I Became the Crown Prince of a Ruined Country

16 – Awareness

People’s attention was focused on the sound of udang-tang, which was not covered by all the noise of the market hall.

I also followed the sound and moved my eyes. There was a woman who jumped up and pointed a finger, and a man who was sitting with his arms crossed.

Her man glanced at the gaze that was gathering on them and clicked his tongue briefly.

“Tsk. That’s rude.”

“You said it was polite and fell asleep! If you were like me, would you stay still? You’re openly cheating like this?”

“It’s not a scam. You’re the one who doesn’t try to cover up your defeat by reciting bizarre things.”

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“Ha! Come on! Then let’s ask! Hey guys! Look at this!”

The woman raised her high-pitched voice and attracted the people around her.

A world where there are very few things to enjoy. People who were crazy about watching a fight like this gathered around the two men and women.

“Suk, phew, let’s go too.”

I was going to take a look too, but two people carefully grabbed me.

“Princess Young master, you have nothing to pay attention to such low-level bastards.”

“The author’s battle with gamblers isn’t just a matter of a day or two, is it?”

They say they are gamblers, but I don’t see either of them as gambling addicts.

And should I just ignore it because I’m gambling? After all, isn’t gambling in this era a board game? If it takes money and goes to the level of addiction, of course it’s wrong and eradicating it is right, but if you enjoy it in moderation, it’s okay.

I explained the idea more sublimely with an example.

“Did you forget? The fact that Lord Maengsang managed to survive by accepting the swindler as a diner? Even if a person has a status, there is no such thing as a nobleman.”

Although there are up and down, there is no noble or lowly. I have kept my word. It was Seok and Hyu who were experiencing it personally, so they couldn’t stop me anymore.

Seok takes the lead, and Hyuuga supports the back. Thanks to that, I was able to easily pass through the crowd and looked at the two men and women from close range.

The man I saw up close was a man in his early thirties with impressive thick eyebrows and a square chin. He was neatly dressed, and he wore a sword at his waist, and he seemed like a fairly wealthy middle class among commoners.

On the other hand, the woman opposite her had a rather poor appearance. She didn’t wear rags at all like Jung, though, and was a normal commoner.

One important thing was that she had a shining appearance even in such a shabby outfit.

Under the straight, long eyebrows, the gray eyes with dark eyelashes were clear, and the sharp fangs that stood out between the white and even teeth that were revealed whenever he shouted caught the eye.

The red eye makeup added to the wild and splendid beauty.

Coolly stretched limbs befitting a taller man than men, a thin waist that was tight and exposed, and a fish-like finger pointing at the top of the table were the very style of a model I had seen in my previous life.

However, unlike the appearance that reminds me of a cold city woman, the expression of her woman now was full of bewilderment.

“Your brother over here is right, just draw it!”

“The young lady must have learned something wrong.”

“By the way, whoever moves the chi like that?”

Listening to the voices of the clamoring crowd, it seems that her man was right and her woman was wrong.

In this way, she unilaterally insisted that the woman was wrong, so this was her woman’s mistake without any room for objection.

Where did her first self-confidence and chic prestige go?

“Ah, no! You must have done this where I was working?”

“Heh heh, where in the world is Chi’s magic trick like that!”

“That’s right! That’s right!”

Even if her man, a party to the dispute, didn’t step forward, the onlookers took care of themselves and drove her woman. She craves others and has a lot of fun. And among them, there must be some who find pleasure in seeing Beauty in perplexity.

The man smiled and lifted her chin. She had a look of triumph on his face.

Since one side was defended so overwhelmingly, it seemed that the quarrel would end without spreading too much.

I didn’t expect blood to splatter and become a mess, but the ending was a bit draining.

Since I had work to do, I was wondering if I should just leave. She was still not convinced, but when she saw the woman who was busily playing with her hands and claiming her injustice, she muttered something unreasonable.

“That move…Isn’t that the Yan style?”

At that, I quickly asked.

“Really?”

“Yes?”

“Is the way that woman moves the way of the Yan Dynasty?”

To a question that was too sudden, Seok’s father answered instead of Hyuuga.

“Ah, yes. That’s right. That’s called Yukbak (六博), but the magic trick that woman insists on is the way of Yan.”

“That’s right…”

I looked back and watched the situation for a moment. The moment her man tried to forcefully execute a woman who refused to accept it, I jumped out of the crowd.

“Stop! That woman is right! In Yan, chi moves like that!”

Numerous eyes fell on me at the unexpected intervention of a third party.

However, at Pyeongwon-gun’s mansion, I was the one who kept my head up despite the glares of the diners. I’m sorry for Pyeongwon-gun and his diners if you’re only scared of this.

