FIB Ch 8 part 1

PR by neji

“Are those letters going to the Mistress?”

Yeori, who had been walking, quickly stopped in her tracks and bowed when she saw Heon.

The sweltering days were now cool, although the bamboo grove never changed with the different seasons, the leaves of the trees outside of the grove were slowly turning red.

Once he’d somewhat settled the matters at hand, Heon wanted to visit his father’s grave with MoonWon.

“Mistress asked me to bring her letters to her, so I was in the middle of doing that.”

He heard that she was sending letters to YongUn and her little sister. But at a glance, he could see that there were several letters in Yeori’s hands.

Imagining the joy that would spread on MoonWon’s face when she received these letters, Heon’s lips stretched into a smile.

“Your mistress must be waiting. Hurry.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yeori kept her body hunched as she quickly walked away. However, possibly due to her hurry, her feet tangled underneath her and she collapsed in front of Heon. Thankfully, she did not bump into him, but all the letters in her hand fell to the ground.

“I-I’m sorry, Master.”

Yeori got up and began to gather the letters.

Heon didn’t seem to have heard Yeori’s apology. Instead, his eyes were glued to the letters on the ground. He blocked Junghwan’s hand as it reached for the letters and picked up a letter.

It was a spotless, white envelope, but the mark etched on the paper was definitely the insignia of the royal family.

“M-Master!”

Bewildered, Yeori tried to approach Heon, but Junghwan caught on that something wasn’t right and blocked her.

Although Heon told himself he wouldn’t look at it, his hands seemed to move of their own accord as it neatly ripped open the envelope. He straightened out the letter.

I’ll come get you soon.

Heon didn’t have to ask anyone who this letter came from. He knew exactly who sent it. His eyes sank.

* * *

Crash!

“Mistress!”

Startled, Hong-yeom approached MoonWon. MoonWon did her best to calm her racing heart after accidentally dropping her teacup. She gave him an awkward smile. She usually didn’t make silly mistakes like this.

“I must have been lost in thought.”

“I’ll clean it up. Please don’t come near.”

“Didn’t you say you would bring me my letters? I’ll just have Yeori do it when she comes, so go and get the letters first.”

“I can do it, Mistress.”

“I know. But you’re so young, and if you get hurt, I’ll be worried. Can you call for Yeori instead?”

Hong-yeom was about to argue that he wasn’t that young, but he kept his mouth shut. If he made MoonWon worry, then he’d get an earful.

Additionally, it was time for him to slowly make his way to the mail room and get MoonWon’s letters.

“Then I’ll hurry back, so please don’t touch anything.”

Hong-yeom begged MoonWon not to touch the shards and quickly went outside.

After Hong-yeom left, MoonWon sadly gazed down at the shattered ceramic shards and knelt down. Although she’d need Yeori’s help with the smaller shards, she could still pick up the larger pieces on her own. 

“Ouch!”

MoonWon grimaced when she saw the bead of blood forming on her fingertip. She told herself she’d be careful, but she ended up getting hurt. She bit her lips.

Suddenly, she felt an ominous shiver run down her spine.

“It was just a mistake.”

It was a result of her own carelessness. She had an inkling that something bad was coming, but she shook her head.

It was just another trivial day.

* * *

Heon arrived at the inner residence when the night had grown completely dark.

“You must have had a lot of work.”

Heon glanced at MoonWon as she affectionately approached him. When Heon remained silent, she tilted her head in confusion.

“Is something wrong?”

“No.”

After taking off his clothes, Heon pulled her into his arms. Unaware of the reason for this strange behavior, MoonWon lifted her head.

As he buried his face against her shoulder, Heon felt the comforting warmth emanating off of her.

“Did something unpleasant happen today?”

“Your letters… Are you sending letters to your family?”

“Yes, thanks to you. I received a letter from Father today as well. I told him I’ve been doing well.”

“Mm.”

He took off her thin nightgown and drew in the scent of her skin. He would dig his teeth into her pale flesh and carve himself into her body as she lay with ragged breaths, but instead of quenching his thirst, it only grew stronger.

“Husband, wait… Slower… Hnng.”

