Shin stepped onto the port of Ga Province—the place he’d promised himself never to return to, and certainly not so soon. This time, he was certain, would be the last time he ever did.
He headed straight for the Saname residence. He had nowhere he wanted to stop by on the way anymore.
As he walked through the large gate, a manservant rushed over to him in a fluster.
“No need to pay any mind to me,” Shin told him. “I have something urgent to attend to.”
“Do you need your father?” he asked.
“You’re back much earlier than expected,” said another man’s voice. It was Choyo, having appeared from inside the hall at the back.
“I’ve heard that the underwater volcano in the sea surrounding Je Island had erupted…” Choyo continued.
There had been no change whatsoever in his father’s attitude. Shin found this unsurprising and yet disappointing at the same time.
“There’s a huge commotion at the port. The news has already reached His Majesty, and the provincial governor has been spurred into action, but I doubt any boats will be able to leave for quite some time.”
“Nobody knows what’s really going on Je Island, then. If people aren’t able to make use of that island, trade will take a massive hit…”
“Yes, but it didn’t look like the eruption had done any significant damage to the island itself—not yet, at least.”
“Is that so?” Choyo said with a nod, before ushering Shin inside the large hall with his gaze.
He cut across the paved courtyard and entered the hall through the front. The spacious hall, which had bluish-gray tiles on the floor, was the largest room in the entire residence. Everything, from its flooring to its dark brown lattice doors, fit with the Saname brand. More precisely, nothing was simple. The décor wasn’t showy but still ornate and of the finest quality. The Saname family’s appreciation for such furnishings was one thing the whole clan could agree on.
Choyo sat down on a taboret, and Shin seated himself opposite him.
“So, what’s this ‘urgent’ mission you are here to complete?” said Choyo, immediately jumping to the chase. He hated wasting his breath on small talk.
Shin stared straight ahead at him. It might have been the first time he’d ever looked his father full in the face. His tough-looking visage had a touch of melancholy to it—a tired sort of sadness.
Choyo glowered. “Shin?” he went on, demanding an answer.
“…I have come to pass on an order from His Majesty.”
“From His Majesty?” repeated Choyo, a clear hint of skepticism in his voice. “What are you talking about? When did you receive this order?”
“When I was at the port in Ko Province,” Shin told him. “Father…His Majesty has demanded that you retire and go into house arrest.”
Choyo blinked in surprise. Shin noticed the man’s eyes light up and then descend into darkness, making it impossible to interpret how he really felt.
“Oh,” he said simply, before narrowing his eyes at his son, as if attempting to discern whether he was lying or not.
“His Majesty says that as long as you follow that command, the Saname clan will not be charged with any crime,” Shin said.
“…I see.”
Choyo looked up at the ceiling. Shin still couldn’t work out what he was thinking.
“Father, His Majesty is doing this out of the kindness of his heart. Banka’s pregnancy may have influenced his decision, yes, but he’s treating us with great magnanimity nonetheless. His Majesty is…”
Shin stopped there because Choyo was laughing—laughing so hard, in fact, that it was making his whole body shake.
“Father?”
“You still don’t understand, do you, Shin?” said Choyo.
Shin was silent for a moment. “Understand what?”
“You’re intelligent, but you’re too square—just like Yo was.”
Yo was Choyo’s younger sister, and also Shin’s birth mother. Shin felt his throat begin to burn with emotion, but his chest felt icy cold. He couldn’t even be sure of what he was feeling.
“If you plan on continuing to work for His Majesty, you’ll need to develop a little more of an edge. He appreciates such qualities.”
“What are you talking about? How disrespectful.”
“Perhaps hardheaded would be a good word to describe him. Clever and hardheaded. Make sure you keep that in mind.”
Shin glared at his father. “Are you going to obey his command or not? Which is it?”
Choyo gave him an indistinct smile. “I’ll obey him. Let him know.”
Shin let out a little sigh of relief, though he was surprised at how readily his father had backed down.
“You’re planning on becoming my successor, aren’t you?” Choyo then asked, bringing Shin’s momentary relief to a quick halt.
The question was so abrupt and unexpected that it left him stumped for words. He steadied his breathing, then looked Choyo straight in the face.
“…I am planning to leave the Saname clan in Ko or Ryo’s hands.”
“Are you now?” Choyo said simply, showing no resistance to this idea—something that Shin found suspicious.
“Maybe this was our destiny all along,” he then muttered. “The Saname clan…is going to collapse.”
“What are you talking about?” said Shin, eyes wide. “Isn’t His Majesty getting you to retire in order to stop that happening?”
“It’ll still collapse eventually,” Choyo explained.
Shin said nothing.
“If that’s our destiny, then there’s nothing we can do about it.”
To Shin, Choyo seemed suspiciously calm. Wasn’t keeping the clan safe his father’s duty and desire?
“Father… Am I the reason you sent Banka to the inner palace and began a closer relationship with His Majesty?” asked Shin.
Choyo gave Shin a puzzled look.
“Were you trying to make me successful in the imperial capital…because I’m your sister’s child?” he continued.
“Did His Majesty tell you that?”
“No.”