Chapter 196

Seoryak opened her eyes.

It was a morning no different from any other, yet her mind felt unusually clear.

She blinked, trying to remember what she had done before falling asleep the night before, only to frown when a hand gently stroked her hair.

“Are you awake, Seoryak?”

Damn it.

Seoryak cursed inwardly and shot upright.

A man with long, pale honey-colored hair was gazing at her with smiling eyes.

“It was a mistake.”

Tang Un merely smiled at her chilly reply.

“Seoryak. Something you have done more than a dozen times can hardly be called a mistake.”

The gentle correction made Seoryak grimace.

Still, she did not leap out of bed.

A slender, fair hand had taken hers.

She flinched when his fingers threaded between her own, then quickly forced herself to relax. She was afraid that even the slightest careless movement might tear apart this man, whose body was more fragile than a sheet of paper.

I’ve lost my mind.

Mocking herself, Seoryak met the tender gaze directed at her.

His eyes seemed dusted with starlight. They were so beautiful that even a moment spent looking into them made her feel as though she might be drawn inside.

It was the eyes.

Those damned eyes.

They were why she kept getting swept along.

She had healed them because she had wanted to see what they would look like filled with life.

Now those same eyes had somehow become a leash tightening around her neck.

Tang Un blinked his long lashes and spoke softly.

“I am all right, Seoryak. I will wait until you make your decision.”

He whispered as though he understood everything.

Seoryak snorted and jerked her head away.

“Nonsense. I believe I already gave you my answer.”

“If you are worried about Grandfather, you needn’t be. Grandfather does not dislike you, Seoryak. He enjoys telling stories about you and the Blade Emperor.”

At the certainty in his voice, Seoryak pressed her fingers hard against her temples.

Of all people, why did I have to get involved with the descendant of that damned enemy of mine...?

She should never have entertained him in the first place.

She should never have dismissed it as the impulsiveness of some wet-behind-the-ears brat.

Had she known his feelings were serious rather than a single night’s reckless indulgence, she would have drawn a firm line from the start.

But...

Once she had tasted that sweetness, it broke down her resolve every single time.

Whenever she was with this brat, she could sleep deeply without dreaming at all.

Shards of the past did not gouge into her chest like broken glass.

She could pass a night without regret or anguish.

It was the rest she had longed for all her life.

“Seoryak.”

“...”

“Seoryak. You ought to look at me when you say it.”

Seoryak bit her lip and remained silent.

Tang Un smiled and slowly brushed his thumb along the inside of her wrist.

The gesture carried an unmistakably intimate implication.

Seoryak firmly—but with the care one might use to touch a dandelion seed—pushed his hand away.

This truly had to be the end.

She could not let herself get dragged any deeper.

She had to cut this off before that damned old man finished his seclusion.

With a sigh, she looked at Tang Un again.

“Fine. I admit it. I won’t deny that you put me at ease. But that is all. Do not cross the line.”

“Seoryak.”

“You are the legitimate eldest son of the Tang Clan. You have obligations as a member of its direct line. You should strengthen the clan through a marriage alliance and produce an heir. Do not arrogantly try to shove me into the Tang Clan’s cage. How many times must I tell you to find some young lady your own age?”

“Why do you keep saying such hateful things, Seoryak? It pains me to hear you spoil such lovely lips with words you do not even mean.”

His tone was like that of an adult soothing a petulant child.

Seoryak opened and closed her mouth several times before finally burying her face in her palms with a look of surrender.

“...The fact that you can spout shameless nonsense like that certainly proves you have Tang blood.”

“I am delighted to receive your praise, Seoryak.”

“Did that sound like praise to you?”

Seoryak snapped and clutched at her hair.

Just then, a cautious knock sounded at the door.

“Come in, Gyeonga.”

At Tang Un’s gentle call, the paper door slid open.

Gyeonga entered, bowed respectfully, and set a small jar of warm water and a damp cloth beside the bed.

Tang Un naturally took the cloth and began wiping Seoryak’s arms and legs.

Meanwhile, Gyeonga poured tea for Seoryak to wet her throat, handed it to her, and waited for the two of them to finish.

Anyone unfamiliar with the scene might have been flustered.

The three of them, however, behaved as though this were perfectly ordinary.

Once Tang Un set down the cloth and put on his outer robe, Gyeonga held out a letter.

“Is it from home? Thank you.”

Tang Un smiled as he unfolded it.

Then his expression shifted.

“Oh.”

With that strange little exclamation, he folded the letter again and laid his hand over the back of Seoryak’s.

“Grandfather has ended his seclusion, Seoryak. I suppose we ought to go pay our respects.”

Tang Un’s eyes curved with apparent delight.

Seoryak, unlike him, looked stricken.

“...W-What did you say?”

At the very news she had least wanted to hear lately, all the color drained from her face.

******

Uncle Geunmyeong’s reply did not come for quite some time.

I knew it would take a while since I had used a messenger pigeon, but once the delay stretched on, I grew so restless that I couldn’t concentrate on anything.

I was halfheartedly tending to my concealed weapons while staring into space when Yeon Ryang came striding in with a fishing rod over one shoulder and a fish threaded onto a kudzu vine.

“Sohae, let’s eat. Want me to steam it or grill it?”