As she tried to calm him down, Heon cut off her words as he swallowed her lips with his own. Although she struggled under his intense attention, instead of pushing him away, MoonWon drew closer and moved as he wanted.

Once the storm had passed, MoonWon fell into a deep sleep in Heon’s arms.

Heon gazed at her sleeping face with eyes that were heavier than usual.

‘Two months have passed since she’s been sending and receiving the letters.’

Heon’s hand brushed against MoonWon’s cheek. MoonWon hadn’t changed in the time before he knew the truth and after.

‘I told her she mustn’t do this several times, but Mistress told me to watch my mouth and threatened me.’

When Heon’s hand touched her cheek, MoonWon smiled. Seeing her satisfied expression, Heon’s eyes trembled.

MoonWon wasn’t the type of woman to do something like that.

She gave him everything, and she had shared her first night in his arms. He did not believe that this was all a ruse in order for her to return to JaeHoon.

“Are you awake?”

MoonWon rubbed her eyes as she asked Heon.

When their eyes met, his heart skipped a beat. He was blinded by her beauty.

MoonWon was his.

“Don’t betray me.”

The words he’d said before came out of his lips once again. MoonWon’s eyes widened before they grew soft.

“Of course I won’t.”

“Stay with me forever.”

“I’ll stay with you.”

Although he hadn’t said it, MoonWon could tell that something bad had happened.

If she could ease his mind, she would give him the answer he wanted hundreds of times. She buried her face into his embrace and continued in a firm voice.

“I promise you.”

Holding her in his arms, Heon silently stroked her body.

The suspicion was starting to spread throughout his body like poison.

* * *

“Is that the letter your mistress is sending out?”

Heon took the letter from Yeori and held it up as he let out a silent sigh. Yeori bowed as she waited.

The neat handwriting listed out her daily duties. MoonWon’s letter seemed to express joy and excitement, and she said she was doing well. Heon folded the letter and opened the last letter.

The suspicion he tried to deny seemed to become more of a certainty.

He didn’t even want to say the contents out loud as he glared down at the love letter.

“If there is even a hint of a lie in your claims, you understand that you will be laying down your life.”

“How can I be lying?”

Yeori answered without hesitation at Heon’s threat.

“Do you understand what you are doing to the mistress you have been serving all this time?”

“…This servant understands.”

“You may leave.”

Yeori walked backwards at Heon’s command and went outside.

Once the door had completely closed, Yeori stood still and bit her lips.

Although she acted as if she were fine inside, she was now standing as still as a poplar tree as she clenched her trembling hands.

“Huu.”

She let out a deep sigh and did her best to steady her breaths.

Things had already begun, and there was no longer anywhere else she could go.

* * *

A peaceful life is but momentary for it brings about carelessness.

“Father sent me a letter already?”

MoonWon tilted her head when she received the letter earlier than expected. Thinking back to the date she sent her last letter, there was no way he had read it and sent her a reply. However, the handwriting on the envelope definitely belonged to YongUn.

A strangely ominous feeling washed over her.

“Did the one who brought this letter say anything in particular?”

Yeori’s eyes moved around as if she were racking her head for an answer before she lowered her head.

“Now that I think about it, he said that the letter is very important and that I should quickly bring it over to you, Mistress. Do you think something happened?”

MoonWon frowned at her answer and hurriedly took the letter out of the envelope.

Unlike the other letters, YongUn had written a date, time, and a location. He asked MoonWon to meet him there at the proposed time. The message was curt.

“What could possibly have happened for him to ask you to come out all the way over there?”

Had YongUn gotten swept away by an unexpected situation? The unprecedented letter made MoonWon’s brows furrow.

The written time was well past sundown. The fact that he asked her to meet at a time when the sun had completely set worried her.

“Since I have to leave at a time like this, I better tell my husband first.”

“Mistress, don’t you think you should leave quietly?”

MoonWon silently tilted her head at Yeori when she heard her question. Yeori glanced at MoonWon and lowered her head.

“If the letter was written in such a curt manner, don’t you think there’s something he’d like to tell you in private? I feel that he contacted you separately because it’s something he’d find difficult to discuss with the master.”

MoonWon’s eyes turned back to the letter. It was definitely different from all the other letters YongUn had sent before. And she didn’t want to bother Heon’s busy schedule with matters regarding her own family.

