If You Claim the Fallen Heiress - Chapter 103

At that moment, her feet, which were about to run away, slipped on the edge of the cushion.

Yuseol instinctively reached her hand back. Cornered against the wall, her fingertips hit the vase on the decorative shelf. The vase hit the floor with a sharp crash.

CRASH!

The water from the vase scattered in all directions. Transparent streaks of water beaded on Yuseol’s cheeks.

Even with the commotion, he didn’t care and watched her with an arrogant yet precarious gaze. He seemed to be thinking about how he would act with the woman he could control at will today.

Yuseol hated the situation where everything depended on his whim. The thought that she was even wearing these clothes because he wanted her to made her feel utterly miserable.

At that moment, his broad shoulder slammed against Yuseol’s body, which was about to fall. She squeezed her eyes shut and beat his shoulder. But when he didn’t move, she bit and scratched him with all her might. His words, “try,” lingered, and she felt like she was going insane, unable to do anything.

Then her elbow, which she was swinging in her frustration, hit the wall without hesitation.

With a muffled sound, he stopped moving.

Hearing his low breaths echoing in the air, Yuseol rushed out of the room. It was a night when the scenery, sensations, and even the sounds felt unfamiliar.

***

Knock, knock. Raindrops fell from the eaves. It was morning, but it felt as dark as evening.

Yuseol, who woke up to the sound of rain, felt her entire body ache. Her shoulders, in particular, felt heavy, and her finger joints creaked with every movement. It was because she had put all her strength into hitting and pushing his chest yesterday.

Fortunately, nothing happened after she returned to her room yesterday. Strangely, that fact brought about a feeling of emptiness. Was it because she had confirmed that their relationship was nothing as soon as Han Yuseol turned away?

She closed her eyes again. His low voice lingered in her ears. She felt as though she could hear his low gasps and the broken breaths.

When she covered her ears with both hands, he became even more vivid. She would have usually tried to erase him, but she didn’t feel like it today.

She didn’t know how to express this feeling. Should she call it resignation, or adaptation?

If it wasn’t……

The more she tried to fathom her emotions, the more a part of her heart ached with a sharp pang. Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, she held her breath for a moment. Even after time passed in that state, the pain didn’t subside. It was a series of strange events. She turned over and lay down, as if to refuse the emotions she couldn’t measure.

The soft pitter-patter of the rain grew louder. It had been clear for the past few days, so it seemed to have been preparing to pour down like this. Her whole body ached, but for now, it wasn’t bad. The constant sound of the rain and her dizzy head and empty feelings were all the same.

Just then, footsteps were heard in the courtyard. It seemed there were many people, not just one or two.

Yuseol’s half-closed eyes opened wide. The eunuch’s voice echoed from the courtyard.

“His Majesty the King has arrived.”

She instinctively clutched the blanket. Her heart pounded, and for a moment, she couldn’t hear anything else. While she let out a breath she had been holding in, hurried footsteps echoed from the room.

Yanghui’s voice was heard.

“I-I greet Your Majesty.”

The king was a being so noble that even most high-ranking yangban dared not face him. A sense of burden was in Yanghui’s voice when she greeted him.

Yuseol bit her lower lip, not knowing what to do.

A brief silence followed. Kim Seon’s beautiful voice rang out calmly.

“I just stopped by on my way. Is she alone?”

“La-lady Sahwa is not feeling well and has not yet woken up from bed.”

It must have been the best answer Yanghui could give. She couldn’t have said they were taking a walk on a rainy day like today.

But Yuseol started to feel anxious at the premonition that Kim Seon would try to find Sahwa meticulously. She hadn’t even covered her face with makeup. She felt her heart clench.

Outside the door, it was as quiet as the calm before a storm. Yuseol felt stifled, unable to help Yanghui in this unexpected situation.

Was Han Yuseol truly unable to stop anything, just as he had pointed out? The empty feeling seemed to spread throughout her body.

Then, Kim Seon’s reply was heard.

“Yes, it’s understandable that she would be tired after traveling such a long distance day and night.”

For some reason, his voice sounded as if he understood Sahwa’s physical condition. He didn’t ask anything else about her.

“Don’t tell her I was here.”

With that order, Kim Seon’s footsteps receded.

It didn’t seem like he came to check her bare face without makeup. She was reminded of how it had rained when they had spent time together in the palace. The sight of his back, slowly walking in the rain, began to form in Yuseol’s mind.

She closed her eyes, as if recalling the chaotic memory of last night.