Side Story 1: Unaccustomed
Chapter 10
“…Running away from home has made you even more clueless.”
Pheilik said in a mocking tone, annoyed.
“What’s the problem? Is there something wrong with my offer? Is there something you need? Just tell me, I’ll give it to you. You can just marry your woman and live happily ever after in a nice house.”
Woo shook his head.
“No, there’s nothing I need. But…”
“….”
“Didn’t I tell you? She’s not my woman.”
“…Ah, really? She’s quite a woman.”
Pheilik chuckled, seeing his downcast eyes.
He had run away for a woman, and yet she wasn’t his woman.
It was a way of thinking that Pheilik couldn’t understand. But he had realized something.
As Woo Acrea had said, he wasn’t refusing, he was *unable* to decide. Because the woman named Sue Byron was so precious to him.
‘…Then I’ll just have to make him decide.’
Pheilik chuckled.
“Then I’ll take her.”
“…What do you mean?”
Woo frowned, feeling a bad premonition, even though it was an incomplete sentence. Pheilik patted his shoulder, as if to say he had good instincts.
“I’m going to make Sue Byron my concubine.”
“Don’t be absurd, Your Highness.”
Woo bit his lip, surprised by his own voice, laced with suppressed anger. He closed his eyes and opened them again, and Pheilik’s sharp gray eyes met his.
“Why? You said she wasn’t your woman.”
Pheilik barely suppressed his laughter. He wanted to bring a mirror and show Woo Acrea what his face looked like. He wanted to show him how twisted his expression was, he, who had lived his life smiling meaninglessly.
“Sue Byron would prefer a man who’s going to be king. It’s only natural. It’s a hundred times better to live comfortably in the palace than to travel with a penniless runaway.”
“….”
“…You agree, don’t you?”
There was no answer. But it was a different kind of silence than before. It was a silence of agreement.
‘He’s falling for my ridiculous logic, he’s in a serious state. This isn’t a love elopement, it’s an unrequited love escape.’
Pheilik, despite being the one who had instigated it, started to feel a strange sympathy for Woo.
“Sorry, I was just kidding. I was just… bored.”
Pheilik, after stabbing him in the heart, took a step back. But he wasn’t going to let him off so easily.
“But… you know, Sue Byron… she doesn’t even want to come under my protection… Honestly, I think she’s being too harsh on me.”
“…Your Highness Pheilik.”
“Woo Acrea.”
Pheilik cut him off, ignoring his desperate plea.
“I’m going to be bored until the coronation. So entertain me until then. If you want to… protect that woman.”
His flimsy threat was surprisingly effective. That was the beginning of the farce that Pheilik Lokor had started out of boredom.
***
Pel dragged me out of my room, where I had been sulking. At first, it was even hard to move my legs, but as we walked, the fresh air lifted my spirits.
But my good mood didn’t last long.
Pel dragged me to a dress shop.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
Woo and Celine were there, choosing dresses.
“Sue, are you here to buy a dress?”
“Yes.”
It was Pel who answered Celine’s question.
“What a coincidence, we’re here to buy a dress too.”
Celine smiled and glanced at Woo. Woo was looking away, he wasn’t even looking at me. Celine didn’t seem to mind.
“Then enjoy your time.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Celine went further into the shop, and Woo followed her. As if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Come on, let’s choose one too.”
Pel gently pushed me, who was standing frozen at the door.
“It’s just a ready-to-wear dress shop, but you can find some decent dresses if you look around.”
“…I said I don’t need one, it’ll just be a burden.”
I said, my voice filled with annoyance, at his condescending tone.
“I said you can just throw it away after you wear it. Come on, let’s go in.”
I was pushed into the shop by him. Honestly, I wanted to leave right now.
My mind was elsewhere as I followed the employee and looked at the dresses on the mannequins.
“This light green dress would look good on you, Sue.”
I nodded without even looking at the dress Pel had brought over. And then, my head suddenly turned.
“Sue, look at me.”
As he had said, I looked ahead, and Pel was holding my chin, his eyes meeting mine. We stared at each other for a long time.
“…Sorry.”
Pel’s lips finally curved into a smile when I spoke.
“That’s okay.”
He let go of my chin and went back to choosing dresses.
I stared at the back of his head, a question coming to mind.
Why was Pel so obsessed with me?
Hadn’t we just met yesterday?
