It was August 15th, half a year earlier. It was Prince Hwan-Seok’s birthday party, and all of Goryeo Kingdom’s royalty was in attendance and was showered with a lot of first-cla.s.s gifts. The clock struck eleven and the birthday celebrant wasn’t move by all the grandiose.

“Hwan-Seok, can I have the robot?

“Sure.”

“Hwan-Seok can I have the helicopter?”

 “Nn”

“How about the battle tank?”

“You can have that too.”

Hwan-Seong was overjoyed. His brother had no interest in toys. They were so huge they could hardly be called toys. Using magic Hwan-Seong suspended the four-meter automatic transformer robot, the life-size helicopter, and the magic-operated train, which was five by seven meters and weighed 40kg, in the air.

Hwan-Seong was excited.

“Transform, robot!” It didn’t transform on command. A small magical spell was needed. The four-meter robot glowed and then with a mechanical sound, transformed into a lion.

The lion roared.

Hwan-Seong roared back and then he looked at the direction of his brother, who seems to be in a bad mood.

“Hwan-Seok, are you in a bad mood? Is it because I didn’t give you a present?” He asked.

“…”

“Want me to give you a kiss?”

“Shut up?”

Hwan-Seong looked at his brother quizzically. His brother did really seem to be in a sour mood. Hwan-Seok got up and then he asked, “Where are you going, Hwan-Seok?”

“To kill the Mutt.”

Taking the statement literally, Hwan-Seong became frantic and stammered, “That seems harsh! No. Don’t!”

“Well, I want to.”

Hwan-Seong was seriously ruminating over whether to stop the brother who had just showered him with gifts.

The door swung open and there Princess Sang-Hee dressed in a pink skirt with a b.u.t.terfly pin in her hair, bounded in. It was eleven o’clock. The princess’ normal bedtime was ten o’clock.

Hwan-Seok glanced at Sang-Hee. In a moment she was flailing her arms and legs while suspended mid-air. She looked like she was running in place.

“I have such a strange feeling! I can’t go forward! Your Majesty!”

Princess Sang-Hee knew this, She cursed him inwardly, That b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Lift this spell! He looked shocked.

Hwan-Seok strode toward Sang-Hee and then just stared at her penetratingly for a long moment.

Sang-Hee knew what this meant and drew out the moment as long as possible.

Mission accomplished! Here he was, at my door. I had been waiting for this moment. I had known that this stuck-up brat would come looking for me. I intentionally waited up dressed.

Sure enough, he was here at my door. However renowned he was for his brilliance, he was just a child. I still had years of experience on him.

Now was the pivotal point in my plan. Ke ke ke…You’ve practically played into my hand, young man.

I feigned bashfulness and stammered, “I was so thrilled at the possibility that Your Majesty might come to visit me…” I spoked deliberately slowly blushing appropriately.

The corners of his lips twitched ever so slightly. Don’t even try to look fierce. I see the smile you’re trying so hard to hide.

“Where’d you get the idea that I would want a stupid letter from you?”

Humph! Of course, you did! You came looking for me late at night on your own two feet!

“I thought this would make Your Majesty happy.”

“That’s ambitious for a Mutt.”

“Oh, I apologize for daring to hope I could anything to please you, Your Majesty.”

Well then throw it out! Farewell, letter!

“I’ll just tear it up then.”

Suddenly, I was rendered immobile. Hwan-Seok had used magic to constrict me from the instant my hands had begun to tear the letter and grasped the letter.

“I’ll just forgive you this once. It seems to mean so much to you.”

I cried out, “Brother!” as though I was overcome with joy. He kept smirking. Hwan-Seong was at least kind of cute, but Hwan-Seok just made me want to smack him.

Hwan-Seok left and heard the voices from the hall.

“Hwan-Seok! Can I have this?”

“Yes.”

“Hwan-Seok, what about the superman cape?”

“Yes, you can have it.”

A superman cape? I’d heard those were very expensive. With it, you could cast magic spells easily, enabling you to fly through the sky easily and he had given it away without even thinking twice.

“Hwan-Seok, what’s that? What are you hiding there? Can I have it too?

“Tch. Just go to bed. Haven’t I given you enough?” (T/n omg, you tsundere!xD)

I wanted to know what someone who would give away a superman cape might be hiding but my eyes grew heavy. The ordeal was over, and I could finally drift off to sleep in peace.

I congratulated myself on a job well done and then slept soundly.

***********Actual continuation from where the last chapter left off*************

” I feel my love for your Majesty might be diminished.”

The knight, Gitae, gulped nervously. What had gotten into Princess Sang-Hee? Their communicating as if they were communicating almost as though they were equals was astonishing enough, but this?

What the h.e.l.l was going on? This was the most bizarre scene he had ever witnessed in his forty years, and he was about to witness something even flabbergasting.

The prince said, “What? Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you with my magic? Or is her crying upsetting you? Want me to off her now? What do you mean your love will diminish. Mutt?”

Gitae was speechless. Did the prince really just ask a princess if he’d done something wrong? What the….?

This was all beyond belief. Had the princess really implied she was angry with the Prince? Any other circ.u.mstance, she would have been killed instantly. Princess feared their excursion outside the palace, for they saw for themselves, how little females were valued. Females were simply failed attempts at male production. They knew their place. Knights did not risk danger can protect the princesses.

