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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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The following day.
Ja-yeong went to cut grass on the back mountain, and he found that some wildflowers had bloomed. The flowers that were just budding from their buds and were shyly poking out their petals reminded him of the miss. The white petals and the reddish hue that was shyly poking out also seemed to resemble the miss so much.
So, during his break, Ja-yeong stealthily took his scythe and cut down the flowers.
He wanted to gather many flowers and make a bouquet for her, but it was impossible for him, a servant, to carry around a large bouquet, so he carefully picked only the most beautiful flowers and put them in his pocket.
A disciple who was there to supervise the servants was sprawled out and sleeping under the shade, and the other servants were busy eating the rice balls that they had brought for a snack or they were lost in their conversations.
Ja-yeong stealthily returned to them and joined their conversation.
“So, what were you guys talking about?”
One of the servants said while chewing on a piece of grass.
“Hey, Ja-yeong, you should be the one to tell me. With our leader’s skills, even if he can’t enter the Nine Sects, he can at least step foot under the Five Great Clans, right? I saw our leader fight last time, and, huh? Those ring-like things were flying around and were popping people’s heads off, you know? Even if I don’t know much about martial arts, seeing that a person went that far using human strength, he’s at least the level after the Five Great Clans, right? Our leader.”
Another servant shook his head firmly and said,
“Hey, hey, the Five Great Clans? I’m telling you that there was this rich nobleman who bought a place near Mount Jongnam, and I went there the other day because our leader was talking about a business deal with him, right? I’m telling you that our leader couldn’t even go against the martial artists who were standing there as guards. He’s not even below the Five Great Clans, he’s below that.”
“Maybe that guy was a terrifying master? And he was rich too, right?”
“How would I know? His name was so hard, that an illiterate guy like me can’t even memorize it. Anyway, Ja-yeong, what do you think? Is our leader at least below the Five Great Clans? Or not?”
“…..But our leader also has his own sect, so he must be quite skilled, right?”
When men gathered, they always ended up talking about who was stronger. Ja-yeong sat down with the other servants, and spent the remaining time debating on that topic.
“Does that even make sense!”
While they were talking, someone hit Ja-yeong’s thighs.
“No, I’m telling you that it might be true! Our leader is also, you know, filled with ambition! A guy like that!”
Ja-yeong would press down on his legs and move them around while he was focused on the conversation.
Meanwhile, the flowers in his pocket were losing their shape and becoming ruined.
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On his way back after cutting the grass.
While the other servants were rushing towards their accommodations and laying on their beds, Ja-yeong pulled out the few flowers that he had stored in his pocket.
“Aigoo….”
Even to him, the ruined form of the flower didn’t look that pretty, but Ja-yeong decided to show it to her anyway.
Everyone had a tendency to be arrogant.
Ja-yeong was a young man who purely wanted to be with her, but,
he was also a man who was nurturing a strange arrogance in his heart, as he believed that she would be happy even just by looking at the wildflowers because she was unable to walk, and that she would like the flowers since he was the one giving them to her.
When it was the time that work was finishing up, the discipline had become lax, so no one cared where a servant was going on his own.
Ja-yeong was successful in sneaking past people’s eyes and going in front of the building where Seon-go was staying, and he secretly called out to her in front of her door.
“Miss. Miss.”
How many times did he have to call out to her in a frantic tone? The door carefully opened and Seon-go appeared with a tired look. She blinked to confirm that it was Ja-yeong, and said in a listless voice,
“…What’s wrong?”
“I, I, wanted to give this to you, miss…”
Ja-yeong said that and then held out the bouquet of flowers. Because he was sitting down while working, and moving around quickly, the shapes of the flowers were ruined. The messy shapes that looked like they would be better as a side dish on a dining table than a gift, made Seon-go a little flustered.
She was a beat slow before realizing that they were flowers and nodded awkwardly.
“Ah, flowers.”
“Yes. Th, th, I just thought of you while working. Th, ah, I hoped that you would see them, miss….”
Ja-yeong said that and then he carefully glanced at Seon-go. Seon-go was just looking back and forth between Ja-yeong’s hands and the flowers with a subtle expression and didn’t seem to be moved.
“…..Just leave them here.”
She might have been moved by his actions in the past. But now, she was having a terrible mood due to the intense first night she had experienced yesterday. Her waist was aching every time she moved, and a foreign feeling still remained in her lower body.
Ja-yeong’s visit was a little burdensome for her right now.
She didn’t want Ja-yeong to get closer, to recognize something was wrong, and to call someone else or make a big fuss. That’s why she reacted more indifferently and distantly than usual.