And thinking back, the people who had been obsessed with me had usually been shady. The only information I had about Pel was that he was a “rich man of unknown origin.” I couldn’t shake the feeling that he had an ulterior motive. But at the same time, he was quite compatible with me. And he was rich.
‘I hope he’s not a scammer.’
I looked around the dress shop. There were quite a few customers.
Were they all here to buy clothes for the parade?
“You must be from another region. There’s the parade, but more importantly, the coronation is coming up soon. It’s a Lokor tradition to dress appropriately, both inside and out, for His Highness Pheilik, who will become our new ruler.”
I must have mumbled that out loud. An employee, who had been standing next to me, suddenly explained.
“Hehe, all the people gathering in Gemin must be thanks to His Highness Pheilik’s grace.”
“…Is His Highness Pheilik that virtuous?”
I had heard people praising “His Highness Pheilik” everywhere as the coronation day approached. It might have been a rude question, but the employee didn’t seem to mind and answered readily,
“Of course. The Lokor Kingdom has been developing rapidly since His Highness Pheilik became the crown prince and started taking care of state affairs. And with Princess Selena, the administrator, by his side, the future of Lokor is bright.”
He must be a truly capable and virtuous person, judging from how highly he spoke of him. It was the opposite of Atlantis, where a tyrant had ascended to the throne and was slowly leading the empire to ruin.
“What do you think?”
Pel, who had been standing next to me, asked.
“About what?”
He cleared his throat when I frowned, not understanding his question.
“About Prince Pheilik and Princess Selena.”
“…Are you asking me what I think about them?”
I frowned again, finding the context of his question strange, and Pel nodded shyly.
What, was he a patriot?
“It’s something to celebrate, that he’s become king.”
Pel beamed. He looked genuinely happy.
“Right?”
***
“Woo, how about this outfit?”
“….”
“Woo, how about this one?”
“….”
“…Woo!”
“!”
Woo flinched at her sharp voice. Selena glanced at the direction of his gaze and cursed under her breath. At her brother, of course.
“…Sorry, Celine.”
Woo had been ignoring her since she had dragged him to the dress shop under Pheilik’s orders.
They might have looked close, but in reality, they were just two puppets, being played by their superior. Selena, equally frustrated, handed the dress she had been holding to the employee and whispered to Woo,
“Don’t be too discouraged. I’m also frustrated seeing my brother act like that, but what can I do? He’s the king of this land. I’m sorry, both to you and to Lady Sue.”
“…It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay, is it?”
Selena retorted.
Pheilik was smiling happily, trying on different dresses on Sue, as if he were playing dress-up with a doll. He was probably the only one out of the four who was genuinely enjoying this farce.
Selena wanted to scratch her brother’s face. She had so much work to do back at the palace. It was all work, all the time. But her only sin had been seeing Pheilik cry for the first time in her life. And she had been swayed by her emotions and had run away with him to Gemin.
But it was time to end this escapade. And to do that, she had to bring down the curtain on this play. And to end the play, this poor man, who had been dragged into the mud, had to wake up.
“Master Woo, let me tell you something.”
Selena said, pretending to look at the dresses.
“You’re a real coward.”
“….”
Woo, who had been staring at Sue, suddenly turned his head. His eyes widened at her harsh words.
Selena, seeing that she had his attention, continued,
“You’re the one who decided to follow Lady Sue, and now you’re saying it’s not your decision? You were played by my brother because you were so indecisive.”
“….”
“To be blunt, what do you have left if you leave the Acrea family? Honor? Money? Skills? Nothing, right? You’re just a pretty-faced pauper who can use a little white magic. Right?”
“….”
“You won’t even be called Master Woo anymore if you don’t go back to Lohn. You’ll just be Woo. A person who can be used as a plaything for those above him, whenever they’re bored. That’s your current position.”
Woo lowered his head, his face filled with shock. He probably couldn’t deny any of her words.
“When you ran away from Atlantis, what were you running towards? What were you trying to do? What were you trying to protect?”
“…I…”
“You have no power, but you can be targeted at any time. That’s your current status. But do you think that only applies to you, Woo? …No, it doesn’t.”
Had she been too harsh?
Selena patted his back, seeing his wavering eyes.
“Don’t forget that your ambiguous position could make things harder for Lady Sue. …I didn’t mean it as an insult, I just wanted you to be certain.”
i love love selena.