Love Ballad of the Tyrant King

Chapter 53: Jaseung, Picks Her Outfit

When was the last time his heart had raced outside the battlefield?

Even someone like Lee Jaseung, who had no particular interest in women, could not stop his heart from pounding at that moment.

She was speaking with her whole body, saying that this was what true beauty looked like.

Her slightly trembling eyes added a touch of shyness to that explosive beauty, completing the picture.

Seeing how blankly Lee Jaseung was staring at her made her feel good. It was the first time she had seen that look in his eyes.

The middle-aged woman smiled and asked,

"What do you think?"

Lee Jaseung turned to the woman and answered. Unlike his usual confidence, his voice was a bit awkward and uncertain.

"I think it looks fine."

Maybe it was because he had never said anything like that to anyone before. He couldn’t bring himself to say she looked beautiful. It would have been simple to offer a polite "You look beautiful," but he didn’t.

The woman instead said what he couldn’t. She looked back at Baek Seolyoung and spoke with genuine admiration.

"You look absolutely stunning. I’ve made countless garments in my life, but never have I seen someone look this beautiful in one of mine."

"You flatter me."

"Now, shall we try the next one?"

Baek Seolyoung and the woman disappeared behind the partition again. A servant followed with another ceremonial outfit in her hands.

Left alone, Lee Jaseung let out a soft sigh without realizing it. The tension he had been holding in began to release.

At that moment, Mook Young's voice came through a voice transmission.

— Lord Baek really is beautiful.

Mook Young hardly ever interrupted, so this made it clear how highly he thought of Baek Seolyoung.

— Is there any bride who wouldn’t look beautiful in a ceremonial gown?

Mook Young silently laughed. Although Lee Jaseung said it indifferently, Mook Young knew he didn’t mean it that way.

Mook Young knew better than anyone that Lee Jaseung did not easily open his heart to people, regardless of gender.

Has he ever opened up completely to Mook Young, Dan Woobin, Mujin, or Ma Young-gi? If the answer wasn’t a confident yes, then perhaps it was no.

In any case, because he understood Lee Jaseung’s personality so well, Mook Young cautiously intervened. He too hoped things would go well between Lee Jaseung and her.

— Isn’t it a good thing? You’re marrying such a beautiful person.

— Wouldn’t it be even more burdensome if tears started falling from those beautiful eyes?

— You don’t need to worry about that in advance. My Lord is not someone who would easily make a woman cry.

— A serious misunderstanding.

— Perhaps so.

At that moment, Baek Seolyoung came out wearing a different outfit.

"This one seems nice too."

Lee Jaseung gave the same response as before and thought to himself that even if she were wrapped in rags, she would still be beautiful.

He quietly watched as she tried on all the outfits. His only answer remained the same. They all looked good.

After so many repeated responses, Baek Seolyoung sent him a voice transmission.

— Which one did you like best?

— I told you, they were all fine.

— If you had to choose just one. I mean really had to choose. You have an amazing eye for detail, don’t you?

She was referring to how, when the three of them climbed the mountain with the old woman, he had memorized the complicated trail at a glance.

— This isn't about attention to detail. It requires a sense of aesthetics.

As he said that, Lee Jaseung glanced at the clothes hanging on the wall. There was one outfit that had caught his eye. When she wore it, he had thought it suited her best.

— The third one.

Baek Seolyoung smiled softly.

— I actually thought so too.

She turned to the woman and said with joy,

"I’ll go with the third one."

"Understood. I’ll prepare that one."

"Yes, thank you."

After saying their goodbyes to the woman, the two left the manor.

"That must have been boring for you huh?”

"A little."

Baek Seolyoung smirked after hearing his honest reply. She still didn’t enjoy that part of him, but at the very least, she didn’t get annoyed either.

"Thanks for coming with me."

Lee Jaseung said nothing in response.

Just then, Chu Sang-gi approached Baek Seolyoung and spoke.

"It’s time to go."

