FIB Ch 15 part 1

PR by neji

“Yuhwa, may I enter?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

When Yuhwa moved to get up from the bed, MoonWon quickly stopped her. MoonWon placed her head on Yuhwa’s lap. When she felt her warmth, she let out a soft whisper.

“I’m sorry for being stubborn again.”

Yuhwa’s eyes turned gentle at MoonWon’s confession. The dark shadow on MoonWon’s face was finally beginning to lift.

Because it was a matter between the couple, Yuhwa was hesitant to intervene. However, it didn’t change the fact that she was worried as she watched everything unfold. But now, it seemed that everything had worked itself out.

“You’re okay now, right?”

MoonWon remained silent as she thought about how to answer the question.

Nothing had gotten any better in terms of their current situation. But her heart was more at peace than before. Heon’s health had gotten a lot better, and she was told that she could rest easy now that he had overcome the critical point. As if their disagreeable past had been a dream, each day seemed to pass by so quickly.

“Honestly, I do feel very relieved. All I’ve done is merely hold the hand that I momentarily let go, but my heart is at peace.”

“Sometimes you need to let fate take its course. I believe this was one of those cases.”

“Are you speaking from experience?”

Yuhwa’s eyes grew soft at MoonWon’s question. It was all thanks to MoonWon that she was able to receive such extravagant treatment even though she was merely a concubine. If MoonWon hadn’t taken Yuhwa in after the family had collapsed, she wasn’t sure how she’d be living today.

“Thanks to all the love I received from the late master, I was able to give birth to SoYoon and receive such wonderful treatment from you. But I was also apologetic to the late mistress. Because to her, I was the wicked girl who stole the master’s love away from her.”

MoonWon sat up and turned to look at Yuhwa. Yuhwa had received YongUn’s favor. Enraged by this fact, MoonWon’s mother had ruined Yuhwa’s legs.

Even though there was no way the two of them should have been able to grow close, Yuhwa and MoonWon relied on each other more than anyone.

“If you weren’t there after my family collapsed, I would not have been able to endure it, Yuhwa.”

“But now you have the master of the bamboo grove. Everything will be fine now.”

MoonWon nodded. Yuhwa was glad that things had worked out between MoonWon and Heon, but she was still worried that harm would befall on them.

But she was glad everything had settled down.

“Please don’t say such hurtful things to the Master anymore. What if something really bad had happened to him? I heard from Yeori that you even told him to die.”

It was as if lightning had struck the peaceful room. MoonWon tried to deny it, but it had already happened, so she could not argue back. She began to mull over it in a cold sweat before letting out a sigh.

“I thought that he’d leave if I said something like that.”

“Him? The Master that we both know would do something like that?”

“I know I made a mistake. So please stop teasing me now.”

MoonWon tried to avoid speaking about this any longer as her face began to flush. Yuhwa chuckled.

How nice would it have been if YongUn was still alive to see this? She couldn’t help but miss YongUn a little more on days like this.

“I’ll visit often from the bamboo grove.”

MoonWon was sad to part with Yuhwa and SoYoon. But she couldn’t just bring them both to the bamboo grove without consulting Heon first.

“You can come by as much as you want. The bamboo grove isn’t far from here, after all.”

Yuhwa wasn’t wrong, but MoonWon couldn’t help feeling disappointed. MoonWon did her best to flash Yuhwa a reassuring smile and laid back down. Even though she knew she shouldn’t bother Yuhwa too much, she couldn’t help but want to be babied today.

Now that she didn’t have her father or her mother, Yuhwa was the only parent she had left.

When she felt Yuhwa’s gentle caress, MoonWon let out a comfortable sigh.

* * *

Once Heon had made a full recovery, they began to make preparations to return to the bamboo grove.

Although she had given the task to the servants, MoonWon went through it all to make sure everything was going according to plan. She glanced at Heon as he propped his chin on the table.

“You should rest.”

