FIB Ch 6 part 2

PR by neji

MoonWon hummed as she wrote her letter.

She carefully wrote character after character and read what she had written multiple times. Meanwhile, MoonWon did not stop humming.

“You seem to be in a good mood today.”

“Ah, really?”

MoonWon’s eyes widened in confusion. Seeing this, Yeori smiled.

“You keep humming. Are you pretending you haven’t noticed?”

“I did? I did that?”

“Yes.”

MoonWon blushed. Actually, many things had changed in the past few months. Although it wasn’t completely different, Heon continued to come to MoonWon and spend some time with her. With his change in attitude, many servants changed their treatment of her as well.

More than anything, MoonWon sent and received letters from SoYoon once or twice a month. Thanks to this, she also found that living here wasn’t too bad at all.

“What’s there to feel good about these days?”

Once the ink had dried, MoonWon neatly folded it before placing it in the envelope. Once she was finished, she handed it to Yeori.

“I’ll leave it to you this time as well.”

Yeori received the paper and lowered her head. After they had returned from the capital, Yeori had changed a bit. MoonWon tilted her head.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Something wrong?”

“You seem to be worried about something lately.”

“Not at all. What’s there for me to worry about?”

Yeori smiled and took the letter. MoonWon got up from her seat and began to tidy her messy desk.

“I’ll do it when I get back, Mistress.”

“I can do this much on my own. Just send that letter out for me.”

MoonWon was still the same whether she received Heon’s attention or not. After watching MoonWon busily tidy her desk, Yeori grasped the letter to her chest and exited the room. When she saw that Yeori had left, MoonWon looked out the window.

“Huh?”

MoonWon’s eyes narrowed when she saw a servant carrying a table filled with food. Did a guest arrive? MoonWon decided to ask Yeori when she got back. However, at that moment, the door opened, and a flood of dishes and sidedishes were placed inside the room. There was a lot more food here than what normally came for her meals. Surprised, MoonWon asked the servants.

“What is all this?”

“Master said that he would have his meal with you today, Mistress, so we’ve prepared for it.”

“What?”

Before MoonWon could ask anything else, Heon entered the room. MoonWon’s wide eyes traveled from him to all the food. The moment Heon had entered, her heart began to race uncontrollably and a blush formed on her face.

Her mouth ran dry whenever their eyes met, but Heon seemed completely composed.

“Can you eat here?”

Even though MoonWon knew her question was ridiculous, she couldn’t help but ask.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s not that.”

She didn’t know why she seemed to grow smaller and weaker whenever she was in front of this man. MoonWon calmed her frazzled heart and shook her head. When Heon sat down, MoonWon sat down across from him.

MoonWon let out a silent breath and picked up her chopsticks.

Crack.

When MoonWon scooped some rice into her mouth, it made a strange sound. Heon’s hand froze in midair. MoonWon would have preferred him to merely ignore it and pretend not to notice. She was on the verge of tears due to embarrassment.

Most of the servants had changed their behavior towards her, but there were still a few left who continued to do things like this. If she had been alone, she would have taken matters into her own hands, but Heon was here right now.

She could feel the pebbles in her mouth, but she continued to chew and swallowed them. She didn’t want to bother Heon with her problems.

However, Heon went ahead and switched her bowl of rice with his.

“H-Husband!”

When Heon spooned some of the rice into his mouth, MoonWon cried out.

“Give it to me! Why are you eating something like this?!”

“But is it okay for you to eat it?”

MoonWon was at a loss for words at Heon’s counter-question. Seeing her reaction, Heon continued in a nonchalant tone.

“Hurry up and eat.”

MoonWon could still hear the stones as Heon chewed. She would have felt a lot more comfortable if she had been the one eating the pebbles instead.

She reluctantly scooped some of the clean rice into her mouth. Then she placed her chopsticks down on the table.

“I’ll send for someone to bring us a new bowl of rice. If you’re not careful, you may get hurt.”

“……”

“Don’t eat it.”

“It doesn’t matter to me.”

“But it matters to me.”

With her head lowered, MoonWon glanced up at him. Heon suddenly decided to come here because he didn’t have an appetite and didn’t feel like eating alone. Although he never cared for anyone’s concerns over his wellbeing, this woman continued to worry about him.

