What is going on?
✦ ✦ ✦
Shin agonized over all this as he made his way home. He never expected for Kansa to tell him something like that.
There was no way he could ask his father for advice. Should he tell the story to the family steward and get him to take care of it, since he was in charge of the house?
Shin was just about to pass through the large gate to the Saname family residence—still racking his brains about what to do—when somebody pulled him over by the arm.
“Shin.” It was Ko.
Before Shin had the chance to ask him what he was doing, he found himself being pulled down a side road that led up toward the mountains. Shin got the impression that Ko wanted to have a private conversation with him—and it would be the perfect opportunity to tell Ko the story as well.
“Kansa’s acting strange,” Shin said.
Ko stopped in his tracks and turned around. He was scowling. “Kansa? In what way?”
As Shin explained what Kansa claimed to be seeing, the look on Ko’s face grew stonier and stonier. The young man looked just like his father.
“Don’t take what that woman says as the truth, Shin,” spat Ko. Shin was confused by his brother’s contemptuous manner of speaking. Kansa wasn’t perfect, but she was still their mother’s wet nurse. Why would he be so spiteful toward her?
“She’s obviously talking nonsense,” Ko continued. “She’s a serial liar.”
“What are you talking about?” Shin snarled. Calling her that was a step too far.
“You believe every word that comes out of her mouth, so of course you wouldn’t understand what a conniving old hag she is.” Shin wanted to bite back and tell Ko how stupid he was being, but he stayed silent.
Ko had been driven into a corner—the grave look on his face made this unmistakably clear. Despite being someone who was always composed and never raised his voice, Ko was sounding increasingly infuriated.
“What are you accusing Kansa of doing?” Shin asked.
“Our mother was from a once-notable family that had fallen from grace. Kansa was upset that she married into the Saname clan. Even when our mother was alive, she’s been talking behind everyone’s backs, complaining that she was bought out by a measly clan from the countryside that just happened to be rich,” Ko said.
“That can’t be true…” mumbled Shin.
Ko gave Shin a pained grimace. “Shin… Kansa is the one who’s been telling everybody that I’m going to inherit our father’s position instead of you. I saw it with my own eyes.”
The shock of his words hit Shin like a knife to the chest. He’s lying. “Don’t be so stupid, Ko,” Shin pleaded. “Don’t lie to me…”
“Why would I lie to you? Why do you think I’m lying?” “Why would she do such a thing? She has no reason to.”
Ko choked on his words. “Well… Because she was upset our mother married into this family at all.”
“So she wants to stir things up for us? What would she gain from that?” asked Shin.
“It’s not that she has anything to gain from it—she just wants to cause trouble.”
“Don’t be so stupid.”
Ko knitted his brow, and Shin realized he looked almost sad. “Do you trust her more than me, your own brother? Your own flesh and blood?”
The concern in Ko’s voice was so clear that Shin began to feel unsure. He had never heard Ko say things like this before or speak in such a tone. It was the first time he had ever seen such a look on his brother’s face as well.
Was Ko telling the truth? But it was hard for Shin to accept immediately that Kansa would act in such a way too…
Who am I supposed to believe?
His throat was bone dry. Shin swallowed and began to speak. “Wh-why are you telling me this now?”
A faint smile came to Ko’s face. “I’m going to the Northern Mountains on our father’s orders.”
“The Northern Mountains…”
“You know what my position demands, don’t you? I have to let those tribes know how our father feels. Whether things go the way our father wants them to or not, there’s a chance I might not make it back alive.”
Shin gulped, taken aback.
“Doesn’t that alone speak volumes?” he continued. “The heir would never be allowed to do such a thing. The second-in-line meanwhile, is disposable. I might not agree with our father’s plans, but it’s an order. I have no choice.” Ko then drew a step closer and grabbed hold of Shin’s arm. “I brought you down here to tell you one thing—our father is most likely going to fail.”
“Fail?” Shin asked.
“This will not succeed. For some reason, our father has misjudged the scenario on this occasion. Listen, Shin—you need to go into hiding for a while, or at least stay away from this family. If you’re on good terms with the emperor, make sure you keep hold of that connection,” said Ko. “The Saname clan…is on the edge of ruin.”
This hushed proclamation shook Shin to the core.
The Saname clan is on the edge of ruin.
Ko squeezed Shin’s arm harder. “If you’re going to trust me on anything, please trust me on that.”
It was as if the desperation in Ko’s grip caused his ardor to seep into Shin’s own body. Before he even realized it, Shin was nodding his head.