“Don’t you think I don’t have to sleep in another room anymore?”

“Pardon?”

MoonWon began to blush. Her eyes looked away and went towards the window. They had decided to return to being a couple, but the three years apart hadn’t disappeared altogether.

Not that long ago, she had told him to die. But now, whenever they were close, she felt her heart racing inside her chest.

“They said you shouldn’t overtax yourself…”

“I’m all healed.”

“It’ll be more comfortable for you to rest by yourself.”

“It’s not that comfortable.”

The presence of other people was a hindrance to his recovery but never MoonWon. She was the only one he saw as a woman, and he wanted her near him all the time. He would never push her away by saying he was too tired.

Whenever he didn’t feel MoonWon’s presence or hear her footsteps, he couldn’t stay put in his room. He felt like he was going crazy with anxiety and would only calm down once he saw her again. 

“Where else would I go?”

Having realized why Heon was acting like this, MoonWon approached him as she spoke up.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t trust her promise to stay with him. Heon couldn’t get rid of the nervous feeling that seemed to strike him like a lightning bolt.

“Do you think I’ll really run away?”

“I know you won’t.”

“So what are you so worried about?”

“I know, but I can’t help that I don’t like it.”

MoonWon was the only one Heon would open his heart to. As if to console him, MoonWon gently swept her hand through his hair. She liked Heon’s warmth. She hoped Heon would also feel the relief she felt.

MoonWon sat on his lap and grinned at him. She pondered something for a moment before cautiously brushing her finger across his lips.

It had been a long time since they’d been like this, so she felt a bit nervous. But if it was Heon, she didn’t hate it.

Letting out a shaky breath, MoonWon brought her lips to Heon’s first. As soon as she felt his cool lips against her own, Heon’s tongue parted her lips and twisted around her tongue.

“Hnng.”

Before she could take another breath, Heon began to plunder her mouth. MoonWon began to pant. When she began to lose her balance, MoonWon wrapped her arms around Heon’s neck and stuck herself closer to him. As he explored her teeth and mouth, Heon’s rough tongue began to stroke the walls of her cheek.

When she was almost out of breath, Heon finally pulled away.

“Haa, haa.”

MoonWon bit down on her swollen lips as she panted for breath. When Heon saw her flushed face, he smiled.

“Your seduction is very tempting…”

“Pardon?”

MoonWon blinked as her face began to grow red. Her reaction to him not wanting to rest alone had definitely crossed the line. She had merely wanted to express to Heon that she was with him. To think that she had lost herself like this… She felt as if all her blood was rushing to her head.

“I-I’ll leave now.”

“After doing this to me?”

“That’s… That was a mistake. You should rest, so how could I… I’m saying I made a mistake. You should forget this ever happened.”

Given their current situation, she had been careless to act this way.

She didn’t even want to think of how he saw her now. Instead of being a proper, modest wife, she had gone and acted so flippantly. She told him to rest, but she was also the one to approach him and start a fire. Heon must think she is so pathetic. She didn’t even want to think about it.

MoonWon turned around to get off of Heon’s lap.

“Good night.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.”

Before she could escape, Heon grabbed her and picked her up. Startled by the sudden change in height, MoonWon wrapped her arms around Heon’s neck. No matter how much she struggled, she was firmly within his arms, so there was no way she could escape.

MoonWon writhed as she asked him to let her down, and Heon placed her on the bed and caged her within his arms.

“It was a mistake!”

“It wasn’t a mistake for me.”

When MoonWon tried to run away, Heon wrapped his arms around her hips. Completely captured within his embrace, MoonWon narrowed her eyes.

“You’re really all healed?”

“You’re the one who told me to rest a little more.”

Heon buried his lips against her slender neck. When she felt his hot breath against her skin, MoonWon turned her head. She tried to push Heon away, but he grabbed her wrists.

She had been so worried about him that she had forgotten what kind of man he was.

“Haa… You should… rest now, too.”