Compared to the rice he’d eaten on the battlefields, this was nothing. However, it must have bothered MoonWon because her black eyes kept looking at his bowl of rice.

“Then you can give me some of your rice.”

“But then you won’t have enough to eat, Husband.”

“I don’t really feel like eating anyway. I’d rather just not eat than wait for someone to bring a new bowl.”

MoonWon’s eyes grew wider. Whenever she was confident, she had so much zeal that she would lose to no man. However, at times like this when she seemed so flustered, he couldn’t help but find it cute.

Not knowing what to do, MoonWon transferred more than half of her rice from her bowl into a new one before handing it to Heon. Heon glanced at her mostly-empty rice bowl and shook his head.

“This is too much.”

“You need to eat this much. If you don’t, then I’ll just send someone to replace it for a new one.”

She was no longer flustered and spoke in a firm voice as she held out the bowl to him. Heon didn’t think she’d really do it, but he kind of liked it when she was acting this way.

“Eat, Husband.”

Heon gazed at her as she lowered her flushed face. He let out a soft chuckle as he picked up his chopsticks. MoonWon watched him to see if he was eating or not before she placed some side dishes onto his rice.

“Eat this as well.”

Her chopsticks slightly shook as she placed the side dishes in his bowl, but she did not stop. Like a mother bird feeding her young, MoonWon would place a side dish on top of his rice whenever Heon took a bite. He could have done it on his own. However, MoonWon continued to do this until Heon had finished his meal.

Once all the food was eaten, Heon even drank the water MoonWon gave him before leaving.

“Master.”

Junghwan approached Heon and bowed.

Heon’s aura was a lot colder now than when he was with MoonWon. Junghwan’s mouth went dry.

“Yusun said she spoke with the servants, so I thought they had all agreed to stop this nonsense. This was all due to my negligence, Master.”

“If there are those who cannot be swayed with words, then send them away.”

“I will take care of it right away. Also…”

Heon suddenly cut him off. A few moments later, the closed door opened, and MoonWon walked through and stood in front of Heon.

“Thank goodness!”

Heon’s eyes narrowed. Before he could ask what she meant, MoonWon’s hand brushed against his shoulder. She pulled it back, and Heon saw that there was a piece of lint between her fingers.

“I should have caught it sooner… but I only managed to see it when you were already on your way out.”

MoonWon dusted off his shoulder in case there were any more left.

Consort Yu and others only came to Heon when they wanted something, but MoonWon was different. If this was what it was like to receive someone’s concern… If this was what it was like to receive someone’s honest feelings, Heon did not want to deny it any longer.

“I was thinking of going to the library.”

“Pardon?”

“Let’s go together.”

MoonWon glanced up at Heon and cautiously grabbed his hand. MoonWon looked up and smiled at him. Heon liked seeing her smile.

No matter how much JaeHoon longed for MoonWon, she was Heon’s wife. That truth would never change.

Heon matched her stride as they walked to the library.

* * *

“Sir, what are we to do if you work like this?”

“But in the past…”

“Like you said, that was the past. You mustn’t do this, sir.”

A fire raged in YongUn’s eyes as the young government attendant complained. Only two years had passed since he was kicked out of his government post. What could have possibly changed during that time?

The only thing that had changed was the location and the building. 

“Either way, please rethink this. We cannot work like this.”

The young man finished speaking and swung his sleeves angrily as he went outside. YongUn clenched his fists in order to hide his trembling hands.

He knew that the one who had given him his power back was the Crown Prince, but in the end, that was all. Because he was busy trying to stay out of the Emperor’s notice, JaeHoon did not help him at all. When YongUn complained that things would be difficult if left like this, JaeHoon ridiculously said that MoonWon came first.

“It makes no sense. How can he ask me to give him a child who is already married?”

Although Heon was not a man of many words, in YongUn’s eyes, he suited his daughter very well. When YongUn asked Heon to get him reinstated, Heon told him that he’d try, but that doing so would be very difficult. 

Unlike the other men who were all talk but no action, Heon didn’t say much but made it clear where the boundaries lay.

