Love Ballad of the Tyrant King

Chapter 49: Seolyoung, Enlightenment

Baek Seolyoung and the heads of the Seven Halls sat around a large round table.

Except for people like Kwon Deokchan and Wang Gunbo, who had chosen to follow her, the rest were all people aligned with Yang Sebang.

Right after Yang Sebang died, they held a secret meeting.

They suspected the reason Baek Seolyoung summoned them today. She was likely about to begin purging them. They had resolved to unite so they would not be ousted from the clan.

‘It won’t be easy to get rid of us!’

That was what they all thought. There was one reason they felt confident in that conclusion.  They underestimated Baek Seolyoung.

Beautiful and smart, yes, but still a young girl who did not fully understand the ways of the world. That was how she appeared in their eyes. That uncertainty was also the reason they chose to side with Yang Sebang instead of trusting her.

At that moment, Chu Sang-gi entered and placed an envelope bearing each of their names before them. Every single head of the Seven Halls received one. Kwon Deokchan and Wang Gunbo were no exception.

Baek Seolyoung spoke softly.

“Please open them.”

The Heads of the halls slowly opened their envelopes. Inside was a letter. After reading its contents, their eyes widened in shock.

It was a letter left for them by the former Lord of the clan.

From their first meeting to the time they became hall leaders, it contained many events and unforgettable personal anecdotes. At the end of the letter, it asked them to take care of his daughter, Baek Seolyoung.

Kwon Deokchan was the first to get teary-eyed. He had been the most loyal to the previous Lord. He suddenly felt ashamed. The man had treated him so well, yet he had failed to protect the man’s daughter.

The other hall leaders, while not as moved as Kwon Deokchan, still fell silent as they thought of the former Lord. They had sided with Yang Sebang to survive, but the guilt of betraying the former Lord weighed on their hearts.

Wang Gunbo asked,

“Why didn’t you give these to us right after the Lord passed away?”

Had these letters been used properly at the time, the outcome might have been different.

After quietly looking around at each of the hall leaders, she replied calmly.

“Do you really think one letter would have changed everyone’s minds? I hate to say this in regard to my father, but I don’t believe your actions would have been any different.”

Except for Kwon Deokchan, no one could deny her words.

She rose from her seat and slowly walked around the table. The hall leaders watched her nervously.

Baek Seolyoung stopped and took the letter from Kwon Deokchan’s hands. She held it over the table’s lamp and burned it.

Whoosh.

The letter turned to ashes in an instant.

No one had expected her to burn it. Even Kwon Deokchan looked startled. The others were equally shocked.

She took Wang Gunbo’s letter and burned that too, then continued walking around the table, burning each one.

Everyone just sat in stunned silence, watching her.

When she returned to her seat, her expression turned cold.

“I didn’t show you those letters to stir up sentimental memories of my father.”

Her voice rang clear and strong, carrying a dignified tone.

“You are the Seven Hall Leaders of this clan, yet you ignored the new clan Lord and followed Elder Yang instead. I should make an example out of you, but I chose to forgive you just once, for my father’s sake. That’s why I showed you those letters.”

Everyone swallowed hard.

“As you saw, I’m someone who can even host the marriage martial arts tournament. You can’t imagine how far I’m prepared to go.”

Her words clearly carried a threat.

“I don’t want your loyalty for the clan. I want your loyalty to me. Supporting me is supporting the clan. This is your one and only chance at forgiveness. If you ever test my patience again, you will pay the price for the mercy I showed you today. Understood?”

Kwon Deokchan and Wang Gunbo shouted in unison,

“We pledge our loyalty.”

She looked each of the other hall leaders in the eye.

They stared back, surprised. This was not the Baek Seolyoung they thought they knew. She felt much stronger than before. Their minds were in turmoil, but right now, they had only one choice.

“We pledge our loyalty.”

They all bowed their heads and swore allegiance.

But Baek Seolyoung knew. She knew they hadn’t truly submitted. Of course they hadn’t. This tug-of-war was only beginning.

“I’ll be watching you. You may leave now.”

The hall leaders bowed and exited.

As he stepped out, Kwon Deokchan smiled slightly. If she could handle them this well, he felt confident she could handle external matters too.

Once everyone had left, Baek Seolyoung spoke to Chu Sang-gi.

“Do you know why I didn’t take advantage of the letters?”

“Because you said they wouldn’t change the outcome.”

“No. I didn’t use them because I thought it was a cheap tactic. I believed if I couldn’t win them over by my own strength, then their loyalty would be meaningless.”

Chu Sang-gi nodded. He agreed with her words completely.

But she herself didn’t.

“That was a foolish thought.”

“Pardon?”

“In truth, I didn’t even know where I stood or who I was dealing with.”

That was exactly what Lee Jaseung had told her.

She calmly explained to Chu Sang-gi, who still looked confused.

“I acted like I could do anything, but I didn’t even know who I was facing or where I stood. I was just a clueless girl.”

That too had come from Lee Jaseung.

He told her to admit she was just a child.

At the time, she didn’t accept it. She shouted at him, saying she had opened the marriage tournament, but she refused to admit it.

But she should have.

“This isn’t some pathetic self-pity. I lived under a huge delusion. I thought if I was desperate, the world would accept me. That if I was desperate enough, I could do anything. But desperation alone means nothing. Desperation must lead to action. That’s the only thing that counts.”

The way she dealt with the hall leaders today came from that change in mindset.

And that wasn’t the only change.

She finally understood why Lee Jaseung’s words had bothered her so much, and why she couldn’t refute them.

