If You Claim the Fallen Heiress - Chapter 24

She bit her lower lip again. A feeling of indignation rushed over her, making her chest feel tight. The days she had endlessly waited while he ended their relationship and poison was administered appeared before her eyes.

She opened her eyes that had been closed. She brought out the wooden stick for training from her room. She cut through the air again and again. As if cutting away her past self who had been utterly naive.

The clouds that had filled the sky cleared and sunlight shone. It seemed like the sky was encouraging her to think only good thoughts.

The hand gripping the sword gradually relaxed. When her breathing became comfortable, a yellow butterfly flew in from somewhere.

Though the weather wasn’t cold, it was a delicate butterfly too fragile to endure such days. Why had it flown all the way here after sleeping in some comfortable place?

Somehow their precarious situations felt similar.

“Hey, where did you come from?”

She was truly curious. A deep cave perhaps? Or maybe a secret forest where no one’s footsteps could reach….

She smiled faintly as she quietly pictured that place.

“If you know a good place to hide, please let me know.”

The butterfly that had been circling above her head began flying away bit by bit as if to tell her of a suitable place. She who had been watching the butterfly wistfully followed it as if bewitched.

The fog was thick enough that she could only see about two steps ahead. When the butterfly fluttered into the fog, Yuseol would quicken her pace to catch up, repeating this pattern.

The farther she went, the thicker the fog became, making her feel as if she was being drawn into another world. Strangely, comfort grew rather than anxiety.

The place where she stopped was in front of a magnificent gate. The fog that had thickly obscured her vision had turned toward the forest.

A tall man was standing in front of the gate. The wall that felt overwhelmingly high to her only reached about the man’s shoulders.

Yuseol realized the man was Mu-yeong and stepped back. His eyes that briefly met hers were asking what her business was.

What if he misunderstood and thought she had come to seriously consider and accept his joke? She gripped the wooden stick tightly in indignation and lowered her gaze to the ground.

“We meet again like this. I came out for a brief walk.”

Just then a servant approached and spoke from behind him with both hands respectfully clasped.

“My lord, the meal has been prepared.”

His attention turned to the servant. She couldn’t be more grateful for that. Yuseol tried to take the opportunity to leave.

At that moment, the servant looked at her and asked Mu-yeong.

“Shall I prepare for the young lady as well?”

Come to think of it, it was already lunchtime. Mu-yeong glanced down at her.

It was clearly a sharp gaze, but she was anxious that he might agree. Yuseol moved her dry lips stiffly.

“I’ve already eaten, so it would be difficult to join you. If you give me another opportunity next time, I would be grateful.”

He passed through the gate as if nothing had happened. The soldier guarding the gate bowed to him in greeting.

Yuseol blankly watched his retreating back.

Was this fortunate? Or… would it have been better to attend the meal and ask about Geon’s whereabouts?

Just as she was about to turn away with complicated feelings, she suddenly saw a white crow sitting on the eaves of the inner quarters. It was Yeon.

Yuseol hesitated then secretly passed by the gate’s soldier and headed under the eaves. It was hard to suppress her desire to run calling Yeon’s name loudly.

But Yeon showed no intention of coming down even after seeing her. It seemed to be because of the unfamiliar people in sight.

Unable to contain herself, she whistled sharply.

“Yeon, Yeon-ah, come here. Come here.” (t/n: “-ah” is a Korean suffix used to address someone affectionately.)

The desperate call didn’t seem to reach him. Yeon half-spread his left wing and began grooming it with his beak, pretending not to notice.

The soldier who had noticed Yuseol approached and blocked her.

“This place is forbidden to outsiders. Please come outside.”

She who had been waiting for Yeon all this time couldn’t stop.

“The bird I sent flying some time ago came into this place. I’ll just take the bird and leave.”

Her hand reached desperately toward the eaves.

“Yeon, come here.”

At that moment, a deep shadow enveloped her back. Mu-yeong had approached close enough for his robes to brush against her.

Her vision became endlessly black. She couldn’t understand why his body swimming under the waterfall suddenly came to mind. His muscular back that had risen and descended to the water’s surface without hesitation became endlessly vivid.

Just then, a fragrant soap scent wafted from Mu-yeong’s body. Yuseol heard a sharp ringing in her ears. It sounded like a sensory box that had been hidden somewhere in her heart was breaking.

Feeling like she might collapse at this rate, she stepped back and looked behind her. His broad chest was right in front of her nose.

He calmly raised his hand toward the eaves and was bringing Yeon down. He didn’t seem particularly pleased with this situation.

“Yeon, you say. That’s quite an excessive name for a bird.”

Yeon balanced himself on his index finger with wings slightly spread. That was strange. Yeon, who was wary and clever, only allowed Yuseol and Geon to approach him.

Yet that bird didn’t fly away even when he touched the letter tied to its leg. Rather, it began dozing as if it were napping behind Geon’s body.

Was it because of fatigue from the long flight?