Camellia 52

The way the man spoke as if he were certain he held the upper hand made Seolyeong sick to his stomach.

But it was the truth. The one holding the information was the deputy leader, and he was the one desperately in need of it, so he had no choice but to concede. Picking a pointless fight would only make things worse for himself. What if the deputy leader got offended and suddenly refused to hand the child over?

So Seolyeong exercised as much patience as he could. His hand trembled.

“I… I was too harsh. Haa. You must’ve gone through some trouble to find the child too…”

The way he let go of the man’s collar was rough. Even from that brief grip, a red mark was left on the deputy leader’s neck.

“…I’m sorry.”

He apologized bluntly and clasped his trembling fist behind his back. If he left it there, he might lash out and punch the man in the face.

The deputy leader pressed the edge of his fan lightly against Seolyeong’s forehead.

“You need to work on that temper of yours, young hero.”

The humiliating treatment didn’t stop there.

“Is that all your education taught you?”

The closed fan spread open with a flick. The deputy leader waved it slowly as he spoke.

“When dealing with someone you need something from, you ought to act a little more meekly.”

“……”

“You need to know your place.”

Know your place.

A phrase that had shackled Seolyeong all his life.

Even now, he was being scolded, yet there wasn’t a shred of respect in the tone.

Still, Seolyeong could endure it. He had been mocked and insulted far worse back in the Murong clan. This didn’t even come close, so he even managed to smile faintly.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Now, please, take me to the child. I’m asking you.”

To be honest, back at Seongseodang when he was told to spread his legs a male concubine, the shock and humiliation had almost overwhelmed him. Even among the Murong, there had been plenty who casually harassed him, but this was the first time someone had directly threatened him with sex. The crude command to spread your legs had shattered his composure in an instant. It was such a brazen provocation.

But now, he no longer let the man’s words shake him.

“My disciple is waiting for this body.”

His gaze turned to Tang Yujae.

Tang Yujae openly looked over the bride, who was covered in dirt. The once immaculate robes were filthy enough for a beggar, and his smooth, porcelain-like skin looked haggard. His eyes still sparkled, even after all this, which was irritating. But he had gotten some decent entertainment out of it.

Tang Yujae decided to show some kindness to the bride who had served as his amusement for six days. He didn’t bother to dwell on why he hadn’t left during all that time, or why he had stirred up cool breezes whenever the priest looked exhausted.

He was a god who could become anything, do anything. Trying to pin down the reasons behind his actions was meaningless. ‘He wanted to do so’ was enough reason.

*

“Are you going to meet the child looking like that? You reek. How about a proper bath first?”

Following the deputy leader’s suggestion, more a veiled threat than a proposal, Seolyeong bathed in a medicinal hot spring and scrubbed himself clean. When he emerged, he found a violet robe prepared and slipped into it without protest.

His face, reflected in the polished mirror was full of worry. Thinking of his disciple, dragged far from home and trembling in fear, made him feel guilty all over again.

But no matter how unsettled he felt, he couldn’t delay their reunion. The child must have suffered enough already. He wanted to bring him home quickly, feed him something hearty, and lay out a warm bed.

Resolved, Seolyeong hurried outside.

“Disciple!”

At the entrance to the Yeongryeongdan estate. Beneath a massive gate so tall it was impossible to gauge where it ended, a familiar figure stood.

A scrawny build clad in oversized leather. Pitch-black hair and a detached expression.

“Oh, disciple! This master was foolish. I was a fool…”

Seolyeong hugged the child tightly and apologized again and again. Maybe it was from the herbal bath, but he now gave off a faint, fragrant scent. Tang Yujae, who had taken the Yangcheonju, found himself caught in that embrace, he clenched and unclenched his hand. He added one more type of person to his list of dislikes today.

People with abnormally warm body temperatures.

The cold that had always lingered in Tang Yujae was slowly softened by Seolyeong’s warmth. The blood fiend’s yang Qi was surprisingly useful. If a simple embrace could dispel so much cold, what would it feel like after full union?

