The Morning Star Baby Wants a Family - Chapter 83

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 83
The casually spoken words sent ripples through the room.
Un-heon, as well as Seowan and Cheon-eul, fixed their gazes upon Yeon-ri with altered expressions.
Hae-na, already tense from the sudden shift in atmosphere, froze even further.
“…Fourth Prince. Would you care to take a stroll through the corridors with Hae-na? There are many sights to see, and I’m certain you’ll find it quite enjoyable.”
Cheon-eul, the first to notice his discomfort, spoke to Hwi-seo with a gentle smile.
“Very well, Uncle.”
Hwi-seo nodded without hesitation.
Hae-na glanced at her older sister as if asking if it was alright, and Seowan created a small water droplet that gently tapped Hae-na’s shoulder.
“Come along, both of you.”
Kwon Court Lady, familiar with the layout of Nokchung Palace, led the children from the room.
The atmosphere, which had been somewhat gentle in the children’s presence, grew heavy in an instant.
“I never expected you would seek my assistance, Pagun Seongggun.”
Un-heon spoke with a smile, yet he did not offer Yeon-ri a seat—she remained standing before him.
“Did not Hyun-o hold you in such high regard? If that child were to learn you came seeking me, he would be deeply hurt.”
“….”
“Or perhaps, after leaving here, you intend to visit Noksagung Palace?”
Noksagung Palace was the residence of Second Prince Tae Hyeon-o.
Despite the evident coldness, Yeon-ri’s expression remained serene. She shook her head gently.
“No, Your Majesty. I have no intention of visiting Noksagung Palace for some time—that is, if you will help me today.”
Un-heon’s golden eyes narrowed.
“Were you not one who came and went from Noksagung as though it were your own home? Has Hyun-o suddenly cast out Pagun Seongggun?”
At his question, Yeon-ri laughed radiantly—a smile as beautiful as a fully bloomed peony.
“Quite the opposite.”
Un-heon’s expression hardened.
Pagun Seongggun was one who had been more loyal to the Second Prince than even to the King.
And now she spoke of severing ties with him.
“After being ill for so long, I rose from my sickbed and felt as though I had been reborn. I came to understand how foolish my past choices had been.”
“….”
“So I seek to correct them now. I ask that you view this not with displeasure, but with generosity.”
Un-heon merely gazed at Yeon-ri with a smile, offering no response. At his silence, Yeon-ri turned her attention to Seowan.
“Seowan. Why do you merely stand and watch?”
Her voice carried a petulant tone, as though addressing someone very close to her.
“You told me to manage this myself, yet I thought you would help me at least a little. This is too much.”
Her beautiful, dignified face took on a deliberately sullen expression.
Un-heon turned to Seowan.
“Tamlang Seongggun. What did you discuss with Pagun Seongggun?”
“We spoke of many things, Your Majesty. I owe it all to Seowan that I was able to escape my foolish past.”
The answer came from Yeon-ri. She spoke smoothly, as though her tongue were oiled, and smiled brightly.
“I was so delighted when he agreed to become my friend. Moreover, he said he would forgive the mistakes I made before. I am truly indebted to Seowan.”
Yeon-ri spoke the final sentence aloud, and for a moment her eyes met Seowan’s.
It was a meaningful gaze. Seowan recalled what she had said back in Gaeyang.
“Are you certain?”
Un-heon asked again.
A brief calculation flickered through his mind. Then Seowan gave a small nod.
“Indeed, Your Highness.”
He had anticipated long ago that Yeon-ri would turn her back on the Second Prince and choose the First Prince instead.
He hadn’t expected her to stand with him in the process, but for Seowan, it was advantageous.
Three of the seven Seven Star Army—their combined strength was something even the King could not treat carelessly.
‘A windfall, indeed.’
Seowan glanced at Un-heon, swallowing the words that had formed on his tongue.
Joy flickered across Un-heon’s face, barely concealed beneath his subtle smile.
Naturally it would be so.
Not only had he suddenly gained two of the Seven Star Army, but one had steadfastly maintained neutrality while the other had been an ardent supporter of his rival.
