The Morning Star Baby Wants a Family - Chapter 26

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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 26
“Why are you here again?”
Seowan lifted Hae-na into his arms with a sharp question. Her eyes widened as her perspective suddenly shifted upward.
“I came to see you, Seowan. As I always do.”
“Your habit of sneaking about like a mouse remains unchanged.”
At Seowan’s cold tone, Cheon-eul exhaled an exaggerated sigh.
“A mouse? Today I came to properly request permission.”
At his impudent response, Seowan’s brow furrowed.
“Permission?”
“Permission to enter the Yul Family Residence.”
As Cheon-eul spoke, he gave Hae-na a subtle wink.
Seowan’s questioning gaze turned toward Hae-na.
“Ah, I encountered you in the garden, and you mentioned you had entered without permission. I thought I should ask my sister for approval…”
Startled by the sudden attention, Hae-na stammered her response. Then Cheon-eul added smoothly.
“When I said I would do so, she offered to guide me to where you were. Quite a virtuous child.”
Hearing this much, Seowan grasped the situation. I exhaled softly.
It seemed that shameless tongue of his had thoroughly manipulated Hae-na.
“That man will never be received as a guest at the Yul Family Residence.”
At Seowan’s words, Hae-na’s expression darkened slightly.
I continued speaking to dispel the child’s misunderstanding.
“However, I have never forbidden him from entering the residence.”
Hae-na merely blinked, her face showing confusion.
“What I mean is that unless I personally drive him out, no special permission is necessary.”
Only then did Hae-na’s eyes widen. The child turned her head sharply to look at Cheon-eul.
“Oh, now that I think about it, that’s true.”
Cheon-eul smiled broadly as he spoke. It was absolutely not the reaction of someone who had only just realized this.
Hae-na simply gazed at him silently with an innocent face.
I was about to scold Cheon-eul on the child’s behalf.
“How fortunate that you understand now!”
A bright voice rang out.
Caught off guard, I looked at Hae-na. The child continued with genuine relief.
“You’ve been going through such unnecessary trouble all this time. If you had simply asked my sister for permission, it would have been resolved immediately…”
That statement was equally enigmatic. Yet Hae-na’s expression was one of sincere sympathy.
Cheon-eul regarded Hae-na with slightly widened eyes. When their gazes met, Hae-na smiled brightly.
“Still, I’m glad I could be of some help, Cheon-eul.”
A small laugh escaped my lips. I could see the bewildered glint in Cheon-eul’s eyes.
“Ha ha, aha ha!”
Unable to contain myself, I burst into laughter. My eye corners crinkled as my deep blue eyes disappeared from view.
“…Are you finding this so amusing, Seowan?”
Cheon-eul’s voice that followed was unusually devoid of mirth. That only made my lips curve upward again.
“Well done, Hae-na.”
Rather than respond to Cheon-eul, she gently stroked Hae-na’s hair.
Hae-na, bewildered by the praise she didn’t understand, tilted her head. Seowan, who had set the child down, spoke lightly.
“You’re not so narrow-minded as to hold a grudge against a child, are you, Cheon-eul?”
A glimmer of amusement danced in her deep blue eyes.
Cheon-eul regarded her with an expressionless face for a moment, then broke into a warm smile as if he had never been serious at all.
“Of course not.”
“Then be on your way. It seems you have nothing more to do here.”
Seowan had assumed Cheon-eul would leave the Residence immediately. But he only smiled more deeply and opened his mouth.
“I’m afraid I cannot. I have yet to deliver the news I came to share.”
Just as Seowan was about to send Hae-na out, Cheon-eul continued.
“A grand market has opened in the Marketplace, I hear.”
It was an odd thing to mention. Seowan’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Not only storytellers, but Performance Troupes have gathered in considerable numbers. I’ve also seen many merchants from the Hwado Kingdom.”
The market opened once a month—what was so special about it? Just as Seowan was about to dismiss him, her gaze fell upon Hae-na standing quietly nearby.
“Wow….”
