Chapter 08
“Why… Why did he do that?”
There was a shortcut from the outer quarters to the annex building.
Yet, in such a critical moment, why did he take the long, breathless route instead of that shortcut? Lost in thought, Lee Yeon suddenly shouted without meaning to.
“What was that?”
Startled, it was Palsak who answered.
“Were you asking why His Lordship personally rescued you, milady?”
“Huh? Ah, well…”
“Oh my, don’t you see? Sure, he could have sent one of us servants, but it just shows how passionately he wanted to save you himself! I’ve completely fallen for him now, I have! He’s a real man, a real man!”
“Palsak!”
“Yes?”
“How long have you served His Lordship?”
“Around the same time as you, milady. I entered this household when you got married. But he left the house right after, so I barely had a chance to get to know him. He wasn’t one to show much affection, but the more I see him, the more I realize how reliable and composed he is. So admirable.”
“Sounds like he’s taken up residence in your heart. What’s so great about him?”
“He’s kind to me. Even to someone as lowly as me, he always asks if I’ve eaten each day. I never once heard that kind of thing in the noble house I served as a child. I was so shocked at first that I lied and said I hadn’t eaten even when I had. And you know what? He had another table prepared just for me. With white rice, even! Heh heh.”
Palsak went on and on, even answering questions Lee Yeon hadn’t asked. He really did talk too much.
“All right, I got it. You can go now. I’m not a child who doesn’t know the way—I don’t need you to escort me.”
“Yes, rest well, milady!”
Once back in the main house, Lee Yeon quietly recalled the man named Mun Hae-sang, from the day they first met at the magistrate’s office to now.
She could clearly remember him from the night of their wedding.
Cold laughter.
His expression and tone had been frigid to the point of making her flinch even now.
That night, he said:
“So the woman who almost became my sister-in-law now sits as my wife.”
“…!”
“Well, had you been chosen as Queen, you’d have become the Mother of the Nation.”
It was insulting.
Who says such things to a bride on her wedding night?
Still, she tried to hold it in.
Maybe it was because she was decked out in ceremonial makeup and wearing layers of heavy skirts, but she felt like she shouldn’t speak much.
“Not dying in my brother’s place was the greatest unfilial act of my life… but marrying in his stead… I suppose that’s the only act of filial piety I can offer while alive. I’m not particularly lucky in life… so don’t be too resentful.”
Lee Yeon gave him a look as if to ask what on earth he was talking about. Seeing her expression, Hae-sang continued.
“Our parents will likely press us daily for an heir… but just listen and let it go. Even if we don’t try, they won’t allow the family line to die out.”
She was speechless. And she couldn’t hold back.
“Then what am I supposed to do as your wife?”
“Develop an expensive hobby. The more costly and refined, the better. It would’ve been better if you were a frivolous woman, but you don’t seem to be, and that’s a shame.”
“Then what will you do?”
“Well, what I won’t do is more important than what I will. I won’t work to strengthen this family anymore. And I won’t live just to continue the family line.”
She had never heard anything like this before.
Serving one’s family with all one’s might—that was the foremost duty of both men and women in noble households…
‘He says everything he wants without hiding a thing… Who ever said this man was shy and reticent?’
That first night with this incomprehensible man left her seething inside.
She had never hoped for an ambitious husband, but she certainly didn’t want one who casually committed such rudeness.
That night, he drank heavily, eventually collapsed, and ended up with a cut near his eye, hiding in the annex for several days afterward.
Everyone laughed secretly, thinking the newlyweds must be incredibly passionate about each other.
But no one knew the truth—Lee Yeon had never even had her robe untied properly.
When she saw him again after nine years at the magistrate’s office, she didn’t find his appearance or physique drastically different. Not enough to raise suspicion.
People change with time. Why wouldn’t he?
But his eyes—those were different. That, she was sure of. They weren’t the same as before.
Now, his gaze burned. It was the gaze of a man determined to achieve something with his own hands.
And yet, in front of the annex today, his gaze had turned cold and detached again. But not in the same way it had been nine years ago.
It wasn’t the indifference of a man with no desire—for women or success.
No, it was cold… but complicated.
She couldn’t define it exactly, but one thing was clear:
The Hae-sang she knew and the one she didn’t were now strangely blended together.
But eyes aside, the real issue was something else.
The shortcut.
In grand noble homes like these, there was a small private gate between the annex and the men’s quarters.
It was a gesture of consideration so that a husband wouldn’t have to walk the long way to see his wife, and to support their private moments together.
