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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: cyno
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Their gazes collided in midair.
Shock, confusion, unease… and beneath it all, a faint hostility and wariness.
Indescribable emotions swirled between the two.
“You… why are you here…? No, more importantly… what happened to your voice?”
Yoo So-eun stared at Byeokrak with disbelief.
Though his appearance had changed somewhat since living with the Taiyuan Jin family, it wasn’t enough for his former wife to fail to recognize him.
“…So now you’re speaking formally to me again.”
A complicated mix of emotions—wanting to talk yet not wanting to—flashed through Byeokrak’s mind as he responded indifferently.
He was trying his best not to care.
“You… still remember what happened back then, don’t you?”
Byeokrak—no, Namgoong Cheolbin—and Yoo So-eun.
The last time they had spoken…
It could hardly even be called a conversation. Just a brief, one-sided moment.
—I’ve never seen a monster like you.
—…Fuck.
—Just disappear. I regret ever marrying you and living as a Namgoong. It makes me sick.
—Goddammit!!
That day had been the first time Yoo So-eun had ever cursed at him.
Before that, even while living together in the Namgoong estate, she had treated him like he was invisible.
“Well… it’s not exactly a memory one forgets easily.”
Their relationship had always been distant.
“About that day… I’m sorry. As the mistress of the Namgoong family, I had no choice but to assert my authority.”
“No need for insincere apologies. More importantly—”
Byeokrak’s eyes shifted to the box Yoo So-eun was holding.
“Why are you here?”
Startled by his cold gaze, Yoo So-eun steadied herself and opened the box.
Inside were about twenty small, round medicinal pills.
“Gongjin Pills. I heard Lady Sword Blossom was weak, so I came to deliver them.”
The pills were a rare tonic—so precious they were typically reserved for the emperor.
“Lady Sword Blossom…? What business do you have with her health?”
Byeokrak frowned, his voice laced with suspicion.
“…Lady? Why are you calling her—”
“Answer my question first. Why are you bringing her these pills?”
“……”
Byeokrak stood firmly in the doorway, his back to Jin Gayoung’s room like an imperial guard.
To Yoo So-eun, it felt like an unspoken barrier—an impenetrable wall.
“Why won’t you answer?”
“…Soo-ah.”
“……?”
“I wanted to ask her to take care of Soo-ah.”
“That’s a difficult statement to understand.”
As if exposing a shameful secret, Yoo So-eun lowered her gaze.
“Did you know… Soo-ah has no one around her? She’s always either training or secluded, so she has no close friends.”
“……”
“You wouldn’t know. You couldn’t know. You never cared enough to notice.”
“If you mean friends her age, I was aware. I just didn’t have the time to intervene.”
“I understand. You were always busy. But this isn’t just about friends her age. Right now, Soo-ah has no one.”
Her lips trembled slightly—not just from facing her ex-husband.
“Soo-ah is only fifteen. Yet she has no friends, not even a proper adult by her side.”
“Bin is there. And the head steward. Both treat her well.”
“The head steward was driven out by the young master. And as for that man… I don’t know. He tries to treat her well, but something feels off.”
“Is that so? And how does that justify you, the former mistress of the Namgoong family, bowing and scraping to deliver rare pills just to ask for Soo-ah’s sake?”
“I can’t stay by Soo-ah’s side forever. She’s meant to be a leading figure in the next generation of Murim—she needs some connections before then.”
“…So the former mistress of the Namgoong family is now running errands for a minor house like Taiyuan Jin? Is the Namgoong name that worthless now?”
A trace of irritation seeped into Byeokrak’s voice.
Though he had cast off the Namgoong name months ago, it still stung.
“What else could I do? The White Blossom of Hua Shan mocked me. The Jade Blossom of Kunlun wouldn’t even look at me. But the Heavenly Blossom of Wudang accepted them gratefully. That’s enough. When Soo-ah enters the martial world, even one peer like her will be better than nothing.”
“That’s what other sects do to the Namgoong. Not the other way around. Have you no pride?”
At the sharp rebuke, Yoo So-eun lowered her gaze further, barely managing to speak.
“My pride is nothing compared to Soo-ah being left alone. Didn’t you once say pride is worse than useless? Don’t you remember…?”
“Hah.”
“An opportunity like the Seven Blossoms War won’t come again. The Great Namgoong Family? Do you really think that name will last after you left?”
“Namgoong Bin, that scheming bastard, is still the family head. Don’t make me laugh.”
Despite having done nothing wrong, Yoo So-eun flinched under Byeokrak’s razor-sharp presence.
She couldn’t meet his eyes, tucking one hand against her elbow like a criminal.