A soft gasp escaped the child’s lips. In that moment, Seowan realized Cheon-eul’s true target was not herself.
“I brought this news thinking the child would enjoy it, but it seems I’ve caused trouble instead.”
With those words, Cheon-eul smiled at Seowan. Simultaneously, Hae-na’s bewildered gaze turned toward her.
The child’s eyes sparkled. It was obvious what would come from that small, trembling mouth.
Seowan swallowed a sigh. This child had spent her entire life confined within the Yeon Family Mansion.
‘She must want to see it.’
Though she wished to speak first, the King’s command held her back.
Without any particular reason, the King often summoned Seowan.
By having her, the Commander-General, frequently visit the Palace, he strengthened its security and solidified her position.
Because of this, Seowan had to enter the Palace before the Hour of the Monkey passed.
By the time she returned from the Palace, it would already be too late. She was deliberating how to explain this.
“However, as it happens, I have no duties today.”
Cheon-eul’s gentle voice reached her ears.
“I could take the child to the market and return.”
He spoke with a smile. Seowan’s expression twisted at once.
“What nonsense is this now?”
“Please, do not misunderstand. I merely spoke because the child seemed quite eager.”
True to his words, Hae-na’s face was filled with anticipation.
But when the child’s eyes met Seowan’s, she quickly erased the expression.
“I… Sister. I’m fine.”
“….”
“I was just a little curious. Really!”
Hae-na’s face as she spoke held not a trace of disappointment. That very absence of regret caught Seowan’s eye.
She could not bring herself to tell such a child to wait another month.
Seowan’s gaze shifted toward Cheon-eul. The faint sorrow that had lingered in her eyes sharpened in an instant.
“Cheon-eul.”
It was a brief call, yet its meaning was unmistakable. Cheon-eul nodded with a smile.
“Have no fear. I shall care for her as though she were made of spun glass.”
It was hardly a reassuring answer. When Seowan’s fierce demeanor did not soften, Cheon-eul added smoothly.
“Why do you guard her so jealously? I have no wish to earn your displeasure.”
Seowan regarded his beautiful smile for a moment, then exhaled a low sigh and bent down to meet Hae-na’s eyes.
“Be careful as you go. And… do not stray from Cheon-eul’s side.”
Hae-na’s face brightened at once. Seeing that radiance, Seowan offered a wry smile.
“I am sorry I cannot accompany you. Next time, I shall go with you without fail.”
Next time. At those words, Hae-na’s heart raced with joy.
Simply being allowed to visit the marketplace was a gift, yet Seowan had promised a future outing together.
“Yes!”
Hae-na cried out brightly, beaming with happiness. At her response, Seowan managed a small smile.
* * *
“Come then, let us depart.”
Cheon-eul’s voice came from beyond the thin veil. His silhouette was barely visible through the fabric.
As Hae-na drew closer without thinking, Cheon-eul, who had donned a veil to conceal his face, flashed her a gentle smile.
He wore a silk veil across his features, while Hae-na was dressed in a pale green outer robe.
“Hold my hand tightly. If you grow weary, tell me at once.”
Cheon-eul spoke with affection as he took the child’s small hand in his.
Hae-na stood before the Yul Family Residence’s main gate, her heart pounding with anticipation.
During her years at the Yeon Family Mansion, Hae-na had never been permitted to leave the residence.
It was a direct order from Yeon Ki-mun himself. Because of this, on market days, the world beyond the compound wall had seemed only slightly more lively to her.
She had always wondered what could possibly cause such commotion. Whenever she peered through the open gate, the Gate Keeper would swiftly shut it closed.
Hae-na had come to believe that towering gate would never open for her.
Even after arriving at the Yul Family Residence, she had only yearned vaguely for the outside world, never daring to imagine stepping beyond it.
Her palms grew damp with nervous sweat. Hae-na took a careful step forward, and her small feet crossed the threshold of the gate.
“Wow…!”
Though it was but a single step, it felt as though she had accomplished something magnificent.

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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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