Unaware of the boy’s inner thoughts, Seolyeong gently stroked the back of his small head. He murmured silly comforting words ‘There, there. It’s all okay now. Everything’s going to be fine.’

Because he couldn’t use gyeonggong, the carriage for the trip back to Yeonhu had been lent by Mae Inyeong. She playfully pinched Seolyeong’s side, saying she’d charge the fare to a brothel tab and he’d better come back to pay it. Her gaze then shifted toward the boy.

Only Si Pungjae and Tang Yuwon knew that Cheonsin, suffering from a mysterious illness, reverted to a child’s body whenever he took the wine made by the Divine Healer. When in this child form, the mole beneath his eye vanished, his danjeon fell into chaos, and his meridians became so disordered that no one could recognize him as Cheonsin.

Inyeong studied him with a hum, then shook her head.

Those pitch-black, unreadable eyes were similar, but this child looked like someone she could kill with a snap of her fingers. To think of the Supreme One while looking at someone like that would’ve been disrespectful.

***

The runaway bride was coming back. With the Supreme One, no less.

Si Pungjae received the schedule of their return via messenger hawk, he had come to greet them, only to be stunned speechless.

After Seolyeong, Cheonsin stepped out of the carriage in his child-like form. The Mad Bride looked down at him fondly.

“Bring out a feast. The child’s been through hell. He should eat some meat.”

Seolyeong wrapped an arm around the boy’s shoulder and spoke toward Si Pungjae. Si Pungjae’s heart sank. Cheonsin’s expression looked too normal, which made it even more nerve-wracking.

“Leave the rest to me, Sogyoju-nim. You should rest…”

He tried to stop Seolyeong quickly, but then fell silent. The Mad Bride was ruffling the Supreme One’s hair. And it was even more shocking that Cheonsin didn’t twist his wrist in response.

“So cute, really. Hehehe.”

Chuckling to himself, Seolyeong said, “Let’s go,” and tugged the boy along. Si Pungjae, still shocked, followed after them. Seolyeong looked back and asked,

“Why are you following? I told you to prepare a feast.”

“Meal preparations… aren’t my duty, Sogyoju-nim.”

“Then from today on, they are.”

It was completely unreasonable, but since the order came directly from above, there was no room for argument. Shouldering his worries, Si Pungjae went off to find the attendants.

When he told them to serve up a meat-heavy dinner, the maids tilted their heads.

“But didn’t Sogyoju-nim say he’s cutting back on meat and wants his meals full of vegetables with bluish hues?”

Si Pungjae replied stiffly,

“The dishes aren’t for Sogyoju-nim.”

His courteous tone, even toward maids, was classic Si Pungjae. If only he didn’t like the same sex, he would’ve been the perfect groom. A dark cloud settled over his handsome face, and the maids looked at him curiously.

“Sir?”

Si Pungjae winced, his head pounding as he tried to figure out what to say. It felt like a powder keg was about to explode in his brain.

“It’s… for a guest.”

That sorry excuse was the best he could come up with. If he said it was for Cheonsib, the maids might see the boy and start asking questions. “Wasn’t this meant for the Supreme One? Who’s that strange child in the dining hall?”

“A guest at Yeonhu? Did the bride invite them?”

Faced with curious questions, Si Pungjae nodded.

Yeonhu was secluded, visited only by the palace workers or elders coming for audience. The mountain’s lower reaches were guarded by complex formations, making it impossible to enter without permission.

That the newlywed bride had brought in a guest was news enough to send the maids speculating, which overwhelmed Si Pungjae.

“Someone he met outside?”

“A man or a woman?”

“What’s their age?”

“It’s not… an improper relationship, is it?”

Si Pungjae was the most approachable of all the martial guards, which made him an easy target for such invasive questions. It wasn’t until his soul had been thoroughly sucked dry that he managed to stumble away. He muttered to himself, looking deathly pale and exhausted.

“Oh my god… What on earth are you thinking…?”