The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 272
From a young age, Jae-Hyeok’s perception of his father had always been towering and steadfast, as if no situation could faze him. But after everything he’d experienced, Jae-Hyeok’s understanding cleared.
Indeed, his father had always returned home with a smile, but his silver-touched hair and the crows-feet at the corners of his eyes whispered truths that Jae-Hyeok had only now understood.
Every gate-break, every parent and child separated by life and death, and every citizen caught as collateral in the battles of players...
Indeed, his father’s heart was as clear and proud as a diamond, but no heart could bear the world alone.
And alone his father was.
Korea had several National Treasures, but only his father could stand eye to eye with China and Japan.
His peers couldn’t help him, and neither could his young children.
And what’s more, before China and Japan, those two sharks, his father couldn’t afford to reveal an iota of weakness.
He had to stand alone, and do so as unyielding and unbreakable as a mountain. Even on that day eight years ago, he was cornered and sent off to his death, yet he’d faced it calmly...
Ultimately, the more Jae-Hyeok understood his father’s burdens, the more respect he felt.
He was a man who bore the world on his shoulders—even when it cost his family’s hegemony, even when it shattered his family.
I never resented you for that.
In a sense, perhaps his father’s decision all those years ago showed his choice to trust in his family, believing that even without the Yaksha, his sons and daughters would hold up the Kang family.
You were a true aristocrat.
Be it love or hatred, praise or blame, an aristocrat was someone who bore it all—and in that sense, his father was was aristocrat to the very end.
Jae-Hyeo’s gaze was soft.
“Father, thank you. Thank you for believing in me... no, us.”
Hyeon-Ah, Dae-Song, and Du-Na’s faces flashed in Jae-Hyeok’s mind, and he felt nothing but warmth and gratitude. Every trace of his earlier resentment toward them had long vanished from his heart.
Father, rest easy. We will carry on your will. We will protect the Kang name and the country, so when you do wake, it’ll be to a world better than you left behind. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
***
“Thank you... for trusting us..." Jae-Hyeok muttered.
His tear-streaked cheeks sparkled in the window light.
"......!"
The people watching over him flinched in surprise.
What type of nightmare is he having?
Da-Hee was worried and wanted to hold Jae-Hyeok’s hand.
However...
Hye-Ji and Hae-Rin had already taken the prime real estate on either side of Jae-Hyeok’s bed and were holding both his hands.
Those two will be enough.
Da-Hee took a step back as usual.
“Come here.”
Kang Hyeon-Ah beckoned to Da-Hee.
“?”
“Pat it.”
She led Da-Hee’s small hand to Jae-Hyeok’s head.
“When Mother was alive, she often stroked Jae-Hyeok’s head.”
“......"
Da-Hee’s face turned red as she stroked Jae-Hyeok’s hair.
Hye-Ji had been watching her without much thought at first, only for her eyes to widen in anger.
“Hey! Da-Hee! Why are you doing that? You usually pretend not to be interested, but now you are here!”
Da-Hee was first stunned by Hye-Ji’s sudden anger, but then she felt Jae-Hyeok stir under her hand and panicked.
“Shh!”
“Don’t ‘shh’ me! You-you undercover agent!”
“W... what’s going on?”
Jae-Hyeok’s eyes fluttered open.
The way his long eyelashes trembled and slowly opened was like the blooming of a flower. How happy would they be to see this every morning? The girls had this random thought and blushed in unison.
“...Da-Hee.”
Jae-Hyeok looked up at Da-Hee, and Da-Hee removed her hand from Jae-Hyeok’s hair as if she’d been touching a stove.
“M-me? What about me?”
Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.
Her heart jumped in her chest, and she even hiccuped from surprise.
W-why do I feel like this?
Da-Hee’s cheeks burned.
Chae Da-Hee, Lion Castle’s best sword talent...
She held the lofty dream of becoming a true aristocrat—one just like Jae-Hyeok’s father, one dedicated to the people
With such high ideals, she naturally had to work hard.
And indeed, her work ethic had always been no less than Jae-Hyeok’s. She was the only one to meet Jae-Hyeok’s lightning response training with fierce eyes.
In other words, she was a training maniac, just like Jae-Hyeok.
She was also sixteen years old, just like Jae-Hyeok...
“It’s said that it’s the quiet ones you have to watch..."
Hye-Ji frowned and puffed out her cheeks.