Yet she still spoke firmly.
“…You.”
“…?”
“This is all your fault, you know?”
“What are you talking about?”
“With the Sword Saint—the name that represented the Namgoong—fallen into the mud, who would respect the Namgoong now? We’re lucky if they don’t spit on us.”
To Byeokrak, every word was infuriating.
“That wasn’t my fault. I told you—I committed no crime.”
“Enough. I don’t want to argue. We’re not exactly on good terms… we’re strangers now, aren’t we?”
“…Just give me the pills. I’ll deliver them to Lady Sword Blossom.”
Snatch.
He all but ripped the box from Yoo So-eun’s delicate fingers.
As he turned to leave, she peeked past him into the room—
—and locked eyes with a young woman, just beginning to shed her girlishness.
Shimmering golden eyes that, for some reason, seemed to glare at her.
‘Lady Sword Blossom… I’ve seen her before, but she’s quite lovely.’
But something felt… off.
The warm air of the room.
The sheer white underrobe, translucent enough to hint at her shoulders.
The fact that she and Byeokrak had been alone together.
And the irregular, audible breaths from the young woman.
‘……?’
A sudden, unpleasant suspicion wormed its way into Yoo So-eun’s mind.
One she never wanted to entertain again.
“……!”
“You can leave now. Lady Sword Blossom has accepted your gift.”
Byeokrak stepped back into the doorway, blocking her view.
“…So that’s your type now.”
Yoo So-eun’s voice dripped with bitterness as she lowered her gaze further.
“……? If you’re done, leave. We have nothing more to discuss. Or are you misunderstanding something again?”
At his sharp tone, Yoo So-eun turned away without hesitation.
Then she spoke.
“Was it… thirteen years ago? When your love for me faded?”
Her voice was hollow, laced with self-mockery.
“What nonsense are you spouting now?”
“You grew cold the moment I came of age. Now I think I know why.”
“Whatever ‘reason’ you’ve imagined, it’s wrong. I can promise you that.”
“I always knew. Among your… victims… there were only children, weren’t there?”
Crack—
“Watch your tongue. I’ve been patient, but my temper has limits.”
The sunlight caught the faint glimmer in Yoo So-eun’s eyes.
Just for a moment.
“Did you think I didn’t notice? That for thirteen years, you never once saw me as a woman?”
“I had no emotions back then… Ugh, forget it. Just leave. Stop airing private matters to a stranger.”
“Fine. I’ll go. Sorry for burdening you with my personal troubles.”
As she turned to leave, her footsteps crunching in the snow—
—she suddenly stopped.
With a trembling voice, she asked a question—one that took both courage and swallowed pride.
“Would you… like to greet Soo-ah? It’s been so long…”
Byeokrak closed the door behind him, his answer flat.
“We’re strangers now.”
Thud.
Yoo So-eun quickly wiped her eyes and headed to her next destination—the Poison Blossom of the Tang Family.
****
Meanwhile…
—Hah. This is hilarious.
In Byeokrak’s mind, an old man mocked him.
—She didn’t even notice the candied fruit was gone.
The plate in his hand, once full of sweets, was now empty.
***
Jin Gayoung’s Perspective
Yoo So-eun.
The name of my mister’s ex-wife.
Once the Plum Blossom Swordmaster of Hua Shan, she had held the title of Sword Blossom before me—so of course, I knew of her.
But why was that name here now?
“……………….”
“……………….”
Twisting my waist, I peeked my head out from behind the bed.
Through the open door and Mister’s broad back, I caught a glimpse of a woman.
Her long, neatly tied hair cascaded down to her ankles—swaying in a way that felt threatening to me.
But… the more I looked, the more I realized that wasn’t the only threatening thing about her.
‘…How is that size even possible?’
Her attire was modest.
If the word ‘prim’ were personified, it would be her—from her demeanor to her posture, her appearance to her clothing, everything was flawlessly proper and cautious.
She looked so fragile, as if a single touch would break her, her posture alone enough to stir pity.
But…
“……………….”
“……………….”
They were talking, but I couldn’t hear a word.
Because her figure monopolized my vision.
What kind of body is that?
Even layered in robes, the curves of her chest and hips were unmistakable.
No—it wasn’t just that.
It was like… her entire bone structure was indecent. Just standing there, her body seemed to ripple like waves.
‘Dammit……!’
And then there’s me.
Glancing down at my own modest frame—painfully obvious in comparison—I clenched my fists.
‘T-This won’t do……!’
Is this what happens after having a baby?
No, I know that’s not it.
That woman—no, that hussy—was just born like that.
‘I still haven’t… marked Mister as mine……!’
I need to have his baby. Fast.
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