“Mm, I will. With you.”

The ties of her clothes began to unravel. Like a blooming flower, her white underclothes began to peek through the silk. When he saw this, Heon’s breath caught. He had merely taken off the silk clothes, but her intoxicating fragrance was already tickling his nose.

When he pulled at the knot of her underclothes, a smooth shoulder was revealed. Unable to rein in his impatience, Heon pressed his lips down on her exposed shoulder.

“If you ever… say you’re hurting later… Haa.”

The clothes she had firmly wrapped around her body fell limply to the floor. Before she could cover her nudity, Heon took off his clothes and approached her. The thirst he had purposely avoided confronting for all these years had now swallowed him whole.

“Hmm.”

Their tongues tangled. His hand on her wrist traveled past her shoulder and wrapped around her plump breast. Her smooth skin felt like it was melting in his grasp. It had been so long, and the flames of his desire began to rage.

MoonWon bit her lips and began to tremble. The only woman to have entered his world. The woman he had craved for so long was truly in his arms.

“Huu.”

He began to bite and suck. His hand teased the peak until it grew taut. He lightly brushed his hot tongue across her swollen lips before moving to her collar.

He pressed his lips on the bead of sweat forming there.

“Tastes sweet.”

“Hnng.”

“Sorry.”

When she heard his whisper, MoonWon opened her eyes. Her eyes were damp with passion, and she turned to look at Heon. What he had always wanted… Heon pressed his lips against the eyes of the only woman who could fulfill it.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to rest.”

“Haa, don’t overdo it…”

“And I don’t think you’ll be able to rest either.”

After whispering into her ear, he began to nibble it. As if to soothe her tense body, Heon’s hand moved away from her breast and began to gently caress her petite body.

MoonWon let out a shaky breath as he continued to intimately stroke her body. She felt like her body wasn’t her own. She wanted to release all the pent up heat inside, but no matter how many cold breaths she took, the heat would not go away and continued to torment her.

“Hnng.”

Red flowers began to bloom across her pale skin. Heon pulled away the slender arm that covered her chest. He buried his face into her cleavage and drew a deep breath.

He was trying to suppress the overwhelming thirst and arousal, but instead of calming down, it began to rage even more.

Her breasts were so soft that he felt like sweet nectar would flow out if he bit down. As he ran his teeth along its surface, red marks followed.

“…Ouch!”

MoonWon’s eyes trembled, and Heon ran his tongue along the red marks to soothe them. His rough tongue traveled to her nipple and began to circle it. Then he put it in his mouth and began to suck.

“Hnng.”

As the feverish temperature began to rise, the room grew hot. They could only feel each other. MoonWon grabbed the bedding as she tried to endure the sensations. Her hands gradually moved to Heon’s hair as he continued to tease her breasts.

At some point, her embarrassment completely disappeared. MoonWon began to pull at Heon as she begged him to come closer.

“Haa.”

Heon greedily feasted on MoonWon’s breasts before pulling back and letting out a hot breath. His stiff cock angrily demanded relief, but this was still not enough. He wanted to feel MoonWon from head to toe.

He pressed kisses on her smooth stomach and gently stroked her bellybutton with his tongue. His hands on her hips moved to her soft buttocks and began to squeeze.

“Not there…”

As Heon’s head gradually moved down, MoonWon flinched and closed her legs shut. When Heon saw the damp triangle between her legs, his eyes filled with desire.

Although she panted out her protests, Heon’s endurance had reached its limit.

“Relax your legs.”

“No, not there… Hnng!”

Heon forcibly pulled her legs apart and buried his head between them. When he began to suck out all the evidence of her arousal, a sticky noise began to fill the room. When Heon tasted the sweet fragrance, he continued to lick and swallow.

“Hng.”

Startled by the unfamiliar sounds coming out of her mouth, MoonWon covered her mouth with her hand. She tried to push Heon away and close her legs, but her body couldn’t move as if it were tied down. Meanwhile, Heon momentarily paused and plunged his tongue into her deepest place.