As a child who was more mature than her peers, she was the first one to notice the change in Da-Hee, even if Da-Hee herself had yet to realize it.
Hae-Rin was already more than she could handle, and now an even stronger rival had appeared.
To be honest, she was a bit anxious.
Yet surprisingly, she didn’t feel too bad.
It’s natural to fall in love with the man I love.
Cheon Hye-Ji’s mother was the founder of a world-class beauty brand. She had unique aesthetics and had taught her daughter to develop an eye for discerning what was valuable.
The more other girls like Jae-Hyeok, the more it proved she had a divine eye for men.
After all, she was the first one to start liking him, and now, so many months later, the whole country was practically bowing to Jae-Hyeok. If that didn’t scream “good taste,” then she wasn’t sure what did.
Of course...
It’s going to be a bloodbath...
The thought that Jae-Hyeok might be taken away by someone else made her feel anxious, but what could she do? The more beautiful the gemstone, the fiercer the competition. If she couldn’t win here, it meant she had no right to claim the jewel in the first place.
All I can do is give it my all.
Cheon Hye-Ji’s eyes flashed with determination as she clenched her fists.
“I noticed your center of balance is too far back when you step back to retreat. That is why you can’t counter right away when someone charges in.
Jae-Hyeok’s words disappointed Da-Hee, although she wasn’t sure why. She nodded with puffy cheeks.
“Pfft!”
Meanwhile, Hye-Ji struggled to keep the grin from her face.
She had been worried about this?
“Kukuku! It seems like our Da-Hee has to continue working hard under Jae-Hyeok’s training?”
Ah, Da-Hee, don’t blame me. It seems you're just not fated with my Kang Jae-Hyeok. In his eyes, you’re just a comrade or fellow student to him.
Jae-Hyeok turned his attention to Hye-Ji.
“And you. You should keep your mouth shut when fighting. You’ll only distract yourself.”
“......”
Cheon Hye-Ji broke out in a cold sweat.
H-he heard that?
While fighting with the Black Dragon players, she couldn't help but brag about her relationship with Jae-Hyeok, saying Jae-Hyeok would definitely eradicate them if he found even a single hair of hers missing.
Of course, when the other Black Dragon players heard this, this instead led them to team up and ambush her...
“That’s easier said than done for our Hye-Ji. At this point, I’m convinced her mouth gets itchy if she doesn’t brag,” Du Bae-Su said. He handed Jae-Hyeok a Coke while he himself was busy chewing loudly on a piece of candy.
“I’m glad you woke up safely.”
Following Du Bae-Su, the rest of the youths sidled up to Jae-Hyeok’s bed to greet him.
It was clear that they’d been worried when he didn’t wake for several hours.
“Everyone, thank you for being here,” Jae-Hyeok said, and he meant it—with his transcendent senses, Jae-Hyeok had recognized and distinguished the auras of his friend even as he slept. Of course, he hadn’t been conscious of it, but sleeping around familiar auras was much like sleeping in a familiar room.
It was comforting.
“Hae-Rin, I sensed hesitation in your sword dance earlier. Next time, be sure to fully extend with each swing. Elegance is core to your sword forms. You won’t invite openings by leaning into it; instead, you’ll be executing the form as it was intended. Oh, and as for you—”
After waking, Jae-Hyeok found that his memory had improved tremendously. He was able to vividly recall details from each of his friends’ battles and offer accurate advice.
“Doesn’t he ever get tired of doing this?”
Roh Jun-Yeop and Lee Jin-Seong had already endured many lectures so far. Now they saw this and couldn’t help clicking their tongues in disbelief.
“Guests are waiting,” Butler Hwang said as he arrived carrying Jae-Hyeok’s formal clothing.
Seol Su-Ah, the president and...
Blake Borsus.
In the reception room, a few hundred meters away from Jae-Hyeok’s bedroom, Jae-Hyeok sensed the presence of those waiting there. He used mana to smooth his hair and put on the formal clothing.
“I’ll be back.”
He drank the Coke Du Bae-Su had given him rather than the bottled water Butler Hwang had prepared.
His throat tingled and his thirst got worse, but his heart was reassured.
After Jae-Hyeok stepped into the parlor, Blake was the first to speak.
“I’ll get straight to the point. Are you the Thunder Emperor?”
“So you noticed.”
“......?”
Jae-Hyeok’s easy nod made Seol Su-Ah and the president feel dumbfounded.
