Camellia 38

The first to sense the strange atmosphere drifting through the estate was the sharp and perceptive First Young Master.

It had been ten full days since Murong Jeongui went into seclusion.

The date of his engagement was fast approaching. At this rate, the daughter of the Peng clan would arrive in Yonyeong within the month to meet her fiancé. Murong Jeongui, who had stubbornly refused the marriage by claiming he was in love with someone else, would have to come to his senses by then.

Murong Wi invited Seolyeong to the tearoom.

The space, filled with furniture carved from young bamboo, was where Murong Wi enjoyed his tea rituals. The white silk curtains hanging from the windows were imported from the Western Regions, and the folding screen behind the wide table was the only known landscape painted by Song Ikdo, a portrait artist from Hangju.

Murong Wi brewed the tea himself. It was dark tea. Deep brown leaves were taken from a glossy container and placed into the teapot.

Seolyeong absentmindedly watched the fluid movements of the tea ritual. The tea filtered through a strainer and flowed into the cooling bowl with a quiet sound. The rich aroma of pu’er tea filled the room.

‘Ahyeong. There is a rumor going around the city that you’ve taken an interest in women. Is it true?’

Murong Wi poured Seolyeong’s cup and asked casually.

Here it comes. Seolyeong, who had been spending time with courtesans lately, answered,

‘Yes, hyungnim. I’ve finally come to understand the comfort and warmth a woman can offer.’

Complete nonsense. Seolyeong had yet to experience a woman’s embrace.

Because he doted on Seolhyeon so much, he had developed an annoying habit of scolding any woman he met like an overbearing older brother. If he had stopped at gentle nagging, he might have been popular thanks to his striking appearance, but he kept at it like he was trying to drill morality into their skulls, so none of the women saw him as a man, just as a clueless, babbling older brother.

Murong Wi smiled bitterly for some reason. He took a sip of tea, then looked quietly out the window.

‘…Jeongui loves you.’

Seolyeong hadn’t expected him to say it so bluntly. He quickly adjusted his expression.

When his sworn brother didn’t respond, Murong Wi continued in a subdued voice.

‘I don’t know how burdensome that feeling must be for you… but I can’t pretend I don’t know anymore.’

Murong Wi was a man of depth. With a gentle disposition and exceptional empathy, he was the kind of person Seolyeong couldn’t scold his sister for loving. It was a hopeless affection, but Murong Wi was, in every respect, a man of worth. Even from one man’s eyes, he was flawless.

‘Being born so much later than the rest, Jeongui grew up spoiled by affection. That’s why he developed that rotten habit of always having to get what he wants. I tried to correct it, but I failed. I’ve learned that some things just can’t be changed by effort alone.’

His face, as he spoke ill of his younger brother, looked truly bitter. Seolyeong spoke up softly.

‘…The Fourth Young Master has his warmth and human side too. For example, he refuses to eat meat because he pities animals that are killed.’

He might have been cruel to people, but Murong Jeongui was kind to animals. The reason there were so many brown-eared bulbuls in the estate was because he fed them and carefully increased their numbers.

Murong Wi snorteu before suddenly asking,

‘Then would you live with him?’

‘Cough!’

Seolyeong looked away outright. He’d sooner sever ties with the Murong clan than live attached at the hip to that foul-tempered youngest son.

‘What’s there to be proud of in fearing bloodshed in a martial world that exalts strength… tch.’

Though more considerate than the typical men of prestigious clans, Murong Wi was still a martial artist. This was a world where only the strong survived and weakness was a sin. Of course he’d find his younger brother’s softness pathetic.

Murong Wi looked troubled but went on.

‘…Jeongui’s silence worries me. I fear he’s holed up in his room plotting something underhanded. He’s not the type to just sit around crying.’

The guilt in his gaze was clear.

Four years ago, the swordsman from Cheongha that Murong Wi had hired as Seolyeong’s teacher had betrayed him. When he found Seolyeong bleeding out from his abdomen, he made a vow.

That he would protect this child until the day he died.

Because of a kindness extended too easily, Seolyeong nearly died, not just from the injury, but from losing his danjeon, a martial artist’s very core.

It was only thanks to a stroke of fate that he recovered.

Murong Wi commanded firmly.

‘Ahyeong, you must leave the North tomorrow. As far as you can go. Somewhere no one will find you. Do you understand?’

‘…What?’

‘I’ll take care of your sister. When the time comes, I’ll find her a kind husband. If she has a child, I’ll be the godfather and support her fully. You have nothing to worry about.’

This should have been said long ago. Murong Wi smiled as if relieved.

‘I’ve always thought of you as a child. I believed you’d be safest in my domain. But if your concealment skills are so advanced even I can’t sense you… then it’s time we part ways with joy. Congratulations, Ahyeong. I speak this in the name of Murong Wi, you’ll become a hero known throughout the land.’

Seolyeong blurted out, flustered.

‘Leaving isn’t hard! If you order it, even if it were the Tianshan Mountains under the Cheonma Divine Sect, I’d go. But…’

The reason he clung to the Murong clan was because Seolhyeon wished for it. She loved Murong Wi. Her hope was to live by his side and die by his side.

But Murong Wi was the heir to the clan. Not a man a blood fiend woman could dare covet.

For now, he had declared he wouldn’t marry until he fully secured his position. But once he did, matchmaking proposals would pour in from all over. And then, Seolhyeon…She would be discarded. Murong Wi said calmly,

‘She won’t be harmed. No one will lay a finger on her.’

That’s easy to say. Seolyeong, whose liver always swelled three sizes when it came to his sister, said exactly what he was thinking.

‘That’s easy to say, hyung-nim.’

‘I’m different. I… love her.’

‘What, what?’

Her? At the sudden shift in tone, Seolyeong’s eyes widened. His jaw dropped.

Shit, every Murong son is obsessed with romance! Not a single one of them trains properly, and all they do is fall in love!

His black pupils, embedded in his crimson irises, expanded like a beast’s to prove just how furious he was.

‘…Is love popular in the city these days?’

The Fourth Young Master loves me. The First Young Master loves my sister. This clan was doomed. And so were Seolyeong and his sister. Would the Murong clan head really go, “Oh, wonderful, my sons are in love with blood fiends”?

Seolyeong suddenly pushed back his chair and stood.

‘She may be able to love you, but you shouldn’t return it! It’s a doomed bond, isn’t it? Her feelings aren’t evergreen pine, they’ll wither on their own if left alone, so you should just…!’

‘That bond was already made.’

‘And it shouldn’t go beyond that!’

‘My martial arts reached the peak two years ago.’

Seolyeong stopped mid-shout.

‘I’ve just been hiding it. Because once people found out, I’d be forced to start a family and leave Seolhyeon behind.’

‘……’

‘She’s more precious to me than you realize. I swear on my life. I’ll protect her in your place.’

To fully succeed the Murong clan, the heir had to win the family’s martial competition. But Murong Wi had always come in second. A few ultra-elite elders always blocked his way in the finals.

After years of stagnation, many had started to believe he’d hit his limit.

Imagine how humiliating and painful it must have been, wearing the title of heir but failing to win the family’s own tournament.

That’s why Seolyeong constantly scouted the mountains nearby for spiritual beasts, offering them to Murong Wi to help him absorb natural Qi and strengthen his martial arts.

Thud. Seolyeong dropped back into his chair.

Murong Wi looked at his sworn brother’s untouched teacup and said,

‘Leave, Ahyeong.’

His voice was calm and strong, as always.

‘Pass your burden to me and go. I’m someone who can bear it all.’