She had jumped into battle but wasn’t prepared to fight. This wasn’t about determination or sincerity.

She lacked understanding of what kind of battle this was and how to fight it.

“Everything I learned came from my father.”

“Yes, indeed.”

“And that’s the problem.”

“What do you mean?”

“My father never showed me the underbelly of it all. Because I was his daughter, he couldn’t bear to show me the dirty tricks and political games. But he fought in that world. He survived in it.”

Chu Sang-gi understood her words.

“Maybe he thought he would tell me someday when I become older.”

But he died before he could show her the path she needed to walk.

“My father always compared this struggle to a game of Go. Now I understand. This isn’t a refined game like Go. That’s why he tried to wrap it in that metaphor. To make it seem noble.”

At first, she believed that even if her opponent broke the rules, she could still win without flipping the board.

But now she saw how naïve that was.

“If they flip the board, I flip it back. If that doesn’t work, I draw new lines on the back and keep fighting. If I can, I’ll use not just two or three moves, but five or six to win. That’s the nature of this fight. My enemies are prepared for that kind of battle. If I’m not, I should get out.”

Chu Sang-gi realized she had reached a major turning point. It felt like a positive change, but because it was so sudden, he also felt concerned.

“Is this because of him?”

She nodded without hesitation.

“Yes. Because of him.”

Even being able to admit that was something she had learned from him.

Realization doesn’t come from hearing something for ten years. Sometimes, it strikes like lightning from a single passing comment.

Now, she truly understood.

She had stepped onto the real battlefield.

She was now a proper player.

But before she could become a true player, there was one more thing she had to do.

* * *

“I have a favor to ask.”

Baek Seolyoung came to see Lee Jaseung again.

He could tell something about her had changed.

Perhaps the comment he made to her last time had an effect on her?

If that really was the reason, he found it impressive.

People don’t change easily after all.

“What kind of favor?”

“I have a few favors, actually.”

She smiled as she said it. She now gave off a sense of ease that hadn’t been there before.

“You’ve changed.”

“I’m trying. Trying to look like I’ve changed.”

Lee Jaseung gave a smirk, and she smiled with him.  

It was the first time since meeting him that Baek Seolyoung felt like they were truly sharing a laugh.

Lee Jaseung could tell. She really had changed. Yes, life was interesting because even things that seemed impossible could sometimes change overnight.

“What’s the favor?”

“I want you to take control of the Four Dragons of the Northern Sky.”

Lee Jaseung was slightly taken aback. He had already planned to absorb them first.

“They are the core organization of our clan. But right now, Peng So, raised by Elder Yang, is in charge of it. Whether you kill him or win him over, I want you to take control.”

“Why not do it yourself?”

“I need to fully bring the Seven Hall Leaders to my side. And if you’re seen taking over the Four Dragons, it sends a powerful message. It strengthens my position.”

If both sides secured control over the clan at the same time, it would create a much stronger sense of stability from the outside.

Lee Jaseung quietly looked at her. In truth, this path was not hers. It was his.

The road ahead was far more difficult and treacherous than she could imagine.

Would she be able to follow it to the end?

There was no way of knowing. Just as she had changed overnight, life had a way of throwing surprises.

“Alright. I’ll take care of the Four Dragons.”

“Thank you.”

“I should be thanking you. I’ll benefit once Northern Sky Clan is mine.”

Baek Seolyoung stared at him.

Yes, if she had heard that before, she would have gotten angry. She would’ve snapped at him for saying something like that.

But now she saw it differently. That remark was a kind of teaching.

Others might’ve said, “I’ll do it for your sake,” to make it sound selfless.

But the truth was what he said. Honest and unpolished. Was it because he didn’t know how to say it nicely? No, that wasn’t the case.

Lee Jaseung asked again.

“What’s the next favor?”

“Come stay at the clan with your disciples. Now that we’re engaged, it looks strange for you to stay at an inn.”

That wasn’t the real reason. Inviting him into the clan was directly tied to her third favor.

Lee Jaseung agreed to the second request without hesitation.

“Sure. What’s the third?”

Her expression turned serious. This third request was the main reason she had come today.

She said in a calm tone.

“Teach me martial arts.”

Lee Jaseung hadn’t expected her to ask him such a request.

“Shouldn’t you have properly learned martial arts as a daughter of the Northern Sky Clan?”

“Of course. I learned the family’s traditional techniques. But at some point, I hit a wall. My skills stopped improving. I need you to open the path for me.”

She said it confidently, like someone reclaiming what was hers, but inside she was nervous. Passing on martial arts wasn’t something done lightly, even for blood-related families.

Lee Jaseung looked at her quietly and nodded.

“Alright.”

“Really?”

“But since I’ve granted your three requests, you’ll have to grant three of mine.”

She nearly flared up again. She wished he would just accept the favor sincerely.

But then she realized something.

‘Ah! I’ve really lived too idealistically.’

No, calling it idealistic was putting it the nice way. In truth, it had been selfishness.

Expecting others to accept her requests purely.

If she asked for a favor, she should be ready to return one.

But until now, she had only been on the receiving end.

She didn’t have a proper sense of give and take.

She admitted it.

Her “purity” had been rooted in selfishness.

Lee Jaseung didn’t rush her. He could tell from her face that her mind was working through something.

She was still changing.

Today, for the first time since meeting her, he felt genuine affection.

Not because she had changed, but because she was trying to.

Trying to become someone better. Trying to move forward. And doing so with sincere effort.

Instead of snapping again, Baek Seolyoung smiled and asked.

“Of course I will. What are your favors?”