Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Atonement
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* * *
-Shwaaa...
Baek Seol-hwa thought she could stand under the showerhead like this for hours.
The shower she was tasting for the first time in ages felt that good.
She cupped her hands to catch the falling water.
She wondered if it was safe to drink,
but it was water so pure that the thought even crossed her mind.
The bottled water from rations couldn't be used for washing.
The Celestial Sect drew water from the river for that purpose.
Somehow, this place even had a working shower.
The long-overdue shower cleared her mind.
She knew he indulged in women.
She knew he fancied her, too.
So she made the offer.
As expected, he spared her senior brothers to claim her.
For that moment, she was relieved he was the kind of man who chased skirts.
Had she not come to him, her senior brothers' heads would have rolled.
She had no regrets about saving them.
'Did Grandfather know?'
That he would lose their duel.
Having clashed with him several times herself, she had anticipated this outcome to some degree.
Her own defeat,
and her grandfather, the Celestial Sect Leader, being defeated.
Those two carried different weights.
Knowing that, she had wanted to step in herself...
But Grandfather's resolve was firm, so she couldn't stop him.
Yet watching him wield that massive sword with effortless grace against her grandfather, she realized even she hadn't fully grasped his strength.
He was far stronger than she had imagined.
For her protector senior brother to lead the junior disciples in an assassination attempt on such a man...
It was an unimaginable shock, even for Baek Seol-hwa.
She had known Cheon Su-ho for years in the Celestial Sect.
He never seemed capable of such a thing—proving that you never truly know a person's heart, even if you can see ten fathoms into the water.
Grandfather had looked deeply disappointed, too.
By coming to her lord, she had ultimately saved her senior brothers' lives.
'Probably...'
Severe punishment... perhaps even expulsion.
Moving for assassination without the sect leader's orders was an unforgivable breach.
-Whirrr~
Her long hair dried under the hot blast from the hairdryer.
Electricity... a hairdryer.
For some reason, power was flowing here.
'How?'
She knew Jang-su had been bustling east and west with her senior brothers to procure a small generator.
'Does this place have something like that?'
Using civilization's conveniences after so long brought a strange sense of wonder.
At the same time,
the more Baek Seol-hwa realized this place was more comfortable and better-equipped than she thought...
the more an uncomfortable feeling, the opposite of comfort, settled in her.
*
After her shower, Baek Seol-hwa sat blankly in a chair, watching the woman and children relaxing comfortably.
It was nothing like what she had imagined.
She had started sensing it bit by bit since arriving here with him and facing his women.
This wasn't the kind of place she had expected...
They lived in comfort.
A cute little girl approached cautiously and offered her a jelly snack.
'Hana, was it...'
She had heard the others calling this child Hana.
"Are you giving this to me?"
-Nod.
".........Thank you."
A pure, toothy smile without a trace of pretense.
Who could call that fake?
If that man treated the children harshly, such a smile wouldn't exist.
'I...'
No matter how she looked, the women and children didn't seem forcibly confined or living in misery.
'This is... a misunderstanding...'
An unpleasant emotion she didn't want to accept.
But she had to admit she had harbored utterly baseless misunderstandings about him all this time.
She had misjudged him, slandered him, and even tried to kill him.
Why had she been so desperate to cut him down?
If he had been weaker and fallen to her sword?
Those children's smiles would have vanished.
How much resentment would she have faced?
Thinking that made her realize the horrific mistake she had made.
While I was away,
the kids made do with rationed goods for meals, but when eating together, I brought out food from my original world.
I liked watching them enjoy it.
I wasn't diligent enough to hunt down gourmet spots every time,
but I steadily stocked decent delivery foods in my inventory.
Today, to welcome the new addition, Baek Seol-hwa,
I decided to have whatever she wanted for dinner.
As I entered the lounge with the kids for our meal,
".......?"
For some reason, Baek Seol-hwa was on her knees.
'What's with this girl, always so formal...'
"This girl has committed an enormous misunderstanding against my lord and an unpardonable sin."