“And who could this be?”

YongUn was broken out of his thoughts by a familiar voice. He turned his head and quickly lowered his posture into a bow.

“Your Excellency, what brings you here?”

“I saw something that wasn’t right, so I came here to fix it. What are you doing?! Why aren’t you bowing?!”

The person who appeared at the duke’s command was the young man who had humiliated YongUn just a moment before. The young man glanced at the duke before giving YongUn a deep bow. Bewildered, YongUn tried to read the duke’s expression, but the duke merely stroked his beard.

“How dare a mere administrator treat a royal attendant who has accomplished much for the nation of SeoMoon like this?!”

At the duke’s roar, the attendant’s body shrank as he lowered his head even more.

“I-I’m sorry, my lord. This servant did not recognize you.”

“Th-That’s okay. It can happen. Don’t worry about it.”

The imperious airs that the young man had been putting on were now nowhere to be seen, as if they hadn’t existed in the first place. This was what it meant to have power.

“You may leave.”

The administrator glanced around and exited the room as if flames were licking at his heels. Once he saw that the young man had completely disappeared, YongUn turned back to the duke and bowed.

“Thanks to Your Excellency, I was able to save some face. Thank you.”

“There’s no need for that between us, is there? I was already feeling apologetic for what happened to you in the past. I tried to do something, but the situation in the Palace wasn’t easy to navigate. You know that, don’t you?”

“I am more than grateful that you even tried to help me out, Your Excellency.”

“You are not someone who deserves this kind of treatment.”

YongUn swallowed his breath. The duke grasped YongUn’s wrinkly hands.

“Don’t you think it’s time for you to become a father who is respected by your daughter? If your prestige increases, it will help your daughter, and in doing so, it will benefit your son-in-law as well.”

At the duke’s words, the suppressed lust for power twitched within YongUn. Things had gotten twisted up due to the Consort, but if he wanted to obtain some power from the Palace, he needed to get in line.

“I know this may be shameless of me, but I am still lacking in many ways. You will have to teach me quite often, Your Excellency.”

The duke burst into laughter and gave YongUn a gentle smile.

“From now on, feel free to ask any favor of me. In return, if there is anything I need, I’ll come find you as well.”

The duke stroked his beard as he left the room. YongUn continued to bow.

After glancing up to make sure he was gone, YongUn looked down at his hands. His hands had been trembling with rage just a moment ago, but they were now shaking in joy. Being reinstated was not the end goal. He needed time to regain the things he’d lost two years ago. YongUn still had many things he had to do.

“Sir, just now, that person was…”

A eunuch approached YongUn. He was an imperial eunuch, but he was actually a eunuch that Heon had sent to YongUn as an aide. YongUn pondered something for a while before shaking his head at the eunuch.

“He was only asking me a question. There is nothing to worry about.”

He had no intention of receiving help from his son-in-law. In the end, YongUn needed to find a way to survive inside this Palace. A dangerous glint flashed in YongUn’s eyes as he watched the eunuch walk away.

* * *

Sitting at a desk, JaeHoon’s eyes looked off into space.

The recent rumors regarding MoonWon seemed suspicious to his ears. MoonWon was definitely a bride that Heon had no choice but to take. But Heon was acting differently now.

“There’s no way.”

Even if the relationship between the two of them had changed, it mustn’t happen. JaeHoon wasn’t making any moves for now because of the Emperor’s warning, but the person who would dwell by MoonWon’s side was him.

Even if she had no desire to become the Crown Princess, MoonWon had a light shining from within. She wasn’t like other women who only focused on the matters that were near and only wanted the things they could see. Sometimes, MoonWon would be thinking about things even JaeHoon could not see, and she was more than willing to give advice when he needed it.

“Isn’t she someone that SeoMoon needs?”

While she was with him, JaeHoon believed he could become a Crown Prince that could be acknowledged by the Emperor. Because of the Consort’s wily tricks, MoonWon had been taken by Heon, but that only made JaeHoon want her even more.

“Your Highness.”

“You may enter.”

A eunuch entered and quietly took out something from his chest pocket. Seeing the elegantly folded letter, JaeHoon asked the eunuch a question.

