Chapter 64
The sun had set again.
Yuseol, who had dozed off while sitting, opened her stiff eyes.
In her half-sleep, she heard signs of someone’s presence in her drowsy ears. Could it be Myoyeon, who had visited a little while ago, coming back for other business?
As she raised her stiff body, her head spun chaotically because she was still tired. While she walked a few steps and lowered her head with her hand against the wall, the bedroom door suddenly opened and closed.
Clean socked feet appeared in front of the door. Above them, the hem of a light blue dopo was visible.
She stopped breathing from vague fear and raised her head to check the face. Her trembling gaze went up endlessly. And when it stopped around the upper door frame, Mu-yeong’s face was visible.
Yuseol heard a sharp ringing sound and exhaled long. Her heart, which had stopped briefly, began beating, but the color didn’t return to her pale face.
She clasped her trembling hands together and said quietly.
“I didn’t expect you to come like this.”
There wasn’t the slightest expectation that Mu-yeong would come in her wavering eyes.
His eyes, displeased, narrowed subtly.
“I should have stood in front of the door and called you out.”
Saying such things when he knew she wasn’t in a position to do that….
Resentment quickly filled Yuseol’s shaking eyes. It was an emotion that had started from the moment he had toyed with her, acting as if he might or might not return Geon. That emotion had grown violently when he had arbitrarily pressed his lips to hers. Because she felt like she could never go back to how things were before.
Her voice became colder than ever.
“Thank you for personally gracing us with your presence inside. Since you’ve come like this, it would be nice if you returned my silver dagger as well.”
Yuseol looked at Mu-yeong’s water-colored eyes. It was amazing how eyes of such beautiful color could look so arrogant.
“Silver dagger? I don’t have it right now.”
Yuseol looked for the silver dagger among the ornaments at his waist, then lowered her gaze.
“Then I’d be grateful if you could deliver it through Lord Myoyeon.”
“Why do you need the silver dagger?”
“I think I’d feel at ease if I at least had the silver dagger.”
A dark energy appeared in his eyes. Yuseol thought it was contempt for a weak person who couldn’t overcome hardships and was considering self-destruction. It might be a victim complex, but for now, sorrowful emotions rushed in.
“Is it uncomfortable for you that I protect my own life?”
He slightly lifted his gat with his index finger and curved his lips.
“Yes, really arrogant.”
“How is it arrogant for me to take care of my own life?”
“If you say that, won’t the things that raised you be sad?”
Having said something difficult, he calmly examined Yuseol’s trembling hands.
Feeling his gaze, she put strength into her clasped hands and hid her tension.
“Rather than someone raising me, I grew up on my own. So… there’s no one who would be that sad.”
Her melancholy eyes began watching Mu-yeong. Unlike usual, there was a small expectation in them. She needed an answer that many people would be sad if she died. Just the feeling of being connected to people and living would give her great strength.
An unexpected answer came to such a her.
“Grew up on your own… I wonder if this world thinks so too.”
Yuseol’s eyes wandered in the air.
“This world? What do you mean by that…?”
The world she knew was a place where heaven and earth, wind and water, brilliant seasons, and time gathered. Since it wasn’t a living being, her thoughts stopped there.
Her voice directed toward Mu-yeong carried doubt.
“Are you trying to say that this world raised me?”
Though she asked in disbelief, thinking about it, it made a little sense. All people born in this world live receiving care from heaven and earth, water and wind. Even time, which had seemed to just flow, might be slowly raising people. Thinking that way, she felt it was right that she had been raised by the things he spoke of.
Yuseol took a long deep breath to calm the excitement she didn’t realize she felt.
“Is that why you can’t return the silver dagger?”
“Yes.”
Finding her reaction of silently getting angry amusing, he chuckled and opened the display case, taking out a long sword.
“I’ll give you a new toy.”
Yuseol’s eyes examined the sword. It was a sophisticated sword of a good size for a woman to use.
However, rather than for secretly carrying and protecting herself, it seemed suitable for fighting against enemies.
Was this another expression of contempt?
Yuseol slowly drew the sword from its sheath and held it. Hostility was in her gaze looking up at Mu-yeong.
“If you give me this sword, I can point it at anyone.”
He smiled at his smooth lips and answered.
“If you point it at me, that would be interesting in its own way.”
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