Chaotic Nights — Chapter 133. Smoke

Translator: Atlas

Weekly Chapter 2/4

His gaze darkened. His unfocused eyes were fixed on a pipe. Each time Jihak inhaled, the faint embers intensified.

When he regained his strength after he was poisoned, there was the dead deer in the front yard. Although he felt much affection for this deer, he remained unable to bestow upon it a name. At the time he felt anger, but soon forgot the deer’s existence.

Why did he feel affection for the deer? And why did he keep it close until it withered away?

“Did you want what your nephew had? The deer wept until its final breath. Surely it would have liked to die in the hands of its owner.”

Jihak stood up. Seogyeong clicked his tongue.

“I’m not greedy. I was just angry because an impure bastard was my nephew. You were also angry when you discovered the False Shadows…”

Jihak laughed as he covered his mouth. The composure disappeared from his uncle’s face.

“Uncle.”

He looked seriously at Seogyeong.

“Did you kill my mother too?”

Soon Seogyeong’s closed lips opened.

“I only asked your mom about what she did with his brother. She was the one who made the decision. Do you really think it’s my fault?”

A murderous intent filled his mind.

Despite his intense emotions, he looked Seogyeong in the eyes. Once the final puzzle piece fell into place in his mind, he came to understand the deception.

“I really liked my uncle.”

His voice contained sadness.

“Really.”

“My nephew seems disappointed.”

Although he pretended to be calm, Seogyeong tightened his grip on his glass.

“I followed you because I trusted you. I’m just upset.”

Jihak, who took the bottle, filled Seogyeong’s empty glass. Then he dropped the bottle on the floor. Angrily he turned around.

Did he desire to separate Eunha from Jihak? It was absurd.

Jihak opened the paper door. Then, a distant mountain ridge emitted black smoke. But Seogyeong was sure where the fire was.

The conflagration blazed to the north of the Eastern Tower, its fiery maw swallowing unfortunate souls, their anguished cries reverberating through the mountain’s slopes.

He realized that he had been caught in Jihak’s tricks.

“You’ll regret doing this, nephew.”

Seogyeong looked at his back with murderous intent.

“You don’t regret it?”

Jihak’s mouth curved coldly as he stopped.

“I like to see that expression on your face.”

Black smoke enveloped the Harye sky. Jihak, who left the chambers, approached the Defense Minister, who was looking at the fire.

His shoulders stiffened as he sensed Jihak’s presence. He looked devastated. He grabbed the Defense Minister’s shoulder with his large hand.

“It is a crime to gather soldiers to carry out a plot. I’ll forgive this transgression, taking into account past events. I’m not interested in the struggle for supremacy.”

The Prince’s eerie voice echoed in his ears like a mournful funeral hymn.

The Defense Minister stared at Jihak’s back as he walked away with a mesmerized look on his face. The fire seemed unlikely to extinguish.

Their survival depended solely on the help of the sky. Desperation overwhelmed the Defense Minister. Were they all under Jihak’s control? He felt great confusion.

When Jihak crossed the gate, Yoon Jongshin shouted,

“How do you plan to take responsibility for this!”

In an abrupt motion, Seogyeong hurled the fallen to the floor at the Defense Minister, causing shards of broken pottery to scatter in all directions. The shocked attendants approached Yoon Jongshin, who was staggering with blood on his forehead.

“Whom did you speak loudly to?”

Seogyeong gnashed his teeth.

“Gather the survivors and pursue the Prince. We must stop him from reaching the capital! Find the other girl. I want to see that face with my own eyes.”