Chapter 68
A week flew by like an arrow. My wounds healed smoothly as planned, and I was finally ready to enter Changgung Pavilion. There wasn't much for me to prepare. Just one thing—a lingering worry I couldn't shake.
"Don't forget to do the homework I gave you!"
"Yeah."
"Stay in your quarters as much as possible. I told the servant sisters to look after you properly."
"Yeah."
"'Yeah' isn't the only thing you have to say, is it?"
"Yeah. Uh... um..."
Yahul lowered his eyes, lost in thought. I couldn't help but burst into a soft laugh. Spending so much time together like this, Yahul felt like family now. Suddenly, I recalled the first time we'd met—a pitifully emaciated child, ghost-like and thin, with dull eyes that barely moved.
Compared to then, the Yahul before me was a completely different person. His once-pale cheeks had filled out into creamy porcelain skin, and his unusually dark hair and red lips created an ethereal aura against that whiteness. Like a doll, perhaps. Or maybe it was the lack of expression changes that gave him that porcelain-doll vibe.
I reached out toward Yahul. My palm against his cheek felt warm and toasty.
"Why?"
"It's amazing."
"What is?"
"You're... um, really hot, you know?"
"You're cold."
"Oh, really?"
If I felt hot to him, then he must feel cold to me. It was such a basic fact, but his warmth made me want to keep touching.
"Sorry." As I pulled my hand away, Yahul grabbed it hastily.
"It's fine. It feels cool and nice."
"Yeah?" I rubbed the mole near his eye with my index finger. "You sure you're really okay?"
"Really okay."
The day they removed my stitches, I'd told Yahul I'd be away for a fortnight, and my worry had been immense. But surprisingly, he'd accepted it calmly.
"It's for your hand treatment, right? Can't be helped."
As he spoke, Yahul rubbed his cheek against my hand like a cat seeking affection.
"Don't worry. I'll wait quietly."
"...You seem like a puppy."
"Like puppies?"
"Yeah. They're cute."
Yahul smiled with his eyes, clearly pleased by the words.
As I left my quarters, Adjutant Shim was waiting. The path to Changgung Pavilion was quite a hike. I chatted with him about the little things that had happened in the meantime.
"Thanks to you pointing out where the rockfall from Wangneung collapsed, we were able to clear it and recover Jochung's body. The family asked me to pass on their deepest gratitude. Truly, thank you."
Before leaving Palgwae Village, I'd roughly estimated where Wangneung had fallen and told them. It seemed they'd cleared the rocks from that spot after all.
"So, you still couldn't open the door to Manshin-ui's training hall?"
"Yes. Our skills fell short."
"Wow, it must be really tough."
Even the Namgung Clan, with their deep knowledge of formations, couldn't open it. If I hadn't gotten Manshin-ui's power... A chilling what-if made me shudder.
After weaving through the dense bamboo groves for what felt like ages, a grand hall came into view. This was my second time visiting the Namgung Clan, but I'd had no idea such a forest existed.
"That's Changgung Pavilion."
Namgung Wan and Lady So stood waiting in front of the hall that Adjutant Shim pointed to. Lady So rushed over in an instant.
"Was the trip too hard? I should've come with instead of just sending Adjutant Shim."
After I was injured, Lady So had visited my quarters to apologize. Then, every single day, she'd sent so much nourishing food that I could barely eat it all alone.
I shared it all with Yahul. Thinking of his plump, creamy cheeks from all that snacking made me deeply satisfied. And as if that wasn't enough, she'd piled on precious gifts like a mountain.
I beamed back at her. "Adjutant Shim carried me from the bamboo forest onward, so it wasn't tiring at all!"
At my words, something seemed to click for Lady So, and she asked cautiously, "Oh! Speaking of which... I heard Ryu-cheong carried you. Is that true?"
"Yes."
"My goodness."
Lady So covered her mouth, eyes widening. "What's wrong?"
