Blooming even in the mud - Chapter 47

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 47: Blooming Even in the Mud
 
 
 
“Anyway, I am counting on you. Do not overexert yourself and end up falling ill too.”
Deok-sun patted her shoulder, then instructed the remaining servants to carry Dal-rae to the corner of Yoo Seo-hwa’s small room. She then turned back to look at Yoo Seo-hwa.
“Thank you.”
Without a word, Yoo Seo-hwa began making preparations to boil and brew the petals of the Pyunseonghwa to feed to Dal-rae.
 
Since she was nursing a patient, Deok-sun permitted her to keep the lamp lit until late, just for tonight.
The oil lamp, which reused discarded oil, emitted black smoke and a pungent odor. Yoo Seo-hwa now knew that even this low-quality oil was something to be deeply grateful for in a slave’s position.
Dal-rae’s body began to develop a fever as part of its self-healing process. Other than that, Dal-rae’s symptoms did not worsen significantly, nor did they improve.
‘Still, it is a relief that her breathing is stabilizing little by little.’
Yoo Seo-hwa propped up and held Dal-rae’s head, feeding her the tea brewed from Pyunseonghwa petals. Dal-rae swallowed the properly cooled tea at a slow pace.
“Mother, Father… Please do not leave me behind…”
Was she dreaming?
As Dal-rae mumbled faintly, tears rolled down from beneath her closed eyes. Yoo Seo-hwa silently wiped away the tears with her Silk Handkerchief.
“Hey, can I come in?”
“What brings you here at this hour?”
“I stopped by before going to bed because I was worried.”
Kkot-bun replied affectionately, then clicked her tongue as she looked at Dal-rae lying down and taking up Yoo Seo-hwa’s entire bed.
“How is she doing?”
“I think she might recover by tomorrow.”
“Ugh, seriously, why did she go and eat something strange all by herself, making a fuss and getting sick like this?”
“It was not Dal-rae’s fault, was it?”
“Secretly plucking and eating grass in the Inner House is a fault, I say.”
Kkot-bun spoke grumpily as she flicked the large spot on Dal-rae’s forehead with her finger. This kind of lighthearted chiding was only possible because she was recovering safely.
“You must be exhausted from nursing her all day, right? I will keep an eye on her next to you for about one Shijin, so go get some sleep, even if it is just for a little bit.”
“No, it is fine. You must be the one who is weary. I am fine since I have just been inside the room the whole time.”
“How can it be fine when a sick person is lying right next to you? It is not like a big disaster will happen to me just from sleeping one Shijin later.”
“With Dal-rae missing, the Banbitgan will be short-handed, so if you are sleep-deprived on top of that, you might make a major mistake. I can just catch some sleep here and there, so do not worry about it.”
“Aw, but still.”
“If something happens to you too, Deok-sun will give you a harsh scolding.”
Kkot-bun groaned and furrowed her brow.
“Well, that is true. We finally have a good master, and I would hate to get on the head slave’s bad side to suffer for nothing or get sold off to another house.”
“That is true.”
“You do not want to be sold off somewhere else either, right?”
Hiding her innermost thought that she would wish for nothing more if only that were possible, Yoo Seo-hwa gave a calm nod.
“No, wait. For you, the master is… Ah, sorry! That was a slip of the tongue, so please pretend you did not hear it.”
A few months ago, Kkot-bun had also heard the rumor that Gyeong Won-ui had taken Yoo Seo-hwa out.
Although she was curious, she had never shown it, so she quickly covered her mouth. It was wrong to pry into circumstances that the person themselves had not spoken about just to satisfy one’s own curiosity.
“I will bring something delicious tomorrow, so just hang in there for today. If I say I am going to feed Dal-rae too, since she almost died, Deok-sun won’t say much.”
“Thank you. Get some good rest.”
As Kkot-bun, who had filled the room with vitality even for a short while, returned, the cramped room quickly became desolate. Only Dal-rae’s occasional breathing disturbed the silence. Yoo Seo-hwa took up the sewing work she had put away in the corner.
It was not that Gyeong Won-ui sought her out every night, but somehow, she had a feeling that he would visit tonight. Was it because they had crossed paths unintentionally during the day?
She looked around the narrow room.
Though she had grown accustomed to it, the room, no bigger than a palm, was shabby and destitute, just like her own appearance. It must be a place that would be even more uncomfortable and unsatisfying for Gyeong Won-ui.
‘How long does he intend to keep coming…’
Even though she had sensed from the very beginning that this would not end easily, Yoo Seo-hwa was afraid of being held by him. To be precise, she was afraid of his tenderness.

