The Morning Star Baby Wants a Family - Chapter 77

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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 77
Two days later.
Hae-na stood before the Hall of Gaeyang Palace with a light heart.
“If you wish, you may stay a little longer. There won’t be any reason to visit Gaeyang for some time.”
Seowan asked with concern.
Hae-na shook her head with a bright smile.
“I’m fine!”
She had seen enough of Gaeyang by now, and besides, the greatest reason for her to stay had vanished.
At the child’s radiant expression, Seowan’s lips curved upward, though her face seemed uncertain.
Neigh!
The horses waiting while hitched to the carriage whinnied. It was the moment Seowan reached to open the carriage door.
“You’re leaving now, I see.”
A voice as clear as rolling jade beads reached their ears.
Yeon-ri, her face concealed behind a veil, emerged from the Hall and approached them.
“I am grateful for your assistance, Tamlang Seongggun.”
Yeon-ri had decided to remain in the Hall that Hae-na and Seowan had used for a while longer before departing for the Capital.
Since revealing her identity would be troublesome, Seowan had introduced Yeon-ri to Yu Inspector as a noblewoman who had lost her traveling companions while wandering through Gaeyang.
With her hair dyed black with ink and dressed in modest clothing, Yeon-ri appeared sufficiently ordinary as a noblewoman.
Yet the moment Yeon-ri stepped out, Hae-na’s face brightened considerably.
“Is it alright for you to come out?”
Hae-na asked as she hurried over to Yeon-ri.
Beyond the opaque veil, her lips curved into a smile.
“It is the least I can do for my benefactors. There is no trouble at all.”
Yeon-ri’s complexion had improved considerably from before. Hae-na laughed brightly.
‘I’m relieved she’s gotten better since the full moon.’
After refining her spiritual energy through Hae-na, Yeon-ri had stabilized rapidly.
Though she had known this, confirming it again brought her greater peace of mind.
After bowing respectfully, Hae-na turned toward where the carriage stood.
There stood Cheon-eul, who had arrived at some unknown time, beside Seowan, waving lightly.
“Cheon-eul!”
Hae-na called out brightly and waved back, hurrying over.
Yet the expression of the one who caught her seemed somehow strange.
“Sister?”
When Hae-na tilted her head and called out to Seowan, she smiled with her usual expression.
“Let’s go now.”
Seowan scooped Hae-na up and placed her in the carriage.
The remaining two also boarded the carriage, and as they closed the door, it began to move slowly.
Clop, clop.
Inside the swaying carriage, the sound of hoofbeats echoed intermittently.
Hae-na glanced up at her sister quietly.
‘His expression seems a bit different.’
For some reason, Seowan’s face appeared slightly downcast.
Though the carriage interior was darker than outside, even accounting for that, something felt distinctly off.
When I turned my head to look at Cheon-eul sitting across from me, my confusion only deepened.
Cheon-eul was grinning widely, his tightly pressed lips trembling as if he were struggling to hold back laughter.
‘What’s going on?’
I tilted my head and carefully took my sister’s hand.
“Sister, is something wrong?”
Seowan’s eyes widened slightly. She seemed uncomfortable and averted her gaze for a moment before shaking her head.
“No, nothing at all.”
“Really, Seowan?”
The answer came from Cheon-eul sitting across from me.
Seowan’s eyes turned sharp and dangerous as they fixed on Cheon-eul.
I looked back and forth between the two of them, utterly bewildered.
Seeing how carefully I was watching them, Seowan let out a small sigh.
“You seem to have quite taken a liking to Pagun Seongggun.”
Seowan murmured softly.
I nodded slowly, my expression still confused. At that, Seowan’s brows furrowed slightly.
“I’ve never seen you follow someone so closely after such a short acquaintance. Hwa Yeon-bi certainly has a reputation as a beauty, but…”
Her voice trailed off with unmistakable reluctance.
I could only blink in response.
“So you’ll eagerly follow anyone as long as they’re pretty, is that it?”
Seowan gently pinched my nose, her words tinged with subtle disappointment.