I glanced around at the kids, wondering what was up with Seol-hwa.
"Uncle, talk to her... She's been like this since earlier, waiting..."
Han Su-ji grumbled at me with a baffled look.
The kids stood there awkwardly, giving embarrassed smiles.
How long had she been like this...
"My lord. Punish this girl. And shamelessly, I beg your forgiveness."
Seol-hwa prostrated herself before me, head bowed low.
"If you forgive this girl, I will atone for life and serve my lord."
"..........."
What was I supposed to say to this?
The air froze awkwardly around Seol-hwa's prostration.
It was like she was sorry for misunderstanding me.
But thanks to that misunderstanding, I got to make her mine, right?
Honestly, I hadn't even cared.
Her bowing her head like this made me feel guilty.
"Uh..........It's fine, so get up."
To lighten the awkward mood, I slipped my hands under her arms and lifted her up.
Seol-hwa was already lost in her own tragic atmosphere, gazing at me soulfully.
"My lord..."
-Smack.
I slapped her firm buttock with my palm.
"Ahhn!"
"Consider that your punishment."
"My lord, are you forgiving this sinful girl?"
"Y-yeah."
I forgave her since she was begging so earnestly.
It felt like things wouldn't end otherwise.
Suddenly, I recalled a historical drama scene.
Kneeling for days until forgiveness...
She seemed like the type to actually do it, which scared me a bit.
Seol-hwa's eyes glistened moistly; for some reason, she looked moved by my forgiveness.
Behind us, Ji-ah fidgeted, unsettled by the weird vibe between Seol-hwa and me.
"Jeez... This isn't a historical drama set. What the hell is this? How'd you even bring home such a weirdo?"
Su-ji muttered incredulously.
-Clap. Clap.
I clapped to break the mood.
"Alright, let's eat."
As I sat, Ji-ah and Seol-hwa naturally took seats on either side of me.
"Well, aren't you the king of chairs."
Su-ji snarked, but it was just petty jealousy.
Not jealousy since she wasn't a guy?
"Ah... I feel like having jokbal."
Su-ji boldly muttered what she wanted, loud enough not to be a mumble.
She'd been spoiled lately, putting on a bit of weight.
I ignored her and asked Seol-hwa.
"What do you want, Seol-hwa? It's like a welcome party—pick whatever."
"F-food I want...?"
Seol-hwa looked like she couldn't comprehend.
But as her sky-high lord commanded, she shyly opened her mouth.
"Th-then... I'd like tomato pasta..."
I expected something like braised ribs, but it was an unexpected choice.
"Pasta it is, then."
"Rose for me!"
"Aglio e olio!"
I set pasta plates in front of the kids.
"Th-this is..."
Baek Seol-hwa gawked at the steaming pasta appearing from nowhere.
"M-my lord, are you an immortal?"
"......."
Baek Seol-hwa knelt before me, hands clasped in utmost courtesy.
Was this the downside of early education?
"You want to go back to the Celestial Sect?"
Having taken Baek Seol-hwa, I planned to lay low and monitor the sect's movements for a while.
But Seol-hwa wanted to return there.
As a former member, she wouldn't be in danger.
"This girl bears the responsibility to clear my lord's false misunderstandings in the Celestial Sect."
I didn't care if the Celestial Sect misunderstood me or not.
I had no regrets or expectations from them.
By now, their image of me was probably rock bottom.
I'd half-killed their attackers and taken Baek Seol-hwa—anyone would hate that.
But Baek Seol-hwa seemed bothered by their poor impression of me.
I'd been thrilled at winning her in the duel and claiming her, but I never intended to confine her from the start.
"You don't need to ask me for every little thing. Go ahead comfortably."
"This girl, Baek Seol-hwa, is moved once more by my lord's vast, ocean-deep magnanimity."
Seol-hwa prostrated deeply, utterly impressed.
"......."
No........ seriously...
She was so young—how did she end up like this?
At this point, I suspected the Celestial Sect of child abuse.