seeking tranquility

This chapter raises a few questions...I’m beginning to think that Lord Yuhon is seriously very misunderstood by everyone in Kouka like Yona, including myself. 

As expected, King IL is made king by the previous emperor, who apparently still blames Yuhon for the murder of the High Priest and burning of the temple, even though he did it for Lady Yon-Hi. Of course everyone is shocked, because Yuhon was the Crown Prince, and Lady Yon-Hi begins to blame herself more and questions her existence even further. Lady Yon-Hi’s illness is beginning to worsen to the point that Yuhon found out about it and they have to move away to a quieter place. King IL even comes and apologises to her about his cold behaviour to her. 

The next part of the chapter is the beginning of my doubts about Yuhon. He apparently supports King IL being king now that it has became fact, and is angry that other people aren’t respectful of King IL. I really thought he would not be very receptive of King IL being king. I mean he could be acting on the surface, but I’m beginning to think it’s not true. 

We then learn of Kashi being murdered by bandits, which Lady Yon-Hi blames herself for. This again brings back the suspicion surrounding Kashi’s death. I still don’t believe her death to be accidental, I think someone might be behind it. Yuhon also shows his strong hatred for King Hiryuu, as he was the one that brought on the Crimson Illness to Lady Yon-Hi. 

The last part of this chapter is super suspicious. Everyone knew Yuhon as the cruel brother of King IL, but not as a supporter of King IL. I feel like that might be some kind of misunderstanding, like for example people blaming Yuhon for the death of Kashi and for rebelling to get the throne. There might be people behind plotting against King IL and pushing the blame to Yuhon. Of course, it is possible that Yuhon might be behind Kashi’s death due to his hatred of King Hiryuu and may still not be receptive of King IL getting the throne, but this chapter makes me doubt that. Why would Yona still be alive then? Why did he openly show his support for his brother then? Why would Yuhon be killed before the Crimson Illness takes Lady Yon-Hi’s life? (I also thought Yuhon would go mad after Lady Yon-Hi’s death, leading him to rebel, but it seems like it might not be the case)

We all know that Yuhon would come to be killed by King IL, is it really a misunderstanding? Or is it true that Yuhon wanted to rebel? I have a feeling that the maid talking to Yuhon in this chapter might play a significant role in this misunderstanding. I guess we’ll find out in the next chapter where Lady Yon-Hi would prob explain. 

Hmm, nothing too much is going on in this chapter, but nonetheless it revealed some interesting facts. 

Yona is born (she’s super cute omg) but very little people are allowed to see her and Kashi, but Soo-Won snuck in and visited her. King IL mentioned he gets a bad feeling from Soo-Won (I wonder if he somehow knew that he was going to be killed by Soo-Won, which isn’t surprising due to a fact revealed later). 

Our three childhood friends finally met, and I must say, those times when they were young and carefree was the best. They were all innocent little children, simply enjoying each others’ company. Kashi initially didn’t want other people to go near Yona, but when Hak did so, she seemed to have seen something and just told him to protect her. This made sense later, when it was revealed that she could see everyone’s futures except her own. She probably saw that Hak was going to be an important person in Yona’s life, always protecting her. She even saw that Yona was going to bring the four dragons back together. 

Lady Yon-Hi is devastated to find out that Yona is the reincarnation of the Crimson Dragon, because it means that all these years of her family protecting the blood of the Crimson Dragon seems meaningless. The only thing that the Crimson Dragon’s bloodline did was give them an incurable illness, which is what Lady Yon-Hi is experiencing now (which she and Kashi only knows). We then find out at the end that the current king (King IL and Yuhon’s father) has collapsed, meaning that the new king is going to selected to ascend the throne. 

The next chapter would probably throw the castle into chaos, because we know that King IL is going ascend the throne. The now peaceful lives of everyone is probably going to get overturned. It is also probably what caused Yuhon to be known for his extreme cruelty. 

This chapter is kinda bittersweet, as it marks the beginning for Yona, Soo-Won and Hak as friends, but it marks the starting of the ending for Lady Yon-Hi and Yuhon. The only cute part of this chapter was seeing Hak and Yona’s first meeting, they were so adorable and meant for each other (seeing how Hak immediately takes up her hand and offers to show her around). (I have been so deprived of their interactions that anything between the two of them is enough LOL!) 

I don’t know how to feel about this chapter, all I can say is that it’s heavy...

The start of this chapter fast-forwards us straight into quite some time after Lady Yon-Hi’s lineage got exposed. Yuhon basically kills everyone that might expose her lineage to others, even the young priests like Ik-Soo and Kashi (even though we know Ik-Soo is not dead). Through this, Lady Yon-Hi finds out about Yuhon’s cruelty for his enemies, which eventually harms her own family, as her mother commits suicide over self-blame of the High Priest’s death, who apparently showed nothing but kindness for Lady Yon-Hi’s family. This is also when Lady Yon-Hi begins to start doubting herself, and probably also blaming herself of the harm inflicted on others. 