It occurred to him as well that princes didn’t usually accompany the princesses on their excursions as guards. The king must have given special permission for this event.

The Princess continued, “I had thought Brother was compa.s.sionate and warm-hearted which had made me so happy.”

“I am compa.s.sionate and warm-hearted!” Using magic, he ascended upward. A tiny flame ignited in his chest, which was supposedly proof of his warm heart.

That’s not what I mean!!!

“Brother, don’t you feel compa.s.sion when you see people crying from hunger?”

He c.o.c.ked his head quizzically. “But she’s a female and a slave.” Even without malice, Hwan-Seong could not see why it must be upsetting to see a female slave suffering from hunger.

“I feel sorry for her. I’d feel the same way about an injured dog on the road. Maybe Brother feels that I’m foolish and sentimental, but I can’t help crying.”

He looked at her quizzically as if he still didn’t understand. Sang-Hee stole a glance at Hwan-Seong. This is the second time. Then she threw herself at his chest and was enveloped in his arms.

She wailed pitifully and put her arms around the kneeling slave woman.

Hwan-Seong soothed, “Okay, don’t worry.”

“I have faith in you, Brother.”

Hwan-Seong straightened up and adopted his usual haughty demeanor. Raising his chin, he said, “You know you can trust your big brother, right?”

Then the second-born brat started to make a call, “Summon all the chefs!”

The twelve-year-old prince who had left on an excursion to the outside was suddenly calling the palace. The 7th battalion of knights to which the prince belonged was dispatched, just in case. These were the steadfast protectors of the Kingdom. Thirty-two members of the 7th battalion of knights were dispatched as an advance battalion followed by forty-two members who were fully armed. All seventy-five knights were at the cotton plantation. So this is the power that n.o.bility wield.

Not a female member of the n.o.bility, who hardly could be considered n.o.ble at all. It was dizzying, the power a male member of the Kingdom’s top-tier forces in full armor –with each member with the ability to several hundred people singlehandedly– was dispatch.

In addition, four of the Kingdom’s cooks were dispatched by helicopter at Hwan-Seong’s behest. Eighty cooks from the area, twelve one-ton trucks, and seven food trucks were sent. Oddly, three luxury sedans were also sent, possibly because they misinterpreted the request as a special party for the prince. It was all madness—eighty male cooks had been summoned to feed the female slaves

I clung to him, “You’re the best, Brother!”

Hwan-Seong smiled broadly while Gitae blinked in disbelief. Actually, Hwan-Seong cared nothing for the slave. He was simply making a grand gesture to prove his worth as a brother.

The knights, upon realizing they were not needed, headed back upon arrival.

In any case, Hwan-Seong seemed to have adopted a new game, which he liked second-best after Fetch. He drew himself up and asked expectantly, “Do you love me now?”

I had not fathomed such a grand response. I smiled happily and threw my arms around him with affection. “Yes, you’re the best brother ever!”

The female slaves were given a day’s rest and plenty of food to eat. Hwan-Seong volunteered to stand guard. The slaves prostrated themselves and wailed their grat.i.tude. The sight of them touching their heads to the floor tugged at my emotions.

Hwan-Seong offered the owner of the plantation, “I will give you a superman cape in exchange.”

“Oh, Your Majesty…I can’t accept such a lavish gift.” A superman cape was considered as a rare magical tool.

Our steadfast knight, Gitae, asked, “How much loss have you incurred today?”

He meant the work lost from half a day of rest. But the owner just shook his half-balding head and said, “There’s no need. The men here can just use magic to make up for the lost time and they’ll just be compensated for their work.”

I was outraged yet again. The men, who were able to use machinery with their magical abilities, were able to accomplish in minutes what took the women hours of back-breaking labor. Even so, they insisted on having women do the work. Rather than simply doing the work themselves in a few minutes, the men spent in their time crackling their whips. What insanity. I despised this world so much so that I was boiling with hatred.

“And that priceless superman cape?”

Snickering, Hwan-Seong said, “I got that free from Hwan-Seok, so it’s no loss.”

Oh, right. You don’t need such a thing because you’re a brilliant magician. Weren’t princes lucky to be given gifts like this? I, on the other hand, would get nothing for my birthday. All I was capable of doing was giving females slaves half a day’s rest and some food to eat. I had only been able to do this because I had manipulated Hwan-Seong.

“Mutt, you better not cry.”

“Brother?”

“You’re my mutt! Only I can make you cry. Oh! I almost forgot!”

No….

Please….

No…..Not here!

“FETCH!”

and that familiar ragdoll appeared and flew through the sky.

I’ll kill you! Aaaah! In front of all these slaves too! Oh, the indignity of it all!

I could not disregard a prince’s command, not in the presence of all these people. With an eager expression, I scampered after the doll as if this were a great honor and fetched the ragdoll for him. I was burning with embarra.s.sment.

You see? There’s nothing to envy! No, I couldn’t say this, I lived a life of leisure and privilege compared to these wretched women.

It’s true, I reminded myself I’m very well off compared to them.

In my present circ.u.mstances, my hands were effectively tied. Who knows what I could do in the future though! I have to find some way!

I was still uncertain of myself since I had no magical abilities and no unusual powers. I could not even protect myself completely, to say nothing of saving the world.

However…

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I did have a sliver of hope though. My second destination…

Another heads up, After this arc there’ll be a time skip but I guess before that there’s an incoming Jinsu~