Looking for the Runaway Heavenly Maiden - Chapter 73

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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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73.

Did she still see me as nothing more than a child?
Regardless of the reason, I was now the master of the Sword of Spiritual Dao. I couldn’t keep relying on her help every single time.
Of course, I understood her concern for me. She was probably hiding various things to protect me.
But. Still.
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment and hurt.
Yet I couldn’t let her see it.

“Sister, aren’t you hungry? You didn’t even eat dinner.”
“What about you, Cheonhaerang?”
“I’m fine. I’ll just go inside and sleep.”
“Is that so? Then wash up and get some rest. I’ll eat something if I get hungry.”
“Okay. You get plenty of rest too, sister.”
“I will.”

On the surface, a tender exchange passed between us.
Cheonhaerang gazed at his sister’s warm smile directed toward him before heading to his room.
After retrieving his pajamas and bathing, he entered not Hand Ogeong’s room, but Jiho’s.

“Huh?”

Jiho blinked her eyes in confusion as Cheonhaerang entered the room in his pajamas.

“What is it?”
“Can’t I sleep here tonight?”

Cheonhaerang gazed at Jiho with pleading, sparkling eyes.

“I’m too worried about you, Jiho.”

His words cut off any escape route.
The image of Cheonhaerang weeping heavily just moments before flashed through Jiho’s mind.
It was only natural that her trembling lips finally closed. She understood how he felt.
It was no different from the emotions she had felt watching him, unable to break free.
Jiho exhaled softly and nodded with a resigned expression.

“Understood. Come here then.”

I kindly shifted my body to make room for her. At my permission, Cheonhaerang’s face brightened considerably.
Cheonhaerang hurried to the bed and sat beside me, then smiled at me with an innocent grin.
At her cheerful expression, I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh myself.

“I’m going to wash up, so stay put.”
“Okay!”

It felt like watching a puppy wagging its tail. I restrained my hand from reaching toward Cheonhaerang’s head and rose from the bed.
As I gathered my nightclothes and turned toward the bathroom, I paused. I had forgotten to greet Yeonhwa.
I quietly surveyed the living room. Yeonhwa stood gazing out the window.
I draped my nightclothes over a dining chair and approached Yeonhwa.

“Princess.”

At my call, Yeonhwa turned around.
Yeonhwa approached me with a worried expression.

“How are you feeling? Are you alright?”
“Yes, thanks to your concern.”
“Good, I’m relieved. You’ve been through a lot. You must be exhausted today, so go rest now.”

Yeonhwa patted my shoulder and tried to send me off.
But my next words prevented her from letting me go.

“Princess, there’s something…”
“Yes?”
“I saw the Heavenly Realm in a dream.”

It was a dream. Yet it still felt vivid, as if it were not a dream at all.

“I saw a man I’d never met before, and later when Yueul appeared, he called that man Mu.”

The Mu of the Heavenly Realm that I had encountered, and the Jeong that she had met.
It was something I could have anticipated. Now the Heavenly Realm was truly beginning to move in earnest.
Though I hadn’t expected circumstances to unfold this way.
Yeonhwa swallowed a sigh that threatened to escape. Her head seemed to ache again.
If only I could recover the Sword of Spiritual Dao sooner. But there was no way to know when that would be.

“…Yes. I understand.”

Yeonhwa answered briefly.
Jiho opened her mouth, then closed it again. She bowed respectfully, then picked up her pajamas and headed toward the bathroom.
Left alone, Yeonhwa gazed at the firelight beyond the window, lost in deep thought.

* * *

As I entered the room, Cheonhaerang lifted the blanket as if he’d been waiting. Then he tapped the bed beside him, gesturing for me to come quickly.
This was only the second time sleeping with Cheonhaerang. Honestly, my heart felt like it might burst.
Last time, I’d been intoxicated by the fact that Cheonhaerang had finally awakened and that we’d started dating, so I hadn’t fully been aware. But now it was different.
Now Cheonhaerang and I were dating.
Just days ago, hadn’t I entertained improper thoughts? So there was no helping the way my heart pounded like this.
I tried to calm my heart by thinking of sad things, doing my best to appear unbothered as I lay down on the bed.
I could feel Cheonhaerang’s warmth from beside me. I could feel his gaze too.

“Jiho.”
“…Yes?”

I turned my head to look at Cheonhaerang. When our eyes met, he smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
That smile. The one that captivated people.

“Can I hold you?”
“Huh? Um….”

My answer came reflexively.
The moment my answer left my lips, Cheonhaerang pulled me into his embrace as if he’d been waiting.
His arms wrapped around my waist were firm. As if he would never let me go.
My face rested against Cheonhaerang’s broad chest. Thump. Thump. The sound of his heartbeat echoed in my ears.
The steady rhythm of his heartbeat gave me a strange sense of reassurance.
Honestly… I was terrified.
The Cheongan that approached in Cheonhaerang’s form, the demons that came rushing at me, the school reduced to ruins.
What frightened me most was not waking from that dream.
Not seeing the real Cheonhaerang again.
That was what terrified me most.
I reached out and embraced Cheonhaerang’s back in return.

“Cheonhaerang.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you. I’m alive because of you.”
“….”
“Without the ghost shell’s protection, I would have been devoured by the demons long ago.”

It was the truth. Had the shell not shielded her, she would have been consumed by the demons without question.
There was a saying: numbers overwhelm skill.
No matter how capable she was, she could never face so many demons at once.

“You must have been attacked by the Heavenly Realm as well.”

The Heavenly Realm could not penetrate the shell. It was truly fortunate.

“I’m telling you this because I’m worried you’ll blame yourself again. Nothing is your fault. Do you understand?”

Jiho spoke to Cheonhaerang as if soothing a child.
Cheonhaerang said nothing. Instead of answering, he simply held Jiho closer.
Another night was passing.

* * *

Yerim blinked her drowsy eyes. Following Yueul who had come to find her, she arrived not at the same hotel room as before, but at a massive manor nestled in the mountains.
It resembled a castle, or perhaps a wealthy family’s private estate.
There was truly nothing around the manor. Only trees and dense grass.
As if escape were impossible in any direction.
Gihyeongrang personally served her dinner.
After the lavish meal, they bathed together in the bathroom and rolled about on the bed.
She had fallen asleep as if unconscious, and now she was awake.
Careful not to wake Gihyeongrang sleeping beside her, Yerim rose cautiously and looked around. Her throat was parched, and she wanted water.
Fortunately, water had been placed on the drawer beside the bed, perhaps prepared for her.
After draining an entire bottle of water, Yerim gazed quietly down at Gihyeongrang lying beside her.
He was not pretending to sleep. He was truly asleep.
He didn’t seem to trust her. Had he already lowered his guard? Or were there eyes watching from every corner, testing her?
Either way, this was an opportunity to explore the manor.
Yerim descended from the bed. The moment her feet touched the floor, a tingling sensation rose through her, and she bit her lip to stifle a sound.
Now she needed to find appropriate clothes to wear. She looked around the bedroom. There was nothing. The clothes she had worn here would surely be returned to her later.

‘Then….’

Yerim tiptoed toward the dressing room. As expected, it was overflowing with garments.
All of them were women’s clothing, and they fit her perfectly.

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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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