We then see the young and cute Soo-Won, whom is apparently a child genius (he’s so utterly adorable omg). We also learn that King IL takes in a wife, which we find out later on is Kashi (I guess I was right in her being a key character in this upcoming chapters, even though I never expected her to be Yona’s mother). And omg, Kashi really looks so much like Yona, especially with those earrings. Lady Yon-Hi, again, begins to doubt and blame herself for this outturn of events and thinks herself naive for thinking that what Yuhon done could be forgiven by King IL and the priests. Then the chapter ends. 

I think the ending of this chapter bodes the beginning of the possible conflict between Yuhon and Lady Yon-Hi, the reason why Yuhon didn’t become king and also the blossoming of the relationship between Kashi and Lady Yon-Hi. I really feel quite bad for Lady Yon-Hi, who had done nothing wrong; she just fell in love with a guy who gave her happiness and hope for a future that she has never experienced due to being stuck in the village protecting the secret of the Crimson Dragon and the illness. 

I feel like she wasn’t wrong in trying to justify killing the High Priest (because he also gave me the creeps); tbh I think the concept of the High Priest naturally higher up in rank and demanding respect should be eradicated, although definitely not in the way that Yuhon chose to do. (Although I agree that his method ensured peace in Kouka, his cruelty was really way too much). I felt like if the High Priest was still alive, he might have tried to make use of Lady Yon-Hi’s family (seeing as how he deliberately went to them and gained much respect from them), and also possibly make Yuhon bow to him. But definitely, I don’t think he deserved the kind of death that Yuhon gave him, it was really quite cruel. 

And again, this is probably why King IL hates violence, the conflict between his own brother and himself and the people he respects so much, plus his wife. I really wonder if King IL really loved Kashi, or was it because he wanted to protect her only. I also wonder the same for Kashi, if she did really love King IL. 

A little heavy of a chapter here. 

Basically, we are fast-forwarded to Lady Yon-hi marrying Yuhon and her life in the castle. Yuhon took the news regarding the Crimson Illness pretty well, considering that Lady Yon-Hi’s life might be very short. But I can understand his reasoning, he’s someone that probably wants to live life without no regrets, even he doesn’t know when he will die, whether it might be short like Lady Yon-Hi or long. Another reason why Yuhon could take the news of the Crimson Illness well was revealed later in this chapter, where it shows his strong hatred for the shrine and the divine powers. 

Anyways, we also meet the young Ik-Soo (OMG I WAS FREAKING OUT AT HOW ADORABLE HE WAS) and another apprentice, Kashi, at the shrine, along with young King IL. I guess young Ik-Soo and Kashi are going to be key protectors in an upcoming fight, which is probably why they met Lady Yon-Hi. Opposite to his brother, young King IL believes very strong in the shrine and its divine powers, as long as in the power of the Crimson King and his four dragons. This makes much sense to how King IL always knew about Yona being the reincarnation, and protection of the shrine from outsiders. 

Lady Yon-Hi visits the shrine with the young King IL, Ik-Soo and Kashi and immediately, from the look of the High Priest and how King IL bows down to him, I can already feel myself not liking the shrine and the High Priest. I can also probably understand why Yuhon hates the shrine and the High Priest so much. This is again reinforced in the confrontation that happened between the High Priest, King IL, Yuhon and Lady Yon-Hi. Basically, besides from Yuhon, now the High Priest, the people from the shrine and the young King IL knows that Lady Yon-Hi is a descendant of the Crimson King and is enamoured by that fact. 

King IL’s reaction is completely not expected and this is probably the trigger of the fight between Yuhon and King IL. It’s probably because King IL, being the timid person he is since young, was often being teased and scolded especially by Yuhon for his belief in the shrine and the power of the Crimson King. He probably thought that Yuhon was betraying him by marrying a descendent of the Crimson King and keeping it a secret from him. This is also probably why Soo-Won hated King IL and killed him, it’s becoming more understandable now. 

The last sentence in the chapter warns us of the start of incoming battle that we all knew was coming: the fight between Yuhon and King IL. It would probably explain why all the priests are chased from the castle, why Yuhon lost the title of Crown Prince and became known for his cruelty, why King IL hates violence, why Soo-Won hates King IL and the divine powers (plus the power of the dragons) and how Lady Yon-Hi is the trigger of this whole scene. 

I wonder how Zeno fits into all of this. I remembered he said he was close to Lady Yon-Hi, so I wondered what kind of role he played in this battle. I also wonder what Yona would do with all this information once she is done with Lady Yon-Hi’s diary. I’m also starting to really understand Soo-Won and his deeper motives of killing King IL and taking over as King. I never hated him and I always knew that he had even deeper motives, but I never expected his turn of events tbh. I also am starting to feel sorry for Yuhon, who most probably got so misunderstood, and why Yona’s sentence to Soo-Won last time about why Yuhon couldn’t be king affected Soo-Won so much. 

(And again, I am reminded of Hak when I look at Yuhon, and especially the way he treats Lady Yon-Hi and his beliefs and the way he does things)

Late to this chapter, been so busy recently! Anyways, this chapter is just picking up from the previous chapter! 