“Brother, you’re back? Wow, that thing’s huge. How’d you catch it? At this rate, you could make a living as a fisherman.”

I made a fuss as I took the fishing rod from him.

Yeon Ryang chuckled and waved the fish, which was nearly as thick as his forearm.

“There was a nice fat bastard in the river. Thought I’d catch him quick and put a little oil in my sister’s belly.”

“Let’s grill it. Want to make a fire in the yard?”

“Sure, sure. Can you bring out some of the firewood I split?”

I nodded and began preparing a fire in the yard.

As though we had made an unspoken pact, neither of us mentioned what had happened that day.

We ate together as if nothing had happened and spent the hours doing our own things.

But the scars from that day remained like invisible thorns, pricking at us every so often.

“No reply yet?”

“Even once it comes, it’ll still take Uncle Geunmyeong some time to get here. Still, I’ll be able to breathe easier once he does.”

At my answer, Yeon Ryang gave an awkward smile.

“...Yeah. I suppose so.”

He forced himself to agree, then picked apart a piece of fish with sizzling oil bubbling across its surface and placed it in my bowl.

His lips moved as though he wanted to say something, then closed again.

It was obvious he still wanted to send me away alone.

I pretended not to notice.

With me deliberately ignoring it, he could only watch my expression without saying anything.

I put the fish in my mouth and changed the subject.

“Did you finish carving the wooden sword? You looked like you were working on it yesterday.”

“Almost. Want to try holding it later? I’m not sure if I got the length right for your arms.”

“It’ll fit. You’ve got a good eye for that kind of thing. I’ll try it after I get back from the market.”

“Sure. Pick up some salt while you’re there. And buy a few chickens. We’ll stew them down properly for dinner.”

I nodded along, cheeks puffed out with food.

Yeon Ryang snorted with amusement.

Lately, he passed the time by fishing or carving bits of wood.

At first, he seemed to be making little toys for Cane or practice concealed weapons for me.

But when he moved on to carving a wooden sword, it became clear that he had not completely let go of his attachment to the sword.

Still, he looked remarkably peaceful while working those hands of his—each one nearly as large as a pot lid—so I saw no reason to stop him.

As long as he didn’t swing it around.

Once he finishes it, I’ll carry it myself so he can’t.

I reaffirmed that decision and adjusted my grip on my chopsticks.

Cane suddenly hopped up and grabbed my knee.

“Kkit.”

“It’s still hot, Cane. I’ll let it cool first.”

I tapped its forepaw to tell it to wait, but Cane shook its head vigorously.

“Kii!”

It tugged on my clothes, looked upward, and began bouncing in place.

I followed its gaze.

A large hawk was circling the safe house.

It was a Tang Clan messenger hawk.

“Oh! Looks like the reply came. Brother, I’ll go get the letter.”

I put down my chopsticks, stepped outside the formation, and brought the messenger hawk in.

The letter read:

I am writing briefly because matters are urgent.

The old master has ended his seclusion.

He flew into a rage after hearing what happened to you, destroyed the Council of Elders, and stormed out. He should reach you within a few days, so make preparations.

The writing was scrawled in a haste completely unlike Uncle Geunmyeong.

Grandfather’s seclusion was over.

A huge grin spread across my face at the news I had been waiting for.

He really did come out before three years were up.

He must have worked himself half to death trying to keep his promise.

Beaming, I called to Yeon Ryang.

“Brother! Grandfather’s seclusion is over!”

“Oh, really?”

“He apparently ran straight out to find me. They say he’ll be here soon.”

An uneasy look appeared on Yeon Ryang’s face.

“Sohae. Then maybe your brother should stay somewhere else for a while...”

“Oh, it’ll be fine, Brother.”

“Hah. I don’t think it’ll be fine. He’ll probably twist my neck before you even get a chance to stop him.”

“No, Grandfather wouldn’t just attack someone without—”

He would.

He absolutely would.

Huh?

Maybe we really should be careful.

The moment I imagined Grandfather trying to kill Yeon Ryang, my heart dropped.

No.

Absolutely not.

Where else was I supposed to find such a kind, well-behaved member of the Demonic Sect?

Going pale, I hurriedly picked up Cane and placed it in Yeon Ryang’s arms.

“Brother. Just in case, stay glued to Cane. Put it somewhere Grandfather can clearly see it. On your head, your shoulder—anywhere high up. Cane, if you run into Grandfather when I’m not there, you have to stop him. Got it?”

“Kkit!”

Should I smear some tracking incense on him to tell Grandfather not to touch him?

Grandfather made the stuff himself, so he would recognize it immediately.

After thinking it over, I went inside the safe house, brought out the Ten-Thousand-Li Tracking Incense, and smeared it liberally all over Yeon Ryang.

He looked down at himself with obvious distrust.

“What is this? I can’t smell anything.”

“Tracking incense Grandfather made. He’ll recognize it as soon as he notices it.”

“...You sure the Poison King won’t mistake me for prey?”

Huh.

Would he?

Unfortunately, there was no getting rid of the tracking incense now that I had rubbed it all over him.

I awkwardly shifted my gaze between Yeon Ryang and the incense.

“That’s a problem. This stuff lasts four months.”

“Sohae...”

“It’s fine. It’s fine. He’ll recognize it.”

At this point, all I could do was trust Grandfather to understand my signal.

...He’ll understand, right?