Chapter 55
“Ahem, well...”
“No, little one. Give us a moment to think...”
At those words, Hong-seol deliberately dropped her gaze to her toes.
“I’m the only one who can’t go to the academy and has to study alone at home... I thought I’d feel a little better if I could go out to the market with the Clan Lord and the Head of the Medicine Hall.”
Before she could even finish, Namgung On declared firmly.
“I shall certainly go!”
Yuhwa, as if admitting defeat, replied in a softened tone.
“Fine. They say even the wishes of the dead should be granted, so how could I refuse a wish from our little one?”
“Hehe, yay!”
Hong-seol clapped her hands and jumped up and down on the spot.
She had been agonizing over how to reconcile the Clan Lord and the Head of the Medicine Hall anyway.
‘I like the Clan Lord, and I like the Head of the Medicine Hall, too... I just want the two of them to get along.’
They were a married couple with three sons. Besides, seeing how the Clan Lord had meticulously prepared clothes for the daughter yet to be born...
‘They clearly still like each other, they’re just being dishonest about it.’
So, if they spent time together, the misunderstandings would fade, and only their affection would remain.
That was what Hong-seol believed.
“Then I’ll go pick out what I’m going to wear to the market!”
Seeing Hong-seol, who seemed to have forgotten her gloom entirely, Namgung On tilted his head.
“Don’t you think our Hong-seol has changed quite a bit since we first met?”
He whispered softly, sliding his hand onto Yuhwa’s shoulder.
“I suppose so...”
Yuhwa, having inadvertently agreed with Namgung On, jumped in surprise.
“Wh-what are you talking about! Children change in the blink of an eye.”
Smack!
She even slapped the back of Namgung On’s hand, which was resting on her shoulder, her face turning bright red.
“Ouch.”
Namgung On, clutching the back of his hand, couldn’t help but let a smile touch his lips. Before he knew it, Yuhwa was already walking away alone in the distance.
With a faint smile, Namgung On hurried to follow her.
“Let’s go together, my lady!”
* * *
“Hehe.”
“Are you that happy?”
“Yes! I’m so happy. And it’s all so fascinating.”
Hong-seol, wearing her disguise, kept beaming with joy.
It was only natural, as this was her very first time visiting the market in her life.
She was holding the hands of Yuhwa and Namgung On, who both wore bamboo hats pulled low over their faces.
‘Being like this, it feels just like going out with a mom and dad.’
Hong-seol wiggled her toes to hide her fluttering heart.
One step behind them, Namgung Uigyeol followed as their guard, his eyes scanning the surroundings with sharp intensity.
He had even helped Hong-seol with her disguise today.
‘As expected of the Master of the Azure Sky Unit!’
Hong-seol, who had caught a glimpse of her face in a hand mirror sold by a merchant, was left in awe.
It was on a completely different level from the clumsy disguises she and Jeok had attempted before.
Just then, a lively voice drifted over from afar.
“Oh? It looks like a street storyteller.”
Namgung On muttered unintentionally.
‘A-a storyteller?’
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
With sparkling eyes, Hong-seol couldn’t contain her excitement and broke into a run.
“Whoa there!”
“Little one, slow down!”
Yuhwa and Namgung On had to dash down the street to keep up with her.
As they pushed through the gathered crowd, a man with a silver tongue was shouting to the audience.
“Now, the story I shall tell you today is!”
The man scanned the onlookers and shouted with great vigor.
“The beauty from the North Sea Ice Palace!”
As soon as she heard that, Yuhwa’s face turned bright red.
“Um, my dear.”
She hurriedly tugged at Namgung On’s sleeve, but the storyteller had already bellowed the rest of the sentence.
“The story of the Female Hero Bing Yuhwa and the pride of Hefei, the Clan Lord of the Namgung Clan!”
Namgung On’s face, hidden beneath his bamboo hat, turned as red as a mountain ash berry in an instant.
“H-Hong-seol.”
He, too, wanted to suggest they leave immediately, but.
“Wooooo!”
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
Beside him, Hong-seol was already clapping so hard her palms were practically stinging.
It was an impossible situation where they could do nothing.
Yuhwa and Namgung On caught each other’s eyes and simply turned their heads away.
“Ahem.”
“Phew, why is it so hot?”
Meanwhile, the storyteller was spinning his tale with gusto.
“They say the two first met at an inn!”
From the middle of the story, two actors dressed in costumes even appeared and began to perform passionately.
“The place where I belong is Anhui Province, where the sky is blue.”
“The sky of the North Sea Ice Palace is also blue, young master.”
One actor wore a white fox fur around his neck and a wig made of white silk threads, while the other wore a blue martial arts uniform with a sword at his waist.
