Chapter 101

Chapter 101: Family.

Everything was going well, but Kim Kiwoo had one thing on his mind lately.

‘Some things don’t go as planned.’

It was inevitable in this world of people.

The ones who made Kim Kiwoo worry were none other than his family.

“Sigh…”

Kim Kiwoo let out a deep sigh and thought of his family, who seemed to be precious to him.

Among the four sons and one daughter of his empress, the four men were all well-established and living well.

The eldest, the crown prince, had ruled the Central Continent’s direct territory well for a long time.

Thanks to him, the direct territory had no problems.

‘The second son, who I was worried about, is also living without any trouble.’

Clear Raindrop, who had lived under the pressure of being Kim Kiwoo’s child since he was young, became immersed in religion as he grew up and now devoted himself to the religious world.

The third son, Yellow Flame, followed his education from childhood and polished his scholarship, entering the Imperial University.

The fourth son, Blue Earth, also received recognition for his contribution to popularizing weight training and joined the military department.

If he continued like this, he would be able to become the head of the military department.

The problem was the remaining two women.

‘…I guess I have to prepare myself.’

The empress, Deep Lake, was getting worse day by day.

It was understandable.

Deep Lake had been in her old age for a long time.

Eventually, the inevitable shadow of death approached closer and closer.

Kim Kiwoo felt a heavy weight in his chest whenever he thought of her.

He had expected this to happen since he married her, but it was hard to accept when it came face to face.

Kim Kiwoo finished his work and went to see her.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. I’m fine. You’ve worked very hard today.”

Deep Lake’s face was pale from illness as she lay in bed.

But she tried to smile brightly.

Kim Kiwoo knew why she was doing that.

She was more troubled by Kim Kiwoo’s sadness than her own physical condition.

Kim Kiwoo held her hand tightly and talked about everyday things.

In the middle of that,

A topic that Kim Kiwoo didn’t like at all came out of her mouth.

“Your Majesty. Why do you keep rejecting the earnest requests of the courtiers? If it’s because of me, please don’t do that.”

“…Didn’t we agree not to talk about that?”

“How can I do that when I know it’s because of me…”

There was a deep sadness in Deep Lake’s voice.

Kim Kiwoo held her trembling hand firmly.

Of course, he couldn’t deny what she said.

‘Remarriage…’

This discussion had started a long time ago.

Before Deep Lake entered her old age, she felt that her body was getting heavier day by day.

Around that time, Deep Lake pushed for Kim Kiwoo to find a new companion.

The courtiers also knew this and soon delivered this proposal to Kim Kiwoo.

But Kim Kiwoo postponed and postponed their earnest requests.

The empress’s intention was very clear and the reason was also valid.

But Kim Kiwoo couldn’t even imagine another woman sitting in the empress’s seat at this point.

‘There’s no problem with the succession structure now, right?’

The necessity of having an empress in place had also faded a lot.

Of course, the existence of an empress could satisfy the mental stability of the imperial citizens, but it wasn’t like something big would happen if the empress’s seat was vacant.

All four princes were married and had children in their concubines, so there was no risk of Kim Kiwoo’s bloodline being cut off.

He didn’t know if he would ever meet a woman he liked, but he had no desire to force a new empress into his life right now.

After finishing his thoughts, Kim Kiwoo smiled and stroked her snow-white hair.

“Don’t worry about anything and take care of your health. We should go on a trip together as a family again, don’t you think?”

“Your Majesty…”

“Rest well for today.”

Kim Kiwoo ended the conversation and left her worries behind.

***

The next day.

Kim Kiwoo summoned the princess who was making him sick to his office.

“Father.”

“You’re here. Sit down.”

“Yes.”

Following Kim Kiwoo’s words, Bright Starlight sat down across from him and sipped the tea that was prepared in advance.

‘Sigh…’

Kim Kiwoo sighed inwardly as he looked at the princess.

‘I never thought the princess would be such a headache.’

He thought it would be the second prince who would cause him trouble, but now it was the princess who was the biggest problem among his children.

Bright Starlight was well past thirty.

But she was still unmarried.

In the Wakan Tanka Empire, where people married early, there was no old maid like her.

Kim Kiwoo asked bluntly.

“How long are you going to postpone your marriage? You have to think about your age too.”

The princess also spoke with frustration.

“I want to do it very much. But how can I do it when I don’t feel anything? You always told me. You have to marry a man you like to be happy.”

“…”

He did say that.

Kim Kiwoo had never pushed for a political marriage with his children.

He would have understood if it was necessary, but there was no need to pursue a political marriage in the current state of the empire.

Kim Kiwoo wanted his children to marry someone they loved.

And all four of his sons did. 

They found their perfect matches and got married.

But Bright Starlight rejected many of the elite men in the empire.

“Even so, this is too much. Don’t you know that your mother is worried about your marriage too?”

“…I know.”

Bright Starlight’s face quickly turned gloomy.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to get married.

She also wanted to meet a handsome man and live a happy life.

