What makes one outstanding? A prestigious family? Wealth? Looks? Talent?
I thought of myself as someone who possessed all those qualities. People envied me, and I only thought it was natural.
As a member of the Baek Clan, which was not the most influential or high-ranking but was very affluent and gifted in martial arts, I, Baek Hwi, had never felt so utterly insignificant like this before.
The man with those sharp, cold eyes stared slyly at me. It was a gaze unfamiliar to me; I had never been looked at like this. Those eyes were evaluating me, unimpressed.
I disliked this gaze. It made my blood boil. But all I could do at this moment was kneel in front of that man.
Because aside from humiliation, there was fear. The man was dangerous. I could feel it in every cell of my body. Especially as a martial artist, I could feel his immense spiritual energy. He was not someone I could carelessly mess with, someone who shouldn't be provoked.
At this moment, no matter how outstanding I thought myself to be, it was nothing compared to the overwhelming presence of this man. I bowed my head.
Thinking about how this whole situation came to be still makes me want to curse out that bastard Jubok.
It started this morning. I had just finished breakfast and was about to head to the training grounds when a servant informed me that we would receive an important guest in the evening.
"How come Father didn't tell me?" I asked the servant, who of course was clueless. He was merely doing his job by informing me.
"Do you know who it is?"
The servant shook his head. "I do not know, Young Master. I was only told that it was someone related to the palace."
"The palace? What could they possibly want from us?" I waved my hand to dismiss the servant while wondering.
Not being able to come up with a reason, I pushed it to the back of my mind and continued heading to the training grounds.
When I arrived, my sister was already there, fighting... well, more like one-sidedly beating up her sparring partner.
"Hwi-hyung! Come quickly before your sister really ends up killing me." The man sparring with my sister was our younger cousin, Baek Chul.
I chuckled upon seeing the two of them. In a rather good mood, I picked up a wooden sword lying on the ground.
"Hana-ah, come on, spar with someone on the same level."
At my comment, Hana let out a mocking sneer. "Sure."
Then, within a second, she was in front of me, swinging her wooden sword down on me without mercy.
But being familiar with her fighting style, I immediately blocked her moves.
Like this, the fight went on. I mostly defended while she attacked. But eventually, after a hundred moves, she defeated me. I carelessly showed an opening while trying to attack. I ended up falling onto my butt while her sword pointed right between my eyes.
I raised my arms. "Dammit, I surrender."
"Heh. 'On the same level,' you said? You lost even though I went easy on you." Her voice was full of cockiness.
Baek Hana, my twin sister, was always like this. From a young age, we were trained in both martial arts and business-related matters. Our family placed education on a very high pedestal for both boys and girls of the clan.
Hana was always good at pretty much everything she tried. But it was in martial arts where she truly showed remarkable talent. Along with her talent came a hardworking passion for it, which made her one of the best in the clan among the younger generation.
As for myself? I was also good, but not as good as my sister. But that was okay. Rather than jealousy or envy, I felt pride.
I took pride in the fact that my sister was so outstanding. More than that, I thought it was only natural for my outstanding self to have an equally outstanding twin.
Both she and I were blessed with good looks. We inherited the beauty of our mother, who in her youth had been one of the most beautiful maidens in the kingdom.
"Hana-ah! You're amazing! I knew you would win again!"
The smile on my lips instantly vanished. The person calling out to my sister was the problem. If there was one thing that stained my sister's prestige, then it must be him: Seong Jubok, my sister's fiancé.
He was far too ordinary to stand side by side with my sister. He was short and much too delicate. Even a gust of wind could sweep his fragile self away. He had no talent in martial arts at all and a personality so annoying and rotten it put even demons to shame. His only redeeming quality was that he didn't look horrible. He looked pretty, though not manly at all.
"At least my nephews and nieces will look good," I murmured to myself.
Seeing him, Hana's mocking face turned into a beautiful and bashful smile. "Juju-ah," she called him sweetly by his nickname.
"Nana-ah." Jubok blushed and shyly held her hands.
Seeing them being all lovey-dovey made me shudder in disgust. "Hana-ah, why have you fallen for such a loser?"
The worst thing of all was that although it was an arranged engagement, both my sister and Jubok were actually in love with each other. In my heart, I hoped my sister would dislike him, and then I would help her convince our parents to break off the engagement, but sadly, she liked him.