MoonWon’s protests were quickly swallowed. Her feverish eyes began to water, and tears trickled down her cheeks.

“Please… Enough…”

“Tastes sweet.”

No matter how much he licked and sucked, it continued to grow wet. Heon licked away the remaining traces of her around his lips and sat up. He looked down and their eyes met.

His straining cock was so hard to the point of pain. He pulled away her hand that covered her mouth.

“Don’t block it.”

“But… The sound…”

Her tearful protests were quickly swallowed up by his kiss. This wasn’t their first time, but that was also why he wanted more. As their tongues tangled together, they swallowed each other’s essence.

Meanwhile, his cock parted the area between her legs and plunged inside.

“Ugh.”

The unfamiliar intrusion caused MoonWon’s body to tense up. Seeing that she was in pain, Heon stopped moving. His brows furrowed from the intensity of the sensations, but Heon remained still. Seeing this, MoonWon’s eyes softened.

The only woman whom Heon showed consideration for was her. She wanted to give him true peace from now on.

“I’m fine.”

“…If it hurts…”

MoonWon wrapped her arms around him. She pressed her lips against his feverish ones.

With MoonWon’s permission, the last of Heon’s precarious sanity finally snapped. The stinging pain in her abdomen only lasted a moment. Heon began to move in and out.

His movement was coarse and rough. In moments like these, he seemed more intense than ever.

As his hard staff continued to fan the flames within her body, whenever he moved in, she could feel the bulge form on the surface of her skin. She bit her lips to hold back the moans, but Heon’s lips parted her own.

“Haa… Hnng.”

The sound of slapping skin mixed in with their moans. There wasn’t a trace of the chill of winter between them. MoonWon’s legs wrapped around Heon’s hips, and he buried himself even deeper inside her.

As Heon continued to pound into her, MoonWon’s body began to shake up and down. She dug her fingernails into his back as his movements grew more violent, but it did nothing to shake Heon out of his stupor.

“Haagh!”

As her entire body was swallowed up in a white climax, something unfamiliar filled her to the brim. Her body went limp as it collapsed onto the bed. Heon pressed kisses along her skin.

Although he had softened, he didn’t want to leave her body.

He wanted to stay connected to MoonWon a little longer. As he buried himself deeper inside, Heon pulled her into his arms.

Heon caressed her exhausted body and let out a satisfied sigh.

* * *

“They’re coming with us?”

As if to prove his declaration that they wouldn’t be getting any rest, they continued throughout the night. They didn’t know how much time had passed and had lost count on how many times they had made love.

As if reaping his reward for all the time they had been apart, Heon never let her out of his arms. Completely exhausted, MoonWon leaned her head against his chest.

“Why? You don’t like it?”

“No! Of course that’s not it!”

Heon had brought up this subject as he stroked MoonWon’s back. He proposed that they bring Yuhwa and SoYoon to the bamboo grove with them.

MoonWon had wanted this so much, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask Heon, so she kept it buried within the deepest parts of her heart. But Heon had brought it up first, so she was at a loss for words due to the shock.

“Can SoYoon and Yuhwa truly come with us?”

“Are you still unable to trust me?”

“No! That’s not it! I was just wondering if that was possible.”

MoonWon’s startled eyes reminded Heon of a rabbit’s. When he saw the red blemishes on her pale skin, his eyes softened. He liked the way her smooth skin felt against his own, and he liked her warmth. But what he liked the most was how she completely entrusted herself in his hands.

Heon pulled her into his arms. Her long hair brushed along his skin.

“It’s not like it’s impossible. Wouldn’t it also be more comfortable for you to have both of them there with you?”

He could feel MoonWon’s heart beat a little faster.

It felt like they were being rewarded for their hellish past. He was at peace now that she had entered his world.

“The bamboo grove is large enough and can hold more people. There shouldn’t be any problem.”