"Where are we headed next?"

"You have a meeting with the Lord of the Great Eagle Clan.”

"Keep the number of escorts minimal."

"Understood. I’ll prepare the carriage right away."

Chu Sang-gi leapt away.

Baek Seolyoung turned to Lee Jaseung and spoke.

"I’ll see you later. Thanks for today."

She was about to turn and leave, but Lee Jaseung spoke.

"Wait. May I ask why you’re going to the Great Eagle Clan?”  

In Dan Woobin’s recent reports, there was information about them. He recalled that their leader’s character wasn’t exactly admirable.

That’s why he asked.

There was nothing to hide, so Baek Seolyoung answered honestly.

"The Lord sent word that he wanted to see me."

"Why?"

"I’m not sure, but I suspect he wants to form an alliance."

Lee Jaseung’s lips curled slightly. It was the kind of expression he made when looking at a villain or encountering something absurd. It was obvious what that leader was up to.

"Am I doing something wrong?"

To her question, Lee Jaseung nodded.

"You should have summoned him instead."

"But I’m the one in the weaker position."

"That’s exactly why you should have summoned him."

"It’s not like I didn’t think of that."

She hadn’t felt great about being asked to come.

"And yet?"

When Lee Jaseung asked, she hesitated to answer.

So he answered for her.

"Because it seemed better to keep things civil? Because it’d be better if you didn’t offend him?"

She bit her lip. His words completely ruined the good mood she had been in. But he was right. That’s why she had agreed to go in person.

Still, did he have to say it like that?

Even after all her experiences and the changes she had gone through, she was still human. She couldn’t help but feel a little irritated.

"I didn’t think the formalities were that important."

Lee Jaseung calmly shook his head.

"When it comes to politics, formalities are everything. The less sincere you appear, the better."

Baek Seolyoung nodded. Despite her irritation, she knew he was right.

"Should I summon him now? But it’ll look strange."

To that, Lee Jaseung gave her a sharp look and said,

"There’s another way."

* * *

The Lord of the Great Eagle Clan, Jo Pae, was waiting with his subordinate, Beom Yu.

"Heaven has given you an opportunity, my Lord!"

At Beom Yu’s words, Jo Pae chuckled.

"Technically, it was Yang Sebang’s death that created the opportunity."

"Either way, it amounts to the same thing."

"Hahahaha."

Jo Pae was in a good mood. His scheme was simple. He would pretend to support Baek Seolyoung and join hands with her, then eventually devour the Northern Sky Clan from within.

That plan had begun with Beom Yu’s suggestion.

"Baek Seolyoung is just a young girl, nothing more."

Jo Pae had rapidly grown his clan in recent times. He had gained enough influence to summon even the Lord of the Northern Sky Clan Of course, his strength wasn’t yet a match for theirs.

If Northern Sky’s power was a ten, he would rate himself at one or two. Even that was still quite formidable.

Truthfully, Jo Pae hadn’t planned on getting involved with Northern Sky’s affairs.

But after hearing of Yang Sebang’s death, he changed his mind. He thought of the Northern Sky Clan as a mountain without an owner.

He had already crafted a meticulous plan to seize that unclaimed peak.

"Is this it?"

Jo Pae reviewed the document on the table. It was a contract outlining a formal alliance between the Great Eagle Clan and the Northern Sky Clan.

"On the surface, it seems like a fair contract, but it’s heavily skewed in our favor. The language is so dense that she won’t understand it at a glance. Just persuade her to sign it, my Lord."

"Hahaha, don’t worry. That’ll be easy."

Beom Yu pulled out a small vial from his robe.

"If that doesn’t work, I’ll mix this into her drink."

It was an aphrodisiac meant to arouse a woman.

"Administer just the right amount, and she’ll lose the ability to make clear decisions. It leaves no trace."

Jo Pae grinned lecherously.

"How many escorts will she bring?"

Beyond the contract, he was eager to use the drug and possess her. He knew he couldn’t force her outright, but under the influence of the drug, she might fall into his arms willingly.

