Blooming even in the mud - Chapter 6

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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 6: Blooming Even in the Mud

“How was the Saenggaksi?”

It was a question out of the blue, but Gyeong Won-ui caught on immediately. It was one of the incidents that had triggered Yoo Seo-hwa’s displeasure, so he could not have forgotten it even if he wanted to.
Gyeong Won-ui replied honestly.

[Both that Saenggaksi and I were so flustered, and since she kept her head bowed the entire time, I couldn’t see her face properly.]

He was about to stop his brush and ask after the injured Saenggaksi’s well-being, but he paused. For some reason, he had a sudden intuition that he should not ask Yoo Seo-hwa this question.
Instead, he inquired about Yoo Seo-hwa’s well-being.

[You mentioned that you usually enjoy horseback riding. Horses are inherently sensitive creatures that can be greatly startled by the slightest abnormality, so please be careful, and careful again.]

Fortunately, Yoo Seo-hwa was neither displeased nor did she bring up the topic of the Saenggaksi again.
In the next letter, a few flower seeds were enclosed.

[They are peonies. Please tend to them well, thinking of them as my heart.]

Around the time the completed Hwajodo was mounted on silk and hung in Yoo Seo-hwa’s room, Emperor Xuanwen granted Gyeong Won-ui permission to freely enter the Princess’s Palace.
Never wanting to hear him call her a child again, Yoo Seo-hwa exerted herself in her own way. Thanks to the rewards of diligently drinking herbal medicine to grow taller and having her maids massage her legs every night, her small stature grew quite a bit.
Even so, Gyeong Won-ui seemed to have grown much more.
‘He has become even more dashing.’
As Court Lady Lee had said, perhaps it was because he belonged to a family of martial artists.
‘I wish he would wait a little until I grow up.’
It was a meeting without a screen between them. For some reason, Gyeong Won-ui was unable to meet her eyes.
In the past, she might have jumped to conclusions on her own and flared up, but now Yoo Seo-hwa knew the boy named Gyeong Won-ui.
As she stepped lightly toward him, Gyeong Won-ui’s earlobes gradually turned crimson. Following his fleeing gaze, Yoo Seo-hwa stealthily locked eyes with him.
“Do I still seem like a child to you?”
“Pardon?”
At the abrupt question, Gyeong Won-ui tilted his head. Even though he liked her so much that he could not even look at her properly, he still seemed to have no idea about the identity of that Saenggaksi.
Yoo Seo-hwa could no longer hold back her laughter and let out a bright giggle.
He found it utterly baffling, but thinking that if she was happy, then it was fine, Gyeong Won-ui also wore a faint smile.

* * *

Chu Se-gu, an old friend of Gyeong Baek-jong, paid a visit after a long time. He was Chu Sim-yang’s father and a close friend whose bond with the Gyeong father and son spanned generations.
Because Gyeong Baek-jong was often away from his ancestral home due to military duties and had obtained a child late in life, Chu Se-gu’s third son, Chu Sim-yang, was a same-aged friend to his only son, Gyeong Won-ui.
“State affairs keep you so busy that it’s difficult to even have a drink with you.”
Gyeong Baek-jong smiled and waved his hand at Chu Se-gu.
“An official who eats the state’s bounty must keep busy to save face, wouldn’t you say?”
Guiding Chu Se-gu inside, he called for a servant.
“Go and fetch Won-ui.”
Since it had been a while, Gyeong Baek-jong intended to have Gyeong Won-ui greet Chu Se-gu, but the servant bowed deeply with an apologetic air.
“The young master left after finishing his morning training.”
“To where… No, there is no need to ask.”
Gyeong Baek-jong let out a bitter smile.
The boy who used to spend most of his daily routine cooped up in the Training Grounds or studying military texts in his room had changed a lot. Like a mouse frequenting a grain paste jar, he was dipping in and out of the Princess’s Palace whenever he had free time.
Listening to the exchange, Chu Se-gu asked casually.
“Could he have gone to audience Her Highness the Princess?”
“How did you know?”
“Rumors are rife that the future Buma is on very affectionate terms with Her Highness.”
At Chu Se-gu’s hearty laugh, Gyeong Baek-jong’s expression relaxed as well. Although he had been worried as a father because the boy was suddenly venturing out so often, it was a relief that he was building a tender relationship with the Princess instead of losing his mind to strange distractions.
However, the problem was that even though several years had passed since the betrothal, they were still unmarried.

Emperor Xuanwen had explained the reason that way, but Gyeong Baek-jong did not believe it.
Half of it was his heart as a father, and the remaining half was likely suspicion from not completely trusting the Xichang Gyeong Clan.
‘He even dragged out the Crown Prince’s wedding for two years…’
The Crown Prince’s father-in-law, who had barely managed to marry off his daughter, was currently staying in absolute seclusion as if determined to leave no room for fault to be found.
Shaking off his thoughts with a sigh, Gyeong Baek-jong instructed the servant to bring out a table of drinks. Even if Emperor Xuanwen dragged out the wedding, a subject could not dare to protest, so it was right to quietly bide his time.
Furthermore, as a loyal subject, he did not even dare to harbor any thought of protesting.