Hae-sang had never made a special effort to spend such moments with her. But to avoid his parents’ nagging, he did occasionally visit the annex—and he always used that shortcut.
“Dear sister! You’re inside, right? I’m coming in!”
The voice rang louder in her ears than the morning birdsong.
It was her sister-in-law, Hyun-ae.
“Hyung-wook, greet your great-aunt.”
Even before Lee Yeon could respond, the door was flung open. That loud fuss—always quick, too.
Hyun-ae’s visits were never welcome, but she couldn’t show her displeasure to the innocent young Hyung-wook.
“To bring Hyung-wook with you so early in the morning—what’s going on?”
Hyun-ae always brought Hyung-wook whenever she visited.
“Oh my, how could this not be urgent?”
Her intent was clear. The smile in Hyun-ae’s eyes was cunning.
For some time now, Jin-sang and Hyun-ae had been sending Hyung-wook with her to pressure Lee Yeon into adopting him as her son.
They had a reason.
Family preservation.
According to clan law, if you adopted a nephew under three years old, you could pass on property and have them recorded as an heir in the family registry.
But once the child turned four, that changed. Inheritance would be limited, and he couldn’t be listed as a direct descendant.
So Jin-sang and Hyun-ae kept pushing silently, wanting Lee Yeon to adopt their second son, Hyung-wook, and make him heir.
They brought Hyung-wook so often that Lee Yeon couldn’t even remember the last time she saw their eldest son, Hyung-min.
She had been pretending not to notice for a long time, but a decision had to be made this year.
Because soon, Hyung-wook would turn four.
“…Did your husband tell you to come?”
“Yes, of course. He was so worried when he heard about the fire, but he caught a nasty cold, so he just sent me and Hyung-wook. Are you all right? Were you hurt at all?”
After that encounter at the magistrate’s office, Jin-sang and Hyun-ae hadn’t visited once.
“Oh dear! I should be the one paying him a visit. I’m so well that I feel bad for worrying him.”
“Oh no, sister-in-law! Please don’t say that. I’d be heartbroken if you misunderstood our intentions. We’re always thinking of you, truly.”
“So that’s why you keep bringing Hyung-wook to be adopted…”
“Goodness, no! I only meant to say… please don’t misunderstand.
Of course, we do want Hyeong-uk to grow up under the good influence of someone as graceful and wise as you, Sister. He just admires you so much.”
Eon gave a half-smile.
“If he truly admires me, then you shouldn’t bring him here so often.
If I were to adopt him as my son, wouldn’t I have to discipline him more strictly than anyone else?
That might scare the poor child.”
“Haha… Sister, you always speak so cleverly!”
Hyun-ae’s laugh was overly cheerful, almost forced.
But she didn’t press the matter further.
She had learned by now that Lee Yeon was not someone who could be pushed easily.
Especially when it came to delicate topics like this one.
Still, Hyun-ae didn’t leave right away.
Instead, she took her time drinking the tea that had already gone cold, chatting about trivial things.
But Lee Yeon could sense it—Hyun-ae was trying to gauge something.
Whether Lee Yeon’s heart had wavered even a little. Whether her stance had softened.
And truthfully, Lee Yeon wasn’t so sure herself.
She had told herself not to falter, but the situation wasn’t simple.
If she didn’t make a decision soon, the opportunity would slip away.
Once Hyeong-uk turned four, the law would no longer permit her to adopt him as her son.
She wouldn’t be able to name him as her heir, nor leave him anything substantial.
And yet, no matter how she tried to convince herself, her heart remained heavy.
It wasn’t Hyeong-uk’s fault. He was too young, too innocent.
But every time she looked at him, she felt like she was being asked to sign away the last shred of dignity she had left.
‘Why must everything be decided like this?’
She remembered her wedding night—how Haesang had looked at her not with love or tenderness, but like she was some burden he had taken on out of duty. And now, they expected her to play the same role again? To perform her duty, not as a wife this time, but as a conduit for another person’s ambitions?
“Sister, would you mind if I looked around the garden for a bit? Hyeong-uk says the flowers here are prettier than anywhere else.”
“You may. Take your time.”
Hyun-ae took Hyeong-uk’s hand and left the room, bowing politely.
As the room fell silent again, Lee Yeon sat back, staring blankly at the untouched tea before her.
She felt like her life was a puzzle someone else had solved in advance, without her consent. Every piece snapped into place by others’ hands.
But not this time.
This time, she would choose—no matter how difficult, how lonely that choice might be.
Even if it meant losing everything.
Even if it meant standing alone.
