Chapter 7.2 - (Splendid Death) part 2 (1/2)
The night grew deeper, but everyone was awake as they enjoyed the excitement of the festival.
Yujo carefully opened the window and entered her room. The dark room was completely silent.
Was everyone outside? Had Brother Jewol returned?
Yujo snuck through the darkness as she made her way to the bathroom. She felt as if her body reeked of sweat and dust. When she entered the bathtub full of chilly water, she finally felt a sense of relief.
“Has your mistress returned?”
Suddenly, she heard Jewol’s voice outside. Ah, was he back already? When she turned around, she saw the shadows of Jewol and a bowing young woman.
“Not yet, Master.”
Ah, it was Ran?
“When she returns, let me know.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jewol was just about to turn around, but he stopped. He turned back to Ran.
“Never take your eyes off her.”
What?
Yujo watched the two shadows from within the water.
What did that mean? Why was he telling her not to take her eyes off her?
“Yes, sir.”
Yujo stayed inside the depths of the water as Ran kept her figure bowed. Yujo felt strange.
Even after Yujo had changed into her nightdress, sleep evaded her. She kept replaying the conversation she had overheard as she lied in bed.
She must’ve heard wrong. No, she must have misunderstood.
Never take your eyes off her. Why was Jewol commanding Ran to watch over her? Yujo tossed and turned within the blankets before bursting out of bed. She couldn’t lie still any longer.
She draped a summer jacket over her nightdress before opening the door and exiting the room. The house was filled with noise as always. Wherever Princess Yeowa was, overflowing laughter followed.
For some reason, she was worried about the bamboo shards she had left in Jewol’s care. She wanted to take a look at them again.
She quietly made her way down the corridor and entered Jewol’s study. She lit the lantern inside. The materials inside the study were all neatly organized.
How like him. Yujo carefully grazed her eyes over the books. Even his handwriting was neat and tidy. Yujo dragged her finger over the writing.
Where could he have put the bamboo shards?
She picked up the lantern and carefully sifted through the study. He must have put it away somewhere safe because she couldn’t find it anywhere. She looked through all the tidied drawers until she found a small box buried deep inside one of them.
Did he put it inside here? The box was even locked with a padlock. However, she already knew where Jewol kept his keys.
She quickly found the key hidden inside a vase and opened the lock. Click, Yujo thoughtlessly opened the box. What she saw inside made her freeze.
At first, she just thought it was a pretty bottle.
It was transparent, but it seemed to give off a glow of seven colors.
“It was completely clear and transparent and gave off a colorful light. But it’s very unstable, so after it comes into contact with a person, that person will explode within a couple of hours. So it has to be kept in a sturdy, crystal bottle.”
What… was this?
“SoYeon?”
At Jewol’s voice, Yujo flinched in surprise and hurriedly closed the lid of the box.
“Ah…Bro-“
He frowned.
“My lord husband.”
Yujo quickly corrected herself. They had agreed that she would call him ‘my lord husband’ when they were outside. But why did those words suddenly sound so awkward? She felt as if her tongue had gone stiff.
“When did you get back?”
“Just now.”
“What happened back there?”
“That’s… I thought I saw someone I knew.”
“Someone you knew?”
“I thought I saw a friend from Yeha, so I couldn’t help myself. But when I took a closer look, it wasn’t them.”
Yujo didn’t know why she was lying. She was sorry for doing it, but she couldn’t help herself.
‘Really?’ Jewol murmured suspiciously.
“But what brings you to this room?”
“That is…”
If she asked him what was inside this box, that would be the end. It would be the end if she asked him whether this bottle held the icy-fire stone. No, don’t worry about that and just ask him. Brother, what is this? Just ask…
Just…
Yujo’s heart held that question inside as she looked at Jewol. He was an older brother she had known for a long time. Brother Yuha’s friend. How much time had the three of them spent together? They had run across the meadows, slept underneath the stars… They had hunted together and even played together. Jewol had always been a kind person. His smiles were like that of a celestial being’s, and he received a lot of love from the two siblings.