I approached them. "Jubok, aren't you shameless? Holding hands? You aren't married to my sister yet. Do you already think yourself part of our Baek Clan? Or is that why you enter our gates as you please?" I started attacking him with words while hiding half of my face behind a fan.
At my words, Jubok furrowed his brows. Just like I did not like him, he didn't like me either. "Brother-in-law, it seems you are still the same as always. Loud and rude." He purposely stressed the first address to provoke me.
"Who said it's you who will end up marrying my sister? You are merely her fiancé. That means nothing!"
"You! Pun—" He then locked eyes with my sister and changed his words. "Please don't say things like this, Hwi-hyung. It makes me sad." Then, as if I had insulted his whole family, he started tearing up.
My sister, the possessive and protective woman she was, immediately glared at me. "Hwi-ah! Stop bullying him!" She embraced him protectively while soothing him.
Meanwhile, my face turned flushed red in anger. That bastard Jubok smirked while looking as if he were in heaven.
Feeling frustrated, I turned around and made my way to my chambers.
"Young Master! You finally returned!" My personal maid, Saha, looked at me sternly. She pointed at a mountain of documents on my work desk.
"The Master told me to make sure you finish all your work before evening!" My maid Saha was only a few years older than me, but her nagging could rival that of an old neighborhood aunt.
Feeling even more annoyed, I couldn't help but stomp my feet. I threw my fan across the room and let out curses.
"That bastard! Jubok! Always messing with me! Insolent lowborn scum! My beautiful sister! How dare he!" I pulled at my hair in frustration. I even started tearing up from the pain and whining.
The servants of my courtyard simply ignored my outbursts. Saha didn't even flinch and sighed instead. "Don't let Young Master Jubok get to you like this, Young Master. You always end up losing your temper."
"Saha! You don't understand. How can my beautiful sister marry someone like this? She's too good for him."
"But Young Master, he's from a respectable family. His sister is even a potential marriage candidate for one of the princes. Their family is related to the Mother Dowager. It's an excellent match."
"So what? That's his sister's and aunt's merit! He himself is the problem, not his family!"
"Young Master, you need to calm down. Even if you are angry, you still have a lot of documents waiting for you."
I rolled my eyes but eventually gave in. I sat down at the desk and started working. By the time I finally finished, it had already started getting dark outside.
"I even had to skip lunch," I growled.
I got up, stretched, and undressed as I prepared to take the bath that had been prepared for me a while ago.
Luckily, it was still summer, so the water was still hot. I sighed with relief as I felt my body sink into the water.
"Today... ah!" I opened my drowsy eyes.
"Right. An important guest is coming today." Remembering this, I urgently called for servants to assist me.
Servants came and massaged my body with special oils and scents. A maid combed my tangled hair while applying flower oil, making it soft and smooth.
I always liked grooming myself. Being fashionable was something I enjoyed quite a bit. My father often called me flamboyant, but I didn't care. All that mattered was that I looked good, which gave me satisfaction.
"What should I wear today? It's a special guest after all." I asked Saha for her opinion, as she always knew the newest trends and gossip.
"I heard purple is the biggest hit nowadays, so you should wear this." She pointed at a newly purchased outer robe. It was quite expensive.
I nodded and changed into it. I looked at myself in the mirror with a satisfied smile. "I look great."
Then other maids approached me to do my hair. Normally, I wore it loosely, but with a guest coming, I had to wear it in a proper style.
"Let's see which guest came all the way here."
It was strange that people from the palace would bother to come here. The main residence of the Baek Clan was deep in the mountains, with a mid-sized town bordering it. The distance from the capital was large, so most of the time attendants were sent to the separate Baek residence in the capital, where a representative was stationed.
If only that bastard Jubok hadn't annoyed me so much, then I wouldn't have been so impulsive that day. And all that would come afterward wouldn't have happened the way it did.
Still feeling annoyed by Jubok, I headed out to the banquet that would soon start in honor of our guest.
When I arrived, everyone was already seated except for two seats. One was mine, and the other belonged to the long-awaited person from the palace.
"Nana-ah. You look so beautiful tonight~"
Jubok's greasy voice as he coyly flirted with Hana annoyed me. But already feeling a bit down, I decided to ignore it. There were currently more important things at hand.
"Father, do you really not know who this person may be?"
