The Morning Star Baby Wants a Family - Chapter 79

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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 79
“Thank you.”
Seowan smiled and gently stroked Hae-na’s hair. Yet a faint shadow of concern still lingered in his eyes.
The day before, Hae-na had told him she wanted to enter the Palace with the two of them.
‘I wish to see the Fourth Prince. I promised him I would return soon, after all.’
Seowan couldn’t bring himself to agree immediately. He remembered all too well when that “before” had been.
The child, sent away in Cheon-eul’s hands at the King’s summons, had returned with ugly bruises marring her delicate wrists.
‘I’ll take you next time. Stay at the Residence for now.’
This time, he couldn’t even send Cheon-eul, which made his anxiety all the more acute.
At Seowan’s words, Hae-na’s eyes drooped downward.
‘But you said there will be a wedding ceremony next, and the First Prince’s birthday celebration too. Aren’t you busy…?’
‘That is…’
Seowan trailed off. The child was right.
‘Surely you’ll be waiting for me. I’ll be well-behaved, so couldn’t you take me with you?’
Hae-na’s round eyes gleamed with the brightness of a young puppy’s gaze.
Facing those eyes, Seowan couldn’t bring himself to refuse her coldly.
‘She’s a well-behaved child, so it should be fine.’
Having settled his heart, Seowan repeated the admonition he’d given several times since yesterday.
“Cheon-eul and I will take you to Nok-yo Palace. Until we come to fetch you again, you must stay only within Nok-yo Palace. Do you understand?”
“Yes!”
Hae-na nodded vigorously.
Jingle. The red jade ornament pinned in the child’s hair chimed as it swayed.
The carriage carrying the three of them came to a halt before the Palace’s main gate.
Since only members of the Royal Family could ride in carriages or palanquins within the Palace grounds, they proceeded on foot toward the Western Palace.
At some point, halls topped with blue-glazed tiles began to appear in clusters.
Between the halls, verdant foliage rose up densely.
‘Bamboo!’
A path wound through the dense bamboo grove several steps ahead.
Hae-na’s excited footsteps quickened.
The moment she entered the Bamboo Forest, the sounds around her changed.
Whoooosh—
The sound of wind rustling through leaves echoed from all directions. Sunlight filtered through the thick canopy, dazzling to the eye.
A gust of wind swept through, sending Hae-na’s pale green skirt fluttering.
The wind toyed with her hem, swaying it back and forth, then grew fierce enough to nearly flip it over.
As Hae-na clutched her skirt tightly and laughed brightly, a warm voice reached her from behind.
“You still love this place, don’t you, Hae-na?”
Turning around, I saw Cheon-eul gazing at me with a gentle smile.
At the same moment, a playful breeze wound through Hae-na’s hair in spirals before dispersing.
‘Huh?’
Hae-na’s eyes widened in surprise.
Now that I think about it, I remember the wind blowing just right when I passed through the Bamboo Forest of the Western Palace before.
A subtle sandalwood fragrance tickled the tip of my nose.
Noticing the situation, Hae-na’s face brightened instantly.
Both Seowan and Cheon-eul smiled gently as they watched the child.
Cheon-eul approached and took Hae-na’s left hand instead of the right hand Seowan was holding.
“Now, take three steps and then jump.”
Cheon-eul spoke affectionately to the child, then winked at Seowan.
When Seowan gave a small nod, Cheon-eul began walking. One, two, three.
Whoosh―!
“Wow!”
Hae-na sprang upward and hung suspended in the air.
Her skirt billowed out in a perfect circle before settling.
As Hae-na landed softly on the ground, her face was radiant with delight.
“Sister! I, I flew!”
“Yes, I saw it.”
Hae-na looked up at Seowan with flushed excitement and cried out.
Seowan answered with eyes crinkled in laughter.
The way she smiled so brightly was endearing.
Cheon-eul, who had been watching her intently, took the child’s hand again and continued walking.
The three of them emerged from the Bamboo Forest and headed toward Nok-yo Palace.
As they rounded the long fence wall, a quiet palace consisting of several halls came into view.