“Ah, okay….”
Ja-yeong nodded at her cold reaction, and he carefully placed the bouquet of flowers down.
The flowers looked even more pathetic on the floor.
Ja-yeong placed the flowers down and scratched his head, before cautiously saying,
“Th, if, if you are not feeling well, miss….”
“….I’m fine.”
Seon-go forced a smile and said that.
“But…”
“…I’m fine. Ja-yeong.”
Ja-yeong tried to say something else, but he felt a certain line in her smiling face and moved back. This was not the line that he felt as a man. Ja-yeong felt a primal feeling that he, as a subordinate, shouldn’t go against the higher-ups and humbly bowed his head as he stepped back.
Ironically, that action was what Seon-go wanted, and at the same time, it was also creating a strange disappointment in her. The moment that Ja-yeong, who had always been free and was able to do anything for her, had revealed his limitations as a man, the pure image of Ja-yeong that she had nurtured within her was being distorted and was collapsing.
Ja-yeong couldn’t say anything and turned his body to leave, and Seon-go sighed after silently looking at the flowers that Ja-yeong had placed down. They were neither beautiful nor were they suited to be decorated anywhere.
That man would come again at night, and it would be difficult to explain if she was holding onto these kinds of flowers.
She reached out her hand and carefully pushed the flowers away.
The moment that the flowers fell to the floor.
Seon-go heard a sound like something had fallen with a thud.
******
Night came.
Seon-go was looking at the sky with a blanket over her body. The man had never said when he would come exactly, but he would always come when the moon was bright and leave before the dawn rooster crowed.
That man, who had called himself Do-cheol. He would come and take her by force again tonight.
Under the guise of marriage, he would take her mercilessly, again and again.
Seon-go had the intention of asking him to be patient today.
Her body was not feeling well, and a foreign feeling was still lingering in her lower body. She thought that she would be better if she just rested for one day, and she hoped that he would be patient just for today.
“I’m coming in.”
As if calling out a name would cause a ghost to appear, she heard a knock on the door. The shadow beyond the moonlight created the shape of Do-cheol. Seon-go clutched onto the blanket tightly and said in a small voice,
“…Come in.”
And then, Seon-go carefully raised her head. The hand that was clutching the blanket was pale, and the words asking him to be patient just for today were lingering in her heart.
“How’s your body?”
And what came towards her wasn’t a rough hand movement.
Do-cheol didn’t try to take her by force, nor did he try to take off her clothes. He came into the room carrying various things, as if he had no intention of sleeping with her today.
As soon as he came in, he stood a little away from Seon-go and showed her some herbs in his hands.
“This is an herb that’s good for pain. They said that if you grind it up finely and dissolve it in water and drink it, it’ll work.”
He was holding a mortar in his other hand, and a unique smell was coming from his pocket.
It seemed like he had prepared a lot of things for her.
“You were tired yesterday, so take this medicine and rest well today.”
Do-cheol said that and then began to grind the herbs. A faint scent of herbs spread through the air, and just that smell alone made Seon-go feel more at ease. He didn’t prepare it beforehand, it seemed like he had done it to spread the scent through the air.
However, even while her body was becoming more at ease, she didn’t understand his actions. It was hard for her to tell what his intentions were, why he was treating her so well.
Seon-go carefully asked while examining his reactions,
“…Why are you being so nice to me?”
Then, Do-cheol looked at her as if it was him who couldn’t understand and said,
“Because we’re a couple.”
Do-cheol nodded once, and then he began to make the medicine again. He poured a little water at a time and made the mixture form properly and rolled it up to create small pills. And then he gently placed the medicine on top of her hands that were gathered so carefully.
Seon-go felt a jolt after hearing his words and actions.
The feelings that were pushing him away were cracking and breaking little by little.
She was starting to question herself, if it was right for her to keep on pushing a man who was treating her so well.
The medicine that she swallowed was a little bitter, but just swallowing it made her feel as if her heart was becoming lighter somehow.
Do-cheol said,
“Tell me if anything else is hurting.”
And then he carefully laid Seon-go down and covered her with a blanket.
Seon-go was staring with wide eyes as she made eye contact with Do-cheol.
Do-cheol was silently watching her.
“Um…”
In the silence, Seon-go opened her mouth first.
She stretched out her hand from under the blanket and made a gesture of shaking it.
“….If it’s just my hand.”
Do-cheol barely suppressed his lip from twitching.
Thanks vine! now get back to building your pyramids