C Chapter 43

Chapter 43

 

A brief silence fell between them. Only the rustling of leaves in the breeze and insects chirping reached their ears.

Lily waited for Dongbaek to speak. There had to be a reason she had come in the middle of the night. Lily chose not to make any assumptions—jumping to conclusions might only lead to disappointment or resentment if she misread Dongbaek’s intentions.

Dongbaek was the first to break the silence.

“I apologize for coming so abruptly in the dead of night. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“R-rudeness? I just…”

“I heard the news. They say you’re getting married.”

“…!”

Lily’s body jolted. Her lowered head snapped up as she gazed intently at Dongbaek. Dongbaek continued speaking calmly.

“Is this marriage what Lady Dan desires?”

“No. No, it’s not! But…”

Lily shook her head desperately in denial. Just as her feelings were about to spill out in a desperate attempt to explain the situation, Dongbaek raised a hand to stop her.

“Before any misunderstandings arise, there’s something I must make clear. I… I do not harbor romantic feelings for you.”

As Dongbaek’s words ended, the leaves clashed noisily against each other.

Lily wondered if she had heard correctly. She stared blankly at Dongbaek, unable to properly gather her thoughts.

Thinking Lily hadn’t heard properly, Dongbaek gave an awkward smile. Then repeated the same words with the same tone.

“I do not harbor romantic feelings for you, Lady Dan.”

Hearing it for the second time, Lily realized it wasn’t a hallucination. Tears welled up in her eyes. But she couldn’t bring herself to cry in front of Dongbaek. She didn’t want to burden her.

I should say I’m fine. I should say it doesn’t matter…

Lily tried to smile as her lips trembled, but the rising tears prevented any words from coming out.

“…You don’t have to force yourself to smile. It’s okay to cry. No one will blame you.”

Dongbaek reached out toward Lily’s trembling lips, gently tugging at the corners of her mouth. With that small touch, Lily’s composed facade crumbled, her face melting into pure sorrow. Her round eyes, brimming with unshed tears, flared with an almost wild grief.

“Why did you come to tell me this? You should have just let me think what I wanted. Even with just the memories of that spring day under the peach blossoms… With only the silk shoes you gave me, I could have lived forever in that dream!”

Lily’s young voice rose in anguish, trembling with the intensity of her emotions. Her small frame trembled with anger she couldn’t contain, breathing heavily for a while.

Belatedly realizing what she had said, Lily turned pale and clung to Dongbaek.

“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get angry. I just… just—”

“Lady Dan… do you love me?”

At Dongbaek’s question, Lily looked up at her, eyes wide with emotion. Through the blur of tears, Dongbaek appeared both distant and achingly vivid—like a jewel gleaming at the bottom of an unreachable lake.

How wonderful it would be to remain in Dongbaek’s gaze forever. To be the only reflection in those clear, glass-like eyes.

Lily answered softly.

“I love you so much that just holding your hand makes my heart flutter—so much that I can’t think straight when I hear your voice.”

“Even though I don’t love you?”

“Even though you don’t love me.”

There was no hesitation in Lily’s voice. Though her eyes shimmered with tears, they held the quiet conviction that her feelings would endure a lifetime.

“My feelings won’t change. Even if I’m the only one who loves, that’s enough. Just… just don’t tell me I’m not allowed to love you.”

At Lily’s heartfelt declaration, Dongbaek let out a soft sigh. Her expression was calm—like someone who had long foreseen this moment. Then, Dongbaek made a proposal.

“Will you become my wife?”

“What?”

“Not He Jin, but marry me instead.”

“But you just said you don’t love me.”

Faced with Dongbaek’s unexpected statement, Lily could only blink stupidly with her mouth hanging open. She couldn’t connect the statement about not loving her with this proposal of marriage.

Dongbaek shook her head once more to affirm.

“I don’t love you romantically. But that doesn’t mean I’m indifferent enough to ignore you marrying such a man. To me, Lady Dan, you’re… like a younger sister.”