“I end up relying on you even more.”

“Because I rely on you.”

Heon did not hide his feelings from MoonWon. When she saw how he put her first, MoonWon’s eyes softened. Although their life wasn’t an easy one, she had a trustworthy husband who shared her view.

“Then I guess we can just rely on each other from now on.”

MoonWon’s smile looked so elegant against the moonlight. The warmth and relief that had eluded him all his life was only found in MoonWon.

“Don’t throw me away.”

He didn’t want to live his life like his father. Heon did not have the confidence to live his entire life yearning after MoonWon like his father did. He did not want to go through the years of searching for MoonWon ever again.

Startled by Heon’s remark, MoonWon lowered her eyes. She wrapped her hand around his cheek and pressed a kiss on his jaw.

“I’m going to stay with you.”

There was no longer anything that would make her waver.

As much as she made Heon suffer, she planned to give him her heart and love. The man she would live the rest of her life with. No one could replace him in her life.

MoonWon drew closer to him.

“Haa.”

MoonWon’s breath was incredibly sweet.

Heon embraced her precious body and let out a sigh of his own. The sunrise was still a long ways away, and the pleasure given by his wife was too tempting to resist.

Placing a kiss on the lips of the love of his life, Heon entrusted himself into her hands.

* * *

She had prepared her heart, but once the time to return had come, she felt anxious.

The day was bright, and now that all the preparations had been made, MoonWon exited her room.

“Did you wait long?”

“No.”

Having finished getting ready first, Heon was waiting for her outside. The remaining anxiety completely disappeared once she saw him. 

The problem with JaeHoon, the situation with the Emperor… There was nothing that would solve those problems.

But now she was not worried or scared.

Before she could ask Heon for his hand, Heon stretched it out to her first.

Her eyes widened for a moment, but she quickly took his hand.

“Let’s go back.”

When Heon heard her whisper, his lips stretched into a smile. He tightened his grasp on her hand and pulled her into his arms.

“Let’s go back.”

They began walking side by side.

As long as they looked in the same direction and moved together, it was enough.

With their hands clasped together, they returned to the bamboo grove.

* * *

Sitting next to Heon, MoonWon’s eyes kept sparkling. Her eyes landed on the box to her right before moving back to her left.

Sapphires and rubies. Various rings made of jade and precious stones she didn’t even recognize were strewn out before her eyes.

As if he was bothered by the ring he had given her for a marriage they both didn’t want, as soon as they returned to the bamboo grove, Heon ordered for their rings to be replaced. MoonWon protested and claimed that they already had rings and that they didn’t need to spend money on new ones, but now that she was looking at them, they looked so beautiful.

“They all look so pretty, so it’s hard to choose.”

“Then let’s buy them all.”

When she heard the astounding remark, MoonWon narrowed her eyes and protested against it. Who would buy a bunch of rings just because she thought they looked pretty? If he was giving her a new ring as a gift for returning to the bamboo grove, one was more than enough.

She liked the ring with the embedded rubies, but she felt that the sapphire ring would look better on Heon. 

She took out the sapphire ring and placed it against Heon’s finger and smiled.

“Let’s do this one.”

“I think the ruby one would look better on you, though.”

Although the skin between his fingers was coarse, MoonWon’s hands were slender and pale. Rubies would look better on her than sapphires. But MoonWon insisted on the sapphire rings.

Afraid that Heon would stubbornly refuse, MoonWon quickly took the box with the sapphire rings and closed the lid.

“Didn’t we decide to wear the rings I picked out? So let’s get these ones.”

When she said she would pick out the rings herself, he knew this would happen. But now that it was actually happening, it felt nice.

“We’ll just take these. Take the rest of them away.”

The merchant waiting in front of them lowered his head and began to clean up the rest of the boxes. After waiting for the merchant to leave, MoonWon stretched out her hand to Heon. He liked the way her face was flushed. 

