Chapter 30 – Thrill of the Kill (1) Byun Gyongbaek only stared blankly at her. Leah tried to shrug it off, repressing the rising laughter in her throat, taking deep breaths and releasing them slowly. She was fully aware that Byun was the type of man who gets lost easily. But the image in front of her currently was beyond her expectations. She struggled to try and contain the bubbling laughter as she looked at Byun Gyongbaek, his mouth agape, stuttering with incredulity. “Wha-what!?” he sputtered indignantly. Ishakan cluck his tongue, hating the fact he needed to repeat himself, but did so anyway. “I told you, I’m playing the role of a prostitute. Does your hard of hearing comes with your old age?” he rebutted, and Byun Gyongbaek looked absolutely gobsmacked. “How dare you, you filthy thing!” “How about you take care of your health first before taking on a younger bride? This is a serious matter to be worried about.” Ishakan smirked slightly at Byun Gyongbaek’s paling face, before completely turning red with anger. And that drove the nail to the coffin, as it completely drove the wedge between them. “Have you no shame?!” Leah watched on the sidelines, completely amused by the events unfolding in front of her. The more this was going on, the harder she had to try to repress the bubbling laughter from releasing. She even had to turn around to prevent herself from laughing out loud. Across from her, she could see that the opposite were true of the Gypsies. They huddled close together, shoulders hunching in on themselves. They were clearly afraid. Following the line of sight of the Gypsies, she saw them looking frightfully at Ishakan. She could see them mouthing some words to each other, and upon a closer look, it seemed to resemble “Kurkans”. As the Gypsies continued on whispering, some caught sight of Leah looking at them. Nudging their companion, they then turned their gaze to Leah, before quieting down. But she could see they were still whispering, just making sure she wouldn’t be able to read their lips. Leah wasn’t the only one that’s noticed though. Ishakan’s gaze flitted around the area, before narrowing towards the Gypsies. He quirked up an eyebrow, before moving to the side, and directed Leah to move behind him. She did so willingly, taking refuge behind his broad back. Upon seeing this, Byun Gyonbaek became even more furious. “I had tried to send you off nicely, but now you’re only asking for trouble!” Suddenly Byun Gyonbaek’s knights stepped forward, brandishing their swords. The onlookers began to scream in fright, and scrambled away without a second longer. Meanwhile, Leah bit her lip as she watched the events spiral out of control. To the outside eye, it would seem like these events were only the result of a sudden burst of rage, but she knew for a fact that was not true. All this was a premeditated act, one put on just for show. For Byun Gyongbaek knew that his position and power all stemmed from one fact alone: the ongoing war with the Kurkans. In his desperation to retain his power and control, he devised a plan that would undoubtedly ensue chaos and destroy the peace treaty. Should the King of Kurkans raise his blade against him within Estia’s kingdom, then it could topple every effort made to maintain the treaty. Ishakan and Byun Gyongbaek knew what it meant, the inside story. But despite knowing Gyongbaek does have an underlying motive, Ishakan was not one to cower in front of a challenge. He wasn’t about to back down. He barked out a laughter, mocking them as they held up their swords against him and gave Gyongbaek a smug grin. “You think this is all that would take to defeat me?” he asked, even his eyes held a clear sense of victory. “Answer me, do you think this would be enough?” he demanded. Leah felt her skin prickle, and goosebumps run down her spine as she watched the Kurkan King. He was a wild spirit. She felt herself stumble, and sense someone was behind her. When she turned to look, she let out a gasp as she realized he was a familiar face. It was the man from a while ago, the one that suddenly appeared in the alley. Here he was, bending one knee in front of her, like he would when he’d pay homage to someone he dearly respected, and softly whispered. “Your Highness, Ishakan and Byun Gyongbaek will take quite longer to finish, will you humbly accept my services?” he asked her in a whisper. He was hinting that any moment now, the two men might break out in a fight, and Leah didn’t want to get caught up in the crossfire, so she gave him a short nod. He sharply gestured to her to follow him towards the alleyway. Leah had gone as far as two steps away, before the knights began to lunge towards Ishakan. At the sound of swords clanging, people let out screams, scrambling away and towards the shelter of their houses. Leah had tried to look back to watch, but an insistent hand kept her moving. “It’s too dangerous to stop and look, Your Highness. We must keep moving!” He urged, “Quickly now!” As much as he wanted to flee and bring her to safety with him, within a few blocks from the fight, Leah couldn’t help but stop. Her curiosity got the best of her, and turned to see how the fight was progressing. When he realized she was no longer following, he turned around and bit back a curse as he saw her standing idly to watch. “No!” He exclaimed and quickly reached her, “Please, if you stay we’ll be in trouble!” He pleaded, “I’ll be dead!” But his pleas fell on deaf ears. Leah was too mesmerized in the fight, watching how the knights were quickly overpowered by Ishakan. She had heard of the might of Kurkans, but she never witnessed it like this.