“Never take your eyes off her.”
Why had he given that command to Ran?
However, she couldn’t ask him. She merely gave him a sheepish smile and replied.
“Ah, I wanted to take another look at the bamboo shards, so I was looking for them.”
“Haa, you want to see it again when it’s this late?”
Jewol’s expression was the same as always. No, actually, something was off. Yujo was flustered at this new awareness. There was an unfamiliar distance between them that she hadn’t noticed before.
He walked over to his desk as he spoke. The lantern illuminated his handsome face. It hadn’t changed. Yujo bit her lip.
Even when he carefully found the bamboo shards and splayed it out for her, Yujo felt a chill run down her spine. She needed to trust him. Why was she thinking like this? Rather than trusting a man whose name she didn’t know, shouldn’t she trust this brother of hers whom she had known for many years?
“What’s wrong?”
Jewol found Yujo’s stiff expression very strange.
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Yujo lowered her gaze and spoke with a blank expression. She recalled the completed bamboo slip with the bamboo shards filled in. Now that she thought about it, that final character seemed to be a Seol.
“Is there a Seol family among the families from the northern province?”
“Seol?”
Jewol slightly tilted his head.
“There are a lot of families from the northern province, so I’m not sure.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Yujo shook her head. She wanted to shake off the suspicions that were creeping over her shoulders.
“Yujo.”
Suddenly, Jewol called out to her. Startled, Yujo raised her head. Jewol’s eyes underneath the light of the lantern looked a bit strange. That’s… It looked very similar to the eyes of the strange man as he looked at her in the ChiHwaRu. The eyes of a man gazing at a woman. Yujo quickly looked away.
“Ah, don’t you think you should go inside and rest?”
“Yes, I think I’ll head back. Thank you, Brother.”
Yujo gave him an awkward smile.
I should trust him.
Yujo shook her head. She dumped out the dark doubts pooling inside her heart.
Jewol slightly turned his head and glanced at her before smiling bitterly.
Ran was standing in front of Yujo’s room. Yujo quickly looked at Ran and Jewol’s expressions, but they both looked calm. Something didn’t feel right. Jewol relaxed a bit and bid Yujo a goodnight before leaving.
Yujo merely stood in the darkness. Jewol passed through the corridor and…
“Seol…”
She didn’t hear Jewol’s murmur.
The next morning was very busy.
It was the day Princess Yeowa and other guests would gather together to enjoy a comedy.
Long strips of white cloth stretched out across the princess’s residence, and the white lanterns shook in the wind. Because Princess Yeowa’s relatives would be in attendance, the food and event was to go off without a hitch. Yujo wore a tidy outfit and approached her mother-in-law, Princess Yeowa.
“You came?”
Princess Yeowa, whose hair was slightly white at her temples, gave Yujo a soft smile and beckoned her daughter-in-law to come closer.
“Did you enjoy a comfortable night’s rest, Your Highness?”
“Aha, I told you to call me ‘Mother’.”
“But…”
Court etiquette in a royal household wasn’t like that of a normal one. Even if one was a royal’s husband or son, they were not allowed to address the princess as they pleased.
“Oh, come now. Come on. Do you know how much I’ve wanted to be called ‘Mother’?”
Princess Yeowa raised her teacup and murmured.
“I also want to be called ‘Grandmother’.”
Yujo swallowed a groan. She wasn’t her actual daughter-in-law, and she had no plans to give birth to Jewol’s child.
Jewol was like a brother to her. He had never made her heart race. Additionally…
She tamped down the rising doubts once again and put on a polite smile.
“I heard they were going to perform a Kunqu opera today.”
She had no choice but to change the subject at times like this.
“Yes, is everything ready?”
“I put a lot of thought into the preparations, but I’m not sure if it will be to your liking.”