This was purely Dongbaek’s selfishness. The kind of selfishness that would interfere with Lily’s life by reshaping her future according to her own standards, regardless of how much Lily might be hurt by the disruption to her future caused by Dongbaek’s intervention.

Dongbaek continued solemnly.

“I will never lay a hand on you. Even if you grow tired of me and seek someone new, I won’t mind at all. But I can promise you this, you will be my only wife. As your husband, I will protect you from everything in this world. I’ll let you do whatever you want.”

With every word Dongbaek spoke, Lily’s heart beat faster. Though she was called a younger sister, Dongbaek’s words sounded too sweet—almost like a dream. Lily half wanted to pinch her own cheek to make sure she wasn’t imagining it.

Young and naïve, Lily didn’t fully grasp what “never lay a hand on you” truly meant. But how could she not feel happy when Dongbaek promised to be her only wife and protect her? In that moment, she believed Dongbaek could chase away both her father and her fiancé.

“So… will you come with me?”

Lily was so eager that she nodded repeatedly before Dongbaek even finished speaking.

“Yes, yes! Anything is fine as long as I can be with you…!”

As Lily kept whispering “yes” over and over, Dongbaek smiled awkwardly. Lily couldn’t help but feel she was rushing too quickly—but at the same time, she felt like she was walking on air.

With a soft smile, Dongbaek gently cupped the back of Lily’s head. Lily’s body responded naturally to the touch. Through the window between them, Dongbaek rested her hands lightly on Lily’s shoulders and whispered into her ear.

“Then I’ll contact you again soon.”

Leaving only those words, Dongbaek swiftly climbed the persimmon tree and jumped over the wall. Suddenly left alone, Lily felt dazed.

“Was that… a dream?”

But she could still feel Dongbaek’s breath on her ear. It was real… Dongbaek had truly come to see her.

That day, Lily understood what it meant to be so happy you could die. In that surreal sensation of floating, feeling like she could fly to the heavens, Lily kept replaying and savoring Dongbaek’s words about taking her as a wife.

Lost in thoughts of her conversation with Dongbaek all through the midnight hours, Lily ended up staying awake all night without a wink of sleep.

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

Early the next morning, Dongbaek burst into Zhang Rang’s bedroom. Though the sun had just begun to peek through the hills, pushing away the darkness, Dongbaek didn’t mind.

Elder Hwang was flustered by Dongbaek’s sudden visit at dawn.

“The master hasn’t risen yet.”

“Then I’ll wait here.”

Hearing the murmuring voices of Elder Hwang and Dongbaek, the light-sleeping Zhang Rang soon awoke. Though he wasn’t in the best mood, having to wake earlier than usual, he had no choice but to get up at the sound of Dongbaek’s voice outside.

Zhang Rang put on a casual vest and straightened his disheveled clothes. Then he cleared his throat to signal that he was awake.

Elder Hwang, regretful for disturbing Zhang Rang’s sleep, showed his unease with a furrowed brow but quickly adjusted his expression as he approached his master.

“My lord, Young Master Dongbaek wishes to see you.”

“Let him in.”

With Zhang Rang’s permission, Elder Hwang stepped aside from the door he had been blocking. Dongbaek crossed the threshold without hesitation, wearing an unreadable expression.

“I apologize for the early morning visit.”

“You must have something important to seek me out at this hour.”

Zhang Rang clicked his tongue at Dongbaek’s greeting. Dongbaek poured water from the pitcher by Zhang Rang’s bedside and handed it to him. After gulping down the water to wet his throat, Zhang Rang sat at the table in the middle of the room.

Zhang Rang gestured for Dongbaek, who was standing stiffly at a distance, to sit. Once seated, Dongbaek looked directly into Zhang Rang’s eyes and spoke.

“Yes. I’ve come to tell you that I intend to marry.”

At this calm statement, Zhang Rang had to reconsider if he’d heard correctly. It was quite an unexpected topic. The topic felt so abrupt and out of place that he questioned whether his hearing was failing him.

“…Marriage?”

“Yes.”

Confirming that he had heard correctly made Zhang Rang even more confused. This wasn’t an urgent matter to bring up at such an early hour.

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-