First part of the chapter, we see the young King IL and Mundok. Mundok seem to be on good terms with Yu-hon. King IL really looks very different from how we last seen him. He’s a timid guy and doesn’t seem to voice his opinions much; a total opposite from Yu-Hon. So we see here that Yu-Hon is very much the Crown Prince representative, but he didn’t turn out to be King, so this again makes me wonder what will happen after this that makes the young King IL step up and become king. Yu-Hon seem to care a lot about his brother though, so it made me question what happen to the r/s b/w the both of them? King IL’s caring nature seems to be noticed by Lady Yon-Hi, a nature of his that hasn’t changed since young, from Yona’s impression of her father. 

The next part of the chapter is basically the development of Lady Yon-Hi’s relationship with Yu-Hon. It’s quite cute and sweet actually, (finally a cute r/s to read, even if it’s not our main couple). Their r/s STRONGLY reminds me of Hak and Yona. Especially the last few panels of this chapter. 

This chapter again makes me question very strongly Hak’s birth. I think everyone can agree that Hak is very much like Yu-hon, which is super suspicious because we know of Hak as an orphan who was adopted by Mundok. I feel like putting Mundok here in this chapter being on good terms with Yu-hon is hinting something. TBH i don’t like if this theory is right, because it would cause a lot of hurt to everyone, especially Hak. And Hak and Yona’s r/s would get even more complicated, because it means that they are cousins, just like how Hak and Soo-Won may be brothers. I mean it would make a lot of sense too, if Hak and Soo-Won are brothers, because the bond between them is really strong. 

And I am also starting to question Yona’s birth too. I really want to see a feature on Yona’s mother, because I feel like that may clear up a lot of things. But I think for now, we will probably continue to see the further development of the r/s b/w Lady Yon-Hi and Yu-Hon, how their path ahead will be so thorny, Yu-Hon finding abt the Crimson Illness, and what made Yu-Hon become so violent and not become King. 

We’re going back into the past of Yuhon and Yon-Hi, Soo-Won’s parents, as expected. This would probably clear up more things!

The first part of the chapter doesn’t say much, only thing that really happened is Soo-Won fainting and thinking that a reincarnation of the Crimson King is not needed in this world. 

The second part of Yona finding out that Soo-Won is the blood descendant of King Hiryuu, which she discovered in Lady Yon-Hi’s diary. She begins to read it, and brings us into the past, which explains Lady Yon-Hi’s background and how she met Yuhon. Her family protecting the Crimson King’s blood is similar to how the other four dragons’ blood are being sort of protected and hidden away, not known to the world. She then meets Yuhon, whom brings her into his world, a world she has never been to, due to being hidden away.

The first thing I noticed when I first saw Yuhon in his young age was how similar he looked to Hak. As I continued reading on, the more his behaviour and actions reminded me of Hak. This of course made me wonder, is Hak related to Yuhon? Since Hak was an orphan, maybe it could be possible? Maybe that’s why Soo-Won and Hak were so close. But I guess this is just a small theory, we’ll see what happens. 

Second thing is I can kinda understand why Lady Yon-Hi fell for Yuhon and married him. Up till now, we have only known Yuhon for his cruelty on the battle field, so to see the past and how their relationship developed is definitely interesting. It kinda reminds me of our couple, Yona and Hak. So perhaps the reason for Yuhon’s cruelty could be Lady Yon-Hi, after he learns about her illness and see the effects it has on her, and wants to do something to change it. But again, this is still the early stage, so we’ll see how their relationship and story further develops later. 

First of all, WTF?! THIS CHAPTER HAD ME SO SHOCKED THAT I’M TYPING IN CAPS! IDK HOW TO PROCESS THIS INFO??

Okay, i need to calm down. Let’s take this one at a time. I’ll prob talk abt the first few part of the chapter less because I need to rant about the last part of the chapter. 

The first part of the chapter is basically about the very dangerous bodyguard of Soo-Won that even Hak thinks he can’t defeat (which is definitely saying a lot). Both Yona and Hak also both learn of the upcoming war that is going to happen with Kai. Yona remembers a scene with her mother (omg we need more scenes of her mother, I’m so curious) and begins to be suspicious if her mother was really actually killed by rebels or was there something more going on. 

The Four Dragons volunteered to take part in a military exercise, to probably show off their power and boost the soldiers’ morale. But Kija volunteered to take part in a fight, he refused to move, saying that only Yona can tell them what to do, and they can only display their powers if she says so, and so they need to bring Yona to them. I was like YASSS KIJA! That’s a good plan, but unfortunately Soo-Won, reassures the army of their own power but then leaves with a weird face, almost as if he is angry (which is super rare for Soo-Won to even show any expression at all). 

Okay, here we come to last part of the chapter. Basically, we welcome back wise Zeno who exposes the truth of Soo-Won having the Crimson Illness, which his mother also had (and apparently Zeno knew his mother), which means that FUCKING SOO-WON IS THE DESCENDANT OF THE CRIMSON KING, KING HIRYUU! I seriously dk what to think abt this, so technically Soo-Won has the ability to command the 4 dragons, because he is a descendant of King Hiryuu, just like the other dragons are direct descendants of the yellow, blue and green dragons. 

