[hak.... her mentor, friend, kidnapper, and fellow cosigner of violence....!!!! stronger bonds have never been forged]
That is entirely thanks to Unran. While he kept me prisoner, he mentioned that the magistrate promised to lift their taxes if he subjected me to the cruelest of tortures. Fortunately, we reached a compromise instead!
Do not worry -- I received ample recompense from them! In fact, I cultivated all of their rice paddies and weeded their fields. Hehe. I also forced them to gather muck to throw at me, which I then turned into a new strain of fertilizer! And then I repaired the leaky storeroom I was imprisoned in!
[tries not to look hopeful at the idea of being kidnapped again and instead look appropriately scolded....]
You are right... Once we make the magistrate pay for his crimes, we can help the villagers finally live the lives they deserve without having to rely on others.
[ my reirat wedding..... sniffles. my blessed cyoa content. ]
But you're going to?
[ why is this so depressing.....hak doesn't even know what kind of guy this prince is but so many of the nobility are a pain. she deserves better than to be trapped in some stuffy palace room all day. ]
hak... he is so valid actually. reirin deserves better than getting married to her cousin (real) even though her cousin is perfectly nice. though reirin does not seem to look upset at the idea at all, as if she's long accepted it. she nods instead!!]
That is why I was sent to the palace as the representative Maiden of my clan. The crown prince must marry from each of the five clans, in order to preserve the peace of the nation.
reirin thinks about this like someone who hasn't really thought about this before... for someone who is insane (affectionate) there are so many things she still does not question...]
It is difficult to say... Every clan is quite powerful in their own right, and they can easily make a bid for the throne if the emperor does not keep them in line.
I suppose it depends on whether the clans themselves are willing to forsake ambition in favor of the people.
[TRULY JUST TO KEEP A BUNCH OF ANNOYING NOBLES IN LINE]
[ the way i was going to say he thinks about yona having four husbands but this is a backdated thread so he can't. thinks about soo-won having four wives and makes a Face. ]
Isn't that the job of the emperor? There are plenty of kings who have ruled just fine without having a bunch of wives or husbands from all the tribes.
[ what does he care about politics though....anyway, more importantly: ]
Do you want to marry the prince? If you didn't have to, would you still want to?
Reirin looks very interested in hearing all about Hak's political knowledge... but then he asks... The Question
. . . .If she did not have to... would she still want to....? the answer naturally should be a 'yes' because she does love Gyoumei in her own way. she thinks as fondly of him as she does the rest of her family, and she would be happy to support him in his reign for the good of the nation. and she knows he would let her do whatever she wanted, such as tend to crops during her down time and make whatever fertilizer she wants whenever she's not on consort duty....
...but if she didn't have to.... if that meant the nation was at peace, and that they could simply find another kou maiden to replace reirin... then would she fight for her position? or be just as happy to step aside for another girl to take her place? gyomei would be disappointed, but he would always prioritize his nation over his own desires... and his heart is generous, and would surely open up to the other women in his care... but the question is not about gyomei, but about reirin. she's experienced so many new emotions and experiences, but selfishness is still a strange thing to think about,]
...I do not know.
[it feels a little like a betrayal to say this and not 'yes']
...I have never once thought about what I would do if it were not expected of me.
too bad hak has no idea what's running through her brain. but the pause is maybe enough of an indication that reirin is currently undergoing Deep Thought, and he's happy to let her ruminate for as long as she needs. ]
You should get to. [ maybe it's selfish of him to say, but no one should have to spend their whole lives bowing to the whims of others. ] Even if things don't end up the way you want, you should at least get the chance to fight for it. You're not some tool other people can freely use.
[ no!!!!!!! i gave you my meta and now it is my turn to receive...... anyway how old is this thread, i'll free you from it soon. the joke flies over his head the first time and then circles back to bonk him solidly and he cracks a small smile. ]
You'd be the most valuable plow in the shed.
[ this is...a compliment, despite how it's worded. but he'll pat her on the back once. ]
But you won't get there unless you keep working hard and fighting for what you want.
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Sounds like he should have been the one kidnapped and set on fire. Did they figure out it was him?
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Not only that, but he should be trampled into the earth so that he may never rise his head even an inch above the ground!
[okay....]
That is, it is what I hope will happen -- but I arrived here before we could confront him of his crimes...
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That'd be rude to whoever's trampling him.
[ but anyway. ]
How'd you figure out it was him?
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That is entirely thanks to Unran. While he kept me prisoner, he mentioned that the magistrate promised to lift their taxes if he subjected me to the cruelest of tortures. Fortunately, we reached a compromise instead!
