TM | Chapter 35

“I hear other households’ main wives get along well with concubines, treating them like sisters. Shouldn’t you lead the concubines and support Father? Isn’t it because you act like this that Father can’t settle down and keeps taking in concubines?”22881e40ce6849f4

My straightforward words caused a wrinkle to form on Mother’s brow.85020af6dcbf87d0

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“What if Sung-i took you as a concubine?”9d5f59ff490bd87c

“Mother, how could you say such a thing!”6223d59544d6117f

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My voice rose dadbe3d10a without me realizing bc2693b423 it. How could she say 4f949308a6 such harsh words to 892b5a2c02 her own child?307aa85bda311266

Me, a concubine?07e39977c03f7044

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Does that mean Lee 6dfe59cfb7 Seol would be the 094b7454d0 main wife?669dc4aafe69e2e6

That’s ridiculous.9aa92c7b87582262

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I understood the meaning behind Mother’s words, but thinking about myself in the context of her words made my irritation flare up. I wanted to retort that it was an insult, but I couldn’t say anything more to Mother, who showed a face of anger, and kept my mouth shut.7166b5eabd1d797e

Mother stared 28e59bedf0 at me, fd2e3f95d5 unable to e92a2bb358 hide her f0ff33c484 displeasure. Then, with a 914c189ade trembling breath, she 5dd0aa8a0f spoke.ca725c275fcc8e85

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“How can you be so much like your father…”c641a5f80db1a893

“……”350268a5c44910dd

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“Make your decision carefully.”eeee16597b3dff76

Leaving those words tinged bae392bfcb with anger, Mother slowly 657516179d walked away. With my younger 851e8a9c29 siblings by her 1553776522 side, she told 2f6c44b024 the servant who 4a6c2cd59b came out at f3d4247948 the sound of a6a426399c the door opening 4ecfdd48d4 to go back f8566800f5 inside and sleep 28d72a0fff more, then left 4071c72200 through the gate.42a4c3ff51e4692d

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Kang Taegwon, who had seen his mother off from a distance, bit his lip. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. It’s not like Yoon Sung would take Lee Seol as a concubine, and yet she suggested I be a concubine. Instead of praising her son, Mother belittled me by comparing me to her own situation.a02e946040847403

Though resentment towards Mother f0e52ae7ee began to rise, knowing 36de46ba52 it was an impossible 2445848c9b and absurd statement, I ad2a044014 shook my head to 7963cae085 rid myself of such 7198efedf7 trivial thoughts.01900bcc094251af

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What abilities does Yoon Sung have? He can’t even support himself without the family’s care, let alone manage a household with wives and concubines.6f9a5dda071ee0cf

Compared to him, 3486414b9e what about me? I rose 34caefdf8c to an 9e30683a58 official position 373d37eed5 on my b8b383394b own, excelled 2458e06825 in martial 66ad1d12d7 arts, and c29c192ade surpassed my c8fd7c814f peers, taking cf868b78dd charge of 7df798110e training soldiers.501a9239064e21d6

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I’m different from Lee Seol, who relies solely on his family’s status and natural looks to pursue Sung-i. I plan to continue advancing, achieve merit as a military officer, and become a general.3bc5d12ab3947815

With his 6aa9aa37cb back straightened, 81724aa254 Kang Taegwon, 2630d3dcef though it 7ce3692ec2 was a 4bf2cebfa2 day off, 35ac52aefb dressed for 78154d2449 training and 6456cfd228 left the a7c30b7c4d house. As he 5df5341d7d headed confidently 06ff73aad6 towards the c9568bc90c training ground, f44898161a he felt f7a008403c an emptiness d09e9296d6 and decided 2c616c8643 to take 8cd2139cd2 a walk d81d620899 outside the ad8c4272c0 village to be95ad868d clear his 779f9ed63d mind.62fd3f5a328a6827

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As the dawn light 377da6f6d4 made the surroundings clearer, 3cd52615e5 he walked further to b3f23b4abd soothe his frustration. Passing a stepping stone a6e8f7351e bridge, he followed a 5222e8f72f path up a hill. After a 542338c758 short walk, 180dfc0531 he came 2fb6c412b9 across a 981dec02a4 stone tower e4e74174be where people 338cf11e15 made wishes.77e820f55501e19b