* * *

The Emperor’s iron-fisted rule, built upon repeated purges, was nothing short of harsh. Among the commoners struggling under a grueling existence, the influence of the White Head Sect—a new religion that comforted their weary hearts—spread like a wildfire.
“It is an abominable Evil Cult that leads the people to abandon morality and plunge into depravity!”
Emperor Xuanwen defined the White Head Sect as an Evil Cult and suppressed it, which became the catalyst that incited an organized rebellion by the White Head Sect believers.
The current stronghold of the White Head Sect was Qiheng Province, the northern territory belonging to King Ning. Having failed to suppress the rebellion for nearly a year, King Ning requested reinforcement troops from Emperor Xuanwen.
Pyogi Great General Gyeong Baek-jong was bestowed the Battleaxe of Authority by Emperor Xuanwen and led the Central Army to the north. Gyeong Won-ui also went to war as his father’s lieutenant.
Just as the peonies gifted to Gyeong Won-ui years ago had bloomed in profusion, Yoo Seo-hwa’s beauty also gradually reached full bloom.
It was not merely the grace of a girl meeting her prime that was blossoming. The fluttering emotion clearly ripening within her heart belonged to the three syllables of her lover’s name, now a proper young man.
“How long will the expedition take?”
Separated just when their affection was blooming most intensely, Yoo Seo-hwa’s inside burned with anxiety.
Although he had not been formally commissioned and held no official rank, Gyeong Won-ui had followed Gyeong Baek-jong into large and small battles since his early teens. However, this expedition seemed likely to be longer than the previous ones, causing her endless worry.
“Subduing the Rebel Army won’t take too long, will it?”
She looked up quietly at Gyeong Won-ui. A dashing man, incomparably taller than when she had first seen him, stood there.
‘How long will we be parted?’
His sharply defined dark brows were as straight as his nature. There was no flamboyance in his neat features, but the rugged, masculine lines of his face were handsome enough to make a woman’s heart flutter off-guard.
As his frame settled, his shoulders grew firmly broad, and his lean, robust muscles were distinct even through his robes.
As if to reassure her, Gyeong Won-ui smiled gently.
“They are an untrained Rebel Army, so it will not take very long.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes, I will definitely return to Your Highness.”
“You must make a promise with me.”
She deliberately extended her pinky finger like a childish game.
‘If I keep worrying, it will become a burden to him as he leaves for the expedition.’
The next moment, Yoo Seo-hwa was startled so greatly that her heart felt as if it had dropped.
“Of course.”
After staring at her extended pinky finger for a brief moment, Gyeong Won-ui bowed his head. Before she could even wonder at the crown of his head suddenly brought before her, he reverently took her hand with both of his and pressed his lips to the back of it.
His slightly rough yet tenderly warm skin lingered against her delicate flesh, and his slow breath brushed over it. The warmth seeping into her skin raced through her veins, piercing straight to her heart in an instant.
With a thud, her heart plummeted to the floor, only to bounce right back up. Thump. Thump. Thump. The sound of her heart echoing in her ears made her dizzy.
“Are you alright?”
Only after the strong arms he usually stole glances at supported her waist did Yoo Seo-hwa realize that she had stumbled. Gyeong Won-ui’s face was close enough for their breaths to mingle.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Her chest was in an uproar.
She had meant to ease his worries, but instead, her own mind had gone completely blank.
An intense heat, like a spark passing through his tender gaze, captivated her entirely.

After leaving the palace, Gyeong Won-ui touched his lips. Even though any texture against the back of her hand had long since vanished without a trace, that warmth still lingered on his lips, heating his blood.
‘She was so soft…’
Her skin, which he had never touched before, and her scent.
It had not been intentional. He had not been seizing an opportunity, either.
‘The moment I saw the hand Your Highness extended, I simply had no choice but to act that way.’
Cradling her with reverence as if she were the rarest precious gem in the world, kissing her, and melting into the scent of her that rushed over him…
“Haa.”
Exhaling the heat that scorched his blood with a sigh, Gyeong Won-ui loosened his collar. Every time he saw Yoo Seo-hwa, the heat gradually possessed him, swirling inside. As their meetings increased day by day, he was becoming addicted day by day.
‘Your Highness must also stay healthy until I return.’
Even at this moment, he missed the scent of the girl blooming brilliantly as she welcomed him with joy.
He wanted to hold her, kiss her, and pour his love into her completely.
Quickly, quickly, he wanted to marry her.

* * *

The expedition finally ended after three months, and the leader of the rebelling White Head Sect lost his head to Gyeong Won-ui’s sword. It was a grand victory for the Government Army.
Amid the echoing cheers of victory, Gyeong Won-ui lowered his blood-stained sword and turned his gaze toward the south. In the Capital City to the south, his lover would be waiting for him. The day of his return was not far off.
Just then, Gyeong Won-ui sensed a presence behind his back.

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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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