"No, it's nothing..."
"Didn't I tell you? You need someone on Yeon's level to rein in that Ryu-cheong boy," Namgung Wan said.
Lady So shot him a glare. Back when Baek Ri-yeon first arrived at the Namgung Clan, Namgung Wan had warned her to keep Ri-yeon away from Namgung Ryu-cheong. But now his tune had changed. Still, with her son's recent behavior easing her worries and brightening her world, Lady So decided not to fuss over such trivialities.
"Yeon, maybe it's your influence, but lately Ryu-cheong's been getting along well with Young Lady Seo."
"Getting along?" My eyes went wide. First I've heard of it.
Lady So stroked my hair gently as she continued. "Yes. She's been diligent with her training every day, no skipping. It's the first time that boy's spent this long with someone his age."
"Th-that's... great."
I'd clearly overheard Seo Ha-ryeong swinging her wooden sword at a training dummy, grinding her teeth as she muttered, 'That Namgung Ryu-cheong... someday I'll knock that smug nose off his face.' Well, rivals could still be friends, I supposed.
Then Namgung Wan spoke up. "Enough now. Let her go. How long are you going to hold her?"
Lady So clutched my uninjured hand and sighed. "Darling, that's too much. Even if it's good for her treatment, how can you think of leaving such a young child alone in Changgung Pavilion?"
"Ryu-cheong went in at seven and stayed a full year! It's just a fortnight."
"But making her spend New Year's inside Changgung Pavilion? Doesn't that make you feel sorry for her, all alone?"
"That's...! Anyway, enough. Yeon agreed to it herself!"
Lady So leaned in close, whispering softly while gripping my hand. "Once you go in, you can't come out for a fortnight. You don't have to force yourself."
But even hushed, her words reached Namgung Wan, whose senses were sharp as ever.
"Who's forcing her? I asked Yeon properly!"
I smiled and replied, "Uncle's right. I said I wanted to go."
Lady So's elegant brows drooped, her voice laced with sorrow. "Sigh... if that's truly how you feel, then I'm relieved, but..."
She seemed worried I'd only agreed out of fear from Namgung Wan's sternness. In my past life, I had no memory of a mother, and in this one, I'd never met her either. Seeing Lady So's kindness toward me always stirred complicated feelings.
Maybe I'm jealous.
It made me miss Father all over again. Lady So went on, "I only found out this morning that you'd be entering Changgung Pavilion. How could they keep such an important thing from me...!"
Her voice rose before she pressed a hand to her chest to calm herself. Then she beckoned her servant.
"I packed a few things to make your stay comfortable. If you'd told me even a few days earlier, I could've prepared more..."
Her servant held a bundle as big as my torso. What on earth was in there...? But could I even carry it?
Namgung Wan stared in exasperation. "What did you pack so much for? Everything she needs is already inside."
"Just a little something to make her comfortable."
"A little...?"
Before Lady So could retort, Adjutant Shim jumped in swiftly. "As expected of Lady So! Your thoughtfulness is truly admirable. But ma'am, can Young Lady Yeon even lift this?"
"But these are all essentials... Yeon, is it too heavy?"
After some back-and-forth haggling, they reduced it to about thirty percent, making it manageable for me.
Sigh... I haven't even entered Changgung Pavilion yet, and I'm already exhausted?
Right before stepping in, I turned back one last time.
He's not coming.
Namgung Ryu-cheong never showed. I figured he'd at least pop by since we won't see each other for a fortnight.
Shaking off the lingering regret, I set foot into Changgung Pavilion.
The interior was shrouded in deep darkness, like the dead of night. Light filtered in from the open door, but it was far too dim to illuminate the pitch-black space fully.
What does it even look like in here?
As the door closed behind me, the light dwindled until—with a heavy thud—it vanished completely.
And then I gaped in astonishment.
"What... is this?"
The space that had been utterly impenetrable moments ago now unfolded into a vast, open meadow.