Chapter 20
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Dongbaek decided to escort Lily back to her house. She parted ways with Xiahou Dun when they entered the Luoyang marketplace, with no promises to meet again. Yet, both Dongbaek and Xiahou Dun instinctively felt they would cross paths again someday.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
Bidan carried Dongbaek and Lily at a leisurely, relaxed pace. Unfamiliar with seeing the surroundings from this different height and speed, Lily’s eyes darted around, unable to settle on one spot.
But what Lily was most curious about, what she most wanted to see, was Dongbaek’s figure steadily supporting her from behind.
His exotic features were refreshingly beautiful yet masculine. His light-colored eyes and the three dots below them made Dongbaek appear even more mysterious. His appearance, rarely seen in these parts, stood out in both good and bad ways, naturally causing the young girl’s heart to flutter pink. His slightly faded hair was closer to sunset color than black.
I want to touch it.
No sooner had Lily thought this than Dongbaek’s loose hair lightly tickled the top of her head. The ticklish sensation traveled up through her fingertips.
Come to think of it, Dongbaek had a nice scent. Since his name meant camellia, she vaguely thought it might be the scent of camellia flowers. Upon reaching this thought, seven-year-old Lily’s heart burst. No, not just her heart—her face seemed to burst as well.
Her reddened cheeks showed shyness more than embarrassment or awkwardness.
“We’re here. Is this the house with the persimmon tree?”
“Ah, y-yes… yes!”
Lost in thought, Lily hurriedly answered Dongbaek’s question. Looking back, he had been worried about her since their first meeting. Somehow that seemed endearing, and combined with the fact that he had saved her, it made her heart race even more for this boy called Dongbaek.
Before Lily could dismount, Dongbaek jumped down from the horse first. Lily looked down to dismount as well. But what was this? One of her shoes was missing. She couldn’t remember if she’d lost it earlier in the forest or while being dragged away by that man. Come to think of it, she’d been walking barefoot this whole time.
She couldn’t help but laugh, imagining how her nanny would be horrified. Of course, seeing Lily’s current state, she might not just be horrified but actually faint.
That’s when Dongbaek took out a package from the luggage attached to the horse. When he unwrapped it, there was a pair of shoes. The red silk with gold embroidery and gold thread gleamed magnificently. These were the silk shoes that had captivated Lily earlier.
Dongbaek carefully removed the remaining shoe from Lily’s left foot and personally helped her put on the new shoes. At his careful and delicate touch, Lily’s face turned an even brighter red than before, incomparable to earlier. Her heart pounded like an army of a million soldiers marching forward.
Dan Lily. Seven years old. Although spring—her birthday—was still far off, her heart felt as though fresh flowers were blooming, ushering in a warm and sunny season.
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Only after confirming that Lily had entered her house did Dongbaek trudge back to Zhang Rang’s mansion. Despite having done a good deed, the taste in her mouth wasn’t particularly pleasant.
It wasn’t because of the first kill. It was Xiahou Dun’s presence that was the first threat she encountered. If that little one, Lily, hadn’t courageously intervened, she would have surely lost. Though divine protection would have saved her life, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t have been injured. No, she definitely would have been injured.
‘Then I would have needed to call a physician… My gender might have been discovered.’
The thought sent chills down her spine and made her feel grateful to Lily. While she herself was already over twenty and could handle such things, it took remarkable courage for a seven-year-old child to enter the middle of a fight.
Thinking about it made her feel thankful. While she might have been a benefactor to Lily, Lily was clearly also a benefactor to her.
As Dongbaek was reflecting on earlier events, Jao, who had been keeping his distance, glided low around Dongbaek’s vicinity. Earlier, he had stayed far away due to concern about the gazes of Lily and others nearby, but now with no watching eyes, he quickly approached Dongbaek and spoke.
“You almost got into big trouble earlier, didn’t you?”
“You’re supposed to share life and death with me, yet you just watched? Didn’t think to fly in and help?”
Dongbaek jabbed at Jao’s words and poked at a sore spot. But Jao replied shamelessly.
“I warned you beforehand, and it all worked out in the end. If you were someone who’d get into real trouble here, there would have been no reason to choose you as Alice.”
“For someone who usually trembles with worry at everything I do, you sure talk big.”
“W-When did I ever!”
The crow shouted in denial, but strong denial is strong affirmation. Dongbaek flashed a victorious smile before slumping onto Bidan, who was walking slowly. Her grumbling voice was full of fatigue.
“Let’s go. I’m too tired today…”
“Who told you to meddle with others’ business?”
“Yeah, you’re right…”
Usually, Dongbaek would have argued back immediately, but today she strangely agreed compliantly. Seeing this, Jao also deflated like a balloon. Finding no fun in needling Dongbaek, Jao changed the subject.
