If You Claim the Fallen Heiress - Chapter 117

She planned to return now. Meisa would have found out about this situation.

Yuseol straightened her clothes and looked at Kim Seon. Just as a greeting was about to leave her lips, Kim Seon spoke as if to stop her.

“After inviting a guest, we have no face to show. We will find the one who started the rumor and deal with them.”

Yuseol bowed her head again.

“I am honored.”

Kim Seon’s gaze reached the evening sky, which was beginning to cloud over.

“Yes, it seems it will rain again.”

“…….”

“By the way, do you like rainy days?”

Yuseol looked up at the sky. The harmony of the sunset and the clouds created a spectacular view, but she couldn’t feel her heart swell up right now. It was because Kim Seon’s gaze, which seemed to be trying to read her emotions, was too clear. She suppressed her desire to run away and tried to speak calmly.

“A rainy day…. Isn’t it just one of the ordinary, meaningless days?”

Kim Seon’s faintly shimmering eyes suddenly became murky.

Yuseol bit her lower lip. What on earth had he been expecting? Did he want to hear an answer that she liked rainy days because she could meet the man she had been waiting for?

Drip-drip. A light drizzle began to fall. The cold sensation on her skin made Yuseol recall a memory from the past. Strangely, it wasn’t the languid image of Kim Seon but another man, with a rain-soaked dopo, that appeared before her eyes. The day when rainwater flowed down the slope of Museolwon, the man’s two feet had blocked the stream of water. The conversation she had with the man then faintly echoed in Yuseol’s ears.

“I got your letter.”

“Yes. But I think it’s dangerous. I plan to go alone. Was there anything else you wanted to say?”

“No.”

“…….”

“Farewell.”

The sound of the pouring rain that day, which was terrifyingly loud, seemed to be ringing in her ears. She touched her chest, feeling her body and heart ache sharply. Her heart was beating fast, and she felt like she was suffering from a burning fever all over. The aftershock was much more intense than the memory of a rainy day that Kim Seon had given her.

“It seems the rain will pour down harder, Your Majesty.”

Yuseol, who wanted to return to her chambers, suddenly looked at the pavilion near the main gate. A well-built man was sitting on the railing, drinking tea. His eyes, which were long and narrow, had a very unfriendly look. A similar aura was present on his lips, which held a relaxed smile.

The man could only be Mu-yeong. Yuseol’s heart, which had just barely calmed down, began to flutter again. It was rougher than when she had recalled the memory of a rainy day. It was as if the thunder from that day was pounding in her chest.

The scenery in front of her began to turn gray. Even the flower buds she had been looking at earlier became blurry, and only the man’s colors seemed to become more vivid. In a world that seemed to be turning entirely white, black, and green, Yuseol heard a high-pitched ringing in her ears.

It was in that moment of being overwhelmed. Mu-yeong placed his teacup on the railing.

The way he crossed his arms seemed to be a an arrogant invitation for her to come to him.

She hadn’t gone to him when he had called for her during the day, so wouldn’t it be okay to go now?

Yuseol looked at Kim Seon as if she was about to leave. Her eyes had become even colder than before.

“My betrothed is waiting for me. It was an honor to spend even a short time with Your Majesty.”

And she hesitated for a moment. She had prepared something to say as a final farewell when she met Kim Seon. Her intention was to become a difficult problem herself in order to attract the man who had only pursued difficult problems since he was young.

“However, I am concerned that the rumor spreading in the palace may become more exaggerated, so I plan to stay in my chambers for a while. Please do not mind it if we do not meet by chance again.”

Yuseol headed toward the pavilion without any lingering feelings. Then, she suddenly looked back at Kim Seon. It was a fleeting moment, but his eyes seemed to be wavering with a desperate longing.

The sky turned purple. Two shadows, one large and one small, were cast on the clean stone path.

Yuseol didn’t say a word to Mu-yeong the entire way back to her chambers. It was so awkward, as if it were the first time they had walked together, so she just looked at their shadows.

Before she knew it, her chambers were vaguely in sight. She touched her cheeks, which had been hot the entire time. Then, she glanced at Mu-yeong. Her eyes met his cold, fierce ones.

Yuseol, who had been hesitating, brought up the most mundane topic.

“I didn’t know you would be here.”

The feeling of climbing a difficult mountain began again. Just as it always did when she talked to him.

She would probably fall and have to come back down in the middle again today. While she watched the scenery without any expectation, a deep voice rang out.

“I was here from the beginning, but you really didn’t know.”