Some things start to make sense, why Soo-Won doesn’t want the power of the four dragons, probably because he and his mother were cursed by the blood of the Crimson King. And also why he was interested in Zeno’s power, immortality. I’m still a bit stunned by this sudden information, I seriously am at a loss. So Yona is the reincarnation of King Hiryuu, does that mean she would die young as well, like how King Hiryuu did? But she does not carry his blood, just probably his soul?? I’m so confused, I hope Zeno would provide more information, how bloody long has he known about this?? Knowing him, he probably still has a lot of things he knows about that he chooses not to spill. So he probably saw all the descendants of die of this Crimson Illness, so that’s why he knows about it. I really am curious about Zeno’s relationship with Soo-Won’s mother, plus he probably saw Yona when he was younger too. I wonder how much he knows about the royal family, about Yona’s mother, Soo-Won’s parents. 

I know there was a lot of fan theories about Soo-Won being the descendant of King Hiryuu and about the illness, but tbh I didn’t really like that idea. I was more into the idea of Soo-Won being a normal, extremely intelligent person who was a great king (some may disagree but objectively i think he really did a good job), and could rule over and build Kouka based on his ability, and didn’t need anything else added to it. So I guess once this theory got spilled as canon, it kinda threw me off. 

Writing this on my phone so this might be short plus this chapter doesn’t really have much things going on. A few heartbreaking moments in this chapter cries!

Basically, the first part is Jaeha telling the other dragons what he experienced with Yona, and of course he knows that what she is saying is not true to her feelings. He knows if he told Hak that Yona said she doesn’t need a bodyguard, he would be hurt. But something needs to happen, Jaeha needs to talk to Yona again and also Hak to sort of explain the situation, if not Yona would just be left isolated with her overwhelming situation.

The next part of the chapter is showing Yona attempting to meet Soo-Won, and when she can’t because he’s busy, she tries to sneak into his study room. (Btw, I’m so glad that Ao chose to stay with Yona, he really provides much comfort, with her being completely alone. I think he knows that she feels very lonely, which was why he chose to stay, that’s so sweet AH!)

She got stopped by this looming presence, which is Soo-Won’s bodyguard, who is extremely intimidating and she remembers him as the one that chased her in the castle when her father got killed. Luckily Soo-Won got there on time and stopped the bodyguard from harming Yona. The minute they were alone, Yona is unable to speak freely, after knowing about his illness but she tried to compose herself by asking Soo-Won to give her access to his study room. He agreed, probably also caught off guard by her request and reasoning as well. This allows her more freedom in the castle at least. The part where was heartbreaking was when Yona kept telling herself everything will be fine and she will be able to forge ahead. Sigh, it’s super heartbreaking to see her like that, knowing that her loved ones are threatened if she exposed the heavy truth to them, especially Hak. It must be super tiring and overwhelming to her to keep this truth to herself only.

The last part of the chapter is another heartbreaking part. Yona, in the midst of going back to her room, sees Hak with the rest of the troops and is happy to see him at least. Hak notices her which surprises her (of course he would notice you gurl, he loves you and has followed you for so many years!) and she runs away, especially after noticing that intimidating bodyguard of Soo-Won watching her every move. Hak runs to find her and calls her, and we then see her hiding her sobs and trying not to let him find her despite her strong desire to see him. She is doing so to protect him, but it’s just super heartbreaking to see that, especially that last panel.

I don’t think Hak and Yona would meet up anytime soon, and I think he would probably mull over why Yona is avoiding him. I think maybe Jaeha would meet up with him again, to talk about what happened with Yona, and maybe it would give more insight. I really wish for Yona to realise that even if her loved ones’ lives are threatened, they are powerful enough to defend themselves. Like what Zeno said, if the four dragons were to exert their full power, taking on a whole castle is completely possible. She doesn’t have to go through this alone, but I can completely understand why she chooses to fight alone. She just doesn’t like them being hurt and having to fight, she just wants peace and wants them to be protected.

I just suddenly had a thought, maybe Yoon and Min-Soo might work together in the future to actually find a cure for Soo-Won’s illness, but before that, I think there’s a possibility that Yoon might find out about Soo-Won’s illness accidentally.

Things are getting more exciting, not in a good way though, but it is a relief, seeing how the previous chapters, although informative, had been kinda at a standstill. 

The first part of the chapter we finally see the four dragons, omg I missed them so much! They get informed that they are unable to see Yona because she has fallen ill (what bullshit). The dragons obviously know that, and it was kinda cute to see Shinha getting all angry and confronting the messenger. Jaeha and Shinha getting all pissed off was super hilarious too, a bit of a comic relief before the upcoming heaviness in the later part of this chapter. Jaeha then volunteers to go see Hak, Yona and Yoon if possible. 

Yona is then informed by Joo-Doh of her being banned from seeing anyone, basically she is trapped in her room, unable to see anyone or talk to anyone. She then asks to see Soo-Won instead. 