“No, that’s not it…!”
Only then did I grasp the situation, and I hurried to explain. But Seowan’s face had already settled into a bitter smile.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve lived all this time without caring for my appearance, so what can I do?”
At Seowan’s calm words, I began bouncing my feet where I sat.
“That’s not what I meant! Really, it’s not!”
I was so flustered that my words came out in fragments. I rushed to speak again.
“You’re my favorite person in the whole world! The very best! You’re kind, amazing, your hands are warm, and your appearance is also…”
“Appearance ‘is also’?”
Cheon-eul, who had been chuckling across from me, interjected with a sly comment.
At that, my face crumpled into tears.
“Cheon-eul!”
My rare outcry echoed sharply through the carriage.
* * *
Fortunately, Cheon-eul’s teasing didn’t last long.
“You’re a hundred times, a thousand times better than Pagun Seongggun. Really!”
As I threw myself into Seowan’s arms, I felt her heart soften as she held me close.
She had only felt a little hurt in the first place; she had never meant to blame me.
“How disappointing. If you would just―”
“Be quiet, Cheon-eul.”
Seowan’s cold rebuke silenced Cheon-eul, and peace settled over the carriage interior.
A journey that took just over half a day on horseback without rest consumed a full day and a half by carriage.
Though Seowan’s wound had healed enough that he could move without difficulty, it was too dangerous to ride hard with a child in tow.
Cheon-eul faced the same constraints, so they traveled to the Capital by carriage, and the journey proved uneventful.
“Young Miss, Master!”
Chung-yeon, who had come out to wait by the Main Gate, greeted Hae-na with a radiant smile.
“Welcome home! You seem to have grown taller, and my goodness, how thin you’ve become!”
Chung-yeon embraced Hae-na while pouring out a flood of words all at once.
Seowan and Cheon-eul seemed entirely beneath her notice.
“I, well…”
Chung-su clicked his tongue at his sister’s thoughtless manner.
Yet his gaze, too, remained fixed upon Hae-na.
“I trust you’ve been well during your travels, have you not, Young Miss?”
At his subtle inquiry, Hae-na burst into bright laughter.
Though much had transpired, seeing the household members greet her with such warmth simply filled her with joy.
“Yes, I’m back!”
At Hae-na’s cheerful response, the corners of everyone’s mouths lifted in smiles.
Chung-su, who had been grinning along, gave a small cough and bowed respectfully toward Seowan and Cheon-eul.
“Master, and Geomun Seongggun. You must be weary from your travels. Shall I arrange for a meal and bath water―”
“Oh, Young Miss! How uncomfortable you must have been all this time. Let me wash you at once!”
Chung-yeon cut off her brother mid-sentence and hurried away, still cradling Hae-na.
In the blink of an eye, Hae-na found herself in her own room in the Main Residence.
Before she could even welcome the familiar space, Chung-yeon plunged her into the bath.
“You’ve gotten quite grimy, Young Miss.”
“Hehe…”
Chung-yeon carefully washed away the grime accumulated from the long carriage journey.
In the warm water, Hae-na’s body melted into relaxation.
Having returned home after so long and receiving the familiar touch of someone she knew, her tense body grew drowsy without her realizing it.
‘Home.’
Hae-na rolled the word around in her mouth anew.
It seemed like only yesterday she had lived in constant fear of being cast out from the Yul Family Residence, yet somehow this place had become her home.
To have a place to return to and people who awaited her—it was truly a wonderful thing.
“Young Miss, you did like these linens, didn’t you? The women at the Sedap-bang laundered them beautifully and dried them in the sun until they were perfectly fluffy.”
“Eat all of this and more besides. You wouldn’t believe how much food the kitchen has prepared for your return!”
Hae-na surrendered herself to the overwhelming affection.
Having endured so many hardships in Gaeyang, the Residence felt all the more comforting now that she had returned.
Thus she savored her homecoming for several days.
“Um, Cheon-eul.”
Hae-na approached Seowan’s Office and asked carefully.
“Why are you still here…?”

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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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