Love Ballad of the Tyrant King

Chapter 65: Jaseung and Seolyoung, Enjoys Their First Night

Lee Jaseung’s face slowly moved closer to Baek Seolyoung’s.

Thump thump.

Her heart began to pound violently. It pounded so hard she thought she might die from it. Her heart had raced during training, and it had raced when she performed martial arts.

But it had never raced this fast before. It felt like all the sounds of the world disappeared and only the sound of her heartbeat remained.

It would be a lie to say she had never thought about this moment.

Was it really all right to spend the first night with him?

Although she had married him, she knew nothing about him.

No, it did not matter if she knew nothing. What truly mattered was how she felt about him.

‘Do I like him?’

Over the past few days, Baek Seolyoung had asked herself that question.

Of course, the answer had already been clear from the start.

What meaning did such a question have when this marriage was through a marriage tournament?

If someone else had won, she would never have asked herself such a question. She would have simply given up and thrown everything to fate.

But she found herself asking this question after getting married to Lee Jaseung.

‘Do I really like him?’

‘Shouldn’t physical intimacy happen only when both truly like each other?’

Because it was Lee Jaseung. Because it was the man… who had such a profound influence on her, her feelings were complicated, even though she knew it was selfish.

As she was deep in her thoughts, Lee Jaseung’s face came so close it almost touched hers.

In truth, his feelings were just as complicated.

How did she feel about him? Did she like him? They had never spoken nor heard the words “I like you” from each other. Was it okay to kiss her just like this?

Yet her red lips looked so beautiful and enticing.

No rational thought could overcome the deadly allure she gave off.

His lips drew close, nearly touching hers.

Baek Seolyoung slowly closed her eyes.

Her eyelashes trembled.

She felt his hands, which were holding her shoulders, tighten slightly. Feeling his nervousness made her even more nervous.

Their lips brushed lightly. At the soft touch she had never felt before, she flinched. Then the tingling that began at her lips spread through her entire body.

After lightly feeling each other, Lee Jaseung slowly pulled away.

“Whew.”

A breath escaped her like a sigh. To be honest, the kiss with him felt good. It had been just a light brushing of lips, yet she still liked it.

But the sweetness of the kiss lasted only a moment before she was startled. Somehow, a small dagger was in her hand. After the kiss, he placed it there.

His voice reached her through a voice transmission.

— There are intruders.

Startled, she looked at him. He nodded once with a serious expression. Baek Seolyoung tried to sense with her Qi, but she felt nothing.

That meant they were masters above her level. And because he had used the plural, there was more than one.

— In total, there are five.

Lee Jaseung silently counted the number as his eyes moved to three spots. She memorized the places he looked at. The door, the window on the opposite side, and the roof.

Two at the door, two on the roof, and one at the window.

From what he could tell, their skills were exceptional. They were extremely careful and cautious.

Swish swish!  

He flicked out a palm of wind. Two lamps in the room went out, and the room darkened. Moonlight came through the window, so it was not completely dark, but only silhouettes could be faintly seen.

— They’ll probably wait.

— For what?

— …

— Ah!

She realized what moment they were waiting for. When would a man and woman on their wedding night be most distracted?

Her face flushed red.

Then, Lee Jaseung turned around and slowly removed his outer robe.

She was shocked.

‘Surely not? Now?’

She swallowed nervously, her whole body tense.

He removed his robe and then took off the Dragon Scale Armor underneath. Was he trying to lure them in by pretending to consummate the wedding night?

She faintly saw his body. It was only his back, but it was the first time she had seen a man’s bare torso in a room instead of a training ground.

Her heart pounded at the thought that he might turn around while undressed.

‘Surely he’s not gonna tell me to take off my clothes too, right?’

Then, his voice came through sound transmission.

— Take off your clothes.

— Huh?

Her eyes widened.

— We may have gotten married… but there are others watching… I can’t. No.

Her voice trembled as she hurriedly sent the voice transmission back. She was so flustered her words stumbled.

— No, even if they weren’t here, even if it were just us, it’s too soon. We should wait until I know you better…

It almost sounded like she was refusing to sleep with him. That wasn’t what she meant, but she quickly continued so he wouldn’t misunderstand.

— Even if I do undress… No wait, that’s not what I mean…

She was so flustered she didn’t even know what she was saying.

Then came his voice transmission.

— Just take off your outer robe and put this on.

— What?

She glanced toward the bed. There lay a thin garment. It was his Dragon Scale Armor. He had undressed just to take it off for her.

— It’s protective armor. It’s pretty good, so it’ll help.

— Ah!

Her face flushed deep red. She could not lift her head, embarrassed at having misunderstood.

‘My god! What was I even thinking about by myself!?’

She sent a voice transmission with a tearful expression.

— You should’ve said so earlier.