As MoonWon continued to show him everything in her heart, her expression grew brighter. She was so lovely in his eyes that it was as if she were sucking out his soul.

After he slipped the ring on her finger, she quickly slipped the other ring on his. She placed her hand on top of his and grinned up at him.

“Look. Sapphires are a lot better.”

Although he didn’t care about the kind of ring on his finger, nothing could compare to the joy on her face. Love was definitely covering his eyes.

“Master, it’s Junghwan.”

When they heard Junghwan’s voice, MoonWon flinched in surprise.

Her expression changed as she began to pull away, and Heon burst into laughter.

“You can just stay here comfortably.”

When Junghwan entered the room, MoonWon smiled at him. Junghwan bowed.

“I’ve brought something you need to personally see, Master. It is a congratulatory gift.”

Junghwan’s face was tense as he placed the contents in his arms down cautiously.

He didn’t say who it came from, but they knew. MoonWon moved closer to Heon.

Heon opened the box when she was close enough to see.

“Ah…”

MoonWon’s smile disappeared. 

A pair of rings made of precious material were inside the box. The rings she had gotten with Heon were also priceless, but the rings in front of them could not have been made by anyone other than a master craftsman in an imperial palace.

Next to the rings, there was a folded piece of paper that looked like a map.

“You may leave us.”

Junghwan lowered his head at Heon’s order and went back outside. After Junghwan left, MoonWon unfolded the map.

There was a drawing of the continent with the character ‘Ju’ etched in the middle. If JaeHoon or the Emperor had seen this, they would have ripped up the map in anger. There was only one person who would send this to Heon, a general of SeoMoon’s army.

“It seems that the Emperor of Ju has sent this.”

Heon took the map from MoonWon and folded it back up. After placing it next to him, he propped his chin in his hand.

“It looks like we went from two pairs of rings to three. You should wear the ones you want.”

The rings they had gotten when they first got married and the rings she had picked with Heon just now. And now they had the rings that Doyoon had sent. 

They were suddenly in possession of three pairs of rings, but MoonWon’s mind did not change.

After looking back and forth at the rings from Doyoon and the rings on their fingers, MoonWon clenched her hand.

“I already have the ring that you put on my finger.”

She was grateful for Doyoon’s gift, but she liked the one from Heon the best.

Because she knew what the map implied, the ring on her finger was even more beautiful and heavy on her hand.

“This ring is sufficient to have on my finger forever.”

A smile returned to MoonWon’s stiff lips. Heon caressed her cheek and swept his finger across her smiling lips.

“It’s not something to be so happy over…”

“It suits your hand, and as long as I like it, it’s the best. I’ve said this already, but it really feels like we’ve truly gotten married.”

MoonWon’s excited face was filled with joy. Just watching her made his heart skip a beat. When he saw how she smiled as she looked down at the ring, Heon pressed a kiss to her lips.

“Hng.”

Startled by the sudden kiss, MoonWon reflexively pushed him away. However, his sturdy arm wrapped around her hips and pulled her into his arms.

Their tongues tangled as he began to suck. He sucked in her breath as if it were not enough. Before pulling away, he bit down on MoonWon’s lip.

“Haa… Darling, really!”

“If it really feels like we got married properly, then shouldn’t we also hold our first night again?”

Did this dry, cold man always have this side to him? She gasped when she saw the feverish light in his eyes. At times like this, he was truly dangerous. It was still bright outside, but it didn’t look like he cared.

“Now that we’ve seen the rings, I’ll return to my room.”

“So you’re just going to leave now that you got what you wanted?”

“No, that’s not it. Kyaa!”

Her plan to escape completely disappeared as Heon dragged her into his arms.

What was the point of trying to adjust her clothes? His hands moved much more quickly as he began to disrobe her than her attempts to put them back on. She was the one who had taken this man as her husband, and she was the one who had decided to be happy with him for the rest of her life.

She embraced Heon as he drew closer and buried her head against his sturdy shoulder.