We then shift back to Hak, who is met with Jaeha and Hak is informed about Yona being banned from seeing the dragons and Jaeha finds out that the reason why Hak is enlisted in the Sky Tribe is to work up the ranks to be Yona’s bodyguard. So basically an update on both sides. 

The next part of the chapter I guess is kinda confirming the fatal illness theory i think. Although I didn’t want to admit that this theory is true, but it seems kinda pointless at this stage because this chapter hints too heavily in that direction. To keep it short, it seems like it was an inherited illness that Soo-Won has from his mother (whom at this stage is still unknown whether she’s alive or dead) and is being kept a secret. Anyone who knows this can be punishable by death, and Yona (and the dragons) is an exception because she is essential for Kouka. If this news was to reach Hak or any others, they can be put to death. Min-Soo basically asks her not to oppose anyone as it may cause death to those that Yona cares about. 

Yona seems to be very heavily affected by this news and while she is dwelling on that, Jaeha makes an impressive entrance (as usual HAHAHA). Jaeha volunteers to bring Yona to Hak but although it is obvious that she wants to see him badly, she refuses and pushes Jaeha away, making excuses. She is reminded of Min-Soo’s plea hence she behaves this way, but Jaeha can obviously tell that she is lying. Before he is able to pry anything out of her though, Joo-Doh comes and Jaeha has to escape. We then see at the end of Yona breaking down, obviously feeling the loneliness of being trapped alone in her room and the burden of the news that she has. There’s been nothing good that happened for Yona ever since she arrived in Hiryuu Castle, which should be expected, but still hard to watch. 

So, the fatal illness theory is canon i guess? I didn’t want to believe it because I felt it was kinda anticlimatic to watch Soo-Won die of a fatal illness, cliche even. But seems like the author is leaning towards the fatal illness theory so I guess we are going with that. I really want to know the back story of Soo-Won and his parents, but I think it’s going to be a very long time before we actually learn what happens. 

I really hope Yona will do something about her situation right now, no matter how difficult it must be for her. It’s like a deja vu situation where she’s back in Hiryuu Castle, being the powerless princess, unable to do much, even though now she’s definitely more matured. Being isolated is not good for her, I feel like she needs someone to talk to, like Jaeha, who always provides good advice for her. I mean I would love to see Yona and Hak interact but i think in the short term it’s not possible plus it’s kinda dangerous for them to meet. So the only option is for Yona to open up to Jaeha, who is able to avoid the eyes on Yona. 

I wonder if it is possible for Joo-Doh to change sides though. I know from the beginning he never intended to hurt Yona so is there a possibility? 

P.S. Ao is just such an adorable bean as always. If you notice, he clearly missed both Hak and Yona. The interaction between Ao and Hak is so cute, Hak always pets Ao, argh so cute! Hoping that Ao would be able to provide some comfort to Yona. 

Again not a lot is happening in this chapter, it doesn’t really offer much explanation other than create more doubt. 

Basically the first part of the chapter is where Soo-Won regains consciousness for a while and tries to leave but Yona makes him stay as he was staggering and still in pain. Kye-Sook also learns about Soo-Won falling ill by a hidden guard who I think was guarding Yona (to track her whereabouts I suppose) and calls for Min-Soo, who’s apparently the imperial physician. 

There was a cute interaction between Yoon and Min-Soo, I can foresee them being good friends in the future, with them exchanging medical information. I am still not sure about Soo-Won having a serious illness theory, but this chapter seems to be very much leaning towards that direction. Min-Soo seems to be hiding something when he was talking to Kye-Sook and also when Yona brought up Soo-Won’s mother, who is also ill, seems to be another indicator. I think most probably Soo-Won told Min-Soo to keep quiet about something, but what about I still have doubts on. 

Kye-Sook then updates Ju-Doh that Soo-Won has fallen ill, and he is shocked. It seems like nobody knew about Soo-Won’s illness until now, and they are all also thinking that the reason why Soo-Won is not choosing a heir is because he may not have long to live. This again hints towards Soo-Won having a terminal illness, but until Soo-Won or Min-Soo confirms it, then I will believe it. Kye-Sook last words about speeding up conquering Kai tells us that more action would be happening soon, and would definitely heavily involve Hak (who’s in the Sky Tribe now) and the four dragons (who would definitely be made use of). 

I don’t know how to feel about this chapter to be honest. All I can say is that this chapter is sorta heavy and a bit confusing. Again I will keep this short because I really don’t know what to say. 

Basically, the first part of the chapter shows Hak finding out that all the people standing behind Soo-Won and supporting him were actually all supporters of Yuhon, Soo-Won’s father. They all wanted Yuhon to become king, and were upset that King IL became the king instead. Those that supported the rebellion that night wasn’t because they hated King IL (aside from Kye-Sook maybe) but because they wanted to make Soo-Won, Yuhon’s son, king. I guess that makes sense, but I am also curious now, what exactly was Yuhon like? How did he manage to gather all these supporters? Right now, all we saw was Yuhon’s violent side, and never seen the more humane side of him that probably convinced people to support him and even support Soo-Won. It also made me wonder how long Soo-Won actually planned this whole thing, and what actually triggered him to do this. 