— I was going to.

Her face burned even hotter. She had spoken first without letting him explain.

She removed her wedding robe with her face still red. She felt glad though. At least her earlier embarrassment dulled the awkwardness of taking off her own wedding dress on the first night.

Shrrrk.

But Lee Jaseung wasn’t sharing the same feeling. He was angry right now. Much more than it seemed on the surface.

He felt sorry for her. It was bad enough that she had to remove the robe herself, when the bridegroom should have done it, but he also had to make her wear armor over it.

He sent another voice transmission in a calm tone.

— Whoever they are… I’ll never forgive the one who sent them.

The calmness only made the anger more palpable.

She smiled faintly. She didn’t know who they were or why they were targeting them, but in this moment, his anger comforted her.

She put on the Dragon Scale Armor. With a soft sound, it clung to her body. Even over clothes, the fit was excellent. She could smell his scent on it.

Once she wore it, she remembered the danger she had momentarily forgotten in her embarrassment. They were in an urgent situation right now after all.

Five assassins she could not even sense were nearby.

She picked the dagger back up from the table.

‘Pull yourself together! If you mess up, you’ll die!’

She steadied herself.

— It’s on.

He turned to her after hearing her. He walked over and gently embraced her tense body, whispering in her ear.

— Take the one on the left. He’s stronger than you, but you can win.

‘How am I supposed to win against someone stronger?’

Before she could even ask, his body moved.

Swoosh!

He leapt toward the ceiling, and at the same time, all five assassins moved.

The ceiling burst as a man dropped down, thrusting his sword. The blade grazed Lee Jaseung, but Asura did not miss.

Thud! Thwunk!

In an instant, he stabbed the man in the neck and chest. It seemed impossible to defend so precisely against a strike from midair.

He flung the corpse toward the window and leapt to the door.

Two men rushed in through the door.

Swoosh! Swish!

Their sword strikes were far too fast and precise for common assassins. One was at the pinnacle of Peak Realm, the other a seasoned Peak Realm master.

Lee Jaseung twisted the supreme master’s wrist.

With a groan, the sword dropped. At the same time, Asura pierced the other man’s neck.

Thunk!

One hand twisting a wrist, while the other killed another.

The disarmed man swung his fist at Lee Jaseung.

Lee Jaseung twisted away but kept hold of the wrist.

Crack.

The man’s shoulder broke. Yet he did not scream and attacked again.

Swoosh!

Both shot into the air. Lee Jaseung hugged the man to his chest and launched toward the intruder coming through the window.

Swish!

The man’s sword shot toward his comrade’s back, intending to skewer them both.

The one Lee Jaseung held grabbed his shoulder, full of resolve to die together.

Thud!

The instant the sword pierced his comrade’s back and was about to reach Lee Jaseung’s chest…

Shing.  

The sword froze in place.

The man looked down at the blade jutting through his chest, then weakly turned his head.

He was still standing, sword extended, but blood gushed from his heart.

A dagger was buried in his chest.

In an instant, two men died standing.

It had taken only moments for four men to be killed.

Lee Jaseung turned toward Baek Seolyoung.

She was just facing her third critical moment.

She had evaded the first strike by leaping away. If she hadn’t been prepared, she might not have avoided it. The man’s martial skill was very impressive.

But because Lee Jaseung had warned her, she knew the attack would come from the left.

Her body reacted faster than she expected, fast enough to even surprise herself.

The man’s second attack was with hidden weapons.

Shhhk shhhk shhhk shhhk shhhk!

Five projectiles flew at once.

It was the moment his comrade from the ceiling had died, and the one at the door had also fallen.

In his haste, he had tried to kill her quickly and join forces with the others.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

But she deflected all of them, using the dagger Lee Jaseung gave her.

Her own focus amazed her.

When the man spun and charged at her, he abandoned his two failed attacks and used the second of his trump cards, saving his best for Lee Jaseung.

Being a level above her and now unleashing a deadly technique, the killing intent was overwhelming.

His sword thrusted rapidly toward her. It was the moment Lee Jaseung was just turning after killing the four others.

It was a swift, irregular assault.

She swayed her body side to side. The sword narrowly grazed her.

Flash!

In an instant, their bodies tangled.

Pwoosh!  

Her dagger sank into his chest.

Thump.

He collapsed. Her hand trembled as she looked down at him.

It was not fear of having killed him, but the thrill of killing someone stronger.

At the same time, she sighed.

‘Ah! The pleasure I feel on my wedding night is the pleasure of killing!?’

Either way, she had proved that surviving the two earlier close calls was not just luck.

She also knew she had grown stronger. Her martial arts had advanced a step, and her physical training had made her body respond faster.

“Are you alright?”

She gave a light nod and spoke while glancing at the corpse on the floor.

“This really is an incredible wedding night.”