The Morning Star Baby Wants a Family - Chapter 18

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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 18
That day, the Yul Family Residence seemed to burn with the blood of countless souls.
After a horrific night had passed, I became the sole bearer of the Yul Clan name in the Cheonmang Kingdom.
I had never entertained thoughts of marriage. What I held in my hand, as always, was merely a single blade soaked in blood.
Yet somehow, a child had come who willingly grasped that hand.
Hae-na was hopelessly endearing. And that terrified me.
I had never learned to set down my sword. It was the only way I had ever lived. I feared that innocent, delicate child would be wounded by that blade.
So I had tried to keep her at a distance.
I gazed down at the small hand gripping mine so tightly.
Even in sleep, Hae-na refused to release her sister’s hand.
The small, soft hand felt so fragile. It seemed as though the slightest pressure from me would crush it entirely.
“Chung-yeon.”
I called out in a low voice to Chung-yeon, who waited beyond the door.
Chung-yeon entered the room quietly.
She raised an eyebrow upon seeing me offer one hand gently to Hae-na.
“Find Hae-na’s biological father.”
But at my next words, Chung-yeon’s face contorted.
“You intend to send her away?”
Chung-yeon asked quietly. I answered without hesitation, my decision already made.
“In the end, the problem is blood. Hae-na has family besides me. She simply had the misfortune of meeting me first.”
At my frustrating answer, Chung-yeon quietly closed and opened her eyes.
Had Hae-na not been present, she would have struck her own chest in exasperation.
Chung-yeon had known me since my days as a street mercenary. She found it infuriating how someone so decisive and unwavering in all matters could be so foolishly obstinate about this.
“Master. May I speak out of turn? Not as a servant of the Yul Clan, but as your friend.”
Unable to restrain herself any longer, Chung-yeon spoke quietly.
I nodded, and Chung-yeon’s blunt words followed.
“I have never despised anyone as much as I despise that bastard Chung-su.”
It was a remark that would have wounded the soft-hearted Chung-su deeply, had he heard it.
Even I frowned slightly. I was concerned that Hae-na might overhear.
“He hasn’t a shred of sense in that head of his, his temperament is vile, and his appearance is beneath mention. I thought at least he understood his place, but seeing him presume to judge the young lady, it seems even that was too much credit.”
Regardless, Chung-yeon continued her scathing words, having relentlessly disparaged her younger brother. She exhaled a long breath.
“Yet despite all this, Chung-su is still my brother.”
“….”
“Would the young lady not feel the same?”
Having said this much, Chung-yeon’s expression hardened. The weight of calling her younger brother precious had struck her deeply.
But there was no help for it. If I did not understand by now, she would have failed in her duty.
Fortunately, it seemed to have effect—my eyes widened slightly.
Chung-yeon regarded me quietly and spoke.
“Please consider once more what it truly means to do right by the young lady.”
With those final words, Chung-yeon bowed deeply and left the room.
The sliding door closed with a soft sound. At that, my forehead creased slightly.
“Mmm….”
The child stirred, and the blanket slipped down.
I carefully withdrew my hand, which I’d reached out to pull the blanket back up.
And in that moment, a small hand groped through the empty air. Hae-na’s eyes flew open at once.
“Oh, sister!”
The child bolted upright, her movements frantic as though she might leap from the bed at any second.
I quickly caught Hae-na as she tried to scramble down from the bedchamber. The child lifted her head.
Relief slowly washed over a face that had looked lost and frightened. I regarded that expression with an unfamiliar feeling.
“Why do you want to stay here so desperately?”
I had never once thought of this place as home.
To me, the Yul Family Residence was a tomb for those I had killed, and a cradle that cast me into this cruel world.
I was genuinely curious. How did this residence—which was no different to me than a street corner—appear in the eyes of a child?
“Oh….”
Startled by the sudden question, Hae-na hesitated before speaking.
“Well, everyone is kind… and the food is delicious. The flowers blooming in the garden are wonderful, the blankets are soft, and….”
Most of all, because you’re here. That was what she had meant to say.
“If all those things were guaranteed elsewhere, would you go?”
Hae-na’s face, which had brightened slightly, darkened again. She lowered her head and shook it.
“No.”
“….”
“I don’t need any of it. I can sleep well even in the storage room, and I can manage with just one meal a day. I won’t even go to the garden.”
The child’s hand grasped my sleeve—a tentative touch, as though afraid I might push her away.
“So you’re saying you’ll stay here just because of me.”
Hae-na lifted her head at those words. Her expression was slightly aggrieved.
“Yes, sister is most important to me.”
“What have I done for you?”
“You saved me. And you let me stay here, and you treat me kindly….”
I exhaled slowly.
“Such trivial things—anyone could do them.”
“….”
“Let me rephrase. I’ll send you to a place where someone can do all those things you mentioned. Would you still refuse?”
Hae-na lowered her head and bit her lip hard. Then, slowly, she nodded.
“Then why do you insist on being by my side?”
My voice grew quiet.
Hae-na felt a pang of sorrow. The things she had mentioned earlier were indeed reasons she cared for Seowan, but they were not why she followed her sister.
If asked for a reason, truthfully, Hae-na didn’t know herself. She simply liked her. Because she was her sister.
“Does there have to be a reason?”
“….”
“I just like you… is that not allowed?”
I held back my tears and lifted my head. Then I froze in shock.
Seowan’s face was unfamiliar to me—twisted with sorrow, her expression etched with pain.
Without thinking, I reached up and placed my hand against her cheek. It was dry and thin. Yet somehow, it felt as though she were the one crying.
“Am I making you suffer by being here?”
“….”
“Then I’ll go.”
I wanted to stay by her side, but I hated seeing her sad.
Of course I would miss her. Terribly.
“But… would you at least not send me somewhere too far away?”
I bowed my head slightly. The child swallowed back her tears and continued.
“I’ll come visit sometimes. Just sometimes. I’ll come and watch from far away, just to see that you’re doing well, and then I’ll leave.”
Even as she was being given a place to stay, I was being greedy. Still, I hoped she would grant me this much.
I pressed my nails into my palms. If I didn’t, the tears would come flooding out.
“I will never be the kind of family you wish for.”
Then, a large, scarred hand came to rest upon the child’s hand.
“But if you still wish to call me family despite that.”
“….”
“Tell me what you want. I will do my best to grant it.”
The child’s eyes widened. I had heard those words before. But this time, it felt different.
“Really? Truly?”
I asked again to be certain. Seowan seemed to hesitate, but then she opened her mouth.
“Yes.”
Her voice was as steady and clear as always. I felt tears threatening to spill at the sound of it.
“Then, um, then…”
I grasped the hand resting upon mine tightly.
“I want to stay here. I don’t mind sleeping in the Storage Room.”
“That won’t do. Use the Separate Quarters I’ve given you.”
“Yes, I will. And, um, would it be alright if I came to greet you every morning?”
“If you have the time, then yes.”
I loved how she nodded quietly in agreement. Though she always said otherwise, Seowan was truly a kind person.
“And this is really the last thing, but…”
I wanted to be greedy, to demand and whine. Even as I thought I shouldn’t, I loved how she nodded willingly.
“Would you call me Hae-na?”
My voice asked carefully, filled with hope.
Seowan gazed at the child in silence for a moment, then slowly opened her mouth.
“…Yes, Hae-na.”
My eyes trembled. It was the first time she had called me by my name.
I felt tears threatening to come, but instead of crying, I broke into a wide smile.

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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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