His eyes were sharp.

“Who sent this?”

“That is…”

Seeing that the eunuch was unable to answer, JaeHoon burst into laughter. The letter’s author wasn’t important. Even if it came from his nemesis, the Consort. It was a short and simple letter. The contents were brief, but JaeHoon read it over and over again.

The faltering and fearful emotions in his heart suddenly disappeared.

“Have the Deputy Secretary General enter the Palace secretly.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

“And tell the royal attendant… No, nevermind. Just go to the Deputy Secretary General for now.”

Her cautious hands as she held them out. The way her eyes lowered as she spoke carefully. The glimpses of her small feet as her skirts swayed. JaeHoon could still clearly imagine everything about MoonWon. 

MoonWon wasn’t the type of person who would be happy living an imprisoned life as a general’s wife in the bamboo grove. She deserved to live in a more open space and enjoy a lot more things.

JaeHoon continued to stroke the letter that was in front of him.

* * *

“Here you go, Mistress.”

MoonWon received the letter from Hong-yeom and smiled.

The letter came a lot faster than expected. Maybe it was because MoonWon had sent out a reply as soon as she received the last one. The letter began by informing her that YongUn was doing well and even contained a message from Yuhwa. Then SoYoon began a long report about how her day was going.

“I feel that Mistress’s sister is unable to lie.”

MoonWon turned her head at Hong-yeom’s comment. When she asked him what he meant, he answered right away.

“I feel like she’ll write to you if a single tile falls off the roof. She’s written down things that she doesn’t need to say. I’ve never seen a letter like this before.”

“Before I got married, the only person who’d speak to her was me. She’s a child who is half-hearted and fearful of many things, and she hasn’t been able to get along with other children her age. That’s why she’s written in so many details like this.”

“What is she so afraid of that she can’t play with the other children? She didn’t seem to be like that when we met her.”

“My mother would not let a child born of a concubine leave the house. So when she snuck out and came back, my mother beat the concubine’s legs in front of her. That is why SoYoon’s mother cannot walk properly to this day.”

Although MoonWon’s voice sounded nonchalant, the content of her words were very heavy. Hong-yeom and Yeori’s mouths remained shut as they did not know what to say in response.

MoonWon felt that the atmosphere had grown strange and turned her eyes from the letter to them.

“When my married father gave his heart to another, my mother suffered a lot. Of course, that definitely does not excuse her actions. I have no intention of living my life like my mother. Therefore, there’s no need to be afraid.”

Hong-yeom and Yeori let out a sigh of relief. When she saw this, MoonWon took out an envelope from a small drawer and began handing it to Yeori.

“I’ve already written my letter to SoYoon, but it looks like I may need to add a few things. Yeori, hold onto this and send it with my other letter when I’m finished.”

“Mistress, should I do it instead?”

When Hong-yeom blocked MoonWon’s hand as she passed it over to Yeori, MoonWon tilted her head. A few moments later, MoonWon smiled as she shook her head.

“You bring me my letters. I can ask Yeori to take on the job of sending my letters. Besides, Yeori’s living quarters are closer to the mailing room.”

“Of course. Why are you butting in?”

Yeori glared at Hong-yeom as she took the letter. Ignoring her, Hong-yeom gazed up at MoonWon.

MoonWon did not dress in flashy clothing or use her authority to oppress others. She was a lot more considerate than other noblewomen.

However, she wasn’t a mistress who the servants could trample on or ignore. Although she didn’t get angry with them, she made sure the blame lied with them whenever they made a mistake or did something wrong. Therefore, the number of servants who were afraid of her and cautious around her began to increase.

“Hong-yeom.”

Hong-yeom was broken out of his thoughts by MoonWon’s voice. He walked over to her. Talks of him being blue-eyed or of the Semu caste had completely disappeared once he began to help MoonWon with her tasks.

“Your hair needs to be re-tied. Turn around.”

“I can do it myself, Mistress.”

“The way a woman ties it and the way a man ties it is different. How can you walk around with strands of hair sticking out like that? Hurry up and turn around.”

