The Morning Star Baby Wants a Family - Chapter 33

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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 33
Hae-na found herself drowning in slumber, her consciousness slipping away.
Somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, she struggled to open her eyes.
I can’t fall asleep. I need to stay beside my sister.
I was eating. She told me to finish and then sleep….
Someone gently lifted Hae-na as she floundered in the depths of sleep, her small face burying itself against Seowan’s shoulder.
A soft yet firm sensation brushed against her cheek. It was warm, and carried a pleasant scent.
‘Sister’s scent….’
Seowan always carried a cool fragrance—clean and refreshing, like sun-dried fabric caught in an autumn breeze.
The moment Hae-na’s drowsy mind registered that she was with her sister, her body went completely limp.
The arms holding her tightened their embrace, drawing her closer still.
Upon reaching the Child’s Room in the Main Residence, Seowan carefully laid Hae-na down on the bedchamber.
When Hae-na stirred during the process, Seowan froze in place.
Fortunately, the child did not wake. The hands that positioned her and drew the blanket over her moved with the delicate care one might use handling a porcelain doll.
As her hands withdrew, Hae-na’s fingers instinctively grasped at Seowan’s sleeve in her sleep.
A small smile played at the corners of Seowan’s lips as she gazed down at the child. She gently stroked Hae-na’s hair.
Even in sleep, Hae-na felt the tender touch and smiled contentedly.
“Sleep well.”
After leaving those brief words, Seowan extinguished the lamp that had been flickering with orange light. The door closed with a soft click.
Moonlight poured through the window, its unusually bright glow casting the room in a pale blue luminescence.
Hae-na slept soundly, her peaceful face serene. The soft, rhythmic breathing of the child filled the room.
The Yul Family Residence fell silent, word having spread that the young lady had retired to her bedchamber early.
The servants finished their tasks with utmost care lest Hae-na wake, and they retired earlier than usual.
Every lamp in the residence was extinguished, and all fell into deep slumber.
When the night had ripened fully, Hae-na’s restless eyes slowly opened.
The child sat up groggily, and as she yawned widely, her eyes were alert and clear of any drowsiness.
“I was eating….”
Hae-na looked around. The unfamiliar surroundings of the Main Residence’s room came into view—her own room here.
The last thing she remembered was being terribly drowsy during the evening meal. It seemed she had fallen asleep mid-bite.
“Mm.”
Hae-na’s face flushed crimson as she let out a deep sigh. How foolish she must have appeared.
‘Is everyone asleep? What about sister?’
Hae-na carefully descended from the bedchamber. The rustle of her garments sounded loud in the stillness.
She stood quietly, deliberating.
‘Sister must be sleeping.’
Given how silent the residence was, it must be the Hour of the Rat—between one and three in the morning. Seowan always retired around midnight.
The desire not to wake her sister warred with the urge to check that she was sleeping peacefully.
Hae-na approached the window and opened it. An even brighter flood of moonlight poured in. When she looked up, a great full moon hung luminous in the sky.
‘It’s a full moon.’
The moon’s power was a force unrefined by human hands.
The lunar force, excessively potent and fundamentally different in nature, was nothing short of poison to celestial beings.
Among them, the Seven Star Families suffered such violent clashes of power that they illuminated their residences with torches instead of the convenient moonstone.
A half-moon or crescent posed no threat as long as one avoided prolonged exposure to moonlight, but the full moon was different.
On the fifteenth day of the lunar month, when the lunar force surged most violently, all celestial beings took precautions.
Chung-su had said that Seowan was barely maintaining control over his overflowing power, and it would be far more difficult on nights when the full moon rose.
Hae-na, who had been deliberating with her lips pressed firmly together, lifted her head.
I’ll go check. I’ll just go to the door, confirm that he’s safe, and come back.
Hae-na closed the window and walked toward the entrance. When only about ten steps remained between her and the door, the room suddenly darkened.
A cloud must have covered the moon.
Hae-na thought nothing of it and tried to continue walking. But in that moment, a small sound reached her ears.
Thud.
The sound came from the window. Hae-na turned around instinctively and held her breath.
Someone stood beyond the paper window. It was not a cloud that had blocked the moonlight, but the enormous shadow of an unknown figure.
It slowly touched the window frame. The window that Hae-na had just opened was not locked.
I have to escape.
It would not take long for the intruder beyond the door to realize the window was unlocked.
Hae-na slowly stepped backward. Nine steps, eight steps. Gradually, the distance to the door drew closer.
Tap. Tap.
The intruder tapped the window back and forth. Her heart pounded wildly, as if it might burst open at any moment.
One more step. Just one more step.
Hae-na moved her trembling legs. But perhaps from the tension, the child’s foot caught on her skirt and slipped.
And at that same instant, the window slowly opened.
A vivid blue moonlight flooded the room. Through the open window came two men wearing black masks.
They walked toward Hae-na in silence. Dressed entirely in black, they resembled grim reapers.
I have to get up.
Hae-na placed her cold, sweat-drenched hands on the floor. She had to leave this room immediately. She had to escape and alert everyone.
Hae-na rose from her position and quickly turned her body.
But a large hand seized the child faster than she could open the door.
Mmph!
With brutal strength, Hae-na was dragged away. Her mouth was gagged and her hands were bound in an instant.
The child trembled as she looked up at the men who held her.
Two pairs of black eyes gazed down at Hae-na without emotion.
Is this the child?
A low, rough voice emerged. Soon the man’s face drew close.
Startled, Hae-na shut her eyes. Then a coarse hand forcibly opened the child’s eyes.
Yes. The appearance matches.
The man released his hand and swiftly leaped out the window, carrying Hae-na with him.
Terrified, Hae-na struggled, but the man’s arm remained steady and unyielding.
Mmph, mmmph!
No matter how hard she tried to cry out, only muffled sounds escaped through the cloth covering her mouth.
The men silently passed the Main Residence and made their way toward the compound wall that encircled the Residence.
Tears streamed down Hae-na’s face, her eyes wide with terror.
The child’s tears left marks upon the parched earth.
What would become of me if I was dragged away like this?
Who were these people, and where were they taking me?
My entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Hae-na squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them. Tears cascaded down her cheeks.
‘I’m terrified.’
The night at the Yeon Family home—the one she had thought would be her last—came flooding back.
Hae-na was still afraid of death.
‘Please, please. Help me.’
Hae-na pleaded desperately into the void.
It had been the same at the Yeon Family home. Even knowing that no one would answer her prayers, she had begged with every ounce of strength she possessed.
But this time was different. Many faces flashed through her mind.
The women of the Sedap-bang. The Kitchen servants. Chung-su, Chung-yeon. And… my sister.
I wanted to see my sister. Just as she had saved me that night at the Yeon Family home, it seemed she would effortlessly save me again.
‘Sister, sister…’
The child’s desperate struggles gradually weakened.
Before long, the men had reached the compound wall.
“If I go over first, you take the girl—”
Crack!
Before the free-handed man could finish speaking, something exploded with a sickening sound, and Hae-na’s vision flooded crimson.
Something hot and scarlet streamed down across her eyes.
Before she could even blink, the arms binding her vanished.
Hae-na crashed to the ground. The dry, hard earth beneath her was now drenched. Something sticky and red smeared across the child’s cheek.
Blood.
“Ugh… ahhh…”
Everything was red. Hae-na’s body went rigid. Just as she seemed about to lose consciousness, a familiar voice pierced through.
“Hae-na!”
The child’s head snapped reflexively toward the sound.
Through her blood-tinged vision, she saw someone rushing toward her.
It was Seowan.

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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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