I think Hak is slowly getting over his strong feelings of anger and betrayal like Yona, and is focusing more on trying to understand why Soo-Won did things the way he did. He even said he needed to discuss it with Yona, which he had never done so as he was blinded in his rage before. 

The interaction between Zeno and Soo-Won wasn’t particularly interesting, Soo-Won just said he was curious about Zeno’s power. Zeno commented (in his head) that he can’t read Soo-Won and that Soo-Won made an unnatural face. If even Zeno can’t read Soo-Won, who else could? 

Then Soo-Won found out that Hak enlisted in the Sky Tribe and he kinda went weak in his knees but didn’t reveal his expression and muttered to himself what was he (Hak) doing. It was the first time he made a more human expression as commented by Zeno. I really wonder what kind of expression he made. 

And the last part of the chapter that is probably what everyone is curious about; Soo-Won’s mystery illness. Is it a serious one or is it just a temporary one? For us to see Soo-Won to be in so much pain is really a first. All this while we have always only seen Soo-Won’s kinda fake expression? If it is a serious illness, was that what triggered him to kill King IL? Was it really him that killed King IL? If it was a temporary one, what exactly was this illness? 

Yona just proved to me again how strong she is, embracing Soo-Won to relieve him of his pain. Despite the flashback she gets of him ‘killing’ her father, she still chooses to comfort him. Soo-Won then starts to talk to Yona like they were still kids, which again made me curious. Does Soo-Won actually have feelings for Yona? But I seriously doubt so. He probably sees her similar to his mother in some sense, comforting. I really wonder at this point what his relationship with his parents were like, especially with Yuhon. 

A slightly more lighthearted chapter I guess? It’s not a lot going on this chapter, so this would be short. 

In this chapter, Hak is introduced into the Sky Tribe as a new member where everyone obviously recognises him as Thunder Beast. They try very hard to ignore that and treat him as a newbie by giving him chores that the lower ranks all do, which he does extremely well, given his monster strength haha. The other soldiers notices his strength and wants to spar with him, in which Hak agrees and defeats all of them easily LOL. They then commented, after their defeat, that they were more suited for chores, in which Hak mentions Yona, although he didn’t mention her name. He said that even her, who has never picked up a weapon her whole life, was able to master the bow. Someone then asks if they practice everyday, would they become like Hak, and he answers no (I mean to become Thunder Beast or actually the Dark Dragon, you have to be born that way hahaha!) and said that Yona was just more desperate than anyone to get stronger. It’s kinda bittersweet to think that Yona is still always on Hak’s mind, as his first priority, his first everything and they are still separated despite having known each other’s feelings. I guess Hak joining the Sky Tribe is a way for him to work up the ranks to be by her side, but it won’t exactly be a fast and easy way. 

Soo-Won then pays a visit to the four dragons and asks to speak to Zeno alone. I wonder what they are going to talk about, is it about King Hiryuu, the dragons, or regarding Soo-Won’s successor as mentioned in the previous chapter? This should be worth anticipating. 

We then jump back to Hak, whom is noticed by Joo-Doh. Obviously Joo-Doh is suspicious and is unable to accept the excuse of an alliance for Hak being in the Sky Tribe, hence he threatens Hak to swear his fealty to Soo-Won. For a moment, I thought Hak actually would, but who am I kidding? He still has not gotten over his hatred and feelings of betrayal and anger so he definitely would not. Hak then shoots back a dangerous question, which is what was the reason for killing King IL. Joo-Doh then mentions Yuhon being killed by King IL to which Hak argues back he cannot believe Soo-Won would kill him just out of revenge. Hak then realises that he and Soo-Won could have been all this time, viewing things differently. While Hak was wondering why Soo-Won could have killed King IL, Soo-Won could have wondering why Yuhon had to be killed. Gulfan, Soo-Won’s eagle, then descends to greet Hak, which is seen as a surprise to the rest. The chapter then ends. 

I’m really unsure where this manga is going right now to be honest. I’m glad that Yona and the rest have gone back to Hiryuu Castle which means that perhaps things are coming to an end, or reaching the climax, but with this chapter, I’m a little confused. 

So this chapter begins where it left off last chapter, Jaeha and Kija are both injured and they are brought to where Shinha and Zeno are. Both of them (even Ao LOL) were obviously mad at them for going too overboard just to stop Shinha and Zeno from not showing their powers. And Shinha, not Zeno this time, said that the spectators were amazed by just Jaeha and Kija’s power (so there might be again someone that wants to use them like Gobi) even if Jaeha and Kija were to get hurt trying to protect the other two dragons, it’s not a solution, which is very true. This again makes my heart ache for them, when will the dragons ever be left in peace? The greed of the people are really too much; it reminds me of the time where they were in the fire tribe and people were trying to grab the dragons out of admiration, but didn’t care that they were hurting them instead. The line of the dragons, I really hope, should be discontinued from this generation to prevent further harm to any more dragons. 