Unlike the crowd of half-curious and half-resistance who wondered if they had seen all the hostile men and servants, only one stared at me with eyes full of joy.

The woman’s eyes lit up at my cry and she quickly chimed in.

“Yes! Look, I’m right!”

“No. Since he is an acquaintance of yours, how do I know if he is trying to defend you with outrageous words. I can’t accept that.”

The man objected very calmly. She was the contrast of the woman full of excitement.

“What if my identity is proof?”

“Status? Good. Let’s listen.”

“My name is Young master of Yan, Hui Dan.”

“Young master?”

Her man’s poker face, which she had maintained consistently, cracked.

No matter how much I say that I came from the Yan Dynasty, which has bad national feelings, my status as a royal family was too lofty for commoners to openly ignore.

In the past, if King Jo had been openly ignoring it, there would have been people who believed in it and insisted on it, but now I was carrying the might of Pyeongwongun on my back.

The surroundings became chaotic and a buzz spread. No matter how they bowed their heads, the onlookers were busy noticing each other.

However, the man was agitated for a moment, and then she corrected her complexion, took her hands together, and bowed her head.

“Meet Young master of Yan. Please excuse the rudeness from earlier.”

“Of course. It’s irrational to catch someone who didn’t reveal his identity.”

“I can see why Pyeongwon-gun accepted Young master.”

When I gladly turned a blind eye to the rudeness, the man let out a shallow admiration.

“I also want you to know that Young master is right, but I cannot accept it. This is Zhao. There is no reason to follow Yan’s rules.”

“Hmm…that’s true too.”

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

It was a famous maxim that penetrated human society regardless of the East and the West.

After I agreed with her man, the man questioned the woman again.

“Isn’t it funny that you used the method of Yan in the first place? I heard you were from Wei?”

The woman pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders.

“Wei is my hometown. It’s because I grew up in Yeon when I was young.”

It was an era when there were numerous cases of her leaving her hometown and settling in a foreign country. Following the woman’s explanation, her man stopped questioning her origins.

But her man’s will was still firm.

“There is no turning back. Keep your promise.”

“Ha, to follow a bet without unifying the rules with each other? I can’t do that.”

“…You’re being forced.”

The atmosphere is getting more and more rough. The hands of the two men and women glaring at each other were raising the tension in their muscles, as if they would rise above the sword at their waist at any moment.

Isn’t it worthwhile for me to go out like this? I made a suggestion to her man.

“Then how about doing this?”

“Hmm?”

“Young master?”

“Let’s play with me. If I win, the bet from before will be gone.”

Not only the man but also the woman seemed to be stunned at the fact that I, who had no relationship at all, brought up such a proposal.

Just looking at the two people’s expressions, why do they go this far? The question seemed to be heard in his ears.

“What if Gongja loses?”

“I haven’t thought about that. Anything you want?”

“You have great confidence. That’s good. They say horses are famous in Yan. If I win, I’ll get one of Young master’ horses.”

There are some horses I brought with me from Yan, but they are not really great horses.

She seemed to think that she would probably win the man, but since she was not comfortable with me, who was a Young master, she would only take care of the level enough to pass.

Like the calm attitude he’s been showing since earlier, the bloody spirit right before he clashed with his ex, and even this cool judgment he’s showing now.

Certainly, this man was not the culprit either. Maybe she is a great person who will leave her name in history?

While I was evaluating her man in my mind, the woman who came next to her patted me and she whispered.

“Hey, practitioner. Thank you for your help, but are you really okay? That man, No Gucheon, is there anyone in this area who can do six beats better than him?”

Her man’s name was Nogucheon.

Is it because of the mood? She sounds like a name I’ve heard somewhere.

The thought that she might be a person who left a name in history got a little thicker.

But that’s not a reason for me to step down.

I accepted Nogucheon’s terms, leaving behind her woman’s concerns.

“Hmm, but I’m Young master of Yan, and I don’t think it’s fair to stand by and watch you lose by the rules of Yan?”

And there is no need to worry. I was confident that I would win.

I am proud of my 4 years of experience at board game cafes. I worked part-time throughout college. Having mastered all sorts of board games, I have now come to the point where I can see how the game is played simply by looking at the props and boards.

That’s all. Janggi and Go, which are my introduction to board games, have been playing steadily since I was young, so I probably won 4th Dan or 2nd Dan respectively.

It is my first time to be an athlete, but after a quick glance, I noticed something similar to chess.

‘It’s as simple as this.’

I faced the man as the woman took the place where she was sitting.

“However, the match will be a best-of-five match.”