kingmaker | p.sh

II

The late afternoon sun beats down on the nape of your neck, rivulet after rivulet of sweat rolling down your skin. Your grip on the wooden training sword is firm, grounding you despite the heavy pants you breathe out. Across you, your opponent mimics your stance. It's been at least an hour, but neither of you are letting up. Trust Riki to hold his own against you, whose sword is your bread and butter.

Riki makes his move, surging forward once again. Your parry is solid, a hard thwack echoing through the training grounds as your swords meet. His eyes goad you as you meet his gaze, as though daring you to pull all the stops with him.

Gladly.

In a flash, you swing your blade towards his head in a single practised movement. His return is swift, but it lags a second behind you. You have to admit, this is slightly unfair, considering he's always been better with a pair of knives, gifted to him by Hyunjin when he was ten years old.

The pang of envy that strikes your chest at the thought is thoroughly embarrassing.

"So, how is your fiancee?"

The deep blush that fills his cheeks, along with the falter in his step, is completely worth it. As the youngest of the Hwang siblings, his older sister isn't too keen on his joining the family business. The roots of Yeji's vengeance had begun while Riki was still too young to understand. The extent of his grief did not reach that of his older siblings', hence Yeji's reluctance to involve him in a cause he might feel nothing for. No matter how you looked at it, Riki was proof of the remnants of his siblings' humanity. Having said that, his freedom to be engaged to a lady of his choice was not out of the blue.

"Lady Hwayoung is well, if that is your question." There's a sharp edge to his voice, and you don't miss it. Don't push it.

You smirk. "And what of the wedding date? The Lord and Lady must be eager to see you married." Lady Hwayoung is, by all means, a wonderful marriage partner for Riki. You'd previously done some background checks for Lady Hwang, and from what you'd gathered she shared his love for the sword. By Riki's standards, that was more than enough.

Without warning, you kick your leg out, sweeping Riki off his feet. He lands on his back not painfully, but hard enough for him to shoot a glare up at you. "Not fair!" You'd laugh if you hadn't heard the distinct click of dress shoes behind you.

Lord Hyunjin watches silently as you hoist Riki to his feet, an amused glint in his eyes. He has never disapproved of your training with his younger brother, and yet you cannot help the shudder that runs down your limbs.

Luckily, Riki is a rather perceptive person despite his young age, and quickly takes his leave, leaving you to stand dumbly before his brother. You swear you catch a snicker as Riki passes you.

A breeze lilts by, lightly rustling the leaves on the surrounding trees. The weather has been good, making for quite a pleasantly calming atmosphere, save for your Lord's...almost eerie presence.

You bow hastily. "My Lord, is there something you wish to say?"

He doesn't reply immediately, instead extricating the slightly splintered training sword from you. Turning it in his hands, he hums quietly. "Unfortunately for him, I taught him to wield a sword the proper way. You must feel sorry that your opponent is such a stickler for the rules, unlike you."

Sometimes, it is very, very difficult to tell if Hwang Hyunjin is complimenting you or insulting you.

"Even if I were to play by the rules, my Lord, there is no doubt that I would win, for I have dedicated my life to being in your family's service." You deepen your bow, hoping you appear polite enough.