Anyway, going back to Hak, who’s not allowed to go near Soo-Won and Yona too, longingly looks at Yona and she too stares back the same way. He even commented, “Too far away”, making me feel so bad for them. Just when they finally understood each other’s feelings, they are pulled apart sigh. The Wind Tribe calls out to Hak, which brings the attention of the audience to Hak, who welcome him home. But he doesn’t feel like it’s home anymore, which again makes me feel so sad for him. He has so much burden on his shoulders. But this reminds him that he hasn’t given up the right of Yona’s personal guard, and he decided on something, which is explained later in the chapter. 

The next conversation of Soo-Won and Geun-Tae is the first thing that makes me question. Geun-Tae brings up the question of having a wife and kids, and Soo-Won says that he doesn’t have plans for them, which Geun-Tae asks back who is going to succeed the throne then? Soo-Won then says that he doesn’t need his own blood to succeed the throne, and it doesn’t matter who, or whatever social status they have. Then Geun-Tae asks if he has anyone already in mind and Soo-Won’s look got me really thinking. I just keep questioning myself, all this time we only know that Soo-Won plans to develop the country for the better and it doesn’t seem that he really wants the throne, it’s just that it’s easier to help the people of Kouka that way. So it may mean that once Soo-Won’s work and plans are done, he might just give up the throne to someone else. And I just had this wild thought, what if that person was Hak? What if he actually planned all this time to give the throne to him after he finished developing Kouka? I don’t know how true this thought is, but I feel like it might be a possibility. 

We then go back to Hak again, who makes this request for the soldier to tell Kye-Sook that he wants to join the Sky Tribe. He says he plans to work from the bottom from scratch, and I think that that’s his plan. To be able to be by Yona’s side, he needs to start working from the bottom then be able to be appointed as Yona’s personal guard again. That’s most probably his plan. It’s just that I don’t know where is it going with this, how long would it actually take? What is Yona going to do in the meantime; just sit and look pretty like the fiancee that the people of Kouka think she is? I don’t see her doing that, but I’m not sure how much she can do to be honest as the Sky Tribe is very cautious of her as they were involved in her father’s death. I just hope that things would start looking up for the whole bunch especially Yona, who must be feeling extremely powerless to protect the people she wants to protect. 

Unexpected turnout of events through the continuation of the fight last chapter. Again this will be short because there is again not much going on this chapter. 

First Soo-Won is discussing how Kye-Sook told the generals to throw the fight against the dragons. He eventually gave in to Kye-Sook, to which Yona responds to very coldly. I love seeing that badass sight of her, even if she’s just sitting there and talking. Her words shows her maturity and how she is able to calmly talk to those whom killed her father. 

Next, for the rest of the chapter, is basically the dragons VS the generals. The unexpected turn was that both Kija and Jaeha are overworking themselves to the point of destroying the arena, with debris being thrown everywhere due to their destruction, the people running away to avoid being hit, and almost hitting Soo-Won. There was a funny comic relief scene in the middle where Hak casually catches the debris where everyone is running away from LOL. 

Anyways, their intent was not clear until the end, which was to use all of their power and overwork themselves until the generals will have no choice but to cut them down. The dragons are eventually injured, to which Yona frustratedly watches over and lets out a tear, and Hak, taking advantage of the chaos, to help Jaeha up. So their intent basically is to make everyone run away so that there would be no need for Shinha and Zeno to show their powers, to not show the powers of the blue and yellow dragons. 

Finally, AnY is back! Nothing’s much going on this chapter though, just the fight between the dragons and the generals to show off their powers. I don’t have much to say this chapter, so this would be short. 

The dragons and Hak are obviously pissed off at being used as a tool, but there’s nothing they can really do about it if they want an alliance. Lili, too, is upset about this, and I agree very much about what she said. Even if Yona is stepping into this alliance willingly for the sake of the dragons, it doesn’t mean she can be used again and again for the benefit of others. She isn’t just some tool that can be used and just trample across her feelings as if she’s just a doll with no feelings. Omg I’m so pissed off at Kye-Sook! 

It was cute to see Kija and Shinha being so protective after hearing the misunderstanding of Yona’s engagement to Soo-Won, but again they can’t do anything. They want to just run away, but they can’t. They are way too famous to actually do that now, which is why I feel like AnY might be reaching it’s final arc soon. 

Joo-Doh and Guen-Tae then fight against Kija and Jaeha respectively, and they are obviously going to lose, but still have to figure out a way to preserve their pride as generals. Hak notes that the generals are being docile, soft even, to King Soo-Won, just doing whatever it is for the benefit of Soo-Won, because it seems like it is for the better for the country. Hak knows that Soo-Won is a good king that is doing good for the country, but is still pissed off at the fact that Yona and the dragons are being used as mere pawns. Because to him, they are family and should not be used like that. I completely understand that, and this makes the situation between him and Soo-Won worse. I was hoping that he will eventually have to confront Soo-Won and his own feelings towards Soo-Won like Yona did, but I don’t see it happening any time soon. It had seemed to be heading towards the right direction when Hak noted Yona being able to confront Soo-Won without being as betrayed or angry or sad as Hak is when faced with Soo-Won. But now this happens so it would only set back. But at least Hak acknowledges that Soo-Won is doing good for the country. 

