TGW Chapter 32 Part 2

 

Sienna, meanwhile, raced freely around the empty arena. She made a large loop and then spotted another rider approaching in the distance. At first, she thought it was Andre.

But as the figure came closer, it became clear something was off. The shape of the rider and the way he carried himself wasn’t Andre. Narrowing her eyes, she focused on the approaching rider.

‘Huh?’

Startled, she pulled back on the reins, slowing Rit to a stop. Rit pawed the ground and snorted, excited, but Sienna stroked his neck to calm him.

Watching the man charging toward her gave Sienna a strange feeling. Her fingers tingled, and her heart began to race. The rider closed the distance quickly, and soon, she could clearly see who it was.

"Kuhn…"

She murmured his name softly. His horse slowed as he neared, and he dismounted, walking the last few steps toward her.

"How did you…?"

"Well, I was in the palace anyway. Is it that surprising?" Kuhn responded.

"How did you know I was here?" Sienna asked, her curiosity piqued.

"I heard rumors that you were walking that guy over to the riding arena," Kuhn replied casually.

The distance from the Silver King's palace to the arena was quite far. Normally, when Sienna went to the arena, Rit would be transported in a carriage, and she would follow in her own carriage. But since Andre had arrived and they had been talking, they ended up walking there together.

"So, you came on purpose? During work hours?" Sienna asked, slightly amused.

Kuhn sighed deeply.
"I figured this would happen."

"What?"

"I knew I'd get scolded."

He extended his hand to the left, pulling his reins to guide his horse in the direction he pointed. Sienna, following behind on Rit, rode after him.

The riding arena wasn’t just an open field. It had scattered trees that served as markers or places for riders to rest. Kuhn stopped by a cluster of trees, dismounted, and tied his horse to one of them.

Then he walked over, standing close to Sienna, who was still mounted on Lith. He came so close that if he reached out his hand, he could touch her, yet Rit didn’t seem bothered by his presence. Perhaps it was due to the care Kuhn had provided in the past.

With his arms stretched out towards her, Kuhn said,
"Knowing you were here distracted me from work. If you reward me, I’ll go back and work hard."

Sienna laughed and released the reins. Without hesitation, she jumped down into his arms. The momentum caused their bodies to twirl in an embrace, and their lips met in a long, deep kiss, consuming each other’s breath. It was impossible to tell who initiated it, but the kiss stretched on, growing more intense. They drank in each other’s warmth and presence.

Just the act of being close ignited their passions, like dry grass set aflame. The fact that they were in an open, public space was both a regret and a relief—had they been in a more private location, they might have torn off each other's clothes without a second thought.

After a long exchange of lingering kisses, they finally pulled back, breathing heavily.

" Rit is behaving so well. He usually hates anyone getting close," Sienna remarked.

"Maybe he recognizes his former owner?"

"I’m not his former owner. I just picked him up. You’re the only one who’s ever ridden him."

"I didn’t have much trouble getting him to let me ride."

"That’s because you’re his true owner."

"How did you know I’d become his owner? He could have rejected me."

"I just knew. There’s no one else who could be his owner but you."

Sienna looked at him with a skeptical expression. In the future from her dreams, Rit had accepted the Iron King as his master, albeit through somewhat forceful means. Kuhn’s words were only half true.

The strange beast, with a horn on its forehead, had a very particular taste. It disliked men and favored beautiful things. The night before Kuhn sent Rit to Sienna, he had made a deal with the creature, mixing negotiation with threat.

---

"I’ll take you to a master who perfectly matches your taste. Behave, and you’ll live in comfort for the rest of your life. But if you act up or hurt anyone, I’ll sell you as horse meat."

---

Kuhn had no doubt the clever creature understood him.

Seeing Kuhn grinning at her now, Sienna decided to drop the matter. Regardless of the process, she was now Rit 's owner, and that wasn’t going to change.

"Oh! I need to go," Sienna suddenly remembered Andre, who was likely still waiting for her.

"I didn’t come to the arena alone."

She twisted in his arms to leave, but Kuhn’s grip on her waist didn’t loosen.

"Kuhn, I really have to go," she insisted.