Hae-na showed her jade token to the Gold Guard standing at the Main Gate, and recognizing the two Seven Star Army members, the guard opened the gate without hesitation.
“Play well and enjoy yourself. If anything happens, call for me. I will come at once.”
Seowan gave Hae-na a gentle reminder and waved her inside.
“Yes, see you soon!”
Hae-na waved enthusiastically to both of them, then nimbly jumped over the high threshold and entered the palace courtyard.
In the courtyard of Nok-yo Palace stood a small pond that had not existed before.
A large willow tree planted near the pond swayed its full-leafed branches gently.
Beneath it stood a boy with his black hair loosely tied back.
The boy, who had been standing quietly gazing at the pond, turned his head sharply at the sound of Hae-na’s footsteps.
Hae-na waved her hands excitedly at the golden eyes that met hers.
The boy, Hwi-seo, strode quickly toward Hae-na.
“Hwi-seo! It’s been so long. I hope you’ve been well―!”
Pop!
Hae-na’s mouth, which had been speaking brightly, puckered like a goldfish.
Hwi-seo, gripping both of Hae-na’s cheeks, turned her face this way and that.
“What are you doing?”
Hae-na furrowed her brows and puckered her goldfish mouth in protest.
Still holding Hae-na’s cheeks with both hands, Hwi-seo spoke seriously.
“Have you lost weight?”
“Huh?”
“You look a bit thin. Is Tamlang Seongggun being harsh with you?”
“What are you talking about!”
Hae-na shook her head vigorously, like a puppy shaking off water, and cried out.
“My sister is incredibly kind to me. Just this morning, she gave me two whole bowls of… wait?”
Hae-na, who had been earnestly defending Seowan, faltered.
The eye level between her and Hwi-seo, who stood facing each other, had shifted slightly.
She felt her gaze drifting downward in an odd way.
“I’ve grown taller!”
Hae-na’s face lit up brilliantly. Her cheekbones rose prominently, and her cheeks lifted with her smile.
“In just a few more months, I might be much taller than you. When that happens, I’ll carry you on my back!”
Hae-na exclaimed cheerfully, brimming with excitement.
Hwi-seo’s expression was relieved yet somehow slightly displeased.
“I’ll grow too. As for carrying… who would…”
Hwi-seo, muttering his dissatisfaction, lifted his head with confidence.
“I’m all better now. Look.”
Hae-na, quickly snapping out of her joy over her height, examined Hwi-seo carefully.
True to his words, Hwi-seo’s face was radiant with vitality.
Unlike his former pallid appearance, the boy’s cheeks flushed rosy in the sunlight.
His posture stood perfectly straight and unwavering, and his golden eyes beneath his delicate brows sparkled with clarity.
“I received your letter saying you’d come, and I’ve been waiting outside for a quarter hour. Why did you take so long?”
Hwi-seo, who had spoken with a hint of pique, suddenly stopped.
Tears glistened in Hae-na’s eyes.
“Are you crying?”
“I’m so relieved…”
A trembling voice escaped the child’s lips. A tear, large as a grain of millet, fell.
Hae-na smiled broadly while frantically wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
Hwi-seo, startled, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped Hae-na’s face.
“Why are you crying again, you silly thing.”
Hwi-seo, reproaching Hae-na without real conviction, took the child’s small hand.
“Stop crying and come here. I have something to show you.”
Hae-na followed where Hwi-seo led. The two children made their way to a small pond created in one corner of the courtyard.
The shade of the willow tree blocked the sun’s rays, which had begun to grow harsh.
Standing beneath it, Hwi-seo spoke.
“It’s still difficult for me to manage Cheonlim Garden… but now that my body has fully recovered, I can use my spiritual power again.”
At his words, Hae-na lifted her head.
The willow tree, which appeared to have lived for several years at least, was very large, with lush leaves covering every branch.
“Did you grow this tree?”
Hae-na asked with hopeful anticipation in her eyes.
At that, Hwi-seo flinched. The hesitant boy shook his head.
“…No.”
Hwi-seo murmured softly, then slowly pointed toward something.
“It’s over 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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