When The Silent Peony Blooms - Chapter 30
Arkan’s father, that is, the previous king of Betor, had an older brother born a year before him.
From birth, he was weak and grew slower than other children his age.
Of course, his parents and those concerned about the future of the royal family worried daily about the king’s eldest son, who seemed like he might fall over at the slightest touch, but they held out one hope for his strangely gallant temperament despite his frailty.
Although there was an uneasy diagnosis from the court physician that he was unlikely to live past the age of ten, fortunately, he grew up safely while dealing with minor illnesses.
However, when his father died and it was time for him to succeed to the throne, he called his younger brother—Arkan’s father—and said this:
[I intend to leave for a foreign country.]The second son, who was already busy preparing for his older brother’s coronation ceremony immediately after their father’s funeral, could not believe his ears when he heard this.
However, the crown prince’s resolve was firm.
[As you know, I grew up hearing that I wouldn’t live long since childhood. Even now, my body is not very strong. Sometimes I worry that I might die in my sleep. Because our father and mother were so worried about me, I’ve never been outside Betor, let alone beyond the capital. But brother, I don’t want to end my life cooped up in this palace.]Even at that time, the older brother was taking medicine prepared by court physicians morning and evening, and as he said, his physical strength was still declining.
The second son opposed, saying it was impossible not only because of the confusion surrounding the throne but primarily because of his brother’s health. However, on the dawn of the coronation ceremony after their father’s funeral, the older brother disappeared without a trace.
All that remained was a single letter.
The palace was turned upside down, and the queen, who had lost her husband and frail eldest son overnight, fainted.
But they couldn’t leave the throne empty just because of the confusion. After holding a perfunctory emergency meeting with officials, the second son of the Cyprosmine royal family attended the coronation ceremony that was originally intended for his brother.
And four years later, the former crown prince who had fled returned to the Betor palace.
Far from being a crown prince of a country, he looked like a peddler, and he wasn’t even alone.
There was a small child toddling along, holding his hand.
He was genuinely happy to see his brother sitting on the throne in his place.
And he said the child he brought was his son. The mother was not of noble birth.
He said she had caught a cold that worsened into pneumonia and died.
[I’ll tell only you, but I don’t think I have much time left to live either. If my body were healthy, would I have come back here without any dignity? I have no regrets about dying now. I’ve experienced all the things I wanted to see and desperately wished for but could only imagine.] [Please stop, brother. The child is listening.] [Right, the child. The only reason I came back is for this little one. Look at him. After I die, do you think this young child could survive? You don’t have to treat him as my son after I’m gone. It’s fine to keep him in the palace and raise him as a servant. That might be better actually. His personality seems to take after me.]The king at the time dismissed it as nonsense, stood up, and never spoke with his brother again after that.
Whether he was truly holding onto his fading life only out of concern for his son, he died in his sleep.
The king ordered an autopsy, and the results showed that both lungs were filled with fluid and inflammation, in a state too terrible to look at.
The king kept his suddenly orphaned nephew in the palace and ensured he could be educated and grow up comfortably alongside his own son, who was the same age.
Although he had once felt betrayed by his brother who had abruptly left, he loved his one-year-older brother very much, so he naturally couldn’t help but feel affection for his nephew as well.
However, that child, just like his father, disliked stifling rules.
He longed for the sea—where he had lived with his parents in the southern coastal region of the continent—and wanted to leave.
Fortunately, he had good physical strength. He didn’t fall ill. When he turned 18 and asked to be allowed to travel various places, the king couldn’t hold him back.
Instead, he ordered him to accept a nominal title and to return at least once a year.
The nephew faithfully followed his uncle’s orders. This was the background of the Duke of Sonetum, Pellehar Cyprosmine.
Before the servant could answer Arkan’s question as he abruptly stood up, the sound of steady footsteps was heard, and then a man in an appearance utterly unsuited to the king’s clean office appeared with a bright smile.
On his raised wrist hung strange bracelets from who knows where, and his clothes were quite a sight as well.
He wore a leather vest over an old shirt with ruffles almost falling off, then another layer of twill shirt on top of that, and his jacket had at least three different kinds of stains on it.
“Have you been well?”
It was a casual greeting without formality or manners, like that of children.
Knowing his temperament, Platt the head servant couldn’t help but say something, even though he knew it wouldn’t work.
“Your Highness Pellehar, although you grew up together like brothers, Arkan is the king of Betor. It is proper etiquette to show respect in your initial greeting.”
Pellehar laughed loudly, showing his white teeth.
“Platt, with that inflexible personality of yours, you’ll probably live to be a hundred.”
Then he patted the now aging Platt’s shoulder vigorously, just like in the old days.
Indeed, as Erdene had said, the bony Platt, looking like dried fish, staggered and let out a groan.
Arkan, who had been watching this scene with a complicated expression, not knowing what to say, rubbed his forehead.
He looked as if something was boiling over in his head.
“…Pellehar, I told you to at least send a letter before returning.”
“I had no paper. I did write something, but on the way here, I ate something bad and got an upset stomach. So…”
“Enough, I said enough. Don’t even mention upset stomachs. You get one every time you come back!”
Pellehar chuckled mischievously and plopped down in a chair, carelessly putting his feet up on a low stool.
Arkan, who had been sighing and looking displeased, suddenly seemed to lose his temper and crumpled up a used piece of paper, throwing it at Pellehar’s head.
The paper hit Pellehar’s head with a thud and rolled onto the floor.
“Ouch.”
“You didn’t even know I got married, you heartless fool.”
At Arkan’s grumbling, Pellehar suddenly bent over laughing.
“Right, that’s right! Do you know how surprised I was when I heard? It was shocking enough that you suddenly decided to negotiate with the northerners, but on top of that, marriage, and to Erdene Baatar of all people! You, Arkan!”
Arkan’s brow furrowed even deeper.
For some reason, when Pellehar spoke Erdene’s name so familiarly, he suddenly felt a twinge of discomfort.
“It was the easiest and quickest way.”
At Arkan’s words, Pellehar clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“That’s what I mean. Royalty are all prime commodities at the forefront of the marriage market. That’s how you always talked about it, right? You hadn’t taken a queen until now to get the best price.”
“Your Highness Pellehar.”
Platt interjected as if to censor his words, but Pellehar paid no heed.
Chuckling mischievously, he said,
“How does it feel to have seated the former heir to the imperial throne as your queen? It seems you’ve gotten a good price as a prime commodity, as you always said, but that’s one thing, and married life should have its own small joys, don’t you think?”
Arkan retorted sarcastically.
“For someone who’s never been married, you sure have a lot to say.”
“I may not be married, but I’ve probably had more experiences similar to newlywed life than you have.”
Pellehar replied.
In truth, he had met many people while wandering here and there, and thanks to his sociable nature, he had no difficulty in making acquaintances.
He had never returned to Betor with another person, let alone a woman, and Arkan had never heard stories of him living dissolutely—although Pellehar didn’t know it, both the late king and Arkan had secretly assigned people to keep an eye on him—but in any case, he probably wasn’t completely ignorant about romance.
As if to put an end to the idle talk, Arkan waved his hand and said,
“Save your jokes for later. We’ll have plenty of time to talk. Anyway, go and wash up first. You’ve been smelling like a dog that hasn’t bathed in three years since you arrived.”
*
Save yourself from story hunger — the novel below will blow your mind!
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
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