He held on, as if reluctant to let her leave.

Kuhn avoided her gaze, still holding on to her without saying a word. Sienna stared at him.

"You knew, didn’t you?"

"…"

"Did you come to the arena because I was with Lord Bless?"

"…You've never gone riding with me before."

Sienna chuckled at his sulky response.

"It wasn’t a planned meeting. Lord Bless came by unexpectedly."

"Then why did you agree to see him if it was unplanned?"

Sienna playfully swatted Kuhn’s shoulder, exasperated by his childish complaint.
"Stop being petty. He came to see me, so I met him. Have I ever interfered with who you meet?"

"You can if you want. Should I start giving you a daily report on who I meet with?" Kuhn responded, his tone almost eager, as if hoping she would.

Sienna shot him a sharp look.
"Kuhn. Let me go."

"He’s probably left by now."

"No, he wouldn’t have."

"I’m telling you, he’s gone."

Kuhn, in the back of his mind, was ready to make sure that if Andre was still waiting, he’d deal with him for good. Anyone brazen enough to challenge his territory deserved to be crushed thoroughly, ensuring no future problems.

After some back-and-forth, Sienna finally freed herself from his grip. When they reached the entrance to the arena, she looked around. Andre was nowhere to be seen.

"I told you, he’s gone."

Sienna looked at Kuhn suspiciously, wondering what he had done. Kuhn, feigning innocence, turned his head away.

‘He wasn’t as oblivious as I thought,’ Sienna mused, feeling her lingering frustration start to fade.

 

***

 

As dusk fell, people began gathering at the Marquis Jeoro's residence. The attendees were diverse in age and gender, with a total of eleven people assembling in a secret meeting room, specially designed to prevent any sound from escaping. While the room was secure from outside eavesdropping, they would still be alerted if there were disturbances outside. In case of emergency, there was also a secret passage for escape.

Each person's individuality stood out starkly as they gathered, almost too much. These were people who wouldn’t normally associate with one another, yet here they were.

"Where’s Manook? I don’t see him," asked a white-haired woman, though she didn’t seem elderly. She had been counting the heads in the room.

"He said he can’t make it today," replied Levan.

"Why not?"

"He’s overwhelmed with orders and said he’ll be working all night."

"Am I the only one who's busy? He missed the last meeting too," she grumbled.

"He said he’ll pay the fine," Levan added.

"That’s a given! But Levan, you tell Manook that if he misses the next meeting, I’ll rip out that goat beard of his."

“...”

"Why aren't you answering?"

"Oh, please calm down. If I tell him that, I’ll end up bald myself. His temper is as bad as yours."

"Bad temper? You scoundrel! Your mouth is the one that needs fixing."

As the white-haired woman’s target shifted to the large man, Levan silently sighed in relief.

The leadership of the Raad clan was divided into twelve organizations, each with its own branch in various regions. These regional leaders would meet irregularly, sharing news from their respective areas through meeting minutes. Even the imperial capital had its own branch, which was unique because Kuhn resided there, making it the clan's main headquarters.

In imperial terms, the people gathered here were akin to the heirs of dukes. They were also the disciples of the twelve elders. Levan, the youngest, wasn’t easily intimidated by his youth, but his senior colleagues were so formidable that he always kept a low profile around them.

"Levan, I heard your master is coming to the capital soon. Do you know anything about it?" asked a petite woman lazily. The white-haired woman and the large man, who had been arguing, showed interest.

"Oh, I’ve heard the same," another chimed in.

"Me too, just a few days ago," added another.

"Is there an elder meeting happening? What’s the reason for this all of a sudden?"

"Levan, do you know anything?"

"I don’t."

"Don’t lie."

"There’s no way you wouldn’t know," everyone said in unison, pressing Levan. He sighed.

"I really don’t know. Why do you all assume I would?"

"Because you're... Levan."

"Hmm, true."

Their reasoning was entirely illogical. Levan sighed again. While he appreciated the recognition for his talents, it was also a bit of a nuisance. Whenever something happened, people would pester him relentlessly.

"You always play dumb when you know something," someone accused.

