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Chapter 342 - Who Should I Allow to Win?

‘So that means...’

This was how Iris usually treated people.

‘I guess it would’ve been bad if we didn’t do this plan.’

If they had not gained the princess’s favor by having Si-Hun save her in her time of need, there would have been massive complications in their plan.

“Did you not hear me telling you to screw off? Are you deaf or something?”

Iris was staring at Kang-Woo coldly. Kang-Woo was more dumbfounded by her attitude than angry.

“What do you think you’re saying to my hyung-nim?”

Si-Hun reacted first to Iris’s rudeness. He glared at Iris, who was hiding behind him, with a hint of bloodlust. Kang-Woo was more bewildered by Si-Hun’s action than Iris was.

‘Jesus, Si-Hun. Stop that. You’ll spoil the affinity that you have with her.’

“Ah, mm, I-I’m sorry. I never thought that he would be your older brother...”

Iris quickly lowered her head, but her eyes were still filled with wariness and hostility. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and stared at her.

‘Something’s off.’

It was hard to consider her attitude as one that simply arose from her personality.

‘Her reaction is a bit too extreme for that to be the case.’

It was understandable that Iris would not consider Kang-Woo and Si-Hun to be brothers since they were not blood-related. However, she likely at least knew that they were comrades since she had seen them conversing.

‘So why is she so hostile toward me?’

It was weird. Iris should have had absolutely no reason to be so hostile toward Kang-Woo. Considering her attitude toward Si-Hun, she should have naturally been kind to Kang-Woo as well.

‘Her having a shitty personality doesn’t explain it.’

Something continued to bother Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo stared at Iris sharply.

‘Could it be...?’

He recalled what Douglas had muttered before.

- I at least want you to know that it is not entirely her fault.

‘Something must’ve happened.’

Kang-Woo did not know the details yet, but he was sure that something had caused her personality to become this twisted.

‘Wait.’

Kang-Woo fell into thought as he tapped the bridge of his nose. He had a feeling that what had bothered him about the rebel army and Iris were related.

It was not based on logic, but simply a hunch.

“May I continue my questions, Your Highness?” Kang-Woo asked.

“What is it? I’m tired, so make it quick,” Iris answered disrespectfully.

Si-Hun frowned in displeasure, but Kang-Woo stopped him by giving him a look. He couldn\'t care less if she was disrespectful or downright cussing him out; there was something far more important than that.

“Where were you coming back from?”

“What?” Iris became wide-eyed from the unexpected question, but answered while turning her head away, “I went to the founding emperor’s grave to pray in hopes that he would help resolve the empire\'s crisis.”

It was a pointless gesture; no, that was not the issue.

‘Would a princess with that kind of personality willingly go to a grave to pray?’

With only a few dozen knights, no less?

‘I’m starting to get the full picture now.’

Kang-Woo smiled. The fog in his mind was getting cleared up. The questions in his mind were getting answered.

‘I see what happened.’

Kang-Woo nodded and turned around. He looked down at the corpse of one of the masked men. To be exact, he looked down at the sword in the masked man’s hand.

‘Their weapons are unnaturally good.’

Not just their swords, but the round shields on their wrists and the armor they were wearing practically looked brand new.

‘And...’

The rebel army had assumed such perfect formations as if they had been professionally trained. It had been easily broken because they had been against Si-Hun, but those who were just slightly above average would have had a difficult time breaking through it.

‘That makes no sense.’

There was no way that a rebel army made up of regular citizens who had left their jobs behind to overthrow the nation due to poverty and hunger would be able to have high-quality armaments and assume airtight formations.

“Tsk,” Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

There was no need to even think deeply about it; the simplest answer to a complicated question was usually the correct one.

‘If it makes no sense for a rebel army to possess high-quality armaments and assume elaborate formations... The answer is simple. It means they were never part of the rebel army in the first place.’

Even if they were part of the rebel army, Kang-Woo was sure that they had at least been backed by someone.

‘Who it could be is still a mystery, but...’

They had manipulated these men to come here and kill the princess.

“Who made you go to the grave?” Kang-Woo asked.

Iris froze. She lowered her head in pallor and muttered, “I-I went there of my own accord.”

Kang-Woo remained silent.

Iris responded fiercely, “I’m the imperial princess. Who would dare make me go anywhere?”

“Oh, I guess you’re right.”

Kang-Woo nodded with a smile. It was cute how she was trying her best to maintain her pride. It was like seeing a child getting on their tiptoes to grab something high up without any help.

“What? Is that all you have to ask?” Iris asked.

“Yes, that’s all.” Kang-Woo nodded and turned around.

He had a few things that he had wanted to ask, but this was enough for now. There was no reason for him to find out at the moment who had made the princess turn out this way.

‘Besides...’

The answer would come to him sooner or later. Kang-Woo gave Si-Hun a look.

Si-Hun nodded and said to Iris, “We will escort you to the capital, Princess Iris.”

“Sir Si-Hun...?”

“We can’t afford to leave you alone after what happened here.”

“Sniff. Th-Thank you so much.”

Iris was reacting in a way completely different from her attitude toward Kang-Woo. She shed tears from being moved deeply.

