Chapter 70
“Se, Sejin?”
“I can handle that much. I’ve been through this so far.”
Sejin tightly closed his eyes.
The feelings that had been pent up in his heart for a long time were now bursting out uncontrollably.
“No, let me be clear.”
Sejin swallowed hard and spoke quickly.
“……I was happy because it seemed like my teacher was comfortable in front of me.”
As soon as he said that, Sejin turned around.
Their eyes met.
Facing the wide-open eyes, Sejin faintly forced a bitter smile.
Since when?
Looking into those eyes, he realized that he felt more than just affection for his teacher.
“So…I…”
He wanted to talk as calmly as possible.
But instead of helping his master, Sejin’s voice trembled miserably.
“I….”
Unable to finish his sentence, Sejin just bit his lip.
Seryeon stared at Sejin with a heavy heart.
At the age of thirty, she had lost her family and raised a five-year-old boy on her own.
That boy inherited everything from her and grew up beautifully with his talented skills.
Now he had become a mature young man, realizing feelings of love.
Seryeon looked at him with longing eyes.
For a moment, Seryeon bit her lip.
“In truth…I knew.”
I knew it, the extent of Sejin’s feelings for her.
Why wouldn’t I know.
Simply because of the excuse of ‘treating him like a child’, she couldn’t have chosen the difficult path of becoming the queen of the Northern Ice Palace.
She just used the excuse of ‘cherishing him like a child’ to think of what was convenient for her.
‘The real reason the child accepted my bequest…’
Seryeon’s eyes trembled.
Sejin, who had been biting his lip for a long time, spoke as if he were vomiting.
“You asked me to marry another woman before.”
“Sejin.”
“How can you say that to me?”
If it had been resentment, his words wouldn’t have been so stuck.
But now, Sejin.
‘Don’t leave me.’
Isn’t he pleading to her like this?
‘What on earth am I.’
Seryeon clenched her fist tightly.
I know what feelings Sejin wants from me, but I can’t return any of those feelings…
“I want to be by my teacher’s side for the rest of my life.”
Sejin spoke as if throwing a tantrum.
From the moment Sejin grew up, he had never shown her such a side.
“I understand my teacher’s feelings very well.”
Sejin’s voice sounded as if a lost child, lost on the road.
“You want me to marry a woman, have a child… and live a normal life. But…”
A spark flickered deep in his eyes.
It was a fierce flame that wanted to devour himself and even his teacher.
“…If I don’t want to do that?”
“Sejin.”
“If I want my teacher to be by my side for the rest of my life?”
The face that seemed like it would cry right away.
The emotions towards Seryeon were so clear.
“If I don’t want anything else.”
“Does that mean…”
“Yes, it does.”
Sejin let out a sigh-like smile.
It was a fragile smile that seemed like it could break at any moment.
“I have feelings for my teacher.”
Seryeon bit her lip until it bled.
“….”
This fantasy was too sweet, too warm, and too longing.
She wanted to stay in this fantasy forever, but she knew deep down.
It was time to wake up from this dream.
“You know, Sejin.”
Seryeon reached out her hand.
Her fingertips, calloused from gripping the sword for so long, gently brushed Sejin’s cheek.
And then.
“The Sejin I know wouldn’t say something like that.”
Her voice was gentle but firm.
Sejin’s eyes widened.
Seryeon smiled bitterly.
“The Sejin I know was a child with a strong sense of responsibility.”
In Sejin’s gaze, there was a mix of respect for his teacher and affection for a woman, which had been there for some time.
Seryeon pretended not to notice those emotions.
Because Sejin was the ancestor of the Do family.
He would be connected to another woman and, through countless descendants, would eventually give birth to the protagonist of this world, ‘Hyun Do-yul’.
“In the future I’ve already lived, that boy…”
In the end, he never confessed his feelings to Seryeon.
He was afraid of burdening his teacher and believed that a priestly relationship could last longer than a romantic one.
Instead, Sejin accepted Seryeon’s proposal and spent his life with her.
Sejin was a sincere person.
He gave all his affection to the woman he married and eventually found happiness with her.
Seryeon felt a sense of relief and a little bit of loss as she watched them.
But the biggest emotion she felt was pride.
It was a sense of pride.
Watching the child she had cherished for so long grow up and find happiness with a new woman, her heart swelled with emotions.
“Sejin, I’m sorry.”
At the sincere apology, Sejin’s eyes flickered briefly.
“….Teacher.”
Seryeon closed and opened her eyes tightly.
She didn’t take in the young and helpless Sejin out of pity or compassion; she had calculated that he would give birth to the future ‘male protagonist’ and took him in as her disciple.
But if she had known how precious he would become.
If she had known how tenderly that child would grow up…
“Sejin.”
Seryeon spoke sincerely.
“I was truly happy watching you grow up.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You will be very happy in the future.”
Because that’s what she had seen in the future.
She still vividly remembered Sejin meeting the woman he truly loved and smiling happily.
“You will have many children, and your descendants will continue for generations.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your name will be remembered in history, and your very existence will make Bukhae Ice Palace glorious.”
Sejin bit his lip firmly.
It was strange.
The warmth emanating from his teacher’s cheek was so clear.
But, but…
“It’s strange, it feels like my teacher keeps distancing herself from me.”
As if noticing Sejin’s confusion, Seryeon gazed deeply into his eyes.
“I too will be proud of the time I spent as your teacher.”
She then flashed a mischievous smile.
It was the comforting, playful smile of his teacher that always brought him solace whenever he looked at it.
“So… it’s time to part ways.”
Snap.
Finally, her hand slipped away from his cheek.
Sejin desperately grabbed Seryeon’s hand.
“P-Part ways?!”
“The time we spent together is long gone.”
Seryeon declared gently but firmly.
“No, Teacher.”
Sejin shook his head vigorously.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying…”
Smoothly, Seryeon gently removed her hand from Sejin’s grasp.
Sejin froze in shock.
“You have your own life, and I have mine.”
“Teacher…”
Seryeon stepped back a single step.
“…Just one step back.”
“It’s strange, Sejin looks really distant.”
Maybe this distance is normal.
Seryeon pondered the long years that had passed between them and the beautiful moments that would never return.
Bitterness filled her mouth.
“My life is no longer here.”
“I can’t understand, I…”
“Your distant descendant, Doyul, is waiting for me.”
In response, Sejin widened his eyes and stood frozen in place.
Seryeon continued speaking firmly.
“Sejin, remember.”
“Teacher…”
“You were my only family, my disciple, and the most precious person in my life.”
If she hadn’t been responsible for Bukhae Ice Palace.
“If that were the case, I might have loved you… not just as a disciple, but as a man.”
Seryeon smirked with a hint of sadness, her eyes closing.
“I love you, my disciple.”
It was time for her to return to Doyul’s side.
What the heck did I just do?!
The first sense that came back was my hearing.
Someone was in a panic, as if they were being pushed to the edge of a cliff.
Their voice was so desperate that it made my whole body shudder, and I involuntarily opened my eyes.
…Wait, what the heck is going on?
Through my blurry vision, I saw Doyul.
He was facing off against a dazzling white ice wolf, standing in front of Ye-rin protectively, gripping his sword with determination.
He looked so fierce that it seemed like he could decapitate the perennial ice wolf at any moment.
Ye-rin blinked a few times, and let out a groan without even realizing it.
“Ugh…”
Her eyelids felt so heavy, like they were laden with rocks.
At the same time, Doyul abruptly turned around.
“My lady!”
His desperate cry echoed.