“By the way, was Xiahou Dun always such a hotheaded character? Chasing after someone so furiously just for bumping into them.”
“Judging by how he wielded his sword, he didn’t seem particularly hotheaded.”
Dongbaek’s skin crawled as she recalled the trajectory of Xiahou Dun’s sword. His blade, which showed no hesitation in cutting down enemies, whether they were children or women, was cold and calculating. Just seeing how he could control his forcefully swung sword in an instant showed he was a swordsman several dimensions above Dongbaek’s level.
While Dongbaek shuddered slightly at the memory of encountering such a powerful opponent for the first time, Jao obliviously continued chattering.
“Come to think of it, that little girl earlier—she’s totally smitten with you.”
“Huh?”
Seeing Dongbaek’s questioning expression, Jao was momentarily dumbfounded. Are you really asking because you don’t know? Has this woman lost her mind?
“Hey, after putting on a show like that, isn’t it obvious?”
“Sh-show?”
Dongbaek stammered at Jao’s blunt expression. Seeing her genuinely confused reaction, it was clear she had no awareness of what she had done.
Really now. Playing the prince on a white horse and then playing innocent? Appearing dramatically to save someone from danger, personally putting on silk shoes like the prince from Cinderella. Look at her pretending not to know after fulfilling every little girl’s romantic fantasy.
Though countless words swirled in his beak, Jao simply clicked his beak as he delivered one final jab.
“You know, all of that—you’re guilty of it. Understand?”
Clicking his tongue in mock disapproval, Jao flew up over Dongbaek’s head, who was still looking puzzled.
Dongbaek mulled over Jao’s cryptic words, reflecting on her actions. Hadn’t I just done a good deed? Should I have left the girl alone instead? Sure, the silk shoes might have been a bit much… but with her missing a shoe, wasn’t it the perfect gift for the situation?
Question marks kept appearing one by one in Dongbaek’s mind.
Dongbaek completely failed to consider how her actions might have appeared to a young child just awakening to dreams and romance. And this was merely a precursor to the cute pink-tinted incidents to come.
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Autumn had come and gone in Yezhou. As the trees shed their colorful leaves in preparation for winter, a man arrived in Yezhou from Luoyang. Without hesitation, he made his way to the grandest and most opulent estate in the region—the former residence of Zhong Changshi Cao Teng.
The mansion carried the scent of death. A slightly gloomy dampness lingered in the man’s nostrils, but it wasn’t particularly unpleasant. This strange atmosphere where melancholy and excitement coexisted was like the essence of the old friend he had come to meet, who was at the center of the mansion.
Everyone in the mansion welcomed the man. From the guards at the entrance to the passing servants. The man responded to each greeting while heading toward his friend’s room.
“Hey, Aman.”
“Ah, you’ve come?”
The man called Aman, Cao Cao, stopped what he was doing and turned his head toward the familiar voice. A robust man’s shadow stood in the doorway. His intense eyes were striking. The man who had come from Luoyang to meet Cao Cao, calling him with such familiarity, was none other than Xiahou Dun.
Pulling up a chair, Xiahou Dun sat down and asked,
“How is the elder? I heard his condition has worsened lately?”
“He’s living day by day… He’s lived a long life.”
Beneath these seemingly cold words lay deep sorrow. Seeing Cao Cao’s expression, Xiahou Dun momentarily couldn’t continue speaking. It was natural to feel such emotions, given how close he was to Cao Cao’s grandfather. Intending to cheer up Cao Cao, Xiahou Dun deliberately brightened his voice and began talking about what had happened in Luoyang recently.
“A few weeks ago, I had some business in Luoyang, and I saw a boy who resembled you.”
“Resembled me…?”
Seemingly interested in Xiahou Dun’s words, Cao Cao urged him to continue. Xiahou Dun grinned and went on.
“Yes. Good at reading reality and situations, but so arrogant and prideful that he’ll probably end up walking straight to his own death.”
“Hahaha, so that’s how he resembles me?”
Cao Cao laughed off Xiahou Dun’s blunt words. Xiahou Dun’s harsh way of speaking was nothing new. Moreover, each word he spoke hit uncomfortably close to the truth, which was why his reputation wasn’t particularly good among suspicious elders.
But Cao Cao knew that Xiahou Dun’s manner of speaking came from genuine concern. Of course it would, they weren’t friends of just one or two years.
Xiahou Dun looked like he was hiding something. He clearly hadn’t said the most important part yet. When Cao Cao pressed him out of curiosity, Hahudon leaned in and whispered softly in his ear, as if worried someone might hear.
“And he’s also the adopted son of Zhong Changshi Zhang Rang.”
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Thank you for reading! ♡
