(2) Living as the Villainess Queen

Chapter 201

“Sven.”

The king’s voice broke the silent atmosphere. Sven, who did not take his eyes off the wanderer, prepared for any situation that may arise, turned his gaze to the king and bowed, respectfully.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said.

“Take care of this before it reaches anyone’s ears,” ordered the king. The king’s order was also a warning to everyone present.

“I will do as you command,” said Sven.

Everyone looked down, not willing to meet the king’s gaze. The air was tense, and Eugene was confused. She turned to see a black horse’s head peeping through the curtains.

Kasser beckoned Abu without surprise at this peculiar event. The black horse shrank into a leopard and Abu sauntered in gracefully to sit down next to the king.

Kasser looked at his people. “Leave,” he said to everyone, “Everyone leave except the man.”

Warriors and courtiers obeyed and left the tent, leaving only the wanderer. Eugene was surprised. It was not common for the guards to leave the king unattended and alone, but Eugene soon realized the reason.

It is because of theHwansu, she thought.

Not all of the Hwansu were as strong, but Abu could take down several soldiers down in a fight without a doubt. The warriors knew that well so they could leave the king unguarded without worry.

“You called Abu so that they would leave?” asked Eugene.

“If I were to order them to leave, they wouldn’t,” said Kasser, “Especially the guards. This is much less of a hassle.”

Kasser knew the warriors would have protested with “It’s our duty to die protecting Your Majesty!”. Kasser sometimes didn’t know who was protecting whom, there were no warriors stronger than him anyway.

“Did I make a mistake? Is it a taboo to talk about the wanderer’s tattoo?”

Well…” said Kasser, contemplating. He turned to Abu. “Abu,” he called. The leopard raised its head to heed its master’s call. “Besides me and Eugene, subdue any other human in this tent,” ordered the king.

Abu flicked its long tail in answer. Then the enormous cat placed its face on its paws and sat there indifferently. Eugene looked at Abu, and the wanderer, in confusion.

“Abu is not attacking the wanderer,” said Eugene.

She studied the young man who had not moved. Even though everyone else had left the tent, the young man kneeled with his head bowed. The tattoo on his upper bare body felt bizarre.

“Is Abu unable to see the wanderer?” asked Eugene.

“No,” said the king, “However, it seems that Abu does not recognize the wanderer as a human.”

Seeing Abu, Eugene guessed how the larks would have reacted seeing the wanderer, too. “Your Majesty. Did you already know all about this?” Kasser nodded.

“How long have you known?” she asked.

“Well…,” said Kasser, “I had read about it in one of the scrolls in the secret library in the Palace of the Holy City. There is a great deal of knowledge there. And as royals, the knowledge is imparted down to the next generation of kings.”