression, Dong Chae-won hurried to add,
“Of course, I don’t want to force you into something difficult. But if that boy grows up to be the same kind of head as Dong Jung-seo, and I’m no longer here, I fear what will become of the Dong family. So please, just think about it once.”

With a regretful look, she quickly left the room.

Seol Poong and his companions were left speechless.

If she had forced the issue, they might have felt resentment, but her apologetic tone only made the burden heavier.

And since it concerned the future of the Yangju Dong family, it was hard to simply ignore.

Even Sun Woo-jin, who usually offered clear solutions to any problem, looked troubled.

At that moment, Jin So-eun glanced subtly at Yeon Tae-jin.

She guessed his feelings must be the most complicated of all.

But surprisingly, Yeon Tae-jin’s expression wasn’t as bad as she expected.

Though he frowned slightly, he looked calm and composed.

In fact, he was the first to speak.

Turning to Seol Poong, Yeon Tae-jin said,
“I think it’s right for Poong to accept your great-aunt’s request.”

The group was shocked and quickly questioned,
“…What?!”
“…Yeon So-jeo?!”

She continued,
“Do you want to have only one beloved wife? If so, then you can live alone without leading any faction. But Poong is about to become the next Sa Wang, the head of one of the three great powers in the world. So, for whatever reason—whether to form alliances, to unite the factions, or to secure an heir—you will inevitably take more wives. Am I wrong?”

No one could answer her.

Because what she said was the reality.

Perhaps, as the leader of a massive power, insisting on marrying only one beloved woman was to deny reality.

Yeon Tae-jin went on,
“Of course, if you truly believe you can remain that way after becoming Sa Wang, then there’s nothing to be done. But if, by any chance, you find yourself forced to marry again later, you might regret refusing now. In fact, you will definitely regret it. You’ll say, ‘I should have done it back then.’”

She was right.

If he refused now and later had to marry multiple women, the relationship with the Dong family would become complicated.

They would resent Seol Poong for rejecting their request, and he would feel guilty for ignoring their difficulties.

“So don’t overthink it. In the end, Poong, you won’t be able to say no. You owe the Dong family a debt of gratitude. You can’t just ignore that.”

At her words, Seol Poong sighed deeply.
“Huuuu…”

Every word hit the mark.

Emotionally, he wanted to argue, but logically, he found no counterargument.

Then Jin So-eun cautiously asked Yeon Tae-jin,
“By the way, are you okay with this?”

Everyone was surprised and looked at Yeon Tae-jin.

Only now did they realize that if Seol Poong married someone else, Yeon Tae-jin would be the one most hurt.

Yeon Tae-jin chuckled softly and replied…

“Well, it won’t be pleasant, of course. But it’s fine. That Dong So-woon girl—she’s pretty, sure, but she’s nowhere near my level. Her martial skills are far below mine. So how could someone like her possibly win Pung’s heart over me? That’s all that matters.”

“Ahhh…”

At her words, the others were left speechless once again, though this time for a different reason.

As expected, Yeon Tae-jin’s confidence was… well, Yeon Tae-jin’s confidence.

She added one more thing.

“And besides… I’m not so naive as to think I can have a man like Pung all to myself. Even now it’s difficult, and if I become the Fifth King, it’ll only get harder. Accepting that is something I have to bear if I want to be with Pung.”

With that, Yeon Tae-jin fell silent.

The others did the same.

Though she spoke as if unaffected, everyone noticed the slight tremor in her final words.

Afterward, Seol Pung stepped out through the back gate of Dongga, saying he needed some time to think.

But the scent of pear blossoms, reminiscent of his childhood, only made his chest tighten.

It brought back memories of his mother’s final moments.

The pear blossoms, blooming pure white, and the manor of Seolga burning bright red.

His father, Seol Cheonhu, shouting for his wife and Seol Pung to run away, then charging toward the enemies.

And his mother’s whispered last words, spoken through tears.

Looking at the pear blossoms in full bloom, Seol Pung felt as if he had been transported back to that day.

His head spun.

He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to steady his breathing.

And he tried to calm his heart.

“Huuuu…”

Some time passed.

When he opened his eyes and looked toward the hill again, Seol Pung realized someone was sitting beneath the pear tree, calmly watching him.

He had no idea when the man had arrived, sitting there so comfortably.

Seol Pung was momentarily taken aback.

It was the first time since his twenties that he hadn’t sensed someone so close.

