Chapter 54: Seeds Of Rebellion
As usual, Yuna was going about her routine. Minho was busy with the soldiers asking about the ogre they had fought the day before. So, she took it upon herself to make sure everything in the camp was running smoothly.
She kept a close eye on the supplies, making sure nobody got more than they were supposed to. In other words, to ensure that the sibling duo had the most resources reserved for themselves.
However, something felt off. As she walked around, she noticed some people had more supplies than they should have. Some people had more food than what had been given out in the morning, and others had bandages and medicines that were supposed to be reserved for the soldiers.
Her eyes narrowed as she looked at everyone's cheerful faces. She knew exactly how much each person was supposed to have. After all, she was the one in charge. But then how did they get more stuff?
They couldn't possibly steal anything. It must be something else.
Curiosity got the better of her, and she walked up to the people. Since she was nice and fair, they would tell her what was going on. Once she figured out the source of the problems, she would deal with it right away.
However, as she got closer, she stopped in her tracks. She noticed people rushing towards Yeji, thanking her for with smiles that Yuna thought were only reserved for her.
What did this bitch do now?
With a smile on her face, Yuna walked up to the crowd and asked, "Um... what is going on here?"
"Oh, it's nothing much," YuWon replied before anyone else could. "You gave us too many supplies, so Yeji thought it'd be a good idea to share some with the others."
He continued, smiling like an angel, "That's why people were thanking her, even when she said it wasn't a big deal."
Yuna froze, and her smile faltered for a second. They distributed the resources they had? With whose permission did they do it?
She controlled the supplies so people would grow dependent on her. If everyone began distributing things, then their dependence, loyalty, everything would shift away from her. This wasn't supposed to happen.
"Why would you do that? Why didn't you let Minho or me handle it?" Yuna asked, trying her best to maintain her composure. "We're the ones in charge of the supplies."
"I didn't think it was a big deal. I didn't want to bother you or Minho with something so trivial," YuWon blinked, innocently looking around.
"Since the supplies were meant to be distributed, it shouldn't be a problem, right?" Yeji chimed in. "I just thought we would lend a hand since you took us in so graciously."
Upon hearing their words, Yuna clenched her fists, feeling the anger rise. She was about to lash out at Yeji. But then she realized they weren't alone.
Everyone's eyes were on her, but this time those eyes weren't full of admiration like they used to be. Instead, they were questioning her, wondering why she was so upset just because they got a bit more than usual.
Watching them, Yuna quickly smiled again. She couldn't let them see her lose control. If she showed any sign of anger, public opinion would turn against her. And she couldn't afford that.
"Oh, of course, that makes sense." She said, nonchalantly waving her hand. "I was just surprised, that's all. Since you took down the ogre yourself."
"It's our mistake," YuWon bowed. "I shouldn't have interfered with how you run things here."
"Next time, we will get your permission first before doing anything."
Even Gina joined in and bowed along with Yeji. The more they showed their humility, the worse things would get for Yuna.
Yuna was smiling on the outside, but on the inside, she was fuming. She wasn't sure, but she had a feeling YuWon had played her, and he had done it in front of everyone.
She could feel the shift in the camp. They looked strangely at her and Yuna knew her grip over the people wasn't as strong as before. And it all happened in a matter of hours.
I need to keep a closer eye on them...
Without another word, she walked away with a smile plastered on her face. It was then she made a vow to herself. By the time she was done with YuWon, he would be on his knees, begging for her love and affection.
Little did Yuna know, YuWon was planning for the same thing. But before that, he needed to loosen her grip more. After all, taking on the siblings would be tough if they stuck together.
Time to dig deeper and see what skeletons they've been hiding in the closet.
YuWon had some ideas about where to dig. After all, there were quite a few areas that he wasn't supposed to access. The other thing was the lack of senior officers.
***
As the day drew to a close, YuWon, Yeji, and Gina were bidding farewell to the people. Some came up to shake their hands, others simply nodded in gratitude. Overall, the mood of the place wasn't bad, considering the situation they were in.
"Thank you, Yeji!" an older woman said, smiling as she took Yeji's hand.
Yeji returned her smile, though her eyes kept shifting towards YuWon, who was talking to some men, giving them pointers on how to use a spear. The woman noticed her gaze and smiled.
"Your brother is a kind man," the old woman said.
"I know," Yeji replied, smiling wanly. "He's the kindest person I've ever known."
The lady was one of the few whom Yeji had healed last night. Ever since then, it seemed the woman had taken a liking to her.
"Go on, this old lady won't take more of your time."
Yeji bowed quickly before joining Gina and YuWon, walking ahead of her.
"So, what now? Do we keep giving out the supplies?" she asked, keeping her voice low.
"No," YuWon replied.
"No? Why not?"
"We stop giving anything from now on." YuWon shrugged. "It's not like we had infinite resources. How long do you think a bag of resources would last?"
"But…won't the people ask questions?"
YuWon smiled wickedly. "That's the plan. They'll start wondering why it stopped. And they'll automatically think it's because Yuna wanted us to stop."
Yeji nodded, realizing YuWon's intention. Even if they stop, the people won't come to them. They'll go straight to Yuna for more. Soon desperation would kick in and the more desperate they got, the more they'd turn against her.
"Besides, I won't leave them high and dry. After all, I can't let my foot soldiers starve."
"...isn't it dangerous? Playing with emotions?" Yeji mumbled.
"It's only dangerous if you lose," YuWon whispered, raising her chin with a finger. "I don't plan on losing, do you?"
Yeji shook her head, and YuWon let go of her.
"That's what I thought."