The Morning Star Baby Wants a Family - Chapter 38

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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 38
Hae-na’s reflection rippled across the surface of the tea in the cup.
The child, who had been laughing while holding paper, hurriedly tidied the things scattered on the table at Chung-yeon’s call.
In her haste to organize, a faint smudge of ink clung to the tips of her small fingers.
It was when Seowan let out a soft laugh.
“What are you looking at?”
A voice devoid of warmth reached her ears.
As though nothing had happened, the smile vanished from Seowan’s lips in an instant.
“Hae-na.”
Seowan answered curtly and stirred the cup. The child’s reflection on the surface dissolved, and the pale green tea rippled in its place.
Seowan lifted her gaze from the cup. Chung-su stood before her, dressed in a dark blue robe.
“Indeed, the young lady seemed delighted. I knew she had a bright disposition, but I’ve never seen her this happy before.”
“….”
“I recall she didn’t rejoice even at the finest jade from Yoguang… You are truly wise, my lady.”
Seowan’s brow furrowed slightly, and she tilted her head a fraction. It was an invitation for him to continue.
“When you think about it, isn’t that so? What is Yoguang jade, and what is Cheonchu silk? Once one’s name is registered with the Yul Clan, such trifles become nothing but… Pfft!”
A torrent of water crashed down upon Chung-su’s head as he spoke with such enthusiasm.
The water drenched Chung-su completely before evaporating just before it struck the ground.
Naturally, not a single drop touched Seowan.
“Why! I was only complimenting you!”
Chung-su, looking as though he had been dunked in a well, cried out indignantly.
Seowan regarded the dripping Chung-su with cold eyes.
“Does Hae-na strike you as a miser like yourself?”
“How could that possibly mean that? And a miser! As the steward, I am hardly… !”
Chung-su’s protests were cut short by a perfectly spherical water droplet lodging itself in his mouth.
Seowan turned her gaze away from the bubble-forming droplet.
The genealogy of the Yul Clan lay open on the table.
Hae-na’s name was visible, darkened by the water that had evaporated over it.
Just as I had told Hae-na, I would register her as my younger sister in the Yul Clan records.
I had no desire to make the child guard her tongue. More than anything, what mattered was that Hae-na be registered with the Yul Clan.
However she was registered with the Yul Clan, the rumor that she was my daughter would become established fact.
Should I have adopted her as my child, people would have spread gossip that I had made her the daughter of the Previous Tamrang Seongggun out of concern for the child’s safety.
I wanted precisely that rumor. The fact that I cherished this child dearly needed to spread, exaggerated, to as many people as possible.
I had no intention of allowing what happened yesterday to occur a second time.
I would make it abundantly clear—how dearly I treasured this child, and what price anyone would pay for laying a hand upon her.
A sharp light kindled in Seowan’s darkened eyes.
While Hae-na slept, I had traced the family that had sent the assassin.
Water flows everywhere. Given enough time and determination, there was no way it could remain hidden.
There were suspects, and my suspicions had proven correct.
The assassin’s backer was the Yeom Clan, masters of mist.
The Yeom House was where the Previous Tamrang Seongggun’s cousin had entered as a son-in-law.
The Previous Mistress of Yeom House and the current patriarch’s father were a branch line of the Yul Clan.
He had no possibility of becoming Tamlang Seongggun. He was of the previous generation, and the previous generation’s Tamlang Seongggun had already been decided.
Because the previous generation had many children, his own child would never become the direct heir of the Yul Clan.
Not until the direct line of the Yul Clan died off one by one, and Seowan suddenly appeared to inherit the power of Tamrang Fortress.
He believed that his granddaughter would fulfill the aspiration he himself could not achieve.
The Yeom House was one of the few clans that supported Seowan with unwavering commitment.
The Previous Mistress of Yeom House called herself as good as Seowan’s father, and subtly attempted to make her granddaughter Seowan’s adopted daughter.