“Then I better go quietly. I feel bad for asking, but can you prepare the necessary things for my trip?”

“Don’t worry about it, Mistress.”

Yeori’s expression remained blank as she gazed at MoonWon.

“I’ll prepare everything.”

* * *

YongUn was walking in the Palace when he stopped and looked up at the sky.

Now that he’d let go of the heavy weight pressing down on his shoulders, he felt a lot better. Thankfully, the duke respected YongUn’s decision.

He might not receive the same treatment that he was used to in the past, but that was something YongUn would have to deal with on his own.

“But I wonder what they wanted to talk about seeing as how they asked me to meet them in a place like this.”

A servant from an administrator told him that he needed to tell him something important and sent him here. Since the administrator always did uncomfortable favors for YongUn with a smile on his face, he decided to accept his favor. He was worried about what this favor would be, but YongUn continued to make his way to the promised location.

“Listen here, just what kind of…”

As soon as he opened the door, he gasped when he smelled something that caused his nose to tingle. He gazed at the dark corridor in front of him and began to walk.

Although he didn’t feel anyone’s presence, the stench of blood only grew stronger with each step. Should he send for someone? But since he’d already come this far, he didn’t feel like he could turn around.

As soon as his terrified hands opened the door, the scent of blood pierced his nose.

“Hey!”

YongUn was astonished by the horrible scene before his eyes. The last time he’d seen this administrator, he was definitely alive. But now, this man was dead with a dagger plunged into his heart. Completely shocked, YongUn shook the administrator’s body.

“Wake up! Hey! Wake…”

Gazing at the stiff corpse, YongUn took a step back. The stench of blood was no longer hurting his nose. His eyes went to the document stabbed to the administrator’s heart. Then it traveled to the pouch next to him.

“Ah…”

It was a trap.

Although he didn’t know who the dagger belonged to, the pouch with the coins spilling out was definitely YongUn’s. The document that was drenched in blood was the document that YongUn had claimed was important.

“MoonWon.”

As the thought flashed across his mind, his face grew pale. At this rate, he wouldn’t be the only one affected by this. This would hurt MoonWon as well.

YongUn began to step away as he frantically began to pick up his things.

He staggered to his feet and ran out of the building.

“Grab him!”

As soon as he went outside, YongUn’s eyes widened when he saw the soldiers.

“I… It wasn’t me.”

The situation had changed in an instant. All he could say was that it wasn’t him. He wasn’t the killer. There were definitely people who had seen him speaking to the dead administrator earlier, so he was sure this misunderstanding would be put to rest.

As he tried to explain himself, a royal guard glared at him with cold eyes.

“We were informed by an administrator that you sent a royal document to a foreign country.”

“Wh-What? What are you talking about?”

“We found it.”

The soldier who passed YongUn and entered the building came back out.

“The dead man was the informant administrator.”

Words would not come out of YongUn’s mouth. The current situation was starting to suffocate him.

The administrator who had reported that YongUn had sent a confidential document to a foreign country was now dead.

And YongUn’s belongings were scattered around the corpse.

‘I had hoped that you’d change your mind… Such a shame. What a shame.’

YongUn’s bloodshot eyes reddened.

“Ah…”

If those words meant something different…

If they were predicting this exact situation…

‘MoonWon.’

YongUn helplessly collapsed to the ground.

* * *

Wearing a long hood that covered her face, MoonWon let out a sigh as she arrived at the location written in the letter. She tried to console herself by telling herself that this wouldn’t be anything serious and looked at Yeori.

“I’ll be right back, so stay here.”

Yeori bowed and did as she said. MoonWon hesitated for a moment before she began to walk forward.

Because Heon’s bamboo grove was so vast, the surroundings were more unfamiliar than familiar. She never expected a place like this to exist within the grove. She looked around the open area and took in another deep breath.

“Huu.”

She did her best to convince herself that it was alright, but the dread did not go away. However, there was no turning back. YongUn’s problem was also her problem.

As she tried to calm her nerves, MoonWon entered the building in front of her.

“Ah!”

She saw someone who couldn’t possibly be here.

“MoonWon.”