But…

‘There’s no such man.’

It was Kim Kiwoo’s fault that this happened.

He was busy with his band life now and spent a lot of time outside the palace, but when he was young, he hardly ever left the palace.

So she grew up watching Kim Kiwoo’s amazing achievements from an early age.

The second princess felt pressured by this, but she admired Kim Kiwoo.

This was reinforced by their family trips.

She felt the deep love of the people for Kim Kiwoo with her whole body.

Maybe that’s why.

As a result, her eyes pierced through the ceiling and ascended to the sky.

Since Kim Kiwoo became her standard, there was no man who could satisfy her heart.

She tried hard too.

She knew that there was no man like Kim Kiwoo in reality, so she tried to lower her standards.

But even after lowering her standards so much, the hurdle was still too high.

Kim Kiwoo knew about her worries to some extent, so he had kept quiet until now.

But he thought that if he stayed like this, he might die alone in old age.

He could no longer remain silent.

Finally, Kim Kiwoo declared.

“I’ll give you one year. If you can’t find a partner by yourself within a year, I’ll find a suitable match for you. Remember that. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Father.”

***

Not long after that.

One of his children, the one who made Kim Kiwoo uncomfortable, was added.

It was none other than the fourth prince, Blue Earth.

“Say that again. Where do you want to go?”

When Kim Kiwoo asked again, Blue Earth bowed his head and muttered quietly.

“I said I want to go to the Warrior’s Soul.”

“…Do you really have to do that?”

“I know what you are worried about, Your Majesty. But I really want to go to the Warrior’s Soul this time. Please grant me permission!”

Kim Kiwoo’s head throbbed at the sight of Blue Earth’s serious expression.

“I know what the Warrior’s Soul means to the imperial warriors. But it is also very dangerous.”

“I know that.”

The Warrior’s Soul.

It was a tournament that determined the best among the formidable warriors of the empire.

No matter how much the empire became a society centered on scholarship, the position of outstanding warriors was still high.

And the warriors wanted to prove that they were better than others.

Scholarship or other fields could be proven to some extent by the achievements of scholars, but warriors could not.

In the end, they needed a duel that was like a real battle for this purpose.

Therefore, in the past, there were many duels everywhere, and the damage caused by them was not trivial.

It was because using wooden swords in duels was considered cowardly.

The Warrior’s Soul was created to prevent such indiscriminate damage.

Once every two years, they fought in a tournament to select the strongest warrior of the empire.

Those who participated in the battle wore armor with steel on their main parts and fought with steel swords without edges.

They tried to pay attention to safety as much as possible, but every time the Warrior’s Soul was held, there were many casualties.

‘I thought I would change it when the pride of the warriors weakened and the need for safety increased…’

But before that happened, Blue Earth said he wanted to participate in the Warrior’s Soul.

He understood.

If he achieved outstanding results in the Warrior’s Soul, he would be revered by the imperial warriors himself, and he would be one step closer to becoming the head of military affairs that he wanted.

Kim Kiwoo frowned slightly and opened his mouth.

“I know what you are worried about. But even if you don’t go to the Warrior’s Soul, you can be the head of military affairs. So I hope you don’t rush.”

“Your words are certainly right. But if I become the head of military affairs as I am now, how can that be thanks to my ability? I don’t want to become the head of military affairs because of my background as a prince.”

As soon as his firm words ended, Kim Kiwoo could tell what troubled him as a prince in an instant.

After all, even spreading weight training, which was his greatest achievement as a prince, was thanks to Kim Kiwoo.

‘I get it.’

A picture formed in Kim Kiwoo’s head roughly.

The military department had a vertical atmosphere by its nature.

And in the eyes of senior officials of the military department, Blue Earth must have looked like a parachutist.

He must have eaten a lot of eye candy even if they didn’t say it outright.

And this expectation was accurate.

There were many things like this after Blue Earth entered the military department.

He clenched his fist and continued his words.

“I want to prove that I have enough qualifications to be the head of military affairs by going to this Warrior’s Soul.”

“…I’ll think about it. For now, leave.”

“Yes, Father.”

He saluted Kim Kiwoo as befitting a military official and left his office.

‘My head feels like it’s going to explode.’

After the Empress, Princess and now fourth prince did this, Kim Kiwoo’s worries piled up even more in his chest.

‘Is it right to allow him?’

If Kim Kiwoo firmly refused, Blue Earth would surely not go to the Warrior’s Soul.

But Kim Kiwoo had always respected his children’s free will, and the Warrior’s Soul seemed very important for Blue Earth’s dignity.

It felt like preventing him from going to the Warrior’s Soul was blocking his way forward.

Afterwards, he discussed this with other heads including the head of military affairs and agonized for several days and nights.

But maybe the conclusion was already decided from the beginning.

‘There is no parent who wins over their child…’

He felt like he knew why that saying came out.

In the end, Kim Kiwoo allowed Blue Earth to participate in the Warrior’s Soul.