‘It seems Tamrang Seongggun has come to know the joy of raising a child, so her grief will be profound if that cherished one dies.’
‘This time, our Choyeon will surely enter the Yul Clan. That eyesore of a woman will prove unexpectedly useful.’
After the night of commotion passed, these were the words the Previous Mistress of Yeom House spoke to her son at breakfast.
She did not even worry about the servant who had not returned. The purpose was not to kidnap Hae-na, but to kill her.
Seowan headed straight for the Yeom House. Those who came rushing out barefoot at the sudden visit wore smiles that made my skin crawl.
‘Tamlang Seongggun! What brings you here? Do come inside. I shall prepare tea for you.’
The Previous Mistress of Yeom House spoke with a warm smile.
Seowan gazed at the Yeom Clan with bloodshot eyes before opening her mouth.
‘I will spare the child.’
Seowan left those words behind and departed. They were bewildered, but soon had no choice but to understand her meaning.
Every drop of water within the residence had dried up. From the water drawn in jars to the last sip remaining in teacups.
Even the long-flowing rivers and the deepest of lakes would run dry the moment they sought to quench their thirst.
Dying from burning thirst, the Yeom Clan would have to find a household to entrust their patriarch’s beloved daughter to.
‘They will serve as a fine example.’
As Seowan thought this, a loud noise erupted from beside her.
It was Chung-su making a fuss trying to remove a water droplet clinging to his mouth.
Seowan clicked her tongue lightly and removed the droplet for him.
Chung-su, who had been glaring at her with indignant eyes, squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled deeply.
“About the young lady, sir. You had her registered in the family register, but do you intend to continue raising her in secret as before?”
I was about to silence him if he spoke nonsense again, but it was not a bad question.
“No.”
Seowan shook her head. It was a matter I had already resolved.
As Chung-su said, the child was already registered in the family records. The more I kept her hidden, the more the rumors surrounding her would inevitably grow.
And above all, I remembered what Hae-na had chattered about after returning from the market.
‘There were so many people. The things being sold were so diverse, and there were many things I had never seen in Yeon-ga….’
When I asked lightly if anything had happened, Hae-na poured out words in an excited voice.
‘There was someone from a place called Okryeong. Where could that be?’
Okryeong was a region in the north of Cheonmang Kingdom. It was famous for its beautiful mountain scenery, and nobles often went there for leisure.
‘I had hardly heard stories of other regions before….’
In the child’s voice as she spoke, there was an abundance of excitement about the unknown.
During my years wandering, I had traversed the entire nation.
Though it was difficult, I had seen so many beautiful landscapes that made me forget all the hardships.
The world was harsh, yet beautiful. I wanted to show Hae-na that same landscape.
Various renowned places came to mind. It seemed she would be delighted anywhere I took her.
I smiled faintly. Then Chung-su, his expression turning contemplative, asked.
“…Why did you smile, my lord?”
His voice carried the tone of one who had witnessed something unseemly.
The smile that had lingered on my face vanished without a trace.
And once more, a torrent of water cascaded down upon Chung-su’s head.
Splash!
* * *
Tamlang Seongggun registered his illegitimate half-brother as a member of the Yul Clan.
The news spread rapidly. Not only the nobility but even the common people spoke of it endlessly.
‘A brother? That Tamlang Seongggun?’
The whispered disbelief was so loud it carried over the walls. Yet no one in the Residence paid it any mind, and neither did Hae-na.
As though compensating for the misfortunes that had struck in succession, peaceful days unfolded.
That tranquility was shattered in an instant by a single letter that arrived at the Residence.
It was a letter from the Palace. The scroll, wrapped in teal silk that only the direct royal bloodline could use, was bound with crimson thread.
Letters sealed with crimson thread served only one purpose—to propose marriage.
Second Prince Tae Hyeon-o had submitted a marriage proposal to the Yul Clan.
But the intended bride was not me, but Hae-na.

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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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