In front of the jade hairpin,
Ha Eun-eung and the prince stood frozen.
Only the viewers were visibly frustrated.

Throw it away!
Haha, you can buy that kind of hairpin at the market.
Don’t even think about it.
A 13-year-old Silent Swordmaster with a hairpin? No way.
You’ve been given it, just take it and toss it aside.
How about giving it to the wandering merchant as a gift?
Wow, even Satan would cry at this level of demonic behavior.
So, if Silent Swordmaster ends up with the mixed-race boy, can we congratulate them?
I’ll kill that guy, then I’ll die too!
To kill him, you’d have to see his face first. You think you can cross the Dae-suri threshold?
Hahaha, revenge difficulty is way too high.
No one could engage in personal revenge or interfere,
and those who wished to intervene
were standing beyond a path too treacherous.
The illegitimate child of the Yokai King,
amidst the jealousy of 7,200 viewers,
Silent Swordmaster took the hairpin from the prince.

“!!”

Ha Eun-eung thought,
It’s just a hairpin.
A mere tool for tying hair.
To refuse such a kind gesture from him,
who had gathered gladiators in such a short time for her,
because of some unease over the meaning of the object
would be an act of abandoning this tragic prince
who had already been abandoned by everyone, starving for maternal affection.

<정숙한천사님 100000원 후원!>
The hairpin is an object for a maiden who hasn’t been married yet! Please, stop!

Someone tried to incite her,

<조신한숙녀 님 100000원 후원!>
A hairpin is simply a tool for convenience for long-haired women. How could it be considered vulgar?

Someone else encouraged her,

<요망한마망 님 100000원 후원!>
The lewd feeling of exposing a white neck in front of thousands... I can’t stand it!

And some simply enjoyed the moment.

Silently,
Ha Eun-eung raised her hands behind her head to tie her hair,
as her smooth white neck was revealed,
leading to her fingers sliding down her glossy, polished skin,
capturing attention with her alluring collarbone.

Through the slightly open front of her attire,
her breathing caused her chest to rise and fall,
teasing the imagination with a forbidden fruit,
making her viewers swallow their saliva.

Maganom and the prince swallowed hard,
unable to contain their excitement.

‘Is this really the appearance of a married woman?’
‘She truly is my mother. If not her, who else could possibly be a mother to me?’

Before them stood the figure of a pure white beauty,
like a delicate porcelain statue,
glowing with the brilliance of ivory,
a loving and sacred presence that radiated an enticing maiden’s grace.

Mama!!!
The neck, I agree.
(Hug me emoji)(Hug me emoji)(Hug me emoji)
(Hug me emoji)(Hug me emoji)(Hug me emoji)(Hug me emoji)
(Hug me emoji)(Hug me emoji)(Hug me emoji)(Hug me emoji)(Hug me emoji)(Hug me emoji)(Hug me emoji)
I now understand the prince’s grand intentions.
From today, the fanclub of the human landlord supports the illegitimate prince’s claim to the throne.
The Rhythm Game 8-Key Production Team declares that they will make the Illegitimate Prince's Extreme 12-Level difficulty.
We don’t need the wandering merchant, we only need the sister.
I’ll recognize you as Mama’s second child.
Who’s the first child? Is it the human landlord?
Me.
Why should Mama take in the Su-Gwi leader? What heinous crime did they commit? Is this some kind of cruel punishment? Even if they were Hitler in a past life, it would be a tough crime to handle, right???
Fuck, if I’m good enough, I’m a good son, making money and buying high-end capsules for my parents!
Good son chat record: I want to dive into Mama’s chest and hug her.
Good son chat record: Mom... Why is the universe cold?
Hahaha, this guy’s a space orphan.
Oh, if he’s a space orphan, I agree.
A space orphan deserves to be hugged by Mama.
While the viewers bickered among themselves,
the prince’s heart raced before the alluring image of his "mother."

‘What a pathetic guy. To have such impure thoughts for the kind mother who embraced him.’

Despite trying to admonish himself,
for the first time in his life,
he felt a pounding heart,
pleasure that a beautiful woman—perhaps the most beautiful he had ever seen—was accepting his gift.
The satisfaction and rising desire within him
brought an overwhelming conflict he had never felt before.

‘Why did I ask her to be my mother?’

If she were not his mother,
and if their relationship were one that could be fulfilled normally,
he would have craved it first,
but standing before the most beautiful being in all the realms,
the embodiment of beauty itself,
all he could do was pretend to be indifferent,
manage his expression, and praise her.

“You look well together.”

After the commotion surrounding the hairpin had passed,
Silent Swordmaster spoke,

“The ticket to the arena is the first step to being invited to the palace. The two factions controlling the palace only plan to give tickets to their own factions.”

As Silent Swordmaster nodded for him to continue,
the prince drew a line in the shadow of the palace on the ground.

“The current palace is divided into two territories. The western quarter belongs to my father’s first wife, the Yokai Queen Osotsu.”

As the shadow on the western side grew,
a shape resembling a toad appeared.
With a simple stroke, the form was outlined,
and subtle touches accentuated the muscles,
the precision of which was so skillful that it could be mistaken for the work of an artist, not a prince.

“Osotsu’s bloodline comes from Oogami. This Yokai, who stole vitality from men and made them sick, is the one who assassinated the Yokai King.”
“Ah, human women are impressive, but Yokai women are even more so. Ah, please disregard my opinion. I did not mean it toward the beautiful lady.”

The prince glared at Maganom as if he were about to kill him,
but in his quick recovery, his gaze remained harsh,
a silent promise to never spare him if he looked at him again.
He then continued.

“Yokai Queen Osotsu tried to kill me, passing all the blame to me after my father’s death. She’s not someone who should be given a ticket.”
“Same goes for the general.”
“Wendigo, you said you were a former soldier of the general. I understand your personal feelings, but please wait a moment. I was about to explain.”

Next, a large bear-like figure appeared in the shadow on the eastern side.

“The eastern quarter of the palace belongs to General Vicro, a loyal general under my father. However, after the Great Yokai Rebellion and the rise of the Yokai Queen, he broke away and formed his own military faction.”
“Compared to the Queen, he seems much more moderate.”
“That’s right. We plan to obtain General Vicro’s ticket. Once we enter the palace, we’ll receive his summons. But there’s one concern.”

The prince’s expression darkened.

“Since I barely escaped the palace with nothing, Vicro has never reached out to me.”

With a gloomy look on his face,
he turned to Ha Eun-eung.

“I’m certain that Vicro harbors ambitions for the Yokai King’s throne. He won’t help me easily. But if you wish, I’ll gladly approach him.”

The political power structure of the palace.
The fierce struggles of powerful Yokai for the rightful throne.
Ha Eun-eung could feel a sense of nausea rising within her.

‘Not only have I been harassed by so many factions and organizations in the martial world, now I have to deal with the political struggles of Yokai in a game too?’

The closer she got to the central figures of great power,
the more her life seemed to become miserable.
She had no desire to bear such trials and fatigue any longer.
Thus, Ha Eun-eung made up her mind.
Once her goal was achieved,
she would leave the palace without looking back.

“Prince? Sorry, but it’s an order from the elders. I can’t give you the ticket...”

She couldn’t accept being held up by some street vendor’s ticket deal,
so she didn’t hesitate to jump over the counter,
brandishing her sword at the vendor’s neck.
Only after this did everyone realize her intent.

“Mother?”
“Ah, I see. The noble lady has hidden great strength beneath her beautiful appearance.”
“Wendigo, I like strong humans.”
“….”