It Doesn't Matter Who I Am (Hwarang: Han Sung x Reader x Ji Dwi)

~Chapter 16~ Promises

"'Rat, rat, large rat. Don't eat my barley. I took care of you for a long time, you aren't looking after me.'" Ji Dwi reads then he stops as I look up at him in worry. "'Surely, I will leave you and leave to go to that happy nation. Happy place, happy place. I will find a way to justify myself there.'" He continues as he chokes up.

"Here, the rat symbolizes the ruler. In this poem, the King doesn't take care of his people. He's hiding and eating the grain." Wi Hwa instructs then him and Ji Dwi make eye contact. "Just like someone." He says then Ji Dwi looks to the side. "If a big rat eats the people's livelihood, all those people will leave. A king without his people is no longer a king." Wi Hwa instructs then Ji Dwi glares at him. "Do you understand the meaning of this poem?" He asks us.

"Yes!" Everyone, but me and Ji Dwi, respond.

I pull on Ji Dwi's sleeve to have him sit back down.

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"Jae-Eun, please enter the palace." A man requests as I walk into the queen dowager's throne as she fans herself, my gaze becoming more hateful towards her.

"Before the Hwarang, there were two Won Hwa. Nam Mo and Joon Jeong. The two Won Hwa led the Nangdoo." She tells me then sets her fan down. "I heard that your sister comforted the citizens well in South Buyeo. So, I'm planning to keep your sister beside me as a Won Hwa." She tells me then I raise an eyebrow at her.

"And you think I'm going to allow that to happen?" I question.

"I'm taking advantage of her because I want to use you properly because she has the power to move you." She tells me then I scoff.

"But you're already using me enough, protecting your son from declaring he's king and from all harm." I remind her.

"If you declared yourself to be King, you are going to act like one, not a skimpy half-bone." She mentions and I bite my lip. "You are to fool the citizens and yourself during this. As long as my son can ascend the throne, I'm not afraid of anything. I am prepared to fool you, my son, and also the entire world. So, you do the same if you don't want to lose your sister." She tells me and I take a deep breath.

"I don't know if I told you this enough, but you're a bitch, you know that, right?" I call out and she stares at me with no emotion.

"I'd watch your tongue, girl, before you get it cut off." She warns then I scoff.

"Let's look at my list and see how many times you've threatened me already." I remark as I smirk at her. "We both know we don't like each other, so don't even try threatening me at this point, you know that if you do try to harm me in any way, it will break your poor son's heart." I remind her then I turn around. "Have a good day, Your Highness."

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I sit on the side as I watch Dan Se and Han Sung spar. More like training for Han Sung, but he was struggling. Dan Se was not going easy on him at all, making Han Sung exhausted. Han Sung went for a strike above the head, but Dan Se blocks it and knocks Han Sung over with the stick, making him land on the ground.

"Nine hundred ninety one." Dan Se reveals and I sigh. "If you do nine more, it will be 1000." Dan Se tells Han Sung as he sits up, panting.

"What kind of nonsense is this?" Han Sung asks then looks up at him. "It's unfair. You have great swordsmanship and I don't even like this kind of stuff!" Han Sung shouts and I sit on the edge of the deck, ready to move in when needed.

Dan Se just looks down at an angry Han Sung, who was still out of breath, panting. I look back and forth between the two, noticing the strong differences they've always had.