I’m gonna keep this short because I am just so irritated by this chapter, to the point where I almost curse out during class (because I was reading it before class started). It mostly because of Kye-Sook, which kinda means he’s a good “villian”. 

So basically, this continues the talk between Soo-Won and the dragons, as well as Kye-Sook. The tournament is going as planned by Kye-Sook, and Soo-Won finds out that Zeno is immortal. He seemed very surprised and intrigued by that, and it made me hesitant. Till this point Soo-Won never showed much interest in the four dragons, so what made him interested? Is he going to try anything? 

The four dragons are also being kept apart from Yona, whom is guarded by Joo-Doh. Till now I’m not sure what his motives are back then, was he actually jealous that Hak got to be Yona’s bodyguard, did he hate Hak and King II? 

Yona is reminded of her father and the assassination night where Soo-Won was found by her father’s dead body. We then get to see Minsoo, whom we haven’t seen in a while. It’s nice to see that Yona has someone that she can trust right now by her side, when she’s being isolated by everyone. 

The news of the tournament spread through the kingdom and everyone is fighting to watch it. A good news in this chaos is that Guen-Tae and Yuno has a child, which breaks Lili’s heart hahaha! This was so adorable to read!

On the day of the tournament, Yona and Soo-Won are watching over the tournament, but to both of their surprise, their seats are beside each other, almost as if Yona is Queen, just not the kind of Queen that I want Yona to be. Instead it’s seen as an engagement to Soo-Won. Kye-Sook obviously planned this and this is the part that made me so irritated and pissed off. He basically told Yona not to be selfish and hurry up. Omg dude, piss off! I’m just so annoyed at him, but I obviously can’t deny it was a very good move on his part. 

The people of Kouka see them sitting together and assume they are engaged, just as planned. They start cheering and congratulating them, much to the chagrin of Yoon and Hak, who were watching. The look of Hak’s face reminded me that he must have imagined this scenario to always happen, and now seeing it come to “reality” must be painful for him. Yona was, in the past, going to get engaged to Soo-Won, and Hak had accepted it. But now, things have changed, but he is still seeing it in front of him. I can’t imagine how angry and hurt he may be in. 

Annoying chapter ahead, at least for me...But the beginning of a new arc in Hiryuu Castle. 

First, we feature Ogi and Lili, whom we haven’t seen in a while. He says that his information brokers are being paid by a certain source (we all know who that is) to spread the rumour that the disappearance of Yona and the death of King II is due to Sen Province. This is such a manipulative and clever move by him, to make sure no one would threaten Soo-Won’s position as king. 

Next, we see Yona being dressed up. Basically, what I dislike about this is Yona is basically just a symbol that to look nice in front of the people of Kouka, and not seen as what she has done for Kouka. This is a good strategy by Kye-Sook, He even said so himself, “You just have to quietly sit in the carriage”. I was so triggered, omg! However, I can completely understand why he is doing this. He wants to stop Yona and the Happy Hungry Bunch’s influence from spreading. If he keeps Yona at Hiryuu Castle, the rest of the dragons and Hak and Yoon would be with her and can be made use of for their own selfish desire of expanding their power and gaining the hearts of the people of Kouka. Yona also reveals that she has never seen Kye-Sook before, in which he answers saying he was someone taken in by Lord Yuhon. 

The next few scenes are basically just the crowd greeting and cheering for Yona, in which she does not respond to, she adopts an almost dead like expression. 

The dragons then arrive at Hiryuu Castle, and they note that they feel at ease. Zeno again gives a faraway expression, making me question what things he will reveal while he was at Hiryuu Castle before. The rest also arrives, and they are brought to meet Soo-Won. But Hak is not allowed to enter, to which irritates me, but is understandable. He still has not gotten over his animosity and grudge against Soo-Won, which makes him very dangerous. But to be honest, for the story to proceed, he needs to be able to meet Soo-Won and interact with the people at the Castle to be able to move on. I also obviously want to see more progress in Yona and Hak’s relationship, which cannot be done unless Hak stays at the castle which Yona will obviously will “stay” (more like forced to stay). Yoon then suggests himself to stay with Hak, and everyone else is noticeably relieved, as Yoon would be able to calm Hak down in case anything happens. 

Yona is then separated from the dragons again, as the dragons go to meet Soo-Won. To summarise their meeting, Soo-Won is kind of suspicious/unsure of what Kye-Sook is planning too, in which he reveals that he wants to reveal the four dragons to the people of Kouka in an annual tournament. This brings a kind of dread, as I feel like the four dragons are again used for others’ selfish desires. In this case, to gather the hearts of the people. If they see Yona and the four dragons in the castle, they would assume they are on Soo-Won’s side and then support Soo-Won in being king. This is definitely a very clever move. But it only means the dragons have to fight again. When will the dragons ever be able to take a break from this continuous fighting their whole lives?