If You Claim the Fallen Heiress - Chapter 2

Her heart, which she thought had stopped, now pounded violently in front of her ears. It was probably due to the unease of having spied on a half-naked man.

Yuseol only wanted to confirm if the man had fallen into the water or not. After that, she needed to find Geon quickly. He might have gotten lost on the mountain path…

Peeking. She slightly poked her head out from behind the tree trunk. The scent of water mist was strong. Feeling strangely intoxicated, she held her breath and followed the man with her eyes.

She saw his back as he swam. As his long arms cut through the water, the fine muscles on his back branched into several strands. The lake water urgently seeped into those spaces.

This was the first time she had seen a man’s bare upper body. At the sensual sight, Yuseol desperately exhaled the breath she had been holding. The fine hairs on her cheeks stood on end, and shivers ran down her spine. It even felt as if the robust body of a man who could easily overpower a woman if he so wished was right before her. It was an unfamiliar and frightening sensation.

She wanted to flee. She had confirmed that the man had not fallen into the water. Yuseol took her hand off the tree trunk, which she had been gripping so tightly that it left nail marks. Just then, the man swam to the lakeside and came ashore.

Splash. Water streamed down uninhibitedly. The man narrowed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. His white, sharp profile glistened in the moonlight.

He must have been in his early twenties. The air of nobility emanating from his fair skin suggested he was probably a yangban. Not wanting to cause any unnecessary trouble, she hid herself behind the tree again. (t/n: 양반 (yangban) refers to the noble class. They are educated elites who held high social status and government positions.)

The man picked up the Dopo floating on the lake and put it on. Similarly, water dripped from the wide sleeves of the Dopo. He didn’t seem to be cold in the winter weather. He started walking casually. (t/n: Dopo is a traditional Korean robe worn by noblemen or scholars during the Joseon era.)

He suddenly stopped at the beginning of the downhill path by the lake. He pushed his dripping hair to one side and gazed down at the ground. He seemed to be looking at something that had fallen. Suddenly, Yuseol remembered the staff she had thrown down earlier.

He seemed like a man with keen observational skills. That admiration was momentary, and she soon felt dizzy. A dark shadow stretched over the long staff. It was Yuseol’s, cast by the bright full moon.

Startled, she froze in place. The wind blew through the still landscape. Her hair fluttered vaguely. In the slowly flowing time, she felt uniquely alive and breathing.

He too felt familiar. For some reason, it was a sensation as if she had yearned for it for a very long time. Suddenly, she felt like bursting into tears. Was her heart becoming weaker from living in exile…?

The man slowly turned to Yuseol. A camellia petal, carried by the wind, brushed his cheek. He subtly pressed his cheek with the back of his hand and then crossed his arms.

She saw the wet silk clinging to his forearm. Yuseol’s vague anxiety as she approached him reached its peak. It must have been because of the dream where the police officers came to arrest her…. Since it was their first meeting, she just wanted to exchange names and quickly leave.

“I am Han Yuseol, staying at the mountain lodge. I’m looking for my dog, who went missing this morning. He’s a wolfdog with thick gray fur; have you seen him by any chance?”

However, the man did not reply, and the time they stood facing each other only lengthened.

Yuseol only stared at the ground. Water droplets dripped from his wet Dopo.

Then she felt his gaze sweeping over her face. She couldn’t confirm it for sure, afraid their eyes might meet, but her heart began to pound violently.

“It seems you haven’t seen my dog. Then I will take my leave.”

She wanted to escape this place filled with tension. Just then, he tilted his head slightly and asked strangely.

“…Where to?”

“I’m trying to find where Geon might be.”

For some reason, his lips subtly curved into a smile.

“I see.”

She inadvertently looked up at his mouth. A strange sense of déjà vu washed over her. It seemed similar to the mouth of the man who had appeared when she lost consciousness at the entrance to Museolwon. No, even before that, she felt like she had met him in the palace….

The man’s lips, revealed from beneath the deeply pulled-down hat, resurfaced in her memory. For some reason, she felt like she had seen him when she was chosen as the Crown Princess and entered the palace. It felt like a face she had seen at every important moment of her life. Was it a misconception…?

“But I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

At that, he only needed to give a yes or no answer. But he didn’t even do that simple thing.

Tap, tap. A light drizzle began to fall.

He paid no mind and looked at the staff on the ground. Suddenly, as if something occurred to him, he turned his gaze to Yuseol. His eyes were not gentle, mirroring his distant demeanor.

“That dog, do you think you can find it?”

His words somehow sounded as if she would never find Geon. Yuseol bit her lower lip and replied briefly.

“I have to find him.”

“How long do you plan to search?”

“Until I find him.”

He made a strange expression. Then, tilting his head slightly, he put something he was holding on his earlobe. It was a gold earring the length of a finger. The interconnected loops were intricately intertwined with the character Han (韓), her family name.

Her eyes widened.

“That earring…!”

She was too surprised to finish her sentence. The earring the man was wearing was one she had personally made and put on Geon’s ear. It was like an amulet she had given him to protect him from palace servants who might harm him. Until her father passed away, only a handful of people would have dared to touch anything belonging to the Han family.

She met such an unscrupulous man in Museolwon, her place of exile. Her lips trembled, feeling miserable about her sudden downfall. She couldn’t control the rage that surged to her head. Her lips, wet with the drizzle, barely moved.

“Geon is….”

“He’s fine.”

“Where is he?”

“Somewhere.”

After observing her expression for a moment, he said something unexpected.

“More than that, I’m curious. You said you felt like you’d seen me somewhere, right?”

“Yes. Did I?”

To Yuseol, who asked for confirmation, he showed a relaxed smile.

“I’d like you to answer that.”

His eyes gleamed in the darkness, with the moon behind him. She somehow thought they were like sparkling stars, wishing for her to discover his presence.

“Then I’ll return that dog to you. Alive.”

With that, he disappeared with the fog.