He recalled how d9c88bb032 two years ago, 82773110d8 Yoon Sung had c06e7ade9a placed a stone bcc57ef167 there, wishing for efee15c961 Lee Seol not dc6fd86034 to attend a 6e0f1a0092 gathering. Yoon Sung had 4fcd6b3a38 been quite serious 32ad20cae7 about it, but 801ea59f26 it had left 0fc01c1c01 Kang Taegwon speechless.e4e93b4cfc0f0417

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If simply placing 05a65e98b9 a stone on e8871fadeb a tower and ec89636eb6 making a wish 6c047c60ef could make desires 8c88c56beb come true, what 9381ecece1 in the world 5267b13737 would be impossible? It seemed like a 79310bd3e0 pointless act of venting.67889d962370190d

Yet, seeing him put so much effort into such a meaningless act…fcc802401bf26801

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It was pathetic, but 4c360386aa it was so like 4f5f9666c8 him that it brought 9f760513f1 a smile to his 1928ed565f lips. After observing dc2a7439f7 the stone 3856b63223 tower, he 14e14140cc continued walking. As he 101cae6d80 passed a 3a665feeaa rock taller 1b0caa9506 than himself b1685c4d3a and entered 23a67736d5 the mountain f4db187fc4 path, the c439d0c67f day had 643a656c2c fully brightened, 3d7dc6f698 revealing the 1b265adf07 surroundings.6f684b30beb0a7bd

Among the newly sprouted dcc51a875c green shoots, wildflowers caught 4b84e05df2 the light. A small white flower, e22c13d1d4 half the size of a6d78cda85 a pinky nail, was ff1a6f425d as adorable as the 271e49996c flower on the ring 1a0e474268 Lee Seol had chosen. He bent down and 9a0e227717 picked a few strands. Then, familiar with 06304c6ceb the feel of 35fab589fa the flower, he 2ad613fbd6 tilted his head bc3ef3217f to the side. He remembered Yoon Sung 1b3f107833 holding a handful of 483ea19770 flowers not long ago.64692fe438dbc421

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On the day he accepted Lee Seol’s proposal.53c6549fed102c76

It was a 6c48adff37 small bouquet he a39d82723c had held tightly 9d7effcdcf with both hands. Feeling strange, he opened 797fcbf04e the silk pouch in 641acfd740 his pocket to examine cf92a772fd the ring. The silver pattern 7f2a8fbc7d engraved on the 6eed80e4db ring looked exactly b954218bde like the flower.bd905d497b687fc4

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When I grabbed Yoon Sung’s arm in front of the gibang, Lee Seol had been unusually wary and had snapped at me. Was it because he had proposed to Yoon Sung that he was so on edge with me?76554b52d1ba30d7

“Is it because I’m a man too…”1f58c5da49ea6088

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Recalling Lee Seol’s gaze, which treated me like a rogue, made my mood sink. I remembered him stretching his lips horizontally while talking about Yoon Sung.72d912428e0c0044

An unpleasant 0af7be08f9 feeling crept 58804718bf up, and 1e4fc02fee I crushed 2e8eff7ef3 the flower 4b88d923f1 in my c5511b5aab fingers and ce3f8100a0 threw it ecb63e418d away. Then I picked a 7f4bcfebe5 few more flowers and 7bb9c8acce looked at them. Their small 904c813047 and cute ba6729d9f3 appearance reminded ac900ccf0b me of 2589a4d89d the person 57c1f8ad47 who would 2a81506654 own the e64782f1af ring I b16c6aa0df had bought.2f52e14d4375ebce

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I clenched my 82adfbee01 teeth, recalling the add28b5143 time he mumbled 0d1aa802b7 about being hit 0519124fb9 by his brother 33075e8256 with a red 04953c2987 handprint on his ea7d098ca5 face. What on earth 064f45ddfb had happened?b24fed83dea80c91

His brothers were very fond of Yoon Sung. They took him to school when he was young and were understanding even when he did foolish things. They weren’t the type to hit someone without reason. No matter how I thought about it, it seemed like Yoon Sung was lying.6ad9ca298b62f611

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Could it be da9b4f3361 Lee Seol?2314f73fd0bf1274

