Camellia 37

All three of them were troubled, each for a different reason.

Seolyeong was mortified because he’d been caught eavesdropping on a private conversation between brothers. Murong Wi was troubled that Seolyeong had managed to hide so well that even his sensitive senses hadn’t detected him. And Murong Jeongui was panicked because the feelings he’d hidden had been exposed.

If you asked whose face had turned the reddest, the answer would be Murong Jeongui by far.

Seolyeong awkwardly rose to his feet, scratched the back of his head and looked at him. The emotion on that crimson face was unmistakably despair and shame.

Ahem! Seolyeong faked a cough and, trying to ease the tense mood, said in a low voice,

‘…Let’s pretend I didn’t hear anything.’

Murong Jeongui is in love with me? What kind of nonsense is that? Just thinking about how that man had bullied and humiliated him made Seolyeong grind his teeth in his sleep.

It was Murong Jeongui who had taught him his place. That man never missed a chance to shout at him, telling him to know his limits.

‘Please, the two of you continue your conversation.’

Seolyeong added politely, bowed his head lightly, and turned around. Just as he slid his left foot back, preparing to leap toward the wall marking the boundary of the rear garden.

Murong Jeongui shrieked in a high voice.

‘You sneaky little rat! How long were you there? Since when?!’

There it was. Who calls someone they like a sneaky little rat?

Seolyeong did his best to ignore the tremble in Murong Jeongui’s voice. Just as he vaulted over the wall, Jeongui yelled again.

‘Hey! Blood thief!’

Seolyeong instinctively turned his head. He saw Murong Jeongui staring at him, eyes bloodshot and teary.

The men of the Murong clan weren’t fussy about color when it came to their clothing. Since the family’s official color was the pale pink of the peony, even seasoned warriors over forty often wore training robes in flamboyant shades that would normally be seen on courtesans outside the estate.

The reason for mentioning this was simple, even to Seolyeong, who had grown accustomed to all kinds of gaudy outfits, the youngest son’s appearance seemed excessive.

It wasn’t just the silk clothing, but the long earrings, pearl-studded bracelets, and necklaces. All of it proved just how indulgent he was.

Their gazes met. Murong Jeongui’s mouth parted, as if he had something to say.

But Seolyeong quickly fled the rear garden. He was feeling uneasy, but he chose to ignore it.

He ran into a two-story annex the clan had provided for him. To the common folk, it might seem like a grand residence, but within the estate, it was modest at best.

‘Haa… haa…’

It was midsummer. The scorching sun burned his skin.

Seolhyeon, sitting on the stone steps eating a frozen treat, waved her spoon and asked,

‘Did a hunter chase you or something? Why are you back in such a rush?’

Seolyeong plopped down in front of his beloved younger sibling. As always, Seolhyeon couldn’t understand why her brother sat in the grass when there was a perfectly fine stone platform. Seolyeong had once explained his fondness for grass, but Seolhyeon hadn’t paid attention and promptly forgot.

‘Hyeon-ah… What am I going to do? I’m seriously in trouble…’

Seolyeong mumbled, bowing his head deeply.

Seolhyeon scooped a large bite of her icy treat and replied,

‘Yeah. What are you gonna do.’

Her tone clearly said, “I don’t care what kind of mess you’re in.”

‘If only I’d been born just decently handsome… Why did I have to be the most beautiful person under heaven…’

Seolyeong had been famous for his beauty since childhood. The rumors had even reached the capital. Even cold Seolhyeon had to admit her brother’s looks were exceptional. But when she saw that excessive self-love, she couldn’t help but feel nauseous.

Seolyeong stroked his own cheek with a miserable expression.

‘They say beautiful ones die young. That’s exactly what’s happening to me.’

His lament continued. Rambling like someone drunk on his own misery, Seolyeong only shut up when the irritated Seolhyeon flung her empty dessert bowl at his forehead.

Wiping the sticky mess off his face with a sleeve, Seolyeong sighed.

He had no idea how to face Murong Jeongui from now on. For now, it seemed the only solution was to avoid him like the plague. Well, they rarely crossed paths to begin with. He’d have to take comfort in that.

But then came the very next day.

And Seolyeong had no choice but to curse Wonsi Cheonjon.

When he’d met the Divine Healer, he thought the heavens loved him. But clearly, they didn’t. Heaven had abandoned him.

‘Hey! Stop right there!’

Why would I? You lunatic!

From broad daylight onward, Seolyeong was locked in a chase using gyeonggong, and it was pure torture.

The day after his secret was exposed, the Fourth Young Master, Murong Jeongui, visited the blood fiends’ quarters at the break of dawn. The attendants he brought along were one thing, but the mountain of gifts he carried himself, clearly intending to confess his feelings, left Seolyeong speechless.

This wasn’t like Murong Jeongui at all. With a determined expression like someone proposing marriage, he gazed at Seolyeong with eyes full of longing. He didn’t seem like the same man.

So, without thinking, Seolyeong ran.

The problem was, Murong Jeongui felt insulted, he actually chased after him.

The two of them dashed non-stop, nearly reaching the edge of the estate and into the nearby village.

‘You bastard! I said stop!’

Standing on the sweeping roof of a five-story building, Murong Jeongui shouted toward the sky, panting heavily. But Seolyeong had already disappeared far into the distance.

Tears welled up in Jeongui’s wide eyes. His nose stung.

Just recently, he had rejected a marriage proposal for Seolyeong’s sake. He had clung to his parents, arguing that he couldn’t marry before his older brother did, he had managed to delay the wedding by sheer persistence.

But in the end, he knew he would still have to marry the daughter of the Peng clan as his parents wished.

Letting out the feelings he had kept buried all this time, feelings he had never wanted to acknowledge, was harder than he had imagined. Especially since Seolyeong would flee every time he saw him.

At first, Murong Jeongui had tried to understand. He had forced himself to rein in his temper and reasoned,

Right. From his perspective, a sudden love confession must have been confusing. Especially when he still thinks I tried to hurt him.

Jeongui remembered the day his mother learned of his feelings for Seolyeong, bribed the sword instructor to destroy his danjeon. That memory alone made his blood boil.

When his mother asked if he was blinded by Seolyeong’s looks, he had replied that it was his strength he admired. That was a mistake. He shouldn’t have overlooked the way her brown eyes lit up like a predator’s.

Before getting married to the Peng girl, Jeongui at least wanted to confess his feelings.

He admitted it. As a child, every time he saw Seolyeong, his heart would pound so violently he thought it was hatred. He lashed out and acted cruelly instead of being kind. No wonder Seolyeong was afraid of him.

But Jeongui didn’t want to give up. If Seolyeong responded even a little, he was prepared to abandon the clan and elope with him.

Just having that beautiful, fierce, radiant boy by his side would make him feel like he could conquer the world.

And yet, Seolyeong trampled that desperate love without hesitation.

He began avoiding Jeongui like his life depended on it, then started flirting with women all over the place. The message was clear.

I like girls, you bastard!

Jeongui was devastated.

And that was Seolyeong’s mistake.

To a proud young master who had already swallowed his pride by extending an olive branch, a rejection like that was beyond imagining.

In doing so, Seolyeong had unknowingly opened the gates of hell himself.