"She’ll bring as few as possible. After all, she’s the one in the weaker position. She wouldn’t want to offend you."

That made Jo Pae smile even more. He was thrilled at the possibility of embracing the most beautiful woman in the land.

But then, a flicker of irritation crossed his face.

"What about that guy who won the tournament recently, Seop Mu-pyeong? Won’t he get in the way?"

"You don’t have to worry about him. He’s just a country bumpkin from a fallen sect. We might even be able to take advantage of that.”

Satisfied, Jo Pae grinned. Beom Yu was well-versed in schemes and manipulation, so Jo Pae trusted him to handle it well.

"The Northern Sky Clan will belong to whoever grabs it first."

Jo Pae smirked lasciviously. He had interpreted that statement in a completely different way.

Just then, a subordinate reported from outside.

"Lord Baek has arrived."

Beom Yu spoke to Jo Pae.

"You should go out to greet her."

"Of course."

He kept grinning like a fool.

The two of them stepped outside and walked to the front gate.

The moment they opened the gate, both men were startled.

Centered around Baek Seolyoung’s carriage were five large carriages lined up in formation.

When important nobles traveled, they often used multiple identical carriages to hide which one the main figure was in, in case of an ambush. The others were filled with armed guards.

Depending on the situation, if danger arose, the carriages would scatter. It disrupted enemy tactics and helped protect the leader.

In the case of the Black Way Alliance, they had as many as fifteen carriages. Though Lee Jaseung preferred to travel quietly, so rarely used them all at once.

Today, Baek Seolyoung brought out all five prepared by the clan.

And that wasn’t all.

Surrounding the carriages were all the escort warriors led by Chu Sang-gi, along with every member of the Raging Dragons, the most belligerent army of the Northern Sky Clan’s Seven Halls.

The Raging Dragons lived up to its name, boasting the ferocity of a raging dragon. Two hundred of their warriors stood assembled, and that wasn’t the end.

Even the Four Dragons of the Northern Sky, the elite representatives of the clan, had been mobilized.

They had been deployed by none other than Lee Jaseung. When he commanded them like his subordinates, especially Peng So who was bothersome in Baek Seolyoung’s eyes, she was astonished.

It had been only a few days since she asked him to take charge of the Four Dragons, and he had already completely subdued them. She had never imagined he would absorb them so quickly.

And yet, Lee Jaseung had done it, and now he was showing her the results.

What was even more impressive was that he didn’t hide it from her.

‘He’s different, truly different.’

That was the conclusion she came to once again today.

In any case, the warriors lined up at the gate were far from welcoming. They radiated cold and calculated intensity, which instantly overwhelmed Jo Pae and Beom Yu.

They hadn’t expected her to show up in such grand fashion, so they were all the more flustered.

The carriage door opened, and Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung stepped out.

Jo Pae and Beom Yu greeted them politely.

"It is an honor to meet you, Lord Baek."

Normally, a more casual greeting would suffice, but this first meeting was laced with formality.

"The road wasn’t well maintained. The ride here wasn’t very pleasant."

Baek Seolyoung said sharply.

Lee Jaseung smirked softly. He had orchestrated all of this from behind the scenes. He had told her to travel with maximum presence and to pressure them firmly afterward.

He had only laid out the broad strokes, but her opening line was excellent.

Jo Pae scrambled to respond.

"I apologize."

"Yes, lead the way."

"Y-Yes, of course."

Jo Pae fumbled as he walked ahead. He was not someone who normally got flustered like this. But he had been caught off guard and thoroughly suppressed by her imposing arrival.

Seeing his reaction, Baek Seolyoung thought to herself,

‘I had completely misunderstood!’

She had assumed such pressure tactics would only spark resentment from her opponent.

But this felt different. Rather than provoking resistance, it felt like she had seized the upper hand from the start.

Even though this was supposed to be her task, she found herself suddenly excited for what was to come.