The Morning Star Baby Wants a Family - Chapter 74

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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 74
‘That’s the sound I heard yesterday.’
Hae-na blinked several times at the dark ceiling.
Unlike yesterday, she had kept her senses open throughout the entire day.
With her perception already broadened, wandering through Gaeyang all day had left her exhausted twofold.
Yet it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
A silent wind bloomed and enveloped her body.
It was far more stable than yesterday’s clumsy attempts.
‘It takes less effort too.’
Though still difficult, it had become considerably easier compared to yesterday when she’d had to strain with all her might.
After confirming that Seowan was asleep, Hae-na quietly slipped from the bedchamber and left the room.
Yeon-ri’s condition was little different from the previous day.
The desolate room remained unchanged as well.
‘There’s no water again….’
After checking the pitcher, Hae-na approached the window.
Moonlight filtered through the hastily drawn curtains.
After carefully concealing the window with the curtains, Hae-na took the pitcher and went to refill it.
“Mmm….”
As she carefully set down the pitcher, Yeon-ri let out a soft moan and shifted her body.
Hae-na froze in place, watching her intently.
Yeon-ri’s body, which had been lying straight, had turned toward her.
Damp hair clung to her pallid forehead, beaded with perspiration.
‘I wish I could wipe it for her.’
Hae-na stood with her hands clasped, lost in thought.
She could find a clean cloth easily enough, but the moment she touched her, Yeon-ri would surely wake.
After deliberating for some time, Hae-na moved her spiritual energy with utmost care.
The perspiration beading on Yeon-ri’s forehead began to evaporate slowly.
The pace was so gradual that even if she had opened her eyes, she wouldn’t have noticed.
As Yeon-ri’s forehead dried, Hae-na’s own forehead grew damp with sweat.
Maintaining the delicate wind enveloping her entire body while simultaneously drawing away the moisture drop by drop was extraordinarily taxing.
Hae-na paused intermittently to catch her breath, then pressed her lips firmly together and refocused.
After considerable time had passed, Hae-na withdrew the spiritual energy that had been spread thin as thread.
Yeon-ri’s face looked fresh. The pillow that had been damp with sweat had also been subtly dried.
Hae-na left the room utterly drained. As she stepped into the corridor, the summer night air chilled her back.
‘Ugh.’
Her back was soaked through with cold sweat. Her body trembled as the breeze swept through the corridor.
‘I’m so cold….’
Hae-na managed to move the energy clinging to her feet and hastily dried her undergarment, then trudged toward her room.
The child who had collapsed into sleep slept late, and Seowan deliberately did not wake Hae-na, who slept while snoring softly.
“…What time is it?”
“It’s around eleven in the morning. I was just about to wake you—good timing.”
After eating a hearty late breakfast, I had settled by the window in my bedclothes, swinging my feet idly before drifting back to sleep.
When I awoke, the world beyond the window had already grown dim with approaching dusk.
After dinner and a thorough washing, I was laid down upon the bed.
“Tomorrow I’ll take you to the market. Now, go to sleep.”
Seowan’s hand patted my belly gently.
Unlike my sister, whose breathing had quickly grown even and deep, I lay with my eyes wide open, staring only at the ceiling.
‘I can’t sleep.’
It was the result of sleeping far too long during the day. For me, however, it was rather fortunate.
After spending considerable time counting the wood grain on the ceiling, I rose and wrapped a shawl around myself.
‘By now, she should be asleep, shouldn’t she?’
Still, to be safe, before going to Yeon-ri’s room, I slipped quietly outside.
“…!”
My eyes widened as I gazed up at the sky.
It was a full moon.
It seemed far larger and brighter than any full moon I had seen before.
At this intensity, Yeon-ri’s condition must be quite severe.
I tilted my ears to listen intently.
Yet from within Yeon-ri’s room came only faint, intermittent sounds of distress.
‘Has she improved?’
I tilted my head in puzzlement, then quickly dismissed the question. If her condition had improved, that was a good thing.