“I shall abandon my position as the Young Clan Lord for your sake! I will send a message to my father this very instant.”
The excited storyteller added his own commentary.
“At that moment, Young Master Namgung On’s body freezes!”
The play gradually reached its climax.
“Ugh, what have you done to me?”
As the actor in the blue uniform collapsed onto the floor, the storyteller’s explanation rang out vividly.
“Then, the snowflake-like Miss Bing Yuhwa removes her hand from his meridians and says!”
The actor wearing the fox fur parted his lips coyly.
“I shall abandon my martial arts according to the laws of the North Sea Ice Palace and follow you, young master. Because I am the one who loves more.”
“Miss Bing!”
“Young master!”
The moment the two actors finally kissed.
Namgung On and Yuhwa, mixed in among the crowd, squeezed their eyes shut.
Their faces were as red as they could possibly be.
“...And thus, it is said that the two were finally able to be married.”
If Hong-seol, moved to tears, hadn’t been wiping her eyes, the two would have fled the scene long ago.
One step to the side, the large and tall Namgung Uigyeol was also shamelessly wiping away his own tears.
Seeing this, the storyteller, now in high spirits, said.
“Next is... wait. You aren’t planning on listening for free, are you?”
Clink, clink!
Coins poured into the ceramic bowl the storyteller was shaking.
Hong-seol also generously tossed in the pocket money that Steward Namgung Su-oh had given her to buy snacks.
The love story of Bing Yuhwa of the North Sea Ice Palace and Namgung On of the Namgung Clan was always a popular topic.
Pleased with the heavy bowl, the storyteller raised his voice.
“Very well! Then, next is the story of the wedding night when the two lit the candles!”
The excited musician beside him began to beat the drum, boom, boom, boom.
“This is really too much, my dear!”
A flustered Yuhwa looked back at Namgung On, pointing at Hong-seol.
But Namgung On was just listening to the storyteller, dazed.
“My dear!”
Namgung On jumped in surprise and turned to look at her.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“What on earth are you thinking about!”
“My apologies. I was just thinking about how beautiful you were that day.”
At that, Yuhwa’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson.
Namgung On already possessed a handsome appearance. When he said something like that so suddenly, Yuhwa had no choice but to blush.
The two stared at each other for a long time.
‘Wow...’
And Hong-seol was watching them, completely mesmerized.
‘I guess that’s what love is.’
As the story she had just heard from the storyteller overlapped with the scene, Hong-seol’s eyes welled up with tears.
Just then, Namgung Uigyeol’s eyes sharpened like a hawk spotting its prey.
“Clan Lord, may I be excused for a moment?”
At his uncharacteristically urgent tone, Namgung On nodded silently with a somber expression.
‘It seems something has happened.’
In any case, even without him, he had placed invisible guards everywhere.
“Thank you.”
Namgung Uigyeol bowed his head and soon vanished from sight.
Then, Hong-seol asked, her large eyes filled with worry.
“Did something bad happen?”
“No, do not worry.”
Namgung On, his smile returning as if he hadn’t been stern a moment ago, met Hong-seol’s eyes and asked affectionately.
“Since this is your first time at the market together, shall I buy you a gift to commemorate it?”
“Really?”
Hong-seol’s eyes sparkled, and she once again grabbed the hands of Namgung On and Yuhwa on either side.
* * *
“It suits you perfectly!”
Namgung On, wearing a proud expression, took a step back to look at Hong-seol.
A small pouch embroidered with peonies dangled from Hong-seol’s belt.
It was a ‘scent pouch,’ used to hold various incenses.
“How does it suit her so well!”
Yuhwa, her expression much softer than when they had left the Namgung estate, exclaimed in admiration.
Namgung On pulled a small box he had prepared in advance from his robes. Inside were dried flower petals.
“There, that will do.”
Namgung On filled the pouch with the petals and stepped back with a satisfied look. Hong-seol couldn’t take her eyes off the pouch, spinning around in place as if it were something magical.
Every time she spun, the little pouch swirled, releasing a fresh, pleasant scent.
“It’s so, so pretty! Thank you so much, Benefactor!”
She bowed with such a serious face that Yuhwa burst into laughter.
“That’s not the right way to use that word, little one.”
She sounded as if she were scolding her, but in reality, her tone was one of pure affection.
The sun was already beginning to set. Namgung On glanced at the sky and said.
“Uigyeol is running late. Shouldn’t we head back now?”
“Ah!”
A sound escaped Hong-seol’s lips. She hurriedly covered her mouth with both hands, but it was already too late.
“Is something the matter?”
“Oh... actually, there’s a place I really need to stop by.”
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