“I will make sure to reward you handsomely once we get to the capital!” Iris exclaimed while clenching her fists.

Kang-Woo chuckled at the absurdity.

‘Come on...’

Kang-Woo’s feelings were getting hurt. He shook his head and turned around.

“Hup.” Si-Hun lifted Iris in a princess carry.

“Ah...” Iris turned her head away, completely red in embarrassment.

“I will introduce you to my other comrades besides Kang-Woo hyung-nim.”

“I don’t ca— A-Ahem. Okay. I’m looking forward to meeting them.” Iris giggled.

“Umm... Your Highness,” one of Iris’s maids called out.

“What is it now?” Iris, whose time with Si-Hun had been interrupted yet again, asked in irritation.

“Well... About the report for this incident...”

Iris turned gloomy in an instant. She continued while trembling, “Yeah, o-of course we should report it. Report that I was attacked by a rebel army, and that Sir Si-Hun came to my rescue.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Something was amiss. Kang-Woo, who had been watching their interaction in silence, smiled and turned his head.

‘I knew there was something off. This is gonna be interesting.’

Kang-Woo’s eyes glimmered as he licked his lips. If the situation was what he thought it to be...

‘I’ll have to think a little bit.’

There was no need to rush. It would not be too late to act after taking his time to think.

‘Besides...’

It was completely up to Kang-Woo to choose who would come out victorious in the Arnan Empire, which was approaching its imminent demise. The rest were trash that would have no choice but to acknowledge the choice that he made and submit willingly.

‘Now, then...’

Kang-Woo thought leisurely with his arms crossed. Either Iris, who was sticking very close to Si-Hun, or the mastermind who had tried to kill Iris here...

‘Who should I allow to win?’

Snicker. The demon’s eyes shone as if he was playing a fun game.

***

Kang-Woo’s party headed to the capital with Princess Iris. Although Iris’s carriage had been destroyed from the rebel army’s attack, it was easily fixed at a nearby city. Kang-Woo’s party bought a few more carriages and set off to the capital. They could have flown there on Echidna, but they did not.

‘Iris might faint from shock.’

It was not difficult to imagine how that immature princess would react if she saw a dragon. Not just that, Echidna was a demonic dragon; she could not be shown to others recklessly.

Although Iris had acted coldly to everyone besides Si-Hun at first, she opened up to them over time. She smiled every now and then, and they even chatted during meals. However, there had been something that Kang-Woo had not expected at all.

“Kyaaaaaaaaahh!” Iris screamed and threw down her spoon on the ground. “S-Spicyyyyyyyyy!” She glared at Kang-Woo, who was eating kimchi stew, teary-eyed. “How can you eat something like this?!”

Kang-Woo closed his eyes.

‘Just let it go.’

The spiciness could not be helped. Kang-Woo was not ignorant enough to complain to a person of another world why they couldn’t eat something so delicious.

Tap.

“Kang-Woo, bring me some water.”

“Go get it yourself, Your Highness.”

“I hurt my ankle.”

“Are you still going on about an injury that was already fully healed days ago?”

“Argh! You talk too much!”

“Yes, I have a big mouth. What are you going to do about it?”

“Water! Water!”

“Si-Hun, Her Imperial Highness wants some wat—”

“Kyaaaahh! D-Don’t call Sir Si-Hun!”

A fuss broke out between Iris and Kang-Woo. The other party members did not even pay it any mind, having gotten used to it. This was what Kang-Woo had not expected.

‘Why is she sticking so much to me instead of Si-Hun?’

Kang-Woo frowned as if his head hurt. For things to go according to his plan, Iris, who had fallen in love with Si-Hun at first sight, needed to grow closer to him to form a hero-princess bond. However, after a few days of spending time together, Iris was sticking only to Kang-Woo instead of Si-Hun and was chatting her mouth off.

‘And don’t even get me started on the reason.’

Iris stole glances at Si-Hun from time to time, wondering if Si-Hun was actually getting her water, but Si-Hun was not even paying any mind to Iris and was having the time of his life chatting with Layla. Seeing that, Iris sulked, and so did Kang-Woo.

‘This is driving me fucking insane.’

Iris was only talking to Kang-Woo because of the stupid reason of being too embarrassed to talk to Si-Hun. The problem was that Iris’s personality was so twisted that her methods of conversations consisted of commands. Since there was no way that Kang-Woo would follow those commands willingly, it resulted in arguments.

‘And an even bigger problem...’

Iris seemed to enjoy having such arguments. She, who had never met anyone in her life as an imperial princess who would defy her, was enjoying the new responses that Kang-Woo was giving her.

‘Fucking hell, are you some noble lady in a bishojo game? The kind that goes “Y-You’re the first person to ever treat me this way!”?’

“Haaa...” Kang-Woo sighed.

‘Please let us arrive at the capital soon.’

Even if it was part of the plan, it was exhausting to deal with a sassy princess all day. Kang-Woo turned to look at Han Seol-Ah for some mental healing.

‘Huh?’

He could feel thick bloodlust in Seol-Ah’s eyes as she looked this way.

“Hurry up with the water!”

‘Holy fuck. We have to get to the capital soon. Like, right now. Please, the plan will get fucked at this rate.’