Although it was the same name, there was a big difference in the way Heon called it and the way JaeHoon called it. Rather than excitement, it brought fear. Instead of joy, it filled her with worry.

“Why are you in a place like this, Your Highness?”

“Didn’t you call me here?”

“Pardon? When did I ever call Your Highness here? I’ve never done such a thing!”

With a pale face, MoonWon began to take a step back.

JaeHoon’s eyes trembled as he observed her reaction. His eyes quickly sank.

MoonWon did not send him the letters.

Although his conviction collapsed, JaeHoon fought it. He had always had a feeling that the letters might be a lie.

But since he was already here, he didn’t plan on backing off.

“I do not want to cause my husband to misunderstand by meeting you like this. I will take my leave.”

She bowed to JaeHoon and turned around. As she began to make her way out without any hesitation, JaeHoon called out.

“Your father is in danger.”

MoonWon’s hand was on the door handle when it paused. With her back still to him, she looked at him. Those slim shoulders that had once leaned into his embrace began to shake.

If it hadn’t been for the events of that day… If he had not let go of MoonWon’s outstretched hand, he wouldn’t have had to walk such a difficult path now.

“The Chief Commander does not know about it yet.”

“What happened to my father?”

From what JaeHoon said, her father was currently in danger.

However, even though she knew this, she couldn’t bring herself to turn around.

Just the two of them in an enclosed space like this. She didn’t even want to dream of such a situation.

“Your Highness!”

“I’ve already made the preparations. Even if the Chief Commander resists, I will take you away, even if I have to kill him.”

“……”

“Let’s go back.”

“Your Highness, please!”

“Let’s go back, MoonWon.”

The words that should never be spoken between them rang in the air. She wanted to run away as soon as possible, but JaeHoon had still not disclosed what had happened to YongUn.

“I cannot go with you, Your Highness.”

“Do you want to kill your father?”

Her heart sank when she heard that YongUn could die. Ultimately, MoonWon turned around and faced JaeHoon. Her large eyes were filled with tears.

“Only I can save your father.”

All MoonWon had done was send letters to her father. And the only replies she’d gotten were those saying that he was doing well.

What could have happened? She hadn’t heard anything from Heon, and the only person she could ask now was JaeHoon.

“Your Highness, I…”

She felt a warmth she did not want. She didn’t realize that JaeHoon had closed the distance between them.

JaeHoon’s embrace was uncomfortable and terrifying, unlike Heon’s arms that made her feel safe. Just as MoonWon tried to push him away, the door behind her opened.

She never thought something like love could last a lifetime.

However, she still counted herself lucky to have met someone who would walk the same path as her. 

Although she knew that living with a man wasn’t an easy task, she dreamed that her difficult life would grow a little easier with a man who treated her with such sincerity.

“Hus…band.”

Fate was looking down on her peaceful life with a condescending smile on its face.

“MoonWon sent me letters.”

Even though she cried out her denial, JaeHoon did not bat an eye.

She definitely told him that she wasn’t the one who sent them, but JaeHoon pretended he hadn’t heard and continued to speak to Heon.

“She said that living with you was hell and asked me to help her escape.”

Heon tightened his hand around hers, but she endured the pain and didn’t ask him to let her go. She wanted to calm down and think of a way out of this, but her mind remained blank.

“I will be taking MoonWon.”

“There was never a member of the royal family who dragged out the wife of his subordinate like this.”

“Do you think I won’t do it?”

“How can you act so recklessly? You might encounter a mishap while you carry out such wrongdoing.”

Unlike Heon’s steady grasp on her hand, his voice was full of emotion as he spoke coldly to JaeHoon.

“Who knows? You might have encountered an accident on your way here.”

“Are you threatening me right now?”

“I am the Consort’s son. What can’t I do?”

The swords of the men behind Heon glimmered under the moonlight. Ultimately, the one who stepped forward in this tense situation was MoonWon. Seeing what was outside, MoonWon looked at JaeHoon and spoke in a firm voice.

“If you do not send your soldiers away, Your Highness, I will bite my tongue¹ right here, right now.”

MoonWon’s proclamation caused the eyes of both men to widen in shock. She couldn’t let a catastrophe occur just because of her. All she could think about was getting out of here.

“If I have to return with Your Highness, I’d rather die.”