Even If Flowers Bloom on a Broken Branch - Chapter 62
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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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62.
Jinyul acted exactly as he had said. He did not let Lee Yeon go all night long.
The door, which had been closed since before they even had Seokban, did not open even when the next morning arrived.
Lee Yeon forced open her heavy eyelids, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. It was difficult to lift even a single finger. When she barely managed to turn her gaze, she saw the bright paper window.
“It’s morning.”
Dawn had finally broken. She had not slept a wink in the meantime. If she closed her eyes now, it would be closer to fainting than falling asleep.
The clothes of the two people were strewn all over the room. She could not recall in what frame of mind she had taken off her clothes or what conversation they had shared last night.
The only thing she could remember,
“I’m not finished yet.”
Was that she had been trapped in these arms all night.
Lee Yeon tried to escape the hands that hugged her from behind once again, but it was to no avail.
“I said it’s morning, Yul.”
“What does it matter? I’ll consider it compensation for the nights I spent alone.”
Even if it was a honeymoon overflowing with sweet love, wasn’t this too much?
She wondered if this man’s stamina welled up boundlessly, as he never seemed to tire. However, her body, which had heated up all night, melted again at a single small gesture, and Lee Yeon was helplessly dragged back into the bedding as he led her.
Consequently, it was almost late afternoon when the two of them finally stepped out of the door.
“Oh my, Grand Prince Manim!”
When Lee Yeon came out with a gaunt face, Juhwa, who was sweeping the yard with a broom, approached in surprise.
“Why does your face look so worn down? You look like you haven’t even had a bowl of thin gruel.”
“I wish I could have at least eaten some thin gruel…”
“Please wait just a moment. I’ll prepare a table and bring it out shortly. Oh dear, my goodness.”
A moment later, familiar faces appeared. It was Chohee and Jain.
The moment they saw Lee Yeon, tears welled up in their eyes.
“My lady…”
Jain corrected herself immediately.
“Grand Prince Manim.”
“Sniff, Grand Prince Maniiim…”
The two of them had been unintentionally pushed away from Lee Yeon’s side ever since Hong Ran entered the Seo Clan.
It was not that she had favored anyone in particular, but as soon as the incident of Hong Ran’s kidnapping was resolved, events like preparing to attend the Queen’s banquet and tea invitations happened in rapid succession, so the time spent with them naturally decreased.
Chohee sat down next to Lee Yeon with tearful eyes.
“Grand Prince Manim, is your body alright? Nothing terrible happened this time either, right?”
“Everyone was shocked because the palanquin was completely empty. But Lady Han said that you and Grand Prince Jeoha had already returned home.”
Lee Yeon had returned home while they were briefly away to take care of household chores. Since they were meeting only after spending a full day after that, they seemed to have been worried sick in the meantime.
“The Queen is terrifying, but the King seems even more terrifying, so I was really worried. Lord Seo was too.”
“I see.”
Lee Yeon stroked the heads of the two girls, thanking them for worrying, and then raised her eyes. It was because she saw Juhwa standing there with a faint smile.
Juhwa, whose eyes met hers, flinched in surprise and smiled awkwardly.
“No, well, I was just wondering if I brought out too many side dishes…”
Lee Yeon looked at the mountain of food piled up in front of her. The table was packed to the brim, making her wonder how all of this had been prepared in such a short amount of time.
“I thought you should try this, and I wanted to serve that too, so it ended up becoming almost like a feast… Was it too much?”
“Since our stomachs are completely empty, the two of us can easily finish it all.”
Lee Yeon lifted her head. Jinyul was coming out of the room while adjusting his hat string. He leaned down toward Lee Yeon. It was a distance so close that their cheeks almost brushed.
“Or is it different? Are you already full, my wife?”
At the small whisper that only Lee Yeon could hear, Lee Yeon nudged him gently with her shoulder and said,
“Then you eat all of it.”
At Lee Yeon’s words, Jinyul let out a soft laugh and sat down beside her.
Lee Yeon picked up her chopsticks and looked at Juhwa.
“Ran has been safely sent to the King. I intend to drop by occasionally to see how she is doing.”
At those words, Jinyul nodded his head.
