Chapter 42
“…What?”
Dongbaek couldn’t hide her surprise at Jao’s words. And for good reason—what Jao had just told her was so unexpected and absurd that she couldn’t have possibly anticipated it.
“Marriage, I’m talking about marriage. Well, ‘marriage’ is a nice way of putting it—it’s more like she’s being sold off. And the guy is, you know, that bundle of inferiority complex who always picks fights with you…”
“He Jin?”
“Ah, yes. That’s the one, He Jin.”
“…So, you’re saying Young Lady Dan and He Jin? They’re getting married?”
“Yeah, in about two months or something. That little one, her eyes were all swollen from crying… Couldn’t say a word to her father. I heard her muttering to herself that she feels too sorry to even face you… Ah, it broke my heart just hearing it.”
“Are they crazy? How does that make any sense? There’s almost a 30-year age gap. Besides, Lily is still too young!”
“Well, that’s how arranged marriages typically go.”
Jao responded indifferently. Apart from feeling sorry for Lily, other people’s business was just that to him—other people’s business.
But Dongbaek couldn’t remain as detached as Jao. Her face, which had grown cold, began to twitch. Finally sensing something wasn’t right, Jao hurriedly tried to stop her.
“Hey, wait. You… You’re thinking something dangerous right now.”
“…..”
“Stop it. Think about it carefully. How do you plan to stop that kid’s marriage? Her father is willing to sell his young daughter to a man his own age—do you think stopping this one time will end it? Are you going to try to stop every marriage proposal that comes her way? And what if she starts expecting things from you?”
Jao’s words were the cold truth. And Dongbaek knew this well. Yet, in frustration, she raised her voice.
“So we just leave her like this?”
“And if we don’t, what then? Are you going to marry her instead?”
“……”
At Dongbaek’s silence, Jao shuddered.
“Good heavens. You were really thinking about that? Have you lost your mind? What if you get caught?”
“If I do it well enough, I won’t get caught…”
“Let’s say you don’t get caught now. But what about in ten years? That kid likes you so much—do you really think living together, she’ll never find out? When she does find out, won’t she feel even more betrayed? Don’t create unnecessary dangers.”
“…Anyway, it can’t be He Jin. That bastard is absolutely not acceptable.”
Dongbaek shook her head violently. He Jin’s character was questionable at best. He was the type to readily accept such a marriage arrangement. Even though he was destined to die in a few years, it was crystal clear that married life until then would be horrific for Lily.
She couldn’t just stand by and watch as someone whose face she knew, someone she had spoken with multiple times, was being sold off like this. It would be better if Lily felt betrayed by her, better to risk her own secret being exposed.
Biting her lips hard, Dongbaek muttered,
“I can’t guarantee this will truly be the best outcome for her. But…”
“Think about what’s best for you! Do you think she’s the only one being sold off like this in Luoyang?”
Jao, who only cared about Dongbaek’s safety, cried out hysterically. But Dongbaek slowly parted her lips while gazing at the moon barely visible through the wind-blown window.
“Even if there are many girls like that in Luoyang, Lily Dan is the only one whose situation I know personally.”
A gust of wind tousled Dongbaek’s hair. Her skin looked bluish-pale in the moonlight. Her slightly lifeless lip color made her appear even more drained of vitality. But her eyes, filled with firm resolve, sparkled with life itself.
“If I pretend not to know about this now, I feel like it will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
“Is that your intuition?”
“It’s my conscience.”
Dongbaek smiled softly, but Jao couldn’t bring himself to smile at all. Sighing deeply, Jao added,
“Don’t regret this.”
“I’ve considered everything before making this decision.”
Even if there were things to regret later, they wouldn’t weigh as heavily as the regret of doing nothing at all.
Jao couldn’t argue with Dongbaek’s words. Though he knew how unreasonable and dangerous her thoughts were, her determination seemed too absolute to stop.
Tonight, the moon swayed uneasily in the sky. Jao sighed inwardly. Once Dongbaek made up her mind, all he could do was follow along.
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
Lily buried her face in her arms, which rested on the windowsill. Even the crow that had been comforting her melancholy lately had flown away at some point, and now she was truly alone.
Days passed meaninglessly like clouds across the blue sky. Every day had been hell since her father’s announcement of her wedding date.
