Unable to respond, Yeon-woo narrowed his eyes and wondered if he’d heard correctly. ‘Take his daughter? Is he talking about marriage? But why would he say that all of a sudden?’ Yeon-woo was frozen, trying to figure out the hidden meaning behind the Martial King’s words.  

In the meantime, Edora, who normally wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow at most situations, was furiously blushing and shrieking at the Martial King. "Father!"

But the Martial King laughed it away with his usual cheekiness and said, "Edora, have you forgotten our tribe’s custom already? You have to snatch a good guy when you have the chance. I’d say he’s good enough to join our family. You know, your mom also snatched me when I was around your age...”

"I’ll deal with my marriage on my own, so stay out of my private life!"

"Heehee. You don’t need to be so shy."

"If you keep making fun of me, I might really make a scene right now.” Edora gave her father a look as she put a hand on Shinmado, clearly intent on drawing it if he continued teasing her. But the Martial King didn’t stop laughing, and she had already pulled half of the sword out before he finally choked down his giggling. He clapped his hands together and said, “Anyway, it’s been a long time since our village has had a guest. We can’t have him standing outside like this. Come inside, let us continue our conversation with some tea.”

*   *   *

The Martial King ushered Yeon-woo into the large house. Walking next to him, Edora told him that this was her family’s residence, and it was called the Palace of Martialism. Yeon-woo nodded at her explanation, trying to stay calm and composed. However,...