“Congratulations on your enlightenment.”
Un-heon quickly composed himself, speaking with a faint smile.
“For Pagun Seongggun to change so dramatically, it must have been a profound awakening indeed.”
At his casual probe, Yeon-ri smiled back.
“It was. I came to realize how small a world I had been living in.”
To Seowan and Cheon-eul, who knew the woman before them was Hwa-yeon-ri, her words carried a different meaning.
“I found myself thinking of my twin sister after so long. Unlike me, she was truly wise.”
At the sudden shift in topic, Un-heon tilted his head slightly. Yeon-ri continued.
“So I have decided to honor her legacy, however late.”
Hwa-yeon-ri’s golden-red eyes gleamed as she spoke.
When a small question arose in Un-heon’s pupils, Yeon-ri drove the point home like a nail.
“For instance, by changing my name to my sister’s name.”
* * *
After that, silence descended upon the room.
Un-heon’s pupils trembled faintly. He appeared deeply confused.
It was a natural reaction.
Yeon-ri’s words had laid bare a certain truth rather explicitly.
It should have been impossible, yet the red-haired woman standing before them was unmistakable proof.
Soon Un-heon gave a slow nod.
‘Hwa-yeon-ri, that was her name.’
She had not laid bare every detail openly.
Yet with merely the changed name and demeanor, people would speculate endlessly.
In fact, because she had not revealed the full circumstances, the story would spread from mouth to mouth and grow ever more inflated.
‘Yes, Your Highness.’
Hwa-yeon-ri bowed her head respectfully as she answered.
Watching her, Un-heon smiled warmly and offered Yeon-ri a seat.
A tea set identical to those before the others was placed in front of Yeon-ri, and he asked why Seowan and Cheon-eul had come seeking him.
Upon hearing they desired treatment, Un-heon nodded immediately, and Seowan excused himself from the room, saying he would bring the child first.
“The weather is truly beautiful today, is it not?”
Following her outside, Yeon-ri spoke with a gentle smile playing at her lips.
Seowan clicked his tongue inwardly.
She had suddenly gone to seek out Hae-na and was behaving brazenly, so he had deemed it safer to keep her within his vicinity and brought her along—yet she was doing something absurd.
Beyond the hall stretched a long corridor.
Unlike the hallway of the hall where Palace Attendants occasionally passed, the back courtyard where the corridor extended lay silent and empty of visitors.
“What is she doing?”
Catching sight of Hae-na’s silhouette in the distance, Seowan asked quietly.
The smile that had bloomed across Yeon-ri’s face like an open flower faded slightly.
“It is the debt I mentioned before.”
Her voice, now stripped of warmth, was the same as what he had heard in Gaeyang.
“It seems I have received a rather excessive repayment.”
Seowan answered slowly, continuing his steps.
“I owe you nothing. Therefore, there is nothing for you to reclaim.”
Maintaining a cordial relationship with Hwa-yeon-ri was certainly a good thing.
However, if this goodwill was not merely repayment but rather a means to demand something, it would be troublesome.
Seowan had no intention of becoming her friend, as she suggested.
She was someone who possessed neither the value nor the reason for him to embrace her at the cost of loss.
“My, my.”
Yeon-ri uttered a small exclamation. Soon, a soft laugh escaped her.
“To speak with such honesty. Now I understand whom that child takes after.”
At the mention of Hae-na, Seowan stopped in his tracks. Yeon-ri covered her mouth and laughed at his cold gaze.
“It was a compliment, so do soften your expression. You may not believe it, but I find that child quite agreeable.”
“Have you ever welcomed children?”
“Ah, of course not.”
Yeon-ri’s laughter deepened.
“Children are foolish, impulsive, and simple. They are troublesome creatures with not a single redeeming quality.”
Cutting words poured forth. Yet Seowan observed that her gaze softened ever so slightly when it turned toward Hae-na.
“Then for what reason?”
Hae-na, sensing their presence, was already running toward them.
Yeon-ri smiled faintly and spoke.
“I wonder. Ask Hae-na directly.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————