“There are two people who will bring news from the palace, so do not worry too much.”
“Yes, I mean, I am not worried.”
Juhwa smiled faintly.
“She went because she was summoned by His Majesty, so what greater blessing could there be? And I believe she will adjust well wherever she goes. She is that kind of child. It’s just… now that she’s out of my sight, I feel a bit sad.”
Seeing Lee Yeon’s expression, Juhwa added immediately.
“Fortunately, I have one more child. I guess this is why people say you need to have at least two.”
“The number is important, but they say having one son and one daughter is the wisest.”
“My goodness, look at what this boy is saying.”
At the words suddenly tossed out by Hong Jin, who had approached before anyone noticed, Juhwa’s face turned beet red, and she hurriedly slapped his back repeatedly. At that sight, everyone burst into boisterous laughter.
Lee Yeon laughed along, then suddenly looked toward the palace.
‘Did she settle in well?’
She wondered if her first night in the palace had been alright.
Following Lee Yeon’s gaze, Jinyul looked in that direction and raised his hand to pat Lee Yeon’s head a couple of times.
“Do not worry. I will bring back news when I return.”
“Are you going somewhere again?”
When Lee Yeon opened her eyes wide, the people of the Seo family residence also nodded.
“While Grand Prince Nari was away, there wasn’t a day when our lady’s palms weren’t worn out. She spent so much time praying with fresh water.”
“Didn’t you return just yesterday? Has another order been issued?”
Lee Yeon and Seo Yeo-ro treated their servants more like family than mere servants.
Accordingly, they too regarded not only Lee Yeon and Seo Yeo-ro but also Jinyul as family, truly worrying and caring for them.
At first, Jinyul had been a bit flustered by this behavior, which was quite different from other noble families, but now he accepted it naturally.
Jinyul shrugged his shoulders.
“When I entered the palace yesterday, there was an uninvited guest, wasn’t there? Thus, I couldn’t even utter a word of my report regarding where I had been.”
“Ah…”
Lee Yeon murmured.
Come to think of it, she had been so distracted by leaving Hong Ran behind yesterday that she had completely missed Jinyul’s business report.
Jinyul let out a deep sigh.
“It is truly regrettable since there was no reward for going together yesterday. Today, I will have no choice but to go alone, so it will be a lonely journey.”
“What do you mean there was no reward? Thanks to that, my day went by as sweet as honey.”
When Lee Yeon replied like that, Juhwa, Chohee, and Jain began to step backward stealthily.
Lee Yeon meant that going to the palace with Jinyul yesterday had been as sweet as honey, but to the others, it sounded like a complaint that she didn’t know how time had flown because she was plagued by Jinyul all night.
Chohee crept backward and grabbed the back of Hong Jin’s neck.
“Huh? Why…”
“In that case, well, you also need to prepare to go out, so we will take our leave first.”
“Yes, yes, we need to clear the table too. Oh my goodness, I left the door to the Side-dish Kitchen wide open!”
As Juhwa spoke exaggeratingly and walked toward the Side-dish Kitchen, Chohee and Jain also lifted the table from both sides and cleared out.
As the scene dispersed in an instant, Lee Yeon looked bewildered, and Hong Jin murmured a small “ah” belatedly.
“Is it because of the honey?”
“What?”
“Well, since last night, no one could even come near this place. They said the sweet scent was vibrating so much. I wondered what that meant… Argh!”
Chohee, who came running flat out, grabbed Hong Jin’s ear tightly and dragged him away.
“You’re a perfectly fine lad, yet you’re leaving the heaviest table to two women while you just wag your tongue? Come over here right now and move the table!”
Honey? Sweet scent? No one could even come near this place?
Lee Yeon blinked, wondering what on earth that meant, and her face gradually grew flushed. Only then did she realize that what they were talking about was what happened during the night. A matter so rich and sweet that it sent a shiver down her spine.
As Lee Yeon ducked her head low, Jinyul spoke as if he were talking about someone else.
“Then Lee Yeon, would you like to go together today too? If you can stay here alone, you may stay.”
Murmuring that the time from night to morning had indeed been sticky and sweet, Jinyul was truly spiteful beyond measure.
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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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