PREDOTARY MARRIAGE

30

Byun Gyongbaek only stared blankly at her. Lisa tried to shrug it off, repressing the rising laughter in her throat, taking deep breaths and releasing them slowly.

She was fully aware that Byun was the type of man who gets lost easily. But the image in front of her currently was beyond her expectations. She struggled to try and contain the bubbling laughter as she looked at Byun Gyongbaek, his mouth agape, stuttering with incredulity.

“Wha-what!?” he sputtered indignantly. Jungkook cluck his tongue, hating the fact he needed to repeat himself, but did so anyway.

“I told you, I’m playing the role of a prostitute. Does your hard of hearing comes with your old age?” he rebutted, and Byun Gyongbaek looked absolutely gobsmacked.

“How dare you, you filthy thing!”

“How about you take care of your health first before taking on a younger bride? This is a serious matter to be worried about.” Jungkook smirked slightly at Byun Gyongbaek’s paling face, before completely turning red with anger. And that drove the nail to the coffin, as it completely drove the wedge between them.

“Have you no shame?!”

Lisa watched on the sidelines, completely amused by the events unfolding in front of her. The more this was going on, the harder she had to try to repress the bubbling laughter from releasing. She even had to turn around to prevent herself from laughing out loud.

Across from her, she could see that the opposite were true of the Gypsies. They huddled close together, shoulders hunching in on themselves. They were clearly afraid.

Following the line of sight of the Gypsies, she saw them looking frightfully at Jungkook. She could see them mouthing some words to each other, and upon a closer look, it seemed to resemble “Kurkans”.

his blade against him within Estia’s kingdom, then it could topple every effort made to maintain the treaty.

Jungkook and Byun Gyongbaek knew what it meant, the inside story. But despite knowing Gyongbaek does have an underlying motive, Jungkook was not one to cower in front of a challenge. He wasn’t about to back down.

He barked out a laughter, mocking them as they held up their swords against him and gave Gyongbaek a smug grin.

“You think this is all that would take to defeat me?” he asked, even his eyes held a clear sense of victory. “Answer me, do you think this would be enough?” he demanded.

Lisa felt her skin prickle, and goosebumps run down her spine as she watched the Kurkan King. He was a wild spirit. She felt herself stumble, and sense someone was behind her. When she turned to look, she let out a gasp as she realized he was a familiar face.

It was the man from a while ago, the one that suddenly appeared in the alley. Here he was, bending one knee in front of her, like he would when he’d pay homage to someone he dearly respected, and softly whispered.

“Your Highness, Jungkook and Byun Gyongbaek will take quite longer to finish, will you humbly accept my services?” he asked her in a whisper. He was hinting that any moment now, the two men might break out in a fight, and Lisa didn’t want to get caught up in the crossfire, so she gave him a short nod.

He sharply gestured to her to follow him towards the alleyway. Lisa had gone as far as two steps away, before the knights began to lunge towards Jungkook. At the sound of swords clanging, people let out screams, scrambling away and towards the shelter of their houses.

Lisa had tried to look back to watch, but an insistent hand kept her moving.

“It’s too dangerous to stop and look, Your Highness. We must keep moving!” He urged, “Quickly now!”

As much as he wanted to flee and bring her to safety with him, within a few blocks from the fight, Lisa couldn’t help but stop. Her curiosity got the best of her, and turned to see how the fight was progressing.

When he realized she was no longer following, he turned around and bit back a curse as he saw her standing idly to watch.

“No!” He exclaimed and quickly reached her, “Please, if you stay we’ll be in trouble!” He pleaded, “I’ll be dead!”

But his pleas fell on deaf ears. Lisa was too mesmerized in the fight, watching how the knights were quickly overpowered by Jungkook. She had heard of the might of Kurkans, but she never witnessed it like this.