Especially since the man hadn’t even tried to hide his presence.

He let out a bitter laugh.

“I must have been completely out of it.”

For someone who prided himself as a Thirty-Six Star martial artist, showing such a careless blind spot was utterly pathetic.

Just then, the man spoke.

“I’ve been watching you for a while. Seems like something’s weighing on your mind, young man.”

Seol Pung looked at him.

Though the man’s face was hidden beneath a bamboo hat, it was clear he was a martial artist.

His aura suggested at least a peak-level master, though Seol Pung couldn’t be sure.

What was certain was that the man didn’t seem hostile.

If he had been, he wouldn’t have left Seol Pung so vulnerable just now.

The man spoke again.

“Ah, if I startled you, I apologize. But I was here before you arrived. This place was where I used to meet a woman I loved in my youth. I stopped by since I was nearby, but you came along with such a troubled look, I missed the chance to announce my presence.”

Seol Pung gave a wry smile.

His words seemed true.

No matter how unguarded Seol Pung was, the man would have noticed if he moved.

He must have been sitting there all along.

Seol Pung bowed politely and said, “I’m sorry for disturbing your memories. It’s I who should apologize.”

The man suddenly asked, “Is it about a woman?”

“…Pardon?”

Caught off guard by the question, Seol Pung hesitated.

The man’s mouth curved into a gentle smile beneath the hat as he continued.

“I once walked this place with a troubled expression like yours. It was about a woman. That’s why I asked.”

Despite being strangers, the man felt surprisingly familiar—not intrusive, but somehow warm.

Seol Pung hesitated briefly before answering.

“I’m not sure if it’s exactly about a woman. It’s a marriage issue, though.”

The man sighed with sympathy.

“Ah, not about a woman, but about marriage. Probably wrestling with the idea of an unwanted marriage. That’s a tough problem.”

Seol Pung was a little surprised.

The man spoke as if from experience.

He found himself wanting to hear more.

Carefully, Seol Pung asked, “Have you been through something like that?”

The man sighed deeply.

“Huuuu… more than once.”

Seol Pung looked at him curiously.

“But you said you had a woman you loved. Even so?”

The man sighed again.

“Huuuu…”

Then he asked, “This might be a long story. If you’re not busy, would you sit here and talk with me?”

He gestured to the patch of grass beside him.

After a moment’s hesitation, Seol Pung sat down.

The man’s voice grew distant and wistful.

“Yes, there was a woman I loved deeply. More than myself. I thought I could give up everything if only she stayed by my side… But in the end, she married someone else. Someone I respected and followed—a senior brother.”

Seol Pung’s expression hardened.

“Your senior brother? Why?”

The man gave a bitter smile.

“Reasons… There were many excuses back then, but in the end, it was simple. She was the most important thing to me, but I wasn’t the most important to her.”

His tone was detached, as if speaking of someone else’s story.

But to Seol Pung, it only made the loneliness in his voice more palpable.

He asked cautiously, “Did you marry someone else afterward?”

“More than one, actually. That was the first time I realized marriage could be so easily arranged.”

Seol Pung hesitated, then asked, “Are you happy? Or do you regret it?”

Would a marriage without love bring happiness? Would it lead to regret?

It was the question he most wanted answered.

The man answered slowly.

“Happy? No. It wasn’t a marriage made for happiness, so that’s not the point. And regret…”

He paused, then asked Seol Pung suddenly, “Do you have someone you love?”

Without hesitation, Seol Pung replied, “Yes.”

The man smiled again.

“Then heed my advice. My regret isn’t marrying without love. It’s that I loved her too much.”

“You regret loving her too much?”

“Yes. I regret it. I should have loved myself more. I should have cherished the other bonds in my life. Because by giving up everything else for the woman I loved, in the end, we all became unhappy.”

His words carried deep sorrow and much to ponder.

Seol Pung fell silent, lost in thought.

The man smiled gently once more.

“Of course, this is just my life’s story. I can’t say yours will be the same. Just take it as one perspective. And… honestly, I don’t know either. If I had chosen differently back then, would I still regret it? Could we have been happy?”

He stood slowly.

“How would I know? It’s a path I never took. But… I hope you don’t end up like me. That’s all I can say.”

He waved goodbye and began to walk away slowly.

“It was a pleasure talking with you. And… thank you.”

Seol Pung watched the man’s figure fade like a breeze.

He remained rooted to the spot for a long while, unable to move.