Hong-yeom turned around at her request. She untied his haphazardly tied hair, and his untidy hair fell around his shoulders. A wooden comb began to run down his hair.

“Ow!”

“See? If you just tie it up without taking care of it, it gets tangled.”

What kind of mistress would tie the hair of her servant? MoonWon’s hands were gentle and careful as she combed through Hong-yeom’s hair.

Hong-yeom closed his eyes at the strange feeling.

At times, she was like his dead mother. Sometimes he felt that this was what it was like to have an older sister. Yeori would probably yell at him and speak down to him if she knew, but these feelings were only his and his alone. 

“All done.”

“I’ll take my leave.”

He couldn’t bear to see MoonWon’s face. He lowered his head so that she wouldn’t see his either. Unaware of why Hong-yeom was acting like this, MoonWon nodded her head.

Just as Hong-yeom turned around, Yeori approached them.

“It’ll still be a few months before the weather starts to get cold, so why do you want to make cotton now?”

“We should start with the task that takes the longest. Winter will come a lot quicker than you think.”

MoonWon moved to go outside but came to a halt. Hong-yeom was standing at the other side of the door and hadn’t closed it yet. He was too busy staring up at the sky. MoonWon approached him and followed his gaze.

A large bird was hunting a flock of small birds. The small birds were flying precariously in the sky as they tried to avoid the large bird’s attacks.

“I’m sorry, Mistress. I just…”

Hong-yeom narrowed his eyes when MoonWon disappeared from his side with a flutter of her sleeves. MoonWon stretched out her hand beneath her bed and took out a bundle of cloth. Her hands moved quickly.

When the bundle was unraveled, they were surprised to see a bow and some arrows. MoonWon broke off the tip from an arrow with a deft hand. Then she placed the tipless arrow against the body of the bow and pulled the string. 

She pointed the arrow at the large bird.

“M-Mistress?”

Before Hong-yeom could finish his question, MoonWon let go of the string. The arrow flew with a sharp sound and shot between the large bird and the small birds.

Had she missed the large bird? The moment Hong-yeom turned to ask, a second arrow flew across the sky.

The arrow brushed past the large bird that was now trying to get closer to its prey. The bird staggered as the arrow suddenly flew by. Meanwhile, the small birds managed to escape.

Once she saw that the birds had disappeared, MoonWon let out a sigh of relief. 

“I know that in a world where one eats or gets eaten, a human has no right to interfere. However, it’s difficult not to worry when it’s happening right before your eyes.”

“Is that why you took off the tip and shot the arrow? If you shot the large bird, then your arrows wouldn’t have gone to waste.”

MoonWon shook her head at Hong-yeom’s remark.

“Even animals have their own situations. If I didn’t see it, it would still have gone hunting. Wasn’t I the one who interfered? Also, taking a life needlessly isn’t right.”

“……”

“I was a bit worried because I hadn’t touched a bow and arrow in a long time, but it seems that my skills are still there.”

MoonWon glanced back up at the peaceful sky and turned to go back to her room, but something she saw made her freeze. Since when has he been watching?

Hong-yeom and Yeori followed her gaze and quickly bowed.

“Master.”

When his eyes met MoonWon’s, she caught her breath. Before they’d married, Heon told her that she mustn’t bring her bow and arrow with her. It was her mistake to think that it was okay to take them out since he was away.

She would have to take responsibility for her own mistakes. There was no need to bring Hong-yeom and Yeori into this as well. MoonWon opened her mouth.

“Hong-yeom and Yeori, you may go outside.”

“There’s no need for that.”

MoonWon closed her eyes at Heon’s cold voice. Things had just started getting better. All the progress they had made had now collapsed due to her carelessness.

She needed to soothe his anger no matter what. When MoonWon opened her eyes, she saw that Heon was now right in front of her.

“Husband. Ah!”

She frowned when she felt the strength of his hand as it grasped her wrist. It was definitely different from how he usually held her hand so carefully. 

“There is somewhere I need to go with your mistress.”

“Husband!”

“Don’t follow us.”

Heon walked with large strides, and MoonWon’s skirts shook with her efforts to keep up.

A few moments later, Heon put her on his horse, and they both left the residence.