"You’ve done it before. Even Walter said you were the first to know about Kuhn’s romance but kept it to yourself."

"Selfish guy, keeping all the fun stories."

'Kuhn... when are you coming?' Levan silently prayed. His prayer was soon answered when Kuhn entered the room, and the previously loud chatter died down instantly. Those leaning forward aggressively pulled back and straightened up, assuming a more formal posture.

Kuhn surveyed the room before touching the door handle again.

"Are you discussing something important? Should I come back later?"

"No, Kuhn, we were just talking about someone who’s absent today," Levan quickly replied.

As Kuhn sat down, the meeting began in earnest. Since the main purpose of these gatherings was to share information, there wasn’t much formal structure. People spoke freely, without any particular order.

The heads of each branch lived inconspicuous lives among the Empire’s citizens, blending into everyday society. They each had an external profession, chosen by personal preference. For instance, Manook, who was absent today, was the head of the manufacturing branch and worked as a blacksmith. His job is directly related to his duties as a branch leader.

The white-haired woman was the head of the medical branch and worked as a scribe, taking on commissions to draft letters or documents in a wide variety of scripts—her personal hobby turned into a profession. In addition to their branch duties, these leaders were also responsible for overseeing the lives of the clan members in their designated areas.

"Twenty-five children have been born since mid-last month until yesterday," someone reported.

"Why so many in that area? We only had thirteen."

"We had twenty. Isn’t thirteen too few for your area?"

They exchanged news about births, deaths, and marriages. Levan, tasked with taking minutes, couldn’t rest his hand for a moment, as everyone spoke at once. Meanwhile, Kuhn only noted down key points.

‘Looks like the population growth rate will be higher than last year,’ Kuhn thought.

There had been a time when the clan’s population had stagnated, but it had steadily increased for the past few decades, thanks to policies started by Kuhn’s grandfather, the previous Kuhn. He had reduced funding for ideological education and increased support for childbirth, childcare, and education. While initially met with concern, he had pushed through with the reforms, and time had proven his foresight correct. The number of people leaving the clan had noticeably decreased.

"Lindy, how’s the task I asked you to look into going?" Kuhn asked the small woman. She was the head of the information branch.

"It’s in progress. As you know, it’s not easy to get quick results," she replied.

Kuhn had ordered a thorough review of the clan’s personnel registry. To prevent any leaks, the registry was managed in a decentralized manner, so no one had access to the complete list. This helped maintain secrecy, but it made internal management challenging, requiring considerable time and resources. Regular random checks were conducted, but a comprehensive review was rare.

"Since we’ve started, leave no room for error. Even the slightest suspicion must be reported immediately. Lindy, this is a crucial task for the clan’s future."

"Understood, Kuhn. I’ll prioritize it."

Before they realized it, more than two hours had passed since the meeting began.

"And also..." Kuhn started.

Ding, ding.

The sound of the bell shattered the group's focus, and Kuhn turned his head with a displeased expression. A moment later, the door opened, and Walter stepped inside.

"Kuhn, we have a guest. It’s Sir Stus."

Everyone exchanged puzzled glances. It didn’t seem like the kind of guest important enough to interrupt a meeting. Walter wasn’t someone who would misjudge such things, so this was perplexing.

"I’ll be there shortly," Kuhn replied.

His reaction surprised everyone even more. He quickly stood up and hastily gathered the scattered documents, his hands moving with urgency as if even seconds were too precious to waste.

"You’ll be fine finishing the remaining discussion without me. Levan, organize the minutes and bring them to me later."

"Yes, Kuhn."

"See you at the next meeting."

With that, Kuhn left with Walter, barely offering a proper goodbye. The others were left in stunned silence, unsure what had just happened.

"So, the remaining agenda items..." Levan mumbled as he looked up, only to freeze in place. Ten pairs of eyes were fixated on him, the intensity of their stares making him shiver.

"Levan? Leeevan?"

"Who is it?"

"Who’s Sir Stus?"

"Kuhn practically ran out to meet him barefoot."

"You know, don’t you?"

Levan sighed in defeat. It was clear that the next few hours would be spent under relentless questioning from the group. Would he even have time to finish the minutes within two hours?

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