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They were going to torture you?
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It was the main condition on the contract...
[AS IF THAT MAKES IT OKAY]
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You should beat them all up the next time you see them.
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Do not worry -- I received ample recompense from them! In fact, I cultivated all of their rice paddies and weeded their fields. Hehe. I also forced them to gather muck to throw at me, which I then turned into a new strain of fertilizer! And then I repaired the leaky storeroom I was imprisoned in!
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That sounds like you paying them back instead of the other way around. You should have just asked for money.
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Hoho, therein lies the trick...! For I value the chance to do farm work far more than I do money.
[said like a fcking RICH GIRL]
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Yeah, but you're just helping them out if you do their work for them. Then they'll just kidnap you again.
[ this is not a healthy cycle. ]
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You are right... Once we make the magistrate pay for his crimes, we can help the villagers finally live the lives they deserve without having to rely on others.
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Was that whole wedding thing part of the contract too?
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for a second she's like WHAT WEDDING. the way i thought you meant reirat wedding at first and i was also like WHAT and then she (and i) remember]
Oh -- no! That was... A false vision. I have yet to marry the crown prince. I do not know why the stage decided to show that...
[bc reirin was fcking around too much in her memories]
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But you're going to?
[ why is this so depressing.....hak doesn't even know what kind of guy this prince is but so many of the nobility are a pain. she deserves better than to be trapped in some stuffy palace room all day. ]
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hak... he is so valid actually. reirin deserves better than getting married to her cousin (real) even though her cousin is perfectly nice. though reirin does not seem to look upset at the idea at all, as if she's long accepted it. she nods instead!!]
That is why I was sent to the palace as the representative Maiden of my clan. The crown prince must marry from each of the five clans, in order to preserve the peace of the nation.
[dragon harem except in the reverse...]
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That's stupid. [ augh. politics!!!!!!! ] Can't they figure out another way to maintain peace?
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reirin thinks about this like someone who hasn't really thought about this before... for someone who is insane (affectionate) there are so many things she still does not question...]
It is difficult to say... Every clan is quite powerful in their own right, and they can easily make a bid for the throne if the emperor does not keep them in line.
I suppose it depends on whether the clans themselves are willing to forsake ambition in favor of the people.
[TRULY JUST TO KEEP A BUNCH OF ANNOYING NOBLES IN LINE]
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Isn't that the job of the emperor? There are plenty of kings who have ruled just fine without having a bunch of wives or husbands from all the tribes.
[ what does he care about politics though....anyway, more importantly: ]
Do you want to marry the prince? If you didn't have to, would you still want to?
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Reirin looks very interested in hearing all about Hak's political knowledge... but then he asks... The Question
. . . .If she did not have to... would she still want to....? the answer naturally should be a 'yes' because she does love Gyoumei in her own way. she thinks as fondly of him as she does the rest of her family, and she would be happy to support him in his reign for the good of the nation. and she knows he would let her do whatever she wanted, such as tend to crops during her down time and make whatever fertilizer she wants whenever she's not on consort duty....
...but if she didn't have to.... if that meant the nation was at peace, and that they could simply find another kou maiden to replace reirin... then would she fight for her position? or be just as happy to step aside for another girl to take her place? gyomei would be disappointed, but he would always prioritize his nation over his own desires... and his heart is generous, and would surely open up to the other women in his care... but the question is not about gyomei, but about reirin. she's experienced so many new emotions and experiences, but selfishness is still a strange thing to think about,]
...I do not know.
[it feels a little like a betrayal to say this and not 'yes']
...I have never once thought about what I would do if it were not expected of me.
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too bad hak has no idea what's running through her brain. but the pause is maybe enough of an indication that reirin is currently undergoing Deep Thought, and he's happy to let her ruminate for as long as she needs. ]
You should get to. [ maybe it's selfish of him to say, but no one should have to spend their whole lives bowing to the whims of others. ] Even if things don't end up the way you want, you should at least get the chance to fight for it. You're not some tool other people can freely use.
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If I had to be a tool... Then I would rather be a hoe or a plow, rather than a beautiful ornament.
[she's got jokes... but she does understand what Hak is saying. she wonders again about the life he must have lived, to be so honest.]
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You'd be the most valuable plow in the shed.
[ this is...a compliment, despite how it's worded. but he'll pat her on the back once. ]
But you won't get there unless you keep working hard and fighting for what you want.
[ to the training mines she must return.... ]