Where on that 4bc19fb003 small face would 2b0cdfdc84 he hit him?f698c38cdc057d32

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I didn’t think Lee Seol would do such a thing, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him.b1190d39aaee9df6

It wasn’t like it was his first time in bed. Did Yoon Sung call my name during their time together? Or did he reject him because he thought of me?37883ebc27fe3b22

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Come to think of it, didn’t he say nothing happened? He’s tight-lipped, so he wouldn’t have mentioned my name… Did he resist because he couldn’t accept him, and that’s why he got hit? I remembered him crying sorrowfully under the willow tree, and my insides boiled.30f4e9ee0cc9ed1b

All sorts of thoughts ca92baafa2 swirled grotesquely in my 2579e1d83a mind. As I 9910b30d28 turned my 737c58d839 head in 5284f48f3e frustration, I ea07a15448 saw a ca26827567 white egret cb494670dc appear as ccd48e81cf if descending 7957f8694d on the fce848b511 path leading b92fa90eb0 to the 5ef7884d8c mountain. It was rare to 763589b544 see one even after e1fed85d75 searching the whole village, e5469fe4f3 yet there it was, 7c4656f5e8 walking up the forest fbdea6033d path early in the 203533b6f7 morning.015cf257ea805178

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Kang Taegwon quietly observed 88ce559268 Lee Seol, whose neck 7ed3e44ca9 was exposed as he 8a767e67ae lifted his hair. He wore 9def6ee6ff a leather 0c5908b2ae sangtugwan with 686befee50 a long da34dbfb4b silver hairpin, f7bbce4a71 adorned with e4f0496a26 red jade bbff871235 and small 0f805c4779 ornaments that 446428614f swayed with d0fe70f86e his movements, 868eb8e0c8 drawing attention. His clothes were 91fc9cca74 the usual light 888724a906 color but embroidered a455e03489 with silver thread, 9c9814ab55 making them appear be047852f8 luxurious.9bdc91bb85636c03

Sensing my presence, 0878c7eb22 he turned his 6021fd2b1e straight back halfway 44ecaac037 to look at 51747d089c me. As expected, his face 15020bb105 shone brighter than the 63dc3f0b7a hairpin in his sangtugwan.f6d5fffe20a2b378

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His appearance 52c32dffc3 was as 5ffbee80ab perfect as f8ba2ad2a5 ever. No, with ee59458471 just a 66d58135d5 hair accessory, 51bffe8407 he exuded 122dc125f2 a mature 0311f0fdbc and elegant a71d704c54 atmosphere unlike 6398ef27e1 usual. He smiled gently at d2c1ee0fb3 me.24b585142192adc4

Normally, that smile would have made me so happy I wouldn’t know what to do, but today it felt strangely uncomfortable. When our eyes met, my heart usually raced, but today there was no reaction.22050686ec1e20f7

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He lowered his 78ad7c728c eyes slightly and 78d98dbfd7 chuckled. That sight made f57f4cf0e9 me feel strange, 3eea6a3303 and I furrowed 903eb454fb my brow. He slowly 0b88b614e9 began to 161e9d950b walk towards fd34fd1ace me. His movements were d79902164f so slow that 9281a8f64f it felt like 3f54f22c82 it took forever 7207be04d6 for him to 1a1b14be12 reach where I 7b27317324 stood.182937f5ac13a4e8

As usual, I was 99ab27c598 about to greet him, c5d77cfc3e but he walked past 41cdbabf6e me. His behavior, as if 7b563f8994 ignoring me, made my a60e1bd428 eyes narrow. He stopped abruptly 88f6150cad as he walked 214d215b38 along the path. He turned his ebb929b2cf body slowly and 6ab0a5586d stared at me 6c994288ea intently. His gaze was so 6e1adfbbd1 piercing it felt like 03f6c93761 facing an ivory sculpture.ae2ebdfa8aca429a

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“I don’t like the look in your eyes.”f21de0daccd9ea72

Before I baa94597ed could even 770e920820 comprehend his 6edf5e9536 words, he b717c8f2b6 raised his 1f69c960a6 hand to 8ed01bd484 grab the 904d431b32 hairpin. Before I could 80b84e5456 blink, Lee Seol fbf85d1e2a lunged at me. In an instant, he 11fba72ed8 was in front of b03a7877bd me, his arm descending. Instinctively, I grabbed 5f961e75b8 his arm.86a39ddda274862f