Why did he not hold her violently, like the voice that had contained his hatred, without a single shred of consideration, as heartlessly as her father’s sins?
The presence of someone approaching, softly cutting through the quiet night air, drew near. Yoo Seo-hwa looked one last time at Dal-rae, who was groaning intermittently, and stood up from her seat.
Walking through the darkness, where the faint light coming from Yoo Seo-hwa’s room was the only source of illumination, appeared the figure of the man who would not be erased even in her dreams.
“You have come.”
Yoo Seo-hwa smoothed down her clothes as she greeted him. Seeing that, Gyeong Won-ui’s steps stopped mid-stride.
Unlike usual, a dim light leaked from inside the room today, illuminating her face.
‘…The impression I got during the day was not an illusion.’
A face slightly more haggard than before she survived the winter, her slender features sharply revealed, dim like the light of a lamp fueled by cheap oil. Her already thin and gaunt body looked even more precarious.
Unconsciously, a faint frown creased the space between Gyeong Won-ui’s brows.
There was no need to ponder over the cause. For there was likely only one change that had occurred in her circumstances during the winter.
‘Do you hate being held by me that much?’
Yoo Seo-hwa’s suffering should satisfy his unquenched desire for revenge, even if only to a small degree. He had believed it would.
However, the emotion shimmering secretly deep within him was by no means the thrill or joy of revenge.
Perhaps, he had never once turned on the light all this time precisely so that he wouldn’t have to see her face, which might not have been able to completely hide its agony.
“…….”
Because she was bowing her head respectfully like a slave, Yoo Seo-hwa could not read the expression of the silent Gyeong Won-ui.
She merely whispered in a low voice, almost like a plea.
“I am sorry, but circumstances do not permit me to serve you tonight. I am currently looking after a companion who is hovering between life and death after mistakenly eating a poisonous herb during the day.”
Even as she made the excuse, her chest tightened. To use Dal-rae, who had almost died, just for a single night’s avoidance—was that not a truly wicked thing to do?
The corner of Gyeong Won-ui’s mouth twisted slightly.
“And so?”
“Pardon?”
“What does the location matter? It is merely a master taking his slave.”
“…….”
“You are not a woman stupid enough to devise such a thing as a clever trick, are you?”
Yoo Seo-hwa’s cheeks burned red, enough to show even in the darkness.
“Did you want to avoid being held by me so much that you would resort to such a clumsy trick?”
If so, then fine.
Let us lay it bare instead. That the noble imperial princess who had fallen to a slave was held humiliatingly every night in the arms of the man who betrayed her. Not just Wang Jeong-mun, but no man would ever dare lay eyes on her.
‘I can discard her whenever I grow tired of her.’
A mere slave—who would interfere whether he held her or threw her away? Everything was according to his will.
Gyeong Won-ui grabbed Yoo Seo-hwa’s shoulders. Just like the nights they usually spent, she slid into his embrace as if collapsing.
“Ah…!”
A short gasp of surprise escaped her slightly parted lips. Gyeong Won-ui lowered his head and swallowed her lips. The rough skin of her lips, where hangnails had formed, was crushed by his thick tongue.
Their breath, mixing breathlessly, passed over Yoo Seo-hwa’s lips and chin, flowing down to her nape. His rough hands pulled the jacket down from her shoulders, sweeping across her back.
Even though it was an isolated spot, they were outside the room. Someone might come out to use the latrine in the middle of the night, and Dal-rae might regain consciousness.
Yoo Seo-hwa barely managed to avoid his lips.
“You have a young lady with whom marriage talks are underway, so you must not do this before marriage.”
“……What did you just say?”
“The rumor that you are holding a lowly slave will bring harm to your marriage talks.”
“Marriage talks?”
Panting for breath, Yoo Seo-hwa only then looked up. A rough energy shimmered in Gyeong Won-ui’s eyes as he looked down at her. The hands that had been holding her waist had gripped her shoulders at some point.
Startled, Yoo Seo-hwa covered her mouth with her hand.
‘Did I make a slip of the tongue?’
But before she could even retrace the situation, Gyeong Won-ui demanded in a low voice.
“How do you know about that?”
“That, well…”
“Speak.”
“I heard it when the young lady from the Residence of the Minister of State visited a few months ago.”
Her shoulders hurt, causing her voice to tremble slightly, but Gyeong Won-ui did not even realize that he was gripping her shoulders tightly.
He merely chewed over her words.
‘Chu Na-yeon only visited the main residence once.’
He was also aware of the fact that she had barged all the way to the servants’ quarters to meet Yoo Seo-hwa back then.

Chu Na-yeon’s words back then had confused him, so he had failed to realize it at the time, but in the first place, why had Chu Na-yeon gone out of her way to find Yoo Seo-hwa?
That was not all.
It was uncomfortable that Yoo Seo-hwa knew about his marriage talks, and hearing his ‘marriage talks’ spoken directly from her voice was extremely distasteful.
Was it because he had no intention of marrying Chu Na-yeon? No, that was not it. No matter who the partner was, he did not want Yoo Seo-hwa to know, nor did he want to hear it from her.
“What did Chu Na-yeon say?”
“She said she would be marrying you.”
“And what else?”
“…….”
Yoo Seo-hwa’s lips, which had been speaking submissively, closed like a clam. Soon, she replied in a calm voice.
“That was all she said.”
Gyeong Won-ui intuitively felt that it was a lie. In the brief silence before her lips closed and opened again, he read an indescribable sorrow.
“Tell me the truth.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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