He Jin, who was to be Lily’s groom, was twice her size. Hairy too. Though they say one shouldn’t judge people by appearances, young Lily simply couldn’t find any affection for him.
‘Maybe dying would be better…’
Her flower-like lips exhaled a bitter sigh. Lily reached out to grab her embroidery frame. With her troubled mind, she wanted to pass time by continuing her unfinished needlework.
On the round embroidery frame was a half-completed camellia flower. As her small, gentle fingertips moved freely across the frame, one camellia flower bloomed, then another. The lush, vibrant camellia flowers were so lifelike they seemed to carry their scent.
Time passed, and the sun sank far into the distance. Even as the evening passed, Lily remained devoted to her embroidery.
“Oh, young lady. Please have at least one spoonful of rice porridge. You’ll collapse if you keep starving yourself like this.”
“Just let me finish this.”
“You said the same thing yesterday and ended up not eating at all.”
“But I’m not really hungry.”
Lily’s faint smile broke her nanny’s heart.
The nanny knew well who the camellia flowers Lily was embroidering represented.
But no matter how much Lily liked that boy, it was an impossible love. That boy was Zhang Yang’s adopted son, and the family elder, Dan Liang, despised Zhang Yang. Dan Liang was calm now only because he didn’t know about Lily and Dongbaek’s relationship. If he were to find out that Lily had feelings for Dongbaek, he might not just faint but severely beat Lily.
First love in youth was something that left unnecessary bruises on the heart. Swallowing a deep sigh, the nanny picked up the porridge bowl and left the room.
The last rays of the setting sun were completely consumed by darkness, casting shadows in the room. Lily carefully placed the silk embroidered with completed camellia branches to one side. There were numerous camellia-embroidered silk pieces there.
Lily stood up and lit a candle. The reddish light was too weak to illuminate the room but sufficient for embroidery. Lily picked up a new embroidery frame.
Outside, the sound of insects had begun to fill the air. Finding that the chirping sounds made her feel even more pitiful, Lily paused her work and looked outside.
The mansion was quiet. Realizing she was the only one awake, Lily gazed at the moon hanging high in the sky.
‘I wonder if Young Master So is looking at the moon too…’
A faint smile spread across Lily’s lips. It saddened her that she could only smile when thinking of him like this.
Then she heard a rustling sound. It came from the large persimmon tree that covered the wall near Lily’s room.
Though the area was dim, obscured by leaves, Lily could see the leaves swaying gently. Leaves moving on their own in such a still moment without wind? Lily quickly concluded that someone had intruded.
‘A thief? Or…’
She should have screamed for help, but only a faint moan escaped her throat. Her body froze, and her strength drained away, causing the precariously held embroidery frame to fall to the floor.
But what ultimately stripped away what little strength she had left was that the intruder’s voice belonged to the one she had been dreaming of.
“It’s been a while, Young Lady Dan.”
Lily’s legs weakened at the sweet-sounding voice. Supporting her trembling body against the windowsill, she stammered:
“Y-young Master So…? Is it really you?”
The branches hidden in darkness swayed greatly with a rustle, and then Dongbaek jumped down from the tree, revealing herself in the moonlight. Dongbaek’s elegant features under the pure white moonlight carried an unusual, precarious etherealness.
“It is me.”
Dongbaek, having jumped down from the tree, approached Lily. Face-to-face with Dongbaek through the window, Lily’s face flushed at her heart’s pounding, which grew stronger with their closing distance.
“Have you been well?”
At Dongbaek’s question, Lily could only nod, unable to form a proper reply.
After examining Lily’s face, Dongbaek sighed with concern. As Dongbaek reached out slightly, her fingertips touched Lily’s cheek. Without even stroking it, just with their fingertips touching, Dongbaek whispered quietly.
“You’ve lost so much weight.”
Lily’s face turned bright red at Dongbaek’s words. Having done nothing but embroider while refusing food for several days, she must have looked terrible. Lily hurriedly covered her face with both hands.
Dongbaek quietly laughed at Lily’s reactions, which came immediately to every prod. The more Dongbaek laughed, the more Lily’s face refused to cool down.
Lily looked up at Dongbaek, only moving her eyes. Dongbaek’s smile, filled with laughter, was beautiful. Looking at that smile made this moment feel like a dream.
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
Thank you for reading! ♡