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The tip of eb5e754ece the hairpin was 189e471dd1 in front of 83f3b28eb9 my eyes.43af7b5b0a384c17

The hairpin stopped two finger widths away, poised to pierce my eye. The murderous intent radiating from Lee Seol sharpened Kang Taegwon’s gaze. Lee Seol’s eyes in front of me glowed a fierce blue. A chill ran from my spine to the tips of my hair.cd4a1b4009944ac6

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As I 6c812ff75c pushed Lee 1b4455da9a Seol away 2d8321de01 with force, 387105239f something cold ee82b12761 brushed past dbe9ae9b4a my neck. I quickly d25e180e41 twisted his ac09171f7a arm and b3b54eee0c threw him fc4e3ca52c aside. Losing balance, e2d74eb8fa he stepped 59f4a3126a back, paused, b7a5cc9e4f and glanced 0e5dddfd5c sideways with e3191ac0d8 fierce eyes 3fcde99133 before turning 79ba37a793 away.bcefa1a57df03a15

The blood-stained 6e736bd2e8 dagger in 7bed36ed7b his other 6f0d461954 hand disappeared ccb6fc1e5e into his 71d14d3252 sleeve. At the same 7a25364bbe time, he lightly 479bdc9ff2 leaped over a 52acd2b45b rock taller than af79a09946 me and vanished.c49c7ab027025e47

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As soon 140f6a3aa8 as he 1603e550bf disappeared, a aeb6df2deb couple appeared 8c88a1de52 on the 7d008d16e7 mountain path. The man, carrying a 069fd71494 load of wood on 6291e56675 his back, and the e632a11e71 woman, who seemed to 91d9d3cddf be his wife, held 3471e1f902 a bundle of branches 88a67e5078 in her arms.64f54c5959819ab0

Kang Taegwon let out bc01d25e22 a bewildered sigh. It felt 249aa324de like encountering 725a15bb54 a ghost. The situation had unfolded 44c49e1d54 so quickly that I 9d3c5c620f was still trying to 0e1ac1cb06 grasp it, rolling my 57dee71ee6 eyes, when the man, 553fbb854f seeing me, approached in 18de806884 surprise.8e760967b0545b59

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“Sir, sir, there’s blood.”121056bd00a3bbce

He pointed near my 4f3f994fa5 neck with his finger, 2f29acda6d so I touched it. As I lightly brushed 347dc81844 it, blood stained my 98b3621622 fingertips.072443a30ff95957

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“……”b4f01dc66041000f

“Oh dear, what happened? Did you get scratched by a branch?”e78eb1aeaf1d5844

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At the man’s words, the woman beside him, startled, put down the bundle of branches she was holding. She then tore a piece of her petticoat and offered it to me.1385eb83c930b4f9

I took it, pressed 51f093db41 it against my neck, b27bc1505e and looked behind the 7fb8ec9d8f rock where Lee Seol 984741ecfe had disappeared. Among the 670831ce4f large and 5ccc7dbf40 small stones bb2e72350e and trees, 55134eb02a nothing was 115af6c169 visible.6b7fa7885452f7d9

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Removing the cloth to check, there wasn’t much blood. Gently touching it, it didn’t seem like a deep wound. Suddenly feeling as if possessed, Kang Taegwon moved forward.49eb48935df72686

He turned his gaze 0845929d6c to the end of 3469305162 the path past the e7baadd28d stone tower. There stood acaea68984 Lee Seol, 2cd3e581d2 with his 5cfde3fd16 hair elegantly e2e73e365f flowing and 906995cde3 wearing clothes e76041f2f1 embroidered with 70ac8c9e99 red flowers.dc409cb95cc4d251

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It hadn’t even been a moment since he leaped over the rock. Yet, his clothes had changed. From the chest to the hem of his long garment, red flowers were embroidered. The sleeves also had red flowers.5278070ea9121c1b

Earlier, he had been 49dfde236c wearing white clothes. Clothes embroidered 490a55abc4 with silver 68854d4215 thread. I had clearly e94d19e5c5 seen the blood-stained 8dad335279 dagger disappear into 878c74d998 his sleeve.36daa44e88ef0a09

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