‘Still, I should check on her.’
I smiled softly and moved forward without a sound.
Just as I had sensed, Yeon-ri slept with a more peaceful expression than before.
The cool sweat dampening her brow remained, yet the furrow between her brows—once twisted in anguish—had smoothed away.
Seeing this, I smiled broadly and surveyed the room.
‘Hmm?’
At the window, thick curtains had already been drawn with meticulous care.
The pitcher held lukewarm water that sloshed gently.
‘Was this prepared in advance?’
Yeon-ri, thinking the Attendants came by each night, must have given them instructions.
I watched the sleeping Yeon-ri carefully, my fingers fidgeting slightly.
Since all that had been done was drawing the curtains and filling the pitcher with water, there was no great harm if Yeon-ri discovered it.
However, I would have to face Seowan with a very frightening expression.
She would quickly realize how I had managed to move between rooms without waking her.
‘If that happens….’
I would be scolded. There was no helping it.
I swallowed a sigh and looked around once more.
Yeon-ri’s condition seemed greatly improved, so it appeared I would not need to come again after tonight.
As I checked the lamp on the table one last time, the small flickering flame suddenly blazed up brilliantly.
“Gasp…!”
Startled, I clapped a hand over my mouth and stumbled backward.
“Hck, hck, cough!”
Rough, labored breathing erupted from Yeon-ri, who had been lying quietly.
Yeon-ri convulsed violently, her body folding in half.
Her irregular gasps were so shallow and desperate, it seemed she might stop breathing at any moment.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh…!”
Alarmed, I rushed toward Yeon-ri.
The moment I reached out to her, a powerful grip seized my small hand.
Her golden-crimson eyes gleamed. A savage gaze pierced through me.
Though her eyes burned with the fury of something that could tear me apart, Yeon-ri’s trembling hand merely clutched at my wrist.
Frozen in place, I realized she wasn’t breathing at all.
Looking at her again, Yeon-ri’s body seemed engulfed in flames.
A wild, uncontrollable energy thrashed and churned violently.
‘This can’t happen!’
Yeon-ri’s face was draining of all color, turning deathly pale.
Without hesitation or second thought, I gripped her hand firmly.
A vicious energy poured into our joined hands. I squeezed my eyes shut.
If Seowan’s energy had been cold to the bone, Yeon-ri’s was sharp as a blade.
Where she touched me, it felt as though I were being carved by a knife.
But I didn’t let go.
The raging energy circled through the child’s body and gradually subsided.
I returned the calmed energy to Yeon-ri, then drew in the raw, unrefined energy—repeating this cycle.
Yeon-ri’s breathing grew steadier, and the fierce energy that had rippled across her body slowly diminished.
‘It’s done….’
I exhaled deeply and infused one final surge of energy.
A warm light flickered where our small hands met.
It seeped gently into Yeon-ri.
The moment I withdrew my hands, I found myself face to face with Yeon-ri, her eyes wide open and alert.
Slowly.
My hands slipped away from Yeon-ri.
The child’s eyes darted about nervously.
I was caught. Completely exposed.
Until now, I’d been so careful—I’d even fetched water from the kettle myself to avoid any suspicion.
And yet here I was, caught red-handed. My mind went blank.
‘It couldn’t be helped, though….’
How could I have simply watched someone stop breathing right before my eyes?
But that was then, and this was now.
“You….”
Yeon-ri’s voice trembled with disbelief.
Just as Seowan had done, she clearly understood at once what Hae-na had done.
‘Would she pretend not to know if I asked her to?’
No—even if she agreed now, would she truly keep that promise later?
My mind spun frantically.
Perhaps it would be wiser to rush to Seowan’s room and wake him immediately.
How could I reach Seowan’s room without revealing this power any further?
As I wrestled with these thoughts, Yeon-ri’s sharp voice cut through the air.
“You’ve been sneaking into my room for two days now—what exactly have you done today?”

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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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