My father, Baek Jong-cha, was a vigorous and smart man who rarely showed such a nervous expression. He was outspoken and bold at times, so seeing him so silent and deep in thought was rather strange.
At my question, Father just shook his head. He didn't know. He even let out a sigh, clearly showing his exhaustion.
Father and Mother had originally been traveling together, but because of the sudden notice of such an important guest visiting, Father had left Mother's side for a few days specifically for this matter.
Without my mother at his side, he was like a man with no joy in life, looking far less enthusiastic. While other men were amorous and brought in countless concubines, he was always clinging to our mother.
"I don't know." His expression turned stoic. "But it can't be anything good."
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned tense. It seemed the situation was more serious than I had anticipated.
Seeing how tense everyone was, my sister suddenly stood up and straightened her back. Her expression was determined as she hugged Jubok's shoulder with her right arm.
"Father!"
At her sudden call, as if she were about to announce something important, Father, I, the clan elders, the senior disciples, and even the servants turned our attention to her.
"I have something to announce!" She exhaled for a moment before continuing. "Jubok and I took our marriage vows this afternoon!"
Silence lingered in the hall.
Only a few seconds later did everyone process my sister's words and widen their eyes in shock.
My father even choked on the wine he was drinking. He coughed while pointing at Hana and Jubok.
"You! You! You!" He couldn't form any other words besides those accusations.
But I could, and I was furious. How dare that bastard marry my sister so slyly behind our backs—especially mine!
Now, seeing him with a flushed face and shy expression only drove me even madder.
"You uncouth bastard! How dare you disgrace our family's honor like this! How dare you lay hands on my precious sister!"
I sprang from my seat and approached him, maddened.
"Brother-in-law! Calm down! Father-in-law, calm down too!"
Hearing him shamelessly call us that made me feel like committing murder.
"This will be your last day breathing!"
Sensing danger, Jubok quickly hid behind my sister. He cowardly peeked his head out from behind her to assess the situation, grinning at me mischievously.
Seeing that mocking glint in his eyes made me want to draw my sword. One clean cut would do.
"Hwi-ah! Stop! He and I were already engaged anyway. We just finalized it today. What's so wrong with that?!"
My sister, Hana, firmly protected him. This sight worsened my already terrible mood to its peak. I was now angry not only at Jubok but also at Hana.
"Baek Hana! You are still the daughter and disciple of the Baek Clan! Have you become arrogant enough to make your own rules now? Shameful! Marrying this good-for-nothing bastard with no achievements to speak of! Has our clan lost its honor?!"
I exploded in rage. I didn't care anymore and drew my sword. Even knowing I wouldn't be able to defeat my sister, I still wanted to try.
"Today your brother is going to beat some sense into you and this bastard!"
Hana, who never backed down from a fight, immediately drew her sword too. With a sneer on her face and a raised brow, she beckoned me with a wave of her hand to try.
"Hmph! As if you had the ability to beat me!"
Just as our swords were about to clash, a strong force stopped our movements.
It was our father. He was holding his forehead as if he had a headache and shook his head helplessly.
"Stop fighting already. It's not the time for that now. We will talk about this later. An honored guest will arrive at any moment. Do you want to show him this shameful display?"
His voice was weary, as if he would collapse from exhaustion at any moment, but beneath it we could all feel the suppressed rage.
Coming to my senses, I reluctantly stopped and was about to return to my seat. But just then, that bastard, jerk, scum Jubok had to open his mouth.
"Understood, Father."
It was as if I heard something shatter in my mind. "Bastard!" I jumped him.
"I don't care about this stupid guest anymore. Coming with such short notice! Disturbing everyone's peace! It seems there are even rude people in the palace with no sense of etiquette." I said this while throwing punches at Jubok.
Strangely, my sister didn't immediately stop my fists from landing on her newly betrothed husband. Father also didn't try to stop me. In fact, it was strangely silent.
I realized something was wrong.
And just as I turned around, I saw him.
A man standing tall, forcing me to look up at him. Black boots and dark blue attire hid his broad shoulders and muscular body, paired with a handsome face that radiated gloominess. His eyes were deep-set monoliths with a slight bluish hue.
But what was most eye-catching was the embroidery on his clothes: a silver dragon, the sign of royalty, the symbol of the Crown Prince.
I froze in shock as I met those eyes. They were staring at me coldly.
At that moment, the only thing in my mind was:
It's all that bastard Jubok's fault!!